April 5, 2014
- Rain could be an issue on Sunday: The Duck Commander 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, with a green flag scheduled for 3:16pm/et, could be affected by rain. The National Weather Service forecast for the Fort Worth, TX area on Sunday, April 6th is a chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 8am. High near 57. East northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. On Sunday night, Showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a slight chance of showers between 8pm and 2am. Low around 45. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. See other links on the Texas Race Info page – weather links section.(4-5-2014)
- Stewart wins the Texas pole for the Duck Commander 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is over, after the five minutes final round. #14-Stewart wins the pole with a third round lap of 195.454mph for his first pole of 2014 and 15th of his career. Stewart has won from the pole twice. Stewart is the 7th different pole winner in 7 races this season, the most since 1998.
#4-Harvick broke the track record of 196.299mph in the first qualifying session, set last April by Kyle Busch. Harvick ran a lap of 198.282mph, the fastest ever at a 1.5 mile track.
#2-Keselowski will start 2nd followed by #4-Harvick, #16-Biffle, #99-Edwards, #11-Hamlin, #21-Bayne, #31-Newman, #9-Ambrose, #22-Logano, #41-Busch and #24-Gordon.
Fastest in the second qualifying session was #16-Biffle at 196.235mph
Fastest in the first qualifying session was #4-Harvick with a track record of 198.282mph
#22-Logano is the only driver to advance to the final round in all seven races this season.
Missing the race are: #66-Nemechek, #33-Stremme, #83-Truex, #33-Yeley.
See starting lineup, links, notes, qualifying results by round and more on Jayski’s Texas Qualifying / Starting Lineup page.(4-5-2014)
- Seven races, seven different pole winners in 2014: #14-Tony Stewart won the Coors Light Pole at Texas, making it seven different pole winners in the first seven races. That hasn’t happened since 1998 [qualifying canceled, driver does not win the pole].(4-5-2014)
- Qualifying Fast Facts – Texas:
#14-Tony Stewart won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 18th Annual Duck Commander 500 with a lap of 27.628 seconds, 195.454 mph.
This is his 15th pole in 528 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and third top-10 start in 2014.
This is his second pole in 24 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
#2-Brad Keselowski (second) posted his fifth top-10 start of 2014 and his fifth in 12 races at Texas Motor Speedway.
#4-Kevin Harvick (third) posted his third top-10 start at Texas Motor Speedway. It is his second in seven races this season.
#42-Kyle Larson (14th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
#4-Kevin Harvick set a new track record of 198.282 mph in the first round of qualifying.(NASCAR Statistics)(4-5-2014)
- Second Round of Qualifying for the Duck Commander 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is being over, after 10 minutes. No driver ran faster than the track record of 196.299mph, set by #18-Kyle Busch last April.
#16-Biffle 196.235
#14-Stewart 195.787
#4-Harvick 195.702
#2-Keselowski 195.838
#22-Logano 195.369
the rest of the top 12: 21 24 99 31 41 11 9;
out of the top 12: 27 42 1 48 43 78 88 13 3 51 55 10
(4-5-2014)
- First Round of Qualifying for the Duck Commander 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is over, after 25 minutes. eight drivers broke the track record of 196.299mph, set by #18-Kyle Busch last April.
#4-Harvick 198.282
#21-Bayne 197.477
#99-Edwards 196.915
#3-Dillon 196.850
#31-Newman 196.578
Drivers who will miss the race: #66-Nemechek, #33-Stremme, #83-Truex, #33-Yeley.
(4-5-2014)
- Happy Hour practice for the Duck Commander 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway is over, after 90 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#41-Busch 194.630 (in the backup car) #99-Edwards 194.616
#4-Harvick 194.328
#16-Biffle 194.014
#43-Almirola 193.979
slowest: #44-Yeley 179.045 & #34-Ragan 184.508
Notes: #34-Ragan and #41-Busch are in backup cars. Ty Dillon ran a few laps in the #3 Chevy for his brother Austin, who is feeling ill. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, April 5th at 3:10pm/et and be televised on FoxSports2 (FS2) and via live radio at goprn.com.
See fastest speeds, laps run, best 10 consecutive lap average and more on the Texas Happy Hour Practice Speeds page.(4-5-2014) - Dillon to standby for Dillon at Texas: Rookie of the Year contender, #3-Austin Dillon, is feeling a little under the weather. His brother, Nationwide Rookie of the Year candidate and past Texas race winner in the Camping World Truck Series, Ty Dillon, ran a few laps in the #3 DOW Chevy during Happy Happy practice at Texas in case Austin needs relief during the race Sunday or qualifying Saturday afternoon.(FS1 Practice Coverage)(4-5-2014)
- Billy Standridge ill: former NASCAR driver Billy Standridge has cancer and is seriously sick but is in good spirits. Billy made 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts from 1993-1999 with a best finish of 14th in the 1995 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. See more and leave a well wish / comment at Billy’s blog: Billy’s Battle, a site for posting and sharing information for Billy Standridge. Billy commented on the page: “I just want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. This has been a hard time but the support has lifted my spirits. Thanks again.”
Jayski.com was the listed sponsor of the #47 Ford at Talladega in October 1997. I made a page back in 1997 with some notes and images at Jayski’s Talladega Experience page.(4-5-2014)
- Latest on tires at Texas: Tires remained the hot topic at Texas Motor Speedway, where NASCAR and Goodyear took the unprecedented step of discussing the compound selected for Sunday’s race before a single lap had been turned. Goodyear’s multi-zone tread tire is making its season debut at Texas, where speeds inched toward 200 mph in Friday’s opening practice session. There was one major incident, 100 minutes into practice, when #41-Kurt Busch wrecked hard into the outside wall. Busch, winner of last week’s race at Martinsville, appeared to blow a left rear tire before losing control of his Chevrolet and crashing. His car caught fire, and as his Stewart-Haas Racing team pulled out the backup, Busch said the left rear tire started to separate on the backstretch. The left side tires being used at Texas are the same ones Goodyear has used at the last two races here. The multi-zone tread tire combines two distinct rubber compounds on right-side tire, with the outside 10 inches of tread designed for traction, and the compound on the inside two inches is designed for durability.(Associated Press)(4-5-2014)
- First Graders Wish Truex Luck : A first-grade class in Canada is doing all it can to help Martin Truex Jr. change his luck this season. After a flat tire caused Truex to crash in practice last month at Auto Club Speedway – one in a series of early-season misfortunes that have him 28th in the points – he wrote on his Facebook page: “Does anyone have a good luck charm I can use for…oh I don’t know, the rest of the season?” That’s when the children in Carla Bangma’s class at Front of Yonge Elementary School acted. They made a video for him singing “Bring It All Back.” The song features lyrics such as “Your time is coming around, so don’t you stop trying” and “Don’t stop, never give up, hold your head high and reach for the top.” The connection between the class and Truex, though, goes back to Bangma’s son Bryson, who turns 11 years old next week. Bangma and her family, which includes three boys with Bryson the oldest, traveled 45 minutes to a NAPA store just to see Truex’s car when he was with the sponsor. Bryson got a hero card of Truex and, according to his mother, “that was it. My son was addicted. When we went home … after visiting the car, it was on TV and he could see that (Truex) was real.”(Motor Racing Network)(4-5-2014)
- Bell Helicopter featured on the #1 at Texas: To change the way the world flies with superior vertical lift that saves lives, preserves freedom and provides customers with exceptional value. Bell Helicopter will be featured as the primary sponsor on the #1 Chevy this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. An industry leader with unmatched name recognition, Bell Helicopter was the first to obtain certification for a commercial helicopter. Over its rich history, Bell Helicopter has delivered more than 35,000 aircraft to customers around the world. Bell Helicopter is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas (CGR), see imaged of the scheme on the #1 Team Schemes page.(4-5-2014)
- Jeff Gordon Treatment Room Opens at Children’s Blood & Cancer Center at Dell Children’s Medical Center: Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation (JGCF) is pleased to announce the dedication of the newly redesigned Jeff Gordon treatment room at the Children’s Blood and Cancer Center (CBCC) located in Austin, Texas. CBCC is part of the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas — the only dedicated, free-standing pediatric facility serving the healthcare needs of children in the 46 county Central Texas region and beyond. The Jeff Gordon treatment room — themed winning through teamwork — features custom graphics created by Red Eye Designs of Charlotte, NC, depicting Gordon’s #24 Axalta Chevrolet SS making a pit stop at last month’s race in Las Vegas. The room was repainted in a complementary color matching the iconic flame design on Gordon’s car while the cabinetry features specially designed graphics that replicate the tool boxes used by the No. 24 team. The funds to sponsor the room were raised by the Austin Chapter of the JGCF Promise Circle with a significant contribution made by the Austin office of CBRE Group, Inc., a global leader in real estate services. The Promise Circle is comprised of a group of dedicated volunteers who work in their communities with leading cancer treatment centers, and their mission is to serve as advocates for children with cancer and to provide support services to these children and their families. The Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation has contributed more than $14 million to support children battling cancer and invests in research, provides access to treatment and offers patient support programs.(JeffGordon.com)(4-5-2014)
- Hertz and 811 on the #22 at Texas: The Hertz Corporation, one of the worlds’ leading car rental and transportation companies, will serve as a co-primary sponsor of the #22 Ford Fusion of Joey Logano this weekend, along with Shell-Pennzoil. Hertz has been a proud supporter of Team Penske and the #22 NASCAR Nationwide Series Mustang since the beginning of 2013. April is National Safe Digging Month, and #22 Shell-Pennzoil / Hertz Ford Fusion driver Joey Logano will run ‘Call 811’ logos on the car during all three races in April to encourage fans to call 811 before starting outdoor digging projects. As part of the effort, the Common Ground Alliance will give one race fan the chance to watch Joey Logano race at the Quicken Loans 400 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, AZ on November 9, 2014.(Penske Racing)(4-5-2014)
- Manager: Schumacher has ‘moments of consciousness: Michael Schumacher is now showing “moments of consciousness and awakening,” more than three months after suffering serious head injuries in a skiing accident, the retired Formula One star’s manager said Friday. Schumacher, 45, fell while skiing in France on Dec. 29 and hit the right side of his head on a rock, cracking his helmet. Doctors operated to remove blood clots from his brain, but some were left because they were too deeply embedded. Schumacher’s condition stabilized after he was placed in a drug-induced coma. In late January, doctors at a hospital in the French city of Grenoble began the process of withdrawing sedatives to try to wake him up. “Michael is making progress on his way,” Schumacher’s manager, Sabine Kehm, said in a statement Friday. “He shows moments of consciousness and awakening.” Schumacher earned acclaim for his uncommon and sometimes ruthless driving talent, which took him to a record 91 race wins. He retired from Formula One in 2012 after winning an unmatched seven world titles. The accident happened on a family vacation in the Alps as Schumacher was skiing with his 14-year-old son.(Associated Press)(4-5-2014)
- Duck Commander 500 winner to receive Victory Lane duck calls: Members of the winning team in Sunday’s Duck Commander 500 will receive unique Victory Lane duck calls from Duck Commander in addition to the traditional Texas Motor Speedway six-shooters and custom-made cowboy hats. The winning Sprint Cup team, along with Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage and Duck Commander CEO Willie Robertson, will all participate in a celebratory duck call. Two different duck calls will be presented to the winning team. The driver, crew chief and team owner will each be given a Black Wood Duck Call made from a rare African wood featuring Duck Commander President Phil Robertson’s patented double reed system. The rest of the team will be given the Classic Commander Duck Call made with a Cypress wood barrel and a Cedar insert. This all-wood call has been a staple for the Duck Commander brand since 1972 and was the first call that Phil Robertson had patented.(TMS)(4-5-2014)
- MIS uses jets dryers to melt snow in preparation for the 2014 season: More than 80 inches of snow has fallen at Michigan International Speedway this year. And with just a week to go before NASCAR’s fastest track opens its gates for a Goodyear Tire Test, it was time to call in the big guns to melt ice and snow from the track. Michigan International Speedway maintenance crews used old-fashioned know-how Monday, enlisting the help of jet dryers to melt snow drifts and sheets of ice on some areas of the racing surface. The ice was several feet thick in some places, especially in shaded areas of the track. And while temperatures are expected to be warmer this week and next, it was important to get a jump on melting the ice before cars test. The jet dryer was first used in the early-70s to melt snow at Michigan International Speedway. It evolved to eventually be the primary means NASCAR used to dry racetracks after rain-delays. Today, jet dryers have been replaced by NASCAR’s innovative Air Titan technology. MIS President Roger Curtis expects all the snow and ice will be gone by next week.(MIS)(4-5-2014)
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