May 6, 2015
- Statement from Richard Childress: regarding final appeal ruling on the #31 Chevy team: “We do not agree with the final appeal ruling. We feel we had a compelling case and still fell we were in the right and the facts presented today would have proved that. We do appreciate the opportunity to be heard. We stand behind our suspended team members and look forward to their return. We will now move on and continue or goals of winning races and making the Chase for the Champion.”(Richard Childress Racing)(5-6-2015)
- Penalties against Newman’s team upheld: Today the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer, Mr. Bryan Moss, heard and considered the appeal of a P5 penalty issued on March 31, 2015 to Richard Childress (owner), Ryan Newman (driver), Lucas Lambert (crew chief), James Bender (tire technician) and Philip Surgen (race engineer) relative to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicle #31 at Auto Club Speedway. The penalty concerns the following sections in the 2015 NASCAR rule book:
12.1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing
20.16: Wheels and tires
A. Any device, modification, or procedure to the tire or wheel, including the valve stem hardware, that is used to release pressure, beyond normal pressure adjustments, from the tire and/or inner shield, will not be permitted.
20.16.2: Tires
F. Modifications to the tires, by treatment or any other means, will not be permitted.
12.5.3.5.2: Minimum P5 Penalty Options (includes all four points below):
A. Loss of 50 championship driver and owner points, regardless of whether the violation occurred during a Championship race or not
B. $75,000-$125,000 fine
C. Suspension for the next six series Championship Races, plus any non-championship races or special events which might occur during that time period, for the crew chief and any other team members as determined by NASCAR
D. Probation through the end of the calendar year for all suspended members, or for a six-month period following the issuance of the penalty notice if that period spans across two consecutive seasons
12.5.3.5.3: P5 Level infractions detected during post-race inspection:
If the infraction is detected during post-race inspection, then the following penalty elements will be added to those listed previously in this section:
A. Loss of an additional 25 Championship driver and owner points; regardless of whether it was a Championship Race or not
B. Loss of an additional $50,000
The original penalty assessed included a $125,000 ($75,000 plus $50,000) fine, six-race suspension and probation through Dec. 31 to Lambert; six-race suspension and probation through Dec. 31 to both Bender and Surgen; and the loss of 75 (50 plus 25) championship car owner and 75 (50 plus 25) championship driver points to both Childress and Newman.
On April 16, a three-person National Motorsports Appeals Panel heard the appeal and made the following decisions:
1. The Appellants violated the Rule or Rules set forth in the Penalty Notice and it is a P5 level violation.
2. The Panel amends the original Penalty levied by NASCAR because there is no written explanation of what constitutes a post-race inspection. Therefore the Penalty elements added under Section 12.5.3.5.3. are removed and the Penalty adjusted to:
-Loss of 50 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Car Owner points for Richard Childress.
-Loss of 50 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Driver points for Ryan Newman.
-$75,000 fine. Suspended for the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Races, plus any non-Championship Races or Special Events which might occur during that time period. Placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31 for crew chief Lucas Lambert.
– Suspended for the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Races, plus any non-Championship Races or Special Events which might occur during that time period. Placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31 for Tire Technician James Bender.
-Suspended for the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship Races, plus any non-Championship Races or Special Events which might occur during that time period. Placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31 for Race Engineer Philip Surgen.
Upon hearing today’s testimony, Bryan Moss, the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer, made the following decisions:
· Based on a preponderance of evidence, the Appellants violated the Rules.
· Based on a preponderance of evidence, the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer upholds the penalty as amended by the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.
The decision of the National Motorsports Final Appeals Officer is final and binding on all parties.(NASCAR)(5-6-2015) - Stewart-Haas Racing Classic Paint Scheme Program at Darlington: With the NASCAR Hall of Fame serving as an appropriate backdrop, reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick unveiled the gold-and-black #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevy SS that he will race in the Sept. 6 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway as part of the track’s The Tradition Returns weekend Sept. 4-6. The retro-themed, commemorative paint scheme mimics the first can Budweiser produced, which was gold and featured an eagle flying through the Anheuser-Busch stylized “A” with five stars above and below the winged crest. Below the eagle, Budweiser is spelled out in block letters with “Lager Beer” in script. The design is part of an overall throwback weekend at one of NASCAR’s oldest venues. Built in 1949 by Harold Brasington, Darlington has hosted Sprint Cup races since 1950, and last year Harvick won the 65th running of the iconic Southern 500 – one of the crown-jewel races on the 36-race Sprint Cup schedule. Paint schemes for the full stable of SHR drivers will be revealed in the weeks leading up to the Southern 500.(Stewart-Haas Racing), see an image of the car on the #4 team paint schemes page.(5-6-2015)
- Kansas Goodyear Tire Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series will run the same combination of left- and right-side tires at Kansas this weekend . . . while these teams ran this left-side tire code (D-4604) at this track last season, this is the first time they have run this right-side code (D-4630) at Kansas . . . for Sprint Cup teams, compared to what they ran in at Kansas in 2014, this right-side tire features a construction change that brings it into line with what is run at other speedways . . . Cup teams have run this right-side at both Las Vegas and Talladega already this season . . . for Camping World Truck teams, who ran their own right-side at Kansas last May, this tire features both a construction and slight compound change . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Kansas . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.(Goodyear), see tire pressures, limites, sets and codes on the Kansas Race Info page – Tire Facts section.(5-6-2015)
- NAPA Auto Parts will sponsor Elliott in the #24: NAPA Auto Parts will grow its relationship with 11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 when it becomes the majority sponsor of driver Chase Elliott and his #24 Chevy SS team. The news was announced Tuesday evening in Las Vegas during the NAPA EXPO, which is attended by more than 17,000 store owners, managers and dealers. The expanded partnership will feature NAPA AUTO PARTS as a primary sponsor of the #24 team in 24 Sprint Cup races annually, including the season-opening Daytona 500, and as an associate-level partner in all other events. The agreement covers the 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons. NAPA was the full-season primary sponsor during Elliott’s historic 2014 XFINITY Series campaign when he became NASCAR’s youngest-ever national series champion while earning rookie of the year and most popular driver honors. In 2015, NAPA remains the sole primary sponsor for Elliott’s second full NXS season with JR Motorsports along with the driver’s Sprint Cup debut schedule, which includes five points-paying races with Hendrick Motorsports. It was announced in January that Elliott, 19, will join Hendrick Motorsports as a full-time Sprint Cup driver in 2016. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native currently is third in the 2015 NXS standings with seven top-10 finishes in nine races. In 51 combined NXS and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events, he has recorded four wins, 25 top-five finishes and 40 top-10s.Additional sponsorship for Elliott’s 2016 Sprint Cup season will be announced at a later date.(Hendrick Motorsports)(5-6-2015)
- Still no date set for RCR appeal UPDATE TODAY: No date has been set for Richard Childress Racing’s final appeal of penalties levied against the #31 team of Ryan Newman, NASCAR spokesman Kurt Culbert told USA TODAY Sports. RCR succeeded in convincing a three-person appeals board to reduce some penalties stemming from a tire-manipulation allegation at Fontana, Calif., but a six-week suspension for crew chief Luke Lambert, engineer Philip Surgen and tire specialist James Bender was upheld. Lambert returned to the pit box at Bristol Motor Speedway this past weekend as allowed by terms of the appeals process. Final Appeals Officer Bryan Moss will hear the case.(USA Today)(4-23-2015)
UPDATE: NASCAR announced Friday morning that the final appeal will be heard Wednesday, May 6 at the NASCAR R&D Center.(4-24/5-6-2015) - NASCAR still considering 2016 rules package: NASCAR seems to be backing off on more changes to Sprint Cup Series cars next season. After scrapping plans to use a proposed 2016 rules package in the Sprint All-Star Race, NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’Donnell said Tuesday the sanctioning body might stick with 2015 regulations next year. “I think we’re still developing what the 2016 package could be,” O’Donnell said. “It could very well be the 2015 package.” O’Donnell said the uncertainty was a major reason the series decided not to feature the rules in the All-Star event, which will take place May 16 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “To go down a path that we felt still potentially needed testing, we didn’t think was the right thing to do,” O’Donnell said. After a decrease of 125 horsepower and a 30 percent reduction in downforce, the plan was for a larger cut in downforce in 2016. But there has been some grumbling among team owners about bearing the costs of a significant rules change for the second consecutive season, and O’Donnell said there had been some pushback among the feedback solicited in the garage. “I think it’s all over the board,” he said. “Some of the drivers would say they’d like to pursue a different direction. Some like it as is who have had success. From the owner standpoint, we certainly have to manage what we’re looking at for ’15 or ’16 and manage constantly putting new rules in front of them. So that’s where we’re at today.” The goal is to have the 2016 rules finalized by Aug. 1, about two months ahead of when the 2015 rules were released. “We’re looking at a number of different options for ’16, including staying where we are,” O’Donnell said. “So we’ll evaluate everything and what we feel like has the best chance of success on the track.”(NBC Sports)(5-6-2015)
- Harvick feels Sprint Cup schedule is Stagnant: #4-Kevin Harvick, met with members of the media at Talladega Superspeedway and discussed his thoughts on the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule:
Q) THERE HAS BEEN A LOT MADE ABOUT DECLINING ATTENDANCE AND FAN SUPPORT WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW NASCAR CAN GROW THE FAN BASE?
Harvick: “I mean the last three races that we went to last year were sold out. I don’t know that is a 100 percent true statement. I think it just depends on where you go and what you do. Now, if you want to talk about growing the sport I believe that some venues need one race. I believe that the schedule needs to be mixed up. People like things that change they don’t like stagnant things. In my opinion the most stagnant thing in our sport is our schedule and our venues that we go to. You can beat a dead horse as much as you want, but it doesn’t come back to life. And sometimes you just have to change things up to keep the excitement and enthusiasm in the sport. I think our schedule is definitely the weak link along with some of the venues that we go to. That is my opinion.”
Q) IF YOU WERE IN CHARGE WHAT THREE OR FOUR PLACES WOULD YOU ADD TO THE SCHEDULE?
Harvick: “I know the first place I would go is Iowa. I think that everybody wants to see more short tracks and more venues. I think road racing – we have a couple of road races on the schedule and most every team has two road race cars and spends a lot of money on their road race program. Adding a road race here or there would definitely be something that I would vote for just for the fact internationally road racing is very recognizable to race fans. Whether it be Formula 1 or any other form of racing there are not many ovals. You could take your pick on road courses, Montreal (Canada) does a great job, you could go to Laguna Seca (California), you could go anywhere in the world and race on a road course. There are lots of good venues. I would have to really think about the rest of the question. I have always been a fan of let’s go to the banquet and roll the pills around of race tracks across the country and have a wild card race every year. Go to the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Mile and really you could go to test these venues and see how the markets react. And see the reaction you get from the market, even if you only have 30 or 40 thousand people in the grandstands if you put on a good event for TV and do the things that it takes to have a unique event that is really what people want. They want unique things.”(Team Chevy)(5-2-2015)
UPDATE: Despite Kevin Harvick’s concerns about NASCAR’s schedule becoming “stagnant,” NASCAR executive vice president Steve O’Donnell said officials remain comfortable with the current calendar. “We’re happy with the schedule we have,” O’Donnell said Tuesday. “We certainly look at what’s available to us, but the schedule we have in place, I think the tracks are doing a tremendous job of helping to promote the sport. We certainly have dialogue with Kevin and everyone’s got an opinion on the schedule.” O’Donnell said there were “so many factors” including weather and a track’s position on the schedule, that made officials “comfortable” with the current calendar.(USA Today)(5-6-2015) - Allstate Peterbilt Group debuts with Annett: As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the 11th race of the 2015 season, Allstate Peterbilt Group, the upper Midwest’s largest truck dealer group and a longtime partner of Michael Annett dating back to his time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, prepares for its first race of the season adorning the #46 Chevy SS as the primary partner for the weekend. It was last featured on Annett’s car last fall at Martinsville Speedway.(HScott Motorsports), see an image of the car on the #46 team paint schemes page.(5-6-2015)
- Special Red Cross scheme for Gordon: The American Red Cross and 3M are entering the eighth year of the successful and innovative partnership, Red Cross Racing. This year, the #24 American Red Cross Chevy SS is a SleevesUp design to encourage fans to roll their sleeves up and make an appointment to give blood. Race fans can pledge to give on Gordon’s personal SleevesUp Campaign page.The goal is 400 donors – one for each mile of the race in Kansas.(Hendrick Motorsports), see an image of the car on the #24 team paint schemes page.(5-6-2015)
- NASCAR Next Class named: Five of the six NASCAR K&N Pro Series race winners in 2015 are 21 years old or younger. The championship points leaders in both the East and West are 17 and 16, respectively. And a 17-year-old just became the highest-finishing female in the 61-year history of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. It is fitting that as fans celebrate Jeff Gordon’s final year of competition, the ranks of NASCAR are filled with young drivers battling to one day fill that void. And on Tuesday, in a building that honors the sport’s history, NASCAR introduced some of those potential future stars of the sport. During a ceremony at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, 12 drivers were formally announced as the newest NASCAR Next class, a group of up-and-coming talent that joins the industry program aimed at spotlighting NASCAR’s emerging stars. Now in its fifth season, the career resume of NASCAR Next alumni is impressive, highlighted by Chase Elliott’s 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series championship, Kyle Larson’s 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, and Cole Custer’s September 2014 win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, making him the youngest winner in NASCAR national series history. Of the 28 drivers previously selected for the program, 21 have raced in one of NASCAR’s three national series (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), and 11 are competing full-time there in 2015. The team was selected through an evaluation process that included input from industry executives and veteran racers. Drivers must be between the ages of 15-25, have tangible and expressed goals in eventual competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and demonstrate the potential to realize that goal.(NASCAR), see the complete list of members on the Driver Development page.(5-6-2015)
- Kansas Speedway Notes & Facts – Wednesday – history:
· Groundbreaking was held on May 25, 1999.
· The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA race and a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the same day – June 2.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was on Sept. 30, 2001 – won by Jeff Gordon.
· During the 2012 season, between the April and October events the 1.5-mile track underwent a repave adding variable banking in the corners.
(NASCAR)(5-6-2015) - #40 team penalized: The #40 team that competes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series has been penalized for a rule infraction discovered during pre-race inspection May 2 at Talladega Superspeedway. The infraction is a P3 level penalty and violates the following Sections in the 2015 NASCAR rule book:
12.1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing
20.17.2.1: Overall vehicle weight
B. Any and all ballast added to the vehicle must be bolted inside an added ballast container, inside the main frame rails, and/or inside the front sway bar mounting tube.
As a result of this violation, crew chief Kevyn Rebolledo has been placed on NASCAR probation through Dec. 31. Additionally, driver/owner Derek White has been docked 15 NASCAR XFINITY Championship driver and car owner points.(NASCAR)(5-6-2015) - Talladega XFINITY TV Ratings: NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Talladega drew a 1.6 overnight rating on FOX Saturday afternoon, up a tick from last year on ESPN (1.5). The 1.6 is also up a tick from the season’s previous Xfinity Series race on FOX, Phoenix in March (1.5).(Sports Media Watchvia Sports Business Daily)(5-6-2015)
- Practice delayed in Kansas: Rain forced practice to be delayed at the Kansas Speedway on Thursday. Two practices were on the schedule in preparation for Friday’s Toyota Tundra 250, but the altered schedule will now allow a 90-minute session, set to begin at 5:00pm/et.(5-7-2015)
- Kahne to run JRM entry in Charlotte: Kasey Kahne has been selected to pilot the #00 Haas Automation Chevrolet in the upcoming NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 15, JR Motorsports general manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller announced today. A veteran driver with 29 victories across NASCAR’s top-three series, Kahne will make his first NCWTS start since winning at Rockingham Speedway in 2012. The Charlotte event also complements the 10-race schedule the #00 Haas Automation team will run with its primary driver, 17-year-old Cole Custer, announced earlier this year. In five NCWTS starts, Kahne has won four of them (two at Darlington Raceway and one each at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Rockingham Speedway) and never finished worse than second. Along with an average finish of 1.2, he has led 307 of 686 career laps. Custer, the youngest race winner in NASCAR national touring series history, made JRM’s NCWTS debut earlier this year at Martinsville Speedway. He will return to the seat of the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet for the May 29 race at Dover International Speedway and in eight other NCWTS events in 2015.(JR Motorsports)(5-6-2015)
- Entry list: There are 28 trucks on the preliminary entry list for Friday’s Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway. A few notes:
Joe Nemechek is in the #8;
Austin Theriault is in the #29;
Justin Jennings is in the #36;
BJ McLeod is in the #45;
The #63 is TBA;
The #99 of Bryan Silas is not on the initial entry, nor is the #50 of MAKE Motorsports. Travis Kvapil is expected to run that truck in place of Cody Ware.(5-3-2015)
UPDATE: Ryan Newman will drive the #8 in place of Nemechek.(5-5-2015)
UPDATE 2: Scott Lagasse, Jr. will be in the #31 in place of James Buescher(5-6-2015)
UPDATE 3: Tyler Tanner will be in the #63; Ryan Ellis will be in the #1; Caleb Roark will be in the #0;(5-6-2015)
See the complete list on the Kansas entry list page. - Ellis to drive for MAKE: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to the track this weekend in Kansas City, Kansas for the Toyota Tundra 250. Ryan Ellis will make his second NCWTS start at the Kansas Speedway. The #1 Chevy will be sporting a special logo for the Ehlers Danlos National Foundation. This is a special cause to MAKE because Mark Beaver, MAKE co-owner, has two daughters, Amanda and Emily who have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Individuals with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) have a genetic defect in their connective tissue, the tissue that provides support to many body parts such as the skin, muscles and ligaments. The fragile skin and unstable joints found in patients with EDS are the result of faulty or reduced amounts of collagen. Collagen is a protein, which acts as a “glue” in the body, adding strength and elasticity to connective tissue.(MAKE Motorsports)(5-6-2015)
- New partner for MB: MB Motorsports is proud to announce a multi-race partnership with Vatterott Educational Centers, Inc. Vatterott serves a diverse student population across 22 locations in 8 states, as well as a vibrant online community. Each of these institutions takes pride in serving both the student population and the local communities that help continue the Vatterott tradition. Vatterott offers diploma and degree programs in the fields of Business, Medical, Technology, Trades, Dental, Legal, Personal Fitness, and Veterinary, as well as many continuing education opportunities. All programs are industry-relevant and designed to support the Vatterott mission of providing career skills for a better life.(MB Motorsports)(5-6-2015)
- Buescher to miss Kansas UPDATE: James Buescher posted on his Twitter that despite his entry in the #31 NTS Motorsports Chevy for this Friday’s Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway, he will not be racing. No word on whether or not another driver will drive the #31 or if the team will withdraw.(5-5-2015)
UPDATE:Scott Lagasse, Jr. will make his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Seriesstart of 2015 for NTS Motorsports at Kansas Speedway, this time behind the wheel of the #31 Boy Scouts of America/Beck Chevrolet Silverado. Lagasse had an impressive run in his NTS Motorsports debut earlier this season at Daytona International Speedway, contending for the win throughout the 250-mile race, ultimately finishing third in the NCWTS season opener.(NTS Motorsports)(5-6-2015)
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