April 2, 2014
- Fan Vote Opens for NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015: Fan voting for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015 opens today on NASCAR.com and runs through Tuesday, May 20 at noon ET. The five nominees receiving the highest percentage of votes will comprise the Fan Vote ballot. This ballot will be included among the 54 submitted by the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel to determine the Class of 2015. Voting Day for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015 is Wednesday, May 21, 2014. “The NASCAR Hall of Fame is the only hall of its kind where fans have had a voice in the induction process since its inception,” said Brett Jewkes, NASCAR chief communications officer. “And the reason is simple. NASCAR fans are extremely passionate and knowledgeable about the sport and its history, and have demonstrated that with their selections for the first five classes.” The twenty nominees were voted upon by the 22-person Nominating Committee at its first-ever in-person meeting Feb. 21, and will appear on the Fan Vote ballot at NASCAR.com.(NASCAR)(4-2-2014)
- France says ‘significant’ engine changes coming: NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France said Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that modifications to the engines — which would likely bring a reduction in horsepower — are the next step in further enhancing the sport’s on-track product, although he was unsure if such changes would be in place for next season. “We’re going to make that happen, and that’s part of the overall rules packages that we design that hopefully control costs, hopefully make the racing better,” France said. “The engine is an integral part of that. We also have to be in step as much as possible with the car manufacturers and where they’re going with technology and different things. It all has to come together, and that’s the next significant part of the rules package. … The engine will get a significant change. I’m not going to say (for) ’15, but we are certainly sizing that up. It’s very important for us to get that right.” According to representatives of NASCAR’s three manufacturer partners, who took part in a conference call with reporters Tuesday, a potential reduction in engine horsepower is still in the very early stages. Sprint Cup Series engines generate 850 horsepower, and are built by five manufacturer-specific companies — TRD and Triad Racing Technologies (Toyota), Roush-Yates Engines (Ford) and Earnhardt Childress Racing and Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet). Most of the changes made in recent years have focused on the cars, beginning with the rollout of the more brand-identifiable Generation-6 vehicle for the 2013 season, and an aerodynamic package that was further refined before this year.(NASCAR.com)(4-2-2014)
- Goodyear to run multi-zone tread right-side at Texas: One of the technical highlights of the 2013 NASCAR season was Goodyear’s introduction of its multi-zone tread tire. After running the concept that combines two distinct rubber compounds on the same right-side tire at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway last year, this week the tiremaker adds Texas Motor Speedway to its roster of tracks at which this technology will be used. Goodyear’s multi-zone tread tire combines one compound that is run on the outside 10 inches of the tread that is designed for traction with another compound on the inside two inches that is designed for durability. The inside compound is toughened up because that is the part of the tire that sees the most heat and takes the most abuse.
Like Atlanta, Texas has proven to be one of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit. On the one hand, it is abrasive and wears tires quickly. On the other hand, it produces high speeds and high loads. That combination makes Texas the ideal track for the multi-zone tread technology. “With this 2014 rules package, we expect speeds and loads to be up at Texas,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of race tire sales. “Like at Atlanta last year, we didn’t want to sacrifice grip on a worn racing surface. We decided to bring our multi-zone tread to enhance the durability on the right-side, and we are coming back with the Texas left-side we’ve run there in the past to maintain grip. This season, we’ve already broken track records on the two intermediate tracks we’ve raced so far – Las Vegas and California. There’s no reason to think Texas won’t be more of the same.”
In preparation for NASCAR’s early season races, Goodyear has worked throughout the off-season, testing and confirming its tire recommendations with the new rules package. Because of the scheduling demands of producing 150,000 NASCAR tires each season, at-track testing is not always an option. That make’s Goodyear’s lab testing, which replicates actual race conditions, more important.
“We conducted lab durability testing with this package to verify the performance of this tire set-up, including the validation of our air pressure recommendations,” said Stucker. “Our test process enables us to utilize track and car data to simulate actual race conditions. When time does not allow for a track test, this modeling, in essence, allows us to do the same thing. Once we generate this data, confirming our recommendation and at which air pressures the tires need to be run, we share that information with the teams. The teams have the ability to use this inflation data, along with the tire characterization data we supply each week, to make choices to optimize endurance and performance. Teams have asked for some flexibility with how they set up their cars. This information is just another tool in their toolbox.”
Goodyear will recommend minimum inflation pressures of 23 psi (front) and 21 psi (rear) on the left-side and 51 psi (front) and 47 psi (rear) on the right-side at Texas. As always on fast, abrasive tracks, tire management will be important this weekend at Texas. With its new multi-zone tread right-side tire, Goodyear has enhanced its durability while maintaining a good amount of grip. That should prove to be a good combination for the racing.(Goodyear PR)(4-2-2014)
- Congrats Derrike Cope: 1990 Daytona 500 winner, Derrike Cope, got married March 30th to Elyshia Rennison.(Derrike Cope Facebook)(4-2-2014)
- Special DOW scheme for Dillon at Texas: Austin Dillon will be supporting #NASCARGreen by sporting a Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle paint scheme this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingles are a revolutionary innovation in sustainability, protecting your home as a roof while generating electricity with energy from the sun. That’s why NASCAR, which has the largest sustainability program in all of sports, is a great place with see Powerhouse. The shingles are also one of the most aesthetically attractive options in the solar industry. Dillon has been vocal about the #NASCARGreen initiative, and is encouraging fans to participate by planting a tree and taking energy conservation steps in their own homes. See how by visiting NASCAR.com/green (RCR), see an image of the scheme on the #3 Team Schemes page.(4-2-2014)
- Teams to test at Michigan: a few NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will test at Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday, April 8 & Wednesday, April 9. Scheduled to test are: #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #16-Greg Biffle, #15-Clint Bowyer, #21-Trevor Bayne and #31-Ryan Newman. The Turn 1 grandstand seats will be open for fans free of charge on April 8-9.(MIS)(4-2-2014)
- #99 Crew man has surgery to replace a torn Labrum: Rear Tire Carrier Jon Moore of Roush Fenway Racing is going into surgery today (March 31st) to replace a torn labrum. Moore currently pits for the #99 of Carl Edwards and is expected to miss around 12 weeks over the wall. Moore decided to get the surgery done once Edwards won the race at Bristol. The recoverery time is expected to take 12-weeks, so Moore plans to be back for the Chase. Moore’s replacement is Rapheal Diaz, of the #16 Roush Fenway Racingt NNS team of Ryan Reed. Pit Talks caught up with Moore to see how things were going, see the full interview at Pit Talks.(4-2-2014)
- Eckrich “Operation Inspiration” campaign returns at Texas: Aric Almirola and the #43 Eckrich Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) Ford team head to the mile-and-a-half Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for Sunday’s 500-mile event at the Texas Motor Speedway fresh off a top-10 finish at Martinsville. This weekend will be the first of six primary sponsorship races for Eckrich, part of the John Morrell Food Group, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods. It also marks the return of the Eckrich “Operation Inspiration” campaign that supports and honors military families. RPM and Almirola have worked with Eckrich over the past three race seasons to surprise military families and reward them with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. With hundreds of military families already honored, Eckrich and its award-winning “Operation Inspiration” campaign will now reach millions of people from coast-to-coast in 2014 thanks to a new partnership with leading country music network CMT. In efforts to bring awareness to the heroes behind our heroes, Eckrich will partner with the CMT Hot 20 Countdown to highlight and show appreciation for our military families during three special Operation Inspiration-themed episodes that will air throughout the summer in advance of Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. The CMT Hot 20 Countdown is a weekly, two-and-a-half-hour series hosted by CMT favorites Cody Alan, Alecia Davis and Katie Cook, who count down the 20 biggest country music videos of the week with the hottest news stories, in-studio live performances and candid interviews from country music’s biggest superstars and up-and-coming artists. Eckrich will add to the excitement of each sponsored episode with special guest appearances and stories of military families and their sacrifices. “Operation Inspiration” will continue to give back to military families this year not only on CMT, but also in conjunction with NASCAR, country music and college football events. Eckrich will highlight military families in conjunction with its nine sponsored NASCAR races across the country. Herbstreit will also continue his support of Operation Homefront as a spokesperson and guest during special events throughout the year. You never know when a military family will be recognized and how, which is what has made this campaign one of the most exciting in the company’s history. From May 1st through July 4th, Eckrich will donate five cents for every purchase of specially marked products up to $250,000. Consumers can also donate directly to Operation Homefront by texting* “INSPIRE” to 27722 to donate five dollars. For more information on Operation Inspiration please visit www.eckrich.com/operationinspriation.(RPM), see an image of the scheme on the #43 Team Schemes page.(4-2-2014)
- Jimmy John’s to sponsor Chicago Nationwide race: Chicagoland Speedway announced Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches as the title sponsor of its NASCAR Nationwide Series Race on Saturday, Sept. 13. The Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast 300 Powered by Coca-Cola will serve as the precursor for the first race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 14. The Champaign, Ill., based sandwich company, which will also sponsor Kevin Harvick for 12 races in the Sprint Cup Series, has made a visible commitment to the NASCAR Industry. Founded in Charleston, Ill., and based in Champaign, Ill., Jimmy John’s has over 1,800 locations. What makes Jimmy John’s different from the rest is that it’s honest, it’s good, it’s fast, at a decent price.(Chicagoland Speedway)(4-2-2014)
- Texas World Speedway to be replaced by houses: The College Station City (Texas) Council unanimously gave conditional consent to create a new municipal utility district that will replace the Texas World Speedway just outside of College Station. The plan will now go to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for its approval, during which time a series of agreements will come before city council to ready services and sync up the development plans with the city’s building standards. The developer is asking for the city to provide water and sewer services to the community. The concept plan for the development will span about 550 acres in College Station’s extra-territorial jurisdiction, and add about 1,400 single-family homes, 27 acres of commercial development, 14 acres for a future College Station school district school and 73 acres of detention and greenways. The Brazos County Appraisal District values that land at $5.4 million, but the projected build out value is $514 million. Three of the public speakers spoke on behalf of the racing community that would miss the track. Mayor Pro Tem Karl Mooney said the speedway just hasn’t been able to keep up with the times.(The Eagle)(4-2-2014)
- $10 Will Hold You Seat at Martinsville Speedway: There are many reasons to purchase tickets for the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 early, but the biggest incentive may cost. For as little as $10 down, you can lock in your seats for the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 on October 26. This offer is good through April 15. Ticket prices for the seventh race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup range from $37 to $79. Always a pivotal stop in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, this fall’s Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 could be bigger than ever with the new Chase format. It will be the first race in the Eliminator Round to help trim the Chase field to just four drivers for the season-finale at Homestead-Miami. To reserve your tickets for the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 and set up a payment plan, call 877.RACE.TIX or visit www.martinsvillespeedway.com.(Martinsville Speedway)(4-2-2014)
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