April 17, 2015
- RCR to make final appeal on #31 penalty: Richard Childress Racing will make one final appeal of NASCAR penalties issued to Ryan Newman’s team for tampering with tires in the Sprint Cup Series race March 22 at Auto Club Speedway. A three-member NASCAR-appointed appeals board reduced the points penalty and fine Thursday but left the six-race suspensions to crew chief Luke Lambert, engineer Philip Surgen and tire specialist James Bender. NASCAR announced Friday night that RCR had appealed that decision to NASCAR’s final appeals officer, former Gulfstream executive Bryan Moss. Moss has not set a date to hear the case and has deferred the suspensions, allowing Lambert, Surgen and Bender to return to the racetrack Saturday after missing Friday practice and qualifying at Bristol Motor Speedway. The appeal doesn’t come without some risk to RCR since Moss could reinstate the original penalties. The procedure for a final appeal is much like the initial appeal except Moss has access to all materials and a transcript of the first hearing. The burden of proof also switches from NASCAR to the team to prove that it either did not commit the act or that the penalty is too severe.(ESPN.com)(4-18-2015)
- Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Food City 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #20-Kenseth chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #2-Keselowski took pit stall 23, the last pit stall on the backstretch.
#19-Edwards, who starts 3rd took the 22nd pit stall, the last pit stall on the frontstretch.
The 43rd pit stall, the first on the backstretch, was taken by #4-Harvick.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(4-17-2015) - Kenseth wins Bristol pole: #20-Matt Kenseth won the Coors Light pole for the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway with speed of 128.632mph for his 1st pole of 2015, 2nd at Bristol and 14th of his career.
#2-Keselowski is on the outside pole followed by #19-Edwards, #4-Harvick, #11-Hamlin, #22-Logano, #41-Busch, #5-Kahne, #27-Menard, #1-McMurray, #18-Ragan, and #3-Dillon.
Missing the race were: #62-Gaughan, #30-Hornaday.
See the starting lineup, round-by-round qualifying results and more on Jayski.com’s Bristol Qualifying Page.(4-17-2015) - Qualifying Fast Facts – Bristol:
Matt Kenseth won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 55th Annual Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes with a lap of 14.917 seconds, 128.632 mph.
This is his 14th pole in 552 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and fifth top-10 start in 2015.
This is his second pole in 31 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Brad Keselowski (second) posted his fourth top-10 start of 2015 and his seventh in 11 races at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Carl Edwards (third) posted his 12th top-10 start at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is his fourth in eight races this season.
Brett Moffitt (24th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Statistics)(4-17-2015) - Second Round of Qualifying for the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over after 10 scheduled minutes.
#22-Logano 128.451
#20-Kenseth 128.322
#4-Harvick 128.108
#41-Busch 127.988
#2-Keselowski 127.869
the rest of the top 12: 19 27 5 11 3 1 18;
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 88 42 51 78 40 31 95 47 14 83 24 55.
(4-17-2015) - First Round of Qualifying for the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over, after 20 scheduled minutes.
#22-Logano 129.290
#18-Ragan 128.623
#2-Keselowski 128.554
#20-Kenseth 128.537
#5-Kahne 128.451
the rest of the top 24: 3 24 4 19 88 55 51 27 14 31 83 11 42 47 41 95 40 78 1;
out of the top 24 and not advancing to round 2: 17 10 13 48 23 43 6 38 16 26 98 46 15 34 9 7 32 35 62 30 33
Drivers who will miss the race: #62-Gaughan, #30-Hornaday.
(4-17-2015) - Friday practice for the Food City 500 In Support Of Steve Byrnes And Stand Up To Cancer Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is over after 85 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest two and some notes:
#5-Kahne 128.168
#88-Earnhardt, Jr 128.159
#2-Keselowski 127.971
#19-Edwards 127.554
#18-Ragan 127.546
Most laps run: #14-Stewart 65, #46-Annett 60
slowest: #33-Kennedy 123.650 & #62-Gaughan 122.835
notes: Qualifying is scheduled for 4:45pm/et this afternoon.
See fastest speeds, laps run, best 10 Consecutive Lap Average on the Bristol practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(4-17-2015) - Qualifying Order for the Food City 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway is posted. 45 cars/drivers are listed.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #38-Gilliland.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #13-Mears.
Qualifying order is set by a random draw, held about an hour before the first practice.
See the full qualifying order on Jayski.com’s Bristol Qualifying Page.(4-17-2015) - Sorenson to drive the #34 at Richmond: Front Row Motorsports tweeted Friday morning that Reed Sorenson will drive the #34 Ford next weekend at Richmond. Sorenson started the year with the #29 team of RAB Racing. He finished 32nd at Daytona. The team did not qualify at Atlanta, Las Vegas, or Fontana, with drew from Phoenix, and have not attempted a race since.(4-17-2019)
- Harvick to be honored at the White House: Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick and his #4 Stewart-Haas Racing team will be honored by President Obama at the White House on Tuesday, April 21. The visit will continue the president’s tradition of honoring athletes and sports teams for their efforts to give back to their communities. The event will be held at 2:45pm/et and will be streamed live by the White House website. Harvick most recently visited the White House in 2012 when President Obama welcomed the participants in the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.(4-17-2015)
- Skuttle Tight, CSX join Ragan for Hamlin Showdown: David Ragan will be among the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars racing for a cause at the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown April 23 at South Boston Speedway. Skuttle Tight and CSX will be on Ragan’s #77 Ford as primary sponsors, and Farmer Machine Company will be represented as an associate partner. The 200-lap, annual Late Model event at the 0.4-mile oval serves as a fundraiser for the Denny Hamlin Foundation, which raises awareness and funds for the specific needs of children with Cystic Fibrosis. Skuttle Tight is a Willmar, Minn.-based manufacturer that offers insulated attic-entry systems that replace older attic hatches and access panels that can cause drafts. CSX, a transportation company with 21,000 miles of railroad tracks in 23 states, has partnered with Ragan for three race seasons to promote its safety campaign to “Play It Safe” around railroad tracks. Farmer Machine is a Virginia-based heavy fabrication company and a supplier for CSX. Ragan has participated in the Showdown for three consecutive years, finishing as high as second in 2013.(Breaking Limits)(4-17-2015)
- Bristol Motor Speedway Notes & Facts – Friday – poles:
· Fred Lorenzen won the inaugural Coors Light pole with a speed of 79.225 mph.
· 47 different drivers have poles at Bristol, led by Mark Martin and Cale Yarborough with nine each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with five.
· The race winner has started from the pole 22 times, the most productive starting position. The last driver to win from the pole was Carl Edwards, in the night race of 2008.
· Four drivers have won from the pole position multiple times: Bobby Allison (1972 twice), Cale Yarborough (1973, 1977 twice, 1980), Darrell Waltrip (1981 twice, 1982) and Rusty Wallace (1991, 1993, 1999, 2000).
· 10 different drivers have posted consecutive poles at Bristol Motor Speedway; Mark Martin is the only of the 10 to win four consecutive poles at Bristol: Fireball Roberts (swept 1962), Fred Lorenzen (swept 1963), Richard Petty (1967-’68), Bobby Allison (swept 1972), Cale Yarborough (swept 1973; swept 1977; swept 1980), Darrell Waltrip (swept 1981), Geoff Bodine (swept 1986), Mark Martin (swept 1995-1996- all four races; and swept 2009); Rusty Wallace (swept 1998), Jeff Gordon (swept 2002) and Denny Hamlin (fall 2013, spring 2014).
· Jeff Gordon leads (active drivers) the series in average starting position at Bristol with a 7.318.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway three times; most recently August 25, 2012.
(NASCAR)(4-17-2015) - Sad News – Poncho Myers: Richard “Bob” “Poncho” Myers, 65, of Highland Ter., Titusville, FL, died Thursday, April 16, 2015, at his home. Myers was born February 22, 1950, in Winston Salem, NC to NASCAR pioneer Bobby Harris Myers and Laura Lorene Younts. For over 30 years, Myers worked for Boeing/ULA. Surviving are his wife Judy Johnson Myers of the home; daughter Tracy Myers of Daytona; son Robert Myers of the home; grandchildren Hannah Myers and Jordan Snowden of Daytona; Brother Danny “Chocolate” Myers (RCR) and his wife Caron of Lexington, NC; brother-in-law James Johnson and Raymond Johnson of Titusville; sisters-in-law Beverly and her husband Charles, and Lisa Johnson of Titusville; Nieces Chrissy Johnson and Stacy Johnson of Titusville and Alexi Myers of Lexington, NC; and his beloved dog Sugar. Myers loved fishing, racing-especially the Richard Childress racing teams-his family and his church.(northbrevardfuneralhome.com)(4-17-2015)
- Austin Dillon fastest in XFINITY happy hour: #33-Austin Dillon was quickest during happy hour for the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 with a speed of 124.412mph. He was followed by: #54-Denny Hamlin, #18-Daniel Suarez, #60-Chris Buescher, #2-Brian Scott, #20-Erik Jones, #3-Ty Dillon, #62-Brendan Gaughan, #9-Chase Elliott, and #22-Joey Logano, and #88-Kevin Harvick. 39 drivers participated in the session. See complete results on the Bristol practice 2 speeds page (pdf).(4-17-2015)
- Hamlin fastest in first XFINITY practice: #54-Denny Hamlin was fastest during opening practice at Bristol Speedway with a speed of 122.100mph. #2-Brian Scott was second, followed by: #22-Joey Logano, #20-Erik Jones, #33-Austin Dillon, #88-Kevin Harvick, #62-Brendan Gaughan, #7-Regan Smith, #60-Chris Buescher, and #18-Daniel Suarez. 39 drivers practiced during the session. See complete results on the Bristol practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(4-17-2015)
- MAKE celebrates new North Carolina recognition: MAKE Motorsports is a proud supporter of North Carolina House Bill 140. This bill named April 18th as Linemen Appreciation Day in the State of North Carolina. MAKE has been a true supporter of linemen and their work as first responders. In 2014, MAKE sported the Drivin’ for Linemen campaign. They also were the first team to sponsor a race with the Drivin’ for Linemen 200 at Gateway Raceway. MAKE Motorsports wants to thank Representatives Hastings, Bradford, Pendleton, and Farmer-Butterfield for sponsoring this bill. MAKE also would like to thank NC House Speaker Tim Moore for all of his help. The #50 and #1 Chevrolet Silverados are sponsored in part by Elite Holdings and Life On the Line Movie.(MAKE Motorsports)(4-17-2015)
- Chevy returns at official vehicle and pace car at Bristol: Chevrolet, with more than a century of motorsports success, reunites with Bristol Motor Speedway in a multiyear deal as the official vehicle and pace car of the iconic short track. Beginning with this weekend’s first race, Drive to Stop Diabetes 300, a red Chevrolet Camaro 1LE pace car will lead the field of 40 NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers down to the green flag. The Camaro will be the front-runner throughout the 160-mile contest as drivers duke it out at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. For the first time since 2008, a Chevrolet will serve as the pace car of the Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes and Stand Up To Cancer. A sleek white Chevrolet SS will lead the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars to the start of the race and pace the field throughout the battle of the high banks. The Chevrolet pace car for the Food City 500 will be adorned with Steve Byrnes’ name above the driver and passenger doors.(BMS)(4-17-2015)
- M&M’s Crispy to sponsor pole day at Richmond: It’s been said that the taste of a NASCAR victory is sweet. But, why should drivers have to wait until after the checkered flag to get a sample? Well, Richmond International Raceway and M&M’s Brand are here to satisfy that craving before the green flag waves. M&M’s® Brand and RIR are proud to bring fans M&M’s Crispy Pole Qualifying at RIR on Friday, April 24th. The field for TOYOTA OWNERS 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday night, April 25th will be set on Friday when drivers participate in three rounds of knockout qualifying. After a decade of phone calls, petitions, Facebook posts and countless other pleas, Mars Chocolate North America brought M&M’S Crispy back nationwide in January following a 10-year hiatus.(M&M Mars)(4-17-2015)
- Earnhardt Jr., Logano to participate in Dover vs. Pocono celebrity softball game: As part of their annual Team Dover vs. Team Pocono Celebrity Softball Game, Dover International Speedway and Pocono Raceway will go head-to-head for the third time Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at ARM & HAMMER Park in Trenton, N.J. This event will feature the two most recent winners of the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2014) and Joey Logano (2015), along with Todd Bodine, two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion and current Fox Sports 1 analyst. The rosters from each team will be rounded out with members of national and local motorsports media, as well as other local media personalities, Miss Coors Light Amanda Mertz, and a few other special guests. The softball series between the two tracks is currently tied at one game apiece. Pocono came from behind to win the inaugural game in 2012 and Dover evened the score with a walk-off victory two years ago. Access to the celebrity softball game is free with a ticket to the April 21 matchup between the Thunder and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Individual tickets for the Trenton Thunder’s baseball game start at just $11 and are currently on sale. All children ages 12 and younger will receive a voucher for a free hot dog, drink and bag of pretzels upon entrance. Additionally, it will be “1-Dollar Dog Night” for all fans, courtesy of Black Bear Franks. For tickets to this special event, please call 1-609-394-3300 or visit www.TrentonThunder.com. Gates for the softball game will open at 4 p.m. with the event beginning at 4:30 p.m. Following the softball game, time permitting, Earnhardt and Logano will throw out the first pitch for that evening’s 7 p.m. baseball game versus the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.(Pocono/Dover PR)(4-17-2015)
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