Entry List for the Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is posted, 44 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including: #19-Bliss, #21-Bayne, #95-Speed & #51-Smith. #19-Bliss would had to get in by speed and be in the top 36 in speed as the team is too far down the owners points list to use a provisional.
If qualifying gets canceled, #21-Bayne would not make the race.
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Charlotte Entry List

added pages for the 2013 Sprint All-Star Race schemes and the 2013 Sprint Showdown paint schemes

Camo scheme for Earnahrdt Jr.: In honor of National Guard Soldiers and Memorial Day, the #88 Chevrolet SS of Dale Earnhardt Jr. will carry a camouflage paint scheme this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. As the nation's oldest Armed Forces component, the National Guard and its Citizen Soldiers play a vital role in protecting the freedoms Americans hold dear. Join Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the National Guard this Memorial Day by celebrating America and the men and women who serve this great county. To learn more about the Guard, visit NationalGuard.com. Five soldiers from the North Carolina National Guard will be on hand this weekend to help the #88 team push the specially designed camouflage #88 National Guard Chevrolet SS to the starting grid for Sunday's 600-mile race. Last Saturday, five additional North Carolina National Guard soldiers helped push out the #88 car when Earnhardt was introduced at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (HMS), see images of the scheme on the #88 Team Schemes page.(5-23-2013)

Scott Speed increases 2013 Cup schedule: #95-Scott Speed is adding up to 10 further NASCAR Sprint Cup events to his schedule after his recent top-10 finish at Talladega secured extra backing for his Leavine Family Racing Ford Fusion. The ex-Toro Rosso Formula 1 racer now plans to combine top-level US stock car racing with a Global Rallycross Championship campaign for the rest of the season. His ninth-placed Cup finish at Talladega and victory in the opening GRC event at X Games Brazil last month have boosted his chances of extra outings, including this week's Charlotte NASCAR round. "We've found the support to run more [NASCAR Cup] races this year, so we're going to run eight to 10 more," Speed told AUTOSPORT. "It's working out great to have a part-time schedule in Cup and now we can do this [rallycross] schedule, so we can balance the two." Speed drove in X Games Brazil in the Ford Fiesta ST 'star car' but shocked the establishment by winning the event outright - despite it being his first-ever experience of driving on a loose surface. He hopes to combine the two series for the rest of the season. "At this point the Cup deal takes precedence, but hopefully we can build it so they're working cohesively with each other," said Speed. "It's a unique opportunity here, and we're working as hard as we can to make the most of it."(AutoSport)(5-23-2013)

Kenseth voted 1st Qtr Driver of the Year award: NASCAR's Matt Kenseth crushed the opposition to win the first quarter Driver of the Year Award 2013. The 2003 Sprint Cup Champion scored twice the points of his nearest rivals in a vote by an elite panel of American broadcasters and journalists. In racing terms Kenseth rolled off the hauler quickly in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing. In the first quarter ending May 12th he scored three wins (Las Vegas, Kansas and Darlington), two poles and led 781 laps. The usually droll Wisconsin native was moved and a little surprised when he heard the news. "It's always an honor whenever you're selected for any kind of award from the media or the fans," Kenseth said. "I never even thought of receiving this award, so it's pretty cool to have been selected for this. In the voting Kenseth, who drives the No. 20 Dollar General/Home Depot Husky Toyota Camry, had ten first-place ballots and totaled 110 points according to the Driver of the Year points system. Canada's James Hinchcliffe, who drives the Go Daddy Dallara-Chevrolet for Andretti Autosport in the IndyCar series, had one first-place vote and tallied 55 points. Kyle Busch, one of Kenseth's teammates, a threat to win on any NASCAR track finished third with two first-place votes and 50 points. Takuma Sato, the first Japanese driver to win an IndyCar race, also had one first-place vote. A total of 15 drivers scored points in the first quarter voting. In its' 47th year, the Driver of the Year title is unique. The panel of 18 leading journalists and broadcasters from across the U.S. determines the winner. Four panelists did not vote this time. In quarterly voting, points are awarded on a declining 9, 6, 4,3,2,1 basis. Kenseth will receive a trophy and a Tissot wristwatch to be presented at a race weekend at to be determined.(DOTY)(5-23-2013)

Goodyear "Support Our Troops" Tires Charlotte Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same Goodyear tire codes at Charlotte this week . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that teams in both of these series ran at Charlotte last season, and that Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck teams ran last week . . . this left-side tire code was run by these teams at Charlotte beginning in 2011 . . . this right-side tire code was also run by Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams at Darlington earlier this month . . . normally, Goodyear's tires for Cup and Nationwide teams are branded "Goodyear Eagle," though throughout both of Charlotte's race weeks, all tires will be decaled with "Support Our Troops" as part of the Goodyear Gives Back program . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Charlotte . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire (Goodyear), see tire codes, pressures and more on the Charlotte Race Info - Goodtear section.(5-23-2013).

2014 NASCAR Hall Of Fame Class Announced: NASCAR announced the inductees who will comprise the 2014 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The five-person group  the fifth in NASCAR Hall of Fame history  consists of Tim Flock, Jack Ingram, Dale Jarrett, Maurice Petty and Fireball Roberts. Next year's Induction Day is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014, broadcast on Fox Sports 1 from Charlotte, N.C. The 54-member NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met today in a closed session in Charlotte, N.C., to vote on the induction class of 2014. NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France made the announcement this evening in the NASCAR Hall of Fame's "Great Hall." Next year's class was determined by votes cast by the Voting Panel, which included representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders and a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com  which counted for the 55th and final vote. The accounting firm of Ernst & Young presided over the tabulation of the votes. Voting for next year's class was as follows: Tim Flock (76%), Maurice Petty (67%), Dale Jarrett (56%), Jack Ingram (53%) and Fireball Roberts (51%). The next top vote getters were Jerry Cook, Joe Weatherly and Wendell Scott. Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote, in alphabetical order, were Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Dale Jarrett, Benny Parsons and Fireball Roberts. The five inductees came from a group of 25 nominees that included: Red Byron, Richard Childress, Jerry Cook, H. Clay Earles, Tim Flock, Ray Fox, Anne Bledsoe France, Rick Hendrick, Jack Ingram, Bobby Isaac, Dale Jarrett, Fred Lorenzen, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, Maurice Petty, Larry Phillips, Les Richter, Fireball Roberts, T. Wayne Robertson, Wendell Scott, Ralph Seagraves, O. Bruton Smith, Curtis Turner, Joe Weatherly and Rex White.
Class of 2014 Inductees:
Tim Flock - A two-time NASCAR premier series champion, Flock was one of the sport's first dominant drivers. In 187 starts, Flock had 39 victories, a total that still ranks 18th on the all-time wins list. Flock won his first series title in 1952 while driving Ted Chester's Hudson Hornet, and his second in 1955 driving Carl Kiekhaefer's Chrysler. He dominated that season, posting 18 wins, 32 top fives and 18 poles in 39 races. Flock's 18 wins stood as a single-season victory record until Richard Petty surpassed it with 27 wins in 1967.
Jack Ingram - The NASCAR Nationwide Series has had a variety of incarnations through the years but when considered collectively, an argument can be made that Jack Ingram is the series' all-time greatest driver. Before the formation of the series, Ingram won three consecutive championships, from 1972-74, in its precursor  the Late Model Sportsman Division. When the NASCAR Busch Series was formed, he won the inaugural title in 1982 and again in '85. In his 10 years of competition in what was called the NASCAR Busch Series, Ingram had 31 wins, a record that stood until Mark Martin broke it in 1997. All but two of Ingram's 31 wins came on short tracks.
Dale Jarrett - Dale Jarrett personified big-stage performances. A three-time Daytona 500 winner and two-time winner of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jarrett excelled under NASCAR's brightest spotlights. His 32 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories  21st all-time  also include the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jarrett won the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, and recorded six additional top-five championship finishes. With father Ned, the Jarretts are only the second father-son combination with NASCAR premier series championships after NASCAR Hall of Famers Lee and Richard Petty. Ned Jarrett was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in May 2011. Ned and Dale Jarrett become the third father-son duo selected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, following Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr., and Lee and Richard Petty.
Maurice Petty - The chief engine builder at Petty Enterprises, Maurice Petty becomes the fourth member of the dynasty to be chosen for membership in the NASCAR Hall of Fame  following his older brother Richard, father Lee and his cousin Dale Inman. The man simply called "Chief" supplied the horsepower that propelled Richard Petty to a majority of his record 200 NASCAR victories, plus his seven NASCAR premier series championships and seven Daytona 500 victories. Lee Petty, Buddy Baker, Jim Paschal and Pete Hamilton were also among those who won with his engines. Petty had a brief driving career  26 premier series races with seven top-five and 16 top-10 finishes between 1960 and 1964  but was satisfied to work behind the scenes as one of the top engine builders ever seen in the sport.
Fireball Roberts - Glenn Roberts, who got his legendary nickname from his days as a hard-throwing pitcher in high school, is perhaps the greatest driver never to win a NASCAR title. He was arguably stock car racing's first superstar, an immensely popular prototype for some of today's competitors who are stars on and off the track. During his career he often came up big in the biggest events, winning the Daytona 500 in 1962 and the Southern 500 in 1958 and '63. Overall, he won seven races at Daytona International Speedway, starting with the Firecracker 250 in the summer of 1959  the year the speedway opened.(NASCAR)(5-22-2013)

Woods Poised To Make Milestone Start At Charlotte: Like nearly everyone in America this week, Eddie Wood and his fellow members of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team have had the weather on their minds, especially after the heart-breaking death and damage that massive tornados caused in Oklahoma on Tuesday. Wood and his crew also have been keeping an eye on the forecast for Charlotte on Thursday, when qualifying is scheduled for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, and there's a chance of rain. Wood is hoping for clear skies and a fast Ford Fusion so his family team can reach a milestone 1,400 Sprint Cup starts, dating back to Glen Wood's first appearance in NASCAR's elite division, at Martinsville Speedway on May 17, 1953, driving a 1953 Lincoln. Should there be rain, enough rain for qualifying to be cancelled, the team would miss the race. By competing on a limited schedule, the team has made fewer attempts to qualify for races this season than the other teams not otherwise locked into the starting field. In rainouts, the final starting slots go to teams based on the number of attempts to qualify. "Considering the tragedy and loss the people of Oklahoma have suffered, our weather concerns don't seem that important," Wood said. "But the Wood Brothers have run 1,399 races, and we plan to run a lot more in the future. If we miss Charlotte, we'll make our 1,400th start somewhere else."(Wood Brothers Racing)(5-21-2013)

Bicycle Brand Playing Cards Team up with #33 team: Bicycle Brand, America's Favorite Playing Cards, announced a two-race partnership with Landon Cassill and Circle Sport as a primary sponsor beginning with this weekend's Coca-Cola 600 race event under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The iconic brand will also serve as the primary of the #33 Bicycle NASCAR Playing Cards Chevrolet SS at next weekend's FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway.
In a tribute to the Memorial Day holiday, the #33 Chevrolet will proudly display the nation's colors incorporated into the Bicycle Playing Cards' paint scheme showcasing the recently launched NASCAR Playing Cards. The officially licensed NASCAR playing cards feature either NASCAR cars or drivers with authentic sponsor logos. Sr. VP of Marketing at The United States Playing Card Company Roy Gifford said, "We're excited about our sponsorship with the #33 Chevrolet and the launch of our NASCAR Playing Cards." You can find the cards at www.shopbicyclecards.com.(Circle Sport PR), see images of the scheme on the #33 Team Schemes page.(5-22-2013)

Almirola Honors Air Force with Patriotic Paint Scheme in Coke 600: Aric Almirola and the #43 Air Force Ford team look to repeat last year's speed in the Coca-Cola 600. Almirola and team won the pole in last year's 600-mile event and finished 16th in his Charlotte Motor Speedway debut. In just his second start at the 1.5-mile track, Almirola started 15th and drove to the 12th position. The United States Air Force will adorn the hood of the #43 Ford this weekend. This will mark the 13th consecutive season the Air Force has been involved in NASCAR, five of which were with Richard Petty Motorsports. Charlotte Motor Speedway has many events that include the Air Force, as well as other branches of the military, as the sport works to give back during this patriotic weekend.(RPM), see an image of the Air Force scheme on the #43 Team Schemes page.(5-22-2013)

Charlotte Motor Speedway Facts and Notes Wednesday:
· Richard Petty leads the series in runner-up finishes at Charlotte with nine. Bobby Labonte leads all active drivers in second-place finishes at Charlotte with six; followed by Matt Kenseth with three.
· NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison are tied for the series' most top-five finishes at Charlotte with 23. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 18, followed by Jeff Gordon with 16.
· Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Charlotte with 31. Mark Martin leads all active drivers with 24.
· Joey Logano leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Charlotte with a 10.125.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Charlotte with 1,439 laps led in 23 starts. 826 of Johnson's 1,439 laps led at CMS were in the Coca-Cola 600; the most of any active NSCS driver.
· Five of the 108 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 won by David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip Racing. Four of the five races shortened were the 600-mile events (1968, 1997, 2003 and 2009).
· Seven NASCAR Sprint Cup active drivers have made their first career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Michael Waltrip (5/26/85), Elliott Sadler (5/24/98), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5/30/99), Jimmie Johnson (10/7/01), Brian Vickers (10/11/03), David Reutimann (10/15/05) and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (5/29/11).(NASCAR)(5-22-2013)

"NASCAR: An American Salute" Pays Tribute to U.S. Military: NASCAR announced the launch of the second-annual "NASCAR: An American Salute" initiative, an industry-wide effort to honor and celebrate the service of members of the United States Armed Forces, veterans and their families. Beginning with the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and culminating with the Independence Day Weekend's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, this year's campaign aspires to reach one million "salutes" to U.S. military members during the next six weeks. In addition to being able to track the progress against one million salutes, NASCAR fans, partners, drivers, teams and tracks can salute the military by sending messages of gratitude at www.NASCAR.com/Salutes and by using #NASCARSalutes on Instagram and Twitter. "The tradition of honoring our military is part of the fiber of our sport," said Mike Helton, NASCAR president. "Everyone at NASCAR is proud of the NASCAR: An American Salute initiative. It enables us to collectively express our gratitude to the millions of American members of the armed forces, both currently serving and those who have served, for the sacrifices they make in defending our nation."
Some of the activities planned throughout the six weeks of "NASCAR: An American Salute" include:
· The NASCAR Foundation will partner with USO to support the "With You All the Way" program, a partnership between the USO, Comfort Crew for Military Kids, and the Trevor Romain Company. "With You All the Way" promotes self-confidence and resiliency among military children as they tackle difficult issues which are unique to growing up in a military family.
· NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race teams will showcase their support by displaying patriotic-themed elements and paint schemes on their race vehicles (see images of the Sprint Cup cars on my Paint Scheme Gallery).
· Race tracks hosting national series events during the "NASCAR: An American Salute" window  Charlotte Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Michigan International Raceway, Sonoma Raceway, Kentucky Speedway and Daytona International Speedway  will participate through a variety of military-themed activations. Tracks will feature active and retired service men and women in pre-race show festivities, patriotic grass and wall stencils, donations, special activities for soldiers and their families, among an assortment of other military-themed programming.
· A number of NASCAR Official Partners will support "NASCAR: An American Salute" through patriotic and military-themed activations. Goodyear will announce its annual "Goodyear Gives Back" program and replace the "Eagle" and "Wrangler" sidewall design with desert camouflage lettering that reads "Support Our Troops" on all NASCAR race tires during Memorial Day Weekend. Additional participating partners include: 3M, Axalta Coating Systems, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Coors Light, Ford Motor Company, Mechanix Wear, Nationwide Insurance, New Holland, Sprint, Toyota, Sunoco and UPS will also participate.
· During the "NASCAR: An American Salute" initiative, NASCAR and the Armed Forces Foundation will expand their season-long partnership on the NASCAR Troops to the Track program to host military families at each NSCS race throughout the six-week period. The service members and their families will be treated to a customized program at track that honors their service in the military.
· NASCAR and the Honor and Remember organization will host several Gold Star families at various tracks including Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kentucky Speedway who have lost loved ones in their U.S. military service.
· Through a partnership with A Million Thanks  an organization dedicated to showing appreciation for U.S. military men and women through varying forms of correspondence  drop boxes will be placed at tracks and various locations in local communities where fans can send personalized letters to active U.S. troops.(NASCAR)(5-22-2013)

Top 12 Driver Rating at Charlotte:
#48-Jimmie Johnson........................ 111.7
#18-Kyle Busch............................... 107.7
#5-Kasey Kahne.............................. 98.0
#20-Matt Kenseth.............................. 94.4
#16-Greg Biffle.................................. 94.1
#11-Denny Hamlin............................. 92.1
#99-Carl Edwards.............................. 89.0
#22-Joey Logano.............................. 88.4
#55-Mark Martin................................. 88.2
#24-Jeff Gordon................................ 87.3
#43-Aric Almirola............................... 84.8
#14-Tony Stewart............................... 83.4
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (16 total) among active drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Formula combining the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.(NASCAR)

All-Star TV Ratings: According to Nielsen Media Research, SPEED enjoyed a strong week of live racing, as the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Charlotte and the ARCA Racing Series event from Toledo all enjoyed ratings increases.
Minus a red-flag stoppage for rain, the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race scored a rating of 3.29 Saturday night, up 6.5% from last year's 3.09. Including the nearly one-hour rain delay, the total rating of 3.04 was off only 2% from 2012. On the night, SPEED's Nielsen Household Rating finished second in ad-supported cable. In addition, it ranked second with Men 18-49, first with Men 35-54 and second with Men 25-54. Lastly, Saturday had the highest HH rating for any day this year on SPEED with a 0.99. Friday night's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from Charlotte was up 14%, and the ARCA Racing Series race was up 29%. SPEED Total Day ratings for the entire week were up 19% versus the same week in 2012.(SPEED)
See past races for 2013 and 5-year comparison chart on the 2013 NASCAR TV Ratings page.(5-21-2013)

No crew chief changes for Stewart Haas Racing: Despite a dismal season to date, there are no crew chief changes planned at Stewart-Haas Racing [#10-Patrick, #14-Stewart & #39-Newman], a high-ranking team official told SPEED.com Monday morning. "We've all won races together and championships together, we're going to pull ourselves out of this together," the team official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. After Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, team co-owner Tony Stewart spent nearly two hours in the team hauler, meeting with crew chief Steve Addington and team engineers to work on solving the team's handling issues. "Every team goes through this at one point or another. We'll get through it," the SHR team person said.(SPEED)(5-21-2013)

Roush to run triple Fastenal Ford's in the Coca Cola 600 UPDATE: Fastenal Racing will be on #16-Greg Biffle, #17-Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and #99-Carl Edwards Ford Racing Fusions for the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway next weekend.(Roush Fenway Racing Facebook)(5-18-2013)
UPDATE: Held on Memorial Day weekend, the Coca-Cola 600 presents an opportunity for the NASCAR community to display appreciation for our country's military forces. This year, Fastenal is proud to honor military service men and women, both active and retired, with a three-car tribute on the #16, #17 and #99 Ford Fusions at Charlotte Motor Speedway. These three cars, known as the Fastenal Tribute Cars, will feature the names of current Fastenal employees who served in the military. David MacFadden (First Sergeant, U.S. Army) will be displayed on the hood of the #99, and Brian Ashbee (Chief Quartermaster, U.S. Navy) and Anthony Phillips (Private First Class, U.S. Army) will see their names on the hood of the #17. The displays are part of Fastenal's "Heroes Hired Here" campaign honoring employees who are active or retired military members. MacFadden, Ashbee and Phillips were the top three finishers in a Fastenal employee essay contest. As the contest winner, MacFadden will also receive a trip for two to the Bank of America 500 in Charlotte on October 12th. Fastenal will be posting the winners' stories on the Fastenal Racing Facebook page this week (https://www.facebook.com/fastenalracing). "We're extremely proud of the hundreds of former and current military personnel who are part of the Fastenal Blue Team," said Fastenal President Lee Hein. "The Tribute Cars are a small way of expressing our gratitude to them and all of the men and women who have served our country." This is Fastenal's second season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as the primary sponsor for Carl Edwards in the #99 Ford Fusion and second year sponsoring three Cup cars in the Roush Fenway Racing family for the Coca-Cola 600.(Roush Fenway Racing)
ALSO: Roush Fenway Racing's Spring Fan Day is scheduled for Thursday, May 23rd, more info at roushfenway.com. see images of the Fastenal schemes on my #17 Team Schemes page.(5-21-2013)

Charlotte Motor Speedway Facts and Notes Tuesday:
· Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1959.
· The track's first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 19, 1960  won by Joe Lee Johnson.
· The track was repaved midseason in 1994.
· The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe's Motor Speedway in 1999. It changed back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2010 season.
· The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.
· There have been 108 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, two races per year since the track opened in 1960. In 1961, there were two 100-mile qualifying points races held the week before the May race. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).
· 517 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying race at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 364 in more than one.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Charlotte with 64. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 57 starts; followed by Mark Martin with 56.(NASCAR)(5-21-2013)

Kulwicki Team Assembles 20 Years After Title: Twenty years after losing their mentor, their leader, in a plane crash near Bristol, Tenn., nine members of Alan Kulwicki's 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup championship team reunited. It was a time to laugh, shed a few tears, renew friendships and help raise money for the Alan Kulwicki Memorial Scholarship fund at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Held Sunday, the storytelling hour, reception and dinner was the idea of Ryan Zeck, the scholarship's first recipient. Folks can still donate directly to the scholarship fund by visiting giving.uncc.edu, then select "William States Lee College of Engineering" on the right drop down menu. Click "Submit Dropdown Field", and on the next page, you will see the "Alan Kulwicki Memorial Scholarship" in the Designation Name drop down menu.(See full story at RacinToday)(5-21-2013)

Kyle Busch, & team helping build Habitat for Humanity Homes; scheme: Almost daily, Kyle Busch and members of his #18 M&M'S Toyota team practice to improve their efficiency changing tires and pouring gas, to ensure they can save precious seconds necessary to maintain track position. Today, the team banded together with colleagues from Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR and M&M'S to make improvements of a different kind.
This unique team, comprised of more than 50 volunteers, is helping build two Habitat for Humanity of Charlotte homes in the Charlotte area, which includes the future homes of Yasin Mohamed and Egland Isak and their three children, as well as Kung Mang and Sung Thluai and their two children. The effort is part of M&M'S M'Prove America campaign, a year-long partnership with Habitat designed to fund construction of new Habitat homes across the United States.
Fans can join Busch and M&M'S by pledging to volunteer their time and talents at Habitat for Humanity build sites across the country at www.mproveamerica.com. This year, M&M'S is encouraging its associates and fans to log an ambitious 1.5 million minutes -- or 25,000 hours -- of volunteer time with Habitat. In addition to encouraging fans to volunteer time, M&M'S is also making a donation of $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity to fund the construction of Habitat homes in 2013. Later this month, M&M'S will also introduce specially marked M'Prove America packages of red, white and blue M&M'S Brand Candies in stores nationwide.
The M&M'S M'Prove America campaign will also be on display during the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway when Busch gets behind the wheel of a special #18 M&M'S M'Prove America Toyota.(Wall Street Journal), see an image of the scheme on my #18 Team Schemes page.(5-20-2013)

Schrader wins ARCA race, oldest driver to win an ARCA race: Ken Schrader won the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care Sunday afternoon at Toledo Speedway, making him the oldest winner in ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards history. Schrader started second in his Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet and led 163 laps. The NASCAR veteran took command of the lead early in the race and held off a long side-by-side battle with Grant Enfinger and took the checkered flag while waving to a capacity crowd. "I love it," Schrader said in Victory Lane. "That's five (at Toledo). We'll take it. But, now, it means nothing because we have to go to Elko." Schrader's Federated Car Care team celebrated in victory lane. It was his fifth win at Toledo Speedway and 16th all-time ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards win. The race will be re-broadcast on SPEED at noon Monday.(ARCA)(5-20-2013)

Harvick to visit Fort Bragg: #29-Kevin Harvick will join Folds of Honor Foundation founder Major Dan Rooney at Fort Bragg to make a special presentation to the base, tour the Warrior Transition Battalion and meet with soldiers on Thursday, May 23rd. The visit is a part of Budweiser's "red, white and blue summer" initiative, which benefits the Folds of Honor Foundation. Since 2010, Budweiser has raised more than $5 million for the Folds of Honor Foundation and provided more than 1,000 educational scholarships to the families of soldiers killed or disabled in service. Harvick's No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS will feature a special patriotic paint scheme that reflects the King of Beers' limited-edition red, white and blue packaging as well as the Folds of Honor Foundation in the Memorial Day Weekend 600-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.(Bud Racing)(5-20-2013)

TV graphic mistake leads to fan confusion: A television graphic incorrectly showed #48-Jimmie Johnson should have entered pit road 11th instead of fourth on the mandatory four-tire stop before the final segment of Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race. It started a social media outcry for those who didn't know the facts. It grew louder when Johnson left pit road second. It grew even louder when the five-time Sprint Cup champion won for the second straight year and a record fourth time overall, breaking a tie with Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and future Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. "People just want to hate," Johnson said with a laugh inside the media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "That's fine. I'm just lucky. NASCAR rigs the races and whatever they want to believe. I'm going home with a cool trophy and a big check and we all really know what happened. So whatever."(ESPN)
NOTE: Johnson coming in 4th for the pitstop was correct, see the averages of the four segments and the order of pit road entry on my Jayski's Sprint All-Star Race page.(5-19-2013)

Kahne says he and Kyle Busch are good: Despite three on-track incidents between them in just 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup races this season, #5-Kasey Kahne told SPEED.com that he doesn't have a problem with #18-Kyle Busch. Prior to Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kahne told SPEED.com that he and Busch talked things out and are OK going forward. "Yes, it's over. I thought it was over before Darlington," said Kahne. Kahne said Busch called him earlier in the week. "We talked about & it was just hard racing. We were both going for the lead."(SPEED)(5-19-2013)

Crew chief Kevin Manion's fight with gout: There's a reason why flip-flops are Kevin "Bono" Manion's favorite shoes. There's a reason why the crew chief of Jamie McMurray's #1 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet would cut holes in the toes of his work shoes before venturing into the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage. Manion, 40, has suffered from gout for the past 10 years, and lately he's also been fighting the mistaken perception that gout afflicts elderly persons who drink too much alcohol. At age 30, Manion began to suffer the symptoms of gout, a severe form of arthritis caused by high uric acid levels. At times, the pain was unbearable. "I've broken some bones, I've stubbed my toe, I've cut myself wide open and had plenty of stitches," Manion told the NASCAR Wire Service during an interview in the #1 team's transporter on Friday. "I've had my front teeth replaced, but (gout) is the most painful. You know when you've got it. There's no question. Literally trying to sleep at night, you're fine unless you have to put a cover on, because a bed sheet will make you scream like a baby. That's how painful it is. There's no thought of putting a sock on. I basically have cut the big toe out of my shoe so my toe wouldn't touch anything at a track over a weekend."
Manion may have known he had goutdespite one early misdiagnosis as turf toebut he was reluctant to acknowledge it because of the stigma associated with a disease that afflicts eight million Americans. "For two years, I was just stubborn more than anything, a guy that (said), 'Surely it wasn't goutit couldn't be,' being my age of around 30," Manion said. "I always heard (gout afflicts) old people that drink a lot of liquor, and I don't do that. Occasionally, I'll have a beer or two, but I'm not the guy that drank too much or ate too much red meat. I'm not that old guy&You always hear, and I've heard it before, 'Oh, he's got the gouthe's a drunk.' By no means did I ever think that was what it was. I just thought I had sprained my toe. I heard it was turf toe from one doctor. Finally, it hurt so badand I honestly thought it was broken, that's how bad it hurtand the doctor said, 'No, if you broke your foot, it wouldn't hurt that bad; what you have is gout.'"
At this point, Manion has done more than just accept the reality of the disease. He is working with Takeda Pharmaceuticals to heighten awareness of the disorder and to alter the conventional wisdom about its nature and causes. "Simply, it's just a severe form of arthritis," Manion said. "If you say you have arthritis, people don't look at you funny. When you say you have the gout, people kind of look at you funny. It's the same thing. It's just a form of arthritis. The only thing I can recommend is to go to your local physician and get on a plan to manage it." Manion also encourages gout sufferers, and those who think they might have it, to visit www.gout.com, a web site that provides comprehensive information about the condition.(NASCAR Wire Service)(5-19-2013)

Johnson win All-Star race: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, for his 4th All-Star race win. Johnson finished 15th, 5th, 3rd & 3rd in the four segments which meant he had the 4th best average finish of the drivers, so he went in 4th for the madatory 4-tire pit stop before the fifth and final segment, #5-Kahne came out 1st, followed by Johnson, #18-Busch, #22-Logani and #78-Busch. #78-Busch won segments 1 & 4 and led 29 laps and #18-Busch won segments 2 & 3 and also led 29 laps. Johnson led 10 total laps, all of the final segment. Johnson now has the most All-Star wins of any driver with 4.
#22-Logano finished 2nd, followed by #18-Busch, #5-Kahne, #78-Busch, #11-Hamlin, #88-Earnhardt Jr., #1-McMurray (the Showdown winner), #20-Kenseth and #99-Edwards.
See race results, each segment finish, average of the four segments, links to pdf for results and more on Jayski's Sprint All-Star Race Info page.(5-18-2013)

McMurray dominates the Sprint Showdown: #1-Jamie McMurray won the Sprint Showdown Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, leading all 40 laps to transfer to the Sprint All-Star race. #17-Stenhouse Jr. finished 2nd and will also transfer to the All-Star race. #31-Burton finished 3rd followed by #27-Menard, #56-Truex Jr., #42-Montoya, #43-Almirola, #93-Kvapil, #10-Patrick and #13-Mears. After segment 1, #13-Mears was the only driver not to pit and started segment 2 first, but McMurray quickly retook the lead as his team changed two tires and he came out to start segment 2 second. #42-Montoya sped on pit road and started segment 2 from the rear. After the Sprint Showdown was over, NASCAR called #56-Truex Jr., #47-Labonte and #10-Patrick to staging area after the race. It will be one of those three as the Fan vote winner.
Fan Vote Winner: it was announced that #10-Danica Patrick won the fan vote and will race in the Sprint All-Star race.
See results for each segment on Jayski's Sprint All-Star Race Info page.(5-18-2013)

Sad News - Dick Trickle: Retired race car driver Richard "Dick" Trickle, 71, died Thursday from an apparent self inflicted gun shot wound, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. The incident occurred at 12:02 p.m. at Forest Lawn Cemetery on Highway 150 East in Boger City. The Lincoln County Communications Center received a call apparently from the victim that "there would be a dead body and it would be his." Communications Center workers tried to place a return call to the number but did not get an answer. The first emergency units arriving on the scene located the body lying near the victim's pickup truck. Trickle was a Lincoln County resident and had lived there since the early 1990's.(wbtv.com)
Trickle was the 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year, started 303 Cup races with 15 top-fives [with a best finish of 3rd, five times), 36 top-tens and 1 pole (Dover 1990).(Racing-reference.info)(5-16-2013)
more info and full obituary at warlickfuneralhome.net.(5-18-2013)

Johnson goes Patriotic at CMS: Jimmie Johnson will drive the #48 Lowe's "Patriotic" Chevrolet SS in the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The car will be painted red, white and blue and ringed in stars. Lowe's and its #48 team have a long history of supporting the military and honoring the nation over the years. In 2001, Johnson's first Sprint Cup race came at Charlotte in the Lowe's Chevrolet, which was specially painted to honor the country. In 2009, crew chief Chad Knaus helped create a patriotic-themed car that carried the names of more than 12,000 Lowe's employees who are military veterans or reservists.(Team Lowe's / HMS), see an image of the scheme on the #48 Team Schemes page.(5-17-2013)