April 21, 2016
- Stewart says lug nut rule is a safety issue UPDATE Fine issued: #14-Tony Stewart is “beyond mad” with NASCAR over the sanctioning body’s lack of lug nut enforcement on pit road, the driver/team owner said Wednesday. NASCAR stopped requiring teams to put all five lug nuts on its wheels at the start of last season, part of a new pit road technology initiative that also saw a reduction of its officiating force. With officials no longer in every pit box, NASCAR said it was up to the teams whether they should put all five lug nuts on the wheel or not. But teams have been pushing the limit by only securing as few as three lug nuts, creating an epidemic of loose wheels in the sport. And Stewart said it’s only a matter of time before that ends badly. “I guarantee you that envelope is going to keep getting pushed until somebody gets hurt,” Stewart said. “You will not have heard a rant that’s going to be as bad as what’s going to come out of my mouth if a driver gets hurt because of a loose wheel that hurts one of them. With all the crap we’re going through with all the safety stuff, and for them to sit there and sit on their hands on this one … this is not a game you play with safety and that’s exactly the way I feel like NASCAR is treating this. This is not the way to do this.” Stewart said NASCAR overall has done a fine job on safety — such as mandating safety changes to superspeedway cars in technical bulletins — but said “in this one particular area, they are totally dropping the ball and I feel like really made a grossly bad decision on.”(USA Today)(4-21-2016)
UPDATE: NASCAR has fined Stewart-Haas Racing driver and co-owner Tony Stewart $35,000 for violations of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rule Book, the sanctioning body announced Thursday. Stewart’s fine falls under Section 12 of the rule book, specifically member conduct guidelines. According to Section 12.8.1, actions that could result in a $10,000-$50,000 fine include disparaging the sport and/or NASCAR’s leadership, or verbal abuse of a NASCAR Official, media members, fans, etc. Stewart announced earlier Thursday that he would return to the #14 Chevrolet this weekend at Richmond after missing the first eight races due to injury.(NASCAR.com)(4-21-2016) - Stewart medically cleared; will return at Richmond UPDATE: #14-Tony Stewart tweeted Thursday morning, “Well, the long wait is over. I’ll be back in my @Mobil1 Chevy this weekend at Richmond. I can’t wait to race again” and “The Dr’s said my scans “looked much better than they thought they would after 3 months”. So they cleared me”.
AND: Tony Stewart has been cleared by his doctors and NASCAR to return to racing, effective immediately. He will drive the #14 Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Chevrolet SS fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing throughout this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway. Stewart missed the first eight races of the season after sustaining a burst fracture of the L1 vertebra in a Jan. 31 all-terrain vehicle accident. The prescribed rehabilitation regimen instituted by his doctors following a March 9 evaluation proved successful, allowing the three-time series champion to return for his final Sprint Cup season. “As soon as the doctors said they were happy with my scans, I wasn’t going to wait any longer to get back in my racecar,” said Stewart, who announced last year that he would retire after the 2016 season. “I want to make the most of my last season in Sprint Cup, and I’ve been on the sidelines long enough.” Following Richmond, Stewart will participate in a Goodyear tire test April 26-27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He will then practice and qualify his #14 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series’ next event at Talladega Superspeedway. However, Stewart will only start the race before yielding the car to Ty Dillon, who split substitute driving duties this year with Brian Vickers.
“We’re taking a strategic approach to my return,” Stewart said. “Richmond is a track where I feel very comfortable and because it’s a short track, the speeds are substantially less. The Goodyear test in Indy is sort of a controlled environment, allowing me to get more acclimated with my car at higher speeds. We’ll start the Talladega race to get the points, but understanding the style of racing and the higher potential of getting involved in an incident, we thought it was best to minimize the amount of time I’m in the car. I’ll return fulltime at Kansas and enjoy every moment I can in my final year of Sprint Cup.
“I appreciate everyone’s patience and all the support they’ve given me the last couple of months, but the best medicine will come this weekend at Richmond when I finally get to go racing.”
Richmond will mark Stewart’s 591st career Sprint Cup start. Thirty-three of those starts have come at Richmond, where Stewart has three wins, four second-place finishes, 11 top-fives, 19 top-10s and has led a total of 950 laps. Richmond is home to Stewart’s his first career Sprint Cup win, earned on Sept. 11, 1999 when he led 333 of 400 laps.(Stewart-Haas Racing)
UPDATE: “NASCAR received the appropriate medical clearance documentation allowing Tony Stewart to resume normal racing activities. We also have granted the request from Stewart-Haas Racing for a waiver for Tony to be eligible to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. As he begins his final season, we wish Tony the best of luck.”(NASCAR)(4-21-2016) - Stewart says lug nut rule is a safety issue: #14-Tony Stewart is “beyond mad” with NASCAR over the sanctioning body’s lack of lug nut enforcement on pit road, the driver/team owner said Wednesday. NASCAR stopped requiring teams to put all five lug nuts on its wheels at the start of last season, part of a new pit road technology initiative that also saw a reduction of its officiating force. With officials no longer in every pit box, NASCAR said it was up to the teams whether they should put all five lug nuts on the wheel or not. But teams have been pushing the limit by only securing as few as three lug nuts, creating an epidemic of loose wheels in the sport. And Stewart said it’s only a matter of time before that ends badly. “I guarantee you that envelope is going to keep getting pushed until somebody gets hurt,” Stewart said. “You will not have heard a rant that’s going to be as bad as what’s going to come out of my mouth if a driver gets hurt because of a loose wheel that hurts one of them. With all the crap we’re going through with all the safety stuff, and for them to sit there and sit on their hands on this one … this is not a game you play with safety and that’s exactly the way I feel like NASCAR is treating this. This is not the way to do this.” Stewart said NASCAR overall has done a fine job on safety — such as mandating safety changes to superspeedway cars in technical bulletins — but said “in this one particular area, they are totally dropping the ball and I feel like really made a grossly bad decision on.”(USA Today)(4-21-2016)
- Tire test at Pocono Tues & Wed UPDATE: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams representing Richard Childress Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Team Penske and Furniture Row Racing are scheduled to participate in a two-day Goodyear tire test Tuesday and Wednesday, April 19-20 at Pocono Raceway. Drivers expected to take part in the test are #78-Martin Truex Jr., #2-Brad Keselowski, #42-Kyle Larson and #31-Ryan Newman. “It’s kind of in line with what we’ve done at the other tests,” Greg Stucker, director of race tire sales for Goodyear said Sunday morning at Bristol Motor Speedway. “Looking at the 2016 package for Pocono and looking to increase grip.” With only three corners and each one drastically different, Pocono presents its own set of unique challenges both to teams and Goodyear. While teams often compared it to Indianapolis Motor Speedway where the series will visit later this summer, those similarities, such as from a tire-wear standpoint, had begun to lessen.(NASCAR)(4-19-2016)
UPDATE: Four Sprint Cup Series teams participated in a two-day Goodyear tire test Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for June’s Axalta, “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono Raceway. Drivers taking part at the Tricky Triangle were defending race winner Martin Truex Jr., the Chevrolet teams of Ryan Newman and Kyle Larson and Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski, who is also a former Cup winner at Pocono. Newman ran into trouble on Day 1 as his Richard Childress Racing team shipped up another car from their shop in Welcome, N.C. for the second day of testing. “We had a tire go down, not a tire problem,” Newman said. “It was either cut something or had some kind of leak and failed a tire, so we had to get another car shipped up here last night, got here this morning and the guys switched it over. We’ve had a busy day-and-a-half of testing so far, but don’t have a lot to show for it.” The Purdue University graduate wasn’t the only one who experienced issues Tuesday. Third-year Cup driver Kyle Larson had a close call in his #42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet while testing around the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway. “The car feels similar to how I raced here last time and I think we’ve actually improved on it some,” Larson said. “We’ve had to work through a couple issues throughout both days, was having brake problems yesterday getting a long pedal after a few laps. We had a tire sensor go bad and go flat right-rear. “(Times Leader)(4-21-2016) - Banfield Pet Hospital featured on the #18 at Richmond: The life of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver can be hectic. With 38 weekends of racing in a 40-week span, the marathon-like schedule of NASCAR’s top series can be incredibly grueling as competitors crisscross the country from as far east as Loudon, New Hampshire to as far west as Sonoma, California. While Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Banfield Pet Hospital Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), and his wife Samantha live a lot of their lives in their motorhome at the track each weekend, a part of home they bring with them is their Pomeranian Yorkie named Lucy, who joined the family shortly after they were married in 2010, and a West Highland Terrier named Suzie, who Busch has owned since 2005. Founded in 1955, Banfield Pet Hospital is the largest privately owned veterinary practice in the world. The practice has more than 850 hospitals in the United States and Puerto Rico, most of which are located inside PetSmart stores. And, good news for the Busch family in case there is a need for veterinary service while they’re on the road, chances are there is always a Banfield Pet Hospital nearby.(Joe Gibbs Racing), see an image of the car on the #18 team paint schemes page.(4-21-2016)
- First appearance for Busch Light on the #4: Kevin Harvick’s #4 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing will feature Busch Light for the first time during this weekend’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway. It marks the first appearance for a Busch brand on the #4 since February’s season-opening non-points Sprint Unlimited during Speedweeks at Daytona. While Busch Beer has a rich racing history dating back to 1978, Busch Light, which was introduced to the public in 1989, will make its debut as a primary sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series. Busch Beer’s history as a primary sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series dates back to the first race of the 1979 season, when NASCAR champion Cale Yarborough drove Junior Johnson’s iconic #11 car to a third-place finish at Riverside International Raceway. Yarborough drove the #11 Busch Beer car for the entire 1979 and 1980 seasons. He went on to score 10 wins, 38 top-five finishes, 44 top-10s, 15 poles and led 4,130 laps over the 62-race span. This weekend marks the first of four appearances by Busch Light on the #4 Chevrolet SS in 2016. It will next appear on the #4 Chevrolet SS in the non-points-paying Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, before appearing in July at Kentucky Speedway and Martinsville Speedway in October.(Stewart-Haas Racing), see an image of the car on the #4 team paint schemes page.(4-21-2016)
- Credit One Bank debuts as primary sponsor on McMurray’s #1: Credit One Bank will make its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut with Chip Ganassi Racing Teams as the primary partner on the #1 Credit One Bank Chevrolet SS. The car, driven by 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contender Jamie McMurray, will hit the track for the first time this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. The Credit One Bank signature blue paint scheme can also be seen on the #1 Chevrolet later this season at Daytona International Speedway and Dover Speedway (Oct. 2). Credit One Bank, introduced earlier this year as the “Official Credit Card of NASCAR”, offers full spectrum credit card products, and is among the top 10 largest Visa credit card issuers in the United States. The Credit One Bank NASCAR credit card provides 1 percent cash back on eligible purchases and 2 percent cash back on purchases made at NASCAR.com. Card members also benefit from exclusive discounts from retail partners such as Fanatics and NASCAR Racing Experience.(Chip Ganassi Racing), see an image of the car on the #1 team paint schemes page.(4-21-2016)
- Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Receives Grant to develop Theater: The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) announced that it has received a $2.5 million grant from the Margie & Robert E. Petersen Foundation of Los Angeles, with the money targeted to fund construction and development of the Robert E. Petersen Theater in the hall’s new permanent home at Daytona International Speedway. The MSHFA, which has moved to Daytona Beach from Novi, Michigan, will be housed in the speedway’s expansive ticket and tours facility that greets thousands of motorsports fans each year at the “World Center of Racing.” A vital component in the relocation will be the new theater, along with a Robert E. Petersen “Tribute Room” that will greet guests entering the attraction. The first phase of construction and development is expected to be completed by June – in time for the 28th Annual MSHFA Induction Ceremony Presented by Bridgestone on June 29 and the July 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the speedway, the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola. The Margie & Robert E. Petersen Foundation has donated more than $300 million to their namesake and renowned Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, children’s charities and to various organizations and causes since its 1996 formation. In 1948 Robert E. Petersen founded HOT ROD magazine followed by many more automotive magazines including MOTOR TREND, CAR CRAFT, ROD & CUSTOM, CIRCLE TRACK, MOTORCYCLIST and 4 WHEEL & OFF ROAD.(DIS)(4-21-2016)
- Richmond Track Notes & History:
� Originally known as the Atlantic Rural Exposition Fairgrounds, Richmond International Raceway held its first race in 1946 as a half-mile dirt track.
� The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was April 19, 1953 won by Lee Petty.
� The spring 1964 race was run on a Tuesday night under temporary lighting.
� The track name changed to Virginia State Fairgrounds in 1967.
� The track surface was changed from dirt to asphalt between races in 1968.
� The track name changed to Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in 1969.
� The track was re-measured to .542-mile for 1970.
� The track was rebuilt as a three-quarters-mile D-shaped oval following the Feb. 21, 1988 race.
� The first race under permanent lights was Sept. 7, 1991.
� The first season with both races as night races was 1999.
(NASCAR) - RepairableVehicles.com returns to #51 team at Richmond: Jeremy Clements heads into the second NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash race at Richmond International Raceway with RepairableVehicles.com back on board the #51 JCR Chevy Camaro SS for the Toyota Care 250. RepairableVehicles.com, a division of Interstate Auto Center, Inc., is one of the leading resellers of repairable vehicles in North America. By working together with insurance companies, dealerships, rental companies, and automotive salvage auctions, we are able to provide an ever changing inventory of high quality total-loss, recovered theft, collision damage, and other types of repairable vehicles to our customers worldwide.(Jeremy Clements Racing)(4-21-2016)
- Hemric to Promote Autism Awareness: Daniel Hemric, driver of the #19 Oakmont Management Group Ford F-150 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) and Autism Delaware are teaming up together to raise funds and awareness for autism. On Saturday, April 23, Hemric will take part in the Walk for Autism at Fox Point State Park in Wilmington, Delaware. Hemric will sign autographs and participate in a Guinness World Record attempt to create the longest double high five chain. There will also be a show truck on site for an up close and personal look inside of Hemric’s Ford F-150. Three weeks later, Hemric’s race truck will sport a hood decal promoting autism education and awareness in the NCWTS race at Dover International Speedway on Friday, May 13. In addition, Hemric has produced a PSA encouraging race fans to purchase tickets for the Dover race weekend, with a portion of each ticket price directly benefitting Autism Delaware. Hemric will be actively promoting autism awareness via social media throughout of the remainder of April, which is Autism Awareness Month. One in 68 kids in the United States are diagnosed with some form of autism. That’s more than diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy and Downs syndrome combined. Autism Delaware provides vital programs and services for families and individuals affected by autism.(Brad Keselowski Racing)(4-21-2016)
- Jason Jones to serve as grand marshal at Dover: Jason Jones, star of the hit TBS comedy “The Detour,” will serve as the grand marshal for the “AAA 400 Drive for Autism” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, May 15. Jones, an actor and writer who first appeared on “The Daily Show” in 2005, became popular with critics and viewers alike with his many foreign trips for the show, including a trip to Iran for their elections in 2009 and Russia in 2014 for the Winter Olympics. Jones left “The Daily Show” in 2015 to begin work on “The Detour” on TBS, a comedy revolving around a family road trip that he created with his wife, Samantha Bee. Jones is a writer and executive producer for “The Detour” and also directed one episode. The “AAA 400 Drive for Autism” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is the centerpiece of the May 13-15 NASCAR tripleheader weekend at the Monster Mile. Dover International Speedway also plays host to a NASCAR XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash race on Saturday, May 14, and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event on Friday, May 13.(Dover International Speedway)(4-21-2016)
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