March 16, 2015
- Tyler Walker arrested again: A former NASCAR driver who led police on a 150 mph chase through three southwestern states was re-arrested Monday morning after showing up 45 minutes late for a sentencing hearing. Timothy Tyler Andrew Walker, 35, was scheduled to be sentenced in southern Utah’s Washington County on Monday morning for five charges stemming from the chase. But after Walker failed to show, state Judge Eric Ludlow issued an arrest warrant for Walker, according to Washington County prosecutor Rachelle Shumway. When Walker arrived, Ludlow ordered his arrest. Shumway said Walker was taken to the county jail, where he will be held without bail until a rescheduled sentencing March 30. The Spectrum newspaper in St. George reported that Terry told the judge he had spoken with his client Sunday night and had expected him in court. Walker, of Hermosa Beach, California, pleaded guilty in December as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid jail time. He was expected to get probation in return for his guilty pleas, but Shumway said it’s possible Walker’s arrest could result in a different sentence.(Associated Press)(3-16-2015)
- Entry List for the Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway is posted, 46 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including: #29-Sorenson, #32-Bliss, #33-Scott, #44-Kvapil, #66-TBA, #83-DiBenedetto.
Drivers who need to be in the top-36 in speed and have no provisional available to them (lowest in owners points): #44-Kvapil (46th in owners pts), #66-TBA (47th), #29-Sorenson (49th)
Drivers who would miss the race if qualifying is canceled (least race attempts): #66-TBA (4 attempts, 47th owners pts), #29-Sorenson (3, 49th), #44-Kvapil (3, 46th)
See the full entry list at my Jayski.com’s Auto Club Entry List - #47 Jack Man injured at Phoenix: It was nothing more than a routine jump off the wall during Sunday’s race in Phoenix that ended up tearing a calf muscle for Jackman Michael Klein. During the middle of the race the caution came out and pit stops were happening. Klein left the wall as he always does and when he landed he knew something was wrong. Mike did manage to finish the stop but it was slow, in his words…very slow! The team found a replacement to finish out the race and Mike said he expects to be out 6 weeks. Mike is not only the Jack Man for the #47 but doubles as the pit coach as well. Mike is relentless in the gym and you can expect to see a full effort in rehab.(Pit Talks)(3-16-2015)
- Cars will now be backed in to start qualifying: NASCAR continues to tweak its qualifying program, this time turning things around 180 degrees — literally. Starting next week at Auto Club Speedway, cars will be reversed along pit road, so they don’t have to back out to pull onto pit road at the start of qualifying. NASCAR officials confirmed the change Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, saying it came at the request of the drivers. By lining the cars up with their backs to the wall and not their noses, it should reduce the possibility of pit road collisions and contact, as well as make it easier for drivers to pull out at the beginning of each qualifying session. An official bulletin will be issued to the teams next week.(FoxSports)(3-16-2015)
- Haas always believed Kurt Busch: Gene Haas said Sunday he never wavered in his support of Kurt Busch in the aftermath of the controversy over whether Busch assaulted ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll at Dover International Speedway in September. “I always believed Kurt,” Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Haas told ESPN.com at the track Sunday morning. “I still believe him today.” NASCAR suspended Busch two days prior to the Daytona 500 after a Delaware family court commissioner determined that Busch likely committed an act of domestic violence against Driscoll on Sept. 26. Haas said his primary frustration over his driver’s NASCAR suspension was the timing of the legal decisions. “When he got pulled out at Daytona, that was pretty devastating. … That was very upsetting,” Haas said. “NASCAR was very up-front with us. They told us everything that was happening. I think they had to react. The upsetting part is that we just had no control over those things. We had no control over NASCAR, over the media, over the court systems. We were just adrift in a boat going down a rapid river, and we just had no idea what was going to happen.”
Haas said he never got to the point of having to decide whether to shut down the #41 car that he sponsors through his company Haas Automation Inc. Regan Smith drove the car for the first three races of 2015. “I was always optimistic that things would work out, so I don’t think I ever got to that point,” Haas said. “Six months down the road, I probably would have had a different opinion. … Things have kind of worked a little bit in our favor [now] even though they didn’t work in our favor [initially].”
While suspended, Busch and Haas remained in contact. “We talked every few days just to see what was happening,” Haas said. “We were all kind of waiting for something to occur so you can react to it. Kurt was always adamant that he was going to be cleared. He never varied on that. I believed him. He never said anything different from the first day all this occurred.”(ESPN.com)(3-16-2015) - NASCAR issues inspection penalty: NASCAR handed out one inspection penalty Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, with a second potential penalty under review. #7-Alex Bowman of Tommy Baldwin Racing will lose 15 minutes of practice time in the opening round of practice Friday at Auto Club Speedway. Bowman’s car did not make it out of the garage on time Sunday morning at PIR. Also, AJ Allmendinger’s #47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet went through inspection four times and is under review for a possible penalty. A NASCAR official said “other issues” may have been responsible for the car’s inspection problems. A decision likely would come on Monday or Tuesday.(FoxSports)(3-15-2015)
- Phoenix Race and Commercial Breakdown: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, here is the breakdown for Sunday’s race. Began recording the times at the Invocation of the race at 3:30 PM, and stopped at the waving of the checkered flag at 6:45 PM (all times are EST). Fox was the broadcast team for this event.
Total number of commercials: 106
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 59
Number of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 95
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 58
Number of ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials during race broadcast (split-screen): 11
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 8
Number of times Fox utilized ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials during this broadcast: 2
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast (including company logos ‘floating’ in corners of the screen): 65
Total amount of time these brief promos take during broadcast: app. 4 min. 10 sec.
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 3:30 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 6:45 PM
Total minutes of complete race broadcast: 195
Minutes of race broadcast: 153
Minutes of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 42
Minutes of ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials (split-screen): 5
Number of missed restarts: 1
Number of ‘mystery cautions’ (debris not shown): 1
Total race brdcst time 153 Total comm. brdcst time 42
See full reports, sponsor links, much more details at CawsnJaws.com.(3-16-2015) - Jamie Dick hospitalized UPDATES: Jamie Dick, owner and driver of the #55 Viva Auto Group Chevy for Viva Motorsports, was admitted to a local hospital Saturday night for medical reasons unrelated to racing.(Viva Motorsports)(3-15-2015)
UPDATE: Kate Richer, a spokesperson for Viva Motorsports, told FOXSports.com Dick was transported to the local hospital from the PIR infield care center, and remained there Sunday morning as doctors continued to run tests. Richer indicated doctors had found a diagnosis for Dick’s condition, saying it was “a little more series” than just a typical illness. According to the team’s Twitter account, Dick’s first words after Saturday’s race were, “I need a cold rag and water.” However, Richer said the heat was not a leading factor for his hospitalization, but could have played a role. The team plans on releasing more information as it becomes available later in the day, but according to Richer, Dick’s spirits are high and he is “doing better than he should.”(FoxSports)(3-15-2015)
UPDATE 2: Immediately following Saturday’s Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter. 200, Jamie Dick, the driver and owner of the #55 Viva Auto Group Chevy, was taken to the infield care center at Phoenix International Raceway after reporting dizziness and fatigue. Upon evaluation, the physicians on site recommended Dick visit West Valley Hospital for further tests. Dick was admitted to the hospital Saturday evening and diagnosed with new onset diabetes. Dick was released Sunday afternoon and has flown back to the Charlotte area to continue evaluation and treatment. Jeffrey Earnhardt will fill in for Dick as the driver of the #55 Viva Auto Group Chevy for the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Auto Club Speedway. “I would like to thank everyone for their support during this difficult time. It was quite a surprise to hear the diagnosis from the doctors, but the response from the NASCAR and PIR medical staffs was outstanding. The support from the racing community, my Viva Motorsports team, and the fans has been overwhelming,” says Jamie Dick. “Now I need to learn about this disease and do whatever it takes to get back behind the wheel as soon as possible.”(Viva Motorsports)(3-16-2015) - Poole picks up 2 additional races: On the heels of a top-10 finish in his NASCAR XFINITY Series debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Brennan Poole has seen two races added to his 15-race schedule with HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi. CATCHFENCE.com has learned that Poole will drive the #42 DC Solar Chevy Camaro in the two standalone XFINITY races at Iowa Speedway on May 17 and August 1 respectively. The addition of the second Iowa Speedway will keep Poole in a racecar during the month of August sandwiched between a gap of New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 18) and Richmond International Raceway (September 11). The 24-year old finished an impressive ninth in the Boyd Gaming 300 last Saturday in Las Vegas after starting 16th giving HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi three consecutive top-10 finishes to the start the 2015 season.(Catchfence)(3-16-2015)
- XFINITY Entry List:There are 39 cars on the preliminary entry list for Saturday’s Drive4Clots.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway. A few notes:
Jeff Green remains in the #10 for TriStar;
The Rick Ware #15 is TBA;
Erik Jones will be in the Joe Gibbs #20;
Brad Keselowski will be in the #22 for Penske;
John Wes Townly returns to the #25;
Denny Hamlin will drive the #54 for Kyle Busch;
Sam Hornish, Jr. is back in the #98.(3-16-2015)
See the complete list on the Auto Club entry list page. - Vuzix joins RSS at Auto Club: RSS Racing announces Vuzix as new primary sponsor for this weekend’s race in Southern California. Vuzix will make its first appearance in NASCAR Saturday afternoon riding on the hood of the #39 driven by Ryan Sieg. Vuzix is a leading supplier of video eyewear and smart glasses in the consumer, commercial and entertainment markets. “We are thrilled to have a new partner joining us this weekend” said Sieg. “Each race this season we have improved our finishing position from the week before and that’s the goal once again this weekend. A top 15 is a good target for our small team.”(RSS Racing), see an image of the car on the #39 team paint schemes page.(3-16-2015)
- Koch picks up Auto Club sponsor: TriStar Motorsports and Blake Koch have teamed up with AQUAhydrate for the Drive4Clots.com 300 at Auto Club Speedway this weekend. Koch will pilot the #8 AQUAhydrate Camry in the 300-mile race. AQUAhydrate has pioneered a new category of performance lifestyle beverages and is positioned to transform the beverage industry as consumers continue to switch from high calorie artificial beverages to more innovative and healthy options. AQUAhydrate recently achieved the status of being the fastest growing water company in the US according to AC Nielsen reporting, and is widely regarded as the leader in the alkaline water category. Koch will make his fifth start at Auto Club Speedway this weekend. With 18 starts at speedways measuring two miles or more, Koch is ready to get on track this weekend with support from AQUAhydrate.(TriStar Motorsports), see an image of the car on the #8 team paint schemes page.(3-16-2015)
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