March 18, 2011
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- Edwards wins Bristol pole: #99-Carl Edwards won the Coors Light pole for the Jeff Byrd 500 present by Food City Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway with a speed of 128.014mph for his 2nd pole of the season and 9th of his career.
#16-Biffle starts 2nd followed by #78-Smith [best career start], #27-Menard, #6-Ragan, #48-Johnson, #24-Gordon, #56-Truex Jr., #5-Martin and #4-Kahne.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #09-Elliott, #60-Cassill, #87-Nemechek, #36-Blaney, #46-Yeley, #66-McDowell, #92-Setzer and #13-Mears.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (1): #32-Schrader.
Qualifying Re-Air: 8:30pm/et & 12:00am/et on SPEED - See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my Bristol Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(3-18-2011)
- Daytona 500 Owner’s Trophy to be on Display in Henry Ford Museum: The 2011 Daytona 500 Owner’s Trophy, won by rookie Trevor Bayne and the legendary NASCAR team Wood Brothers Racing, will be on display in Henry Ford Museum starting today, March 18 – March 28. The trophy will be exhibited next to the 1901 Sweepstakes, the race car that carried Henry Ford to victory in the first and only race he ever participated in. Admission to the museum is free with membership or $15 adults, $14 senior (62 and up) and $11 youth (5-12). Children four and under are free. For more information, call (313) 982-6001 or visit www.thehenryford.org. The Daytona 500 Trophy, officially named the Harley J. Earl Trophy, is one of the most beautiful trophies in the world. The original trophy is kept in Daytona Beach, Fla., while the winning driver and owners receive a replica of this beautiful piece. The Wood Brothers have agreed to allow their trophy to be on display at Henry Ford Museum during this time period. Harley Earl came up with the classic Firebird rocket car theme to highlight the Daytona 500 trophy and then he had it hand-sculpted inside his Michigan design studio during the absolute zenith of the American automotive industry.
Earl, who retired in 1958, was vice president of styling at General Motors. He later became the second commissioner of NASCAR in 1960.(Ford)(3-18-2011) - Tire changes at Bristol: NASCAR and Goodyear announced a change in tire plans for this weekend’s Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Extreme right side tire wear in both Nationwide and Sprint Cup practice on Friday has forced Goodyear to re-evaluate the rubber compound originally planned for the .533-mile track this weekend. Nationwide cars will now run the tires used last year at Bristol and a competition caution will come out on lap 25 of Saturday’s race for teams to check tire wear.Sprint Cup Series teams will now use tires originally designated for Fontana and Michigan with Goodyear expected to bring in 1200-1300 tires from a Charlotte-area warehouse later this evening.(CBS)MORE: Due to severe wear on right-side tires and their failure to “rubber in” with the track, Goodyear is rushing in a new compound for Saturday’s Nationwide Series and Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway. About 1,200 tires are being shipped from the Charlotte, N.C., area. Usually, as drivers run more practice laps, rubber from the tire grounds into the track’s surface and that alleviates excessive tire wear. “With the lack of improvement it was obvious we needed to react,” Goodyear’s Rick Heinrich said Friday. Goodyear officials said the situation was different from what happened at Indianapolis in 2008, when tires wore out so fast that NASCAR had to mandate pit stops every nine laps of green-flag racing. Goodyear changed the compound for the right-side tire in the Nationwide and Cup Series in an attempt to provide more grip. But it became obvious early on Friday that the approach was not working. #11-Denny Hamlin said he was able to run only 30 laps, about 100 laps short of a fuel run, on the right-side tires Goodyear brought to the track. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president for competition, said tests likely will be scheduled before the August race in Bristol to make sure there is no repeat of what happened to Hamlin. Pemberton said he supported Goodyear’s decision to react quickly. “There’s tires in the barn ready to race anywhere and everywhere we go,” Pemberton said.(ESPN)See tire notes [before the change], codes, limits, pressures on the Bristol Race Info page – Goodyear section.(3-18-2011)
- Driver Introduction Songs at Bristol: The 43 drivers who race in the Jeff Byrd 500 Presented by Food City at Bristol Motor Speedway, will be intorduced with a song each driver chose, some of the drivers and songs:
#00-David Reutimann: “Pretty Fly For A White Guy” by The Offpring
#09-Bill Elliott – TBA
#1-Jamie McMurray: “Burn It To The Ground” by Nickelback
#2-Brad Keselowski – TBA
#4-Kasey Kahne: “A Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams Jr.
#5-Mark Martin – TBA
#6-David Ragan: “No More Mr. Nice Guy” by Alice Cooper
#7-Robby Gordon: TBA
#9-Marcos Ambrose: “Fuel” by Metallica
#11-Denny Hamlin: “Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys
#13-Casey Mears: “Regulate” by Warren G
#14-Tony Stewart: “Bawataba” by Kid Rock
#16-Greg Biffle: “Tonight’s Gonna Be A Good Night” by Black Eyed Peas
#17-Matt Kenseth: “Nightmare” by Avenged Sevenhold
#18-Kyle Busch: “Rowdy Busch” by 2012 featuring Raytona500
#20-Joey Logano: “Opposite of Adults” by Chiddy Bang
#21-Trevor Bayne: TBA
#22-Kurt Busch: “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” by George Thorogood
#24-Jeff Gordon: “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty
#27-Paul Menard: “Concrete Jungle” by Black Label Society
#29-Kevin Harvick: “Back In Black” by AC/DC
#31-Jeff Burton: “Welcome To The Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses
#32-Ken Schrader: TBA
#33-Clint Bowyer: theme music from the movie “The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
#34-David Gilliland: “Wild Side” by Motley Crue
#36-Dave Blaney: Ohio State University fight song
#37-Tony Raines: TBA
#38-Travis Kvapil: “Song 2” by Blur
#39-Ryan Newman: “Good Ol’ Boys” by Waylon Jennings
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: “Ladies and Gentleman” by Saliva
#43-A.J. Allmendinger: “Turn Around” by Flo Rida
#46-J.J. Yeley: TBA
#47-Bobby Labonte: “God Bless Texas” by Little Texas
#48-Jimmie Johnson – secret until intro selected by Vickers
#56-Martin Truex Jr.: “Homeboy” by Eric Church
#60-Landon Cassill: “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley
#66-Michael McDowell: “I Saw The Light” by David Crowder Band
#71-Andy Lally: “Beat You Down” by Downstait
#78-Regan Smith: “Welcome To The Family” by Avenged Sevenhold
#83-Brian Vickers – secret until intro selected by Johnson
#87-Joe Nemechek: TBA
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. – TBA
#92-Dennis Setzer: TBA
#99-Carl Edwards: “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” from the TV sitcom Cheers
Fans at BMS can hear all the songs during driver introductions, which begin at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
For more information concerning tickets, please visit www.bristoltix.com or call the BMS ticket office at 423-BRISTOL (274-7865).(3-18-2011) - What would points standings look like if 2010 system used?:(the top 10)
Rank, Driver, 2010 Points, New Points Rank
1) Tony Stewart, 455 points, 1st in current points system
2) Kurt Busch, 450, 2
3) Carl Edwards, 444, 3
4) Juan Pablo Montoya, 431, 4
5) Ryan Newman, 422, 5
6) Paul Menard, 387, 6
7) Martin Truex Jr., 387, 8
8) Denny Hamlin, 386, 7
9) A J Allmendinger, 379, 9
10) Dale Earnhardt Jr., 372, 11
See full standings [after the current official standings] on the 2011 Drivers Points Standing page.(3-9/18-2011) - Bristol Goodyear Tire Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same tire codes at Bristol this weekend . . . this is the first time NASCAR teams will run this right-side tire code, though teams in both of these series did run this left-side code at Bristol last August . . . compared to what was run at Bristol last season, this right-side tire features slight compund and construction changes and gives the cars more grip . . . unlike most other NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, on which teams generally run no inner liners, teams are required to run inner liners in their right-side tires only at Bristol . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire. The estimated pit window for the Sprint Cup cars are every 130-140 laps, based on fuel mileage.(Goodyear) See full tire notes, codes, limites, pressures on the Bristol Race Info page – Goodyear section.(3-18-2011)
- Robby picks up sponsor for Bristol: Thunder Valley is about to get its first taste of SPEED Energy when the #7 Dodge Charger of Robby Gordon Motorsports rolls into town. After a week off of NASCAR competition, Robby Gordon is ready to get back in the driver’s seat and take on the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” This weekend the #7 will be black with orange SPEED Energy logos and will be carrying new partner, Food City, on the quarter panels.(RGM)(3-18-2011)
- Kentucky Teenager to Meet Jeff Gordon via Make-A-Wish Foundation: Ask 14-year-old Johnathon Ousley about what his biggest wish would be, and he’d want to find a way to combine camping, fishing and meeting his favorite NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon. The Prestonsburg, Ky., teenager’s wish will actually come true this weekend through the teamwork of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, Bristol Motor Speedway and Pepsi MAX Maximum Moments. Ousley and his family will travel to Bristol, Tenn., for an unforgettable weekend of activity in association with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Jeff Byrd 500 race. His wish begins Friday with a private meet-and-greet with Gordon at Bristol Motor Speedway. They will also participate in media activities and a Q-&-A session with fans that night. On Sunday, Ousley will rejoin Gordon at the track for the pre-race driver introductions and ceremonial lap around the track. The family will then watch Gordon race for the checkered flag in the #24 Pepsi MAX car from a private suite. Gordon granted his first wish with the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 1995. Since then, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has granted more than 230 wishes, making him among the most-requested celebrity wish granters in the Foundation’s 30-year history. and discover how you can share the power of a wish.(Make-a-wish PR)(3-18-2011)
- Driver agent creates own agency, takes some big names: Longtime NASCAR driver agent Rod Moskowitz is spinning off from Motorsports Management International to create his own agency by acquiring the contracts of top drivers #11-Denny Hamlin, #4-Kasey Kahne and #1-Jamie McMurray. The new agency, which will be known as Fuel Sports Management Group, will be run by Moskowitz, who worked for MMI for 11 years, and former Ray Evernham Motorsports executives Rick Russell and David Jessey. Evernham, who at one time considered buying MMI, will be an adviser and member of the board along with Jack Giarraputo, Adam Sandler’s partner at Happy Madison Productions. MMI founder Cary Agajanian will continue to represent Tony Stewart and work in NASCAR, as well as drifting and other motorsports. He expects to maintain a close relationship with Fuel Sports Management.(Sporting News/SportsBusiness Journal)(3-18-2011)
- Tire changes at Bristol: NASCAR and Goodyear announced a change in tire plans for this weekend’s Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Extreme right side tire wear in both Nationwide and Sprint Cup practice on Friday has forced Goodyear to re-evaluate the rubber compound originally planned for the .533-mile track this weekend. Nationwide cars will now run the tires used last year at Bristol and a competition caution will come out on lap 25 of Saturday’s race for teams to check tire wear. Sprint Cup Series teams will now use tires originally designated for Fontana and Michigan with Goodyear expected to bring in 1200-1300 tires from a Charlotte-area warehouse later this evening.(CBS)(3-18-2011)
MORE: Due to severe wear on right-side tires and their failure to “rubber in” with the track, Goodyear is rushing in a new compound for Saturday’s Nationwide Series and Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series races at Bristol Motor Speedway. About 1,200 tires are being shipped from the Charlotte, N.C., area. Usually, as drivers run more practice laps, rubber from the tire grounds into the track’s surface and that alleviates excessive tire wear. “With the lack of improvement it was obvious we needed to react,” Goodyear’s Rick Heinrich said Friday. Goodyear officials said the situation was different from what happened at Indianapolis in 2008, when tires wore out so fast that NASCAR had to mandate pit stops every nine laps of green-flag racing. Goodyear changed the compound for the right-side tire in the Nationwide and Cup Series in an attempt to provide more grip. But it became obvious early on Friday that the approach was not working. #11-Denny Hamlin said he was able to run only 30 laps, about 100 laps short of a fuel run, on the right-side tires Goodyear brought to the track. Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president for competition, said tests likely will be scheduled before the August race in Bristol to make sure there is no repeat of what happened to Hamlin. Pemberton said he supported Goodyear’s decision to react quickly. “There’s tires in the barn ready to race anywhere and everywhere we go,” Pemberton said.(ESPN)(3-18-2011)
- Annett DWI hearing postponed: An initial hearing was postponed Friday for Rusty Wallace Racing driver #62-Michael Annett, who faces charges of driving while impaired. Annett’s lawyer requested the case be continued, and Annett now has an April 29 court date in North Carolina District Court in Statesville, according to the clerk of courts office. The hearing is for Annett to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. Annett did not deny the charges during interview at Daytona Feb. 12. (Scene Daily)(3-18-2011)
- COLORMATCH sponsoring JD Motorsports at Bristol: JD Motorsports and Mike Wallace announced the addition of COLORMATCH, headquartered in Jackson, Tenn., as the primary sponsor of the #01 Chevy this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. COLORMATCH is a family-owned business founded in 1946. Originally started as a small auto parts store, the company has grown to become a leader in the distribution of collision repair products to the auto body industry.(JD Motorsports)(3-18-2011)
- ThorSport signs Armstrong for 3rd truck team: ThorSport Racing has signed 2010 ARCA Series Rookie of the Year Dakoda Armstrong to pilot its third team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. ThorSport Racing, the longest-tenured active NCWTS team, adds the No. 98 Chevy Silverado in its stable to run a select number of races in 2011 with the 19-year-old New Castle, Indiana native. Armstrong ran for an impressive two wins in the 2010 ARCA Racing Series and collected the Rookie of the Year title. Most notably, the then 18-year-old won at one of the toughest tracks in NASCAR’s elite series – Talladega Superspeedway. “We’re excited to add Dakoda Armstrong, such a fresh talent and unique ‘voice’ in the agricultural, entrepreneurial and alternative energy world; to our growing NASCAR Camping World Truck Series program in 2011. “Dakoda is a very inspirational young driver who has had a lot of success in every series he’s competed in, and he’s part of the next generation of NASCAR drivers,” said Matt LaNeve, Vice President of Motorsports Partnerships at ThorSport Racing. “Add to the fact that he’s one of many corn growers who are helping to feed and fuel America, it’s a winning combination with the effort of our series to use Sunoco Green E15 fuel. What better than a potential Sunoco Rookie of the Year who helps produce ethanol fuel from home? We think he’s such a compelling NASCAR story.” Armstrong’s debut race is tentatively scheduled at Iowa Speedway in July. Team plans to evaluate Armstrong after six races and make a decision at a later date on maintaining ROTY status for 2012.(ThorSport Racing PR)(3-18-2011)
- Moss spending more time at race track: Randy Moss looked entirely at ease moving through the garage area at Darlington Raceway. That’s because the star receiver and owner of Randy Moss Motorsports says NASCAR feels like home. With his main job on hold — he’s a free agent and can’t strike an NFL deal until the league’s labor troubles are resolved — Moss has immersed himself in his venture as co-owner of a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. He’s watched his racers, Travis Kvapil and Tayler Malsam, at Daytona and Darlington and plans to attend Truck Series races at Martinsville and Nashville next month. Moss sees a similarity with Joe Gibbs, a three-time Super Bowl champion coach in Washington who built his passion for racing into Sprint Cup success. Moss thinks he’s got the same drive for the sport and hopes it can lead to NASCAR championships as Gibbs has done. “So that’s something I can take out of his book,” Moss said. Moss also might help NASCAR move the needle in its drive for a more diverse audience. Minority owners such as Moss will attract others, Dollar is certain. “It can’t be anything but a benefit for the sport,” he said. Right now, Moss hopes to enjoy as much time at the race track as he can. He loves the roar of the engines, the smell of a barbecue and the joy of Southern fans gathering with a couple of beers to see who’s the fastest at the end of the night.(AP/SPEEDtv.com)(3-18-2011)
- Edwards wins Bristol pole: #99-Carl Edwards won the Coors Light pole for the Jeff Byrd 500 present by Food City Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway with a speed of 128.014mph for his 2nd pole of the season and 9th of his career.
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