April 9, 2014
- Teams to test at Michigan UPDATE3 – 215mph & 217mph: a few NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will test (tires) 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)(4-2/8-2014)
UPDATE: Greg Biffle’s #16 Ford Fusion was first car on track at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn on Tuesday in a delayed start to the two-day Goodyear tire test there by several Sprint Cup teams. Four Cup outfits, led off by Biffle, who drives for Roush Fenway Racing, and #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the track mid- to late-afternoon after a lengthy delay due to moisture on the 2-mile oval thought to be originating from behind the concrete walls following a brutal winter. The problem was addressed by MIS staff and Goodyear personnel and testing finally cranked up around 4:00pm/et. It was scheduled to continue into early evening, or when it became too dark to run safely. #21-Trevor Bayne and #15-Clint Bowyer also participated in Tuesday’s test. #31-Ryan Newman is expected to join in with the others at MIS Wednesday. Fans are welcome to watch the tire test free of charge Wednesday from the Turn 1 grandstand seats.(Detroit Free Press)(4-9-2014)
UPDATE2: How fast is NASCAR’s new Sprint Cup car with new aerodynamic rules on one of its fastest tracks? #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. topped 215 mph during a test Wednesday morning at Michigan International Speedway, one of NASCAR’s fastest tracks. Track president Roger Curtis tweeted about Earnhardt’s fast speed. Clint Bowyer, meanwhile, said he ran 217 mph during Wednesday’s test.(Sporting News)(4-9-2014)
UPDATE 3: Blazing fast speeds continued at Michigan International Speedway on Wednesday during the second of a two-day tire test. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver #15-Clint Bowyer said he went 217 mph during the morning session. “That’s white-of-your-eyes-fast,” he added. Bowyer, along with #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #16-Greg Biffle, #31-Ryan Newman and #21-Trevor Bayne are taking part in the second of a two-day Goodyear Tire test at the two-mile racetrack. Earnhardt Jr. said he was hitting speeds between 212 to 215 mph in the straightaways and about 180 in the turns. And while speed was the topic of the day, the drivers were at the track to test tires for Goodyear.
“This is one of our better tracks, and our fans will probably say the same,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Having the success here over the last four or five years has given us a lot of confidence when we come here, and I think that’s why Goodyear brings us to test. “I enjoy racing here. It’s a fun track. The asphalt is really aging well and it’s just going to keep getting better and better over the next couple of years.”
Newman and Biffle agreed, adding the winter has aged the track, making the super-smooth surface less oily, and creating additional grooves. “I think (Michigan) will be a good race; I really do,” Biffle said. Though speeds on a racetrack are sexy, speedway President Roger Curtis said passing and fierce competition is what makes great racing. “The drivers are posting 200 mph. That’s awesome. The fans get very, very excited about that. But at the end of the day, on Sunday when the green flag drops, the numbers ‘two zero zero’ they’re not anywhere in the fans’ minds. It’s lead changes, it’s the competition.” The track was repaved in 2012, making for blazing fast speeds. Since then, the asphalt has aged but NASCAR has made significant changes to the cars, thus keeping speeds very fast. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Michigan International Speedway this summer for two weekends: Quicken Loans 400 weekend, June 13-15 and Pure Michigan 400 weekend, Aug. 15-17. For tickets and camping, visit www.MISpeedway.com or call 800-354-1010.(MIS), see some video of the test at RPM2Night.com.(4-9-2014) - Seven races, seven different winners: After seven races this season, there have been seven different winners, which is the most since 2003, when there were nine. The seven winners are: #88-Earnhardt Jr., #4-Harvick, #2-Keselowski, #99-Edwards, #18-Busch, #41-Busch and #22-Logano.(4-9-2014)
- Thomas Tire & Automotive Joins Germain Racing at Darlington: Heading into the “Bojangles Southern 500” race weekend at Darlington Raceway, Germain Racing announces that North Carolina’s Thomas Tire & Automotive joins the team as an associate sponsor on the #13 GEICO Chevy driven by Casey Mears. Thomas Tire & Automotive will be on board for Saturday’s 501.3-mile race to be held in Darlington, SC, at the 1.366-mile race track located just an hour from two Thomas Tire & Automotive locations in Aberdeen, NC. Thomas Tire & Automotive has several locations to bring customers the best in tires, maintenance and repairs, resulting in a total auto care experience.(Germain Racing)(4-9-2014)
- Top 10 Driver Ratings at Darlington:
#24-Jeff Gordon………………………… 111.8
#11-Denny Hamlin………………………. 108.9
#16-Greg Biffle………………………….. 107.5
#48-Jimmie Johnson…………………… 107.5
#18-Kyle Busch…………………………. 106.2
#5-Kasey Kahne………………………… 99.1
#31-Ryan Newman……………………….. 95.8
#78-Martin Truex Jr………………………. 94.8
#99-Carl Edwards………………………… 93.4
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr…………………… 91.4
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races(9 total) among drivers at Darlington Raceway. Formula combining the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.(NASCAR) - Darlington Notes and Facts – Wednesday: history, track:
· Darlington Raceway was built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-1950.
· Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on Sept. 4, 1950. – won by Johnny Mantz.
· The track was re-measured to 1.375 miles in 1953.
· The track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.
· The track was repaved in 1995.
· The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington.
· The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.
· There have been 110 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway. The 1.366-mile track has hosted the fourth most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying races.(NASCAR)(4-9-2014) - Chris Buescher to run special scheme: This weekend, Roush Fenway Racing will pay homage to the car that started the pony car craze: the Ford Mustang. RFR’s Chris Buescher will be behind the wheel of a special 50th Anniversary Mustang paint scheme during the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 in Darlington, to honor the car that inspired Detroit’s muscle car wars.The first Ford Mustang was unveiled on April 17th, 1964 at the New York World’s Fair. Immediately, it went to work for Ford Racing, carrying generations of racecar drivers to victory lane. The Mustang’s styling and engineering also inspired millions of people to buy their pony. Now, 50 years later, Ford is celebrating the Mustang’s golden jubilee by unleashing a new generation of the legendary car.(Roush Fenway Racing)(4-9-2014)
- Atlanta offers Ticket special in honor of Chase Elliott’s first NNS win: In celebration of Chase Elliott’s first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory, Atlanta Motor Speedway is offering fans a limited-time ticket offer for the Labor Day Weekend of NASCAR night racing at AMS. Until 5:00pm/et. on Friday, April 11th, fans who purchase any grandstand ticket to the Aug. 31 Atlanta 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race can buy one general admission ticket to the Aug. 30 NASCAR Nationwide Series Great Clips 300 to benefit Feed The Children for just $9. The offer provides an overall savings of more than 50 percent for a Saturday ticket Fans may take advantage of this offer by either calling 877-926-7849 or by visiting www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/Chase. NASCAR night racing returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Labor Day Weekend. Sunday grandstand tickets start at $39 with kids 12 & under admitted free when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying on Friday, Aug. 29 or the Great Clips 300 to Benefit Feed The Children on Saturday, Aug. 30. For more information, visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com or call Atlanta Motor Speedway at or (770) 707-7904.(AMS)(4-9-2014)
- New Hampshire Motor Speedway touts viability of casino site in Loudon: Ahead of a House vote on a bill allowing two casinos in the state, the New Hampshire Motor Speedway has ramped up lobbying efforts to drive home the point: They would make a fine site for a casino. General Manager Jerry Gappens hosted a breakfast Tuesday at the Holiday Inn in Concord and talked about the site’s potential use as a state fairgrounds, the proposed 20,000-square-foot Northeast Motor Sports Museum and infrastructure improvements to Route 106. He also reiterated his support for the two-casino legislation that passed the Senate in March and now faces an uncertain future in the House. Gappens will testify Thursday in support of the bill in front of the House Ways and Means Committee, he said. “If it’s going to come, this would be a site that should be on the most desirable list,” Gappens said in an interview Wednesday. “I’m a pro-speedway guy, and I’m bullish on this location. I think the Route 106 corridor has so much economic growth potential. It would be a good thing to bring in additional tax revenue and jobs to the area.” Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, the Manchester Democrat who sponsored the legislation, said Thursday that while it’s too early to discuss the viability of potential sites, he has heard chatter about possible locations. “Have people mentioned sites? Yes, they have. Heck, it’s a bidding situation,” D’Allesandro said. If the bill is passed into law, the process to apply for a license would be open and competitive, he added. A casino at the site could bridge the race season and the off-season between late October and April, Gappens said. The speedway is well-positioned for a casino license because of its location between the Lakes Region and cities such as Manchester and Concord. There are 18 million people within 200 miles of the speedway, and those who want to gamble visit casinos in Maine and Connecticut, Gappens said. Two out-of-state casinos are spending $100,000 for advertising at the speedway, and though the revenue is welcome, the advertisements essentially ask people to leave New Hampshire.(in part from the Concord Monitor)(4-9-2014)
- DAYTONA Rising April Project Update: Construction activities for the $400 million DAYTONA Rising redevelopment project are back in full swing. During the next month, the Speedway will begin to install the infrastructure for the new escalators and vertical transportation. “Our new motorsports stadium will have the most escalators of any sports stadium in the nation,” said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. “Fans will be able to easily navigate the new venue and access the new amenities and enhanced offerings.”
Here is a recap of key construction activities since the last update in March:
· Began the demolition process on West end of the Petty Tower seating section.
· Continued stair installation on West and East ends of the project.
· Ongoing masonry at ground level including elevator tower on West end and new care center location near the existing Gate 8.
Upcoming construction activities:
· Begin the escalator installation process at West and East ends of the project.
· Initial installation of aluminum grandstand system.
· Ongoing steel installation.
For tickets and more information on Daytona International Speedway events, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(4-9-2014)
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