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March 22 – Jayski’s NASCAR history

March 22, 2020 at 6:21 AM

March 22, 2012

  • Edwards trains with SWAT team: #99-Carl Edwards, along with Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage, took part in a special training session with Sgt. Todd Plowman and members of Fort Worth’s SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team at the Fort Worth Police & Fire Training Center. Edwards experienced the high-risk job of serving as a member of the Fort Worth SWAT team. During the crash course, Edwards observed as Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage fired a 40mm Grenade Launcher, Benelli M4 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun and Colt M4 Commando 5.56mm carbine with suppressor. Edwards opted for some of the other training exercises that included rappelling down the side of a six-story building and facing “live” situations in a hostile environment simulator and having to defuse the situation with armed force. He also appropriately arrived to the event in the Fort Worth SWAT team’s Bearcat tactics vehicle and later took it for a spin.( images and more at the TMS site)(3-22-2012)
  • Jimmy John’s returns to the #29: The black, red and white colors of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches will adorn the #29 Chevy as the primary sponsor of Kevin Harvick and the team for the first of six races in 2012 this weekend at Auto Club Speedway.(RCR)(3-22-2012)
  • The Numbers for the Auto Club 400, Caution Recap:
    2 races won from the front row at Auto Club Speedway; one from the pole (2008, Jimmie Johnson)
    4 number of drivers that have competed in all 22 races at ACS (Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek)
    4 fewest cautions for a Sprint Cup race (twice, most recently 3/27/11)
    8 number of jet dryers available for track drying during race weekend
    9 most wins by a car owner in previous 22 races (Rick Hendrick)
    11 races won from a starting spot outside the top 10
    12 most cautions (2/24/08)
    14 different winners in previous 22 races
    15 different pole winners
    16 fewest caution laps (3/27/11)
    18 fewest lead changes (three times, most recent 3/27/11)
    33 most lead changes (2/24/08)
    51 most caution laps (9/5/04)
    120 minutes, the amount of time it takes to dry the 2.0-mile track after a significant rainfall
    188.245 mph, track qualifying record (Kyle Busch, 1/25/05)
    1995 year track construction began on site of the former Kaiser Steel Mill; completed in 1996
    1997 year first Sprint Cup race held at the track (6/22/97)
    2008 year facility changed name from California Speedway to Auto Club Speedway
    2012 Caution Recap
    30 cautions in the first four Sprint Cup races; 41 after four races last year
    16 of 30 cautions have been for accidents; 24 of 41 for accidents last year
    161 of 1,281 laps completed have been under caution; 195 of 1,287 in 2011
    217.617 of 1,484.000 miles completed have been under caution; 275.881 of 1,499.000 in 2011
    BONUS: Although only two tracks currently host NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, 15 California tracks have hosted a total of 131 Sprint Cup races over the years. Riverside International Raceway had the most 48 with the last event in 1988. Only Riverside, Ontario Motor Speedway (nine) and the two tracks currently on the Sprint Cup schedule Auto Club Speedway (22) and Infineon Raceway (23) have hosted more than six Cup races.(Darnell Communications for SRT Motorsports & Dodge)(3-22-2012)
  • SiriusXM to Broadcast Races Online and on SiriusXM App: Sirius XM Radio and NASCAR announced an agreement to simulcast the programming on the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio channel in its entirety which includes live broadcasts of every national series race, plus daily NASCAR talk online for SiriusXM subscribers nationwide. Starting with this weekend’s races in Fontana, CA (March 24-25), subscribers who have SiriusXM Internet Radio access can listen to live broadcasts of every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on the SiriusXM NASCAR radio channel through their computers at siriusxm.com and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphone and wireless devices. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, is available to Sirius subscribers, XM Premier (formerly known as “The Best of Sirius”) and SiriusXM Premier subscribers. SiriusXM and NASCAR recently agreed to a five-year extension of their satellite broadcasting agreement. SiriusXM will continue to broadcast every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race live nationwide through 2016. Listeners also get daily NASCAR talk and expert analysis 365 days a year on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.(SiriusXM)(3-22-2012)
  • Auto Club Goodyear Tire Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same tire codes at Auto Club Speedway this weekend . . . while these teams ran this right-side tire code at this track in 2011, this is a brand new left-side code . . . compared to what was run at Fontana last year, this left-side features mold shape and construction changes, which will give the cars more grip . . . this tire set-up came out of a Goodyear test at Fontana last October 18 . . . participating in that test were #16-Greg Biffle, Landon Cassill in the #48 HMS Chevy, Sam Hornish in the #22 Penske Racing Dodge and David Reutimann in the #00 MWR Toyota . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner 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. See full notes with tire pressures, codes and more on the Auto Club Race Info page – Goodyear section.(3-22-2012)
  • Townley placed on probation: NASCAR announced today that it has placed John Wes Townley, driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, on probation until Dec. 31, 2012. Townley violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the 2012 NASCAR Rule Book. The violation occurred Feb. 7. In addition to the steps already underway by his team RAB Racing, Townley will be evaluated by a certified substance abuse professional at NASCAR’s discretion and will be subject to random alcohol and drug testing.(NASCAR)(3-22-2012)
  • Kyle Busch makes appearance at school: Earlier Wednesday Toyota NASCAR driver Kyle Busch visited Williams Elementary School to speak about NASCAR, his racing career and Toyota Racing’s Sponsafier program, as well as participate in a question and answer session with students, as part of the Sponsafier 4 contest grand prize package awarded to David Bulow and his son AJ. The special appearance came at the request of AJ, an avid Kyle Busch supporter, who opted to share part of his grand prize experience-time with his favorite driver-with his fellow Williams Elementary schoolmates.(Toyota)(3-22-2012)
  • Montoya Appears on Cover of ESPN Deportes La Revista: Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates driver Juan Pablo Montoya graces the cover of the ESPN Deportes La Revista (the Spanish version of ESPN the Magazine) this month. This is the second time the international driver has been featured in the prestigious magazine; he first appeared on the February 2007 issue just before his first full season in NASCAR. ESPN Deportes La Revista is the most culturally relevant sports magazine for the U.S. Hispanic reader. The monthly publication is the only Spanish-language sports magazine in the U.S. and is currently available at newsstands.(EGR)(3-22-2012)
  • Kurt Busch to head to DC after race: Once the checkered flag waves at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, #51-Kurt Busch will travel straight to Washington, D.C., where he will attend the Eighth Annual Armed Forces Foundation Congressional Gala on Tuesday at the Ronald Reagan Building. The annual event recognizes the nation’s military service members and their civilian supporters.(Phoenix Racing)(3-22-2012)
  • Fuel in a Bottle Power Shots Power Up with Allmendinger: #22-AJ Allmendinger has been named as Brand Ambassador for a new brand of Energy and Protein power shots, Fuel in a Bottle. In addition to benefiting from the energy and protein boost that Fuel in a Bottle power shots provide, Allmendinger will be part of the brand’s marketing efforts through advertising and point of purchase placements.(BYB Brands/Allmendinger PR)(3-22-2012)
  • Gargoyles signs Brad Keselowski: Gargoyles Performance Eyewear announced that #2-Brad Keselowski is joining its growing team of professional athletes and brand ambassadors. Keselowski, a contender for the 2012 Sprint Cup championship, will appear in Gargoyles advertising campaigns, in addition to working closely with the brand to advance its array of high-performance sunglasses.(Gargoyles PR)(3-22-2012)
  • Daytona starts repairs on burned track section: Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to begin repairs Thursday (March 22nd) on the infamous Turn 3 track scar that was caused by a frightening crash, fuel spill and blaze during the Feb. 27 Daytona 500. Speedway spokesman Lenny Santiago said preliminary work — collecting measurements and survey data — began Wednesday afternoon. Santiago said once the engineers were satisfied with the data, the repaving process would begin. Fuel-soaked pavement, measuring 10 feet wide by about 50 feet long, is scheduled to be milled 2 inches deep, he said. Lane Construction — which repaved the entire 2.5-mile tri-oval in 2010, a job that cost $20 million — is working with engineers from ISC Design and Development. When asked about the cost of today’s repaving, Speedway president Joie Chitwood III said, “This is going to cost us some money. It will be a significant cost to fix that area.” The new blacktop has four layers of asphalt and is 7 inches deep. Santiago said the Speedway is still assessing the damage and does not have a timeline for the repairs. The area was contaminated with jet fuel after #42-Juan Pablo Montoya struck a jet dryer in his car during a caution period. Neither Montoya nor the jet dryer driver was injured. Bill Braniff, a senior engineer for Daytona’s parent company International Speedway Inc., is scheduled to brief the media on the repair this morning.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(3-22-2012)
  • Bruce Jenner to serve as Grand Marshal at Auto Club Speedway: Bruce Jenner, reality television star and U.S. Olympic Medalist will serve as Grand Marshal for NASCAR’s NNS Series race — the Royal Purple 300 — at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, March 24. As Grand Marshal, Jenner will give the most famous command in racing, “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.” The NASCAR NNS Royal Purple 300 will be televised at 2:30pm PT on ESPN. Jenner captivated audiences during the 1976 Olympic Games winning a Gold Medal in the Decathlon Event. He graced magazine covers, Wheaties boxes and was hailed as the World’s Greatest Athlete, yet it’s the story behind his continuing success that keeps him on the road as one of America’s best motivational speakers. As Reality-TV’s favorite Dad, Bruce’s audience now extends to fans of America’s favorite reality E! Network hit show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” With completion of the 6th season, Bruce tries to keep up with his family as they have become some of the most popular people in the industry. When he isn’t busy with fathering his 10 kids, the Kardashian- Jenner family are quite the entrepreneurs. Bruce is involved in a variety of business ventures with the family, including their own production company, Jenner Communications.(Auto Club Speedway)(3-22-2012)
  • Logano to debut new Trans-Lux #18 at Fontana: Trans-Lux Corporation a world leader in LED video display and LED lighting solutions, has entered into a sponsorship with Joe Gibbs Racing. The new #18 Trans-Lux Camry will make its debut at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Royal Purple 300 race with Joey Logano behind the wheel. The race is scheduled to be held March 24th, 2012 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. In the fall of 2012, the Trans-Lux car will move to the Sprint Cup Series with the #11 driven by Denny Hamlin. Logano has an incredible track record at Auto Club Speedway. In six career starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the 2-mile Fontana, CA track, Logano has one win, four top-five finishes, and has been inside the top ten in all six of his races. In fact, his worst career finish in Fontana is seventh and he has run every lap of all six races. He won from the pole in 2009.(MarketWatch.com)(3-22-2012)
  • Jeb Burton to race at South Boston before Martinsville debut: Jeb Burton has landed a new sponsor for his continuing NASCAR late model effort. Cherokee Coffee has come on board to sponsor Burton’s late model efforts. Jeb Burton plans to compete at South Boston Speedway in a Jim Dean-H.C. Sellers-prepared car in late model action this weekend. Burton will be making his Truck Series debut at Martinsville, March 31. Burton plans to test for that race on Monday. “We don’t really have any set number planned this month. We’ll run between South Boston and Ace (Speedway). We;ll see how the Truck program progresses with sponsorship for that,” said W. Burton. Jeb Burton will be driving the #27 NASCAR late model this weekend at SBS. (SoVaNow.com)(3-22-2012)
  • Lofton heads to Mint 400 off-road event: The last time Justin Lofton was behind the wheel of a race vehicle, he scored an impressive third place finish at the Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season-opener. Four weeks later, it’s time for Lofton to get back to business. Lofton will be racing his College Complete.com / General Tire #77 class 1500 unlimited buggy in the legendary General Tire Mint 400 off-road racing event in Jean, Nevada. Lofton will drive the rough and tough 92-mile course four times. Jorge Lameda will be along for the ride, serving as Lofton’s navigator. Fortunately for Lofton, with numerous breaks in the NASCAR Truck Series schedule this year, he was able to also add seven off-road events on his calendar, including this week’s run in Jean. Lofton’s General Tire Mint 400 run in the No. 77 Class 1500 unlimited buggy is set for this Saturday, March 24th.(Justin Lofton Racing PR)(3-22-2011)

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