May 10, 2016
- Goodyear testing underway at Watkins Glen: Five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers and their teams will be the first to roll out onto Watkins Glen International following the track’s off-season repaving project this week when they participate in a Goodyear tire test scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. #4-Kevin Harvick (Stewart-Haas Racing), #5-Kasey Kahne (Hendrick Motorsports), #6-Trevor Bayne (Roush Fenway Racing), #19-Carl Edwards (Joe Gibbs Racing) and #22-Joey Logano (Team Penske) are scheduled to take part in the test. The entire 3.4-mile layout at WGI has been repaved, although NASCAR events are contested on the shorter 2.45-mile portion of the track, avoiding the area of the layout known as “the boot.”(NASCAR.com)(5-10-2016)
- Special Mountain Dew scheme for Earnhardt, Jr. in All-Star Race: When the lights go on at Charlotte Motor Speedway for this year’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Dale Earnhardt’s Jr.’s Chevy will have a brand new look. The #88 Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS will sport a patriotic paint scheme for the event with a $1 million payday. As a race-winner in 2015, Earnhardt is already qualified for the All-Star Race, which will undergo a format change this year. Teammates Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson are also eligible to participate, while Rookie of the Year contender Chase Elliott is vying for a shot to race via fan vote.(Hendrick Motorsports) see an image of the car on the #88 team paint schemes page.(5-10-2016)
- Many teams to run Autism decals at Dover: More than 40 drivers from across NASCAR’s three premier national touring series will be showing their support for Autism Delaware’s mission during the upcoming May 13-15 weekend at Dover International Speedway by displaying a special decal on their cars and trucks. Autism Delaware, a leader in the First State on autism awareness since its founding in 1998, is working with AAA Mid-Atlantic to raise funds and awareness during the May 15 “AAA 400 Drive for Autism” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Monster Mile. This will be the 10th consecutive year that Dover International Speedway’s spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race has had a tie-in with the cause of autism awareness. Earlier this year, in support of Autism Awareness Month in April, the Monster Monument at Victory Plaza presented by Smithfield and Dover Downs Hotel & Casino were illuminated in blue light during the evening and night hours. The Monster Mile will also host Autism Awareness Day at the Races in its enclosed grandstand for the fifth straight year on Sunday, May 15. The event provides a sensory-friendly environment for children and families on the autism spectrum to enjoy the race. In total, 21 drivers from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 13 drivers from the NASCAR XFINITY Series and 13 drivers from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will display the Autism Delaware decal on their respective cars and trucks.(Dover Speedway)(5-10-2016)
- Premium Motorsports, Sorenson get 3 race sponsor: Premium Motorsports has added the World Record Striper Company to the team as primary sponsor backing series veteran Reed Sorenson beginning this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Sorenson pilots the #55 Chevrolet SS. Also, joining World Record Striper Company are associate sponsors, EVINRUDE – BRP and Atlantic Outboard. Founded in 2011 by owner and Four Time World Record holder Greg Myerson, he holds the All-Tackle World Record for striped bass at 81.88 lbs and has been dubbed remarkable by fishing experts around the globe. Born in New York and raised in Wallingford, CT, Greg Myerson, has famously been called “The Warren Buffett of Striped Bass Fisherman” and is a life-long angler, hunter and outdoorsman since he could step outdoors. World Record Striper Company offers the premier of fishing lures with the flagship product being the Greg Myerson RattleSinker, proven to be the best striper lure in the world as Greg has used it to catch each of his four world record striped bass.(Premium Motorsports)(5-10-2016)
- Truex wants to remain with Furniture Row: Martin Truex, Jr. would like to remain in the #78 FRR car “for a long time.” Last year, Truex extended his contract through 2016 but he hopes to continue building a successful relationship with the Denver-based team beyond this season. When would he like renegotiate? “Right now,” Truex said with a chuckle. “The problem I’ve had with my career is it’s been up and down. And that’s because of change. That’s because you get in situations where they don’t go the way you thought they were going to go.
“DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) fell apart. I stayed there too long. It was a tough situation. You look at Jimmie Johnson. You look at Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch. They get with a team and they just keep building on that foundation. Year in, year out, they’re the guys to beat because they have that around them. They have that solid – just rock. They can build on things and look at past history . All they have is the car and the rule changes and those kind of things. They don’t have to figure out everything else that goes along with it.”
Truex won two Xfinity Series titles with DEI and dabbled with their Cup program prior to graduating to NASCAR’s top tour full-time in 2006. When DEI merged with Chip Ganassi’s program in 2009, he stayed the course before joining Michael Waltrip Racing in 2010. Although he left MWR at the end of 2013 – and before the organization’s ultimate demise last year – Truex, 36, understands FRR has the potential to blossom into a perennial contender. “With Cole and those guys, it’s something special and it’s something I’d like to keep going for a long, long time,” Truex said. “To get where I want to get in the sport, that’s what you have to have. Hopefully, we can make it work.”(Motorsport)(5-10-2016) - NASCAR watching bodywork modifications: Two instances of bodywork modification — one mid-race, one post-race — caught the eye of NASCAR officials during last Saturday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. Scott Miller, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition, detailed those circumstances in a Monday morning appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s “Morning Drive” program. Kyle Busch scored his third Sprint Cup victory of the season in Saturday night’s GoBowling 400, breaking an 0-for-16 drought at the 1.5-mile Kansas City track, historically a stumbling block for the reigning series champ. Busch’s exuberant post-race burnout shredded the right-rear tire, causing significant damage to the fender of the Joe Gibbs Racing #18 Toyota.
“We really don’t like to see that happen,” Miller told SiriusXM. “There was a little bit of a rash of it last year and we kind of got that in check, and this is the first time we’ve seen it in a while. We certainly don’t like to see it, but I believe Kyle was very happy because he’s really, really struggled at that race track and he just got a little overzealous there with the celebration. We’ve had a lot of JGR cars through NASCAR, so we have a pretty good idea of what they’re doing with their stuff so I don’t … it’s not that suspicious to me, really.”
The other bodywork issue that drew officials’ attention, Miller said, involved the Chip Ganassi Racing #1 Chevrolet for driver Jamie McMurray . The team was flagged on Lap 30 in the 267-lap race for unapproved adjustments to the car’s body during a pit stop. Miller used a football analogy to describe the alteration.
“We’ve gone to great lengths to get bracing in the side of the cars and define how all the parts and pieces have gotta be, and that’s for one reason — so that the sides don’t cave in and the quarterpanels don’t cave in,” Miller said. “Their jackman looked like an offensive lineman throwing a block at the side of their car, so it caved the side in. We saw it, didn’t like it, and back down pit road they came to fix it. That’s just how it works. You can’t pull on the skirts or cave the sides in or alter the body of the car on pit road, and that’s what they did.”(NASCAR.com)(5-10-2016) - Kansas TV Ratings: NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Kansas earned a 1.8 overnight rating on Fox Sports 1 Saturday night, up 20% from last year (1.5) but down 45% from 2014 on the FOX broadcast network (3.3). Last year’s race was delayed two hours due to rain and finished after 1:00am/et. The 1.8 overnight is the second-lowest ever for the race, which was first run in 2011. It is also the second-lowest for a Sprint Cup race on FS1 (eight telecasts). In both cases, last year’s race holds the bottom spot. In part due to the low bar set last year, Saturday’s race was the first of the season to post a year-over-year increase in the metered markets.(Sports Media Watch)(5-10-2016)
- Top 10 Driver Ratings at Dover:
#48-Jimmie Johnson 120.1
#20-Matt Kenseth 107.7
#18-Kyle Busch 105.8
#19-Carl Edwards 98.6
#42-Kyle Larson 98.1
#16-Greg Biffle 95.4
#15-Clint Bowyer 92.5
#4-Kevin Harvick 91.2
#78-Martin Truex, Jr. 91.2
#41-Kurt Busch 91.1
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2015 races (22 total) among active drivers at Dover International Speedway.
Formula combining the following categories: Win, Finish, Top-15 Finish, Average Running Position while on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.
See an explanation how the Driver Rating is calculated at NASCAR.com.(NASCAR) - Iron Source sponsoring Preece at Dover: The longstanding relationship between JD Motorsports with Gary Keller and sponsor Iron Source will continue this weekend at Dover International Speedway. Iron Source has sponsored JD Motorsports Chevrolets at the Dover track for several years and this weekend will be on Ryan Preece’s #01 Chevy for Saturday’s Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the one-mile track. Iron Source, headquartered in Georgetown, Del., is a sales and rental company delivering the best construction equipment on the market to an area that encompasses Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Among the equipment available from Iron Source’s huge inventory are track loaders, compact excavators, brush chippers, stump grinder and telescopic handlers. Among the manufacturers are John Deere, Caterpillar, CASE, Komatsu and Hitachi.(JD Motorsports)(5-9-2016)
- Young’s to enter second truck at Iowa: Officials from Young’s Motorsports today announced that the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team will field an additional NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) entry in the upcoming race at Iowa Speedway on June 18. Newcomer Derek Scott Jr. will join teammate and Midland, Texas native Tyler Young for the eighth race of the season. Scott, 16, hails from Franklin, Texas and began his racing career by achieving numerous go-kart wins and titles. Accelerating his path forward, Scott also has several starts in a NASCAR Pro and Super Late Model which includes two pro feature victories on top of numerous top-five performances in both divisions. While the team is enjoying a breakout year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the family-owned and operated team is also building a foundation as a driver development organization where the team specializes on the fundamentals of a core development structure. Debuting a second truck at Iowa Speedway adds to the inner circle of Young’s Motorsports growth this season which includes a part-time NASCAR K&N; Pro Series East program with driver Reid Wilson. Sponsorship for Scott’s entry is being finalized and will be announced closer to the event date.(Young’s Motorsports)(5-10-2016)
- Truck teams to run Autism Delaware decals: More than 40 drivers from across NASCAR’s three premier national touring series will be showing their support for Autism Delaware’s mission during the upcoming May 13-15 weekend at Dover International Speedway by displaying a special decal on their cars and trucks.This will be the 10th consecutive year that Dover International Speedway’s spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race has had a tie-in with the cause of autism awareness. Participating truck teams include:
Austin Cindric #2 BKR Ford, Christopher Bell #4 Toyota, John Wes Townley #05 Zaxby’s Chevrolet, John Hunter Nemechek #8 Chevrolet, William Byron #9 Liberty University Toyota, Cameron Hayley #13 Cabinets by Hayley Toyota, Daniel Hemric #19 Oakmont Management Group/Autism Delaware Ford, Austin Hill #20 A&D; Welding Ford, Tyler Reddick #29 Cooper Standard Ford, Ben Rhodes #41 Alpha Energy Solutions Toyota, Daniel Suarez #51 ARRIS Toyota, Matt Crafton #88 Hormel/Menards Toyota, Rico Abreu #98 Safelite/CURB Records Toyota.(Dover International Speedway)(5-10-2016) - Harmon honors truck drivers charity: Mike Harmon, driver of the #74, had a new decal, truckersfinalmile.org on his CWTS truck at Kansas last weekend. Mike recently became aware of this organization when a very close friend lost a family member, a big rig driver, while on a run. With no means or finances available to bring him home, the family began a search for any organization or charity that could help bring him back to his family. That search resulted in finding truckersfinalmile.org founded by trucker Robert Palm of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The family was extremely grateful and when Mike learned of this charity and how they were able to help this family and realizing the potential connections with the drivers of the many racecar haulers, Mike decided to bring awareness to this organization by donating the hood.(Mike Harmon Racing)(5-10-2016)
- Dover adding SAFER barrier UPDATE: ESPN’s Bob Pockrass reports, “Dover International Speedway will replace the guard rails it had on the inside of Turn 3 with approximately 500 feet of SAFER Barrier by the time NASCAR visits for its May 13-15 race weekend. The steel-and-foam barrier is designed to absorb energy in a crash.”(ESPN.com)(4-28-2016)
UPDATE: Dover International Speedway has completed two projects that extend SAFER barriers by almost 500 feet along the backstretch and into the entrance of Turn 3 and expand the pit stalls along pit road by 2 feet each. The work comes before the Monster Mile’s latest NASCAR tripleheader weekend on May 13-15. New asphalt has also been added along the area behind pit road, from the entrance of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage down to the Start-Finish line. Facts on the recent construction are listed below:
” 479 feet of Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers were added to the one-mile, high-banked, concrete oval.
” Seventy-eight feet of standard SAFER barriers were added to the existing inside backstretch wall and 401 feet of SAFER barriers were included in front of a new, steel post inside wall on a newly placed stretch of concrete in front of the grassy area at the entrance to Turn 3. The Monster Bridge near the Turn 3 entrance sits above the new construction area.
” The SAFER barriers are 40 inches high.
” Along the new stretch of wall, one foam block is placed every 5� feet within the SAFER barrier to maximize safety from crash impacts.
” 190 cubic yards of concrete, 7-feet wide and 18 inches deep was added to the track.
” Along pit road, three pit stalls were eliminated, leaving space for 40 cars. Each pit stall was increased 2 feet in length, to 34 total feet. All stalls remain 16 feet wide.
” 550 feet of new asphalt was added between the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage entrance and the Start-Finish line.
(Dover Speedway)(5-10-2016) - Dover agrees to deal with sports merchandise leader Fanatics: Dover International Speedway and Fanatics, the global leader in licensed sports merchandise, have reached a 10-year retail merchandising and e-commerce agreement, track officials announced. Fanatics, a multi-channel company which runs hundreds of online and offline stores for sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, MLS, PGA), professional teams and collegiate properties, including all trackside merchandise operations for every NASCAR race, will manage all of the Monster Mile’s retail locations. Fanatics will also manufacture apparel for Dover International Speedway, further enhancing the assortment both online and at the track. The Fanatics Trackside Superstore, in the Monster Mile’s FanZone behind Turn 4, houses merchandise and souvenirs such as hats, T-shirts, jackets and more in a 60,000-square foot headquarters, approximately the size of 1� football fields. The Trackside Superstore debuted in 2015 and will return for the May 13-15 and Sept. 30-Oct. 2 NASCAR weekends in 2016.(Dover Speedway)(5-10-2016)
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