May 8, 2014
- Carsforsale.com adds 3 races to sponsorship of #40 team: Carsforsale.com, one of the fastest-growing online automotive websites, announced a three-race Sprint Cup Series partnership with driver Landon Cassill and Hillman Racing as primary sponsor of the #40 Chevy SS beginning with this weekend’s 5-hour Energy 400 race event under the lights at Kansas Speedway. Building on the success of its sponsorship of Cassill and the #40 in the Daytona 500, Carsforsale.com will also serve as the primary sponsor of the #40 Carsforsale.com Chevy SS at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 27) and Talladega Superspeedway (October 19), where just last week Cassill posted a Sprint Cup Series career-best 11th-place finish.(Hillman Racing), see an image of the car on the #40 team paint schemes page.(5-8-2014)
- National Guard NASCAR sponsorship examined by Congress: The National Guard spent $26.5 million to sponsor NASCAR racing in 2012 to bolster its marketing and recruitment but failed to sign up a single new soldier to its ranks, according to data provided to USA Today. Even though the Guard spent $88 million as a NASCAR sponsor from 2011 to 2013, it is unclear how many new recruits, if any, signed up because of it, according to documents. The Guard on Wednesday would not confirm the figures on prospects and recruits developed through its NASCAR sponsorship. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who will hold a hearing on the recruitment program Thursday, assailed the Guard for “wasting a bunch of money on a very expensive sports sponsorship.” The Guard received 24,800 recruiting prospects from the program in 2012, documents show. In those cases, potential recruits indicated the NASCAR affiliation prompted them to seek more information about joining. Of that group, only 20 met the Guard’s qualifications for entry into the service, and not one of them joined. In 2013, the number of prospects associated with NASCAR dropped to 7,500, according to briefing materials for the Senate subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight led by McCaskill. The National Guard needs 1 million leads to meet its annual recruiting goal of 50,000 soldiers. The NASCAR initiative, along with the $38 million spent on an IndyCar racing sponsorship, over the same period, will be the target of the hearing led by McCaskill. Rick Breitenfeldt, a National Guard spokesman, said 90% of Army National Guard soldiers who enlisted or re-enlisted from 2007 to 2013 indicated that they had been exposed to information about the service through NASCAR-related recruiting and retention materials. Sponsoring NASCAR and driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. puts the Guard’s name in front of 77 million fans, he said.(USA Today)(5-7-2014)
- Ryan Blaney to attempt Cup debut at Kansas: This weekend, Ryan Blaney will make his Sprint Cup Series debut behind the wheel of the #12 SKF Ford for Team Penske. Blaney will run two NSCS races for Team Penske in 2014, with the second scheduled for Talladega in October. Jeremy Bullins and the #22 Team Penske NASCAR Nationwide Series team will crew the #12 SKF Ford this weekend in Kansas, along with a few additional team members. It will be the first time Bullins will get a chance to serve as crew chief of a NSCS team. He’s earned 15 wins since taking over as crew chief of the #22 NNS car at Team Penske in 2012. Blaney will get a chance to race alongside his father, veteran NASCAR and Sprint Car driver Dave Blaney, in Kansas.(Team Penske), see an image of the car on the #12 team paint schemes page.
AND Should both Blaneys qualify for the race, it would be the first time a father and son have competed in the same Cup race since #04-Bobby Hamilton and #32-Bobby Hamilton Jr. started at Atlanta in October 30, 2005.(5-8-2014) - New look for Bowyer at Kansas: The week doesn’t get any less eventful for Clint Bowyer as he spends the week in his hometown of Emporia, Kan., for various appearances and then heads to his home track of Kansas Speedway. The rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will join him for the track’s first race under the lights in Saturday’s 5-hour ENERGY 400. Bowyer’s #15 Toyota will be specially painted for the event as well. In support of a new 5-hour ENERGY flavor, Bowyer pilots the #15 Cherry 5-hour ENERGY benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation Toyota.(MWR), see an image of the car on the #15 team paint schemes page.(5-8-2014)
- Eli Gold to be inducted in Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: Veteran Motor Racing Network broadcaster Eli Gold will be honored later this month with induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. In addition to being one of the most recognizable announcers in MRN’s award-winning lineup of motor sports professionals, Gold has been the play-by-play voice of University of Alabama football since 1988. Gold – a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. – started in the sports broadcasting field in 1972. In a career now spanning five decades, he’s done play-by-play for a number of hockey teams including the Birmingham Bulls, St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators; as well as a four-year stint as the play-by-play announcer for the Birmingham Barons baseball team. He joined the Motor Racing Network in 1976 and began his current tenure as the voice of Crimson Tide football 12 years later. In that role, Gold has been named Alabama Sportscaster of the year four times. The induction ceremony for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2014 will take place on Saturday, May 17, in Birmingham.(Motor Racing Network)(5-8-2014)
- Fans can pick Kyle Busch’s Pocono paint scheme: It’s draft week …NFL teams across the country are ramping up for a big weekend, but M&M’S Racing is working with Joe Gibbs to let NASCAR fans draft a #1 pick of their own. Between now and May 19, fans can share which M&M’S flavor they would draft – M&M’S Peanut, M&M’S Peanut Butter, or M&M’S Pretzel. The flavor with the top picks by May 19 will serve as the featured paint scheme on the #18 M&M’S Toyota during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Pocono, Pa, on June 8. For more info, see the Jayski NASCAR Related Contest page.(5-8-2014)
- Kansas Notes & Facts – Thursday – drivers:
” Seven drivers have started all 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway – #24-Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton(not entered), #4-Kevin Harvick, #41-Kurt Busch, Mark Martin(not entered), #20-Matt Kenseth and #31-Ryan Newman.
” Martin Truex Jr., Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman are tied for the series most runner-up finishes at Kansas Speedway with two each.
” Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with nine; followed by Greg Biffle with seven.
” Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-10 finishes at Kansas Speedway with 13; followed by Jeff Gordon (11), Edwards, Biffle, Kenseth and Stewart each have nine.
” Jimmie Johnson (7.533) leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Kansas Speedway – he is the only driver with an average finish in the top-10 at Kansas.
” Kevin Harvick competed at Kansas Speedway 15 times before winning last fall; the longest span of any the 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Kansas.
” Kevin Harvick (15) and Matt Kenseth (13) have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Kansas Speedway.
” Kurt Busch leads the series with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 16.
” Jimmie Johnson leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Kansas Speedway with 562 laps led in 15 starts.
(NASCAR)(5-8-2014) - Goodyear tire notes for Kansas: While teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series will run the same left-side tire code (D-4604) at Kansas this week, they will run distinct right-side codes . . . in the Sprint Cup Series, this is the same left-side code that teams ran at Kansas lastOctober . . . this is the first time they have run this right-side code (D-4586) . . . this right-side is a single compound tread and features a slight change from what was run on the traction zone of last October’s multi-zone right-side at Kansas . . . this tire set-up came out of a Goodyear tire test at Kansas on April 14 . . . one team per Sprint Cup organization was invited to that test . . . 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 codes, tire pressures, set limits and more on the Kansas Race Info page – Goodyear section.
- Chassis selections for this weeks race: see the list of many teams [that report or post them] and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Kasnas Speedway on the Kansas Race Info page – Chassis selection area.
- Sad News – Norman Toshio Koshimizu: Norman Toshio Koshimizu [longtime Robert Yates Racing gasman of the #28/#38 car], 69, of Mooresville, NC., died May 7, 2014 at CMC Main. Arrangements are incomplete.(James Funeral Home), no full obituary or details on services yet.(5-8-2014)
- Las Vegas enhancing RV experience:Las Vegas Motor Speedway has augmented its reputation as one of the top facilities in which to attend a NASCAR race by making recent enhancements to the RV experience for fans who “live” on the grounds during NASCAR Weekend. The two major improvements include the paving of more than 1,100 RV spaces and making shower facilities free to anyone in the RV lots. In the past month, LVMS paved 968 RV parking spaces in the Boulevard A, B and C lots behind the backstretch along Las Vegas Boulevard. An additional 168 spaces were paved in the Bullring RV lot, which is located next to the 3/8-mile short track. The shower units consist of eight portable trailers, each with 16 private showers and dressing areas. Two of the trailers will be located in the speedway infield, two in the Boulevard A, B and C lots and one each in the Boulevard D, Bullring, Checkered Flag and Burnout RV lots. The showers will be available Thursday through Sunday on NASCAR Weekend.(LVMS)(5-8-2014)
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