Driver schedule from Bristol in Aug. thru Homestead
Bristol - 8/22, Aric Almirola
Atlanta - 9/6, Mike Bliss
Richmond - 9/12, Brad Keselowski
New Hampshire - 9/20, Almirola
Dover - 9/27, Bliss
Kansas - 10/4, Bliss
Auto Club Speedway - 10/11, Bliss
Charlotte - 10/17, TBA
Martinsville - 10/25, Sterling Marlin
Talladega - 11/1, Keselowski
Texas - 11/8, Bliss
Phoenix - 11/15 TBA
Homestead - 11/22 Stremme
(updated 11/6/2009)
Brad Keselowski 2009 Sprint Cup Schedule in the #09 Chevy
Daytona - 2/15, DNQ
Talladega - 4/26, WON
New Hampshire - 6/28, 6th
Daytona - 7/4, 24th
Richmond - 9/12, 9th
Talladega - 11/1
Brad Keselowski 2009 Sprint Cup Schedule in the #25 Chevy
Las Vegas - 3/1, 13th
Texas - 4/5, 40th
Darlington - 5/9, 7th
Dover - 5/31, DNQ
Chicago - 7/11, 29th
Michigan - 8/16, 12th
Kansas - 10/4, 13th
Charlotte - 10/17
#09 Team Past News and Rumors
(NOTE: some older links may not work)
Sterling Marlin....retiring? denied: Sterling Marlin plans to enter Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway [Marlin is not on the entry list, but the #70 Chevy driver is listed as TBA-to be announced, so maybe.....] then, after over 30 years of life in the fast lane, will "probably" hang up his helmet. "Will I miss it? Yeah, in some ways," said Marlin, 52, who raced his way out of the Carter's Creek tobacco fields and into international fame with back-to-back Daytona 500 victories in '94 and '95. "But in some ways I'll kinda be glad when it's over. The sport has changed. It's not much fun any more."(Racin' Today)(11-17-2009)
UPDATE: been told that Marlin says he is not retiring but would think about retiring in the off-season because it just wasn't fun anymore. Marlin has no plans to drive at Homestead. Marlin can be heard on a scheduled radio interview, Thurssday, Nov 19th on Race 2 Win Radio around 1:20pm/et.(11-19-2009)
Sorenson and Mears candidates for #09 ride in 2010: Casey Mears, currently running the #07 Jack Daniel's Chevy for Richard Childress is a leading candidate for the #09 Phoenix Racing ride in 2010. Reed Sorenson, out of the #43 Richard Petty Motorsports ride after the 2009 season is also a candidate for the #09 ride.(FoxSports)(11-7-2009)
Stremme to run #09 at Homestead..and 2010?: David Stremme, who has been replaced by Brad Keselowski in the #12 Penske Dodge, will drive the #09 Chevy for Phoenix Racing at Homestead — a race Keselowski had signed on to do. For 2010, Stremme has two options to consider. One, return to the Nationwide Series and drive for Rusty Wallace (who Stremme accompanied to Las Vegas earlier this week) and/or drive for the Bob Jenkins' owned [#34 or #37] Front Row Motorsports.(FoxSports)(11-6-2009)
Keselowski in the #12 at Texas? UPDATE: Brad Keselowski will begin driving a Penske Racing Dodge in the Sprint Cup series starting this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Keselowski will take over for David Stremme in the #12 Dodge, multiple sources have told FOXSports.com.Keselowski, who finished eighth in Sunday's Amp Energy 500 and is currently third in Nationwide Series points, was announced as Roger Penske's latest addition on Sept. 1.(FoxSports)(11-2-2009)
UPDATE: Brad Keselowski will compete for Penske Racing in the final three NASCAR Cup Series races of the 2009 season. Keselowski will drive the #12 Penske Dodge in the upcoming races at Texas (Nov. 8), Phoenix (Nov. 15) and Homestead (Nov. 22). Over the final three Cup Series events of 2009, Keselowski will step in for David Stremme and work with the Penske Dodge team in the car that will become his full-time ride next season. "Penske Racing wants to give Brad an opportunity to work with the team and get to know the race car as we prepare for the 2010 season," said Roger Penske. "These three races will provide a good base for both Brad and the team as we head into next year. Penske Racing also thanks David Stremme for his contributions to the team this year. We wish David the very best moving forward."(Penske Racing PR)(11-2-2009)
Keselowski officially signs with Penske for 2010: Penske Racing announced that Brad Keselowski will compete for the team full-time, beginning with the 2010 NASCAR season. Keselowski, a 25-year-old native of Rochester Hills, Mich., will drive the #12 Penske Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next season. He will also run a full-season schedule in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, where he will compete for a championship with the team. "We are very excited to welcome Brad to the Penske Racing family," said Roger Penske. "Brad has shown terrific success on track the past several years and has quickly established himself as one of the top young stars in racing. He comes from an impressive family background in motorsports. He is a proven winner and a welcome addition to our team."
A third-generation driver, Keselowski has won at every level in which he has competed. He is currently ranked third in the Nationwide Series standings with three wins to his credit in 2009, including a dramatic victory in August at his home track at Michigan International Speedway. Keselowski also scored his first Cup Series win earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway and he has produced three top-10 finishes in just eight Cup Series starts this season.
"Penske Racing is one of the top teams in all of motorsports and I am honored to join Roger Penske's organization and compete for wins with his Cup and Nationwide Series teams," said Keselowski. "This is a great opportunity for me to continue competing in the Nationwide Series and to run my first full season in the Cup Series with a strong and experienced team."(Penske Racing), no word on Stremme's plans for 2010.(9-1-2009)
Dale Jr. looking for Brad K's replacement: JR Motorsports President Kelley Earnhardt confirmed that Kelly Bires is on the list of possible replacements for Brad Keselowski should the company and the driver part ways. Many in the garage have called Bires, who turns 25 Tuesday, the front-runner for the #88 Nationwide Series ride.(FoxSports)(8-24-2009)
Sources: Keselowski to Penske in 2010 UPDATE 2: Brad Keselowski will drive for Penske Racing in 2010, sources told ESPN.com on Friday. Keselowski would not discuss his future plans. "I'm really not prepared to address any of the rumors about next year," he said. "I'm here to race the Nationwide car and win with it tonight and I am not going to let anything get in the way." Keselowski turned down an offer from Roger Penske last year to drive the #12 Dodge, and the ride instead went to David Stremme. Keselowski's current team, JR Motorsports, does not drive in the Sprint Cup Series and co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. has no plans to move that team up to NASCAR's top level. Keselowski had hoped to replace Mark Martin next year in the #5 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports, but Martin decided to keep the seat in 2010. Rick Hendrick on Friday declined to comment on Keselowski's future, and Earnhardt canceled an afternoon media availability.(ESPN.com)(8-21-2009)
UPDATE: According to two published reports and additional sources, Brad Keselowski is to replace David Stremme as driver of the #12 car. A grinning Keselowski was coy when asked about the reports. "Ah, well, you know, I'm really not in a position to talk about any of that stuff right now. That's probably my biggest response. And I'm really not prepared to address any of the rumors about next year right now. I'm here to race the Nationwide car and I'm not going to let anything get in the way of that or distract me from that," Keselowski said. Asked if he was still a free agent, Keselowski smiled widely and added: "Everybody's free. We live in a free country, so, yeah, I'm still free." Jonathan Gibson, vice president of marketing for Penske Racing, said he could neither confirm nor deny the reports. But what he said appeared to speak volumes. "It's no secret we've been talking with Brad. Roger Penske has a history of having great drivers [in the employment of Penske Racing]. Brad Keselowski is a great driver," Gibson said. As part of the agreement, Keselowski presumably will cease to drive a Nationwide car for Jr. Motorsports at the end of this season as well.(8-21-2009)(NASCAR.com)
UPDATE 2: NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick does not plan to let Brad Keselowski stray far from his organization. Keselowski is believed to be headed to Penske Racing next season, in part because Hendrick Motorsports has no room in the lineup to promote him to the Sprint Cup Series. But the team owner says wherever Keselowski ends up, "he'll always be close enough for me to bring him back."
Keselowski is the hottest prospect right now in NASCAR, but wants to move up from the Nationwide Series to the premier Cup level. He wanted to stay with a team affiliated with Hendrick, but there is no scenario for 2010 that would work. Keselowski turned down the #12 for Penske last season. David Stremme got the ride.(Associated Press)(8-23-2009)
Keselowski meets with Penske? UPDATE: other options?: Monday, an anonymous tipster spotted driver Brad Kesolowski meeting with Roger Penske [at thier Mooresville shop?]. The 'tipsters' report: "was doing business at Penske this morning and saw Brad Kesolowski go into the building with a man who appeared to be his agent, the car was still there three hours later when i left.(jalopnik.com)(8-18-2009)
UPDATE: Brad Keselowski says there's a scenario that could keep him affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports in 2010 that nobody knows of. Turns out Phoenix Racing isn't his only option with HMS ties. Here are some possibilities:
Richard Petty Motorsports: Most of the speculation has RPM leaving Dodge for Toyota, but multiple sources said RPM has had discussions with HMS and Richard Childress Racing should they switch to General Motors. An HMS official, however, assured us that talks with RPM haven't gotten serious.
Furniture Row Racing: Furniture Row Racing could expand to two teams -- #78-Regan Smith will be in one car -- with Keselowski. But it's a huge risk for Keselowski to join a team that can't run a full schedule this season.(ESPN Insider)(8-19-2009)
Keselowski to attempt Michigan: This weekend, #25-Brad Keselowski returns to his home track of Michigan International Speedway. Keselowski was raised in Rochester Hills, Mich., located about 100 miles from the track. Before making his way to the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series, Keselowski cut his racing teeth running local tracks in quarter-midgets and late-model stock cars. Keselowski will attempt to make his first Michigan start in the Sprint Cup Series this weekend driving the #25 GoDaddy.com Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports. Keselowski, who is splitting time this season qualifying Sprint Cup Chevys for Hendrick Motorsports and Phoenix Racing [#09], has recorded one win, one top-five finish and three top-10s in seven Cup attempts. On Thursday, Keselowski will head to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to watch the Wolverines football camp. The Michigan native also stopped by his favorite school's football camp last year. Keselowski will attempt to qualify Hendrick Motorsports' #25 Chevy two more times this Cup season: at Kansas on Oct. 4 and Lowe's Motor Speedway on Oct. 17. Crew chief Tony Eury Jr. has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 25-537 for this weekend's event at Chicagoland Speedway. This is the same car that Keselowski raced to a seventh-place finish at Darlington in May.(HMS)(8-12-2009)
- Few options left for Keselowski: Brad Keselowski may only have one option if he wants to drive full-time in a Hendrick Motorsports-supported Sprint Cup car in 2010: Phoenix Racing [#09 Chevy]. #14-Tony Stewart told reporters on Wednesday in Texas that it was doubtful Stewart-Haas Racing will expand to three teams next season. Plus, sources said Stewart had no interest in Keselowski, anyway. #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently said it was doubtful his Nationwide Series team supported by HMS would expand to Cup. Red Bull general manager Jay Frye, on the chance that his organization moves to General Motors with Hendrick support, said he is not looking at expansion. That leaves Phoenix Racing, which is running 10 races with Keselowski in cars with HMS motors and chassis this season [and the rest of the season in Dodges]. They already teamed for a win at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this year. Keselowski says he has about six options, but most of those are now outside of HMS. One appears to be moving to Penske Racing, but that would throw a wrinkle in his plans to stay in Earnhardt's Nationwide program that runs Chevrolets. Penske runs Dodges and it's not likely the driver will be allowed to compete for two manufacturers.(ESPN Insider)(8-7-2009)
Fellows testing road course: Been told that #09-Ron Fellows is testing Tuesday at the Carolina Motorsports Park road course in Kershaw, SC in preparation for the race at Watkins Glen on August 9th.(7-28-2009)
Another Marlin Racing: Sporting the red #711 that her grandfather made famous in the 1960’s, and with her two-time Daytona 500 champion dad coaching her over her radio headset, Sutherlin Marlin chased down her destiny Saturday night. Sutherlin, 19, finished 8th in a 40-lap Supertruck feature at Fairgrounds Speedway, the track on which her grandfather, Coo Coo, won four championships in the 1960’s and her father Sterling added three more in the 1980’s. “I can’t wait to go again,” said Sutherlin, a student at Columbia (Tn.) State who spent months practicing for her first race. “I was a little nervous at first, but after the race started it went away. It was fun and I’m definitely going to keep racing.” The Fairgrounds season runs through the fall and Sutherlin plans to be a regular competitor in the truck series, the track’s second-tier division. Sterling and son Steadman raced in Saturday night’s premier Late Model division. Both were involved in crashes and finished back in the field. Sterling this year is running a partial schedule in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series and will attempt to qualify for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis [in the #09 Dodge].(Racin' Today)(7-21-2009)
- Keselowski to Penske next year? UPDATE 4 Red Bull denied: For the second straight season, Brad Keselowski is the top candidate for the #12 Penske Racing Dodge. David Stremme has experienced a couple of miserable weeks at the racetrack and is currently 32nd in the point standings. Keselowski said on Friday he does not have a deal signed for next year. Certainly for a self-proclaimed "Eastsider," partnering with fellow Detroit-based Roger Penske would be an honor. Keselowski was offered the #12 ride last year after Ryan Newman announced he was leaving the ride to join Stewart-Haas Racing.(Fox Sports)(7-11-2009)
UPDATE: Brad Keselowski's racing team for 2010 is still undecided. The 25-year-old Keselowski hoped a recent meeting with team owner Rick Hendrick would answer some questions about where he'd be racing next season. Keselowski wants a full-time ride next year, and he's optimistic he can stay affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports. He discussed several possibilities with Hendrick, though no final decision was reached. "I have some preferences, but I haven't gotten very far with them," Keselowski said. "I'm not really close on anything." No matter where he ends up, Keselowski felt he would have a full-time ride next season. "I feel pretty confident that's the way it's heading," he said. "It would have to be a big problem to come up for that not to happen."(Associated Press)(7-12-2009)
UPDATE 2: #88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said there's "only a 10 percent chance" he'll move his JR Motorsports team from the Nationwide to the Cup series next year. "I basically just wanted to put feelers out there and see what kind of interest there was from sponsors," he said. "I would have to drive the car myself (to get a sponsor) and I'm going to be working for Rick for the next couple of years, at least."(Indianapolis Star)
UPDATE 3: Brad Keselowski wasn't kidding when he said he had "options" for next season. In addition to being close to re-signing a deal with JR Motorsports to run in the Nationwide Series, the latest buzz has Keselowski paired with Red Bull Racing. If Keselowski indeed stays with JRM, the only scenario that would work on the Cup side would be with a Chevy team. Maybe Red Bull is closer to inking a Chevy deal. Rick Hendrick said on Saturday that HMS has the resources to include Red Bull in its engine program.(FoxSports)(7-13-2009)
UPDATE 4: been told by sources that no one at Red Bull Racing has talked to Keselowski about driving for the team in 2010.(7-15-2009)
- Keselowski to talk to Hendrick about Cup move UPDATE: Rick Hendrick said he plans to meet with Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski this week to discuss his plans for moving up to Sprint Cup in 2010. Hendrick mentioned two possible options for Keselowski -- a third car at Stewart-Haas Racing, which is affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports, or a chance to stay at JR Motorsports if Dale Earnhardt Jr. decides to move his Nationwide team to Cup next year. "We're looking at different options with some of our external situations with other teams," Hendrick said Sunday at Infineon Raceway. "I told Brad that I want him to have the best opportunity. If we can't give it to him, then I want him to have the best." Keselowski told reporters at that event that he would love to drive a third Stewart-Haas car next year. Tony Stewart said Friday a third car for his team is a possibility for 2010. Stewart's team is a satellite operation with Hendrick Motorsports, leasing engines from Hendrick. Hendrick also said Earnhardt Jr. is considering moving his Nationwide operation to Cup in 2010. Either way, Keselowski would stay in the Hendrick family, so to speak, if he signed with Stewart-Haas Racing or stayed at JR Motorsports. "Brad wants to do something that is somehow associated with our company," Hendrick said. "We're working on it and hopefully in the next few weeks we'll have something sorted out. He'll be running Cup [in 2010]. Whether he'll be running them all or whether he'll be running 75% of them or what, I don't know."(ESPN)(6-22-2009)
UPDATE: As scheduled, Dale Earnhardt’s Jr.’s Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski spent some time this weekend talking with team owner Rick Hendrick, probing the two could possibly work together on the Sprint Cup Series next season. Keselowski felt it was a positive meeting. “It went pretty well and we talked about a number of different subjects. He’s a neat guy to be around and I always enjoy talking with him.” Keselowski admitted, though, they couldn’t talk a whole lot about specifics. “It just takes time. This is not an easy process. The rope is being pulled but you know everyone wants it to pull faster. We’re weighing all the options and waiting for things to fall into place and there are certain things that are out of both of our control. Obviously, the economy is a large piece of it, sponsorship fits into there. We’re happy working together and we’re going to continue to work together, but don’t really have a clear cut plan forward other than to continue to review our options and get back together.(PRN's Garage Pass Radio Show)(6-26-2009)
- Fellows in the #09 at Infineon & Watkins Glen: James Finch and Ron Fellows are back together in 2009. Fellows, now with four NASCAR Nationwide wins and two Truck Series wins, will drive the #09 Miccosukee Gaming and Resorts Chevy at Infineon next week; looking to complete the series sweep with a win in Sprint Cup. Fellows is also slated to race at Watkins Glen in the #09 Impala SS in August.(Phoenix Racing PR)(6-11-2009)
- Keselowski and JR Motorsports to move up? The buzz around the garage last weekend was JR Motorsports is setting the stage to move from the Nationwide to Sprint Cup series to field a team for Brad Keselowski. Keselowski said he is negotiating exclusively with Hendrick Motorsports for a fulltime Cup ride in 2010. HMS does not have an opening, but Rick Hendrick does have ownership in JR Motorsports with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Although Hendrick would have to sell his interest in the company to make this happen, that would be a formality. Also, Earnhardt has said it's just as economical, maybe more, to run a Cup program than Nationwide under today's economic climate. Sponsors, such as GoDaddy.com that is on Keselowski's #88 Nationwide car, gain more exposure in Cup. Should JR Motorsports not move to Cup the only other way to remain associated with HMS would be to put Keselowski in a third car at Stewart-Haas Racing. Of course, that would squelch the rumor that Martin Truex Jr. will leave Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to join that team.(ESPN Insider)(5-21-2009)
- Phoenix Racing plans car for Keselowski in all-star race: Phoenix Racing plans to field a car for Brad Keselowski in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in two weeks, crew chief Marc Reno said Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. Keselowski became eligible for the main event when he won the Aaron’s 499 last week at Talladega Superspeedway. Although he won in a Phoenix Racing car, Keselowski indicated Friday that he wasn’t sure who would enter a car for him in the all-star event. But Hendrick Motorsports Vice President Doug Duchardt said Saturday that Hendrick would not field a fifth car in the event for Keselowski. NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said that the team could have a fifth car since it was a non-points event and it would not count against Keselowski’s seven races for the team as a development driver. Phoenix Racing had hoped to buy a car from Hendrick Motorsports for the race, but the re-certification process would take too long, Reno said. Instead, Phoenix will use the car that it had planned to use for Keselowski at Richmond. Keselowski’s Nationwide team wanted him to concentrate on that series because it was a one-day show Friday, so Mike Bliss competed in the Cup event Saturday.(Scene Daily)(5-3-2009)
- Why no Keselowski in RIR Cup race? Brad Keselowski, met with media. Some highlights from the transcript:
IS IT FRUSTRATING SITTING HERE KNOWING AFTER YOU WON LAST WEEK YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE RUNNING IN THE CUP RACE ON SATURDAY? “Frustrating as far as not running, it really hasn’t soaked in that I won. It’s hard to get frustrated when you don’t even picture yourself as a winner yet. I feel like I can run over there right now and be competitive but the opportunity isn’t there and until the opportunity is there it is what it is. There’s a lot of talent over there and you can’t take that away from those drivers that run over there every weekend. I’d love to be running over there. I’ve raced against 15 or 20 of the same guys over here on the Nationwide side so it’s very similar and I think I could run competitively but the opportunity is not there so I’m not really thinking about it. I’m thinking about the Nationwide car.“
I UNDERSTAND NOW YOU ARE GOING TO BE RUNNING THE ALL-STAR RACE WHICH CAR ARE YOU GOING TO DRIVE? “At this time we haven’t got the All-Star situation figured out as far as what I’m driving and so forth. At this point I haven’t figured out which car I’m driving or how that situation is going to work. I shouldn’t say that I haven’t figured it out I should said that the two teams that I drive for on the Cup side haven’t figured it out.
WHAT IS YOUR SCHEDULE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR, HAS IT CHANGED AT ALL? “You know that schedule was changing every week before I won so it’s still changing every week. Originally we were going to run here at Richmond and that didn’t work out. A couple of weeks ago that actually got cancelled. As far as knowing locked in what all the rest of my races are I do not know. There’s a couple that I would like to run that we just haven’t figured out how to run them. I’m trying to run Watkins Glen but we don’t have that figured out. So there’s a couple of races like that we just don’t have figured out but I’m trying to run them.”
WOULD YOU FORGO YOUR ROOKIE STATUS FOR NEXT YEAR IF THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITY CAME ALONG? “I think I already have or I’m intending to. I haven’t because I haven’t ran enough races but the way we’re trying to schedule it out we’re going through that process. When it comes to the rookie situation, I knew at the start of the year we were going to run somewhere around 16 races and the maximum I think is seven or eight, I can’t remember specifically. I didn’t file for rookie of the year because the last thing I wanted to see was my name at the bottom of that list knowing that you probably couldn’t win it unless you ran the whole deal.”(GM Racing)(5-2-2009)
- UPSET - Keselowski wins at Talladega: #09-Brad Keselowski won the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway for his first ever career win in only his fifth career start after a wild, wild ending. #99-Edwards and #09-Keselowski drafted past his Nationwide Series boss, #88-Earnhardt Jr. and #39-Newman [who was infront of the #88], and it was just Keselowski and Edwards going for the win, Keselowski went high to pass, Edwards moved over to block and Keselowski moved down and got a run on Edwards and went low, got into Edwards and past the #99. Edwards got sideways and the car got airborne up against the fence and rode the fence for about 30 feet, but the fence held and Edwards got out of the car and jogged to the start-finish line. It was the first ever win in the Sprint Cup series for the #09 and for car owner James Finch [Phoenix Racing]. #88-Earnhardt Jr. finished 2nd, followed by #39-Newman [who's car was trashed when Edwards car bounced off the hood, Newman got across the line], #47-Ambrose, #82-Speed, #2-Busch, #16-Biffle, #83-Vickers, #20-Logano and #31-Burton. There were two "Big One's" collecting points leader #24-Gordon and #48-Johnson. There were 9 cautions for 33 laps and there were 57 lead changes among 25 drivers.
For race results, awards and more on the Talladega Race Results Page.
For drivers and owners points standings, see the Drivers/Owners Points Standings.(4-26-2009)
- #09 is the 101st car number to win: when Brad Keselowski won the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, April 26, 2009, it was the first Sprint Cup win ever for a car number 09, being the 101st different car number [as far as I can calculate] that has won in the Cup series. It was also Brad Keselowski's first Cup Series win. See all the wins by car numbers on my Wins by Car Numbers page.(4-26-2009)
- Marlin's daughter plans to race: Sutherlin Marlin, the 19-year-old daughter of Sterling Marlin, this season launches her racing career at Fairgrounds Speedway [Nashville], the historic track where her grandfather Coo Coo won four championships in the 1960s and her dad collected three more in the 1980s. “I attended my first race there when I was two weeks old,” says Sutherlin. “I’ve been around racing all my life and I can’t wait to give it a try.” A student at Columbia State, Sutherlin is bright and vivacious, and inherited her family’s keen sense of humor. “She’s got talent,” says her dad. “When she was 5 or 6 we went to a go-kart track in Panama City and she raced against (big brother) Steadman and a bunch of other boys and beat them. She’s been on to me to get her a race car and finally we cut a deal.” The deal: Sutherlin goes to college and works on her race car. “I’ll help,” Sterling says, “but she’s gotta work, too.” Sutherlin plans to race in the Speedway’s truck series, a white-knuckle division that runs the swift, high banks of the five-eighths-mile track. It would seem breathless for a beginner.(Nashville City Paper)(3-27-2009)
- Schrader fine without Sprint Cup ride: Ken Schrader was at Green Valley Speedway [Glencoe, AL ] to compete in the 12th annual Bama Bash open-wheel modified race. On a chilly night with track conditions that made passing difficult Schrader finished second to Jimmy Hiett of Lincoln in the 50-lap event. "Off weekend and didn't have anything to do," Schrader said after the race. "Just wanted to have some place to play." Schrader, who drove for #96 Hall of Fame Racing in the Cup Series last year, does not have a ride this year. But he said he is talking to a couple teams about possibly doing a limited schedule of races. But if it doesn't work out, he said, he really doesn't care. "It doesn't make no difference," he said. "I've had a day job now for a while. I mean I really don't care, I'm glad I'm not in Fontana."(Alabama Live)(2-23-2009)>
- Phoenix Racing announces 2009 plans UPDATE: Phoenix Racing announced today that they are expanding their Sprint Cup schedule to include the entire 2009 season. Driver announcement will be forth coming. Miccosukee Resorts and Gaming will continue their partnership with James Finch and Phoenix Racing as primary sponsor of the #1 Nationwide Chevrolet driven by Mike Bliss and the #09 Chevy for ten Sprint Cup races starting with the Daytona 500.(Phoenix Racing PR)(1-22-2009)
UPDATE: Phoenix Racing will run Brad Keselowski in the #09 Miccosukee Resorts and Gaming Chevy for 10 races with Hendrick engines and the remaining races in Dodges bought from Ganassi with Ernie Elliott engines. The drivers for the #09 Dodge will be a combo of Sterling Marlin, Mike Bliss and Ken Schrader.(1-23-2009)
