March 28, 2011
- The Entry List for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway is posted, 45 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
2011 Owners Points are used after the 5th race which was Auto Club Speedway.
Three teams moved into the top 35 that were not in: #09 Phoenix Racing, #13 Germain Racing and #32 FAS Lane Racing [a new team for 2011].
Three teams dropped out: #71 TRG Motorsports, #37 Front Row and #38 Front Row.
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#36-Dave Blaney (37/5)
#37-Tony Raines (38/5)
#38-Travis Kvapil (39/5)
#46-J.J. Yeley (41/5)
#60-TBA (42/5)
#66-Michael McDowell (45/5)
#71-Hermie Sadler (36/5)
#75-Derrike Cope (0/0)
#87-Joe Nemechek (43/5)
#92-Dennis Setzer (44/4)
In the event that all practices and qualifying are all rained out or cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #’s 71,36,37,38,46,60,87,66
missing the race would be [2]: #’s 92, 75
See the full entry list at my Jayski’s Martinsville Entry List.(3-28-2011) - TV Ratings down a tad over 5th race in 2010: NASCAR on FOX notched a 4.1/9 in the metered markets Sunday for racing from Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. This was the fifth Sprint Cup points race of the season and yesterday’s 4.1/9 is off -2% compared to last year’s fifth race, a 4.2/9 at Bristol. Yesterday’s race aired against NCAA regional finals games, and from that angle there is no comparison to last year because the Martinsville race that would have faced similar basketball games last year was rained out. The least relevant comparison is to last year’s Fontana race, which aired in the post-Daytona window last year and earned a 5.0/10 (-18%). Through five races, the 2011 NASCAR On FOX season is now pacing +8% ahead of last year in the metered markets (5.4/12 vs. 5.0/10). See 2011 TV Ratings, comparison chart and more on the 2011 TV Ratings page.(3-28-2011)
- Race and Commercial Breakdown of the Auto Club 400: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, or wonder how often your driver was focused on during these races, here is the breakdown for Sunday’s race. Fox was the broadcast team for this event.
Total number of commercials: 110
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 59
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 53
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 3:00 pm
End time to record race/commercial periods: 5:59 pm
Total minutes: 179
Minutes of race broadcast: 130
Minutes of commercials: 49
Number of missed restarts: 0
Number of ‘mystery cautions’ (debris not shown): 2
For driver focus, past races, links see the 2011 TV Commercials Page.(3-28-2011) - Edwards in no hurry for new contract: #99-Carl Edwards isn’t in a hurry to negotiate a new contract with Roush Fenway Racing or any other Sprint Cup organization. You can’t blame him. Edwards is leading the Cup standings after Sunday’s sixth-place finish at Auto Club Speedway. He’s won three of the past seven races dating back to last season, and with a little luck could have won six. “The biggest thing I don’t want to do is mess anything up by focusing too much on that,” Edwards said. “We all work very hard to be in the exact position we are in right now. I don’t want to mess that up by focusing on the contract right now. I am leaving it alone for right now,” Edwards said. “We will just see what happens.” As long as Edwards continues on this run he will maintain a huge bargaining edge. He’s by far the most sought-after free agent, and in tough economic times when most drivers with new deals are taking huge cuts he is in position to perhaps maintain.(ESPN.com)(3-28-2011)
- Austin Dillion to make Cup debut: UPDATE: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation’s Centennial Celebration and the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma will be the primary sponsors when Austin Dillon makes his Sprint Cup Series debut later this season in the #98 Curb-Agajanian Performance Group Chevy. The Ronald Reagan Centennial is a historic, year-long celebration to commemorate the 100th birthday of the 40th President of the United States of America. A series of substantive and celebratory events, partnerships, and initiatives sponsored by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation are planned throughout 2011. The specific race will be announced at a later date.(RCR)(3-27-2011)
UPDATE: Austin Dillon will make his Sprint Cup debut later this year at either Kansas in October or Phoenix in November in a car built by his grandfather’s Richard Childress Racing. Team co-owner Mike Curb, owner of Curb Records, was a lieutenant governor under Reagan as well as co-chairman of Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign. The team for Dillon will get its car from RCR, an engine from Earnhardt Childress Racing and will use Dillon’s RCR crew that fields his car in the Camping World Truck Series.(Scene Daily)(3-28-2011) - Goodyear plans to use California tire at Bristol in fall: Goodyear plans to bring the right-side tire that teams used in Sunday’s race to Bristol in August. Goodyear officials brought a different right-side tire to Bristol last week, but it didn’t rubber the track as quickly as hoped and caused tire issues. So, a different batch of tires was brought and Nationwide and Cup teams raced with those. Stucker said they’re confident in the California tire and don’t plan to test at Bristol before the August race. Goodyear is scheduled to test at Dover on April 19 to confirm the tire selection for that race. Goodyear is scheduled to test April 26-27 at Indianapolis with Juan Pablo Montoya, MartinTruex Jr., Kurt Busch, Trevor Bayne and the Richard Childress Racing team. Goodyear also is scheduled to test at Kentucky on May 17 in preparation for that track’s first Cup race in July.(Virginian-Pilot)(3-28-2011)
- Michigan adds credit card payments at concession stands: Knowing race fans want convenience when they attend NASCAR events, Americrown and Michigan International Speedway officials have announced credit card systems will be installed at most of the track’s concessions stands in time for the 2011 season. Concession stands will accept credit cards at most locations including the Coca-Cola Champions Grill at the base of the center grandstand tower near the start-finish line, inside the MIS Champions Club and at the permanent infield stand just off the Pit Patio, to name a few. All major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover will be accepted. Stands that accept credit cards will be marked.(MIS)(3-28-2011)
- Auto Club Speedway News & Notes:
• Kyle Busch won the Nationwide Series Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway, the 46th career series win in his 207th race. He also won last week at Bristol, and it was his third win of 2011. It was the fifth time he’s won at Auto Club Speedway in his 13th race. Busch has won five of the last six series races at ACS.
• Saturday’s victory was Busch’s eighth NASCAR win at ACS (one Cup, five Nationwide, two Camping World Truck).
• Busch led twice for 18 laps on Saturday, including the final 17. He leads all drivers with 587 laps led in 2011. Carl Edwards is second with 116 laps led.
• Saturday was the 13th time there was a 1-2 finish for Busch and Edwards in the series. Busch has won nine of them.
• This was the 61st career win for Joe Gibbs Racing and the seventh for the team at ACS.
• This was the seventh win at ACS for Toyota.
• Edwards earned his 150th career top-10 finish. It was his seventh straight top-5 finish at ACS.
• Kevin Harvick (third) earned his 197th top-10 finish in the series, only one behind Tommy Houston for the most. Harvick led his 7,000th series lap in the race, remaining third all time.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (fourth) has finished in the top 10 in six of the last seven events and he leads the points for the first time in his career. He is the fourth points leader in five races this season.
• Elliott Sadler (fifth) got his second straight top-5 finish. He started 34th.
• Mark Martin (eighth) scored his 150th career top-10 finish.
• Brad Keselowski (10th) rebounded from a Lap 67 wave around to get his third straight top-10. (ESPN.com)(3-28-2011) - Harvick returns to #2 KHI Chevrolet at Martinsville: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series revs back to action at Martinsville Speedway this weekend, and fans will see Kevin Harvick Inc. co-owner Kevin Harvick climb into the driver’s seat of the No. 2 KHI Chevrolet Silverado for the first time this season. Harvick has 11 Truck Series starts and has recorded two wins, one pole, five top-five and six top-10 finishes at Martinsville. The driver has led a total of 233 laps around the 0.526-mile paperclip-shaped Virginia track, which has been on the Truck Series schedule since the inaugural 1995 season. Should Harvick win this Saturday’s 250-lap contest, it would be his third consecutive spring victory at Martinsville.(Kevin Harvick Inc. PR)(3-28-2011)
- Home Market Foods teams with KHI: UPDATE first start with Hornaday; Martinsville’s most recent winner: Kevin Harvick Inc and Cooked Perfect Meatballs, a Home Market Foods brand, announced today their partnership for two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events during the 2011 season. Cooked Perfect Meatballs are a leading brand of frozen meatballs sold in grocery stores throughout the U.S. Cooked Perfect Meatballs will be the primary sponsor of the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado driven by four-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday for the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway on April 2 and the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 24. Home Market Foods is a major specialty provider of fully cooked, frozen, value-added meal entrées, appetizers and snacks for both retail and foodservice customers.(Kevin Harvick Inc. PR) [Image of the #33 cooked Perfect Meatballs Chevrolet is posted on the #33 NCWTS Paint Schemes page.](3-22-2011)
UPDATE: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to the 0.526-mile oval this weekend where the Kevin Harvick Inc. stable was able to sweep both races during the 2010 season. It was KHI’s most recent trip to Martinsville last fall when four-time champion Ron Hornaday was able to capture his first victory at Martinsville Speedway, which had eluded him for 16 previous starts. KHI co-owner Kevin Harvick will head into the weekend as the defending race winner, visiting victory lane after leading 187 of 250 laps. Ron Hornaday finished second and brought home a one-two finish for KHI in that spring event.(Kevin Harvick Inc. PR)(3-28-2011)
- Oliver to make first 2011 start at Charlotte: Bowling Green KY driver Dillon Oliver has teamed up with Chuck Tuck Motorsports to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. They have set their debut for Charlotte on May 20th.(Middle TN Racing Scene)(3-28-2011)
- Dillon to make Cup debut: UPDATE: debut late in season: The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation’s Centennial Celebration and the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma will be the primary sponsors when Austin Dillon makes his Sprint Cup Series debut later this season in the #98 Curb-Agajanian Performance Group Chevy. The Ronald Reagan Centennial is a historic, year-long celebration to commemorate the 100th birthday of the 40th President of the United States of America. A series of substantive and celebratory events, partnerships, and initiatives sponsored by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation are planned throughout 2011. The specific race will be announced at a later date.(Richard Childress Racing PR)(3-27-2011)
UPDATE: Austin Dillon will make his Sprint Cup debut later this year at either Kansas in October or Phoenix in November in a car built by his grandfather’s Richard Childress Racing. Team co-owner Mike Curb, owner of Curb Records, was a lieutenant governor under Reagan as well as co-chairman of Reagan’s 1980 presidential campaign. The team for Dillon will get its car from RCR, an engine from Earnhardt Childress Racing and will use Dillon’s RCR crew that fields his car in the Camping World Truck Series.(Scene Daily)(3-28-2011)
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