April 15, 2010
- Smith Completes Test Session at Infineon: #78-Regan Smith completed a one-day test session on Wednesday at Infineon Raceway in preparation for the Toyota/Save Mart 350, June 18-20. Smith completed about 60 laps around the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in a late-model stock car provided by Chris Cook Performance. Smith placed 30th in his only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series visit to Infineon Raceway in 2007. “I’m just trying to refresh my memory of this track after not being here for a few years because there are so many nuances to the different corners,” said Smith. “I grew up karting, so I love road-course racing, and I’m really looking forward to coming back in June.” Smith was coached by road-course veteran Chris Cook, who has also worked with NASCAR drivers Joey Logano and Los Gatos’ AJ Allmendinger, among others. “Regan did fantastic today. He’s just a great athlete with great focus,” said Cook. “He has a great ability to apply what he’s learning, and he actually has plenty of road-course experience. We’re just fine tuning things for race weekend.” For special ticket packages to the Toyota/Save Mart 350, including Kasey’s Korner, the 24 Special and the Jimmie Johnson 4-Pack, call 800-870-RACE or visit infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway)(4-15-2010)
- Stewart To Make 400th Start: #14-Tony Stewart will make his 400th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start on Sunday in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. With 37 victories, Stewart is tied for 18th on the all-time series wins list with Bobby Isaac. A two-time series champion, Stewart has logged 145 top fives and 233 top 10s throughout his 399 starts. Stewart made an immediate impact when he joined the series full time in 1999, and success has followed him from his days driving the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing (1999-2008) to his current role as driver-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing.
Consider these accolades:
– Two-time series champion (2002 and 2005)
– 1999 Raybestos Rookie of the Year
– At least one victory in each of his 11 full seasons
– Has finished in the top 10 in points in 10 of his 11 seasons
– Victories at 19 of the 22 active tracks, missing only Auto Club Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Below is a timeline of some of Stewart’s career highlights on his way to 400 starts:
1 – On Feb. 14, 1999, Stewart made his first series start in the sport’s biggest race. In that Daytona 500, Stewart finished 28th.
25 – His first win, at Richmond on Sept. 11, 1999. He led 333 laps that event, still the highest single-race total of his career.
126 – First win at Watkins Glen International on Aug. 11, 2002. It was win No. 15 for Stewart. With five victories and a Driver Rating of 135.0, Watkins Glen is now his most prolific track.
229 – On July 2, 2005, Stewart won his first of three races at Daytona International Speedway (none of which have come in the Daytona 500). After the win, Stewart climbed the fence in celebration.
233 – On Aug. 7, 2005, the Columbus, Ind., native finally won his hometown race – the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
304 – Stewart won his second Brickyard race on July 29, 2007.
350 – At Talladega on Oct. 5, 2008, Stewart made it 10 consecutive years with at least one win. It was also his 33rd – and final – win with Joe Gibbs Racing.
370 – Stewart nabbed his first victory as a driver-owner. At Pocono on June 7, 2009, he led 39 laps to become the first driver-owner to win a points race since Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in 1998.(NASCAR)(4-15-2010) - Jimmie Johnson street plan dropped: NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson is going to have to wait awhile longer to be honored by his hometown of El Cajon, CA. The El Cajon City Council decided Tuesday night to drop plans to name a portion of Johnson Avenue as Jimmie Johnson Avenue. Mayor Mark Lewis said the council will consider other proposals, such as naming a section of Interstate 8 after Johnson, or perhaps renaming one of the city’s parks. “We have so many ideas out there, we want to make sure it’s done right,” Lewis said.
The council had tentatively approved naming a quarter-mile section of Johnson Avenue by Westfield Parkway Plaza after the race car driver who was born in El Cajon and raised in nearby Crest.
Supporters noted Johnson not only won four consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships, but also has raised more than $1 million for East County charitable projects. The proposal stalled after city staffers uncovered a 2004 policy that states existing streets and buildings only can be renamed after dead U.S. presidents. City Manager Kathi Henry will look into changing the city’s policy about renaming buildings and streets, and will report back in a month or two about other options for honoring Jimmie Johnson.(San Diego Union Tribune)(4-15-2010) - Special Post-It scheme run for Biffle: This week in Texas, the #16 3M Ford Fusion of Greg Biffle will carry a special Post-it 30th Anniversary paint scheme. Post-its were invented by Art Fry of 3M in 1974 and the product launched nationwide in 1980. Biffle won three races and had six top-five finishes with the Post-it paint scheme in 2005.(Roush Fenway Racing), see an image of the scheme on my #16 Team Schemes page.(4-15-2010)
- Ambrose to be honored: #47-Marcos Ambrose will receive a Sportsmanship of the Year award in his second year of full-time competition during the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame (TMHoF) dinner and induction ceremony Friday night in the Grand Ballroom of the Speedway Club at Texas Motor Speedway. “I am honored to receive the Sportsmanship award and would like to thank the Motorsports Hall of Fame panel, Eddie Gossage and everyone at Texas Motor Speedway,” said Ambrose, who will be among other TMHoF award winners, such as, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, John Sturbin, Robert Yates and inductee Joe Gibbs. “I have such a great appreciation for our sport. When I came into NASCAR I promised myself I was going to appreciate every single day and not get mad or angry. I remind myself every day that I’m doing something that millions of kids out there – girls and guys – would love to do when they grow up. I am lucky enough to be a driver. Sure, you may get disappointed at times and there are compromises. However, you can never lose sight that there are not many downs when you are a racecar driver. I love what I do. So, to be recognized like this for the first time – especially when I’m a goofy Tasmanian coming from 14,000 miles away – is pretty awesome.”(JTG Daugherty Racing)(4-15-2010)
- Lance Armstrong tests at Mooresville wind tunnel: This past weekend Lance Armstrong was in the A2 Wind Tunnel in Mooresville, NC performing aerodynamic testing for the 2010 season. Wind tunnels are long chambers more commonly associated with stock-car testing. Gary Eaker, former aerodynamics chief at Hendrick Motorsports, opened A2 several years ago beside his larger AeroDYN Wind Tunnel. Along with the Bo-Dyn bobsled project that led our USA 4-Man team to a Gold medal after a 62 year winless streak, the racing technology is now transferring to pro cyclist such as Lance and other top athletes.(Charlotte Observer)(4-15-2010)
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