April 1, 2011
- Coverage of Qualifying for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 12:10pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 12:00pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 128, via nascar.com only
Jayski.com: Jayski’s Martinsville Qualifying Page
Qualifying Re-Air: on SPEED at 8:00pm/et
- Qualifying Order for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway is posted. 44 cars/drivers are listed. Go-or-go homers will qualify at the end of the session, once the top-35 drivers are done.
The first of the top-35 drivers scheduled to go out is #32-Schrader.
The final top-35 driver scheduled to go out is #6-Ragan.
The first go-or-go homer scheduled to qualify [36th] is #37-Raines with the final driver scheduled to qualify being #36-Blaney.
Qualifying order is set by practice speeds, with the top 35 drivers going out from slowest to fastest, then the non-top 35 drivers go out, slowest to fastest in practice(s).
See the full qualifying order on the Martinsville Qualifying Page.(4-2-2011)
- Happy Hour practice: for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway is over, after 90 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
#6-Ragan 96.268
#24-Gordon 96.220
#2-Keselowski 96.166
#00-Reutimann 95.864
#4-Kahne 95.811
slowest: #32-Schrader 92.547 and #37-Raines 92.814incidents: #20-Logano wrecked and will go to a backup car. #92-Setzer lost the brakes and wrecked hard, he is ok, but the car is totaled and he says the team doesn’t have a backup car, so will have 43 cars going for 43 spots on Saturday in qualifying.
See practice speeds, average speeds, laps run on the Martinsville Practice Speeds Page.(4-1-2011)
- Happy Hour Practice rank for the non top-35 drivers at Martinsville:
if things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
#36-Dave Blaney, 29th fastest overall
#66-Michael McDowell, 32nd
#38-Travis Kvapil, 36th
#87-Joe Nemechek, 37th
#46-J.J. Yeley, 39th
#92-Dennis Setzer, 40th wrecked
#71-Hermie Sadler, 41st
#60-Mike Skinner, 42nd
#37-Tony Raines, 43rd
these drivers would miss the race if the order stayed the same:
none as #92-Setzer, 40th fastest, wrecked and has no backup car.(4-1-2011)
- 1st Friday practice: for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway is over, after 90 scheduled minutes, the top 5, slowest and notes:
#18-Busch 95.617
#20-Logano 95.612
#29-Harvick 95.314
#2-Keselowski 95.266
#1-McMurray 95.228
slowest: #34-Gilliland 92.583 and #37-Raines 92.737
incidents: #48-Johnson spun in trun 2, but didn’t hit anything and had no damage.
See practice speeds, average speeds, laps run on the Martinsville Practice Speeds Page.(4-1-2011)
- Practice rank for the non top-35 drivers:
if things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
#87-Joe Nemechek, 29th fastest overall
#46-J.J. Yeley, 31st
#38-Travis Kvapil, 32nd
#36-Dave Blaney, 33rd
#60-Mike Skinner, 36th
#66-Michael McDowell, 39th
#92-Dennis Setzer, 40th
#71-Hermie Sadler, 42nd
these drivers would miss the race if the order stayed the same:
#37-Tony Raines, 43rd
(4-1-2011)
- Dodge teams up with movie Fast Five: The Dodge brand has teamed up with Universal Pictures for a multi-tiered partnership to support Universal’s upcoming action-thriller Fast Five and the 2011 Dodge Charger. The latest installment in Universal’s blockbuster franchise, Fast Five, will be released in theaters April 29. Dodge supplied multiple 2010 and 2011 Dodge Charger vehicles used in chase scenes throughout the movie and is sponsoring a Dodge/Fast Five advertisement that will air for the first time Saturday during the coveted Final Four advertising space. Making its debut at the Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, April 3, will be the #7 Fast Five Dodge Charger R/T driven by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Robby Gordon. The #7 Fast Five Dodge Charger R/T Dodge will race throughout the month of April during NASCAR races at Texas, Talladega and Richmond. As part of the partnership with Robby Gordon Motorsports, the first 200 fans to register at dodgemotorsports.com or speedenergy.com will receive a special Fast Five movie viewing with Robby Gordon on Saturday, April 30, in Richmond, VA.(Dodge)(4-1-2011)
- Ex-Formula 1 Designer with MWR: Briton Mike Coughlan, the former McLaren Formula 1 Design Director, is now working in NASCAR as the director of vehicle design for Michael Waltrip Racing in Cornelius, N.C. The British-born engineer suspended from McLaren after the infamous 2007 “Spygate” scandal after Ferrari engineer, Nigel Stepney, passed on secret design documents to him. In a forward-looking interview Coughlan spoke with Auto123.com about his impressions since joining the NASCAR world. He came back to racing after helping design the Ocelot, a composite-based light tactical vehicle for Force Protection based in Ladson, South Carolina. Through former McLaren colleague Steve Hallam, he was contacted by MWR’s Cal Wells who asked him “to come back to racing”. See interview at Auto123.com.(4-1-2011)
- Martinsville Tire Notes: Teams in both NASCAR series in action this weekend will run the same tire codes, though the Sprint Cup tires will be branded “Goodyear Eagle,” while the Camping World Truck tires will be branded “Goodyear Wrangler” . . . this is the first time these teams have run either of these two tire codes . . . compared to what was run at Martinsville last year, this left-side tire features a tougher compound, while this right-side tire features a softer compound for more grip . . . as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Martinsville. The estimated pit window for Sprint Cup cars is every 115-125 laps, based on fuel mileage (Goodyear). For tire pressures, codes, number of tires brought, see the Martisnville Race Info page – Goodyear Section.(4-1-2011)
- Canadian buys Baker Curb Racing team UPDATE: Toronto businessman Steve Meehan bought Baker Curb Racing Nationwide team in a deal that closed following the Mar. 19 race in Bristol, Tenn. Driver J.R. Fitzpatrick is a key element in a planned all-Canadian NASCAR outfit that promises to take him to the Sprint Cup. “I think it’s fantastic. Steve is a really good guy, he’s Canadian and he really wants to see Canadian corporate sponsorship and Canadian drivers, so I mean it’s really cool,” Fitzpatrick said. “He really believes in me and that’s what I really like. Given that I do need the experience and the time at the tracks and, even if it can’t be a full year, he is definitely going to push my career along and I am glad to be a part of it.” With NASCAR’s exposure and huge popularity, the team should be attractive to Canadian companies who want to use the series to promote themselves in this country and in the U.S., as well as companies from south of the border looking to get their names known in Canada. But with the ink still fresh, Meehan will back the effort mostly with his “love for racing” until the business development part of the plan gets going and the team starts attracting sponsorship. Although plans haven’t been completely finalized, the short-term goal is to run a limited schedule in 2011 with a long-term objective of getting into the top tier Cup Series by 2013. “We will run primarily in Nationwide and likely a few Cup races in 2011 — I think J.R. is comfortable running the road courses in Cup and with a little bit more experience and practice I think he could run an oval or two in Cup,” said Meehan, 46, founder of the Investment Planning Counsel, which was acquired by IGM Financial in 2004 for $95 million in a cash and stock deal. “Our focus is to quickly evolve to a full-time Cup team and I think J.R. is sufficiently talented to get there with the right people behind him.” Fitzpatrick has raced nine times in Nationwide since 2007, with seven of those starts coming on road courses. He also has 13 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts under his belt. Originally, he was slated to race April 8 in Texas, but the change in ownership has the team regrouping and instead planning to hit the stop three weeks away in Nashville.(Globe and Mail)(4-1-2011)
UPDATE: Baker Curb Racing says that have not been sold. The team sold 1 transporter, 2 cars and some pit equipment, but nothing else. They are still functioning and seeking sponsors.(4-1-2011)
- Numbers for Martinsville Speedway:
1 –fewest cautions for a Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway (three times, most recent 4/25/71)
1 – fewest cars on lead lap at the finish of a race at the .526-mile track (27 times, most recent 4/27/86)
2 –fewest leaders for a race (11 times, most recent 9/26/76)
3 –fewest caution laps for a race (4/25/71)
4 –number of jet dryers available for track drying this weekend
14 –most leaders for a race (10/15/01)
15 –wins by Richard Petty, most by a driver
19 –races won from the pole; 34 from the front row
21 –most cautions for a race (10/21/07)
26 – most cars on the lead lap at finish (twice, most recent 10/22/06)
28 –cautions for two Sprint Cup races at Martinsville last year; 13 for Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 and 15 for TUMS Fast Relief 500
75 –minutes, minimum amount of time it takes to dry the .526-mile track after a significant rainfall.
124 –Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway since 1949
127 —most caution laps (10/21/07)
265 –number of cautions during 36-race 2010 season; 140 for accidents
2011 Caution Update
45 – number of cautions in the first five Sprint Cup races of 2011; 28 for accidents
211 of 1,487 – laps run under caution in 2011
307.881 of 1,899.000 – miles under caution in the first five races
AND: Nine Virginia tracks have hosted 270 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races (does not include convertible events) through the years dating back to the early 1950s. Two tracks remain on the schedule – Martinsville (124) and Richmond (109). Of the seven tracks that are no longer on the Sprint Cup calendar, Boston Speedway hosted 10 events, Langley Field Speedway nine and Old Dominion Speedway seven. The other four tracks had a total of 11 races.(Dodge Motorsports)(4-1-2011)
- Raikkonen to NASCAR? UPDATE 3: after years of rumors, there is a report that 2007 Formula One champ, Kimi Raikkonen, will drive some NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this summer. Raikkonen has been out of F1 for a while and driving in the World Rally Championship. According to a newspaper in his native Finland, Raikkonen will drive some time this summer in NASCAR’s Truck Series and eventually move to Nationwide and Sprint Cup. Raikkonen supposedly will drive for a new team called ICE1 that will have Foster Gillett as a partner. Gillett, of course, is the son of sports magnate George Gillett and until last year was running Richard Petty Motorsports.
From Turun Sanomat: The world champion of Formula One and current rally star Kimi Raikkonen expands his field of experiences: The 31-year-old Finn is going to race in the most popular North American race series NASCAR. The NASCAR debut for Raikkonen will be before the becoming summer. Kimi is going to carry on with WRC Rally, too. He has agreed to do eight more rallies this year. There will bea brand new team to race in NASCAR level: ICE1 Racing. Raikkonen joins forces with Foster Gillett. He will be the major partner of the Finnish team. Among others Foster’s family was the former majority owners of the Montreal Canadiens NHL franchise and the former co-owners of Liverpool football club.
Last year Foster Gillett was operating with Richard Petty Motorsport in NASCAR. Now he is about to break new ground with Raikkonen and ICE1 Racing.
“I’m really looking forward to get there to familiarize to the world of NASCAR. I have been following it for a long time. I know, it’s a very tough and open top racing series. I just love the American spirit of racing. It feels just great to get involved with that. Obviously, it will be very challenging and great fun for me”, Raikkonen told the Turun Sanomat. The negotations for the car for ICE1 Racing team are just about to be finished. Raikkonen will race both in ovals and normal track circuits.(Turun Sanomat)(3-29-2011)
UPDATE – Evernham: Ray Evernham, a former partner of Foster Gillett at Richard Petty Motorsports was a little bit astounded when he learned of the rumor of Kimi Raikkonen coming to NASCAR with a new team owned by Foster Gillett. “I really don’t know why Kimi would partner with people who continually fail with sports franchises,” Evernham told Auto123.com. “I don’t know how they could leave with so many unpaid bills and return to the sport,” Evernham added. Evernham says he was not paid over $19USD million and brought a lawsuit against his former partner earlier this year in a state court in North Carolina.(Auto123.com)(3-29-2011)
UPDATE 2: Former Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen has received approval from NASCAR to compete in the Camping World truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 20th. Raikkonen is slated to make his debut in the truck series later this summer with a team that includes former Richard Petty Motorsports principal Foster Gillette as a partner. Gillett’s father George was the owner of RPM before financial issues forced them to sell the remaining assets of the team to an investor group led by Richard Petty (CBS Sports)(3-31-2011)
UPDATE 3: Raikkonen is set to have his maiden stock car test next week, driving for Kyle Busch’s Truck Series team. Raikkonen is set to drive a Toyota Tundra for Busch, who has fielded the #18 Truck entry since 2010. Team officials confirmed contact with Raikkonen and also a test being set for Monday at Gresham Motorsports Park, a half-mile track in Jefferson, GA, where the former Ferrari and McLaren racer will get his first taste of an oval.(Autosport)(4-1-2011)
- Sad News – John Wilson: John Thomas Wilson, age 62, of Kannapolis, passed away on Thursday, March 24, 2011 at his home. He was born on April 29, 1948 in Huntington Beach, CA to the late Frank T. and Dorothy Ristrom Wilson. Mr. Wilson is also preceded in death by his brother, Rick B. Wilson. John was a down to earth, fun loving guy who was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed riding his Harley. He was Head Engine Builder At Sabco Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Fischer Engineering and Gasoline Alley Engines.(Hartsell Funeral Home)(4-1-2011)
- Lt. Gov. Bolling Helps Martinsville Speedway Unveil Fan Improvements: With the images of two of NASCAR’S pioneers towering above him, Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell unveiled one of the most fan-friendly complexes in the 64 year history of the track. With a 20-foot mural of Martinsville Speedway founder H. Clay Earles and NASCAR founder Bill France in the background, Campbell and those who had helped with the building project cut a checkered flag ribbon to allow local supporters and media to get this first look at the new buildings and all their trimmings. And what a first look it was, replete with neon signs, larger than life banners portraying scenes from the speedway’s past and a much wider concourse. The centerpiece of the grand unveil was the huge new building which houses two sparkling concession stands and two restrooms that rival any in major league sports. The official opening of the facilities will be when the fan gates open at 9:00am Friday for the first day of the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 weekend. The keynote speaker for the ribbon cutting was Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who was instrumental in helping secure funding for the project from the Virginia Tobacco Commission. The Tobacco Commission provided $1.5 million for the project, which was matched by Martinsville Speedway. Also participating in Thursday’s event were Mark Heath, president and chief executive officer of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp., Deborah Buchanan, Chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors and Danny Marshall, member of the Virginia Tobacco Commission. Local dignitaries and media got a tour of the two, large state-of-the-art concession stands, massive restrooms and got the first look at flashy neon signs advertising the Famous Martinsville Speedway Hot Dog. The restrooms are family-friendly, with baby-changing stations. There are also smaller, family restrooms. Frith Construction Co. of Martinsville was lead contractor on the project, which employed about 50 fulltime workers for the past six months. Ninety-four percent of the subcontractors on the job were from the immediate area.(Martinsville Speedway)(4-1-2011)
- Ed “Too Tall” Jones visits CMS to see World’s Largest HD Video Board: The completion of the steel frame that will support the world’s largest high-definition video board was marked Thursday with a topping out ceremony featuring special guest Ed
“Too Tall” Jones, former Dallas Cowboy All-Pro defensive end. Construction continues on the massive screen created by Panasonic that will debut during Charlotte Motor Speedway’s 2011 May race events. “We opened the new stadium in Dallas two years ago that had the largest TV in the world up until today, so I wanted to see it,” said Jones. “The one in Dallas was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen in my life, but this one just kind of tops it all.”
Jones placed an American flag on the final girder, which was hoisted more than 110 feet in the air and secured atop the 500,000-pound steel frame that will hold the 165,000-pound HD video board. The girder, measuring 40 feet wide with a 10 foot depth of bracing steel, was signed by dignitaries taking part in the ceremony, including Jones; Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway; and Richard Ballard, vice president of sales, Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company, as well as construction workers who have been part of the project.
The HD video board construction is being completed by crews from Granite Contracting and Parker Crane Service of Concord, N.C.;
Mid-Atlantic Construction of Charlotte, N.C.; and Eastern Sign Tech of Burlington, N.J. The approximately 200-foot-wide, 80-foot-tall screen will eventually rise 110 feet above the track on the steel support structure.
The next construction phase on the world’s largest HD video board will start the first week of April and will include the installation of the 158 panels that make up the 16,000 square foot screen. Thirteen sub-electric panels will also be installed, each of which will power a “panel riser,” or a column of panels. Once construction is completed, more than nine million LED lamps will illuminate the Panasonic video board during each NASCAR race event at Charlotte Motor Speedway this spring, including the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 21 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 29.
The screen will be centered along the backstretch between Turns 2 and 3, across from the start/finish line. Fans seated throughout the frontstretch from Turn 4 to Turn 1 will have clear viewing angles of instant replays, leaderboard updates and interactive entertainment displayed in 720P high-definition visuals. For continuous updates on the Panasonic HD video board, watch the construction webcam on www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.(CMS)(4-1-2011) - Northland Oil sponsorsing Annett: Iowa-based Northland Oil joins Nationwide Series driver Michael Annett in a multi-race sponsorship program aboard Rusty Wallace Racing’s #62 Toyota. Northland Oil will launch their partnership at Texas Motor Speedway. Northland Oil’s 2011 venture into NASCAR isn’t the first time the Waterloo, Iowa company has showed a presence in the sport. The Northland Oil brand had success partnering with Annett for Iowa Speedway’s inaugural Nationwide Series race in 2009 where they finished 11th. The duo again teamed together in 2010 at Iowa Speedway and brought home a seventh place finish. Northland Oil also has an existing partnership with Iowa Speedway, Annett’s home track, where they’ve served as presenting sponsor for both of Iowa Speedway’s Nationwide Series events. In addition to the Nationwide Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, Annett will also be behind the wheel of Rusty Wallace Racing’s #62 Northland Oil Toyota at Iowa Speedway. (Rusty Wallace Racing)(4-1-2011)
- Roark making series debut at Martinsville: SS Green Light Racing is pleased to announce that Abingdon, Virginia’s Caleb Roark will pilot the No. 07 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 250 at the Martinsville Speedway. The 18 year-old Senior at Abingdon High School began his racing career in go-karts, following in the footstep of his father and former Pro Cup Series driver Jeff Roark. After finding success in Future Stars, Charger, Late Model, and ISCARS series, Roark is turning his focus to the NCWTS tour. Caleb is supporting the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Kingsport this weekend. As part of his efforts to support the non-profit organization, Caleb attended a Career Day event on Wednesday for the members of the Boys & Girls Club. Caleb also participated in a Guinness Book of World Records attempt for the most people performing jumping jacks in unison for a 2-minute period, in support of the Boys & Girls Club. (Jeff Roark Motorsports PR)(4-1-2011)
- Goodyear Tire Notes — Martinsville: Teams in both NASCAR series in action this weekend will run the same tire codes, though the Sprint Cup tires will be branded “Goodyear Eagle,” while the Camping World Truck tires will be branded “Goodyear Wrangler”…this is the first time these teams have run either of these two tire codes…compared to what was run at Martinsville last year, this left-side tire features a tougher compound, while this right-side tire features a softer compound for more grip… as on most NASCAR ovals one mile or less in length, teams will not run inner liners in their tires at Martinsville.(Goodyear PR) [Complete tire specs are posted on the Martinsville Race Page.](4-1-2011)
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