May 2, 2012
- Seeing double at Talladega: NASCAR fans may think they’re seeing double during the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. The paint scheme that has adorned the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevy moswt of the season will be shared with the Stewart-Haas Racing’s Bass Pro Shops sponsored #39 Chevy driven by Ryan Newman for the Talledega race as a salute to men and women across America who enjoy the outdoor traditions of hunting, shooting sports, fishing, boating, camping and hiking. “Both Ryan and Jamie love to hunt and fish so we felt like this would be a great time to thank all the outdoor enthusiasts out there who love the outdoors and continue to pass on these traditions to future generations,” stated Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. In addition, Bass Pro Shops wants to emphasize the outdoors is a great way to get away from our hectic fast-paced world and escape to the sights and sounds of nature.(Bass Pro Shops), see images of the schemes on the #1 Team schemes page and the #39 Team schemes page.(5-2-2012)
- Jimmy Pardue’s First Win To Be Honored: On Friday, May 4th, Southside Speedway will recognize the 50th anniversary of NASCAR driver Jimmy Pardue’s first “Cup” win. Pardue, from racing rich Wilkes County, NC; was a driver on the rise in the early 1960’s. During the night’s program a presentation will be made to the Pardue family. Many of today’s fans may not realize that back in the early 60’s, NASCAR’s premiere division raced at the historic Southside Speedway. In addition to Pardue; Junior Johnson, Jim Paschal and Ned Jarrett all won on the tight bull ring. Richard Petty, Buck and Buddy Baker, Wendell Scott, Joe Weatherly, Elmo Langley, Rex White and other stars of the era made appearances at Southside during the early 60’s. It was the first of only two wins for Pardue (the 2nd coming in July 1963 in Moyock, NC). On September 22nd, 1964, while testing tires at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Pardue was killed in an accident. Despite missing the final seven races of the season; Pardue finished 5th in the final 1964 point standings.(5-2-2012)
- Skinner joins Hamilton Means Racing: The #52 Hamilton Means Racing Toyota will have Mike Skinner as the driver going forward in the 2012 Sprint Cup season. Skinner is scheduled to make his debut for the team at Darlington Raceway in the Bojangles’ Southern 500. HMR’s Kelly Owen said “we are incredibility excited to have Mike come on board, he will certainly bring a great deal of knowledge and wisdom to our team’s efforts for the remainder of the season. Best of all he brings stability so that we can make our plans knowing that we a commitment from an experienced driver that can get the job done.” The #52 will be sponsored by Crusader’s Staffing at Darlington.(HMR PR)(5-2-2012)
- Ragan and McCall Farms Team Up in Darlington: History, superstition and common logic would all advise against placing green and peanuts on a racecar, however when David Ragan takes the green flag at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, May 12, he will be doing both of those things. Ragan, a native of Unadilla, Georgia, will have support from Effingham, South Carolina’s McCall Farms for the event. The driver, who holds a career best finish of 5th at Darlington, will be carrying the colors of “The South’s Favorite Snack” – Peanut Patch Boiled Peanuts during the historic, Bojangles’ Southern 500. While the #34 Sprint Cup Series car will primarily feature the Peanut Patch Brand, it will also feature associate branding from McCall’s Margaret Holmes and Glory Foods brands as well. While McCall Farms is a family-run business, they are no small outfit. The company employs over 550 people in the Darlington area and their products can be found in many retail locations in the southeast, including: Wal-Mart, Kroger, Bi-Lo, Publix, Piggly Wiggly, Food Lion, I.G.A. and Harris Teeter. McCall Farms will receive primary branding on Front Row Motorsports’ #34 Ford, driven by David Ragan for the Darlington race, as well as associate rights for the remainder of the season and official partner status with the team. Starting May 7th, 2012 fans can visit the Front Row Motorsports Facebook page and enter to win a David Ragan Peanut Patch T-Shirt via the “Go Nuts for David Ragan” promotion. A David Ragan Peanut Patch T-Shirt and Hat will be made available for online purchase once the team hosts its paint scheme unveiling.(Front Row Motorsports)(5-2-2012)
- Edwards questions penalty on late race restart: UPDATE: That #18-Kyle Busch won his fourth consecutive spring race at the .75-mile oval was overshadowed by the fact that #99-Carl Edwards and #14-Tony Stewart both thought a possible win was ripped from their clutches. Edwards felt he was incorrectly penalized for jumping a restart with 82 laps to go. A black flag forced him to pass through the pits at 40 mph, dropping him from second to 15th. “I don’t think it’s right. I don’t agree with it,” said Edwards, who wound up 10th. Stewart, meanwhile, thought a debris caution that ultimately cost him the lead on the race’s final restart with nine to go wasn’t necessary. “When the caution is for a plastic bottle on the backstretch, it’s hard to feel good losing that one,” said Stewart, who settled for third. For Edwards, the flap was anything but welcome. He was told by his crew that his #99 Ford was the leader – something the RIR infield scoring tower (and Fox TV’s scrawl) validated in real-time – and said he reacted as such on the restart, even though he was starting on the unpreferred outside lane with Stewart on the inside. “They told my spotter Jason (Hedlesky) three times, ‘The 99’s the leader.’ At that point, I’m thinking it’s my job to start this race,” said Edwards, who at the time thought NASCAR had made a mistake in not letting him pick the inside lane as the leader. “I think NASCAR then saw the restart, they didn’t like what they saw for some reason, and they black-flagged us. Which I don’t think they should’ve done.” The Roush Fenway Racing driver, crew chief Bob Osborne and Hedlesky were summoned to NASCAR’s hauler after the race, and they emerged disappointed. What was said? “I’d rather not say,” Edwards said. NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton was steadfast about two things: Stewart’s #14 Chevy was the leader, and Edwards jumped the restart. “All of the above,” he reiterated. Pemberton said the automated scoring system probably tallied Edwards as the leader under caution, even though he said NASCAR made teams aware that the starting order wa Stewart then Edwards. Even if Edwards was leading, Pemberton said he would have been black-flagged for starting before reaching the designated restart zone, which was Edwards’ main point of contention.(USA Today)(4-29-2012)
UPDATE: NASCAR’s vice president for competition says there is radio communication supporting that Carl Edwards was second behind Tony Stewart when Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race was restarted with 81 laps remaining. Edwards argued his spotter was told by a NASCAR official that he was the leader just before the restart when explaining why he was black-flagged for jumping the restart. “The confusion was on their part,” NASCAR’s Robin Pemberton said on Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “That’s something they have to work on in their communication. We work with the crew chiefs, and if the crew chief thought there was something, the crew chief would have radioed us. But multiple times during that last lap it was repeated 14-99 (Stewart-Edwards) from more than one source.” Edwards met with officials after the race to further argue that spotter Jason Hedlesky “told me I was the leader” as they came to the box where the leader by rule restarts the race. Pemberton said that was a mistake by the spotter. “We weren’t confused, and they weren’t confused,” Pemberton said at a promotion featuring the 1992 All-Star race at CMS, the first race run under the lights here. “We have audio of them and more than once (Edwards) was told by their spotter they were in second place. Just before the restart, he (spotter) came over the radio and said, ‘You’re the leader,’ for whatever reason. If he was confused because of the scoreboard, that could have been the only thing.” On another somewhat controversial issue, Pemberton said there was an aluminum object — “a beer can or something” — on the track in addition to the water bottle that Stewart said brought out the final caution with 14 laps to go.(ESPN)(5-2-2012) - Phoenix Racing, Busch to announce sponsor: Tuesday, #51-Kurt Busch posted the following message to Twitter, “Big sponsor announcement Friday for @PhoenixRacing51 — be on the look out”.(5-2-2012)
- Charting The Chase: More and more, the 2012 run up to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is looking a lot like the season past.
• Eight of the current top 10 following last weekend’s Richmond race were 2011 Chase qualifiers. A year ago, nine of the top 10 exiting the season’s ninth race made the Chase.
• The only newcomers, with 17 races remaining until the post-season cut-off, is points leader #16-Greg Biffle and #56-Martin Truex Jr., whose Michael Waltrip Racing organization continues to seek its first Chase qualifier.
• Drivers highest ranked for a Wild Card berth – Richmond winner #18-Kyle Busch (11th) and #2-Brad Keselowski (13th) – qualified for last year’s playoffs.
Busch and Keselowski aren’t safe by any stretch of the imagination, but they do have wins. So does 10th-place #39-Ryan Newman, who could qualify via Wild Card if displaced from the top 10.
Busch and #15-Clint Bowyer, who finished a solid seventh in Richmond, trail Newman by 13 and 14 points, respectively. Keselowski, stung by mechanical failures during several recent races, rebounded with a top-10 performance (ninth) in the Capital City 400 and stands 26 points behind Newman.
Every driver ranked 14th through 20th has scored a win at some point of their careers, including four-time champion #24-Jeff Gordon, who easily qualified for last year’s Chase with three victories but stands 17th. Gordon is in better shape than Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne, who nailed his first top-five (fifth) since joining HMS. Kahne, however, is 23rd and lacks top-20 standing to qualify for a Wild Card.(NASCAR)(5-2-2012) - NASCAR Media Group wins Sports Emmy In “Outstanding Live Event Turnaround”: NASCAR Media Group, the full-service video and digital production company of NASCAR, received a Sports Emmy Award for “Inside the Headsets,” a television program which aired on SPEED the night after the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race last May. The win was the second in three years for “Inside the Headsets” and the fourth win overall in the last six years in the “Outstanding Live Event Turnaround” category. “Inside the Headsets,” which aired on SPEED on May 22, 2011, captured a wide array of all the action that was the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race, including exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, in-car communication, crew chief sound, exclusive interviews and even a rare glimpse inside NASCAR Race Control with cameras embedded at the competition nerve center. The program aired less than 24 hours following the conclusion of the race.(NASCAR)(5-2-2012)
- Casey Weston to perform National Anthem at Darlington: Casey Weston, Nashville-based recording artist and former finalist on the popular TV show, “The Voice,” will perform the National Anthem for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, May 12. Weston, originally from Naples, Fla., began her performing career six years ago with both original songs and covers. Both originals and covers were well received and her audiences continue to grow. In 2009, Weston released her first album, 10 songs on the self-titled “Casey Weston.” Following the successful release of her first album, Weston auditioned on the popular show “The Voice” and was one of eight finalists in the inaugural season for the TV show sensation. Following her success on the “The Voice” Weston continues to stay in touch with her friend and coach Adam Levine, front man for Maroon 5. Tickets to the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 on May 12 and Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 on Friday, May 11 can be purchased by calling 866-459-7223 or by visiting DarlingtonRaceway.com. Remember, kids 17 and under are half off for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 and FREE for the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200.(Darlington Raceway)(5-2-2012)
- MAKE Motorsport to honor tornado victims: T.J. Bell and the #50 Gulfcoast Loss Prevention MAKE Motorsports team will be teaming up with the Toomer’s for Tuscaloosa Organization to honor those who lost their lives during the tornado outbreak that begin on April 27th, 2011. Gulfcoast Loss Prevention will be the primary sponsor on the #50 Chevrolet sporting a special tribute on the hood of the Chevy Impala. The hood will have the names of those that lost their lives during these deadly tornadoes listed along with the Toomer’s for Tuscaloosa logo, which symbolizes the rivalries between Auburn University and The University of Alabama coming together. A portion of the sponsorship gained for this weekend will be donated to Toomer’s for Tuscaloosa who assists in disaster recovery efforts. A few of the Victims’ families will also be at the race to see this special car.(MAKE Motorsports), see an image of the hood on the #50 team paint schemes page.(5-2-2012)
- Josh Richards to make Nationwide debut at Talladega: Josh Richards will make his Nationwide Series debut at Talladega Superspeedway in the #39 Joy Ford Mustang fielded by Go Green Racing on Saturday. Richards will compete in the 2012 NNS with partner Joy Global. The US based mining manufacture returns to NASCAR following their support in 2011 when the Shinnston, W. Va. native entered the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). Richards’ Ford Mustang will also show support for the Naval Special Warfare Kids (NSW Kids), showcasing their logo on his car to bring attention to a charity started by a Mooresville, N.C. family. Richards and NSW Kids partnered for the first time in 2011 at Martinsville Speedway.(Richards PR)(5-2-2012)
- Toyota ‘Save in May’ event to sponsor Townley at Charlotte: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., has announced that driver John Wes Townley will carry the colors of the Toyota ‘Save in May’ Sales Event in the May 5 NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Talladega Superspeedway and in the May 18 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Townley, 22, will drive the #24 Toyota ‘Save in May’ Sales Event Toyota Camry at Talladega Superspeedway in a collaborated effort between SR2 Motorsports and RAB Racing with Brack Maggard. Townley’s NCWTS crew chief, Chris Rice, will be atop the pit box for the Watkinsville, GA, native’s Nationwide Series efforts. In four combined ARCA Racing Series, NCWTS and NNS starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Townley has accumulated a 25th-place average starting position to go along with a respectable 15th-place average finish, and has completed all but one of the laps contested.(RAB Racing PR)(5-2-2012)
- Testing, Desert Racing fill Lofton’s schedule this week: After a week away from racing competition, Justin Lofton is ready to get back to business this weekend, when he climbs behind the wheel of his class 1500 unlimited buggy in the Canidae Tap It Silver State 300 near Las Vegas [Saturday, May 5th]. Lofton is also running the Best in the Desert Racing Association schedule during down-time on the truck circuit. Though there is a break in the racing schedule to some extent for Lofton, he and his #6 College Complete Eddie Sharp Racing NCWTS team did spend some time at a race track this week. On Monday and Tuesday, Lofton and crew tested at Nashville Superspeedway. After the first four races in NCWTS, Lofton has two top-fives, and four top-10s, and is currently third in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings.(Lofton Racing PR)(5-2-2012)
- Coulter to run Talladega ARCA race: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Joey Coulter returns to the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Friday in the #61 Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Coulter, the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie of the year, is no stranger to ARCA competition, as it marks the place where he got his professional racing career start. In Coulter’s two full-time seasons in the series, he earned nearly two dozen top 10s including a win at Berlin Raceway in 2010. Coulter will be piloting the #61 Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet which will be adorned with a special Power paint scheme representing the energy drink’s 15 awesome flavors consumers can choose from. Rip It also will be on board with Coulter’s three remaining ARCA races in 2012 at Toledo Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.(Coulter Motors PR)(5-2-2012)
- Bandit Chippers to sponsor Crum for two more: Following successful outings with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Jake Crum and Nationwide Series driver Mike Bliss, Bandit Industries has signed on to sponsor at least five more races with the drivers through the 2012 NASCAR racing season. Camping World Truck Series driver Jake Crum showed his skill at Martinsville Speedway back in March, muscling an ill-handling #07 Bandit Chippers.com Chevy around the short half-mile “paperclip” to finish 18th after starting from 31st position in the Kroger 250. Crum will next take the Bandit Chippers.com Chevy to Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18 for the N.C. Education Lottery 200, followed by a return to Bristol Motor Speedway on August 22.(Bandit Chippers PR)(5-2-2012)
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