May 1, 2013
- Penalties against Penske Racing have been upheld by appeals panel: many reports on Twitter say the penalties against Penske Racing have been upheld by appeals panel. Penske will appeal to highest level, Chief Appellate Officer. John Middlebrook. Penske crew members will be able to work at Talladega pending approval of Middlebrook.(5-1-2013)
AND: The National Car Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel upheld the penalties Wednesday to the Penske Racing teams of #2-Brad Keselowski and #22-Joey Logano. Team owner Roger Penske said he would appeal the ruling to National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer John Middlebrook. “I can’t make any comments, it’s clear we have a process and I’m better off to wait to see that conclude,” Penske said. “All I can say about the process is it’s fair and equitable. We had an opportunity to explain our case in detail. We will move onto the next step.”
The appeals panel of Pocono Raceway president Brandon Igdalsky, former NASCAR senior vice president Paul Brooks and Bowman-Gray Stadium operator Dale Pinilis took about five hours to hear arguments from both sides and deliberate on the decision. The three-person panel was chosen from a list of 49 eligible members.
“We take our inspection process very seriously,” NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. “We believe we do a strong and credible job with it. The level playing field in the garage we believe is the best it’s ever been. As the sanctioning body, we have to uphold the rules and regulations in the rulebook. The inspection process we believe in very strongly.” Sprint Cup director John Darby presented NASCAR’s side.
Team owner Roger Penske attended the hearing with chief lieutenants Walt Czarnecki (vice president of Penske Corp.) and Tim Cindric (Penske Racing president). Team manager Travis Geisler and crew chiefs Paul Wolfe (Keselowski) and Todd Gordon (Logano) also were present.(USA Today)(5-1-2013)
NASCAR Statement: On May 1, 2013, the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel heard and considered the appeal of the #2 and #22 Penske Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams. The penalties stemmed from a pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway April 13. See full rundown of the peanlties, fines and suspensions on my 2013 NASCAR Penalties page. The Appellants appealed all penalties listed. The Appellants also requested and were granted a deferral of the suspensions until such time as the hearing could be convened. Upon hearing the testimony and carefully reviewing the facts, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR. The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer. The National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel overseeing the appeal: Brandon Igdalsky, Paul Brooks, Dale Pinilis and Shawn Rogers – Appellate Administrator and non-voting member.(NASCAR)(5-1-2013)
Final Appeal Date: Team owner Roger Penske will utilize the final step in the appeal process, in which NASCAR chief appellate officer John Middlebrook will hear from both sides. The hearing will take place next Tuesday [May 7] at 10 a.m. ET, meaning all of the suspended crew members will be at Talladega this weekend. “Obviously, we’re disappointed with the outcome,” Penske said. “We met with the panel for over four or five hours. It was a good process. I feel we have a good case, and as we are allowed to under the NASCAR rules we will appeal to the next level. I can’t make any [further] comment. It’s clear we have a process. That’s why I’m better off to wait and see that conclude, and at that point I can make any other personal comments.”(ESPN)(5-1-2013) - Hamlin plans to start at Talladega UPDATE not cleared yet: #11-Denny Hamlin plans to start Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway, but don’t look for him to be in the car long. Assuming nothing changes during practice or qualifying, it will be the first race back for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver since suffering a compression fracture in his lower back on the final lap of the March 24 event at Auto Club Speedway in California. Hamlin tweeted on Tuesday that he was cleared “just to start,’ Hamlin told ESPN.com at Kansas he would drop to the back of the pack at Talladega and ride around until the first caution, then give way to backup driver Brian Vickers.(ESPN)(4-30-2013)
UPDATE: NASCAR confirmed that medical clearance has not yet been given for Denny Hamlin to return to racing the #11 FedEx Toyota (many sources on Twitter)(5-1-2013) - Waltrip returns to the #55 at ‘Dega: #55 Aaron’s Dream Machine driver Michael Waltrip returns to the drivers seat at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday in the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup race. The two-time Daytona 500 champion’s #55 will carry a special paint scheme honoring the 2012 University of Alabama’s BCS National Championship football team. Waltrip will sport an Alabama firesuit and a specially painted helmet similar to the school’s football helmet. Waltrip, winner of the Talladega fall race in 2003, nearly won the October race before a last lap wreck. Waltrip celebrated his 50th birthday on Tuesday. Aaron’s unveiled the #55 paint scheme in front of 78,000 fans at University of Alabama’s spring football game on April 20. Coach Nick Saban signed the hood. This is the fourth consecutive Talladega spring race Aaron’s Inc. and MWR have honored a national championship football team from the state of Alabama. Aaron’s also honored Auburn University in 2010 as well as the University of Alabama in 2009 and 2011.(MWR), see an image of the scheme on the #55 Team Schemes page.(5-1-2013)
- Career Sprint Cup start 700 for Bobby Labonte: #47-Bobby Labonte makes his 700th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend during the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. He is the 14th driver to be able to accomplish that feat. He is not far behind NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace, who is in 13th at 706 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts. At Talladega Superspeedway, Labonte has one win, one pole, six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. He has led 154 laps. His average start is 21.375 and his average finish is 18.850. The Clorox Company have partnered with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and JTG Daugherty Racing to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of their iconic brand for the weekend in Talladega, Ala. from May 3-5, 2013. The #42 Chevy of Juan Pablo Montoya will bear the 100th Anniversary paint scheme while the #47 Toyota Camry of Bobby Labonte will sport a brown retro look, reminiscent of one of Clorox’s first bottles of bleach.(JTG Daugherty Racing), see an image of the car on the #47 Team Schemes page.(5-1-2013)
- Changes with the #44 and #19 teams? UPDATE: been told that crew chief Peter Sospenzo has left the #19 Humphrey-Smith Racing team and is the new crew chief for the #44 Xxxtreme Motorsports team. Supposedly Mike Bliss, currently the driver of the #19 Toyota could move to the #44 Ford for Xxxtreme Motorsports. Scott Riggs has ran three races for Xxxtreme Motorsports this season. Supposedly the next race for Xxxtreme Motorsports will be at Charlotte Motor Speedway, possibly as soon as the Sprint Showdown on May 18th. Former #44 crew chief has supposedly moved on to the #79 Go Green Racing team in the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series. No word who the new crew chief for the #19 team will be.
UPDATE: been told that Furr is not working with the #79 team and that Ben Leslie is working with the team as the crew chief.(5-1-2013) - Tire testing at Indy UPDATE: been told that there will be NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goodyear tire testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, April 30 and Wednesday, May 1. The following drivers are scheduled to test. #2-Brad Keselowski, #14-Tony Stewart, #21-Trevor Bayne, #24-Jeff Gordon, #55-Mark Martin and #78-Kurt Busch.
AND Part of NASCAR rolls into town today for stock car testing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are among the Sprint Cup Series drivers participating in the Goodyear tire test today and Wednesday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Brad Keselowski, former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, Mark Martin and Kurt Busch also will be on the track. The session will be from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm both days with an hour break for lunch sometime around noon. Spectators can watch the test from the Hall of Fame Museum parking lot, the grandstand located inside the track near the museum and a small portion of the Turn 2 spectator mound. The rest of the latter is closed due to renovation and ADA upgrades that will be completed for next week’s opening of Indianapolis 500 practice. There is no admission to the museum parking lot (Indianapolis Star).(4-30-2013)
UPDATE NASCAR had the perfect combination for the start of Tuesday’s tire test in Indianapolis. Cool track, new tires, long straightaways and cars with grip. It doesn’t get any better than that , and they aren’t likely go much faster than this, either. After #55-Mark Martin wrote on Twitter that he had hit 212 mph in the backstretch during the morning session, a disbelieving #24-Jeff Gordon walked over to his team to see what it had recorded. “They said 214 and I said, ‘My gosh, it really is fast,’” Gordon said. To put the speeds in perspective, Denny Hamlin won last year’s Brickyard 400 pole with a fast lap of 182.293 mph. Gordon said all the cars Tuesday were faster. The incredibly quick speeds didn’t last long when the temperatures warmed up and tires started wearing faster. And while nobody expects the cars to go anywhere close to these speeds in late July, everybody was encouraged by the early performance of the new Gen-6 cars on one of America’s most historic, and tricky tracks. On Tuesday, Gordon and a handful of other drivers were asked to start the testing on a new more environmentally friendly tire. It worked spectacularly well under ideal conditions. The tires, Gordon said, did not respond nearly as well in the afternoon, and Trevor Bayne, who also tested, noted his speeds were down by about one full second per lap in the heat. The same drivers will return to the track Wednesday for another closed practice.(Associated Press)(5-1-2013) - #95 team and Speed to honor victims in West, TX: Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 will be the second race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season with restrictor plates. But for Scott Speed and Leavine Family Racing, their effort will be anything but restricted. The team will dedicate its efforts on Sunday to the victims of the West, Texas, explosion that killed 14 people, including 12 first responders. “We will run with restricted engines at the Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, but I can promise you nobody on this race team will hold anything back,” Speed said. “Our race team has deep roots in Texas. Our car will be West, Texas, strong.” The Texas-based team decided to bring awareness to the disaster with signage on Speed’s #95 Ford Fusion for Sunday’s race in the aftermath of the fiery explosion at the fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas. The roof to Speed’s car will carry to the words: “West, Texas, Strong. Victims – Survivors – Heroes.”
“As Texans, we all bond together,” said car owner Bob Leavine, who lives in Tyler, Texas. “Texans are strong people, proud people. And when something happens, we join forces.” TrackingPoint and Jordan Truck Sales (JTS) will share the primary sponsorship for the 188-lap event. Returning team sponsor Jordan Truck Sales (JTS) will be on the hood of the #95 Ford. The Austin, Texas based TrackingPoint will return with sponsorship on the quarter panels. Secondary sponsors Friends of NRAand Besties with Testies also signed on for Sunday’s project. Crew chief Wally Rogers knows the best way to honor the victims of the explosion is to run up front. The team will bring the same car that led two laps at the season-opening Daytona 500 and wound up with a lead-lap finish. Since Leavine Family Racing is running a selective schedule, Speed kept himself busy with driving in the X-Games Global Rallycross championship. He won a gold medal for Ford Racing by winning the race in an OlsbergsMSE Fiesta Star Ford April 23 at Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. Speed won with a last-lap pass. “Winning in Brazil was a lot of fun,” Speed said. “Winning at Talladega would be even better.”(Leavine Family Racing)(5-1-2013) - Stacey has concussion; out at least for Talladega: This season we’ve saw some drivers take some very hard hits, and last weekend at Richmond, Nationwide driver #92-Dexter Stacey took a very hard hit into the wall. Since then, the doctors have concluded that he does in fact have a concussion and will have to miss Talladega this coming week in Nationwide. Pending approval, he may be back the following week. Tim Andrews, who has a best finish of 17th, which he took at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve last season, is expected to take the drivers seat this weekend, and possibly for following weeks if needed until Dexter is medically cleared.(Apex Times)(5-1-2013)
- Speedway Superstars kicks off: Speedway Superstars kicks off Wednesday, May 1st at the track with special appearances by Kenny Wallace and Doug Rice, the voice of PRN. It is a 10 city, 2 state mobile audition studio giving fans the chance to sing either the national anthem or God Bless America. From there 5 fans will be selected to sing one of the songs at one of the races in May at Charlotte Motor Speedway. More info at charlottemotorspeedway.com.(5-1-2013)
Main Page | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997