March 17, 2016
- Joey Gase back in the #32 at Martinsville: per Joey Gase Racing’s Facebook page: Happy to announce Joey (Gase) will be racing at Martinsville Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on April 3rd! We are looking for sponsors for this race. This is a track Joey has always wanted to race at and is similar to the local track he grew up on! Hawkeye Downs Speedway and Expo Center. Gase ran the #32 Ford in one race so far in 2016, last week at Phoenix, finishing 32nd, his career best finish. Gase has raced the #32 in 3 races in 2015 and 4 races in 2014. This season the #32 Go Fas Racing team has run Bobby Labonte in the Daytona 500 and Jeffrey Earnhardt in two races, at Atlanta and Las Vegas. Earnhardt will be back in the #32 Can-Am Ford this week at Auto Club Speedway (3-16-2016)
- McMurray visits Martinsville high school: #1-Jamie McMurray spent Wednesday (3/16/2016) morning with the MADawgs robotic team and other engineering students at Martinsville High School, learning about their competitive robotics program and 3-D printing operation and taking some questions on racing. The driver said he went to school to be a machinist and appreciated the time the students put in to the projects. “I thought it was really cool to see all the time the kids put in after-hours,” McMurray said. “It’s really neat and is something I would have wanted to be a part of when I was in school. It’s really cool to see the kids use their heads to build something like that then do it in competition. It was really cool.” McMurray admitted that he has a competitive streak and was happy to hear about the competitive aspect of MADawgs. “They give them parameters to work it. The challenge of it wasn’t just building a robot, it was going and competing,” McMurray said. “I’ve always been super competitive. I like the fact you get to build something as a team and see how you stack up against everybody else.” Todd Cassell, the engineering and robotics teacher at Martinsville High School, said he was thrilled to have McMurray in town for the morning. McMurray met the Bulldogs’ basketball team before heading out and posed for photographs with a number of students.(full post at the Martinsville Bulletin)(3-17-2016)
- College students audition for NASCAR pit crews: NASCAR representatives were wowed Wednesday [3-16-2016] during a pit stop at Virginia State University, part of a nationwide search for athletes talented enough to become pit crew members. As it stands, NASCAR crews are predominantly white men, and NASCAR has been visiting several universities to attract talented racial minorities and women. “I’m impressed,” Phil Horton, director of athletic performance for Rev Racing, told about two dozen student-athletes at VSU, a historically black school in the Chesterfield County village of Ettrick. Horton said the VSU competitors were some of the most talented prospects he has seen as part of the Drive for Diversity Crew Member Development program. He also praised the camaraderie of the students, who cheered for one other. VSU football, track and field, basketball and volleyball athletes competed in timed drills that included jump-roping, agility tests, sit-ups and push-ups. Organizers said they saw record performances, including one student who did 100 jumps in 28 seconds during the jump-roping competition.(full article at Richmond Times Dispatch)(3-17-2016)
- Students will get their day at Auto Club Speedway: If NASCAR is returning to Auto Club Speedway this weekend, so are nearly 500 eighth grade students from 17 schools in San Bernardino County on Friday as part of the seventh S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Day. In addition to viewing practice for Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series cars, the students will get a first-hand experience on why science, technology, engineering and mathematics are important to the motorsports community through a series of hands-on activities. Richard Petty Motorsports driver #43-Aric Almirola is scheduled to be the guest speaker.(Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)(3-17-2017)
- “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” schemes at Auto Club: To promote the upcoming and highly anticipated Warner Bros. Pictures film “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. will be running the #88 Nationwide Batman Chevy, while teammate Jimmie Johnson will represent the Man of Steel, driving the #48 Lowe’s Superman scheme. Earnhardt’s paint scheme will showcase the Batman emblem and textures of the Caped Crusader’s suit, and he will also wear a custom Batman-themed fire suit. This won’t be the first time Earnhardt Jr. has teamed up with The Dark Knight. Earnhardt has enjoyed past success in a Batman-themed car, winning at Michigan International Speedway on June 17, 2012.
The “S” shield of Superman will adorn the #48 Lowe’s Chevy and Johnson will also wear a custom Superman-themed fire suit. Lowe’s, in partnership with DC Comics, has teamed up to promote the movie “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” featuring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, which opens in theaters on March 25th.
Hendrick Motorsports, along with its partners Nationwide and Lowe’s, has also teamed with Warner Bros. to create “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” at-track activations for fans of all ages during the California race weekend. In addition to giveaways and themed activities, movie props, costumes, the Batmobile and the Nationwide Batman and Lowe’s Superman show cars will make an appearance in the Fan Zone. Licensed merchandise featuring the “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” paint schemes for the #48 and #88 cars will be available trackside and online. Lowe’s is partnering with “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and will provide kids with over 2,200 “Build and Grow” kits in the Auto Club Speedway Fan Zone this weekend. Kids can stop by the display area and build their own #48 Lowe’s Superman Chevy throughout the weekend.
On Thursday, March 17, Earnhardt and Johnson will meet “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” actors Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill in Los Angeles.(HMS), see images of the schemes on the #48 team paint schemes page and #88 team paint schemes page.(3-17-2016) - American Ethanol makes 2016 debut on the #3: #3-Austin Dillon will run the American Ethanol colors for the first time in the Auto Club 400. American Ethanol, a renewable source of cleaner burning energy from the bounty of America’s farmers, helps create new green jobs and a renewed sense of pride for the American worker, while helping to achieve greater energy security for our country. Launched by Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association, along with the support of other partners, American Ethanol is a breakthrough brand that seeks to expand consumer awareness of the benefits of ethanol and E15, and takes the NASCAR Green initiative to the next level (RCR), American Ethanol will also be the primary sponsor for five other races in 2016: Kansas in May, Pocono in Juy, Darlington in Sept (throwback), Talladega in October and Phoenix in November, see an image of the car on the #3 team paint schemes page.(3-17-2016)
- Brian France at NYU & NASCAR at MIT: NASCAR Chairman & CEO Brian France and the Commissioners of the NBA, NFL, MLB and MLS, led a group from across nine major professional sports leagues Monday at New York University to collaborate on social responsibility in sports. The industry summit was hosted by the NYU School of Professional Studies Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media, and Business.
NASCAR at MIT: During the milestone 10th MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston, NASCAR Senior VP of Strategic Development Eric Nyquist participated on a panel entitled ‘Road to the Championship: Playoff Analytics.’ Joined by executives from MLB, the NCAA and MLS, Nyquist spoke about the evolution of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and how analytics played a role in shaping the new format of NASCAR playoffs.(NASCAR)(3-17-2016) - Auto Club Track Notes & History:
Groundbreaking for California Speedway, as Auto Club Speedway was originally known, took place in November 1995.
� The first race at Auto Club Speedway was a NASCAR K&N; Pro Series, West race won by Ken Schrader on June 21, 1997.
� The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 22, 1997 and won by Jeff Gordon.
� September 2004 was the first night race at Auto Club Speedway and that also was the first year both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series ran two races in a season there.
� The track name was changed to Auto Club Speedway (ACS) in February of 2008.
(NASCAR) - Auto Club Goodyear Tire Notes: While teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series will run the same left-side tire code at Fontana this week, they will run their own right-side codes . . . in Sprint Cup, teams previously ran this left-side tire code at Indianapolis and Darlington last year, but this is the first time they have run this right-side code . . . compared to what was run at Fontana last season, this left-side features a slight construction change . . . the change for this right-side is that it is a multi-zone tread tire, which features two distinct tread compounds on the same tire — one for endurance and heat resistance on the inboard two inches of the tread and one for traction on the outboard 10 inches . . . this right-side code features the same compound run at Fontana ’15 on the inboard, with a different compound for more grip on the outboard . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run liners in all four tire positions at Fontana . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire. Goodyear’s “Spirit of Innovation,” based out of Carson, Calif., will be in the air over Auto Club Speedway this weekend . . . the ship will be a part of Fox’s television coverage of the Xfinity race on Saturday and Sprint Cup race on Sunday (Goodyear), see more nots, tire codes, set limits and more on the Auto Club Race Info page (3-17-2016)
- NASCAR Tech Open House: The NASCAR Technical Institute is scheduled to have an Open House on Saturday, March 19th from 9:00am – 1:00pm/et at NASCAR Technical Institute location: 220 Byers Creek Road, Mooresville, NC 28117. More info and directions at uti.edu.(3-17-2016)
- Harrison Burton to run fall Martinsville race for KBM: Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that second-generation driver Harrison Burton will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut for the team driving the #18 DEX Imaging/Konica Minolta Tundra Oct. 29 in the Alpha Energy Solutions 200 at Martinsville Speedway. Burton, the son of 21-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner and current NBC Sports broadcaster Jeff Burton, is currently competing for Rookie of the Year honors in the NASCAR K&N; Pro Series East. The racing prodigy was a three-time USAC Quarter Midget national champion before moving into Late Models, where at the age of 11 he captured his first pole in the Limited Late Model division at Ace Speedway in Elon, N.C. At the age of 12, he graduated to Pro-Late Models and won two races at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway. At the age of 14, the talented teenager became the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Whelen Super Late Model event when he visited victory lane twice during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna (Fla.) last February and in May he picked up his first Southern Super Series win at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway. Last October, at the age of 15 years and eight days, Burton became the youngest driver to compete in the NASCAR K&N; Pro Series West when he raced in the series stop at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif. Burton, who will be eligible to race at Martinsville after his 16th birthday on Oct. 9, joins a crop of talented young drivers already in the KBM stable. The team recently signed 15-year-old third-generation driver Todd Gilliland to a limited schedule for the team’s Super Late Model program and boasts three Truck Series drivers that are 21 and younger; Christopher Bell (21), Cody Coughlin (20) and William Byron (18).(Kyle Busch Motorsports)(3-17-2016)
- Eric Dane Named Auto Club 400 Grand Marshal: Eric Dane, the star of TNT’s The Last Ship, has been named Grand Marshal for the NASCAR Auto Club 400 Sprint Cup Series on March 20, 2016 at Auto Club Speedway. As Grand Marshal, Dane will give the command “Drivers, start your engines” to the 39-car field. As an Honorary Race Official, Dane will be involved with pre-race ceremony activities including driver introductions and special NASCAR awards. He will be joined by Miss Sprint Cup, Jon Foreman of Switchfoot, Kevin Ortiz, Regional Mexican Artist, John Lynch, NFL on FOX, Nine Time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl Champ, and USMC Staff Sergeant Charlie Linville. Dane is currently in production on Season 3 on “The Last Ship” from executive producer Michael Bay. He plays Capt. Tom Chandler on the series which has the full cooperation of The US Navy, and was the #1 new cable series of 2014. To purchase tickets to race weekend call 800-944-RACE (7223), log on to autoclubspeedway.com, or visit the Auto Club Speedway Ticket Office.(ACS)(3-17-2016)
- USMC Staff Sergeant Charlie Linville named Auto Club Honorary Starter: U.S. Marine and Hero, USMC Staff Sergeant Charlie Linville, will serve as Honorary Starter for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. As Honorary Starter, Staff Sergeant Linville will wave the green flag to start the Auto Club 400, and watch the stock cars take their first lap on one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. As an Honorary Race Official, Linville will be involved with pre-race ceremony activities including driver introductions and special NASCAR awards. On January 20, 2011, while conducting an IED sweep in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, USMC Staff Sergeant Linville was blasted several yards into the air by a tertiary explosive device. By the time he landed in the blast crater, he had suffered devastating injuries to his right foot and hand. By summer of 2013, despite over a year of attempts at rehabilitation, he lost his right foot to an amputation below the knee. After the NASCAR Auto Club 400, he will climb Mount Everest in April and will become the first combat wounded veteran to summit the world’s biggest mountain. Linville partnered with The Heroes Project that leads mountaineering expeditions with gravely wounded veterans and active service members, enabling them to rediscover their strength and pride by scaling the world’s most challenging summits. To purchase tickets to race weekend call 800-944-RACE (7223), log on to autoclubspeedway.com, or visit the Auto Club Speedway Ticket Office.(ACS)(3-17-2016)
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