April 5, 2016
- Voting open for Sprint All-Star Race: NASCAR fans once again have the power to put a driver of their choice in the 2016 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. The Sprint Fan Vote is now open, and will send one of 30 drivers into the annual star-studded event on May 21 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Fans can vote their favorite Sprint Fan Vote-eligible driver into the all-star race by casting votes daily now through 7:00pm/et on Friday, May 20. Votes shared via Facebook and/or Twitter will count double toward a driver’s total. Fans can vote daily with a maximum of one vote per day per unique email address by downloading the NASCAR MOBILE application or visiting www.NASCAR.com/SprintFanVote. The 30 drivers (as of April 5) eligible for the Sprint Fan Vote are AJ Allmendinger, Aric Almirola, Michael Annett, Trevor Bayne, Greg Biffle, Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Chris Buescher, Landon Cassill, Matt DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Chase Elliott, David Gilliland, Bobby Labonte, Kyle Larson, Michael McDowell, Casey Mears, Paul Menard, Danica Patrick, David Ragan, Robert Richardson Jr., Brian Scott, Regan Smith, Reed Sorenson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brian Vickers, Michael Waltrip, Cole Whitt and Josh Wise. The winner of the Sprint Fan Vote will be announced in Victory Lane following the conclusion of the Sprint Showdown.(NASCAR)(4-5-2016)
- Fire Alarm Services joins Tommy Baldwin: Tommy Baldwin Racing announced the signing of sponsor Fire Alarm Services to a two-race primary sponsorship beginning this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. FAS will also sponsor Regan Smith’s #7 Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway on October 16th. Headquartered in Arvada, Colo., Fire Alarm Services, Inc. provides superior Fire Life Safety and Security services and products for protecting client’s real estate investment. Fire Alarm Services, Inc. brings a fresh and innovative approach to the Fire Life Safety industry with an emphasis on developing lasting client relationships, and as always, unmatched customer service.(Tommy Baldwin Racing), see an image of the car on the #7 team paint schemes page.(4-5-2016)
- Yellow numbers return for Johnson: Lowe’s announced Tuesday morning that the #48 that adorns Jimmie Johnson’s Chevy will once again be yellow starting this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The #48 Lowe’s Chevy featured yellow numbers when Johnson first found Victory Lane in 2002, and the iconic yellow stuck with the car through the 2011 season — and one special paint scheme that found Victory Lane in the 2014 season — earning 56 wins and five championships in the process. The yellow numbers will appear on both the #48 Lowe’s Chevy and the #48 Lowe’s ProServices Chevy paint schemes.(Hendrick Motorsports)(4-5-2016)
- TMG picks up Texas sponsor: The Motorsports Group officials announced that Crawfest New Braunfels and the City of New Braunfels (Texas) will serve as sponsors of the team’s #30 Chevrolet entry for the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Texas Motor Speedway. The logos of the festival and city it is held in will adorn the #30 Crawfest New Braunfels Chevrolet piloted by Josh Wise for the running of the Duck Commander 500 on Saturday night April 9, 2016 at the 1.5-mile Texas track. Crawfest New Braunfels 2016 will be held on April 29-30 at the Comal County Fairground in New Braunfels, Texas. Ben Jones, organizer of Crawfest New Braunfels, had been having a crawfish fest at his home for 14 years. After his wife said “no” to the loads of tour buses pulling up to her front door, Jones moved the increasingly popular event to the Comal County Fairgrounds. Now the event features three stages of live music, rides for the kiddos, the “Battle of the Roux” Gumbo Championships, a 5K Crawdaddy Dash, an art/craft market, and 10,000 lbs. of the best tasting mudbugs this side of the Louisiana border. TMG will also be supported for the Texas race by Radisson Ft. Worth North at Fossil Creek which will serve as home for the team during their stay in the area.(Integrity Sports Marketing), see an image of the car on the #30 team paint schemes page.(4-5-2016)
- TaxAct on the #14 at Texas: Tax season is upon us, and it coincides with the seventh race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. There, Brian Vickers will make his third consecutive start in the #14 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing as he continues to sub for regular driver Tony Stewart, who is temporarily out of the car with a back injury. Saturday night’s Duck Commander 500 at the 1.5-mile oval will be Vickers’ fifth overall start in the #14 car this season, as he has shared the ride with rookie Ty Dillon. Adorning Vickers’ car will be TaxAct, the leading provider of affordable digital and download tax preparation solutions. Last month, the company announced that all active-duty military and reservists can file both their federal and state taxes for free, whether they have simple or complex returns. Service members can use any of TaxAct’s online products to file easy, fast and free and get their maximum guaranteed refund this tax season. Military members and reservists will have access to all of TaxAct’s solutions, including TaxAct Online Premium Bundle, which is comprised of all e-fileable federal forms for individual returns as well as free state returns. Free federal and state filing with TaxAct is available through April 18, 2016, this year’s filing deadline.(Stewart Haas Racing)(4-5-2016)
- Martinsville Overnight TV Ratings: A downturn in ratings has followed NASCAR from big FOX to Fox Sports 1. NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Martinsville (VA) earned a 2.2 overnight rating on FS1 Sunday afternoon, down 12% from last year (2.5) and down 42% from 2014 on the FOX broadcast network (3.8). The double-digit drop is especially notable considering that last year’s race aired opposite the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. This year’s race had much lighter competition from the NBA on ABC (1.7) and Opening Day baseball on ESPN (1.4) and ESPN2 (0.7). Not surprisingly, the 2.2 is the lowest for the spring Martinsville race since at least 2002. All six NASCAR Sprint Cup races this season have had a decline in the overnights, with four of those six by double-digits.(Sports Media Watch)(4-5-2016)
- NASCAR Hall of Fame Fan Vote underway: NASCAR fans are invited to cast their votes for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017 by participating in the annual Fan Vote. Fans are encouraged to vote for five of the 20 nominees for the Class of 2017. The top five vote-getters, as voted upon by the fans, will make up one of the ballots from the Voting Panel that will be used to tabulate the results for the NHOF Class of 2017 on Voting Day, Wednesday, May 25. Voting opens at 12:01am Tuesday, April 5 and closes on 12:01am Monday, May 23 at www.NASCAR.com/halloffame.(NASCAR)(4-5-2016)
- Top 10 Driver Ratings at Texas:
#48-Jimmie Johnson, 108.0
#20-Matt Kenseth, 104.7
#18-Kyle Busch, 101.9
#16-Greg Biffle, 98.1
#19-Carl Edwards, 96.4
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr, 92.2
#11-Denny Hamlin, #78-Martin Truex Jr, 89.7
#15-Clint Bowyer, 89.1
#4-Kevin Harvick, 88.8
Note: Driver Ratings are compiled from 2005-2015 races (22 total) at Texas Motor Speedway (active drivers only).
Formula combining the following categories: Win, Finish, Top-15 Finish, Average Running Position while on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.
See an explanation how the Driver Rating is calculated at NASCAR.com.(NASCAR)
- Cope names Texas sponsors: Everything’s bigger and better in Texas, and Derrike Cope Racing with JP Motorsports announces partners for the upcoming O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Texas Motor Speedway. E-hydrate, the world’s first line of premium natural nutritional products, will be prominently featured as a co-primary sponsor for the race, following their sponsorship during the West Coast Swing. E-hydrate offers a complete range of natural products for athletes and the entire health-conscious family, which are available at Target. ICE-AID – formerly known as Beer Frost – an environmentally safe, all natural, mineral based product that turns your cooler of ice into a freezer – will continue its support of DCR and will be featured as a co-primary sponsor at the O’Reilly 300 on the #70 Camaro. Also on board the #70 for the Texas event is Red Hot & Blue. Offering premium Memphis style barbecue to the DFW Motorplex for 20+ years.(Derrike Cope Racing)(4-5-2016)
- Tifft returns to the #24: Matt Tifft will be making his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series start at Texas Motor Speedway. This event will be Tifft’s third career XFINITY Series start and the second one this season after piloting the #24 Toyota in the season opener in Daytona. The #24 Toyota will sport the colors of a new sponsor this week in Texas as Architectural Daylighting (Arch Day) joins the program. Headquartered in Medina, Ohio, Architectural Daylighting, LLC is your source for Skylights, Canopies, Vertical Wall Systems, and Solar Shading Devices (Light Shelves) utilizing polycarbonate panels for the glazing infill.(Integrity Sports Marketing), see an image of the car on the #24 team paint schemes page.(4-5-2016)
- Carroll Shelby Foundation on the #98 at Texas: When veteran NASCAR driver Aric Almirola takes the wheel of the Biagi-DenBeste Racing #98 Ford Mustang at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, he will also represent the Carroll Shelby Foundation at the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Friday, April 8. For the Lone Star race only, the Mustang will wear the Carroll Shelby Foundation and Carroll Shelby Automotive Technology Program logos to raise awareness for the two non-profit organizations. The Carroll Shelby Foundation was created to provide medical assistance, as well as educational opportunities through automotive and other training programs. It also benefits the Shelby Automotive Museum in Southern California.(Carroll Shelby Foundation), see an image of the car on the #98 team paint schemes page.(4-5-2016)
- Champion Brands Partners With MB Motorsports For Rest Of 2016 Season: Champion Brands, LLC, a globally recognized industry leader in specialty lubricants for over 60 years, has partnered with MB Motorsports, the sole surviving original NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team, for the rest of the 2016 season. Founded by Ralph Lowe in 1956, Champion Brands has been a globally recognized industry leader in specialty lubricants for over 60 years. Champion produces and blends more than 300 products including fuel, brake fluid, oil and engine additives and lubricants for the automotive, heavy truck, agricultural and specialty markets.(MB Motorsports)(4-5-2016)
- Bill Goldberg returns to Bristol for driver intros: Bill Goldberg, one of the most popular professional wrestlers of all time, will once again pump fans up as pre-race host for April 17’s Food City 500. Bristol Motor Speedway’s driver introductions are unique on the NASCAR circuit as drivers select a song to play as they arrive in style at the Last Great Colosseum. Mixed together with Goldberg’s famous voice and booming personality, the intros have become a fan favorite on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. In addition to emceeing the Food City 500 intros, Goldberg will be on hand Saturday during the pre-race experience prior to the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race. He will also make appearances throughout the weekend, including at Yee-Haw Banks and Brews. This is Goldberg’s second appearance at Bristol, having served as pre-race host during last year’s Food City 500.(BMS)(4-5-2016)
- Darlington Raceway names new “Lady in Black”: Darlington Raceway announced South Carolina native Amanda Bishop has been selected as the Lady in Black for 2016. As the Lady in Black, Bishop will serve as a key ambassador for Darlington Raceway throughout the year. She will represent the track at various community and media events as well as the 67th annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend Bishop was selected from over 50 candidates that submitted an online application for the position. Bishop, a native of Greer, S.C., is a 2014 graduate of the University of South Carolina. She is currently enrolled in the Master’s of Arts elementary education program at USC. She competed in the Miss South Carolina pageant twice, regularly traveling across the state to promote the Miss America Organization and Children’s Miracle Network.(Darlington Raceway)(4-5-2016)
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