March 20, 2010
- Happy Hour practice: for the Food City 500 Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over, after 60 minutes of practice, top five and some notes:
#48-Johnson 122.287
#17-Kenseth 121.443
#42-Montoya 121.420
#1-McMurray 121.305
#20-Logano 121.297
slowest: #37-Conway 116.115 and #90-Mears 118.284.
See speeds, average speeds, laps run on my Bristol Practice page.(3-20-2010) - Pit Stall Selections – Bristol: The selections of pit stalls for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway have been made. Pole sitter #20-Logano’s team chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Bristol is the only track in the Sprint Cup Series that utilizes two pit roads. It has 22 stalls on the frontstretch and 21 on the backstretch. Teams that pit on the backstretch used to be at a competitive disadvantage. Since the spring 2002 race at Bristol, teams will enter pit road in Turn 2 (the current backstretch pit entrance) drive around down the backstretch and around Turns 3 and 4 and exit in Turn 1. Under green-flag conditions teams will enter and exit pit road under the current two-pit-road scheme.
Outside pole sitter #2-Busch chose the 23rd stall, which is the first stall on the backstretch pits
#66-Blaney, who starts 3rd [and is likely a start-and-park] took the 2nd pit stall, behind the pole sitter.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #48-Johnson, who starts 4th
and #24-Gordon, who starts 4th, chose the last stall on the frontstretch, the 22nd stall
To see where all the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Bristol Pit Stall Selection chart.(3-19-2010) - Saturday first practice: for the Food City 500 Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over, after 50 minutes of practice, top five and some notes:
#48-Johnson 122.725
#42-Montoya 122.139
#24-Gordon 121.813
#88-Earnhardt Jr 121.705
#20-Logano 121.897
slowest: #37-Conway 116.122 and #71-Labonte 117.401.
See speeds, average speeds, laps run on my Bristol Practice page.(3-20-2010) - The NASCAR-Edwards-Keselowski Meeting – Keselowski: from a Dodge Motorsports PR, #12 Penske Racing driver Brad Keselowski discusses the meeting between NASCAR, the #99 Roush Fenway / Penske Racing drivers / owners:WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MEETING WITH NASCAR THIS MORNING? “I don’t know how Carl feels about it, but I don’t think it’s cool to say everything that was said in there. Hopefully, it will be productive to where we can move forward and continue to race each other hard and not have any more incidents like we had at Atlanta. We hadn’t talked before. I wouldn’t say there was anything said that surprised me. You have to understand, Carl and I have a mutual respect for each other in a sense we’re almost the same people. We come from similar backgrounds. We drive the same way. I have a lot of respect for him before and after the accident. Hopefully, that will stay the same.”HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE WAY YOU WILL BE RACING? “Carl and I have talked before about leaving each other more room, but it seems like when it came down to it, it just never worked out. It’s racing. The biggest thing to me, you know, is incidents are going to happen because we race against each other more than 60 times. We’re going to run by (beside) each other. We just each have to build up a tolerance for that.”WHAT ROLE DID JACK ROUSH AND ROGER PENSKE HAVE IN THE MEETING? “Jack and Roger are two different people for sure, but they are both extremely supportive of us. Carl and I both put a lot of emphasis and trust into our car owners, where we listen to them and talk to them. I think we both see the same things in them. They’re kind of mentors to us.”(Dodge Motorsports NASCAR PR)(3-20-2010)
- The NASCAR-Edwards-Keselowski Meeting – Penske: from a Dodge Motorsports PR, #12 Penske Racing owner Roger Penske discusses the meeting between NASCAR, the #99 Roush Fenway / Penske Racing drivers / owners:ROGER PENSKE (Chairman & CEO Penske Racing)WHAT CAME OUT OF THE MEETING WITH NASCAR THIS MORNING? “Obviously it was important that we all got together from the standpoint of just having open conversation – the drivers, Jack (Roush) and myself. I think it was good conversation. I think Carl (Edwards) realized that what had happened last week wasn’t what he expected – the car flying. To me, it was just good, open communication. The guys agreed that they’re going to race hard. They’re going to race fair and give themselves some room on the race track so that we don’t become the poster boys every weekend on what’s happening. I said, ‘Hey, at the end of the races, if we’re racing for the lead and there’s a lap or two to go, you guys are gonna have to run hard, but try and stay out of each other’s way during the race.’ It was a good conversation. They’re both good guys. To me, it’s just great that we have an environment where we can sit down.”HAVE YOU EVER TOLD BRAD TO BACK DOWN? “Brad has only driven for us for this year. He’s a terrific talent. I don’t tell my drivers to run hard or to run soft. I think he knows what he has to do on the race track with his peers and quite honestly, he’s not making any statements about what he’s gonna do or not do. I think the media has taken some of that and moved it further and made him with a bigger circle around him. What I want him to do is run fair on the race track and be competitive. But he’s got to respect the other drivers. They have to respect him.”BRAD HAS SAID THAT HE’S NOT GOING TO BACK DOWN, CHANGE HIS STYLE: “He hasn’t said that to me as far as I’m concerned. He wants to race. He wants to have his car in the race at the end. Consequently, if you’re not keeping your car underneath you, you’re gonna get yourself in trouble and not be there in the end. As far as I’m concerned, it’s behind us. It’s an issue that was between the two drivers. I think it mounted because of accidents that had happened. Maybe it was their fault, maybe it wasn’t. At the end of the day, nobody got hurt last week. We’re here to have a good race.”WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU SEE YOUR DRIVER INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT LIKE THAT? “I heard on the radio from the spotter that said, ‘Look like he’s trying to wreck you back over in (Turn) 3.’ I looked over in 3 because Kurt (Busch) was leading the race at that point and I saw that there was no contact. And then I was watching Kurt going into Turn 1 and I heard them say “yellow” on my radio and I looked down and saw the car barrel rolling. Obviously, I was concerned for Brad and his safety and anybody else’s. Brad on the radio – the first thing he said to me was, ‘Did anybody get hurt in the stand?’ That was the first thing that came out of Brad’s mouth. And then he said, ‘I’m fine.’ At that point I was worried about Kurt winning the race after that.”HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT BRAD IS FITTING IN THE GARGAGE? “I’m not taking a poll in the garage area about what driver personalities are and what other people feel about them. He’s a competitor out there. He drives for Penske Racing and I’m going to support him.”DO YOU THINK BRAD NEEDS SOME “FRESHMAN HAZING” TO BE ABLE TO RUN WITH HIS PEERS? “I think Brad has raced with his peers on the Nationwide Series, with many of these people. I think he knows how to race. I’ve got all the respect for him. He’ll earn his respect in the garage area by winning and finishing strong. To me, we need to put this behind us.”(Dodge Motorsports NASCAR PR)(3-20-2010)
- NASCAR-Edwards-Kelesowski meeting – all smiles: The big meeting between #99-Carl Edwards and #12-Brad Keselowski ended with both drivers smiling as they left NASCAR’s office. Edwards, Keselowski and their car owners met for about 40 minutes Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway with top NASCAR officials. Edwards intentionally wrecked Keselowski two weeks ago at Atlanta as retaliation for earlier contact. NASCAR called the drivers together to resolve their ongoing feud. They hustled to Nationwide Series qualifying immediately after the meeting. When they finished running their laps, they parked side-by-side on pit road.
Edwards leaned over the hood of Keselowski’s car to briefly speak to him, and the drivers again smiled as they separated.(Associated Press)(3-20-2010) - Special scheme for Dale Jr at Martinsville: Dale Earnhardt Jr is scheduled to drive the #88 AMP Energy Sugar Free Lightning Chevy at Martinsville Speedway on March 28, 2010. See image of the scheme on my #88 Team Schemes page.(3-20-2010)
- NASCAR To Meet With Edwards, Keselowski UPDATE: NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Wednesday that officials from the sanctioning body will meet with #99-Carl Edwards and #12-Bred Keselowski and their respective team owners at some point this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, site of Sunday’s Food City 500. What Pemberton wouldn’t discuss is what is likely to be said at those meetings. But it’s a pretty good bet there will be a stern warning to both drivers to stay away from each other. In April 2009 at Talladega Superspeedway, the two made contact at the start-finish line on the final lap of the race. Keselowski won, Edwards bounced off the hood of Ryan Newman’s car and into the catchfence separating the cars from the grandstands. At Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 7, the two locked horns again, this time twice. The first contact, which occurred early in the race, resulted in Edwards going into the wall and losing more than 100 laps for repairs. The second contact occurred two laps before the scheduled end of the Kobalt Tools 500, when Edwards deliberately bumped Keselowski, turning his car sideways, whereupon it rolled upside down on its roof at 190 miles per hour. For making that move, Edwards received probation for three races.(SPEED)(3-18-2010)UPDATE: #12- Brad Keselowski wants NASCAR to explain the limits on the “boys, have at it” policy series officials are applying this season to self-policing between drivers. Keselowski said Friday he plans to ask NASCAR for a definition when he meets with series officials, #99-Carl Edwards and their respective owners at Bristol Motor Speedway. The meeting, tentatively scheduled for Saturday, was called to discuss Edwards’ intentional accident with Keselowski two weeks ago at Atlanta. Keselowski’s car went airborne after the contact, and Edwards’ was placed on probation for three races for actions some felt warranted a suspension. The deliberate contact was the first test since NASCAR decided to relax its stance on aggressive driving. “That will be my question when I meet with them,” Keselowski said when asked what “have at it” means. “That’s something that we’re all trying to understand and it sounds like it is somewhat of a work in progress.”(Associated Press)(3-20-2010)
- Man Who Risked Life in Church Hill, TN, Fire Named Honorary Crew Chief: Without a second thought, Gary Meade rushed to the aid of neighbors at a Church Hill, Tennessee, condominium fire and rescued an elderly man just moments before an explosion turned the residence into a raging inferno. For his heroic act, Meade has been named an ‘ExtenZe Local Hero’ and will be the #37 ExtenZe Racing Honorary Crew Chief at Bristol Motor Speedway for the March 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup race. More info see www.ExtenZeRacing.com or to nominate their own local heroes or review who has been previously chosen.(ExtenZe Racing/Breaking Limits)(3-20-2010)
- Bristol Rookie Notes: #37-Kevin Conway was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the March 7 Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, posting a 31st-place finish. Conway leads #46-Terry Cook by 29 points (33-4) in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the March 21 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The most recent Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap at Bristol: Kevin Harvick in the 2001 Food City 500 (17 races). In fact, Harvick led the most laps in the event (three times for 137 laps). The best finish by a Raybestos Rookie in the Food City 500 came in 1979 when Dale Earnhardt scored his first career win. Since Earnhardt’s victory, only three drivers have finished in the top-five in the spring race: 1981: Morgan Shepherd, fourth; 1989: Dick Trickle, fifth; 2003: Greg Biffle, fifth. Tony Stewart is the only Raybestos® Rookie to win the pole at Bristol in his rookie season. Stewart took the top spot in the 1999 Sharpie 500 (August race). He also holds the record for most laps led by a Raybestos Rookie, holding the top spot once for 225 laps. For rookie standings, history and more, see my 2010 Rookies page.(3-20-2010)
- MTV Latin America and the Inter-American Development Bank Recognize Montoya: MTV Latin America and the Inter-American development Bank have recognized Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates’ driver, #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, for his charitable work with the Formula Smiles Foundation. Montoya was presented with a “Chiuku” award by MTV News correspondent Ilana Sod in Miami, Florida. The special award presentation premiered on MTV Latin America’s screens Friday in one-minute spots with several encore presentations over the next two weeks. As part of the on-going “MTV Agents of Change,” initiative MTV created the “Chiuku” to recognize those “Agents of Change” who are committed to the betterment of their communities and use their influence to become a catalyst for effecting change and spreading their message all over the world. “I was very honored and surprised when MTV Latin America reached out to me about this award,” Montoya remarked. “Connie and I started this Foundation years ago with the hope of changing a few lives and to see it grow into what it is today is just amazing.” The Formula Smiles Foundation – founded by Montoya and his wife Connie to benefit Colombian children in need – has become one of the NASCAR’s most active charities. Following the model of “Education + Sports = The Best Formula,” Formula Smiles integrates sports, physical education, recreation and academics. With projects in such vulnerable regions of Colombia as San Andres, Cartagena, Ibague and Villavicencio, Formula Smiles seeks to strengthen values such as honesty, tolerance, respect, solidarity, responsibility and humility, thus encouraging children to stay on a positive path, and away from drugs and violence.(EGR with Felix Sabates)(3-20-2010)
- Lofton to attempt Texas race: Justin Lofton, the 2009 ARCA Racing Series champion, will attempt to make his second NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Texas Motor Speedway on April 17. Lofton will be running the #71 in a former CJM Racing Toyota that his team, Lofton Racing, has acquired. Last year, Lofton made his series debut at Michigan International Speedway where he started 19th and finished 16th. (Motor Racing Network)(3-20-2010)
- Scotts Renews with Bristol Motor Speedway: After a successful two-race partnership with Bristol Motor Speedway, Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has extended the relationship through the 2011 season. Scotts, the world’s largest marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products, joined the BMS family in 2009 as sponsor of the March Nationwide Series event, the Scotts Turf Builder 300, as well as the Scotts EZ Seed Showdown. The Nationwide event is one of the most popular on the NASCAR circuit.(BMS PR)(3-20-2010)
- Kennington to make series debut with RWR: DJ Kennington will be making his debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the #6 Northern Provincial Pipelines entry for Rick Ware Racing at Martinsville Speedway on March 27th for the running of the Kroger 250. DJ will be driving the 6 truck that Donnie Neuenberger has set in the 10th position in driver points, as Donnie begins preparing for his Nationwide Series schedule. DJK, the runner-up in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series point standings in 2009, has never finished outside the top three in points in the last five years and has seen stints of action in the NASCAR Nationwide Series dating back to 2006 with a total of 45 races.(Rick Ware Racing PR)(3-20-2010)
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