April 9, 2010
- Hamlin uncertain if he can run entire race: #11-Denny Hamlin, who had surgery nine days ago to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, said he is uncertain if he can drive the entire race Saturday after experiencing significant pain and discomfort in practice Friday. “I don’t know how far I can go,” Hamlin said. “It aches quite a bit and the range of motion is a problem. If I had to do it today there is no way I could do it.” he said. Casey Mears will replace Hamlin if Hamlin has to get out of the #11 Toyota. A driver must start the race to earn the points for that event. “There’s a lot of fluid build-up on the knee right now,” Hamlin said. “The doctors are going to insert a needle in the morning and drain all the fluid. They also are going to take the stitches out, so I might have a little more mobility.” Hamlin said he hopes to make a decision early in the race about whether to get out of the car. “If we do it, we need to do it early,” Hamlin said. “I’ll start thinking about it at 50 or 60 laps. My goal is to know what I’m going to do before Lap 100 [in the 375-lap race]. There’s no reason to abort it if I make it that far. It hurts worse when I stop than when I’m going.”(ESPN.com)(4-9-2010)
- Allmendinger wins pole at Phoenix: #43-A.J. Allmendinger won the Coors Pole for the Subway Fresh Fit 600(k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway with a speed of 134.675mph for his 1st pole of 2010 and of his career. #82-Speed will start 2nd followed by
#77-Hornish, #47-Ambrose, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #20-Logano, #42-Montoya, #56-Truex, #99-Edwards, and #24-Gordon.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (7): #66-McDowell, #87-Nemechek, #55-Blaney, #7-Gordon, #13-Papis, #90-Riggs, #35-Sauter, and #46-Cook
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (4): #26-Stremme, #09-Almirola, #36-Bliss, and #02-Ash
See the starting lineup, qualifying speeds and notes on my Phoenix Starting Lineup/Qualifying Results page.(4-9-2010) - Qualifying Fast Facts – Phoenix:
A J Allmendinger won the Pole Award for the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 600 with a lap of 26.731 seconds, 134.675 mph.
This is his first pole in 87 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. His previous best qualifying effort, second, came at Auto Club Speedway in August 2008.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2010.
This is his first pole in four races at Phoenix International Raceway.
Scott Speed (second) posted his first top-10 start of 2010 and his first in four races at Phoenix International Raceway. This matched his best qualifying effort (Homestead Miami Speedway, November 2008)
Sam Hornish Jr. (third) posted his first top-10 start at Phoenix International Raceway. It is his second in seven races this season. This is Hornish’s best qualifying performance (fourth, Talladega Superspeedway, April 2009)
Kevin Conway (42nd) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(4-9-2010) - Fastest Qualifier by Manufacturer::
Chevy: #88-Earnhardt, Jr, 133.640, starts 5th
Dodge: #77-Hornish, 134.198, starts 3rd
Ford: #43-Allmendinger, 134.675, starts 1st
Toyota: #66-Speed, 134.373, starts 2nd - Happy Hour practice: for the Subway Fit Fresh 600(k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway is underway. After 75 of 85 schedule minutes of practice, the fastest:
#24-Gordon, 131.444
#43-Allmendinger, 131.224
#39-Newman, 131.071
#16-Biffle, 130.909
#31-Burton, 130.895
slowest: #02-Ash 125.440 & #38-Conway, 125.339
There were several one car spins — #18-Busch, #47-Ambrose, and #48-Johnson, but nonoe hit anything. #00-Reutimann and #26-Stremme scraped the SAFER barriers.
See fastest speeds, average speeds, laps run on my Phoenix Practice Speeds page.(4-9-2010) - Phoenix Happy Hour practice rank for the non top-35 drivers:
if things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
#7-Robby Gordon, 20th fastest overall
#87-Joe Nemechek, 21st
#90-Scott Riggs, 26th
#55-Dave Blaney, 27th
#66-Michael McDowell, 28th
#46-Terry Cook, 35th
#26-David Stremme, 38th
#36-Mike Bliss, 39th
these drivers would miss the race if the order stayed the same:
#35-Johnny Sauter, 41st
#13-Max Papis, 42nd
#09-Aric Almirola, 44th
#02-Brandon Ash, 46th.(4-9-2010) - Friday’s first practice: for the Subway Fit Fresh 600(k) at Phoenix International Raceway is over. The fastest:
#11-Hamlin 131.210
#66-McDowell 130.274
#1-McMurray, 130.110
#2-Busch, 130.025
#88-Earnhardt, Jr., 129.992
slowest: #38-Conway 124.473 & #02-Ash 124.361
notes: #11-Hamlin ran 22 laps on four different runs before getting out of the car for Casey Mears to make a practice run. Mears got in the car to make sure he’s comfortable if he needs to relieve Hamlin Saturday evening.
Michael McDowell is in the #66 this weekend and Dave Blaney in the #55. The switch was made because Blaney usually runs more laps in the races for Prism and they are preparing the #55 for Talladega in a few weeks when Michael Waltrip will drive.
#14-Tony Steward coming off turn 4 but didn’t hit anything.
See fastest speeds, average speeds, laps run on my Phoenix Practice Speeds page.(4-9-2010) - Martinsville first practice rank for the non top-35 drivers:
if things stay the same, these eight drivers would make the race:
#66-Michael McDowell, 2nd fastest overall
#09-Aric Almirola, 14th
#90-Scott Riggs, 31st
#55-Dave Blaney, 32nd
#87-Joe Nemechek, 33rd
#26-David Stremme, 34th
#36-Mike Bliss, 36th
#46-Terry Cook, 38th
these drivers would miss the race if the order stayed the same:
#35-Johnny Sauter. 39th
#7-Robby Gordon, 42nd
#13-Max Papis, 45th
#02-Brandon Ash, 47th.(4-9-2010) - Qualifying Order for the Subway Fit Fresh 600(k) Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway is posted. 47 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 #18-Busch.
The final top-35 driver scheduled to go out is #9-Kahne.
The first go-or-go homer scheduled to qualify [36th] is #7-Gordon and the final driver scheduled to qualify being #46-Cook.
See the full qualifying order on the Phoenix Qualifying Page.(4-09-2010) - Victory Lane Wealth Solutions returns to #71: After a successful two-race deal in 2009, Victory Lane Wealth Solutions will return to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in Phoenix as an associate sponsor for the remainder of the 2010 season. Victory Lane Wealth strategically chose to return to TRG Motorsports at the scene of where the relationship began. Leveraging Victory Lane’s success in the 401(k) marketplace, principal Rich Schuette struck the deal to provide additional funding to the #71 team.(TRG PR)(4-9-2010)
- ISC profit up: Net income edged slightly higher in the first quarter at International Speedway Corp., but results came sharply below Wall Street expectations as admissions revenue fell. Profit was $25.4 million, or 53 cents per share, in the three months ended Feb. 28, up 1 percent from $25.1 million, or 52 cents per share, in the same quarter a year ago. However, excluding unusual items, earnings were 45 cents per share, down from 56 cents. Analysts, who typically exclude one-time items from their estimates, were looking for 53 cents, according to Thomson Reuters. Revenue also fell short. While company boasted a capacity crowd at its marquee event, NASCAR’s Daytona 500, overall revenue for the quarter slipped 8 percent to $152 million from $166.1 million, as admissions revenue fell about 19 percent. Analysts expected revenue of $161.7 million.(Associated Press)(4-9-2010)
- Sprint updates All-Star race votes: Sprint announced the top vote recipients for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Fan Vote, which allows fans to place a driver into the field of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. As of April 5, the top 10 drivers in the Sprint All-Star Fan Vote standings (in alphabetical order) are #43-A.J. Allmendinger, #47-Marcos Ambrose, #16-Greg Biffle, #33-Clint Bowyer, #31-Jeff Burton, #21-Bill Elliott, #99-Carl Edwards, #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, #56-Martin Truex Jr. and #55-Michael Waltrip. Voting continues until one hour before the start of the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday, May 22. Fans can cast votes for their favorite eligible drivers using the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile application, by visiting NASCAR.com or at the Sprint Experience, located in the midway at every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. The driver accumulating the most votes, who also finishes the Sprint Showdown qualifying race, will earn a spot in the prestigious All-Star field. In addition to voting, fans can also use the NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile application to view the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in its entirety on Sprint devices. To download the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, which is free with any data plan, Sprint customers should text “NASCAR” to 7777. Votes may also be cast on Sprint devices by texting “VOTE” to 7777 (Standard text messaging and data rates apply.).(Sprint)4-9-2010)
- Danica gives GoDaddy most tv coverage value: In Danica Patrick’s first three NASCAR Nationwide Series starts, where she finished 35th, 31st and 36th, her sponsor GoDaddy.com stood #1 among all primary team sponsors with 1 hour, 57 minutes, 51 seconds of tv time, 15 mentions and a Recognition Grade value of $1,340,880. Justin Allgaier (with finishes of 4th, 9th and 7th) and his Verizon entry ranked second with $561,600.(Joyce Julius)(4-9-2010)
- Phoenix Rookie Notes: #37-Kevin Conway was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the March 29 Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, posting a 31st-place finish. Conway leads #46-Terry Cook by 40 points (55-15) in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the April 10 Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix International Raceway. Joey Logano was the Raybestos Rookie of the Race in the 2009 Subway Fresh Fit 600, scoring a 21st-place finish. The best finish by a Raybestos Rookie in five spring races at Phoenix is fifth by Clint Bowyer in 2006. Bowyer is the only freshman driver to finish inside the top-five in the Subway Fresh Fit 600. The qualifying effort by a Raybestos Rookie in five previous spring races at Phoenix is sixth by Denny Hamlin in 2006. The most laps led by a Raybestos Rookie in the spring race at Phoenix: 21 by Bowyer in 2006. For rookie standings, history and more, see my 2010 Rookies page.(4-9-2010)
- Some Chassis selections for Phoenix:#1-Jamie McMurray: Kevin “Bono” Manion decided to bring chassis #1008. This chassis has never been run before.#2-Kurt Busch: and crew chief Steve Addington and crew will be racing their “PRS-701” Miller Lite Dodge Charger at Phoenix this weekend. This chassis has been raced only once before. Busch started 24th, led laps and finished eighth in last October’s Pepsi 500 at Fontana, Calif., in the car’s only other outing.#5-Mark Martin: Alan Gustafson has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-588 for this Saturday’s race at Phoenix. This is a new chassis that never has been raced or tested.
#12-Brad Keselowski: The #12 Abyss Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-716 during Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix. PRS-716 is a brand new chassis to the #12 team.
#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-535: This car debuted at Phoenix last April. After only being tested in the wind tunnel, Chassis No. 14-535 hit the racetrack in impressive fashion, as Stewart used it to qualify sixth and lead once for 19 laps before finishing second, which at the time was the best finish for Stewart-Haas Racing. Chassis No. 14-535 returned to another flat track via New Hampshirein June, but its time on the racetrack was short after it crashed in practice. It was repaired with new front and rear clips for its return trip to New Hampshire in September. There, Chassis No. 14-535 led four times for 52 laps before a loose axle cap forced an unscheduled pit stop, which resulted in a 14th-place finish. The November trek to Phoenix marked the car’s third career start, where it qualified eighth and went from a possible top-10 performance to a disappointing 25th-place result when it was caught up in a multi-car accident
#17-Matt Kenseth: primary chassis for the #17 Crown Royal Black Ford will be RK-645, with the backup being RK-569, no details
#18-Kyle Busch: Chassis No. 251: Saturday night’s Subway Fresh Fit 600k will be the third-ever start for No 251. This chassis made its debut at New Hampshire Speedway in Loudon last September, where Busch qualified third and brought home a solid fifth-place finish. Busch followed that up with a solid fourth-place run in last October’s TUMS QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway after starting way back in the 41st spot.
#19-Elliott Sadler: Chassis No. 609 has been prepared by crew chief Wally Rogers and the #19 Stanley team for this Saturday’s event at Phoenix International Raceway. This is a brand new Ford Fusion specifically prepared for this race.
#20-Joey Logano: The #20 Team is taking chassis #269 to Phoenix this weekend. This is a new chassis in The Home Depot Team’s arsenal. The back-up car, chassis #250 was raced three times last season including the fall race at Phoenix and additionally in the fall events at Loudon and Pocono.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No. 304 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Shell-Pennzoil Chevy is a completely brand new car which will see its first laps on the track during Friday’s practice session.
#31-Jeff Burton: will pilot chassis No. 280 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend’s 375-lap affair. Built new for 2009, this Caterpillar Chevy was put through its first paces at Chicagoland Speedway last July where the 17-year veteran was credited with a 37th-place finish after being collected in a late-race multi-car incident. Burton then piloted this #31 racer at Kansas where he finished 23rd before posting a runner-up finish at Phoenix in November.
#33-Clint Bowyer: will pilot Chassis No. 265 from Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Bowyer drove this Chevy twice last season, finishing sixth at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and 36th at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. The Impala was completely updated over the offseason.
#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-536: The Subway Fresh Fit 600k marks the first outing in 2010 for this chassis. Prior to the 2010 season, Newman piloted this chassis at four races in 2009 – twice at Phoenix, and twice at Richmond. In the car’s first outing at Phoenix in April, Newman was plagued by radio communication issues, which hampered his ability to tell the team what he needed to make the car better. Despite the radio issues, Newman drove the car from its 30th-place qualifying spot to a 16th-place finish. At Phoenix in November, Newman was able to drive the #39 Chevy from the 24th spot into the top-10. However, pit-road issues cost Newman and his team valuable track position and led to Newman being caught up in an on-track incident. Newman finished in 20th-place. In two races at Richmond, Newman finished fourth and 10th, respectively. During the offseason, the original body was cut off the car. The car was made lighter and the bodywork was rebuilt.
#42-Juan Montoya: Pattie and the Target team will be bringing Chassis #909 to PIR. Montoya finished eighth in this chassis in last year’s fall event at PIR.
#43-A.J. Allmendinger: No. 277 has been prepared by Shiplett and the #43 Valvoline crew for this weekend’s race at Phoenix. This particular chassis ran at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California in February.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: Chassis No. 540 will be the primary for Sunday’s event. Johnson won last fall’s race at Phoenix International Raceway in that chassis.
#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Crew chief Lance McGrew and the #88 crew will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-586. This is a brand new chassis that never has been tested or raced.
#98-Paul Menard: Crew chief Slugger Labbe and the #98 Menards crew have prepared chassis No. 574 for this weekend’s Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix. This chassis was run by the #98 team last season, but has not been utilized for any even in 2010.
#99-Carl Edwards: Chassis: RK-647. This car last raced at Phoenix in Nov. ’09, finished 16th.
(from team PR’s if reported)(4-9-2010)
- ISC says Daytona patch worked: Officials from International Speedway Corp., which owns several tracks that host Cup events, said they’re confident the concrete patch used at Daytona International Speedway after a pothole developed in the 500 will work but that they’re awaiting further analysis on the track to see if the track will need be repaved. The track was last repaved more than 30 years ago. John Saunders, president of ISC, said Thursday in a conference call with investors that planned repaving of the track, as of now, is targeted for around 2012. Saunders said the analysis shows that three things led to the pothole developing:
1. A “very unusual cold winter” in Florida. (The Daytona Beach News-Journal reported that the average temperature in Daytona in February was 53.1 degrees — the coldest in Daytona since 1978.
2. Moisture where Saunders said “we experienced what the engineers call delamination, which occurs below the surface. It’s not visible on the surface.” This is where materials can weaken and split into layers.
3. The cars bottoming out. Said Saunders: “Eventually, with that weight and that force, it began to cut the asphalt and once that happens, it begins to accelereate.”
(Hampton Roads)(4-9-2010) - Charlie Pride to sing National Anthem at Texas: Legendary country music artist Charley Pride will perform the national anthem prior to the start of the Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, April 18. Pride, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, was the first African-American superstar in country music and has continued to serve as a pioneer in the industry so much so that he was honored by the Academy of Country Music with its Pioneer Award in 1994, one of numerous accolades Pride has received throughout his career. Pride is just one of the legendary artists performing prior to the Samsung Mobile 500. One of rock-n-roll’s most recognized guitarists, Peter Frampton, will take to the frontstretch stage for an hour concert set to begin at 12:30 p.m. CT. His performance will highlight the three-hour pre-race show leading up to the Samsung Mobile 500 that begins at 2 p.m.(TMS PR)(4-9-2010)
- Bowyer replacing Townley: UPDATE 5: Clint Blower will replace #21-John West Townley for the rest of the day at Phoenix. Townley wrecked midway through the day’s only practice session.(4-9-2010)
UPDATE: Jamie Little reported during ESPN2’s qualifying coverage that Townley has been fired from the team and the future of the #21 car is up in the air.(4-9-2010)
UPDATE 2: Richard Childress Racing is denying that Townley has been released.(4-9-2010) - Keselowski talks about truck team, future plans:
Q: You’ve also dipped into car ownership this season, running the No. 29 Ram in NASCAR’s Truck Series. Tell me what your biggest challenge has been in being an owner/driver.
A: The biggest challenge is trying to find the money to pay for it. It’s really hard in those lower two series to find enough funding. I feel like I can do what it takes to win, but I have to find the money to be able to do it. So that’s a constant challenge, and one that everybody has, regardless of whether you’re Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Mike Skinner or whoever.
Q: What are your future plans with that program?
A: The plan is to put other drivers in the seat. Although I don’t have any drivers at this point, I’d love to get other drivers in there. It gives me a level of pride to watch other drivers. But it’s all about finding the money to be able to do that.(SI.com)(4-9-2010)
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