BUCYRUS 200 - ROAD AMERICA
Nationwide Series Race #15 of 35 for the 2010 season
Last Race - Kentucky
Next Race - New Hamsphire
Edwards wins at Road America: #60-Carl Edwards won the Bucyrus 200 at Road America for his first win of 2010 and the first win for Ford this season. #88-Ron Fellows finished second. The rest of the top 10 were #62-Brendan Gaughan, #22-Brad Keselowski, #27-Owen Kelly, #18-Brad Coleman, #7-J.R. Fitzpatrick, #38-Jason Leffler, #66-Steve Wallace, and #99-Trevor Bayne. There were 7 cautions for 14 laps and 7 lead changes among 5 leaders. Complete results are posted on the Road America race results page. (6-19-2010)
Road America Race Fast Facts:
Carl Edwards won the THE BUCYRUS 200 PRESENTED BY MENARDS, his 26th victory in 191 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first victory and 12th top-10 finish in 2010.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in one races at Road America.
Ron Fellows (second) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Road America. It is his first top-10 finish in 2010.
Brendan Gaughan (third) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at Road America.
Colin Braun (11th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Brad Keselowski leads the point standings by 237 points over Carl Edwards.
(NASCAR Statistics)(6-19-2010)
Driver standings following Road America:
1) #22-Brad Keselowski 2466
2) #60-Carl Edwards 2229, -237
3) #12-Justin Allgaier 2051, -415
4) #18-Kyle Busch 1945, -521
5) #98-Paul Menard 1860, -606
6) #33-Kevin Harvick 1852, -614
7) #62-Brendan Gaughan 1685, -781
8) #66-Steve Wallace 1679, -787
9) #38-Jason Leffler 1597, -869
10) #20-Joey Logano 1593, -873
Complete standings are posted on the driver standings page.(6-19-2010)
Owner Standings following Road America are posted. The top 30 are now locked in the race at New Hampshire. The #35-Jason Keller/Tony Ave/TriStar Motorsports team has moved into the top 30 and the #87-NEMCO Motorsports team falls out.(6-19-2010)
Edwards on pole at Road America: #60-Carl Edwards won the Coors Light Pole for the Bucyrus 200 at Road America with a speed of 109.038mph. It is his third pole of the season. #32-Jacques Villeneuve will start second. The rest of the top 10: #16-Colin Braun, #18-Brad Coleman, #81-Michael McDowell, #62-Brendan Gaughan, #90-Patrick Long, #98-Paul Menard, #27-Owen Kelly, and #35-Tony Ave. One 43 cars were at the track so everyone qualified for the race. The starting lineup is posted on the Road America starting lineup page.(6-19-2010)
Villeneuve fastest in Happy Hour: #32-Jacques Villeneuve was quickest during the final practice session at Road America with a speed of 106.773mph. He was followed by: #35-Tony Ave, #12-Justin Allgaier, #90-Patrick Long, #88-Ron Fellows, #27-Owen Kelly, #62-Brandan Gaughan, #7-J.R. Fitzpatrick, #81-Michael McDowell & #23-Alex Kennedy. Complete results are posted on the Road America practice results page.(6-18-2010)
Coleman fastest in Friday's first practice: #18-Brad Coleman was the fastest in the third practice session of the week for the Bucyrus 200. The rest of the top 10: #33-Ron Hornaday Jr, #16-Colin Braun, #32, #98-Michel Jourdain Jr (subbing for Paul Menard), #32-Jacque Villeneuve, #6- Ricky Stenhouse Jr, #88-Ron Fellows, #81-Michael McDowell, #27-Owen Kelly & #62-Brendan Gaughan. There were a few slide offs into the gravel, but no major problems, during the session. Complete results are posted on the Road America practice results page.(6-18-2010)
Edwards fastest in second practice: #60-Carl Edwards was the fastest in the second practice session at Road America with a speed of 107.177mph, followed by #98-Menard, #18-Coleman, #16-Braun and #32-Villeneuve. Results are posted on the Road America practice results page.(6-17-2010)
Menard fastest in opening practice: #98-Paul Menard was the fastest in the opening practice session for the Bucyrus 200 with a speed of 106.721 mph, followed by #27-Owen Kelly, #18-Brad Coleman, #88-Ron Fellows and #60-Carl Edwards. 35 of the 43 teams made session 1 runs, 8 teams did not practice. Results are posted on the Road America practice results page.(6-17-2010)
Entry List: There are 43 cars [for 43 spots] on the preliminary entry list for Saturday's Bucyrus 200 at Road America. Some notes as there are many road course drivers in the field:
J.R. Fitzpatrick takes over the #7 Chevy for JR Motorsports,
Colin Braun is back in the #16 Con-way Ford;
Matt Dibenedetto to drive the #20 JGR Toyota;
Alex Kennedy looks to make decut in the #23 car
Tim George Jr. makes series debut in the #21 RCR Chevy
Jacques Villeneuve set to run the #32 Braun Racing Toyota
Road race expert Ron Fellows drives the #88 for JR Motorsports.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is listed back in the the #6 Ford.
Joey Scarallo is listed in the #56 Toyota
See the complete list on the Road America entry list page.(6-14/16-2010)
If qualifying is rained out or canceled the teams making the race would be [all of them]:
#35-Tony Ave [32nd in owner points, 14 attempts], #6-Ricky Stenhouse [33rd, 14], #05-Victor Gonzalez Jr. [34th, 14], , #70-Mark Green [35th, 14], #26-Brain Keselowski [36th, 14], #61-Matt Carter [37th, 14], #89-Morgan Shepherd [38th, 14], #04-Kevin Lepage [40th, 10]; #56-Carlos Contreras [41st, 14], #92-Dennis Setzer [42nd, 14], #90-Patrick Long [43rd, 12], #31-Stanton Barrett [54th, 2]; #59-Kyle Kelley [none, 0]
0 missing the race would be: none, only 43 entered
NASCAR Nationwide Series Makes Road America Debut on ESPN2: The NASCAR Nationwide Series holds its first-ever race at one of America's most famous racing circuits this weekend and ESPN2 will have live coverage of the Bucyrus 200 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. The 4-mile road course is hosting its first NASCAR race on Saturday, June 19. NASCAR Countdown airs at 3:00pm/et, while the race telecast starts at 3:30pm/et with the green flag at 3:51pm/et. ESPN2 is the home of the series all season, with selected races airing on ESPN and ABC.
Allen Bestwick will be the lap-by-lap announcer for the race and also will host NASCAR Countdown. Analysts will be 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Rusty Wallace and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Andy Petree. Pit reporters will be Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Mike Massaro. Reports from two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion crew chief Tim Brewer will air from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage.
Owner Standings following Kentucky are posted. The top 30 who have attempted all races are now locked in the race at Road America. There were no changes to the locked in positions. #24-Eric McClure/TRM remains in the final locked in position. #35-Jason Keller/TriStar Motorsports is 31 points behind.(6-12-2010)
• Road
Trip: NASCAR Nationwide Series Heads Another Track Debut
• Menard
Not The Only Driver With Win, Laps At Road America
• Villeneuve
Among International Stars Shining On The Road
Road America: Longest Track in NASCAR
The last in a stretch of three consecutive stand-alone races also
is the first of three road-course races on
the NASCAR
Nationwide Series schedule this summer.
And for the
fourth time in the last six years, the series debuts at a new track. The latest
addition is Elkhart
Lake’s Road
America, a 4.048-mile, 14-turn course nestled in the Wisconsin countryside.
Saturday’s
Bucyrus 200 presented by Menards replaces the Milwaukee Mile on the schedule.
And this
event keeps
alive the series’ opportunity to continue to race in front of Wisconsin’s
staunch racing fan base, now for the 17th consecutive year.
A Badger State
favorite, Paul Menard (No. 98
Mastercraft/Menards Ford) — one of three drivers pulling
fulltime
double-duty — may be able to use some “home cooking” to his advantage.
The native of
Eau Claire hasn’t just raced in a stock car at Road America before, he’s won.
In 2001, he
captured a
victory in the former NASCAR Re/Max Challenge Series. That was the second time
NASCAR had visited Road America, having debuted at the-then one-year-old track
in 1956. Tim Flock won
in what is now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Menard comes
home sixth in the point standings in his first fulltime season in the series
since 2006,
when he
finished sixth in the final rankings.
There will be
a full day of practice on Thursday at Road America before the first official
practice takes
place on
Friday. That, according to Menard, makes his familiarity with the road course
more perception than reality. “By the second practice, I’m sure everyone will
be up to speed because the drivers are so good in the Nationwide Series,” he
said.
Two unique
competition aspects are specific to the NASCAR Nationwide Series when it races
at road
courses. Teams
will utilize road-course qualifying, where drivers go out in timed groups as
opposed to a maximum of two individual qualifying laps. And, the NASCAR
Nationwide Series brings Goodyear rain tires and will race in inclement weather
as it has done at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal the last two years.
The last time
the series ran three road courses in the same year was 2007, when it competed
at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, at Watkins Glen International
and in Montreal.
No Fear: Stock-Car Drivers Fare Well
On Road Courses
NASCAR drivers are most familiar — and quite comfortable — with
making left turns on ovals.
But don’t
underestimate their road-course skills.
Although Marcos Ambrose — a veteran of
road-course racing before his full-time entry into NASCAR in
2006 — has won
at Watkins Glen the last two seasons, “ringers” haven’t dominated the NASCAR
Nationwide Series’ road-course events in recent years.
Since the
series returned to running on road courses at least twice per season since
2005, only “aces”
Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya in 2007 at Mexico
City and Ron Fellows (No. 88 AER Manufacturing
Chevrolet) in Montreal in 2008, have victories.
Otherwise, career stock-car drivers have been very adept at left and right turns.
Two-time
series champion Martin Truex Jr.
won the inaugural race at Mexico City in 2005, followed by
Denny Hamlin in 2006. Kevin Harvick, a two-time series
champion, won the inaugural race in Montreal in 2007 while the NASCAR Nationwide
champion that season, Carl Edwards (No. 60 FASTENAL Ford),
won at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last year. Ryan
Newman (2005), Kurt
Busch (2006) and Harvick (2007) each won at The
Glen before Ambrose’s consecutive victories over the last two seasons.
In addition to
Paul Menard,
there are series-only regulars entered at Road America who have previously
raced at the
track in different series.
Road America An Unknown; But Numbers
Favor JRM Drivers, Edwards On Road Courses
The 2010 season has been one of flux for JR Motorsports.
There have
been ups – consecutive third-place runs by Jamie
McMurray in the No. 88 Chevrolet at Darlington
Raceway and Dover International Speedway.
And there have
been downs – overall the team’s average finish is 18.9 and its Driver Rating is 76.4
Of course,
there have been mega-stars like Danica
Patrick and Dale
Earnhardt Jr. competing for the organization. But there
also have been relatively unknown drivers who aim to become future stars, like Steve Arpin, Josh Wise and Coleman Pressley.
In all, nine
different drivers have run at least one race this year in one of the two JR
Motorsports entries (the Nos. 7 and 88).
After this
weekend, that number will jump to 11, as two drivers will run for JR Motorsports
for the first time in 2010.
J.R. Fitzpatrick will be in the No. 7;
Ron Fellows will
pilot the No. 88.
Both are
excellent representatives, if last year’s road course statistics are any
indication.
In the two
road course races last season – in Montreal and Watkins Glen – Fitzpatrick and
Fellows both ranked in the top 10 in Driver Rating.
Fitzpatrick
had a Driver Rating of 81.6, which was seventh best in the road-course races.
Fellows had an 80.8, which was eighth-best.
In his career,
Fellows has four road course victories in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (three
at Watkins Glen and one at Montreal).
Fitzpatrick’s
best road-course finish was 18th at Watkins Glen last season.
Among those
competing in this weekend’s race at Road America, Carl Edwards owns the top
road-course statistics from 2009. In the two race, Edwards had a Driver Rating
of 126.7, 28 Laps Led,
eight Fastest Laps Run and
a Driver
Rating of
7.3.
Fellow Roush Fenway Racing driver Paul Menard likewise was strong
at the two road-course events last
season. He had a Driver Rating of
89.5 and an Average Running Position of 14.0.
Been There, Done That: Numerous
Drivers, Crew Members Have Experience At Road America
Although he’s one of a handful of drivers who’s raced a stock car at Road
America, Paul Menard isn’t
the only one familiar with the course.
Below are
drivers who have plenty of laps — and even some wins — at Road America:
►Tony Ave (No. 35 Tri-Star Motorsports Chevrolet): Turned
a record-breaking 2:05.981 (115.675
mph) in Trans-Am competition in 2009.
►Colin Braun (No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford): Star
Mazda Series (2004).
►Brad Coleman (No. 18 SafeWay Driving Centers
Toyota): Competed in Star Mazda Series at 16 years old; finished 11th.
►Ron Fellows: Five races in
Trans-Am with one win; five races in American Le Mans Series with one win and a
pole; one win in GT1 class.
►Tim George Jr. (No. 21 Zaxby’s Chevrolet): One
win, three podium finishes in Skip Barber Racing
Series.
►Victor Gonzalez Jr. (No. 05 31-W Insulation
Chevrolet): Drove his first U.S. race at Road America; also several races there
in SCCA and Skip Barber
Pro Series. Tested various cars, driven
numerous laps as an instructor for Skip Barber
Racing School.
►Patrick Long (No. 90 D’Hondt-Humphrey Motorsports
Chevrolet): Won 2006 American Le Mans Series in GT2 class.
►Michael McDowell (No. 81 MOBILEShop.com Dodge): Two
Star Mazda Series wins (2003-04);
pole in 2003.
►Jacques Villeneuve (No. 32 Dollar General Toyota): Won
in CART IndyCar World Series in 1994-95.
Started second in 1994, won pole in 1995.
Led a combined 61 laps in both races. And
some current series team members have
been involved with wins at Road America:
►Robert Brandt, rear tire
carrier for Eric McClure’s No. 24 Hefty Ford team,
was part of two victories at
Road America working as an engine
tuner in Trans Am.
►Joey Dennewitz, PR
representative for Brian Scott (No. 11 BigSpot.com
Toyota), won 2000
WKA Supernationals at Road America in a SuperStock Kart.
►Gary Grossenbacher,
engineer for Owen Kelly’s No. 27 Baker Curb Racing
Ford, worked
with Holbert Racing from 1986-89. During that
span, team won two IMSA titles and 18 races,
including victories at Road America.
And although
they haven’t been to Road America before, the car chiefs for JR Motorsports’ two entries are
Wisconsin natives – Jon Hanson (No.
88) is from Madison, while Brandon Benesch (No.
7) is from Cumberland.
Foreign Exchange: International Stars
Join NASCAR Ranks At Road America
A touch of international flair will accompany the NASCAR Nationwide
Series’ first trip to scenic Elkhart Lake, Wis., this weekend.
Four countries
and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico will be represented by the 43 drivers
entered in Saturday’s first-ever series race at Road America.
Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula 1
champion and winner of the 1995 Indianapolis 500; Ron Fellows, who has won four
times on NASCAR Nationwide Series road courses, most recently in 2008 in
Montreal and his JR Motorsports
teammate J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 7
Schick Chevrolet),
represent Canada. Villeneuve and Fellows each have won at Road America in other
series (see note above). All
three drivers
have entered only road-course events in their NASCAR Nationwide careers.
Mexico’s Carlos Contreras (No. 56 McNelly Motorsports Toyota) returns
to the NASCAR
Nationwide Series for the first time since
2007. Fellow countryman Antonio Perez
(No. 87 NEMCO Chevrolet) also is entered. Five of Contreras’ 16 series starts
have come on road courses, while
each of Perez’ five career NASCAR Nationwide
starts have been “roadies.”
Owen Kelly (No. 27 Baker Curb Racing Ford), by
way of Australia, makes his NASCAR national
series debut at Road America.
Like fellow
Tasmanian Marcos Ambrose,
Kelly, 33, has a similar background in karting, Formula Ford and V8 Supercars.
He’s the third on the all-time wins list (13) in the Fujitsu Series, the
second-tier series for V8 Supercars, just as the NASCAR Nationwide Series is to
NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Victor Gonzalez Jr., the first
Puerto Rican to run in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (Montreal, 2009), made his
racing debut in the United States at Road America.
He’ll have
some additional support this weekend as his father, Victor Sr., will travel to
Wisconsin to watch his son compete.
“I’m so happy
that my father will be there,” Gonzalez said. “He hasn’t seen me race since
1999, and I’m really excited to have him there.
“He’s my best
friend and I’d love to give him a Father’s Day present he’ll never forget.”
NNS Etc.: Road America Edition
► Drivers
Debut Along With Series
In addition to
the NASCAR Nationwide Series making its debut at Road America, five drivers are
looking to make their series debuts.
Robb Brent (No. 09 RAB Racing Ford) is
a fulltime driver for Justin Allgaier’s (No. 12
Verizon Wireless Dodge) Allgaier Motorsports
team in ARCA. He took over for Allgiaer, the 2008 ARCA champion, when he moved
to the NASCAR Nationwide Series last year. Brent, 23, is an accomplished
road-course racer and also was an accomplished student at Northwood (Mich.)
University graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Automotive
Marketing/Business Management.
Tim George Jr., 29, is morphing from
experienced road-course racer to stock-car driver.
He’s been
running fulltime in ARCA the last two years for Richard Childress Racing and
also has made several asphalt late model starts. He made his NASCAR Camping
World Truck Series debut last year.
Alex Kennedy (No. 23 HelpTruckers.com Chevrolet),
18, is the youngest driver in the field.
Within the
last 30 days, the native of Aztec, N.M., graduated from Aztec High School and
into the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Kennedy has
raced Legends and NASCAR K&N Series cars in addition to ARCA. He's won road
course races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Infineon in Legends cars and has
held state, national and regional titles in Legends cars.
Patrick Long, 28, has competed in
10 races encompassing the NASCAR K&N Series East and West and ARCA over the
last two years. Owen Kelly rounds
out the list of drivers making their debuts.
► Businessman Brad
Brad Coleman’s search for
sponsorship for his NASCAR Nationwide Series races yielded an unexpected dual
opportunity.
When visiting
his hometown of Houston, Texas, last year he stopped by SafeWay Driving
Centers, where he had received his driver’s license at age 16.
A visit with
the company founder about the prospect of SafeWay sponsoring one of its most
famed graduates ultimately compelled Coleman, 22, to purchase the 37-year-old
chain of driving schools, which trains more than 5,000 students a year in the
greater Houston area.
Coleman is now
enjoying success on the racetrack in addition to having a second career as a
small business owner.
The approach
has already paid dividends.
Taking over
the No. 18 Toyota of reigning series champion Kyle
Busch during stand-alone season, Coleman finished
at Nashville and was 13th at Kentucky.
Coleman’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Matt DiBenedetto (No. 20 Pizza Ranch Toyota),
is the Nationwide Insurance “Driver of the Week” this week. Both are aiming for
a milestone win for JGR — its next NASCAR Nationwide victory will be its 50th.
► Dueling Double-Duty Road Courses
For the first
time since 2000, the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will race
at different road courses on the same weekend.
Ten years ago,
NASCAR Sprint Cup was at Infineon while the NASCAR Nationwide Series was at
Watkins Glen.
That
long-distance difference could help bring the field back to standings leader Brad Keselowski (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge),
one of three fulltime double-duty drivers making the
trek from
Infineon to Elkhart Lake.
Carl Edwards is second in the
standings, 272 points behind Keselowski. But he’ll be doing the same daunting
double. Ditto for Edwards’ teammate, Paul
Menard, sixth in the points.
The trio will
be at Road America on Thursday for the day-long practice session, but none is
expected to return until race day on Saturday.
Substitutes
will carry extra importance due to the travel schedules of the double-duty
drivers.
Previous races
on this weekend at the Milwaukee Mile were held at night, allowing for a little
more travel time. The Bucyrus 200 is set to start at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Erik Darnell will sub for Edwards,
Michel Jourdain Jr. will
stand by for Menard and Parker Kligerman is
at the ready for Keselowski.
► Raybestos Rookie Standings
Driver Team
Points
1. Brian Scott
Braun 148
2. Ricky
Stenhouse Jr. RFR 114
3. Colin Braun
RFR 97
4. James
Buescher N/A 97
5. Parker
Kligerman SPR 26
►Up Next: New Hampshire
Danica Patrick makes her return to
the NASCAR Nationwide Series next Saturday, June 26, at New Hampshire Motor
Speedway.
The New
England 200 will be broadcast on ESPN beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Kyle Busch won last year, making
him the 23rd different series winner at the track.
Fast Facts
Next Race: BUCYRUS 200 presented
by Menards
The Place: Road America
(4.048-mile road course)
The Date: Saturday, June 19
The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Distance: 202.4 miles / 50 laps
TV: ESPN2, 3:00 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio (Listen
locally on WCUB-AM 980)
2009 Winner: Inaugural Event
2009 Pole Winner: Inaugural Event
Schedule prior to race day (times CT): Thursday:
Practice, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.; 1:30 p.m.-4
p.m. Friday: Final Practice, 4-5:30 p.m.
Saturday: Qualifying, 9:35 a.m.
NASCAR Nationwide Series -- Race No. 15 -- Bucyrus 200
Road America (4-mile road course) – Elkhart Lake, Wisc.
Fast Facts for June 18-19, 2010
Tire: Goodyear Eagle Road Course Radials
Number of Tires: 1,150
Tire Code: D-4246 (same on all four tire positions)
Tire Circumference: 88.6 in.
Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 23 psi; Right Front -- 23 psi;
Left Rear -- 20 psi; Right Rear -- 20 psi
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 22 psi; Right Front -- 20 psi;
Left Rear -- 17 psi; Right Rear -- 17 psi
Notes: NASCAR Nationwide Series teams will run the same tire code on all four tire positions at Road America this weekend . . . this is the same tire code that Nationwide teams ran at Watkins Glen last year . . . this year's tire recommendation for Watkins Glen has yet to be released, but this tire is slightly different than the one Nationwide teams will run at the road course in Montreal in August . . . as on all NASCAR road courses, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Road America.
