May 2014 News Archives
News from May 31, 2014
- Blaney skips practice for HOF induction: Eighteen (18) current National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (NSCHoF) inductees have indicated that they will be in Knoxville this weekend for the twenty-fifth annual National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction banquet, set for Saturday afternoon, May 31, at 12 Noon. They will be here to honor this year’s inductees, Dave Argabright of Indiana, Dave Blaney of North Carolina, Bobby Davis, Jr., of Tennessee, Mark Kinser of Indiana, William “Windy” McDonald of Arizona, and Chuck Merrill of Illinois, all of whom have indicated that they will be at the banquet, too.(NSCHoF)(5-31-2014)
- Final practice for the FedEx 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway is over after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and any notes
#48-Johnson 158.863
#2-Keselowski 158.270
#31-Newman 158.263
#11-Hamlin 158.193
#4-Harvick 157.798
slowest: #44-Yeley 152.123 & #32-Koch 149.464. No speed: #77-Blaney
See the speeds, laps run on the Dover practice 3 speeds page (pdf).(5-31-2014) - First Saturday practice for the FedEx 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway is over after 50 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and any notes
#2-Keselowski 159.702
#4-Harvick 159.341
#99-Edwards 158.856
#55-Vickers 158.716
#20-Kenseth 158.513
slowest: #33-Stremme 152.879 & #32-Koch 151.815. No speed: #44-Yeley, #77-Blaney.
See the speeds, laps run on the Dover practice 2 speeds page (pdf).(5-31-2014) - Cassill picks up Dover sponsor: Hillman Racing and Joe Falk announced that Newtown Building Supplies, Inc., a top marketer of windows, doors, siding, installation and a range of building materials to commercial builders and residential home owners in Hampton Roads, Virginia, will sponsor Landon Cassill and the #40 Sprint Cup Series entry at Dover international Speedway in Sunday’s FedEx 400. Known for its wide selection of building materials and superb customer service with builders, NBS’ logo will be displayed on the hood and rear quarter panels of Cassill’s #40 Newtown Building Supplies Chevy SS.(Hillman Racing), see an image of the car on the #40 team paint schemes page.(5-31-2014)
- Gordon’s back better this weekend: #24-Jeff Gordon had to cut happy hour short at Charlotte last week and had Regan Smith on standby during the race because of back spasms. He updated the media on the issue Friday at Dover:
COULD YOU UPDATE US ON YOUR BACK AND HOW YOU ARE FEELING? REGAN SMITH SAID HE WASN’T ON STANDBY, SO ARE WE TO ASSUME YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE THAT MEASURE THAT WEEK?
Gordon: “I wouldn’t say I’m 100%. I’m back closer to normal, which is just always aggravation and some discomfort. I’m still feeling some of the affects of what went on last week, but I felt good in the car. I didn’t have any sharp pains, so that’s good. I just had a week of rest and normal activity. Lots of ice this week. I was pretty sore on Monday and Tuesday after that long 600, but that’s not totally unusual; but probably just a little bit more than normal because of all that I went through. So, I feel good for this weekend.
LAST WEEK, DID YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR YOUR BACK? AND HAS THIS MAKE YOU THINK ANY MORE ABOUT RETIREMENT?
“The issues that I’ve had in the past never really were like what I dealt with last weekend. That’s the first time that something like that happened in the car, on qualifying day, into a race weekend. I’ve rolled out of bed and had things like that happen, and that’s just being tight and just not having the muscles with blood flow and being loose, and that’s part of just getting older. So, it was a little bit foreign to me to have that and that’s why I had to get out of the car. The treatment that I had was I had an epidural as well as another type of injection. I don’t know what they call it. It’s some type of Cortisone that’s fairly typical and common. I don’t know all the different stuff that was in there that made the pain go away and helped more of the inflammation, is I think what they were trying to accomplish. So, that’s the first time I’ve ever had to do that on a race weekend. I’ve done that before on a different part of my back that didn’t really do much for me. This one luckily did. I think that it really more pointed toward some things that I have to address throughout a race weekend and how I handle the downtime. I’ve been working a lot harder on my training and riding a bike and exercising and the problem with that is that it tightens everything up even more so than normal. If I don’t stay loose and ice and do other things that keep me loose when I get to the race weekend, what happened could possible occur again. So, that’s the biggest thing I’m focused on; not thinking or focusing on anything else. I can tell you if that happens many more times, I won’t have a choice (regarding retirement).”(Chevy PR)(5-31-2014) - Stewart still not back to 100%: #14-Tony Stewart was asked how his leg is healing following last year’s accident:
ARE YOU ON SCHEDULE YOU THINK WITH HOW YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD FEEL OR HOW YOU HOPED YOU WOULD FEEL AT THIS POINT BOTH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY?
Stewart: “I honestly thought I would be done with all this by now. As far as rehab, pain, all that stuff I thought it would all be done. I thought we would be healed 100 percent by now. But keep going to the doctor on our scheduled appointments and they keep updating us on how it’s going and what they think the outlook is for it. We just adjust it. When you haven’t gone through something like this you don’t know what to think and don’t know how to feel about it. You don’t know what to judge for recovery times and this and that because you’ve just never been through it. If it ever happens again I will have a better idea of how to answer that. You just take it a day at a time still.”(Chevy PR)(5-31-2014) - Dover Notes & Facts – Saturday – drivers:
• Mark Martin leads the series in runner-up finishes at Dover with eight; followed by Dale Earnhardt with five. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with four.
• Mark Martin leads the series in top-five finishes at Dover with 24; followed by Dale Earnhardt with 19. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 17.
• Mark Martin leads the series in top-10 finishes at Dover with 33; followed by Richard Petty and Ricky Rudd with 26 each. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 24.
• Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Dover with a 9.042.
• Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Dover with an 8.667; Carl Edwards (10.000) is the only other active driver with an average finish in the top 10.
• 11 of the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Dover International Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jimmie Johnson won at Dover in his first two appearances.
• Jeff Burton competed at Dover International Speedway 25 times before winning in the fall of 2006; the longest span of any the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
• Among the 16 active NSCS Dover winners Kurt Busch (22) and Matt Kenseth (14) made 10 or more attempts before their first win.
• Joe Nemechek leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Dover without visiting Victory Lane at 39; followed by Kevin Harvick with 26.
• Two female drivers have competed at Dover International Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie and Danica Patrick.
• Eight drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Delaware; none of the eight have recorded a victory in NASCAR national series competition.
• Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series active drivers have made their first career start at Dover International Speedway: Matt Kenseth (9/20/98), Kurt Busch (9/24/00) and David Ragan (9/24/06).
• Two active drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Dover International Speedway: Matt Kenseth (06/02/02) and Michael Waltrip (06/03/1991).
• One active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver has posted his first career win at Dover International Speedway: Martin Truex Jr. (06/04/07).
• Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Dover with 2,704 laps led in 24 starts.
• If Jimmie Johnson leads 296 laps or more this weekend he will surpass the 3,000 laps led mark at Dover International Speedway, becoming the seventh driver in series history to lead 3,000 or more laps at a single track. Jeff Gordon is the only other active driver to accomplish the feat (Martinsville – 3,593 laps led).(NASCAR)(5-31-2014) - Sad News – Ray DeWitt: Former NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Series team owner Ray DeWitt passed away Thursday evening after suffering a heart attack at his home in Sunset Beach, NC. He was 63. DeWitt fielded cars on the local and regional scene for many years, including an American Speed Association (ASA) operation that included eventual NASCAR drivers Ted Musgrave and Tim Fedewa. DeWitt’s NASCAR national series career began when he fielded Sprint Cup Series Chevrolets for drivers Rich Vogler and Ted Musgrave in a trio of 1990 races at Pocono, Michigan and Rockingham. He teamed with former driver DK Ulrich to form RaDiUs Racing in 1992, running the full Winston Cup championship schedule with Musgrave, crew chief Buddy Parrott and sponsor Jasper Engines. The following year, RaDiUs Racing claimed a pair of Top-5 finishes at Pocono and Michigan with Musgrave at the controls, finishing 25th in the final standings. DeWitt also fielded a full-time Busch Grand National Series effort with driver Tim Fedewa under the D-R Racing banner, finishing 18th in points. In 1994, DeWitt ended his partnership with Ulrich and concentrated mainly on the NASCAR Busch Series, finishing 10th in points with Fedewa. He also made 18 Winston Cup starts that year with drivers Jimmy Hensley, Fedewa and Butch Miller.(Godfather Motorsports)(5-31-2014)
- Busch wins Nationwide race at Dover: #18-Kyle Busch won the Buckle Up 200 at Dover International Speedway. #6-Trevor Bayne finished second followed by #22-Joey Logano, #20-Matt Kenseth, #9-Chase Elliott, #42-Kyle Larson, #2-Brian Scott, #3-Ty Dillon, #11-Elliott Sadler, and #7-Regan Smith.
There were 4 cautions for 27 laps and 3 lead changes among 3 leaders. Complete results are on the Dover race results page (pdf).
(5-31-2014) - Dover Nationwide Race Fast Facts:
Kyle Busch(i) won the 33rd Annual Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It or Ticket, his 66th victory in 280 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. This is his third victory and 10th top-10 finish in 2014.
This is his fourth victory and 13th top-10 finish in 18 races at Dover International Speedway.
Trevor Bayne (second) posted his fifth top-10 finish in six races at Dover International Speedway. It is his 10th top-10 finish in 2014.
Joey Logano(i) (third) posted his eighth top-10 finish in 11 races at Dover International Speedway.
Chase Elliott (fifth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Regan Smith leads the point standings by 4 points over Elliott Sadler.
Busch becomes the first driver to win both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series races in the same weekend at Dover. He is the only driver to sweep all three NASCAR national series in a weekend (Bristol, August 2010).(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-31-2014) - Driver standings following Dover:
1) #7-Regan Smith 448
2) #11-Elliott Sadler 444 -4
3) #9-Chase Elliott # 426 -22
4) #6-Trevor Bayne 421 -27
5) #3-Ty Dillon # 414 -34
6) #2-Brian Scott 391 -57
7) #62-Brendan Gaughan 341 -107
8) #99-James Buescher 332 -116
9) #60-Chris Buescher # 328 -120
10) #31-Dylan Kwasniewski # 303 -145
See complete standings on the driver standings page (pdf).(5-31-2014) - Nationwide Owner Standings following Dover are posted (pdf).(5-31-2014)
- Logano on Nationwide pole at Dover: #22-Joey Logano won the Coors Light Pole for the Buckle Up 200 at Dover International Speedway with a speed of 155.474mph. #9-Chase Elliott will start second followed by: #2-Brian Scott, #54-Kyle Busch, #6-Trevor Bayne, #20-Matt Kenseth, #42-Kyle Larson, #60-Chris Buescher, #11-Elliott Sadler, #62-Brendan Gaughan, #7-Regan Smith, and #3-Ty Dillon.
#22-Logano was quickest in the opening qualifying session at 154.579mph
Did Not Qualify: none. The starting lineup is posted on the Dover starting lineup page (pdf).(5-31-2014) - Dover Nationwide Qualifying Notes:
Joey Logano(i) won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 33rd Annual Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It or Ticket with a lap of 23.155 seconds, 155.474 mph.
This is his 24th pole in 128 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first pole and second top-10 start in 2014.
This is his fourth pole in 11 races at Dover International Speedway.
Chase Elliott (second) posted his eighth top-10 start of 2014 and his first at Dover International Speedway.
Brian Scott (third) posted his fifth top-10 start at Dover International Speedway. It is his 10th in 12 races this season.
Chase Elliott (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-31-2014) - Fan-Driven events to debut at Pocono: Pocono Raceway announced three first-time, fan-driven activities to occur at the June 6-8 Pocono 400 race weekend. These new events include a 50/50 raffle, the opportunity to be upgraded to the Red Carpet #SelfieSuite at Pocono’s Tricky Triangle Club Presented by Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, featuring appearances by movie stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum and NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne, and the possibility to enjoy the Infield Block Party on Saturday night for a small donation, per car, to Pocono Raceway’s local fire department. Next weekend fans will have the opportunity to participate in a weekend-long 50/50 contest where one lucky winner will take home a 50% share of the total jackpot. The efforts of the Mattioli Foundation, the Raceway’s official charitable foundation and hosts of the raffle, should yield an estimated jackpot of $30,000. Proceeds from the contest will benefit the NASCAR Foundation. The Infield Block Party, usually reserved for Camping/RV guests only, will be open to the general public on Saturday night. For a small donation of $5, per car, to the Tunkhannock Township Fire Department, fans will be able to enjoy all the Infield Block Party has to offer.(Pocono Raceway)(5-31-2014)
- Sonoma Raceway unveils Fan Council: Sonoma Raceway will introduce an all-new Fan Council for the 2014 race season; part of the facility’s continued efforts to enhance and improve the race-day experience for its guests. Following an initial application process, the raceway has selected a group of 14 fans who will provide a reflection of what they see, hear and experience while attending Sonoma Raceway events. They will be tasked with communicating directly and routinely with track personnel to provide feedback and suggestions for improving raceway operations and offerings. The inaugural group includes a cross section of fans of varying ages, genders, backgrounds, racing interests, hometowns and race-day preferences, who will provide day-of communication and complete post-event surveys. Members will also participate in a group meeting in the fall to offer an overview of the 2014 season. All fans have committed to an initial one-year term.(Sonoma Raceway)(5-31-2014)
News from May 30, 2014
Pole sitter #2-Keselowski chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #18-Busch took pit stall 10, the first pit stall in front of it.
#22-Logano, who starts 3rd took the 9th pit stall, with an opening behind it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #48-Johnson, who starts 4th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(5-30-2014)
#18-Busch is on the outside pole, followed by #22-Logano, #48-Johnson, #42-Larson, #24-Gordon, #11-Hamlin, #4-Harvick, #55-Vickers, #15-Bowyer, #47-Allmendinger, and #16-Biffle.
With 43 cars at the track, no one missed the race.
See starting lineup, qualifying results by round, pdf links and more on Jayski’s Starting Lineup / Qualifying page.(5-30-2014)
Brad Keselowski won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 45th Annual FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks with a lap of 21.892 seconds, 164.444 mph (new track record).
This is his fifth pole in 174 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his second pole and 10th top-10 start in 2014.
This is his first pole in nine races at Dover International Speedway.
Kyle Busch (second) posted his sixth top-10 start of 2014 and his 10th in 19 races at Dover International Speedway.
Joey Logano (third) posted his third top-10 start at Dover International Speedway. It is his 10th in 13 races this season.
Kyle Larson (fifth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-30-2014)
#18-Busch 166.297
#14-Stewart 165.609
#42-Larson 165.183
#31-Newman 165.130
#2-Keselowski 164.888
slowest: #77-Blaney 154.659 & #32-Koch 150.150.
notes: Qualifying is scheduled for this afternoon at 3:40pm/et on FoxSports1.
See the speeds, laps run on the Dover practice 1 speeds page (pdf). (5-30-2014)
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #3-Dillon.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #2-Keselowski.
Qualifying order is set by a random draw, held about an hour before the first practice.
See the full qualifying order on the Dover Qualifying Page.(5-22-2014)
UPDATE: Jeff Burton, easing off the throttle of his NASCAR driving career as he prepares to move into the broadcast booth for NBC Sports, found himself back inside a race car this week, testing for Michael Waltrip Racing at Pocono Raceway on Tuesday. He won’t be competing at the 2.5-mile track when the Sprint Cup Series hits to the uniquely shaped three-turn layout next month, but will make his second appearance of the season at Michigan the following week. When he’s not been in the car, either competing or taking part in tests for MWR, Burton, a 21-time winner in Cup, has been getting acclimated to life on the other side of the camera. His only 2014 start so far this season came at Las Vegas, where he qualified 19th and finished 17th in the #66 MWR Toyota. Other starts beyond the Michigan race are likely, although no schedule has been announced.(NASCAR.com)(5-30-2014)
• 10 different race winners through the first 12 races, the most since 2003, when there were 11. And there are only two multiple winners (Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick), adding drama to an already intriguing new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format.
• 10 different Coors Light Pole winners through the first 12 races, most since 1991, when there were also 10.
• Average of 12.2 leaders per race through 12 races, compared to 9.1 at this point last year.
• Average of 27.7 lead changes per race, compared to 17.7 at this point last year last year.
• 36 different drivers have led at least one lap.
• Average margin of victory is .651 seconds, the lowest through 12 races since the inception of electronic timing and scoring in 1993.
• 7 of the 12 races have had a margin of victory under one second.
• 56,657 green flag passes through the first 12 races, the most since the inception of loop data in 2005.
• 603 green flag passes for the lead through the first 12 races, the most since the inception of loop data in 2005.(NASCAR)(5-30-2014)
• David Pearson won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Dover in 1969 with a speed of 130.430 mph.
• 37 drivers have Coors Light poles at Dover, led by David Pearson with six. Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman lead all active drivers in poles with four each.
• Nine drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Dover. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Dover with three; from 1973 to the spring race of 1974.
• Two active drivers have posted consecutive Coors Light poles at Dover: Ryan Newman (fall 2005 and spring 2006), and Denny Hamlin (fall 2012 and spring 2013).
• 34 different drivers have won at Dover International Speedway, led by Jimmie Johnson with eight wins (2002 sweep, fall 2005, 2009 sweep, 2010 fall, spring 2012 and fall 2013).
• 12 drivers have posted consecutive wins at Dover International Speedway, including three consecutive by David Pearson (fall 1972 and 1973 sweep), Rusty Wallace (fall 1993 and 1994 sweep) and Jeff Gordon (fall 1995 and 1996 sweep).
• Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Dover in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 15: Jimmie Johnson (eight), Jeff Gordon (four), Geoff Bodine (one), Ken Schrader (one) and Ricky Rudd (one).
• Nine different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Dover; led by Chevrolet with 34 victories; followed by Ford with 25.
• 13 of the 88 (14.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from the Coors Light pole; the two most recent were Jimmie Johnson in 2009 and 2010.
• The second-place starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (15) than any other starting position at Dover International Speedway.
• 28 of the 88 (31.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 15 from second-place.
• 69 of the 88 (78.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Dover have been won from a top-10 starting position.
• Five of the 88 (5.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover have been won from a starting position outside the top 20 – most recently: Tony Stewart, spring 2013 (22nd-place starting position)
• The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Dover was 37th, by Kyle Petty in the spring of 1995.(NASCAR)(5-30-2014)
Kyle Busch(i) won the 15th Annual Lucas Oil 200, his 39th victory in 119 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his fourth victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2014.
This is his fourth victory and sixth top-10 finish in nine races at Dover International Speedway.
Ryan Blaney (second) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at Dover International Speedway. It is his third top-10 finish in 2014.
Johnny Sauter (third) posted his third top-10 finish in six races at Dover International Speedway.
Ben Kennedy (seventh) was the highest finishing rookie.
Timothy Peters leads the point standings by 1 points over Matt Crafton.
Today’s win is the 31st victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for crew chief Eric Phillips.
(NASCAR Statistics)(5-30-2013)
1) 2) #17-Timothy Peters, 185, – 11
2) #88-Matt Crafton, 184, -1
3) #98-Johnny Sauter, 184, -1
4) #77-German Quiroga, 179, -6
5) #30-Ron Hornaday, 170, -15
6) #31-Ben Kennedy, 169, -16
7) #29-Ryan Blaney, 166, -19
8) #5-John Wes Townley, 159, -26
9) #13-Jeb Burton, 153, -32
10) #21-Joey Coulter, 142, -43
See complete standings on the driver standings page (pdf).(5-30-2014)
” Michigan International Speedway generates more than $414 million in total economic activity annually, with nearly $173 million of that in direct economic benefit to Michigan.
” Michigan International Speedway annually pays $2.4 million in local property taxes and more than $8.3 million in state sales and use taxes.
” The total economic footprint of Michigan International Speedway and its national effect produces $226.6 million in earnings and 5,413 jobs.
” About 385,000 people visit MIS on an annual basis.
” More than half of the attendees at Michigan International Speedway’s NASCAR events come from outside the state of Michigan.
The speedway has branched out to innovate and diversify itself as a business, hospitality and entertainment venue, bringing in several new events the past year. Not only does the speedway annually host the Michigan Wine and Beer Fest presented by Experience Jackson, but it also hosts Faster Horses, a three-day country music festival produced by Live Nation, and Tough Mudder, an obstacle and endurance course. The speedway also hosts driving schools, car shows and most recently, about 100 colleges from around the world for Formula SAE, one of only three venues in the Unites States to host this renowned competition.(Michigan Speedway)(5-30-2014)
News from May 29, 2014
The Toyota Camry Test Car, a new addition for this year’s race coverage, will take viewers inside the car and bring them closer to the action. TNT analysts Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach will use the car for pre-race driving segments on the track, taking viewers into the turns and down the straightaways before the green flag drops each week. Additionally, the car will be a resource for analyst Larry McReynolds during the race as the former crew chief will outline key performance features and mechanical challenges during the race.
TNT will once again follow a driver and their team over the course of the entire week as they travel and prepare for the upcoming race, with coverage beginning when the driver leaves the previous track and continuing throughout the network’s next NASCAR Summer Series telecast. Featured drivers will include #42-Kyle Larson (Pocono), #3-Austin Dillon (Michigan) and #47-AJ Allmendinger (Daytona), among others. The all-access pieces will air during the pre-race Countdown to Green served by Sonic show.
The network will return its marquee commentator crew with analysts Petty, Dallenbach and McReynolds joining play-by-play announcer Adam Alexander for each race. Alexander will also host the network’s 60-minute Countdown to Green served by Sonic pre-race show with Petty, Dallenbach and McReynolds. In addition, veteran reporters Ralph Sheheen, Marty Snider, Matt Yocum and Chris Neville will patrol pit road to bring viewers comprehensive coverage and access prior to and during each race.(Turner Sports)(5-29-2014)
• The official opening of Dover International Speedway, then called Dover Downs International Speedway, was in 1969.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on July 6, 1969 – won by Richard Petty.
• The first two races at Dover were 300 miles. The race length was changed to 500 miles in 1971.
• The track surface was changed to concrete in 1995.
• The race length was changed to 400 miles beginning with the second race in 1997.
• The track name was changed to Dover International Speedway in 2002.
• There have been 88 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Dover International Speedway, one race in 1969 and 1970, two races per year since 1971.(NASCAR)(5-29-2014)
News from May 28, 2014
See past races for 2014 and 5-year comparison chart on the 2014 NASCAR TV Ratings page.(5-28-2014)
UPDATE: Pocono Raceway will open their gates, for fans, for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams who will be testing on Tuesday, May 27 and Wednesday, May 28. A limited seating section of the Grandstands will be open from 9 am – 5 pm both day. Fans may access the Grandstands by entering the track property at Gate 5 (off Long Pond Road). From there, cones will guide fans to park by Gate 11. Admission and parking is FREE for the two-day test session. Fans may bring coolers, but glass of any kind, is strictly prohibited.(Pocono Raceway)(5-26-2014)
UPDATE 2: More than two dozen NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers were testing Tuesday at various tracks across the country. Pocono Raceway was busy with teams from Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, Furniture Row Racing, HScott Motorsports, Tommy Baldwin Racing and Go Fas Racing. Richard Petty Motorsports tested Tuesday with #9-Marcos Ambrose and #43-Aric Almirola at Michigan International Speedway and will return Wednesday. Several teams tested at road courses in preparation for next month’s race at Sonoma Raceway. Testing at Virginia International Raceway on Tuedsay: #41-Kurt Busch, #4-Kevin Harvick, #99-Carl Edwards, #16-Greg Biffle, #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr., #23-Alex Bowman, #83-Ryan Truex, #26-Cole Whitt and #13-Casey Mears. Testing at Road Atlanta on Tuesday: #2-Brad Keselowski, #22-Joey Logano, #10-Danica Patrick and #14-Tony Stewart.(Motor Racing Network) (5-28-2014)
Total number of commercials: 165
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 69
Number of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 153
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 66
Number of ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials during race broadcast (split-screen): 12
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 10
Number of times Fox utilized ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials during this broadcast: 3
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 52
Total amount of time these brief promos take during broadcast: app. 6 min. 5 sec.
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 6:00 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 10:31 PM
Total minutes of complete race broadcast: 271
Minutes of race broadcast: 197
Minutes of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 74
Minutes of ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials (split-screen): 6
Number of missed restarts: 0
Number of ‘mystery cautions’ (debris not shown): 1
Total race brdcst time 197 Total comm. brdcst time 74
See past races and links to past 2014 races on the 2014 TV Commercials page.(5-28-2014)
1) #48-Jimmie Johnson……….121.1
2) #20-Matt Kenseth…………107.9
3) #18-Kyle Busch…………..106.0
4) #99-Carl Edwards…………101.3
5) #16-Greg Biffle………….101.0
6) #24-Jeff Gordon…………..93.7
7) #41-Kurt Busch……………92.5
8) #15-Clint Bowyer………….91.6
9) #78-Martin Truex Jr……….89.4
10) #31-Ryan Newman………….89.4
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (18 total) among active drivers at Dover International Speedway.
Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.(NASCAR)
News from May 27, 2014
Since only 43 cars are entered, all drivers will make the race.
See the full entry list at my Jayski’s Dover Entry List
Supposedly things have deteriorated from there. Despite saying two weeks ago in Kansas Biffle was “absolutely, 100%” not looking outside his current organization, I’ve learned that’s not the case. Sources claim the driver’s plans lie elsewhere for 2015, that he is actively seeking other employment and that the feeling is mutual. One link in particular, direct to the Roush organization who wished to remain anonymous said he’s been told the future for Biffle involves “anything but” RFR, the only NASCAR team he’s really driven for. If the driver, a Roush Cup full-timer since 2003, does not return next year, speculation has been rampant that he will take sponsor 3M with him. A red flag went up about that possibility on Saturday, when RFR announced that they planned to return their #6 to the track next year. Owner Jack Roush said that he plans for the new team, driven by Trevor Bayne, to be a fourth car, but it’s also possible he’s prepping to lose financial backing for 2015.(Frontstretch)(5-27-2014)
Rex White is NASCAR’s oldest living champion, winning the Sprint Cup Series Championship in 1960. He was also a participant in the first annual Coca-Cola 600 held that same year. “I had no idea I would go in this year,” said White. “I was so surprised. It is just so great to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame; it’s a big honor for me to be even thought about to go in.” After surviving a bout with polio as a child, White said he was attracted to racing thanks to a poster hanging in the gas station where he worked. “I looked at that poster for about a month before I got enough money to go to a race,” White said. “And the first stock car that I ever saw go around a race track, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I set out to get in the pits and learn more about them. I met Frankie Schneider (former driver) and I started helping him. And that kicked my racing career off.”(CMS Pit Notes)(5-27-2014)
“They all can do it, they all want to do it, they’re all very interested in helping us,” Haas said. “I think they’re looking at it as a good long-time partnership but it just comes down to you have to order things and it takes time to order things and get things scheduled. It just seems that it’s taking longer to accomplish what we wanted to do than we thought. So, it’s taken a couple of weeks but in another week then we’ll definitely know.” After Haas establishes his technical partners, his focus will shift to driver and designer candidates in hopes of testing come January. However, at this point of the season Haas is accepting the reality that his current schedule of making it to the grid in 2015 is ambitious.(Motorsport)(5-27-2014)
Blake Koch is in the #10 for TriStar;
Matt Carter is in the #13;
Ryan Ellis is entered in the RWR #15;
Timmy Hill returns to the #23;
Paulie Harrraka will drive the #44 for TriStar;
Todd Bodine will be back in the #55;
Josh Reaume will drive the #93.(5-27-2014)
See the complete list on the Dover entry list page.
Cole Custer is in the #00;
Jake Crum is in the #08;
John Hunter Nemechek is in the #8;
Tyler Reddick in the #19;
Gray Gaulding is in the #20;
Ben Rhodes is in the #32;
Brandon Jones is in the #33;
Todd Peck is in the #40;
Raymond Terczak Jr. is in the #56;
Scott Riggs is in the #92;
(5-27-2014)
See the complete list on the Dover entry list page.
· A grandstand ticket to the Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, July 5
· 15-minute question-and-answer session with Johnson inside the air-conditioned Velocitorium that is located outside Turn 4
· Prior to the question-and-answer session, children will have the opportunity to put together a Lowe’s Build and Grow race car
· Special Daytona International Speedway giveaways
Tickets for “The 48 Family Experience” ticket package are available at daytonainternationalspeedway.com/48 or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(5-27-2014)
News from May 26, 2014
UPDATE: Pocono Raceway will open their gates, for fans, for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams who will be testing on Tuesday, May 27 and Wednesday, May 28. A limited seating section of the Grandstands will be open from 9 am – 5 pm both day. Fans may access the Grandstands by entering the track property at Gate 5 (off Long Pond Road). From there, cones will guide fans to park by Gate 11. Admission and parking is FREE for the two-day test session. Fans may bring coolers, but glass of any kind, is strictly prohibited.(Pocono Raceway)(5-26-2014)
“The motor blew,” Busch said. “It acted like it swallowed three cylinders all at once, and so it was really slow. It’s kind of a shame, you know. It almost symbolizes how tough it has been this year on the Haas Automation team. We gave it our all, and the way we were clawing it up there and got a lucky break with the caution one time. I thought we were making good gains on the car, and it was great to race in traffic. To feel the stock car right after driving the Indy car was a day I’ll never forget. I can’t let the mood here with the car dampen what happened up at Indy today. That was very special. It takes a big team – it takes a team everywhere. Andretti Autosport gave me a top-five car to try and win the 500 with, and these Stewart-Haas guys gave me a good car tonight. The motor just went, sometimes that happens. All in all I gave it my all. I tried hard. I had a lot of people helping me out. I want to say thanks to Gene Haas, Tony Stewart, Michael Andretti and this whole group. Everyone worked hard on this on both sides.”(SHR)(5-26-2014)
News from May 25, 2014
#4-Harvick finished 2nd followed by #20-Kenseth, #99-Edwards, #1-McMurray, #55-Vickers, #24-Gordon, #27-Menard, #18-Busch and #2-Keselowski.
#48-Johnson, who won the pole, won from the pole for his 14th time in 33 poles.
#24-Gordon, who came into the race as the points leader, finished 7th and still leads the points by 11 over #20-Kenseth.
#22-Logano leads the Chase Seeding with two wins. #4-Harvick is second, also with 2 wins, but lower in points. They are followed by #24-Gordon, #18-Busch and #99-Edwards.
There were 34 lead changes among 9 drivers and there were 8 cautions for 44 yellow flag laps.
The average speed was 145.484.
See unofficial race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Unofficial Charlotte Race Results page (pdf) and check out the Charotte Penalty Report (pdf).
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Charlotte Race & Points Report (pdf).(5-25-2014)
#48-Jimmie Johnson won the 55th Annual COCA-COLA 600, his 67th victory in 447 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. Johnson ranks eighth on the all-time series wins list.
This is his first victory and seventh top-10 finish in 2014. With the win, Johnson is virtually locked into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
This is his seventh victory and 17th top-10 finish in 26 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Johnson is now the all-time series points wins leader at Charlotte Motor Speedway, breaking a tie with NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip.
This is Johnson’s fourth win in the Coca-Cola 600. Only Darrell Waltrip (five) has more wins in the 600.
Johnson has now won at least one race in 13 consecutive seasons, which is tied for the ninth longest streak all-time with NASCAR Hall of Famers Lee Petty and Cale Yarborough.
#4-Kevin Harvick (second) posted his 10th top-10 finish in 27 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his sixth top-10 finish in 2014.
#20-Matt Kenseth (third) posted his 16th top-10 finish in 30 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
#24-Jeff Gordon leads the point standings by 11 points over #20-Matt Kenseth.(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(5-25-2014)
[after Charlotte, race 12 of 36]
1) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win], 432
2) #20-Matt Kenseth, 421, -11
3) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win], 408, -24
4) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 408, -24
5) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 394, -38
6) #48-Jimmie Johnson [1 win], 388, -44
7) #22-Joey Logano [2 wins], 378, -54
8) #55-Brian Vickers, 365, -67
9) #2-Brad Keselowski [1 win], 361, -71
10) #31-Ryan Newman, 361, -71
Other drivers with at least one win, likely will make the Chase:
12) #4-Kevin Harvick [2 wins], 345, -87
14) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 340, -92
28) #41-Kurt Busch [1 win], 215, -217 (51 pts ahead of 31st)
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Charlotte Race & Points Report (pdf).(5-25-2014)
[after Charlotte, race 12 of 36 if Chase seeding started after this race]
1) #22-Joey Logano, 2 wins, 7th in points
2) #4-Kevin Harvick, 2 wins, 12th
3) #24-Jeff Gordon, 1 win, 1st
4) #18-Kyle Busch, 1 win, 3rd
5) #99-Carl Edwards, 1 win, 4th
6) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1 win, 5th
7) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 6th
8) #2-Brad Keselowski, 1 win, 9th
9) #11-Denny Hamlin, 1 win, 14th
10) #41-Kurt Busch, 1 win, 28th
(no wins, in by points)
11) #20-Matt Kenseth, 2nd
12) #55-Brian Vickers, 8th
13) #31-Ryan Newman, 10th
14) #16-Greg Biffle, 11th
15) #42-Kyle Larson, 13th
16) #3-Austin Dillon, 15th
(5-25-2014)
#3-Dillon, finished 16th, 11 rookie points
#42-Larson, 18th, 10
#26-Whitt, 27th, 9
#7-Annett, 28th, 8
#23-Bowman, 33rd, 7
#51-Allgaier, 37th, 6
#83-Truex, 38th, 5
Kligerman, Did Not Race
(5-25-2014)
ESPN.com’s Racecast – Live Coverage and Chat Racing Live! on ESPN.com Listen Live Online at Performance Racing Network
The eight previous double-dips have been divided up by only three drivers – John Andretti (1994), Robby Gordon (1997, 2000, 2002-2004) and Tony Stewart (1999 and 2001). Stewart has the best result – by far – in the books, having finished sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte in 2001, in the process becoming the only driver to complete all 1,100 miles between the two races.
The results in the ‘doubles’:
(year – driverL Indy Finish, CMS finish, total laps / total miles)
1994 – John Andretti: 10, 36, 416 / 820
1997 – Robby Gordon: 29, 41, 205 / 326.5
1999 – Tony Stewart: 9, 4, 596 / 1090
2000* – Robby Gordon: 6, 35, 335 / 702.5
2001 – Tony Stewart: 6, 3, 600 / 1100 (all laps both races)
2002 – Robby Gordon: 8, 16, 599 / 1098.5
2003 – Robby Gordon: 22, 17, 444 / 835
2004 – Robby Gordon: 29, 20, 485 / 815.5
UPDATE: 2014 – Kurt Busch: 6, 40, 471 / 906.5
*Note: in 2000 Gordon arrived late to CMS and P.J. Jones started the car, Gordon ran 135 laps and finished 35th, credited to Jones.
Busch will start 12th for the Indianapolis 500, but crashed in a Monday practice session and will be forced to a back-up car, but maintains his starting position. Busch will start 28th in the Coca Cola 600.(in part from NASCAR and in part from research)(5-25-2014)
UPDATE: from a Team Chevy press release / transcript: #24-Jeff Gordon will sit-out second NASCAR Sprint Cup practice session today (Saturday) due to back issue.
Q) NORMALLY WE WOULD ASK ABOUT YOUR RACE CAR. BUT INSTEAD, HOW ARE YOU?
Gordon: “Yeah, unfortunately I had a back spasm the other night in that last qualifying run that I made. And I’ve been trying to get it worked out by today, and I got in the car and it just wasn’t. The good news is that the car is awesome. So, I made 11 laps and it was everything I could do to do that. I just had to tell the team that I think it would be best if I sit out the rest of the day so that I can be prepared for this long, tough race that’s going to happen tomorrow.”
Q) WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THE 1:00 PM PRACTICE? WILL THERE BE A SUBSTITUTE DRIVER OR WILL THEY JUST LEAVE THE CAR THE WAY IT IS?
Gordon: “Well, at this point we’re going to have Regan Smith standing by for tomorrow. But I don’t think they’re going to do anything more today. Again, luckily we had a good 11 laps there (in first practice session) and we’ve got our teammates and information that we’re going to be able to gather from them. It’s all coming together very fast right now. It’s unfortunate. I’ve had some spasms in the past, but this one it a little bit different. And so, I just want to really be cautious and take care of it. It doesn’t do me any good to be in the car right now; especially when the car is as good as it is. It’s really about getting prepared for 600 miles tomorrow. I have no doubts that I can be in this car and be competitive tomorrow if I just take it easy over the next 24 hours.”(Team Chevy)(5-24-2014)
UPDATE2: Gordon told Motor Racing Network after the drivers meeting Sunday: “I think we should be arlight. I’m not 100%, but I feel a lot better than I did yesterday. I’ve got a good team on the race track preparing a great car and off the track as well that did a nice job getting me ready. If I get in there, I don’t think I’ll be getting out. We’ll see what happens. I feel good enough to do it right now.” Regan Smith will be Gordon’s standby driver today.(MRN)(5-25-2014)
Kurt Busch isn’t the only one doing the double this Memorial Day weekend. Country music star Brantley Gilbert will be attending the Indianapolis 500 on May 25 as part of the sponsorship of Indy rookie, Sage Karam, and then fly to Charlotte to perform a pre-race concert for the Coca-Cola 600.
Basis will be with Kurt Busch every step of the way – literally – as he prepares for 1,100 miles of grueling, intense racing. Fans will be able to see his progress as he focuses on getting in tip-top shape, ensuring the right amount of rest for recovery and keeping things under control with his frequent heart rate checks. Basis is a revolutionary wrist-based device that tracks physiological data like heart rate, sweat level, skin temperature and movement 24/7. Basis is the world’s most advanced health tracker and will be tracking Busch’s progress, including his races and workouts, leading up to this epic racing challenging. You can check out Basis, info on donating by laps to Armed Forces Foundation and follow Busch at kurtbuschdouble.com.(5-20/25-2014)
UPDATE Kurt Busch has successfully completed the Indianapolis 500 — the first step in his bid to become the second driver to finish the prestigious race as well as the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day. Busch finished sixth in Indy after starting 12th. The Double has been attempted by just three drivers, the last being Robby Gordon in 2004. Only one, Tony Stewart in 2001, successfully completed the two races, finishing sixth at Indy and third at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ahead for Busch was a plane ride to North Carolina for the second race Sunday night. He will start 28th in NASCAR’s longest race of the season.(ESPN/AP). The Indy 500 was won by Ryan Hunter-Reay (Robby Gordon’s brother-in-law)(5-25-2014)
In a proclamation that named May 2014 as “LET FREEDOM RACE CELEBRATION MONTH AT CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY”, Sen. Richard Burr (R- NC) and Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) both recognized Charlotte Motor Speedway and its annual celebration of military heroes on Memorial Day Weekend. The House presentation was carried live on C-SPAN.(PR)(5-25-2014)
· 520 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying race at Charlotte Motor Speedway; 371 in more than one. 427 drivers have competed in Coca-Cola 600; 285 in more than one.
· Five of the 110 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 won by David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip Racing. Four of the five races shortened were the 600-mile events (1968, 1997, 2003 and 2009).
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the May 29, 2005 race won by Jimmie Johnson over Bobby Labonte with a MOV of 0.027 second.
· 45 different drivers have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway, led by Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison and Jimmie Johnson with six wins each.
· There have been three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but only once for the Coca-Cola 600 (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): fall of 2005 (334/336), fall of 2007 (334/337) and the 2011 Coca-Cola 600 (400/402).
· 30 different drivers have won the Coca-Cola 600, led by NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip with five; Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne lead all active drivers with three each.
· Nine drivers have posted consecutive wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including three consecutive by Fred Lorenzen (fall 1964 and both 1965) and four straight by Jimmie Johnson (both in 2004 and 2005).
· A season sweep at Charlotte has occurred eight times, including each season from 2004-2007.
· Seven times from seven different drivers has the winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race gone on to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Davey Allison (1991), Dale Earnhardt (1993), Jeff Gordon (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2003), Kasey Kahne (2008) and Kurt Busch (2010).
· Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Charlotte in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 17: Jimmie Johnson (six), Jeff Gordon (five), Darrell Waltrip (two), Ken Schrader (one), Terry Labonte (one), Casey Mears (one) and Kasey Kahne (one).
· Eight different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Charlotte; led by Chevrolet with 41 victories; followed by Ford with 29. Chevrolet also has the most Coca-Cola 600 wins at 22.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Charlotte was 37th, by Jimmie Johnson in the Coca-Cola 600 of 2003.(NASCAR)(5-25-2014)
Fans will be tweeting: “I made history @cltmotorspdwy May 25, 2014 #WorldsLargestTweetUp #CocaCola600” on Sunday, May 25, at 2:00pm/et.(5-25-2014)
“We are glad to have Savage Outdoors TV come on board the #36 Chevrolet this weekend,” team owner Tommy Baldwin commented. “It’s great to have Jamie and his family on board, especially in a sport who’s fan base loves the outdoors. Naturally it was a great fit.”(TBR)(5-26-2014)
News from May 24, 2014
Television (TV): FOX at 6:00 pm/et; Pre-Race show at 5:30pm/et; green flag approx. 6:16pm/et
Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
Monday, May 26 at 1:00pm/et on FS1;
Tuesday, May 27 at 7:30pm/et on FS1;
Thursday, May 29 at 7:00pm/et on FS1
#18-Busch 188.640 (wrecked)
#22-Logano 188.265
#10-Patrick 187.846
#16-Biffle 187.663
#48-Johnson 187.656
slowest: #32-Koch 180.717 & #7-Annett 183.275
no speed listed: #24-Gordon, #66-Nemechek, #36-Sorenson
most laps run: #42-Larson 51; #88-Earnhardt Jr 50
#48-Johnson has the best consecutive 10 lap average at 186.008mph of 24 drivers.
notes: #18-Busch hit the wall after running a fast lap, and pancaked the right side of the car, the team will go to a backup car. #18-Busch was able to get the backup car out for practice with 30 minutes left in the session.
See the speeds, laps run on the Charlotte Happy Hour practice speeds page (pdf).(5-24-2014)
#99-Edwards 192.802
#47-Allmendinger 192.383
#78-Truex Jr. 192.280
#48-Johnson 192.260
#2-Keselowski 192.109
slowest: #32-Koch 181.366 & #36-Sorenson 186.200
most laps run: #5-Kahne 42; #33-Scott 41; #48-Johnson 40
#24-Gordon has the best consecutive 10 lap average at 189.094mph of 17 drivers.
See the speeds, laps run on the Charlotte practice 2 speeds page (pdf).(5-24-2014)
UPDATE: from a Team Chevy press release / transcript: #24-Jeff Gordon will sit-out second NASCAR Sprint Cup practice session today (Saturday) due to back issue.
Q) NORMALLY WE WOULD ASK ABOUT YOUR RACE CAR. BUT INSTEAD, HOW ARE YOU?
Gordon: “Yeah, unfortunately I had a back spasm the other night in that last qualifying run that I made. And I’ve been trying to get it worked out by today, and I got in the car and it just wasn’t. The good news is that the car is awesome. So, I made 11 laps and it was everything I could do to do that. I just had to tell the team that I think it would be best if I sit out the rest of the day so that I can be prepared for this long, tough race that’s going to happen tomorrow.”
Q) WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THE 1:00 PM PRACTICE? WILL THERE BE A SUBSTITUTE DRIVER OR WILL THEY JUST LEAVE THE CAR THE WAY IT IS?
Gordon: “Well, at this point we’re going to have Regan Smith standing by for tomorrow. But I don’t think they’re going to do anything more today. Again, luckily we had a good 11 laps there (in first practice session) and we’ve got our teammates and information that we’re going to be able to gather from them. It’s all coming together very fast right now. It’s unfortunate. I’ve had some spasms in the past, but this one it a little bit different. And so, I just want to really be cautious and take care of it. It doesn’t do me any good to be in the car right now; especially when the car is as good as it is. It’s really about getting prepared for 600 miles tomorrow. I have no doubts that I can be in this car and be competitive tomorrow if I just take it easy over the next 24 hours.”(Team Chevy)(5-24-2014)
“There will always be a special place in my heart for the #6,” said former Roush Fenway driver Mark Martin. “It’s the number we used when Jack and I first went racing in 1988. There is so much history associated with that number and with the trials and successes that we went through as we helped build RFR into a premiere NASCAR team. I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish during that time together; a part of me will always be the #6, and I’m happy to see it return with Jack, Trevor and AdvoCare next season.”
“AdvoCare is excited to move to the Sprint Cup Series with Roush Fenway and Trevor next season,” said Mike Vaught, AdvoCare director of sponsorships. “Roush Fenway is a great partner, and Trevor and his wife Ashton are great ambassadors for AdvoCare. We are looking forward to the #6 car racing in the Sprint Cup Series in 2015, carrying the AdvoCare colors.
The #6 was Roush Fenway’s first NASCAR entry and served as the flagship team for the organization during its first 20 years. In 1988 when Jack Roush started what would become the winningest team in NASCAR history, he enlisted Martin – a young and hungry driver from Batesville, Ark. – to sit behind the wheel of his No. 6 Ford. Roush’s attention to detail and commitment to winning, combined with Martin’s unbridled desire to succeed would help the two forge one of the most successful combinations in NASCAR history. The duo combined for 35 wins and forever etched the number’s historical significance in NASCAR history.
“That number brings back a lot of memories,” said team owner Jack Roush. “It reminds me of all the battles we fought to get to where we are today; the victories and the defeats. Success in NASCAR does not come easy. It comes at a price and requires a great deal of passion, sacrifice, dedication and hard work. To me the No. 6 exemplifies all of that. It’s been a goal of the organization to put the #6 back out there on track in the Sprint Cup Series and I’m pleased to have AdvoCare behind us as we make the move with Trevor to full-time Cup racing,” added Roush. “AdvoCare is a first-class organization from top to bottom. They have been a great partner in the Nationwide Series and I’m confident they will be there with us step-by-step as we make the move up and put the #6 back on track on Sundays.”
Bayne is no stranger to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or famous numbers, having competed part time in the series with the legendary Wood Brothers since 2010. Bayne drove the historic #21 into victory lane in the 2011 Daytona 500, in one of the most memorable moments in NASCAR history. “I am kind of getting used to filling big shoes,” added Bayne. “Having driven the Wood Brothers #21 for the last few years in the Sprint Cup Series has been a great experience. I’ll always hold special the opportunity to drive for the Wood Brothers. Those guys are true legends in the sport and I can’t say enough about the unforgettable relationships I forged there and of course our huge win in the Daytona 500.”(Roush Fenway Racing)(5-24-2014)
” Admission revenue at Charlotte-based Speedway Motorsports Inc., fell 8.6% to $106 million. That’s an improvement from an 11% decline in 2012.
” International Speedway Corp., the country’s largest track operator and owner of Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, lost 4.6% of its admission revenue to $129.8 million after losing 6% in 2012.
” Delaware’s Dover Motorsports, which lost nearly a quarter of its admissions revenue for its two NASCAR race weekends in 2012, had a decline of 8.7% to $9.5 million.
Overall, revenues of $245.4 million are down 47% from their peak of $467.4 million in 2007.(in part from the Charlotte Observer)(5-24-2014)
“We had no idea they were getting married on the same day,” Waltrip explained. “Who would have thought that out of the 365 days a year, our daughters would have chosen the same one? Hammond didn’t tell me and I didn’t tell him. We sent out invitations and still didn’t catch it. He was talking to me about a wedding recently, and I thought he was talking about ours. At some point in time, Hammond said something about a tent, and I said, ‘We’re not having a tent.’ He said, ‘I’m going to have a tent,’ and I asked, ‘What do you need a tent for?’ He said, ‘For the wedding!’ I asked, ‘What wedding?’
“We then figured out they were getting married on the same day,” Waltrip continued. “Hammond said Heather (Hammond) had chosen that date because it’s a day he could get off of work for NASCAR on FOX, which is the same reason Sarah (daughter), Stevie (Waltrip) and I had chosen it. There is no on-track activity Friday, and Saturday is a light day on the track for FOX. For my family, Saturday was the only day that worked well for the kids and enabled me to be in town for the reception, rehearsal dinner and so forth. Hammond chose this weekend for the exact same reason.”
Oddly enough, the date of the weddings, May 24, is the same day Hammond’s son, Colt, was born in 1988 after his wife was induced in order to allow Hammond to be back atop the pit box for Waltrip for the May 29 Coca-Cola 600. Waltrip won the race that weekend and dedicated the victory to Colt.(FoxSports)(5-24-2014)
There were 3 cautions for 13 laps and 9 lead changes among 6 leaders. Complete results are on the Charlotte race results page (pdf).
(5-24-2014)
Kyle Larson won the 33rd Annual History 300 , his second victory in 43 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his second victory and ninth top-10 finish in 2014.
This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in three races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Larson led a race-high and career-high 82 laps today. His previous career-high was 54 laps led at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2013.
Brad Keselowski (second) posted his 10th top-10 finish in 14 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his fourth top-10 finish in 2014.
Kyle Busch (third) posted his 19th top-10 finish in 22 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Chris Buescher (ninth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Regan Smith leads the point standings by 5 points over Elliott Sadler
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-24-2014)
1) #7-Regan Smith 414
2) #11-Elliott Sadler 409, -5
3) #9-Chase Elliott # 386, -28
4) 5) #6-Trevor Bayne 379, -35
5) #3-Ty Dillon # 378, -36
6) #2-Brian Scott 354, -60
7) #62-Brendan Gaughan 309, -105
8) #99-James Buescher 303, -111
9) #60-Chris Buescher # 295, -119
10) #31- Dylan Kwasniewski # 285, -129
See complete standings on the driver standings page (pdf).(5-24-2014)
Caution 1: #17- Tanner Berryhill, 40th
Caution 2: #19- Mike Bliss, 20th
Caution 3: #3-Ty Dillon, 10th
(5-24-2014)
Fastest in the second round of qualifying was #54-Kyle Busch.
#54-Kyle Busch was quickest in the opening qualifying session at 180.832 mph.
Did Not Qualify: none. The starting lineup is posted on the Charlotte starting lineup page (pdf).(5-24-2014)
Kyle Busch won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 33rd Annual History 300 with a lap of 29.493 seconds, 183.094 mph.
This is his record-extending 38th pole in 279 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his second pole and seventh top-10 start in 2014. Busch’s first Charlotte pole came last October, for a race he won.
This is his second pole in 22 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Brad Keselowski (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2014 and his sixth in 14 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Kyle Larson (third) posted his second top-10 start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his sixth in ten races this season.
Dylan Kwasniewski (fourth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-24-2014)
News from May 23, 2014
Pole sitter #48-Johnson chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #2-Keselowski took pit stall 15, the first pit stall in front of it.
#5-Kahne, who starts 3rd took the 22nd pit stall, the 2nd stall with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #4-Harvick, who starts 11th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(5-23-2014)
Q) DO YOU ANTICIPATE RACING IN THE U.S. NEXT YEAR?
Ambrose “Yeah, I do. I do anticipate racing in the U.S. There are a lot of changes in the midst at RPM and I’m part of that. I have to renew my contract with them, but I’m gonna do whatever I can to get Richard Petty where he wants to go and his whole company.”
Q) HAS YOUR MANAGEMENT TALKED TO YOU ABOUT A MANUFACTURER AND HAVE YOU GIVEN THEM INPUT?
Ambrose “No, I haven’t given them input, but we have a great opportunity at Richard Petty Motorsports to improve the situation. Whenever you get a period of time like this where you can shuffle the cards and shuffle the deck, it allows your team to get better. So I think they’re in a great position. They’ve got choices, which is the most important thing, and I’m sure they’ll make the right choices for Richard Petty Motorsports and I fully support them whatever they choose to do.”
Q) HAVE YOU SEEN RPM DO MORE TESTING AND IMPROVE WITH MORE FINANCES AT ITS DISPOSAL?
Ambrose “Yeah. Look, I’ve been part of the Petty Motorsport family since they went through all the turmoil with the Gillett crossover and they’ve gone through various stages. Obviously, they had to really just get some stability and then now we’ve gotten past stability and we’re working toward the future and bringing new sponsors to NASCAR. We definitely have more funding, we have more infrastructure, we have better people around us, and I think you’re going to the next level for Richard Petty Motorsports. I have seen direct results of the extra money that’s gone into our company. I think we needed to to keep up and we certainly have made up some ground since 2013, but we’ve got a ways to go. You’ve got to look at everything to get better and I know that everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports is doing that, they really are looking at it from the outside-in, seeing what they can do and where they need to go to be the best they can be.”(Ford Racing)(5-23-2014)
AND Kevin Harvick had perhaps the fastest car but didn’t have the chance to prove it in the final five-minute round. When the clock ran out in the session, Harvick was approaching the start/finish line, but because he failed to start his lap before time expired, he didn’t post a lap that counted in the session. Accordingly, Harvick, one of the favorites to win the 600, will start 11th. Matt Kenseth, who likewise failed to take the green in Round 3, starts 12th.(AutoWeek)
AND II: Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth each did not get on the track before the end of the final session and will start 11th and 12th. Harvick’s crew chief, Rodney Childers, apologized on Twitter for the mistake. “We had a big miscommunication tonight and didn’t get @KevinHarvick off of pit road in time to run a lap in the final qualifying session,” Childers tweeted. “Apologies to all of the sponsors and fans. We will make sure it doesn’t happen again.”(Motor Racing Network)(5-23-2014)
Before flying to Charlotte for the Coke 600, Busch will start the Indy 500 in a backup car. Under IndyCar rules, however, he won’t lose the 12th-place starting position he earned in last Sunday’s qualifying session. And in Monday’s crash, Busch learned a valuable lesson. “I’m glad I experienced it,” he said. “I might sound stupid by saying that I’m glad I wrecked at 220 mph, but if I didn’t put myself in that position, I would have done that on Sunday, possibly 50 laps into the race. That’s how you have to advance through life is to learn from your mistakes. It was a mistake that I wholeheartedly put myself in. It’s because I just started to feel comfortable. I just let my guard down a little bit, and that IndyCar jumped up and bit me.”(NASCAR Wire Service)(5-23-2014)
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty leads the series in starts at Charlotte with 64. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 57 starts; followed by Mark Martin with 56. Bill Elliott has made the most Coca-Cola 600 starts with 31; Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in 600 starts with 21.
· Richard Petty leads the series in runner-up finishes at Charlotte with nine. Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth lead all active drivers with three.
· NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison are tied for the series most top-five finishes at Charlotte with 23. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 16.
· Richard Petty leads the series in top-10 finishes at Charlotte with 31. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 22.
· Ryan Newman leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Charlotte with a 7.038.
· Joey Logano leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Charlotte with a 10.400.
· Joe Nemechek leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Charlotte without visiting Victory Lane at 35; followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 28.
· Seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series active drivers have made their first career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Michael Waltrip (5/26/85), Elliott Sadler (5/24/98), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5/30/99), Jimmie Johnson (10/7/01), Brian Vickers (10/11/03), David Reutimann (10/15/05) and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (5/29/11).
· Four active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Jeff Gordon (5/29/94), Matt Kenseth (5/28/00), Jamie McMurray (10/13/02) and Casey Mears (5/27/07).
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Charlotte with 1,569 laps led in 25 starts.
· Two female drivers have competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie (4 races, best finish of 9th in Oct 1977) and Danica Patrick (3 races, best finish 20th in Oct 2013).(NASCAR)(5-23-2014)
News from May 22, 2014
#2-Keselowski is on the outside pole followed by #5-Kahne, #10-Patrick, #15-Bowyer, #11-Hamlin, #18-Busch, #22-Logano, #9-Ambrose, #88-Earnhardt Jr., #20-Kenseth and #4-Harvick. #20-Kenseth and #4-Harvick didn’t get a timed lap in. Harvick just missed the clock and Kenseth didn’t get back out.
Missing the race were: #77-Blaney and #44-Yeley.
See starting lineup, qualifying results by round, pdf links and more on Jayski’s Starting Lineup / Qualifying page(5-22-2014)
#48-Jimmie Johnson won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 55th Annual COCA-COLA 600 with a lap of 27.705 seconds, 194.911 mph.
This is his 33rd pole in 447 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. He moves into a tie for 20th on the all-time series poles list with Fonty Flock.
This is his first pole and sixth top-10 start in 2014.
This is his fourth pole in 26 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Johnson has twice won from the pole at Charlotte (5/30/04 and 10/17/09).
Johnson has six points wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which is tied for most all-time at Charlotte with NASCAR Hall of Famers Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison.
#2-Brad Keselowski (second) posted his ninth top-10 start of 2014 and his third in ten races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
#5-Kasey Kahne (third) posted his 15th top-10 start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his fourth in 12 races this season. (NASCAR Statistics)(5-22-2014)
#10-Patrick 194.595
#18-Busch 194.510
#11-Hamlin 194.084
#4-Harvick 193.959
#48-Johnson 193.555
the rest of the top 12: 5 2 15 20 9 88 22;
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 43 21 78 55 51 14 33 47 27 99 17 16
(5-22-2014)
#4-Harvick 193.931
#55-Vickers 192.534
#51-Allgaier 192.472
#78-Truex Jr 192.424
#14-Stewart 192.226
Drivers who will miss the race: #77-Blaney & #44-Yeley.
(5-22-2014)
#88-Earnhardt Jr. 193.264
#4-Harvick 192.164
#48-Johnson 192.014
#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 191.782
#78-Truex Jr. 191.775
slowest: #7-Annett 182.921 & #32-Koch 183.275
notes: if qualifying were to get rained out, the field would be set based on the practice speeds from this practice. Qualifying is scheduled for Thursday, May 22nd ay 7:00pm/et on FoxSports1.
See the speeds, laps run on the Charlotte practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(5-22-2014)
Television (TV): FS1, 7:00pm/et
Radio: Live online at Performance Racing Network (PRN)
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: Friday, May 23 at 4:30am/et on FS1; and Saturday, May 24 at 11:00pm/et on FS2
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #41-Busch.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #32-Koch.
Qualifying order is set by a random draw, held about an hour before the first practice.
See the full qualifying order on the Charlotte Qualifying Page.(5-22-2014)
#88-Earnhardt Jr. 193.264
#4-Harvick 192.164
#48-Johnson 192.014
#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 191.782
#78-Truex Jr. 191.775
slowest: #7-Annett 182.921 & #32-Koch 183.275
notes: if qualifying were to get rained out, the field would be set based on the practice speeds from this practice. Qualifying is scheduled for Thursday, May 22nd ay 7:00pm/et on FoxSports1.
See the speeds, laps run on the Charlotte practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(5-22-2014)
“Behind every one of those names is a story of tremendous sacrifice,” said Fastenal President Lee Hein. “It’s our small way of paying tribute to their service and letting them know that we couldn’t be more proud to have them as members of the Fastenal Blue Team.”
Twelve of the 630 veterans highlighted on the hood of Edward’s car will be in attendance at Charlotte Motor Speedway this Memorial Day weekend for a behind-the-scenes experience at the 55th running of the Coca-Cola 600. Former Army Sergeant Robert Thompson, who now works out of Lincolnton, N.C. as a Fastenal Sales Associate, is proud to be part of an organization that recognizes its large military workforce.
“It feels pretty awesome that I work for a company like Fastenal that honors, respects and values veterans,” said Thompson. “In the short time that I have been with Fastenal I have come to find out that there are a lot of veterans at the company. They realize that the military gives their personnel a wide assortment of skills. It’s great to see that Fastenal understands that and hires us to perform those skills.”
In addition, Fastenal would like to acknowledge Roush Fenway Racing employee and veteran Randy Fuller by including his name on the hood as an honorary Blue Team member. Fuller, who served in the Air Force for 26 years and retired as a Chief Master Sergeant, has been the Media Relations Manager for Edwards for over a decade. This is Fastenal’s third season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as the primary sponsor for Edwards in the #99 Ford Fusion. (RFR / Fastenal Racing), see image of the schemes on the #99 Team Schemes page.(5-22-2014)
“It’s only fitting that Cargill has opted to make the move up to Sprint Cup with Ricky,” said team owner Jack Roush. “Cargill entered the sport in 2010 and took a chance on a young and unproven driver in Ricky. They went on to play a major role in his back-to-back Nationwide Series Championships, and we are excited to extend our relationship into the Sprint Cup Series as Ricky’s career continues to grow and as his potential is further realized.”
“I’m thrilled to have Cargill become a part of the #17 team,” said Stenhouse. “They have been a great partner with Roush Fenway for the past four seasons and we had a great run with them in the Nationwide Series. It is our intention to pick up where we left off in 2012. I can’t think of a better way to bring them into the Sprint Cup Series than racing for a win at Daytona on July 4th weekend — the biggest grilling weekend of the year.”
In addition to serving as a primary partner with Stenhouse in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Cargill teamed with Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne in 2013 in the Nationwide Series. “We are delighted to grow our partnership and to team up with Ricky coming off his Sprint Cup rookie-of-the-year season,” stated Tammy Shaw, Cargill Beef vice president of marketing. “The enthusiasm we have experienced from our customers, employees, and race fans during our time with Roush Fenway Racing has confirmed that high quality beef products and NASCAR racing fit perfectly together. Our customers provide consumers value by promoting Cargill beef and our affiliation with Roush Fenway Racing on the NASCAR circuit has served as a clear point of differentiation. We look forward to another terrific season with Roush Fenway, Ricky and Mike and to continue to find unique ways to market our products and support our customers through NASCAR.”
Cargill will serve as the primary partner on the #17 car for five races during the 2014 season. (RFR)(5-22-2014)
“I can’t begin to explain how awesome this partnership with Dogecoin and reddit has been for our team at Phil Parsons Racing,” commented Wise. “Like I said before, we’re just a small team. When we were initially approached with this idea, we never expected it to get as big as it has become. We’ve been able to accomplish some pretty amazing things with the help of the Dogecoin and reddit communities. It means so much to us to have all that support. We’re working as hard as we can, to do the best job that we possibly can, each and every week.”
With widespread demand for the Dogecoin shirts worn by the Phil Parsons Racing team throughout the Talladega Superspeedway and Sprint All-Star race weekends, the team agreed to not only produce similar t-shirts, but also to utilize the proceeds of the sales for another primary race sponsorship. Needing to sell at least 5,000 t-shirts, they were able to meet their goal within just six days to confirm sponsorship for the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway later this year.
“We’re really excited to expand our partnership with Dogecoin and reddit,” commented team owner Phil Parsons. “With all of the support we received for the All-Star Race and the number of people asking about apparel, it made sense to have t-shirts produced and turn it into an opportunity to fund a second race. We’re fortunate that Denis Pavel noticed Josh while watching the Bristol race on television. The relationship has opened some great opportunities and has helped get Phil Parsons Racing’s name out.”
Earlier this year, reddit user and tech fan Denis Pavel noticed a plain black car with a driver he felt ‘raced the wheels off the car’ during a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The lack of sponsorship caused Pavel to think of some of the significant fundraisers that he’s witnessed on the reddit platform, and drove the 16-year-old to utilize the Dogecoin currency to raise sponsorship funds for Wise. Setting and exceeding their goal within the opening week, Dogecoin and reddit partnered with Phil Parsons Racing for the May race at Talladega Superspeedway.(Phil Parsons Racing)(5-22-2014)
· Fireball Roberts won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway (World 600) in 1960 with a speed of 133.904 mph.
· 41 drivers have Coors Light poles at Charlotte, led by David Pearson with 14. Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon lead all active drivers in poles at CMS with nine.
· David Pearson and Ryan Newman are tied for the series most Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Coors Light poles with six each; followed by Jeff Gordon with five.
· 12 drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Charlotte. David Pearson holds the record for most consecutive poles at Charlotte with 11; from the fall of 1973 through 1978.
· Jeff Gordon won five straight Coca-Cola 600 poles at Charlotte between 1994 and 1998.
· 14 of the 110 (12.7%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Charlotte have been won from the Coors Light pole; the two most recent were Jimmie Johnson in 2004 (Coca-Cola 600) and 2009 (fall event).
· The second-place starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (17) than any other starting position at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
· 31 of the 110 (28.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Charlotte have been won from the front row: 14 from the pole and 17 from second-place.
· 83 of the 110 (75.4%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Nine of the 110 (8.1%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Charlotte have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway twice; the fall race of 2002 and the fall race of 2008.
· Four active drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Jeff Gordon (10/10/93), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (5/28/00), Ryan Newman (5/27/01) and Aric Almirola (5/27/12).(NASCAR)(5-22-2014)
While the new program is still in its formative stages, some key players associated with the project were identified. Tom Roberts, who served as Kulwicki’s advisor and public relations representative throughout his NASCAR career, was appointed executive director for the KDDP. Paul Andrews, crew chief for Kulwicki’s 1992 championship team, and Tony Gibson (current crew chief for #10-Danica Patrick), car chief for the ’92 crew, were the first advisory board members named. The full advisory board will be named in upcoming months. It will include Kulwicki’s former colleagues, members of the NASCAR racing community, business leaders and legal, accounting and financial professionals.
The board will work together in formulating the criteria for the selection process. It will work as a team in identifying aspiring driver/candidates, providing sponsorships and providing publicity for the drivers and the program. It will also offer a networking system to build industry relationships for the drivers and provide strategic ideas for the direction of the program.
The KDDP is expected to be fully up and running in 2015. When completely functional, the non-profit organization will provide a host of funding and services to worthy drivers. The program will provide financial support in covering operational expenses, transportation costs, entry fees and assistance with necessary equipment. It will also provide other resources such as sponsorship and business education and industry networking and relationship building. In upcoming weeks, the KDDP will be extremely active in creating a web presence. In addition to launching a new website, the organization will also utilize social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.(TRPR)(5-22-2014)
News from May 21, 2014
Next year’s class was determined by votes cast by the Voting Panel, which for the first time included the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion – in this case, Jimmie Johnson. The panel also included representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, retired competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders and a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com – which counted for the 54th and final vote. In all, 54 votes were cast, with two additional Voting Panel members recused from voting as potential nominees for induction (Jerry Cook and Robert Yates). The accounting firm of Ernst & Young presided over the tabulation of the votes.
Voting for next year’s class was as follows: Bill Elliott (87%), Wendell Scott (58%), Joe Weatherly (53%), Rex White (43%) and Fred Lorenzen (30%). The next top vote-getters were Jerry Cook, Robert Yates and Benny Parsons.
Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote, in order of votes received, were Wendell Scott, Bill Elliott, Benny Parsons, Rex White and Terry Labonte.(NASCAR)(5-21-2014)
Bill Elliott In a 37-year driving career, Bill Elliott compiled a list of accolades that put him near the top of a number of NASCAR’s all-time lists. His 44 wins rank 16th all-time and his 55 poles rank eighth. But his most prestigious accomplishment came in 1988 when he won the NASCAR premier series championship with six wins, 15 top fives and 22 top 10s in 29 races. In addition, he won a record 16 Most Popular Driver Awards, in part because of his excellence on the big stage; he won the Daytona 500 twice and the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway three times.
Fred Lorenzen Fred Lorenzen was one of NASCAR’s first true superstars even though he was a “part-time” driver, never running more than 29 of the season’s 50-plus races. Lorenzen got his start in NASCAR as a mechanic with the famed Holman-Moody team in 1960, but was elevated to lead driver by the end of the year. Lorenzen won three races in only 15 starts the following season. Lorenzen’s best overall season came in 1963 as he finished with six wins, 21 top fives and 23 top 10s in 29 starts. Despite missing 26 races that season, he finished third in the standings. In 1965, he won two of NASCAR’s major events – the Daytona 500 and the World 600.
Wendell Scott One of NASCAR’s true trailblazers, Wendell Scott was the first African-American to race fulltime in NASCAR’s premier series, as well as the first to win a NASCAR premier series race. Scott posted a remarkable 147 top 10s and 495 starts during his 13-year premier series career. He won more than 100 races at local tracks before making his premier series debut, including 22 races at Southside Speedway in Richmond, Virginia, in 1959 en route to capturing both the Sportsman Division and NASCAR Virginia Sportsman championships. Part of Scott’s NASCAR legacy extends to present day with NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, the leading youth development initiative for multicultural and female drivers across the motorsport industry since 2004.
Joe Weatherly Joe Weatherly won two championships (1962-63) and 25 races in NASCAR’s premier series. But that’s only part of his story, which is long on versatility. A decade earlier in 1952-53, he won 101 races in the NASCAR Modified division, capturing that championship in 1953. He even tried his hand in NASCAR’s short-lived Convertible Division from 1956-59 winning 12 times. When he won his first NASCAR premier series championship, in 1962, he drove for legendary owner Bud Moore. When he repeated as champion a year later, he drove for nine different teams.
Rex White Consistency was the hallmark of Rex White’s NASCAR career. He finished among the top five in nearly a half of his 233 races and outside the top 10 only 30 percent of the time. White was a short-track specialist in an era in which those tracks dominated the schedule. Of his 28 career wins in NASCAR’s premier series, only two came on tracks longer than a mile in length. Driving his own equipment, White won six times during his 1960 championship season, posting 35 top 10s in 40 starts. He finished in the top 10 six of his nine years in the series including a runner-up finish in 1961.
Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR:
Anne Bledsoe France Anne Bledsoe France, paired with her husband, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., would create what today is one of the largest and most popular sports in the world. Anne played a huge role in the family business. “Big Bill” organized and promoted races; she took care of the financial end of the business. She first served as secretary and treasurer of NASCAR, and when Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, served in the same roles for the International Speedway Corporation. She also managed the speedway’s ticket office. France remained active in family and business life until her passing in 1992.(NASCAR)(5-21-2014)
· Construction began on Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS) in 1959.
· The track’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 19, 1960 – won by Joe Lee Johnson.
· The track was repaved midseason in 1994.
· The track name changed from Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999. It changed back to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 2010 season.
· The track was re-paved again before the 2006 season.
· There have been 110 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, two races per year since the track opened in 1960. In 1961, there were two 100-mile qualifying points races held the week before the May race. The first six fall races at Charlotte were 400-mile events (1960-65).
(NASCAR)(5-21-2014)
See TV Ratings for the 2014 races and a 5-year comparison chart on the 2014 TV Ratings page.(5-21-2014)
BUT Reddit.com is the largest online community on the planet, and hardly qualifies as a “small fan base.” Reddit and Dogecoin members did not engage in “manipulation,” they simply worked harder – and smarter – than any other group. They mobilized their fan base in a way that was both impressive and 100-percent legal.(Godfather Motorsports)
AND Dogecoin and Reddit are selling #98 Dogecoin tshirts in which the proceeds from the campaign will be put towards sponsorship of #98-Josh Wise in the Fall Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway in October. They have already reached their goal of 5,000 tshirts to do the sponsorship.(5-21-2014)
“Honoring our nation’s military is a long standing tradition in our sport,” said NASCAR President Mike Helton. “The NASCAR: An American Salute platform truly enables us to collectively express our gratitude to the millions of members of the U.S. armed forces and their families for the sacrifices they have made in defending our nation.” During the seven-week span between the two races, teams, tracks, partners and fans will show their thanks through various activities on and off the track. The wider NASCAR community can show gratitude by visiting www.NASCAR.com/Salute and using the hashtag #NASCARsalutes on Instagram and Twitter. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams will showcase their support by displaying patriotic-themed elements and paint schemes on their race vehicles at Charlotte, Dover, Pocono, Michigan, Sonoma, Kentucky, Daytona, Texas, Gateway and Road America.(NASCAR), see full PR on Jayski’s NASCAR News page.(5-21-2014)
OXYWater was announced as the primary sponsor of the #32 FAS Lane Racing Ford team early in the 2013 season and a few weeks later reports had the IRS probing OXYwater founders. The final race OXYwater was on the #32 Ford was at Indianapolis in July 2013 with Timmy Hill driving.(5-21-2014)
News from May 20, 2014
The five new inductees will be chosen from a list of 20 nominees, via a meeting Wednesday morning of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel. The panel’s make-up:
· 22 members of the hall’s Nominating Committee;
· 33 others, a group consisting of former drivers, former owners, former crew chiefs, manufacturer representatives, media members and community leaders;
· One ballot representing the results of a nationwide on-line fan vote on NASCAR.com (closed);
· And, for the first time, the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup series champion, in this case Jimmie Johnson;
NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2015 nominees
· Buddy Baker, won 19 times in NASCAR’s premier (now Sprint Cup) series, including the Daytona 500 and Southern 500
· Red Byron, first NASCAR premier series champion, in 1949
· Richard Childress, 11-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
· Jerry Cook, six-time NASCAR Modified champion
· Bill Elliott, 1988 premier series champion, two-time Daytona 500 winner and 16-time Most Popular Driver
· Ray Fox, legendary engine builder and car owner
· Rick Hendrick, 14-time car owner champion in NASCAR’s three national series
· Bobby Isaac, 1970 NASCAR premier series champion
· Terry Labonte, Two-time NASCAR premier series champion
· Fred Lorenzen, 26 wins including the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600
· Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner
· Benny Parsons, 1973 NASCAR premier series champion
· Larry Phillips, only five-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series champion
· Wendell Scott, first African-American NASCAR premier series race winner
· O. Bruton Smith, builder of Charlotte Motor Speedway and architect of Speedway Motorsports Inc.
· Mike Stefanik, winner of record-tying nine NASCAR championships
· Curtis Turner, early personality, called the “Babe Ruth of stock car racing”
· Joe Weatherly, two-time NASCAR premier series champion
· Rex White, 1960 NASCAR premier series champion
· Robert Yates, NASCAR premier series champion as engine builder and car owner
Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR nominees
· H. Clay Earles, founder of Martinsville Speedway
· Anne Bledsoe France, helped build the sport with husband Bill France Sr. Affectionately known as “Annie B.,” she is the first woman to be nominated for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
· Raymond Parks, NASCAR’s first champion car owner
· Ralph Seagraves, formed groundbreaking Winston-NASCAR partnership as executive with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
· Ken Squier, legendary radio and television broadcaster; inaugural winner / namesake of Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence (NASCAR Wire Service)(5-20-2014)
Kurt Busch isn’t the only one doing the double this Memorial Day weekend. Country music star Brantley Gilbert will be attending the Indianapolis 500 on May 25 as part of the sponsorship of Indy rookie, Sage Karam, and then fly to Charlotte to perform a pre-race concert for the Coca-Cola 600.
Basis will be with Kurt Busch every step of the way – literally – as he prepares for 1,100 miles of grueling, intense racing. Fans will be able to see his progress as he focuses on getting in tip-top shape, ensuring the right amount of rest for recovery and keeping things under control with his frequent heart rate checks. Basis is a revolutionary wrist-based device that tracks physiological data like heart rate, sweat level, skin temperature and movement 24/7. Basis is the world’s most advanced health tracker and will be tracking Busch’s progress, including his races and workouts, leading up to this epic racing challenging. You can check out Basis, info on donating by laps to Armed Forces Foundation and follow Busch at kurtbuschdouble.com.(5-20-2014)
See TV Ratings for the 2014 races and a 5-year comparison chart on the 2014 TV Ratings page.(5-20-2014)
Total number of commercials: 53
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 31
Number of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 49
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 31
Number of ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials during race broadcast (split-screen): 4
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 4
Number of times FS1 utilized ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials during this broadcast: 1
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 16
Total amount of time these brief promos take during broadcast: app. 1 min. 50 sec.
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 9:03 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 11:20 PM
Total minutes of complete race broadcast: 137
Minutes of race broadcast: 113
Minutes of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 24
Minutes of ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials (split-screen): 2
Number of missed restarts: 0
Number of ‘mystery cautions’ (debris not shown): 0
Total race brdcst time 113 Total comm. brdcst time 24
See past races and links to past 2014 races on the 2014 TV Commercials page.(5-20-2014)
The NASCAR Diversity Internship Program has created opportunities for students to take on substantive projects in the industry to prepare them for long-term success. At the conclusion of last year’s program, five interns were offered fulltime employment opportunities across NASCAR and the International Speedway Corporation (ISC), including:
– Antoinette Diaz, a graduate of the University of West Georgia, joined ISC’s Sales and Marketing department;
– Jusan Hamilton, an All-American track and field athlete from Ithaca College, joined NASCAR’s Integrated Marketing Communications department;
– Robert Harbour, a graduate of Florida State University, joined Octagon;
– Lauren Houston, a University of North Carolina Chapel Hill graduate, joined NASCAR’s Diversity Affairs department; and
– Cameron McCarty, a graduate of North Carolina State University, joined NASCAR’s Media Operations.
Students were treated to an exclusive look at safety and technology innovations with guided tours of the NASCAR Research & Development Center during orientation. They also visited NASCAR Productions, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Hendrick Motorsports and the Sam Bass Gallery to conclude their overall introduction before diving into day-to-day work with their respective departments. In addition to the NASCAR and International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) offices in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C., Rev Racing, the development arm of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, also welcomes an intern to their team. The 2014 NASCAR Diversity Internship class includes the following students from colleges and universities around the nation:
Interns, Internship Assignments, College or University, Hometowns
Aaron Hinton, NASCAR Information Technology, University of Missouri at St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO
Chloe Kerr, NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications, Georgetown University, Bolingbrook, IL
Cyrus Ghadimi, NASCAR Licensing, University of South Florida, Holly Hill, FL
Gabriela Nazario, NASCAR Human Resources, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Cidra, PR
Gregory Carty, NASCAR Industry Services, Winston-Salem State University, Durham, NC
Hakeem Onafowokan Jr., NASCAR Public Affairs, The University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN
Jessica Sisk, NASCAR Weekly and Touring, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Estillfork, AL
Karmen Robinson, Rev Racing, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Richmond, VA
Laura Fuentes Burgos, NASCAR Digital Media-Mobile, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Lucia Ha, NASCAR Product Engineering, Syracuse University, Artesia, CA
Miguel Ortiz Burgos, The NASCAR Foundation, Stetson University, Humacao, Puerto Rico
Pedro Mojica, International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), University of Texas at San Antonio, Killeen, TX
Yan (Stella) Zhuang, NASCAR Market and Media Research, Columbia University, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, China
Wesley Robinson , NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications, Benedict College, Estill, SC
(NASCAR)(5-20-2014)
News from May 19, 2014
Drivers who need to be in the top-36 in speed and have no provisional available to them: #95-McDowell and #77-Blaney
If qualifying is cancelled the following drivers would miss the race, lowest race attempts: #21-Bayne (4) and #95-McDowell(8)
See the full entry list at my Jayski’s Charlotte Entry List
Blake Koch is in the #10 for TriStar;
Matt Kenseth returns to the #20;
John Wes Townley and the #25 team return;
David Star is in the TriStar #44;
Ross Chastain will drive the #55 for Viva Motorsports;
Johnny Sauter returns with the #80 team;
Kyle Fowler is in the #86;
Jeb Burton will drive the #98 for Biagi DenBeste.(5-19-2014)
See the complete list on the Charlotte entry list page.
News from May 18, 2014
NASCAR issued a statement in response to Kahne’s comments, stating: “The caution came out and the track had oil and debris on the surface in Turn 4 onto pit road. Oil was covered up by two clean up trucks and broomed in by the same. Vacuumed up and then blown by jets. Competitors drove past the area in question twice at reduced speed under caution. No drivers or crew chiefs passed along any reservations of the restorations. NASCAR Officials in the pace car confirmed the track was ready. The race was restarted.”(Motor Racing Network)(5-18-2014)
Q) REGARDING CHASE ELLIOTT, DO YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO SPEED UP HIS PREP BASED ON WHAT HE HAS BEEN DOING, OR DO YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO SLOW DOWN HIS PREP?
Earnhardt Jr.: “I don’t think you do either one. I think you just set a plan from the start, and you stick with it. We have like a two-year plan I suppose, that he runs in the Nationwide Series and I think you just stick with the plan regardless of the success he is having. You have the commitments in line with sponsors and what have you, so I think it will suit him well to relax and not have to worry about that and just follow the plan that he has had in front of him from the start. He is really young too, so he has a lot of time on his hands and time to get to Cup level to realize that potential, one day. But yes, I think he can just sit there and relax knowing what we tried to set out to do from the start and not really adjust.”(Team Chevy)(5-18-2014)
This year marked Ryan’s fifth time receiving the award (2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013). It was the second time receiving the honor for Stowell (2010, 2013) and Rebilas (2010, 2013). It was the sixth time that a representative from USA Today was honored with the award, the ninth time for ESPN and the second time for WGHP FOX8.
The awards, which pay homage to motorsports journalism pioneer Russ Catlin, recognize the best motorsports coverage in five categories: Daily and Non-Daily Writing, National and Local Broadcast and Photojournalism. Entries are open to all forms of motorsports coverage and no affiliation or membership is required for participation. “The quality of this year’s entries reflects how gifted and talented our journalists are,” said Scott Cooper, Vice President of Communications at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “We understand the time, effort and sacrifice it takes to cover such a demanding sport. They do an unbelievable job conveying the thrills, the excitement and the passion of motorsports. We appreciate all of our journalists’ efforts and are excited to reward the best of the best.”
Russ Catlin was a forerunner of motorsports public relations and journalism. Catlin was one of the best known racing writers and historians, contributing articles and information to Speed Age, Automobile Quarterly, Open Wheel and numerous other publications. Catlin served as publicist for Darlington Raceway during the 1960s and guided several influential figures in the motorsports field, including former Charlotte Motor Speedway General Manager Humpy Wheeler, who established the awards in his honor.
As in years past, The Indiana University School of Journalism judged the entries and determined the winners. All five winners were given a trophy and were awarded a $1,000 scholarship in their name to the school of their choice. The recipients also had their names engraved on the perpetual trophy kept at Charlotte Motor Speedway that lists all of the past winners. The award has been among the most coveted in motorsports journalism since it began in 1985. Reporters from top media outlets such as USA Today, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, New York Times and The Washington Post have all been past winners.(See past winners and more at CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com)(5-18-2014)
There were 5 cautions for 31 laps and 9 lead changes among 3 leaders. Complete results are on the Iowa race results page (pdf).
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Iowa Race & Points Report (pdf).(5-18-2014)
Sam Hornish Jr. won the 4th Annual Get To Know Newton 250 presented by Sherwin-Williams, his third victory in 101 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in 2014.
This is his first victory and fourth top-10 finish in six races at Iowa Speedway.
Ryan Blaney(i) (second) posted his third top-10 finish in three races at Iowa Speedway. It is his fourth top-10 finish in 2014.
Regan Smith (third) posted his second top-10 finish in three races at Iowa Speedway.
Chase Elliott (fourth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Chase Elliott # leads the point standings by 2 points over Elliott Sadler.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-18-2014)
1) #9-Chase Elliott # 379
2) #11-Elliott Sadler 377, -2
3) #7-Regan Smith 377, -2
4) #3-Ty Dillon # 344, -35
5) #6-Trevor Bayne 343, -36
6) #2-Brian Scott 315, -64
7) #62-Brendan Gaughan 282, -97
8) #99-James Buescher 269, -110
9) #60-Chris Buescher # 260, -119
10) #01-Landon Cassill 258, -121
See complete standings on the driver standings page (pdf).(5-18-2014)
News from May 17, 2014
7 cautions for 12 laps. 9 lead changes among 6 drivers. The average speed was 100.517 mph.
REPORT: Streaking away from an intense battle with polesitter Carl Edwards to open the final 10-lap segment Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jamie McMurray won the Sprint All-Star Race-and the million-dollar-plus prize that goes with the victory-for the first time in his career. McMurray held off fast-closing Kevin Harvick, who crossed the finish line .696 seconds behind the race winner. Matt Kenseth ran third, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Edwards and four-time Sprint All-Star Race winner Jimmie Johnson. Earlier in the day, McMurray’s son carter had asked the driver what his plans for the day were. “He asked me what I was going to do today, so I asked him what he was going to do today,” said McMurray, who has tallied two of his seven Sprint Cup victories in points races at Charlotte. “And he said, ‘Oh, I’m going to play in my sandbox. What are you going to do, Dad?’
“I said, ‘I’m going to race for a million bucks, Carter.’ It’s so cool that we were actually able to win.” The advantage McMurray opened after his breathtaking three-lap battle against Edwards gave him enough margin to hold off Harvick, who was closing fast in the final laps. “It was three or four of the hardest laps I’ve ever driven in my racing career,” McMurray said.
It was first-year crew chief Keith Rodden’s strategy, however, that put McMurray in position to win. After a pit stop on Lap 26, McMurray didn’t take four tires again until the break between the final two segments, and on that final stop, superb work by his crew got him off pit road second and in a position to challenge Edwards for the lead. “Keith Rodden made some great calls tonight,” said team owner Chip Ganassi, a Sprint All-Star Race winner for the first time. “The call was really made in segment 2 (the Lap 26 stop for tires) for him to be able to win the race.” That call enabled McMurray to get by with two tires or to stay out between segments until the final stop. “Keith did an unbelievable job,” McMurray said. “He was a huge secret in the garage (as an engineer at Hendrick Motorsports), and I’m so glad that I get the opportunity to work with him. We’ve had good cars all year long. We had some bad luck. But this is one of those races that makes up for a lot of bad times.”
But before McMurray took the checkered flag, fans at the 1.5-mile track saw an action-packed race with a multitude of twists and turns.
Halfway through the first 20-lap segment, Kyle Busch passed pole winner Carl Edwards for the lead and held it until the first scheduled caution, but that was the end of the highlights for the driver of the #18 Toyota. Six laps into the second segment, Busch tapped the rear bumper of Clint Bowyer’s Camry after Bowyer blocked Busch’s moved to the inside. Busch took evasive action, diving toward the apron, when Bowyer’s car got out of shape, but Bowyer’s Toyota clipped Busch’s and the #18 spun. Joey Logano couldn’t avoid Busch and plowed into the spinning car, knocking both machines out of the race. “We had a good run through (Turns) 1 and 2 and off (Turn) 2,” Busch explained after the accident. “Kurt (Busch) got real bottled up on the outside and slowed down, so I knew I was clear to go to the bottom and swoop down and try to get underneath Bowyer. And when I did, he blocked me, and I hit him, and he got squirrely, and then I was still under him, and it hit me and turned me around the wrong way on the backstretch and got in the outside wall.”
After the subsequent restart on Lap 31, AJ Allmendinger’s Chevrolet nosed into the inside wall on the backstretch after contact with Brian Vickers’ Toyota. Kasey Kahne grabbed the lead for the first time on Lap 35 and pulled away to win the second segment. With four cars staying out between segments and two more changing just two tires, Kahne started eighth for segment No. 3, but on Lap 47 he passed Jamie McMurray (who had not changed tires) for the top spot. By the time the third segment ended, Kahne was a comfortable 1.411 seconds ahead, with Harvick giving chase. On the opening lap of the fourth segment, a mechanical failure in Jeff Gordon’s car sent the #24 Chevy into the outside wall in Turn 3, collecting the Chevrolet of Martin Truex Jr. and the Ford of Greg Biffle.
Kahne had two brushes with the wall in segment No. 4, ending his strong run with the sort of disappointment that has plagued him in points races all season long. With the best average finish in the first four segments, Harvick entered pit road first for a mandatory four-time stop before the final 10-lap dash. McMurray, who made a huge track position gain by staying out between the third and fourth segments, was second onto pit road, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Edwards. But Edwards used the No. 1 pit stall to advantage, winning the race off pit road over McMurray and Harvick. Matt Kenseth started the final segment in the fourth spot, with Johnson and Earnhardt behind him in fifth and sixth.
Edwards, however, couldn’t keep McMurray behind him, and after watching replays of the battle, the driver of the #99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford was already second-guessing himself. “Jamie just did a perfect job on the start,” Edwards said. “I had him cleared for a minute. If I would have pulled in front of him in Turn 1, if I would have gone high, I think we would have won that race, but I was just so reluctant to give up the bottom. Jamie just did a perfect job. He ended up sweeping around the outside of me, dragging me down, and it was a drag race. My hat is off to him. He did a great job. He earned it. I drove as hard as I could while he was on the outside and he gave me just the right amount of room to not wreck me, but still beat me. If I had it to do over again, I’d do it differently but that’s racing. You’ve just got to make the best decision you can and move on. It’s a really tough one, though.”
Though Edwards and McMurray inched ahead of each other at various junctures after then final restart, McMurray led at the finish line for each of the final 10 laps. Once he cleared Edwards three laps into the run, McMurray pulled away. The 31 laps McMurray led Saturday night were the first he had ever led in the All-Star Race.(NASCAR Wire Service)
See race results, segment results, four-segment average to pit and more on the 2014 All Star Race page – Results section.(5-17-2014)
#1-Jamie McMurray won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, his first victory in the annual non-points race.
McMurray¡¦s previous best finish in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race was eighth, in May of 2013. This is his third top 10 in the all-star race.
McMurray led a race-high 31 laps, the first laps he has led in his NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race career. He has started eight all-star races.
This is the first NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race victory for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
#4-Kevin Harvick finished second, scoring his third top-five and eighth top-10 finish in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
#20-Matt Kenseth finished third, his sixth top-five and 11th top-10 finish.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-17-2014)
Pos., Car#, Driver (start pos), Sponsor & manufacturer, laps run, laps led
1) #1-Jamie McMurray(11), Bass Pro Shops Chevy, 90/90, 31
2) #4-Kevin Harvick(3), Hunt Brother’s Pizza Chevy, 90/90, 5
3) #20-Matt Kenseth(8), Home Depot Husky Toyota, 90/90
4) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.(6), National Guard Chevy, 90/90
5) #99-Carl Edwards(1), Fastenal Ford, 90/90, 18
6) #48-Jimmie Johnson(5), Lowe’s Patriotic Chevy, 90/90
7) #15-Clint Bowyer(9), Charter Toyota, 90/90
8) #55-Brian Vickers(16), Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, 90/90
9) #11-Denny Hamlin (22), FedEx Express Toyota, 90/90, 5
10) #2-Brad Keselowski(13), Miller Lite Ford, 90/90
11) #41-Kurt Busch(18), Haas Automation Chevy, 90/90
12) #14-Tony Stewart(15), Bass Pro Shops Chevy, 90/90
13) #34-David Ragan(20), Taco Bell Ford, 90/90
14) #5-Kasey Kahne(7), Time Warner Cable Chevy, 90/90, 20
15) #98-Josh Wise(19), Dogecoin/Reddit.com Chevy, 90/90
16) #31-Ryan Newman (21), CAT/Quicken Loans Chevy, 77/90, accident
17) #24-Jeff Gordon (4), Drive to End Hunger Chevy, 60/90, accident
18) #78-Martin Truex Jr.(12), Furniture Row Chevy, 60/90, accident
19) #16-Greg Biffle (14), 3M Ford, 60/90, accident
20) #47-A.J. Allmendinger(17, Freightliner / Miller Chevy, 30/90, accident
21) #18-Kyle Busch(2), M&M’s Toyota, 25/90 laps, 11 led, accident
22) #22-Joey Logano(10), Shell Pennzoil Ford, 25/90, accident
Pos., Car#, Driver (start pos), Sponsor & manufacturer
1) #99-Carl Edwards(1), Fastenal Ford
2) #1-Jamie McMurray(11), Bass Pro Shops Chevy
3) #4-Kevin Harvick(3), Hunt Brother’s Pizza Chevy
4) #20-Matt Kenseth(8), Home Depot Husky Toyota
5) #48-Jimmie Johnson(5), Lowe’s Patriotic Chevy
6) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.(6), National Guard Chevy
7) #11-Denny Hamlin (22), FedEx Express Toyota
8) #15-Clint Bowyer(9), Charter Toyota
9) #41-Kurt Busch(18), Haas Automation Chevy
10) #55-Brian Vickers(16), Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota
11) #2-Brad Keselowski(13), Miller Lite Ford
12) #14-Tony Stewart(15), Bass Pro Shops Chevy
13) #34-David Ragan(20), Taco Bell Ford
14) #5-Kasey Kahne(7), Time Warner Cable Chevy
15) #98-Josh Wise(19), Dogecoin/Reddit.com Chevy
Pos., Car#, Driver (start pos), Sponsor & manufacturer, laps run, laps led
1) #4-Kevin Harvick(3), Hunt Brother’s Pizza Chevy, 80/80, 5
2) #1-Jamie McMurray(11), Bass Pro Shops Chevy, 80/80, 21
3) #2-Brad Keselowski(13), Miller Lite Ford, 80/80
4) #41-Kurt Busch(18), Haas Automation Chevy, 80/80
5) #55-Brian Vickers(16), Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, 80/80
6) #11-Denny Hamlin (22), FedEx Express Toyota, 80/80, 5
7) #20-Matt Kenseth(8), Home Depot Husky Toyota, 80/80
8) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.(6), National Guard Chevy, 80/80
9) #15-Clint Bowyer(9), Charter Toyota, 80/80
10) #99-Carl Edwards(1), Fastenal Ford, 80/80, 18
11) #48-Jimmie Johnson(5), Lowe’s Patriotic Chevy, 80/80
12) #5-Kasey Kahne(7), Time Warner Cable Chevy, 80/80, 20
13) #14-Tony Stewart(15), Bass Pro Shops Chevy, 80/80
14) #34-David Ragan(20), Taco Bell Ford, 80/80
15) #98-Josh Wise(19), Dogecoin/Reddit.com Chevy, 80/80
16) #31-Ryan Newman (21), CAT/Quicken Loans Chevy, 77/80, accident
17) #24-Jeff Gordon (4), Drive to End Hunger Chevy, 60/80, accident
18) #78-Martin Truex Jr.(12), Furniture Row Chevy, 60/80, accident
19) #16-Greg Biffle (14), 3M Ford, 60/80, accident
20) #47-A.J. Allmendinger(17, Freightliner / Miller Chevy, 30/80, accident
21) #18-Kyle Busch(2), M&M’s Toyota, 25/80 laps, 11 led, accident
22) #22-Joey Logano(10), Shell Pennzoil Ford, 25/80, accident
Pos., Car#, Driver (start pos), Sponsor & manufacturer, laps run, laps led
1) #5-Kasey Kahne(7), Time Warner Cable Chevy, 60/60, 20
2) #4-Kevin Harvick(3), Hunt Brother’s Pizza Chevy, 60/60
3) #1-Jamie McMurray(11), Bass Pro Shops Chevy, 60/60, 6
4) #2-Brad Keselowski(13), Miller Lite Ford, 60/60
5) #20-Matt Kenseth(8), Home Depot Husky Toyota, 60/60
6) #48-Jimmie Johnson(5), Lowe’s Patriotic Chevy, 60/60
7) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.(6), National Guard Chevy, 60/60
8) #24-Jeff Gordon (4), Drive to End Hunger Chevy, 60/60
9) #55-Brian Vickers(16), Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, 60/60
10) #78-Martin Truex Jr.(12), Furniture Row Chevy, 60/60
11) #31-Ryan Newman (21), CAT/Quicken Loans Chevy, 60/60
12) #11-Denny Hamlin (22), FedEx Express Toyota, 60/60, 5
13) #99-Carl Edwards(1), Fastenal Ford, 60/60, 18
14) #15-Clint Bowyer(9), Charter Toyota, 60/60
15) #41-Kurt Busch(18), Haas Automation Chevy, 60/60
16) #16-Greg Biffle (14), 3M Ford, 60/60
17) #14-Tony Stewart(15), Bass Pro Shops Chevy, 60/60
18) #34-David Ragan(20), Taco Bell Ford, 60/60
19) #98-Josh Wise(19), Dogecoin/Reddit.com Chevy, 60/60
20) #47-A.J. Allmendinger(17, Freightliner / Miller Chevy, 30/60, accident
21) #18-Kyle Busch(2), M&M’s Toyota, 25/60 laps, 11 led, accident
22) #22-Joey Logano(10), Shell Pennzoil Ford, 25/60, accident
Pos., Car#, Driver (start pos), Sponsor & manufacturer, laps run, laps led
1) #5-Kasey Kahne(7), Time Warner Cable Chevy, 40/40, 6
2) #4-Kevin Harvick(3), Hunt Brother’s Pizza Chevy, 40/40
3) #99-Carl Edwards(1), Fastenal Ford, 40/40, 18
4) #16-Greg Biffle (14), 3M Ford, 40/40
5) #41-Kurt Busch(18), Haas Automation Chevy, 40/40
6) #48-Jimmie Johnson(5), Lowe’s Patriotic Chevy, 40/40
7) #24-Jeff Gordon (4), Drive to End Hunger Chevy, 40/40
8) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.(6), National Guard Chevy, 40/40
9) #55-Brian Vickers(16), Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, 40/40
10) #1-Jamie McMurray(11), Bass Pro Shops Chevy, 40/40
11) #20-Matt Kenseth(8), Home Depot Husky Toyota, 40/40
12) #31-Ryan Newman (21), CAT/Quicken Loans Chevy, 40/40
13) #15-Clint Bowyer(9), Charter Toyota, 40/40
14) #2-Brad Keselowski(13), Miller Lite Ford, 40/40
15) #78-Martin Truex Jr.(12), Furniture Row Chevy, 40/40
16) #14-Tony Stewart(15), Bass Pro Shops Chevy, 40/40
17) #98-Josh Wise(19), Dogecoin/Reddit.com Chevy, 40/40
18) #34-David Ragan(20), Taco Bell Ford, 40/40
19) #11-Denny Hamlin (22), FedEx Express Toyota, 40/40, 5
20) #47-A.J. Allmendinger(17, Freightliner / Miller Chevy, 30/40, accident
21) #18-Kyle Busch(2), M&M’s Toyota, 25/40 laps, 11 led, accident
22) #22-Joey Logano(10), Shell Pennzoil Ford, 25/40, accident
Pos., Car#, Driver (start pos), Sponsor & manufacturer, laps run, laps led
1) #18-Kyle Busch(2), M&M’s Toyota, 20/20, 11
2) #24-Jeff Gordon (4), Drive to End Hunger Chevy, 20/20
3) #4-Kevin Harvick(3), Hunt Brother’s Pizza Chevy, 20/20
4) #5-Kasey Kahne(7), Time Warner Cable Chevy, 20/20
5) #99-Carl Edwards(1), Fastenal Ford, 20/20, 9
6) #48-Jimmie Johnson(5), Lowe’s Patriotic Chevy, 20/20
7) #15-Clint Bowyer(9), Charter Toyota, 20/20
8) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.(6), National Guard Chevy, 20/20
9) #20-Matt Kenseth(8), Home Depot Husky Toyota, 20/20
10) #22-Joey Logano(10), Shell Pennzoil Ford, 20/20
11) #1-Jamie McMurray(11), Bass Pro Shops Chevy, 20/20
12) #47-A.J. Allmendinger(17, Freightliner / Miller Chevy, 20/20
13) #2-Brad Keselowski(13), Miller Lite Ford, 20/20
14) #55-Brian Vickers(16), Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, 20/20
15) #31-Ryan Newman (21), CAT/Quicken Loans Chevy, 20/20
16) #16-Greg Biffle (14), 3M Ford, 20/20
17) #78-Martin Truex Jr.(12), Furniture Row Chevy, 20/20
18) #41-Kurt Busch(18), Haas Automation Chevy, 20/20
19) #11-Denny Hamlin (22), FedEx Express Toyota, 20/20
20) #14-Tony Stewart(15), Bass Pro Shops Chevy, 20/20
21) #34-David Ragan(20), Taco Bell Ford, 20/20
22) #98-Josh Wise(19), Dogecoin/Reddit.com Chevy, 20/20
ESPN.com’s Racecast – Live Coverage and Chat Racing Live! on ESPN.com Listen Live Online at Motor Racing Network
Television (TV): FoxSports 1 at 8:30 pm/et; NASCAR Raceday 2:00pm/et; green flag approx. 9:26pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
Sunday, May 18 at 3:30am/et on FS1;
Sunday, May 18 at 4:30pm/et on FS2;
Monday, May 19 at 7:30pm/et on FS1;
Wednesday, May 21 at 1:30pm/et on FS1;
Wednesday, May 21 at 7:00pm/et on FS2;
Saturday, May 24 at 3:00am/et on FS1
See qualifying results, pit stop times, penalties and more on the 2014 All Star Race page – qualifying section.(5-17-2014)
UPDATE: Will Richard Petty Motorsports remain in the Ford Racing camp beyond 2014? According to Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing, RPM’s contract does not expire at the end of this season. “We don’t want to get into the nuances of agreements, but at the end of the day, we have a relationship with RPM that’s available to them that goes beyond 2014,” Allison said. Petty met with Toyota at Richmond last month. However, sources says a Toyota deal would not include the coveted Toyota Racing Development engine deal. There’s been talk that RPM would make a nice fit with Richard Childress Racing similar to the alliance that Stewart-Haas Racing enjoys with Hendrick Motorsports. Two former RPM principals Eric Warren and Mark McArdle have already made strong contributions in Welcome. “Obviously, these manufacturer/team contracts are not for public negotiations,” Allison said. “We’re at a good place with the King. As a matter of fact, he was with us, literally, yesterday in Dearborn (Mich.). We are going through and understanding could be available and what they’re interests are.(Motorsport)(5-17-2014)
Last Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Kansas earned a 3.5 final rating and 5.8 million viewers on FOX, down 17% in ratings and 11% in viewership from last year (4.2, 6.5M) and down 19% and 16%, respectively, from 2012 (4.3, 6.8M). Prior to this year, the race took place on Sunday afternoon. Despite the lower numbers, the race edged last week’s Heat/Nets NBA playoff game on ABC head-to-head (5.8M to 5.6M). The events had the same rating.(Sports Media Watch / Sports Business Daily)
See more 2014 TV Ratings and 5-year comparison chart on the 2014 TV Ratings page.(5-17-2014)
Other members of this year’s class include: Carl Casper and Chub Lorah of Louisville, promoters of the annual Carl Casper custom car show in Louisville; V.V. Cooke race team, a Louisville-based oval racing team; Hal Miller, of Owensboro , who built and promoted the first oval race track and drag strip in Owensboro; Bob Taylor of Louisville , a nationally recognized show car builder, painter and pin-stripe artist; Chuck Winders of Louisville, the most successful driver in the history of the former Louisville Motor Speedway. In addition, this year the Hall of Fame will present only its third Pioneer Award to Tony Schiller of Frankfort.(National Speed Sport News)(5-17-2014)
#62-Gaughan was quickest in the opening qualifying session at 135.589.mph
Did Not Qualify: none. The starting lineup is posted on the Iowa starting lineup page (pdf).(5-17-2014)
Ryan Blaney(i) won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 4th Annual Get To Know Newton 250 presented by Sherwin-Williams with a lap of 23.148 seconds, 136.081 mph.
This is his first pole in 21 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first pole and fifth top-10 start in 2014.
This is his first pole in three races at Iowa Speedway.
Sam Hornish Jr. (second) posted his second top-10 start of 2014 and his fifth in six races at Iowa Speedway.
Michael McDowell(i) (third) posted his sixth top-10 start at Iowa Speedway. It is his first in one races this season.
Dylan Kwasniewski (fifth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-17-2014)
” The top-four finishers in the Daytona race who are eligible to receive NASCAR Nationwide Series championship driver points will qualify for the first D4C race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
” The highest finisher of those four drivers at New Hampshire – he or she does not have to win the race – will win the first $100,000 D4C award and automatically qualify for the next event at Chicago. The remaining three highest finishing points-eligible drivers at New Hampshire will qualify for the race at Chicago.
” Those rules will apply for the remaining three events. If one driver wins the first three D4C awards and then wins the Iowa race outright, Nationwide Insurance will award the driver an additional $600,000 bonus, bringing the total payout to $1 million. (NASCAR)(5-17-2014)
News from May 16, 2014
Television (TV): FS1, 7:00pm/et
Radio: Live online at Motor Racing Network (MRN)
Television (TV): FoxSports 1 at 8:30 pm/et; NASCAR Raceday 2:00pm/et; green flag approx. 9:26pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
Sunday, May 18 at 3:30am/et on FS1;
Sunday, May 18 at 4:30pm/et on FS2;
Monday, May 19 at 7:30pm/et on FS1;
Wednesday, May 21 at 1:30pm/et on FS1;
Wednesday, May 21 at 7:00pm/et on FS2;
Saturday, May 24 at 3:00am/et on FS1
#13-Mears finished third followed by #9-Ambrose, #43-Almirola, #42-Larson, #15-Bowyer, #17-Stenhouse Jr., #3-Dillon, #27-Menard and #10-Patrick.
The Average Speed was 117.711mph. There were 4 lead changes among 3 drivers and 2 cautions for 3 laps.
See results and links on the 2014 All-Star Race Page.(5-16-2014)
#15-Clint Bowyer won the Sprint Showdown, his first victory in annual non-points race that sets the remainder of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race field. With the victory, he earns a spot in Saturday night¡¦s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
This will be Bowyer¡¦s sixth start in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. His best finish was 12th, in 2009.
#47-AJ Allmendinger finished second, earning a spot in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. This will be Allmendinger¡¦s third all-star start. His best finish in the all-star race was 11th, in 2012.
#98-Josh Wise won the Sprint Fan Vote to transfer into Saturday night¡¦s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. This will be Wise’s first start in the all-star race.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-16-2014)
Pos., Car#, Driver (start pos), Sponsor & manufacturer
1) #15-Clint Bowyer(4), Charter Toyota, 193.826 – TRANSFER, WON
2) #47-A.J. Allmendinger(2), Freightliner / Miller Chevy, 194.098 – TRANSFER, 2nd
3) #13-Casey Mears(9), GEICO Chevy, 192.417
4) #9-Marcos Ambrose(5), DeWalt Ford, 193.625
5) #43-Aric Almirola(10), Smithfield Ford, 190.927
6) #42-Kyle Larson(3), Target Chevy, 194.014
7) #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.(8), Building for America Bravest Ford, 192.623
8) #3-Austin Dillon(1), Dow Chevy, 194.616
9) #27-Paul Menard(6), Serta/Menards Chevy, 193.126
10) #10-Danica Patrick(7), GoDaddy Cares Chevy, 192.795
11) #38-David Gilliland(15), Long John Silver’s Ford, 188.383
12) #26-Cole Whitt(11), Speed Stick Gear Toyota, 190.691
13) #23-Alex Bowman(13), Dr.Pepper Toyota, 189.089
14) #77-Dave Blaney(14, Ford, 188.950
15) #7-Michael Annett(17), Pilot Flying J Chevy, 187.298
16) #66-Joe Nemechek(21), Land Castle Title Toyota, 185.230
17) #40-Landon Cassill(18), Hillman Racing Chevy, 186.761
18) #98-Josh Wise(16), Dogecoin/Reddit.com Chevy, 188.062 – TRANSFER, Sprint Fan Vote Winner
19) #83-Ryan Truex(19), Burger King Toyota, 186.593
20) #44-JJ Yeley(12), Phoenix Warehouse Chevy, 190.349
21) #36-Reed Sorenson(20), TBR Chevy, 185.624
22) #32-Blake Koch(22), Supportmilitary.org Ford, 183.680
23) #33-David Stremme(23), Little Joe’s Autos Chevy, 177.731, -15 laps
(all but #33-Stremme finished on the lead lap)
Television (TV): FoxSports 1 at 7:00 pm/et; Pre-Race show at 5:30pm/et; green flag approx. 7:31pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs:
Saturday, May 17 at 11:00am/et on FS2;
Saturday, May 17 at 1:00pm/et on FS1
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #55-Vickers.
The final driver scheduled to go out is the Sprint Fan Vote Winner.
Qualifying order is set by a random draw, held about an hour before the first practice. Qualifying is three laps, including a four-tire pit stop, with no pit road speed limit. Total elapsed time determines the starting lineup. For the first time the Sprint Fan Vote Winner and two Sprint Showdown cars can participate in NASCAR Sprint All-Star qualifying, rather than automatically starting at the rear of the all-star field.
See the full qualifying order on the 2014 All-Star Race Page.(5-16-2014)
#88-Earnhardt Jr. 193.562
#55-Vickers 193.382
#11-Hamlin 193.271
#4-Harvick 193.023
#16-Biffle 191.666
slowest of 19 drivers: #34-Ragan 185.008 and #78-Truex Jr. 187.259.
After this practice is over. Teams will have 15 minutes to do pitstop practice. Qualifying is scheduled for 7:10pm/et on FoxSports1 on Saturday night. A 3-lap run with a 4-tire pitstop. The two drivers who transfer from the Sprint Showdown and the Sprint Fan Vote winner will also qualify. 22 drivers will make and start the race. Qualifying is for starting position and pit stall selection.
See fastest speeds, laps run and more on the Sprint All-Star Race Practice Speeds page (pdf).(5-16-2014)
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #10-Patrick.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #40-Cassill.
Qualifying order is set by a random draw, held about an hour before the first practice. Drivers will run two laps, with the fastest as the lap of record.
See the full qualifying order on the 2014 All-Star Race Page.(5-16-2014)
(5-16-2014)
#42-Larson 194.105
#43-Almirola 192.438
#15-Bowyer 192.431
#9-Ambrose 192.041
#27-Menard 191.388
slowest of 23 drivers: #32-Koch 181.555 and #33-Stremme 183.181.
Qualifying is scheduled for 4:10pm/et on FoxSports1 and will be the old format, two laps with the fastest being the lap of record. All 23 drivers will make and start the race. Qualifying is for starting position and pit stall selection. The Sprint Showdown is scheduled for 7:15pm/et, also on FoxSports1 and consists of 20 laps, a short break, then 20 green only laps to finish the race.
See fastest speeds, laps run and more on the Sprint Showdown Practice Speeds page (pdf).(5-16-2014)
The DOHS is currently participating in the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign that enforces seat belt laws. Delaware law requires drivers and all passengers, including those in the back seat, to wear a seat belt. An officer can pull over a driver if he sees any person in the vehicle not wearing a seat belt, even if there is no other violation. The ticket, which goes to the driver no matter who is unbuckled in the vehicle, totals $83.50. “As we kick-off the busy summer driving season it’s important that everyone buckles up every time they go out, both day and night – no excuses,” said Jana Simpler, Director for the Office of Highway Safety. “Delaware law enforcement officers are prepared to ticket anyone who is not wearing their seat belt – Click It or Ticket.”(TBR), see an image of the scheme on the #36 Team Schemes page.(5-16-2014)
AND To celebrate and acknowledge its 50th anniversary, Phoenix International Raceway published a limited-edition commemorative book, ‘Phoenix At 50: A Half-Century of Racing’ documenting the last five decades of racing in the Valley of the Sun. After debuting during PIR’s spring NASCAR race weekend, the book is now available for purchase online at Amazon.com. Fans can find the book by searching for ‘Phoenix International Raceway’ or ‘Phoenix at 50’. The book, which retails for $49.99, is a comprehensive journey through the track’s first 50 years, featuring a series of vignettes and short stories focusing on many of the most exciting races and the greatest drivers to compete in Phoenix (PIR).(5-16-2014)
Kyle Busch won the 12th Annual North Carolina Education Lottery 200, his 38th victory in 118 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his third victory in three starts in 2014, and fourth victory in his last four NCWTS starts dating back to his Homestead-Miami Speedway win in November 2013.
This is his sixth victory and eighth top-10 finish in nine races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Toyota has now won six consecutive races, dating back to November 2013, which matches its longest NCWTS streak.
Matt Crafton (second) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 12 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his third top-10 finish in 2014.
Brad Keselowski (third) posted his second top-10 finish in five races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Ben Kennedy (eighth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Matt Crafton leads the point standings by 11 points over Timothy Peters.
(NASCAR Statistics)(5-16-2013)
1) #88-Matt Crafton,162
2) #17-Timothy Peters, 151, – 11
3) #77-German Quiroga, 144, -18
4) #98-Johnny Sauter, 143, -19
5) #30-Ron Hornaday, 137, -25
6) #31-Ben Kennedy, 132, -30
7) #5-John Wes Townley, 127, -35
8) #13-Jeb Burton, 127, -35
9) #29-Ryan Blaney, 123, -39
10) #54-Darrell Wallace, Jr., 108, -54
See complete standings on the driver standings page (pdf).(5-16-2014)
Caution 1: #82-Jake Crum, 21st
Caution 2: #08-Jimmy Weller, 14th
Caution 3: #99-Bryan Silas, 13th
Caution 4: #35-Mason Mingus, 20th
Caution 5: #08-Jimmy Weller, 14th
Caution 6: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, 16th
Caution 7: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, 16th
Caution 8: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, 16th
Caution 9: none
(5-16-2014)
Fastest in the second round of qualifying was #7-Brian Ickler.
#13-Jeb Burton was quickest in the opening qualifying session at 181.378mph.
Blake Koch will race the #07 in place of JJ Yeley.
See complete lineup on the Starting lineup (pdf) page.(5-16-2014)
Kyle Busch won the Keystone Light Pole Award for the 12th Annual North Carolina Education Lottery 200 with a track qualifying record lap of 29.384 seconds, 183.773 mph.
This is his 14th pole in 118 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his second pole and third top-10 start in 2014.
This is his third pole in nine races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Matt Crafton (second) posted his fourth top-10 start of 2014 and his fourth in 12 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Brad Keselowski (third) posted his third top-10 start at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his first in one races this season.
Ben Kennedy (sixth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-16-2014)
News from May 15, 2014
Potential programs include co-developed car paint schemes, comic books and digital content incorporating DC Comics Super Heroes and illustrated likenesses of Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Team partners will have exclusive opportunities to align with upcoming Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Comics-inspired programming and releases.
The first joint program will come to life around upcoming Sprint Cup events at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 25) and Michigan International Speedway (June 15) where Superman, the world’s first and most recognized Super Hero, will be featured on Earnhardt’s #88 Chevy. The Superman-themed paint scheme will pair the Army National Guard with the Superman Hall of Heroes, a new online gift-giving portal that empowers consumers to honor their personal heroes; those who have made a positive impact on their lives or the lives of others. The #88 National Guard/Superman Chevrolet SS will be unveiled May 21. Fans can learn more by following Hendrick Motorsports on Facebook and Twitter.(Hendrick Motorsports)(5-15-2014)
“Innovation helps drive NASCAR, and it is central to the sport’s evolution,” said O’Donnell, who last year spoke at both the Harvard Business School’s Cyberposium and the World Innovation Convention in Cannes, France. “There are several examples of it improving the sport, none more recent – and impressive – than Air Titan 2.0. The next wave of NASCAR innovation is the pit road officiating technology, which will increase the overall quality of in-race officiating.”
Beginning in 2015, NASCAR will implement its automated pit road officiating technology – becoming the first sport to use technology to officiate each of its events. This technology will be used on every lap, in every race, O’Donnell announced. Testing of this technology is currently underway. This innovative pit road technology will employ numerous video cameras, which will be mounted to inspect and gather data – in real time – from all areas of pit road. Following O’Donnell’s overview of the new system, he discussed future incarnations, including the use of the collected data to improve the fan experience while in the stands at-track or watching at home on television.(NASCAR)(5-15-2014)
Initially, the facility will focus on supporting NASCAR teams in all three major touring divisions, but will eventually expand to include other Ford Racing teams participating in other series. The centerpiece of the building is a full-motion platform simulator that will allow Ford Racing teams to optimize their setups for individual track configurations, and for drivers to practice driving a track ahead of an upcoming race weekend. Similar technology has been used in Formula One. After the simulator has been proven through racing, Ford will apply that knowledge to further improve vehicle dynamics on its high-performance street vehicles. In addition, the simulator will help hone communication between driver, crew chief and engineer, while also refining predictability and accuracy of simulation software.
The support facility will also serve as a parts distribution warehouse. The various pieces of test equipment include:
· Kinematics machine: This machine can test and measure suspension kinematics – camber, toe, scrub and various loads with tires and springs. Race teams use this weekly to set up their front suspensions for different track configurations
· Chassis torsional twist rig: Used to quantify the chassis structurally in the torsional mode – the key parameter for a chassis. It can be used to determine the entire torsional stiffness of the car, the stiffness of the chassis independently, or the influence of various components on the car
· Vehicle center of gravity machine: This is used to precisely measure the center of gravity height of a completed car. It can be used to quantify improvements over time. Race teams generally use the machine once a quarter to gauge progress and test their latest theories
· Coordinate measurement machine: This machine enables teams to measure their components for quality control and to build simulation models, which allows them to make sure their cars comply with regulations.(Ford Racing)(5-15-2014)
UPDATE Fast Lube Plus to be associate sponsor on #13: This week is a very special week for Germain Racing driver Casey Mears and the #13 GEICO Chevy team. Fast Lube Plus, with locations in and around Cary, NC, is joining Mears in the debut of a very special paint scheme being featured on the #13 GEICO Chevy at Charlotte. The camouflaged GEICO Chevy will first race Friday night in the Sprint Showdown – a qualifying event for Saturday’s Sprint All Star Race. Mears is in the Top 10 for fan votes which could mean he is voted into the Sprint All Star Race field if he doesn’t gain entry via the Sprint Showdown. Fast Lube Plus offers Castrol liquid technology in their oil changes at locations in Cary, Morrisville, Holly Springs, Apex and Garner. Stop into Fast Lube Plus for shock and suspension service, too.(Germain Racing), see an image of the scheme on the #13 Team Schemes page.(5-15-2014)
· There have been 29 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Races.
· The first NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race was in 1985.
· 28 have been held at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In 1986, the event was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and won by Bill Elliott. That season was also the first year for what is now known as the Sprint Showdown.
· 91 drivers have run in at least one NASCAR Sprint All-Star race, with 76 competing in more than one.
· Mark Martin has participated in 24 races, more than any other driver. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in Sprint All-Star starts with 20, followed by Tony Stewart with 15.
· There have been 19 different winners of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race.
· Jimmie Johnson (2003, 2006, 2012 and 2013) leads the series with the most NASCAR Sprint All-Star race wins with four.
· Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990 and 1993) and Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997 and 2001) are three-time winners of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip won the inaugural NASCAR Sprint All-Star race in 1985 at 161.184 mph.
· The race has featured a field that ranged from 10 drivers in 1986 to 27 in 2002. This year’s field will have 22 participants.
· Davey Allison (1991 and 1992), Terry Labonte (1988 and 1999) and Mark Martin (1998 and 2005) are the only other drivers to post multiple victories in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race.
· Davey Allison (1991, 1992) and Jimmie Johnson (2012, 2013) are the only drivers to ever win consecutive Sprint All-Star events.
· Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2000) and Ryan Newman (2002) are the only drivers to win the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race in their rookie season.
· Jeff Gordon is the youngest winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at 23 years, 9 months and 18 days (1995). Mark Martin is the oldest at 46 years, 4 months and 12 days (2005).
· Joey Logano (three starts) leads the series among active drivers with an average finish of 4.3 in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race.
· Eight drivers including Joey Logano, have an average finish in the top 10 for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race: Jimmie Johnson (6.2), Matt Kenseth (6.5), Tony Stewart (8.2), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8.3), Brian Vickers (9.3), Ryan Newman (9.6) and Jeff Gordon (9.7).
· Terry Labonte won the inaugural Coors Light pole for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race in 1985.
· 16 drivers have won Coors Light poles for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race, led by Bill Elliott with five. Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with three. Carl Edwards won last season’s pole.
· Three drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race: Davey Allison (1991, 1992) Bill Elliott (1997, 1998) and Kyle Busch (2011, 2012).
· The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race has been won from the pole position four times; the first three came in consecutive years: Dale Earnhardt (1990) and Davey Allison (1991 and 1992). Kurt Busch posted the fourth win from the pole in 2010.
· The front row starting positions are the two most proficient starting positions in the field, producing more winners (four each) than any other starting positions in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race.
· Eight of the 29 (27.5%) NASCAR Sprint All-Star races have been won from the front row: four from the pole and four from second-place.
· 21 of the 29 (72.4%) NASCAR Sprint All-Star races have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Two of the 29 (6.8%) NASCAR Sprint All-Star races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· The deepest in the field a NASCAR Sprint All-Star race winner has started was 27th, by Ryan Newman in 2002.
· Hendrick Motorsports drivers have won eight NASCAR Sprint All-Star races: Jimmie Johnson (four), Jeff Gordon (three) and Terry Labonte (one).
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-five finishes in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race with nine; followed by Tony Stewart (eight) and Jimmie Johnson (eight).
· Bill Elliott leads the series in top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race with 13; followed by Dale Earnhardt with 12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers with 11 each.
· Five drivers have won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the same year: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990, 1993), Rusty Wallace (1989), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997, 2001) and Jimmie Johnson (2006, 2013).
· In 2008, Kasey Kahne became the first driver to get into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race by the Sprint Fan Vote and go on to win the event.
· Seven times from seven different drivers has the winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race gone on to win the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway the following weekend: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Davey Allison (1991), Dale Earnhardt (1993), Jeff Gordon (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2003), Kasey Kahne (2008) and Kurt Busch (2010).
· The record for lead changes in a NASCAR Sprint All-Star race is 10 in 2004.
· The record for different leaders in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race is nine in 2002.
· The series best Driver Rating performance by a NASCAR Sprint All-Star race winner was Carl Edwards posting a 141.7 in 2011.(NASCAR)(5-15-2014)
UPDATE: On Sunday, May 18th, Ryan Gifford will sport a Wendell Scott Hall of Fame Nomination decal on the #98 Biagi-DenBeste Ford Mustang at Iowa Motor Speedway. Scott, the only one African-American in NASCAR win a race in what is now considered the Sprint Cup Series, has continued to be an inspiration to minority drivers in the sport. “Both myself and Biagi-DenBeste Racing feel honored to be driving the #98 car in support of Wendell Scott’s life and accomplishments. Being a part of the Drive for Diversity Program has opened a lot of opportunities for me. I will continue to be inspired by Scott and focus on making my own history in the sport,” said Gifford.(Rev Racing)(5-15-2014)
News from May 14, 2014
On May 25, Busch will compete in the Indianapolis 500 before getting on a plane and traveling to North Carolina to compete in the Coca-Cola 600. Practice for the Indianapolis 500 began May 11 and continues through May 16, with qualifying May 17 and Pole Day May 18. The May 16 practice at Indianapolis conflicts with practice for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. And Indianapolis 500 qualifying on May 17 lasts until 6pm/et, which makes for a short turnaround time for Busch to be back at Charlotte in time for the 7:10 pm qualifying session for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
The Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to begin at 12:15 pm on May 25, with the Coca-Cola 600 set to get underway at 6:00pm. The Indianapolis 500 should be completed at approximately 3:30pm, allowing Busch two-and-a-half hours to get from Indianapolis Motor Speedway to Charlotte before the green flag waves for the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on the Sprint Cup schedule. In the event Busch does not make it back to Charlotte on time, Kligerman will start the Coca-Cola 600. Upon Busch’s arrival, Kligerman will yield the seat of the #41 Haas Automation Chevy to Busch, whereupon Busch will finish the race [if Parker starts the Coke 600, he would get the drivers points and Busch would not].
“Parker and I were teammates a few years ago when we were together at Penske and his feedback was always really good,” Busch said. “Plus, we’re built about the same, and that’s really important as we don’t want to have to adjust seats or pedal positions inside the racecar. I’m confident in Parker’s abilities and know that my Haas Automation Chevrolet is in good hands.”(SHR)(5-14-2014)
Total number of commercials: 117
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 59
Number of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 106
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 56
Number of ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials during race broadcast (split-screen): 11
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 10
Number of times Fox utilized ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials during this broadcast: 3
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 40
Total amount of time these brief promos take during broadcast: app. 2 min. 40 sec.
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 7:31 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 11:30 PM
Total minutes of complete race broadcast: 222
Minutes of race broadcast: 168
Minutes of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 54
Minutes of ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials (split-screen): 7
Number of missed restarts: 1
Number of ‘mystery cautions’ (debris not shown): 0
Total race brdcst time 168 Total comm. brdcst time 54
See past race reports and links to full reports on the 2014 TV Commercials page.(5-14-2014)
1: The number of cars on the lead lap of Saturday night’s 5-Hour Energy 400 when Clint Bowyer spun to cause the first caution. Brad Keselowski was the only driver who hadn’t pitted under green at that point, creating an unusual circumstance where second-place Kevin Harvick was the free-pass beneficiary.
1: The number of laps led by Kyle Busch in Saturday night’s race at Kansas Speedway. Busch’s progress toward the career milestone of 10,000 career laps led has been slowed of late. Busch, who needs 28 more laps led to reach 10,000, has been out front for a total of two laps in the last four races.
7: The career-best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish for Danica Patrick in Saturday night’s 5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas Speedway. Patrick ran competitively against the best drivers in the sport and climbed as high as third in the running order before posting the top-10 finish.
11: The number of consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this year in which six-time champion Jimmie Johnson has not gone to Victory Lane. His streak of 11 straight winless races to start a season matches his career longest. In 2003, Johnson didn’t win until the 12th race of the season, at Charlotte.
4: The record number of NASCAR Sprint All-Star races won by Jimmie Johnson, who is the two-time defending champion as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Saturday night’s million-dollar non-points shootout. Johnson took the checkered flag in 2003, 2006, 2012 and 2013. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt are the only three-time winners.(NASCAR Wire Service)(5-14-2014)
UPDATE: Target is expanding its sponsorship in the NASCAR Nationwide Series to include the up & up brand as the primary sponsor on the #42 Turner Scott Motorsports’ Chevy Camaro for five races. The up & up brand will make its track debut this weekend during the Get to Know Newton 250 Presented by Sherwin Williams NNS race at Iowa Speedway. Dylan Kwasniewski will drive the #42 up & up Chevy to fill-in for Kyle Larson during five of the NNS races where the series does not race at the same track as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.(Chip Ganassi Racing), see an image of the car on the #42 team paint schemes page.(5-14-2014)
Kuechly, the Panthers leading tackler for the last two seasons and the 2013 Associated Press Defensive Player of the year, will lead the field in the official Toyota Camry pace car as honorary pace car driver at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. In his rookie season, Kuechly, the ninth overall draft pick out of Boston College, made an immediate impact by leading the NFL in tackles an earning 2012 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Tickets can be purchased online at charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267).(CMS)(5-14-2014)
News from May 13, 2014
UPDATE: Go FAS Racing announced that Blake Koch will pilot the #32 Ford in the Sprint Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway as well as running the Coca-Cola 600 at CMS and the race at Dover on June 1st. “I had Blake in our part time cup ride last year at Charlotte and was very impressed with his ability to adapt to the increased horsepower from his Nationwide ride to the Cup car. We have a sponsor that would like to see how he can handle the grueling 600 mile race and Frank (Stoddard) and I also feel it’s time to start looking at a few drivers for the 2015 season now that Terry Labonte has announced that this will be his final season in NASCAR. The season is already one third over so it’s time to see who’s out there so we can make a final decision this fall on next years driver.” commented Go FAS partner Archie St. Hilaire. Sponsorship for the races will be announced later this week.(Go FAS Racing)(5-13-2014)
#18-Kyle Busch…………..110.3
#48-Jimmie Johnson……….106.3
#20-Matt Kenseth…………88.3
#22-Joey Logano………….87.3
#41-Kurt Busch…………..86.4
#99-Carl Edwards…………82.8
#24-Jeff Gordon………….81.6
#5-Kasey Kahne…………..79.7
#55-Brian Vickers………..79.6
#31-Ryan Newman………….79.1
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (9 total) among active drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.(NASCAR)
News from May 12, 2014
19 drivers are listed for the All-Star Race, 2 more drivers will come from the Showdown and one more driver from the Sprint All-Star Vote.
See the full entry lists at my Jayski’s All-Star Race page
Austin Theriault will drive the #5 for JR Motorsports;
Blake Koch is entered in the TriStar #10;
Ryan Ellis will drive the #15 for RWR;
Michael McDowell is in the #20 for Joe Gibbs;
Chase Pistone is in the #31 for Turner Scott while Dylan Kwasniewski moves to the #42;
Sam Hornish is in the JGR #54;
The #55 is TBA;
Ryan Gifford will drive the #98 for Biagi DenBeste.(5-12-2014)
See the complete list on the Iowa entry list page.
The #07 is TBA;
The #9 is TBA;
Brad Keselowski in the #19;
Austin Dillon is in the #20;
Max Gresham is in the #23;
Jake Crum is in the #82;
Ross Chastain is in the #92;
(5-12-2014)
UPDATE: Justin Lofton will drive the #9.
(5-12-2014)
See the complete list on the Charlotte entry list page.
News from May 11, 2014
You mentioned contracts. Has there been progress? “You guys know that I don’t like to talk about that stuff in the media. To me, that is business and I have made the mistake of letting that turn into a big media thing before so I would rather not talk about that and keep that between me and Jack and Steve Newmark.”
Are some teams more enticing that others? “Part of me not talking about it would be not answering that question.”(Ford Racing)(5-10-2014)
UPDATE: #99-Carl Edwards has played his cards extremely close to the vest on whether or not he’ll remain with Roush Fenway Racing once his contract expires at the end of this season. But before Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway, Edwards was left flustered and stammered a bit when Fox Sports announcer Darrell Waltrip came right out and asked Edwards bluntly, “Can you win a championship at Roush?” It was rather obvious Edwards was taken back by Waltrip’s question and was not prepared for it. “That’s a good question,” Edwards said. “I think we can, I mean we’ve been very close. We sure looked real close at it, but we just haven’t got it done. It’s been 10 years and really, overall that’s my goal. I believe if I work hard enough and Roush works hard enough, I believe we can do it.” But then Edwards may have inadvertently slipped and gave what appeared to be a potential hint that he very well may be in his last year at RFR. “There’s not a better year than this year with Jimmy Fennig, the Chase format, and finishing Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead, so yes, I know we can and we have to do it this year. We’ve just got to keep digging,” Edwards said. The key phrase in that quote: “We have to do it this year.” Such a phrase, at least on the surface, gives the implication that winning a championship – or at least coming close – will be the ultimate decision-maker for Edwards to remain at RFR for another three seasons. That, plus his comment about being at RFR for 10 years and having no Cup championships to show for it, are also good hints for clue hunters.(NBC Sports)(5-11-2014)
See past races for 2013 and 5-year comparison chart on the 2014 NASCAR TV Ratings page.(5-11-2014)
News from May 10, 2014
Pole sitter #4-Harvick finished 2nd followed by #5-Kahne, #22-Logano, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #99-Edwards, #10-Patrick [her career best finish], #43-Almirola, #48-Johnson, and #20-Kenseth.
#24-Gordon, who came into the race as the points leader, extended his points lead to 15 over #20-Kenseth.
The race started about 35 minutes late after storms moved just north of the track, causing NASCAR to go into a holding pattern.
#22-Logano leads the Chase Seeding with two wins. #4-Harvick is second, also with 2 wins, but lower in points. They are followed by #24-Gordon, #18-Busch, and #88-Earnhardt, Jr.
There were 25 lead changes among 10 drivers and there were 8 cautions for 47 yellow flag laps.
The average speed was 128.149mph.
See unofficial race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Unofficial Kansas Race Results page (pdf) and check out the Kansas Penalty Report (pdf).
(5-10-2014)
Jeff Gordon won the 4th Annual 5-hour ENERGY 400 Benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation, his 89th victory in 736 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and eighth top-10 finish in 2014.
This is his third victory and 12th top-10 finish in 17 races at Kansas Speedway.
Kevin Harvick (second) posted his eighth top-10 finish in 17 races at Kansas Speedway. It is his fifth top-10 finish in 2014.
Kasey Kahne (third) posted his seventh top-10 finish in 14 races at Kansas Speedway.
Kyle Larson (12th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Jeff Gordon leads the point standings by 15 points over Matt Kenseth.
Danica Patrick posted her best career finish (7th) in tonight’s race.
(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(5-10-2014)
[after Kansas, race 11 of 36]
1) #24-Jeff Gordon [1 win], 394
2) #20-Matt Kenseth, 379, -15
3) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win], 373, -21
4) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 368, -26
5) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 367, -27
6) #22-Joey Logano [2 wins], 346, -48
7) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 340, -54
8) #31-Ryan Newman, 332, -62
9) #16-Greg Biffle, 328, -66
10) #55-Brian Vickers, 327, -67
Other drivers with at least one win, likely will make the Chase:
11) #2-Brad Keselowski [1 win], 326, -68
12) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 318, -76
15) #4-Kevin Harvick [2 wins], 302, -92
28) #41-Kurt Busch [1 win], 211, -183 (52 pts ahead of 31st)
See UNOFFICIAL drivers championship points standings on the Unofficial Drivers Points Standings (pdf).
See the UNOFFICIAL owner points standings on the Unofficial Owners Points Standings page (pdf).
(5-10-2014)
[after Kansas, race 11 of 36 if Chase seeding started after this race]
1) #22-Joey Logano, 2 wins, 6th in points
2) #4-Kevin Harvick, 2 wins, 19th
3) #24-Jeff Gordon, 1 win, 1st
4) #18-Kyle Busch, 1 win, 3rd
5) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1 win, 4th
6) #99-Carl Edwards, 1 win, 5th
7) #2-Brad Keselowski, 1 win, 11th
8) #11-Denny Hamlin, 1 win, 12th
9) #41-Kurt Busch, 1 win, 28th
(no wins, in by points)
10) #20-Matt Kenseth, 2nd
11) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 7th
12) #31-Ryan Newman, 8th
13) #16-Greg Biffle, 9th
14) #55-Brian Vickers, 10th
15) #42-Kyle Larson, 13th
14) #3-Austin Dillon, 14th
(5-10-2014)
#42-Larson, finished 12th, 11 rookie points
#3-Dillon, 19thth, 10
#7-Annett, 25th, 9
#26-Whitt, 28th, 8
#23-Bowman, 35th, 7
#51-Allgaier, 36th, 6
#83-Truex, 43rd, 5
Kligerman, Did Not Race
See rookie rules, standings and history on the 2014 Rookie of the Year page.(5-10-2014)
You mentioned contracts. Has there been progress? “You guys know that I don’t like to talk about that stuff in the media. To me, that is business and I have made the mistake of letting that turn into a big media thing before so I would rather not talk about that and keep that between me and Jack and Steve Newmark.”
Are some teams more enticing that others? “Part of me not talking about it would be not answering that question.”(Ford Racing)(5-10-2014)
” 111 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas; 83 in more than one.
” Only one of the 16 races at Kansas Speedway has been shortened due to weather conditions: fall of 2007.
” Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway was the (10/10/2004) race won by Joe Nemechek with a MOV of 0.081 second. ” There has been one NSCS race resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Kansas Speedway: fall of 2011 (267/272).
” Denny Hamlin has participated in the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway without posting a DNF (11).
” 11 different drivers have won at Kansas Speedway, led by Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson with two each.
” Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are tied for the most wins at Kansas in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with four each.
” Chevrolet leads the series in wins at Kansas with eight victories; followed by Ford with four wins.
” The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Kansas Speedway was 25th, by Brad Keselowski in the spring of 2011.
(NASCAR)(5-10-2014)
News from May 9, 2014
Pole sitter #4-Harvick chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #22-Logano took pit stall 7, the first pit stall with an opening behind it.
#2-Keselowski, who starts 3rd took the 18th pit stall,with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #99-Edwards, who starts 4th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(5-9-2014)
#22-Logano is on the outside pole, followed by #2-Keselowski, #99-Edwards, #42-Larson, #41-Busch, #31-Newman, #14-Stewart, #10-Patrick, #16-Biffle, #1-McMurray, and #42-Almirola.
Missing the race was: #77-Blaney.
See starting lineup, qualifying results, round results and more on the Kansas Starting Lineup / Qualifying Results page.(5-9-2014)
Kevin Harvick won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 4th Annual 5-hour ENERGY 400 Benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation with a lap of 27.799 seconds, 194.252 mph (a new track record).
This is his eighth pole in 477 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his second pole and sixth top-10 start in 2014.
This is his second pole in 17 races at Kansas Speedway.
Joey Logano (second) posted his eighth top-10 start of 2014 and his sixth in ten races at Kansas Speedway.
Brad Keselowski (third) posted his third top-10 start at Kansas Speedway. It is his eighth in 11 races this season.
Kyle Larson (fifth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
Kansas Speedway becomes the sixth track in 2014 to set a new qualifying track record joining Phoenix, Las Vegas, Bristol, Martinsville and Darlington.
(NASCAR Statistics)(5-9-2014)
#4-Harvick 194.658
#14-Stewart 193.847
#22-Logano 193.715
#43-Almirola 193.639
#41-Busch 193.583
the rest of the top 12: 99 31 42 16 2 1 10
outside the top 12: 24 48 55 27 5 51 3 17 12 88 15 18
(5-9-2014)
#41-Busch 193.611
#42-Larson 193.223
#16-Biffle 193.126
#99-Edwards 193.119
#5-Kahne 193.057
Driver who will miss the race: #77-Blaney.
(5-9-2014)
#14-Stewart 192.809
#15-Bowyer 192.321
#48-Johnson 192.239
#42-Larson 192.178
#4-Harvick 192.109
slowest: #40-Cassill 184.420 & #36-Sorenson 193.387
See the fastest speeds, 10-lap consecutive lap average and laps run on the Kansas Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf).(5-9-2014)
UPDATE: Greg Biffle has no desire to leave Roush Fenway Racing when his contract expires at season’s end. “No, not a bit,” Biffle said Friday at Kansas Speedway when asked if he was looking outside of the Roush organization. “Absolutely, 100 percent ‘No.’ “Biffle said earlier this week on SIRIUS/XM NASCAR Radio’s “Dialed In” that negotiations are continuing with current sponsor 3M to extend the company’s deal to back Biffle’s #16 Ford. While nothing is imminent in terms of finalizing a new contract, Biffle says talks are continuing in the right direction. “We have a great relationship. They’re very happy with the program,” said Biffle. “There is a bunch of new people trying to get their arms around all of the business. They’ve got a lot of business units inside that ‘3M’ … which likes having all these sponsors in the garage part of one company. This is a big deal for them.”(Motor Racing Network)(5-9-2014)
#42-Larson 189.076
#43-Almirola 188.620
#15-Bowyer 188.528
#77-Blaney 188.455
#5-Kahne 188.042
slowest: #26-Whitt 182.630 & #33-Hill 181.184.
notes: Qualifying will be this evening at 6:40pm/et and shown on FoxSports 1.
See the fastest speeds and laps run on the Kansas Practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(5-9-2014)
Television (TV): FS1, 6:30pm/et
Radio: Live online at Motor Racing Network (MRN)
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: 4:30am/et on FS1
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #42-Larson.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #14-Stewart.
Qualifying order is set by a random draw, held about an hour before the first practice.
See the full qualifying order on the Jayski’s Kansas Qualifying Page.(5-9-2014)
UPDATE: Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., questioned the Army National Guard’s sponsorship in NASCAR and IndyCar during a subcommittee hearing Thursday afternoon, and the official overseeing those programs said he planned to evaluate them. The National Guard will sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 20 Sprint Cup races this season. Military contacts are done on a yearly basis. Sen. McCaskill said that the National Guard’s budget for NASCAR amounts to $32 million from a sports marketing budget of more than $56 million. The National Guard does not differentiate between what goes to the team and what goes toward activation. No decision has been set by the National Guard for next season. “I will be … reviewing all these programs in the next, probably, month,” Maj. Gen. Judd Lyons, acting director, Army National Guard, said during the hearing.
At one point during the hour-long hearing Sen. McCaskill said: “I don’t understand … how you can justify the fact that nobody is getting recruited from the NASCAR. The facts speak for themselves. the data is very clear. You’re not getting recruits off NASCAR. This is data you gave us. The reason we know is this because you told us.”
Said Maj. Gen. Lyons: “I’m trying to analyze these programs for exactly the reasons that you’re saying. Are they achieving the intended affect? Are they the best use of our our taxpayer dollars? Is that the right thing to be doing? These are things I’m considering as the acting director as a path forward.”(Motor Racing Network)(5-9-2014)
AND: #36-Reed Sorenson will be making a milestone career start this weekend; his 200th in the series.(NASCAR)(5-9-2014)
” Jason Leffler won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Kansas Speedway in 2001 with a speed of 176.499 mph.
” 11 drivers have Coors Light poles at Kansas, led by Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne with three each.
” Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to win consecutive Coors Light poles at Kansas Speedway (2007 and 2008).
” Four of the 16 (25%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the Coors Light pole; Joe Nemechek (2004), Jimmie Johnson (2008), Matt Kenseth (spring 2013), Kevin Harvick (fall 2013).
” Qualifying has never been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway.
” Jason Leffler (09/30/2001) is the only driver to post his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at Kansas Speedway.
” Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Kansas Speedway with a 10.800.
” Five of the 16 (31.2%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from the front row: four from the pole and one from second-place.
” 10 of the 16 (62.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.
” Two of the 16 (12.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
(NASCAR)(5-9-2014)
There were 9 cautions for 46 laps and 15lead changes among 6 leaders. Complete results are on the Kansas race results page (pdf).(5-9-2014)
Kyle Busch(i) won the 14th Annual SFP 250, his 37th victory in 117 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his second victory and second top-10 finish in 2014.
This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in three races at Kansas Speedway.
Matt Crafton (second) posted his sixth top-10 finish in 14 races at Kansas Speedway. It is his second top-10 finish in 2014.
Joey Logano(i) (third) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Kansas Speedway.
Mason Mingus (10th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Matt Crafton leads the point standings by 8 points over Timothy Peters.
(NASCAR Statistics)(5-9-2013)
1) ) #88-Matt Crafton,120
2) #17-Timothy Peters, 112, – 8
3) #30-Ron Hornaday, 112, -8
4) #77-German Quiroga, 109, -11
5) #98-Johnny Sauter, 105, -15
6) #29-Ryan Blaney, 101, -19
7) #13-Jeb Burton, 98, -22
8) #31-Ben Kennedy, 96, -24
9) #54-Darrell Wallace, Jr., 90, -30
10) #5-John Wes Townley, 87, -33
See complete standings on the driver standings page (pdf).(5-9-2014)
Caution 1: none
Caution 2: none
Caution 3: none
Caution 4: #10-Jennifer Jo Cobb, 13th
Caution 5: #57-Norm Benning, 18th
Caution 6: #5-John Wes Townley, 11th
Caution 7: #57-Norm Benning, 18th
Caution 8: #57-Norm Benning, 18th
Caution 9: #13-Jeb Burton, 6th
(5-9-2014)
Fastest in the second round of qualifying was #19-Joey Logano.
#51-Kyle Busch was quickest in the opening qualifying session at 176.713mph.
#31-Ben Kennedy wrecked during the opening session of qualifying and will race a back-up truck.
See complete lineup on the Starting lineup (pdf) page.(5-9-2014)
Kyle Busch(i) won the Keystone Light Pole Award for the 14th Annual SFP 250 with a lap of 30.181 seconds, 178.921 mph (a new track record).
This is his 13th pole in 117 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
This is his first pole and second top-10 start in 2014.
This is his first pole in three races at Kansas Speedway.
Ryan Blaney (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2014 and his first in two races at Kansas Speedway.
Johnny Sauter (third) posted his fourth top-10 start at Kansas Speedway. It is his second in three races this season.
Tyler Young (15th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-9-2014)
News from May 8, 2014
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)
” 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)
News from May 7, 2014
Yates: So where we are today is reducing RPM, talking about taking 500 RPM away. Effectively, that reduces speed on the racetrack and goes along with making the parts last longer. Talking about roller cams. The Cup series is the only series that has a flat tappet cam. It is a really hard application and it is probably the only series in the world that has a flat tappet cam. It gets it more like Nationwide and Truck so the parts could be passed down and they would last longer. If we need to reduce power more, we’d do it through a reduced throttle body size, reducing the air flow through the throttle body. Those are the mechanisms that will be utilized to reduce power.
They are [also] looking at [limiting RPM] through gear ratios. We crossed that bridge years ago when we decided to limit the RPMs and they did it with the final drive ratio. It was a really good way to do it. If the engine will achieve more RPM because it is making more power or the driver gets off of the corner better and he achieves more RPM, then so be it. I think the final drive ratio is a good, easy-to-police way to get there. That is the adjustment they’ll make. They do the same thing today in Nationwide and Trucks based on the RPM range they want to run. That has been a good, effective way to run.
NASCAR has had more engagement with the engine building community than they ever have before. We’ve had five meetings now and Gene Stefanyshyn has done a great job leading those meetings. At first, it was a little bit of going through a process to get everyone to talk and open up. Our lives are about competition so those meetings, at first, were a bit of “I can outdo you on this.” Everybody has now settled in to try and achieve Brian France and NASCAR’s two initiatives of trying to improve racing through a reduction of horsepower and to try and figure out how to save some cost for the teams.”(Frontstretch)(5-7-2014)
UPDATE: Nationwide drivers Ty Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) and Elliott Sadler (JGR), as well as two teams from the Camping World Truck Series (the #29 from Brad Keselowski Racing and #51 from Kyle Busch Motorsports), are at Dover, too. Goodyear says that Busch, Truex and Edwards will be running both days, while Dillon and Sadler will get one day each.(NBC Sports)(5-7-2014)
” 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.
” There have been 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, one NSCS event from 2001 – 2010 and two races per year since 2011.
(NASCAR)(5-7-2014)
News from May 6, 2014
Kenny Francis, Crew chief of the #5 Farmer Insurance / Thankamillionteachers.com Chevy on the #5 teams time getting disallowed: “Basically we had a malfunction with a ballast container. The cap that holds the ballast in came out. It could be mechanical or human error we are not really sure what happened. At the end of the day 25 pounds of ballast came out and we were 25 pounds light at the scales. The time was disallowed and we will have to start at the back.”
Martin Truex Jr., #78 Furniture Row Chevy – time was disallowed after failing post qualifying inspection: “After positing the fastest practice speed yesterday, today’s result and infraction were disappointing to say the least. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we have a fast car for tomorrow’s race, and as we have said many times, qualifying really doesn’t mean that much here.”(Team Chevy)(5-4-2014)
UPDATE: Kenny Francis, the crew chief for the #5 team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been penalized for rules violations committed during qualifying May 3 at Talladega Superspeedway. The infraction is a P3 level penalty and violates Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4.3(A)1-c (unapproved added weight and/or weight affixed improperly) of the 2014 rule book. As a result, Francis has been fined $25,000. The infraction was discovered in post-qualifying inspection.(NASCAR)(5-6-2014)
“It’s a great cause and I am proud to carry their colors on our race car,” said two-time NASCAR champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. “It’s our duty as American Citizens to give back to the guys that give everything for our freedom and are true heroes. They are the ones that allow us to be able to chase our dreams each week – on and off the race track – and I am very excited to be able to help raise awareness for the work that these great organizations are doing to give back to them.”
Stenhouse’s #17 Sprint Cup Ford Fusion will run a special paint scheme in the Sprint Cup Showdown. The partnership will help raise awareness to build a smart home for Tom McRae, a Marine Gunnery Sgt. who served three tours of duty in Iraq before suffering life altering injuries while on his second deployment in Afghanistan.
“We are honored that the Roush Fenway Racing team, and their driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr., are supporting our efforts to build ‘smart’ homes for our catastrophically injured military heroes,” said Frank Siller, chairman of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation. “By featuring our ‘Building for America’s Bravest’ and ‘Tunnel to Towers’ logos on the paint scheme of Ricky’s #17 Ford Fusion, they are helping to raise awareness for the work we’re doing. Then, the fact that Lionel Racing will be making die-cast cars of the model, and donating a portion of the proceeds to us, makes it even more fantastic.”
“Having Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drive his racecar in the All-Star Race with the ‘Building for America’s Bravest’ logo is really cool,” said McRae. “I can’t thank him and the Roush Fenway Racing team enough. And to know that Lionel Racing is going to take Ricky’s car and make die-cast models of it, and that part of the money raised from sales will go to building smart homes for military like me who’ve been badly injured, makes it really awesome.”
The ‘9/11 Never Forget’ mobile display is a traveling monument that honors those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks. It will be on hand at Roush Fenway for its annual fan day on May 22, marking its first appearance at the team’s headquarters. The partnership marks the fourth season that RFR has teamed with the Stephen Siller Tunnel of Towers Foundation to raise awareness.(RFR / Lionel Racing), see an image of the scheme on the #17 Team Schemes page.(5-6-2014)
See past races for 2014 and a five-year comparison chart on the 2014 NASCAR TV Ratings page.(5-5-2014)
UPDATE: A weak season for NASCAR on FOX continued with the lowest overnight from Talladega in at least sixteen years. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Aaron’s 499 from Talladega earned a 4.0 overnight rating on FOX, down 9% from last year (4.4), down 15% from 2012 (4.7), and the lowest overnight for the spring Talladega race since at least 1998. The previous low was set last year. The multi-year low comes on the heels of the two lowest overnights in NASCAR on FOX history – Darlington’s 3.2 and Richmond’s 3.0. So far this season, FOX has earned its lowest overnights ever at Daytona, Phoenix, Martinsville, Las Vegas, Darlington, Richmond and Talladega, and its second-lowest overnight at Fontana. Despite the lower numbers, Sunday’s race earned the fourth-highest overnight of the weekend for a sporting event on broadcast or cable, trailing only three NBA Game 7s – Grizzlies/Thunder on TNT (4.1), Warriors/Clippers on TNT (4.3), and Mavericks/Spurs on ABC (4.9). Because final ratings for NASCAR tend to rise from the overnights, it is entirely possible that the race will end up having been the top sporting event of the week when the final numbers are released.(Sports Media Watch)(5-6-2014)
4: The number of finishes outside the top 20 for Jimmie Johnson in the first 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. That’s the most since 2009, when Johnson also had four results outside the top 20 in the first 10 races. But, oh, by the way, Johnson went on to win the series championship that year.
5: The number of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions involved in “The Big One” in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega. On Lap 137, 2012 champion Brad Keselowski triggered a wreck that also collected Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth, who have 14 titles between them.
11: The finishing position at Talladega of Landon Cassill, who kept the #40 Hillman Racing Chevrolet in the top 10 for much of Sunday afternoon. That result was a career best for Cassill in 201 Sprint Cup starts, bettering a pair of 12th-place finishes at Michigan and Daytona.
23.3: Kyle Busch’s average finish in 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, statistically Busch’s worst track. The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has but two top 10s at Kansas, and no top fives. He has led 85 laps there, his lowest total by far at a 1.5-mile intermediate speedway.
5: The number of drivers who have won two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, suggesting that success breeds success at the 1.5-mile track. In 16 total races at Kansas, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth have won twice each. Kenseth is the only one of the five to win in two different car makes a Ford and a Toyota.(NASCAR Wire Service)(5-6-2014)
#48-Jimmie Johnson…………………… 118.9
#20-Matt Kenseth……………………….. 109.6
#16-Greg Biffle………………………….. 106.9
#24-Jeff Gordon………………………….. 99.6
#14-Tony Stewart…………………………. 97.5
#99-Carl Edwards………………………… 96.6
#4-Kevin Harvick………………………… 95.9
#78-Martin Truex Jr………………………. 91.5
#5-Kasey Kahne………………………… 91.1
#15-Clint Bowyer…………………………. 90.1
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (12 total) among active drivers at Kansas Speedway.
Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.(NASCAR)
Ambrose first entertained the idea after so many of his fans here in the United States and his native Australia wanted to aid monetarily with his fine. The 2013 All-Star has now found a unique way for fans to not only support him, but to help children experience life-changing moments at Victory Junction and assist the camp helped built by his boss, “The King” Richard Petty.
“I had a tremendous outpouring of support after Richmond from so many fans,” said Ambrose. “But, that situation was between myself and another driver. I had to pay the consequences from that and my fans had nothing to do with what happened. But, they have been so supportive of me in NASCAR, that maybe there was something we could do so they could make a difference. If they want to support me, they can vote for me and we’ll take the total of the fine and pay it forward to Victory Junction. I’ve been to Victory Junction a few times. It’s a place like no other and really can take your breath away when you see the kids having so much fun. I’m a father and this is a place that really hits home. So, this is an opportunity to take an unfortunate situation and we can all come together to make a difference. The fans can just vote for me for the All-Star race and I’ll try to race in. We’ll do this together and hopefully do something special.” Ambrose will have three opportunities to be eligible for the Sprint All-Star Race. He can win this weekend at Kansas Speedway, finish first or second in the Sprint Showdown before the Sprint All-Star Race and finally fans can vote him in. Fans have three different methods to vote for Ambrose leading into the All-Star Race, including using the NASCAR Mobile application on their mobile device. Votes from a mobile handset count double. Fans can also go online to NASCAR.com/SprintFanVote and also visit the Sprint Experience at the track and vote. Voting will end on May 16.(RPM)(5-6-2014)
News from May 5, 2014
Driver who needs to be in the top-36 in speed and have no provisional available to them: #12-Ryan Blaney, lowest in owners points
If qualifying is cancelled, the driver who would miss the race: #12-Ryan Blaney, no race attempts
See the full entry list at my Jayski’s Kansas Entry List
“Since the first day 5-hour ENERGY, Clint and Brian showed up at MWR, we have been a contender for wins and championships. I am so thankful that we get to continue and add to what we have built,” said co-owner Michael Waltrip. “I am most happy for the employees of MWR who are the foundation of everything we do.”
The familiar red, black and yellow brand colors of 5-hour ENERGY will adorn the #15 in 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup events each year starting in 2015. Additional primary partners on the #15 include PEAK and AAA Mid-Atlantic. “We have clearly aligned ourselves with one of the most competitive and energetic drivers in racing and we felt it was really important for us to continue the equity we have built over the past three years,” said Scott Henderson, president of 5-hour ENERGY. “We love Clint, the people at MWR and the sport of NASCAR. The extension decision was also based on our racing program’s success with our sales team and all of our participating retailers.” Bowyer celebrates his 300th start Sunday at Kansas Speedway.(MWR). Bowyer also announced on his Twitter that he and wife Lorra are expecting a baby.(5-5-2014)
See past races for 2014 and a five-year comparison chart on the 2014 NASCAR TV Ratings page.(5-5-2014)
AND The recreational vehicle retailer, which became title sponsor of the series in 2009, signed a seven-year extension that will begin in 2016. The deal is valued at more than $5 million a year in rights fees and media commitments.(Sports Business Journal)(5-5-2014)
Cale Yarborough (55)(won 3 championships in car #11)
Ned Jarrett (49)(won 2 championships in car #11)
Darrell Waltrip (43)(won 3 championships in car #11)
Denny Hamlin (24)
Junior Johnson (11)
Bill Elliott (6)
Geoff Bodine (4)
Terry Labonte (4)
Bobby Allison (3)
Buddy Baker (2)
A.J. Foyt (1)
Mario Andretti (1)(won 1967 Daytona 500)
Parnelli Jones (1)(1st driver to win in #11)
TOTAL WINS = 204
Ned Jarrett in 1965, Rusty Wallace in 1993, Kasey Kahne in 2012 and Kyle Busch in 2013.(5-5-2014)
Total number of commercials: 117
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 61
Number of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 106
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 59
Number of ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials during race broadcast (split-screen): 11
Total number of companies or entities advertised: 9
Number of times Fox utilized ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials during this broadcast: 3
Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 46
Total amount of time these brief promos take during broadcast: app. 6 min. 40 sec.
Start time to record race/commercial periods: 1:00 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods: 4:38 PM
Total minutes of complete race broadcast: 218
Minutes of race broadcast: 162
Minutes of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 56
Minutes of ‘Side-by-Side’ commercials (split-screen): **
Number of missed restarts: 0
Number of ‘mystery cautions’ (debris not shown): 1 referred to, but not shown
Number of references to ‘Digger’, the long-lost track mascot: 1 D.W. said he’s ‘retired’
Total race brdcst time 162 Total comm. brdcst time 56
See past races and links to full reports on the 2014 TV Commercials page.(5-5-2014)
Q) WHAT HAPPENED?
Keselowski: “I just spun out in front of the whole field. I don’t know why, if I just busted my butt on my own or lost a tire, but I feel bad for everyone that got torn up. We had a really fast Team Penske Ford, but I just feel bad for the whole Miller Lite team.”
Q) WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST INCIDENT? Keselowski: “We took the lead there and made a really aggressive move to take the lead and then it all just kind of bottlenecked from there. I don’t know if I cut somebody off or got ran over, but just enough to get spun out and tear the car up.”
Q) WHAT HAPPENED?
Keselowski: “We were just racing really hard towards the front half of the field. I was trying to get my lap back and those guys are trying to lead laps. There’s obviously a long way to go and I just had to get to the front and try to stay up there to try and get my lap back. I was racing really hard for that, but for some reason the car took off on me and I spun out. I don’t know why, but I feel bad that we tore up a bunch of cars.”
Q) WHAT HAPPENED WITH DANICA?
Keselowski: “I’m not really sure what happened. I made an aggressive move to take the lead and the next thing I knew I was spinning, so I’m not really sure. Obviously, there was some kind of contact but I don’t know what happened.”
Q) A BYPRODUCT OF TALLADEGA?
Keselowski: “Every wreck is a byproduct of Talladega. That’s just the track we’re on, but racing hard – everybody wants to lead laps, everybody wants to run up front and certainly I wanted to get my laps back and have a shot to win at the end and the only way I was gonna do that was by being really aggressive at the front half of the field.”
STILL 41 CARS ON THE LEAD LAP.
Keselowski: “Yeah, and that’s even more the reason why I had to race hard to get my lap back because I was at the back half of that.”
Q) HOW AGGRESSIVE WAS THIS RACE BY COMPARISON TO THE LAST COUPLE YEARS?
Keselowski: “The cars are handling a lot worse than I thought they would and I think everybody is kind of fighting that. Everybody still has the same level of aggression as when the cars handled a little better and sometimes we learn the hard way.”
Q) THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN FRUSTRATION AND SUCCESS.
Keselowski: “Yeah, we had a lot of close calls and I guess most of them were my fault, but I’m just being real aggressive. That’s what it’s gonna take to win here and whoever wins here will be really aggressive, too.”
Q) WAS IT A CASE WHERE DANICA DIDN’T GIVE YOU ENOUGH ROOM?
Keselowski: “I don’t know. I’d have to go back and look at it.”
Q) WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND AT THE END? IS THERE A FEELING SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
Keselowski: “You assume something is gonna happen, but you don’t know. That’s why I had to race so hard. I was one or two debris yellows from being back in the race and I wasn’t gonna give up.”(Ford Racing)(5-5-2014)
Ryan Ellis in the #0;
Todd Shafer in the #08;
Joey Logano in the #19;
Austin Dillon is in the #20;
Tayler Malsam is in the #32;
TBA in the #36;
Charles Lewandoski in the #42;
TJ Bell in the #50;
TBDA in the #74;
(5-5-2014)
See the complete list on the Kansas entry list page.
UPDATE: “We are interested in extending our agreement with Camping World and we know the company is as well. While we don’t have a signed agreement yet, we are very pleased with the direction in which our discussions are headed. We love our partnership with Camping World and as soon as we have news to share, we will let you know.”(NASCAR)(3-2-2014)
UPDATE 2: Camping World has extended its title sponsorship of NASCAR’s truck series through 2022. The recreational vehicle retailer, which became title sponsor of the series in 2009, signed a seven-year extension that will begin in 2016. The deal is valued at more than $5 million a year in rights fees and media commitments. Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis, who stars in the CNBC show “The Profit,” credited the Camping World Truck Series sponsorship with helping his company increase its revenue from $1.5 billion annually in 2009 to $3 billion annually today. He also said it helped in adding 27 new retail locations and reducing the age of Camping World customers from a 47- to 65-year-old demographic to a 35- to 65-year-old demographic.
In addition to renewing Camping World’s title sponsorship of the truck series, Lemonis managed to extend NASCAR sponsorships to several of his other businesses. Camping World will be able to market its Good Sam Roadside Assistance towing service as the official roadside assistance of NASCAR. CarCash.com, which buys and sells used cars, will become the official auto buying service of NASCAR, and AutoMatch USA, which sells used cars, will be the official pre-owned automobile retailer of NASCAR.
Camping World didn’t work with an agency on the extension and doesn’t use an agency to activate its sponsorship assets. Lemonis said that he prefers to have his marketing team oversee promotional efforts. He said that group will have to help Camping World’s NASCAR-related promotions evolve over the next seven years to keep it engaging for fans.
A year ago, Lemonis expressed concern that truck ratings might suffer after Fox recast its motorsports network Speed as the all-sports network Fox Sports 1. But he said he’s been pleased with the ratings on the network, which was part of the reason he extended the deal. On Speed, the Camping World Truck Series averaged 681,000 viewers per race in 2012. The same races on Fox Sports 1 last year averaged 736,000 viewers per race, an 8 percent increase.(Sports Business Journal)(5-5-2014)
UPDATE 3: NASCAR announced today it has reached a seven-year agreement with Camping World to remain the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series through 2022. The new deal ensures that Camping World will own exclusive rights as title sponsor for a total of 14-consecutive years, equaling the longest entitlement sponsorship in the history of the national series, which is celebrating its 20th season. The renewed partnership aligns two brands in the midst of significant growth. Since originally becoming series entitlement sponsor in 2009, Camping World has expanded its number of stores by 35 percent, resulting in the company eclipsing $3 billion in annual revenue.
“The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has one of the most consistent and durable audiences in all of sports, averaging approximately 800,000 or more television viewers per event over the past six years,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR chief marketing officer. “Camping World’s seven-year continued commitment to our sport demonstrates its confidence in our on-track product and strength of our brand loyal fan base.”
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series features some of the toughest and most competitive racing in the sport. The series has helped catapult the careers of many of the sport’s most popular and successful drivers, such as Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski. Currently, the series houses a young crop of stars that are talented, dynamic and diverse including Ben Kennedy, German Quiroga Jr. and Darrell Wallace Jr.
“Camping World and NASCAR are mutually invested in the growth of a national series that is celebrated for its exciting brand of racing and the most loyal fan base in the country,” said Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis. “Six years ago we felt strongly that the sponsorship would dramatically increase our customer base and it’s delivered. We expect to see continued success in the coming years.”
NASCAR fans are outdoors enthusiasts who enjoy a variety of activities. According to Experian Consumer Research, NASCAR fans are 40 percent more likely than non-fans to go camping. When it comes to camping gear, NASCAR fans are at least 50 percent more likely than non-fans to have tents, lanterns, and other camping equipment.
The new deal provides Camping World exclusive rights to market its Good Sam Roadside Assistance program as the Official Roadside Assistance of NASCAR. With a network that includes 40,000 tow and service providers in North America, Good Sam Roadside Assistance has provided roadside services to more than two million stranded motorists in the past 30 years.
Additionally, the new agreement provides official NASCAR status to two growing automobile companies; CarCash as the Official Auto Buying Service of NASCAR, and AutoMatch USA, as the Official Pre-owned Automobile Retailer of NASCAR. CarCash, featured on Season 1 of CNBC’s The Profit, purchases used cars from individuals in return for immediate cash. AutoMatch USA, featured on Season 2 of CNBC’s The Profit, specializes in the sale of foreign and domestic pre-owned cars of all makes and models.(NASCAR)(5-5-2014)
News from May 4, 2014
#16-Biffle finished 2nd followed by #15-Bowyer, #55-Vickers, #47-Allmendinger, #27-Menard, #4-Harvick, #5-Kahne, #42-Larson and #17-Stenhouse Jr.
#40-Landon Cassill scored his career best finish at 11th and #7-Michael Annett scored his career best finish at 16th.
#33-Scott, who won the pole, was involved in a wreck on lap 137 and finished 42nd.
#24-Gordon, who came into the race as the points leader, was involved in the first big wreck and finished 39th but still leads the points by 3 over #20-Kenseth.
#22-Logano leads the Chase Seeding with two wins. #4-Harvick is second, also with 2 wins, but lower in points. They are followed by #18-Busch, #99-Edwards and #88-Earnhardt, Jr.
There were two big wrecks:
On lap 137: #2-Keselowski, who was 6 laps down at the time, got loose and spun, involving: #21-Bayne, #24-Gordon, #14-Stewart, #7-Annett, #18-Busch, #20-Kenseth, #23-Bowman, #26-Whitt, #27-Menard, #33-Scott and #48-Johnson.
On lap 175: #48-Johnson got loose, got into #17-Stenhouse, moved up into #22-Logano who went into the outside wall involving: #41-Busch, #34-Ragan, #95-McDowell and #36-Sorenson.
There were 48 lead changes among 23 drivers and there were 8 cautions for 31 yellow flag laps.
The average speed was 152.103.(5-4-2014)
See unofficial race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Unofficial Talladega Race Results page (pdf) and check out the Talladega Penalty Report (pdf).
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Talladega Race & Points Report (pdf).(5-4-2014)
#11-Denny Hamlin won the 45th Annual Aaron’s 499 , his 24th victory in 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in 2014. With the win, Hamlin is all but locked into the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. In 2013, he missed the Chase for the first time in his career.
This is his first victory and sixth top-10 finish in 17 races at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his first points race win at a restrictor plate track (he has four non-points race wins at Daytona).
#16-Greg Biffle (second) posted his sixth top-10 finish in 23 races at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his fourth top-10 finish in 2014.
#15-Clint Bowyer (third) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 17 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
#42-Kyle Larson (10th) was the highest finishing Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate. It is his fifth top 10 this season.
#24-Jeff Gordon leads the point standings by 3 points over #20-Matt Kenseth.(NASCAR Integrated Sports Marketing)(5-4-2014)
[after Talladega, race 10 of 36]
1) #24-Jeff Gordon, 347
2) #20-Matt Kenseth, 344, -3
3) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win], 343, -4
4) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 328, -19
5) #99-Carl Edwards [1 win], 328, -19
6) #22-Joey Logano [2 wins], 305, -42
7) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 304, -43
8) #16-Greg Biffle, 300, -47
9) #31-Ryan Newman, 299, -48
10) #55-Brian Vickers, 297, -50
Other drivers with at least one win, likely will make the Chase:
11) #2-Brad Keselowski [1 win], 294, -53
12) #11-Denny Hamlin [1 win], 292, -55
19) #4-Kevin Harvick [2 wins], 258, -89
27) #41-Kurt Busch [1 win], 196, -151 (52 pts ahead of 31st)
See OFFICIAL race results & points standings on the Official Talladega Race & Points Report (pdf).(5-4-2014)
[after Talladega, race 10 of 36 if Chase seeding started after this race]
1) #22-Joey Logano, 2 wins, 6th in points
2) #4-Kevin Harvick, 2 wins, 19th
3) #18-Kyle Busch, 1 win, 3rd
4) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., 1 win, 4th
5) #99-Carl Edwards, 1 win, 5th
6) #2-Brad Keselowski, 1 win, 11th
7) #11-Denny Hamlin, 1 win, 12th
8) #41-Kurt Busch, 1 win, 27th
(no wins, in by points)
9) #24-Jeff Gordon, 1st
10) #20-Matt Kenseth, 2nd
11) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 7th
12) #16-Greg Biffle, 8th
13) #31-Ryan Newman, 9th
14) #55-Brian Vickers, 10th
15) #42-Kyle Larson, 13th
15) #3-Austin Dillon, 14th
(5-4-2014)
Kenny Francis, Crew chief of the #5 Farmer Insurance / Thankamillionteachers.com Chevy on the #5 teams time getting disallowed: “Basically we had a malfunction with a ballast container. The cap that holds the ballast in came out. It could be mechanical or human error we are not really sure what happened. At the end of the day 25 pounds of ballast came out and we were 25 pounds light at the scales. The time was disallowed and we will have to start at the back.”
Martin Truex Jr., #78 Furniture Row Chevy – time was disallowed after failing post qualifying inspection: “After positing the fastest practice speed yesterday, today’s result and infraction were disappointing to say the least. That’s the bad news. The good news is that we have a fast car for tomorrow’s race, and as we have said many times, qualifying really doesn’t mean that much here.”(Team Chevy)(5-4-2014)
See past races for 2014 and a five-year comparison chart on the 2014 NASCAR TV Ratings page.(5-4-2014)
· 433 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega; 297 in more than one.
· Only two of the 89 races at Talladega Superspeedway have been shortened due to weather conditions: spring of 1987 and fall of 1996.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway was the (04/17/2011) race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.002 second – the MOV is tied with the 2003 Darlington race as the closest finishes in the NSCS using electronic scoring.
· There have been seven NSCS races resulting with a green-white-checkered finish at Talladega Superspeedway: spring of 2005 (188/194), fall of 2005 (188/190), spring of 2007 (188/192), fall of 2008 (188/190) spring of 2010 (188/200), fall of 2012 (188/189) and spring of 2013 (188/192).
· 43 different drivers have won at Talladega Superspeedway, led by Dale Earnhardt with 10. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six.
· Richard Childress Racing has the most wins at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 12; followed by Hendrick Motorsports with 11.
· Nine different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Talladega; led by Chevrolet with 38 victories; followed by Ford with 21.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Talladega was 36th, by Jeff Gordon in the spring of 2000.
(NASCAR)(5-4-2014)
News from May 3, 2014
ESPN.com’s Racecast – Live Coverage and Chat
Racing Live! on ESPN.com
Listen Live Online at Motor Racing Network
Television (TV): FOX at 1:00 pm/et; Pre-Race show at 12:30pm/et; green flag approx. 1:19pm/et
Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: Friday, May 9 at 3:00am/et on FS1
#27-Menard qualified on the outside pole (2nd) followed by #47-Allmendinger, #13-Mears, #3-Dillon, #31-Newman, #10-Patrick, #4-Harvick, #41-Busch, #99-Edwards, #24-Gordon and #14-Stewart is 12th.
For the first time in 2014 group qualifying, #22-Logano didn’t advance into all the rounds, qualifying 16th in round 2.
#5-Kahne’s Chevy was too light in post-qualifying tech and #78-Truex Jr.’s car didn’t meet height requirements and both cars had speeds/times disallowed and will have to use provisionals with #5-Kahne starting 42nd and #78-Truex Jr. starting 43rd.
Missing the race were: #35-McClure, #44-Yeley, #77-Blaney, #87-Nemechek.
See starting lineup, qualifying results, round results and more on the Talladega Starting Lineup / Qualifying Results page.(5-3-2014)
Pole sitter #33-Scott chose pit stall 17, the first pit stall in front of it.
Outside pole sitter #27-Menard took pit stall 1.
#47-Allmendinger, who starts 3rd took the 29th pit stall, the 2nd stall with an opening in front of it.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #99-Edwards, who starts 10th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(5-3-2014)
#33-Brian Scott won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 45th Annual Aaron’s 499 with a lap of 48.293 seconds, 198.290 mph.
This is his first pole in five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. His previous best start was 12th, in this year’s Daytona 500.
This is his first top-10 start in 2014.
In the first round, #18-Kyle Busch and #22-Joey Logano posted laps of 200.574 mph and 200.171 mph, respectively. Those are the first qualifying laps faster than 200 mph at Talladega since 1987.#27-Paul Menard (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2014 and his fourth in 16 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
#47-AJ Allmendinger (third) posted his third top-10 start at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his first in ten races this season.
#3-Austin Dillon (fifth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Statistics)(5-3-2014)
#33-Scott 196.911
#47-Allmendinger 196.754
#99-Edwards 196.681
#13-Mears 196.653
#3-Dillon 196.576
the rest of the top 12: 31 14 4 24 27 41 10;
out of the top 12 and not advancing to round 3: 2 95 43 22 5 7 55 18 48 20 36 21
(5-3-2014)
#18-Busch 200.574
#22-Logano 200.171
#48-Johnson 199.912
#95-McDowell 199.812
#2-Keselowski 199.766
the rest of the top 24: 20 4 14 10 41; 24 21 27 43 33 13 47 3 55 31; 5, 7, 99 & 36.
Drivers who will miss the race: #35-McClure, #44-Yeley, #77-Blaney and #87-Nemechek.
(5-3-2014)
” Round 1 — All entries will have 25 minutes to post a qualifying time, after which the 24 registering the fastest laps will advance to the second round. Those failing to advance will be sorted based on first-round times in descending order (from fastest to slowest). Four drivers will not make the race.
” Round 2 — The 24 fastest from the first round will have 10 minutes to post a second-round qualifying time, with the 12 fastest advancing to a third round. Those not advancing will earn starting positions 13 through 24 based on time, again in descending order.
” Round 3 — The final round will be five minutes in length. The fastest times from this session will determine the first (Coors Light Pole Award) through 12th starting positions.
There will be a five-minute break between each round; teams may make adjustments to their entries only during the individual breaks. They will not be allowed to jack the vehicle or raise the hood, and once the car or truck enters the garage, it will no longer be permitted to return to the track for additional qualifying attempts.
#20-Matt Kenseth: “I guess the truth is none of us really know. Obviously the bigger the group is and the farther you are back from it to a certain point the bigger run you’re going to go and the fastest lap time you are going to get. That’s not a secret and everybody knows that so everybody is waiting for that group. There’s never going to be a group, so I think it’s going to be kind of funny to watch. I don’t know how it’s going to work. We did the first round at Daytona in Nationwide and it was a little crazy, but the field is obviously better in Cup. I don’t know what’s going to happen. It should be interesting especially having three rounds. I think obviously the first round is where you’re going to have your fast lap times and that one you’re going to have to probably make more calculations or more aggressive moves or however you want to put it to get that lap once they start thinning this field out and you get down to 12 or even 25 or 24 or whatever it’s going to change a little bit. There’s always a potential for a wreck when you put 43 cars out there. I think everybody is going to try to do a strategy to get the fastest lap they can to start as far as they can toward the front. What that’s going to look like I honestly just don’t really know. It depends what everybody does and there’s no way to predict what everybody is going to do. The people in the big pack aren’t going to be the ones running the fast lap, it’s going to be the people behind the big pack. Everybody knows that so there might not be a big pack. I’m not really sure exactly how it’s going to go down.”
#22-Joey Logano: “I don’t think anyone knows for sure what’s gonna happen. I will say that we have a little game plan to work and try to make sure our cars not only stay safe but are able to go out there and post a good lap and just try to get through all of the segments. Our car is still the only car to get through every segment this year so far. That’s something to be proud of. This is the one real wild card because there’s a good chance the fastest car may not get the pole this week. That’s gonna be something very different. There’s a lot of strategy that’s gonna go into this. We’re gonna watch Nationwide qualifying and see what they do there, and then also I think if you look at the practice we had here last year when we knew qualifying was gonna get rained out and everyone kind of did it, it took five laps for everyone to get going because no one wanted to be the lead guy. I think guys are just gonna go and go out there. I think there will be a point that there are gonna be a lot of cars out there. I think you have to put your lap up very quick because I think after the first five minutes the top 18 cars or so are probably gonna pit, and not be out there. So the less cars that are on the race track, the harder it is to run that fast lap. I’ve been working with my teammate Brad, and also McDowell some I think and kind of figure out what we’ve got to do to put together a good package for us to run a fast lap and have the right strategy, and also stay out of the crash because I think it’s gonna happen. I think there will be a wreck within this qualifying session just because the closing rate you’re gonna be catching some of these guys. For guys in the middle of the race track and then you’re going to the bottom, he decided he wants to get out of the way and goes to the bottom, oh, shoot, you’re gonna get in a crash. So you’ve got to be on your toes throughout the whole session. I think as each session goes it’s gonna get a little bit calmer because obviously there are gonna be less cars out there.”
#34-David Ragan: “There’s no question that we’re gonna run together. The bigger the pack and the more cars you have, the faster you go, but everyone has to sit down and think about what they want to achieve from qualifying. Do you want to sit on the pole? If you want to set fast time or qualify in the top three or four you’re gonna have to be aggressive and make some risky moves. If you want to be conservative and just make the race, you can be a little conservative and maybe ride behind the pack or have a clean lap and come in and just park it. You just need to determine what you want to get out of qualifying, but there’s no doubt there will be a fairly large pack, I would assume the first part of that qualifying and there’s no secret – the bigger the pack, the more cars that are in line, the faster you’re going to go. You’ll have some guys that realize they’ll have a chance for the pole that maybe wouldn’t have a chance for the pole and they’ll take some chances, but I think in our case we just want to play it cool. Obviously get into the race. It would be great to qualify in the top 15 or 20 where we could get a little better pit stall selection, but I didn’t really come down here to just set my focus on sitting on the pole. We came down to try to do everything we can to win the race. It doesn’t really matter where you qualify.”
#48-Jimmie Johnson: “I don’t know what is going to exactly happen. But to win the pole, you’re going to have to go out there and race. And the run that you can get on a group that it a football-field-or-two ahead of you, is so dramatic that I even think that a 10 or 12-car line won’t be as fast as somebody who falls way back in the pack and has a chance over a lap or two to pull up into the pack. So that’s what every driver is going to try to do. And setting that up is going to be tough because one, everybody is going to be trying it; and two, if you see someone behind you coming, why are you going to stay on the gas to help them? So, bailing out of the gas, breaking up the pack, and things like that are all possible. So, I don’t know. It’s going to be exciting for sure. We’ll all clearly be working on it during practice. And then qualifying itself will be very exciting. The thing I’m trying to come to grips with is where do I take a large risk? Trying to qualify well or trying to work my way through the pack to get to the front? And we’re just not sure right now what to expect. We wanted to come here with a plan in place of how we were going to qualify, but our opinion seems to change every 15 minutes. And we’re going to wait until after P2 and decide what we’re going to do.”
#78-Martin Truex Jr.: “We would like to be in the same position as we were today. At the start of practice we got in front of a line of cars and were able to make a run up there. The difference tomorrow is that we don’t know what everyone else’s plan is going to be. Everyone will be trying to do what we did in practice today and that’s to be in the right position to get the fastest speed. And at the same time it’s going to be a risky session. Our No. 1 goal right now is to make sure this Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet races on Sunday. If we feel like we’re in a danger zone we’ll abort. It really doesn’t matter where you start here.”
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: “Nobody knows. I just don’t know. We will just have to see. The guy that gets the pole is going to have to hit it just right. We built a brand new race car so our willingness to take risks is going to be pretty limited throughout that process. We just you know need to get into the field with the car it doesn’t matter where you start other than just picking on pit road. Not sure exactly what our approach is yet. We’ve still got some conversations to have between Steve (Letarte) and our teammates and just sort of feel out everybody’s opinion about what they want to do and how they want to try to accomplish the best result they can. I don’t think right now anybody has any answers.”(PR’s)(5-3-2014)
· Bobby Isaac won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Talladega in 1969 with a speed of 196.386mph. Isaac won the first three poles at the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Charlie Glotzbach had won the pole at 199.998 mph, but did not run the race, due to the boycott and was not credited with the pole.
· 36 drivers have Coors Light poles at Talladega, led by Bill Elliott with eight. Joe Nemechek leads all active drivers with four.
· 10 drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at Talladega. Bill Elliott holds the record for most consecutive poles at Talladega with six (1985 – 1987).
· 13 of the 89 (14.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from the Coors Light pole. Jeff Gordon (2007) is the only active driver to be able to accomplish the feat.
· The outside front row (second-place) starting position is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (20) than any other starting position at Talladega.
· David Gilliland (10/08/2006) and Travis Kvapil (10/05/2008) posted their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Talladega.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Talladega with a 10.125. · Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway five times; most recently fall of 2013. · 33 of the 89 (37%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from the front row: 13 from the pole and 20 from second-place.
· 62 of the 89 (69.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Talladega have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· 7 of the 89 (7.8%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
(NASCAR)(5-3-2014)
Q) FROM EVERYTHING I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE A PRETTY FRUGAL GUY SO COULD YOU EVER IMAGINE IF YOU WERE EVER TO GET MARRIED THAT YOU WOULD SPEND TWO MILLION DOLLARS LIKE THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER SAYS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE DOING LATER THIS YEAR?
Earnhardt Jr.: “I definitely would have a hard time writing that check (laughter).”
Q) WOULD YOU DO IT AT DAYTONA?
Earnhardt Jr.: “No of course not. I would not force everybody to go down to Daytona for my wedding. I probably would just have it right there in the back yard, but whatever is easiest. That was funny. I read that and it was a roller coaster of an article. Pretty good.”
Q) DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE GETTING MARRIED?
Earnhardt Jr.: “I didn’t. So we just skipped the engagement I guess, went right to the wedding.”(Team Chevy)(5-3-2014)
“We are very proud and excited to be associated with GO FAS Racing and Terry Labonte,” commented Josh Comstock, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of C&J Energy Services. “Like C&J, both GO FAS and Terry have strong family values and a competitive spirit. Also like C&J, they generate more with a smaller asset base than most of their much larger competitors and deliver superior performance through technology and efficiency. This team truly exemplifies our slogan of “Competitive Horsepower”. We are looking forward to participating with Terry and GO FAS at the Daytona and Talladega events.”
“It is exciting for the GO FAS Racing team to be heading to Talladega once again with Terry Labonte and have C&J Energy Services back with us for a fourth season,” said team owner Frank Stoddard. “Terry doesn’t get rattled behind the wheel at these tracks, and I think his numbers speak volumes. You don’t have to worry about him making mistakes and he takes care of the car for you. It is very important for our team to not only run competitive, but also finish the race and run all of the laps.”(GoGreen Racing)(5-3-2014)
There were 7 cautions for 29 laps and 27 lead changes among 13 leaders. Complete results are on the Talladega race results page (pdf).(5-3-2014)
Elliott Sadler won the 23rd Annual Aaron’s 312, his 10th victory in 239 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first victory and seventh top-10 finish in 2014. He ends a 54-race win drought; his last win was at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 4, 2012.
This is his first victory and third top-10 finish in six races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Chris Buescher (second) posted his first career top-five finish. His previous best career finish was seventh (three times). It is his third top-10 finish in 2014.
Regan Smith (third) posted his second top-10 finish in four races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Chase Elliott # leads the point standings by 1 points over Elliott Sadler.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-3-2014)
1) #9-Chase Elliott# 339
2) #11-Elliott Sadler, 338, -1
3) #7-Regan Smith, 336, -3
4) #6-Trevor Bayne 308, -31
5) #3-Ty Dillon# 308, -31
6) #2-Brian Scott 277, -62
7) #62-Brendan Gaughan 250, -89
8) #99-James Buescher 244, -95
9) #60- Chris Buescher # 229, -110
10) #16-Ryan Reed# 225, -114
See complete standings on the driver standings page (pdf).(5-3-2014)
Caution 1: #76-Tommy Joe Martins, 14th
Caution 2: #43-Dakoda Armstrong, 18th
Caution 3: #14- Eric McClure, 17th
Caution 4: #3-Ty Dillon, 15th
Caution 5: None
Caution 6: #6-Trevor Bayne, 10th
Caution 7: #6-Trevor Bayne, 10th
(5-3-2014)
International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy: “Today’s decision by the Florida Legislature makes evident that the State recognizes the tremendous value that DAYTONA Rising has and continues to deliver to our area. If signed, the legislation will set the framework to potentially provide additional capital for the project, allowing us to build upon the already massive economic benefits being generated in the region – from thousands of new jobs to millions of dollars in new tax revenues. We are proud of our efforts with DAYTONA Rising, and are especially grateful to all our local community supporters who rallied on our behalf to help keep these dollars in our community and region. We’re also grateful to the leaders in Tallahassee for their willingness to create a means by which to partner with us to build a better economic future together.”
Daytona International Speedway Joie Chitwood III: “The Florida Legislature sent a clear message in favor of prudent economic growth today by setting up an equitable process for sports stadium projects to compete for funds that generate a return for our communities. We are thankful for their support, foresight and leadership, and look forward to the next step in the legislative process as the bill moves to the Governor’s office for signing. DAYTONA Rising is an unprecedented $400 million project that has already yielded significant economic benefits. If the bill is signed, DAYTONA Rising will stand as the model for a true private-public partnership with far-reaching advantages for Florida.” For tickets and more information on Daytona International Speedway events, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(5-3-2014)
News from May 2, 2014
Television (TV): FOX, 1:00pm/et
Radio: Live online at Motor Racing Network (MRN)
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: Sunday, May 4 at 10:00am/et on FS1
NOTE so far FoxSports has aired qualifying time delayed, 5-10 minutes behind live qualifying. Results will be posted LIVE on Jayski.com, and Jayski’s Twitter & Facebook…so spoiler alert….(5-2-2014)
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #7-Annett.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #55-Vickers.
Qualifying order is set by a random draw, held about an hour before the first practice and is drawn to determine how the drivers will go on the track at the start of qualifying and go thru inspection.
See the full qualifying order on the Talladega Qualifying Page.(5-2-2014)
#21-Bayne 199.015
#99-Edwards 198.965
#14-Stewart 198.912
#18-Busch 198.516
#41-Busch 198.413
slowest: #22-Logano 162.275 (ran a few slow laps) & #87-Nemechek 179.926
27 of the 47 cars ran a lap, 20 cars didn’t practice.
notes: Most of the speeds were in the draft, since qualifying will be in a group on Saturday at 1:00pm/et (on FOX). Many drivers/cars will not run this practice and protect the car for qualifying.
See the fastest speeds, 10-lap consecutive lap average and laps run on the Talladega Happy Hour Practice speeds page (pdf).(5-2-2014)
#78-Truex Jr. 200.721
#51-Allgaier 200.666
#34-Ragan 200.599
#9-Ambrose 200.540
#42-Larson 200.372
slowest: #44-Yeley 187.331 & #32-Labonte 188.493
notes: Most of the speeds were in the draft, since qualifying will be in a group on Saturday at 1:00pm/et (on FOX). #9-Ambrose lost a right front tire during practice, but stopped on the apron and only had slight damage on the car. In the unlikely event that qualifying is rained out (no rain in forecast), this practice would set the starting lineup.
See the fastest speeds and laps run on the Talladega Practice 1 speeds page (pdf).(5-2-2014)
“The Earnhardt family has trusted Nationwide for their insurance needs for more than 35 years, and Dale Jr. has a positive impact on our brand’s reputation and brings pride to Nationwide members and our associates,” said Matt Jauchius, chief marketing officer for Nationwide Insurance. “Expanding that relationship to incorporate the prestigious operations at Hendrick Motorsports and collaborating with Rick Hendrick and his team is a great fit for Nationwide Insurance.”
Hendrick Motorsports will work with Nationwide Insurance to support consumer, business and employee offerings in the auto, home, life and classic car insurance and retirement categories. NASCAR fans can immediately benefit through insurance discounts offered via the free JR Nation fan club. Membership is available by visiting www.jrnation.com.
“Nationwide is always top of mind when you think of companies that truly leverage the power of NASCAR,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “We’re proud to welcome them to the #88 team and grow their relationship with Dale Jr. Working together, we’ll build another program that moves the needle for their business. The opportunities are endless.”
“I’ve always enjoyed working with Nationwide and really believe in their products and services,” said Earnhardt, who Nationwide Insurance has featured in national advertising since 2009. “It’ll be fun to work with them in a new way, and I know everyone on the team is looking forward to the partnership. They’ve invested in our sport and built a strong reputation with NASCAR fans, and this opens up doors to do even more great things.”(HMS)
AND Hendrick Motorsports teammate #5-Kasey Kahne is sponsored by Farmers Insurance. Hendrick Motorsports issued a statement regarding Farmers’ status: “Our team has a terrific relationship with the people at Farmers Insurance, and we’re having positive discussions about the future. The announcement regarding the #88 team does not impact our ability to continue the partnership beyond 2014.”(MRN)(5-2-2014)
· Dave Marcis leads the series in starts at Talladega with 61. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 42 starts; followed by Joe Nemechek with 38.
· Buddy Baker and Tony Stewart are tied for the series’ most runner-up finishes at Talladega with six each.
· NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-five finishes at Talladega with 23. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 15.
· Dale Earnhardt leads the series in top-10 finishes at Talladega with 27. Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with 19.
· Nine drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have posted consecutive wins at Talladega Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads the series in consecutive wins at Talladega after posting four straight from the fall of 2001 – 2003.
· 11 of the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Talladega Superspeedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Brad Keselowski is the only active series driver to win at Talladega in his first appearance.
· Matt Kenseth competed at Talladega Superspeedway 25 times before winning the fall of 2012; the longest span of any the 12 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
· Brad Keselowski leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at Talladega with a 14.200.
· Joe Nemechek leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Talladega without visiting Victory Lane at 38.
· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Talladega with 843 laps led in 42 starts.
· Three female drivers have competed at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Patty Moise and Danica Patrick.
(NASCAR)(5-2-2014)
Upcoming construction activities include:
· Continue installing stairs and escalators at West and East ends of the project
· Completion of elevator shaft in Injector 1 and 5 will occur in early to mid May
· Ongoing steel installation in Injectors 2, 3 and 4
· Interior build out of restrooms, merchandise areas, concession stands and neighborhood bar in Injector 1
· Service level masonry work in all areas is in progress
· Continuing Installation of litter shield, seating treads and risers in Injector 1
· Underground cable pulling for the stadium’s new power system to feed the new stadium is in progress
Race fans can follow the progress of the DAYTONA Rising project by visiting www.daytonarising.com.(DIS)(5-2-2014)
Fastest in the second round of qualifying was #20-Darrell Wallace, Jr.
#62-Brendan Gaughan was quickest in the opening qualifying session at 191.058mph
Did Not Qualify: #70-Derrike Cope and #58-Chad Boat. The starting lineup is posted on the Talladega starting lineup page (pdf).(5-2-2014)
Sam Hornish Jr won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 23rd Annual Aaron’s 312 with a lap of 51.268 seconds, 186.783 mph.
This is his sixth pole in 100 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2014. His last pole came at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2013.
This is his first pole in four races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Elliott Sadler (second) posted his sixth top-10 start of 2014 and his fifth in six races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Darrell Wallace Jr (third) posted his first top-10 start at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his first in one races this season.
Ryan Reed (fourth) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(5-2-2014)
News from May 1, 2014
Q) CAN YOU GO THROUGH WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE RACE?
Ambrose: “The altercation I had with Casey was quite impromptu. As I was walking past the 13 car, as he’d finished the race, I was actually heading over to have a chat with David Gilliland (#38) just to say we’re all good after we got into each other a couple of times. Some words were said and I was confused about why Casey was so annoyed at me, and I think you just see a lot of the passion that the drivers have and the commitment we have to try to win these races and try to run at the front. That passion kind of got out of hand and got out of control pretty quick. To be honest with you, once he put his hand on me and started pushing me around I was just trying to stand up for myself and my country and my family and my reputation and I threw a punch down on him to get him out of the way and let him know that I didn’t respect him not giving me my private space. As it goes down, if I had my chance to think back about it, a wiser man would have walked away a little bit earlier and not got himself in that situation. I don’t apologize for my actions. I was just standing up for myself and my team and my family and letting people know that you can’t get in my private space like that and expect not to have any consequences.”
Q) HAVE YOU TWO TALKED?
Ambrose: “We have. We’ve spoken in-depth more than once. I honestly believe that we’ll enjoy having a beer with each other. I think we have a mutual respect for each other. I like Casey a lot. I didn’t have any beef with him after the race, but emotions just got out of hand and we both recognized that if we had our time again it wouldn’t happen again, but now it has, you can’t take back what has happened. I’ve spoken to him and I’m not carrying anything forward. He has to decide what he wants to do moving forward, but if we get ourselves in a pub somewhere I’d buy him a beer no problem.”
Q) WERE YOU UPSET AT THE PENALTY?
Ambrose: “No, I got myself in a bad situation. I caused an action that NASCAR needed to reprimand, so I’m happy to pay it and happy to move on. It’s a heavy fine. That’s the biggest fine I’ve ever received in racing and I think that NASCAR needed to do something and whatever they chose to do I’ll pay it.” Q) HAS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO YOU IN AUSTRALIA?
Ambrose: “No, I have not. I’ve never been in this situation before, and it was for 18th. That just shows you the passion we have in our sport that I’m able to get myself in a physical fight and draw a claret to finish 18th. That just shows you how deep the talent is and how much passion and commitment we all have to what we’re doing.”
Q) IT LOOKED LIKE ONE OF THE CREW GUYS TRIED TO PUNCH YOU.
Ambrose: “I did not get punched. I was able to duck and weave and get out of trouble. The person in question, I haven’t seen the footage, so I don’t know if there was a swing thrown, but there certainly was aggression at the end. I’ve had a phone call from somebody to apologize for his actions and that’s it for me. I’ve got no beef with him, either. I’m happy to move on and put the week behind us. It’s certainly not a proud moment of mine, but I certainly don’t take anything back that I did. Casey and I spoke about it and he said, if the shoe was on the other foot he probably would have done the same thing. I was just standing up for myself and standing up for my family and you get to a point where you’ve got to defend yourself and that’s exactly what I did.”
Q) SOME SAY YOU SHOULDN’T BE FINED BECAUSE WHEN THEY PROMOTE THAT RACE THEY’RE GOING TO SHOW THAT FOOTAGE. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT?
Ambrose: “I think my NASCAR career may well be remembered by one of the best finishes of all-time and one of the best fights of all-time, too. It’s OK. Our sport is made up of passion and everyone has their own angle. Certainly, it’s not a great thing to explain to your kids on Sunday what you did. I’ll take that penalty and the repercussions from my actions and pay it, and then people can do whatever they want from there. It’s not for me to call NASCAR out on taking advantage of a situation like that.”
Q) ANY IDEA WHY HE WAS SO MAD AFTER THE RACE?
Ambrose: “He was mad at the race and he was mad at himself and we were around each other at the end of the race. It’s a full contact sport out there. I’m charged up. I’m full of adrenaline too. I was actually pretty calm. I think one of the reasons I laid down such a good shot on him was that I wasn’t riled up. I was actually fairly lucid in my thoughts and was able to get a good punch off because I wasn’t bound up with too much adrenaline, but adrenaline is just part of what we do. It was an emotional race. A lot of drivers got into each other and there was a lot of action up and down the grid. I look back at it and it’s a beef and an argument between myself and Casey. Unfortunately, it got put on national TV and three-and-a-half million people saw it.”
Q) SO YOU KNOW WHO TOOK A SWING AT YOU?
Ambrose: “Yes. I’m not even sure it was a swing. I haven’t seen the footage, but I know there was aggression by the people out there and I’ve got no problem with it, I really don’t. Casey’s team is standing up behind Casey and my team stands up behind me and that’s just what we do.”
Q) IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU MIGHT DO THE SAME THING IF A SIMILAR SITUATION ARISES
Ambrose: “I would walk away earlier before it got out of hand. I could tell it was getting out of hand, but I just didn’t walk away quick enough and get out of that situation. So if I look back at it, I could tell it was not going well and I should have taken up. We spoke for maybe a minute-and-a-half before he started shoving me around and I should have walked away a lot sooner than what I tried to.”
Q) DID HE SAY ANYTHING OR WAS IT MORE OF THE FACT HE WAS HOLDING YOU?
Ambrose: “There was plenty of stuff said, but before the pushing. He was upset and he was letting me know how upset he was and then when I went to walk away he just couldn’t handle it any longer. As soon as he grabbed hold of me there, I knew I was gonna have to get a shot in and I was just waiting for the right moment.”
Q) WHY IS RIGHT AFTER THE RACE THE RIGHT TIME TO ADDRESS AN ISSUE LIKE THAT?
Ambrose: “It’s not, and I think I’ve learned my lesson on that one. I think next time I might scamper into the race hauler or scamper back to the plane and have a sleep on things. There’s just so much emotion. In this example, this is the first time I’ve been involved in something like this. At the time, even after the incident went down, I didn’t think much of it. I just thought, ‘Well, he started pushing me around and I just had to get him away from me,’ because I didn’t know what was gonna happen next. If he starts pushing me in the toolbox what happens next? Is he gonna try to throw one on me? So I was trying to get out of there and it wasn’t until a few hours later that the adrenaline starts to whoa down and you start to realize what you had done. And then the next day when you have to talk to your kids about it and your wife is mad at you, you realize that walking away would have been a much smarter option.”
RPM Owner Richard Petty comments
Q) DO YOU FEEL IF YOU’RE PROVOKED YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DEFEND YOURSELF?
Petty: “You’ve got to defend yourself no matter what, but if he knew he was gonna be fined $25,000 he might have let the guy take another swing at him (laughing). As you can see in the tape, he did not initiate any of that. He was trying to get away, so I think, from that standpoint, I don’t know what their rationale is. I’ll just have to talk to them (NASCAR) and see what they come up with.”
Q) WERE YOU EVER IN ANY SCRAPS OF NOTE?
Petty: “No comment (laughing). It used to go on a little bit all the time, but they didn’t have all of the TV cameras and all that stuff, so you could go around behind a truck and do what you needed to do and there wasn’t very many people who knew about it.”
Q) HOW DO YOU APPROACH THE INCIDENT IN RETROSPECT?
Petty: “I always look at it as you have to defend yourself no matter what the circumstances are, and that’s what I saw in the Marcos situation. What provoked it? I have no idea. I don’t even think Marcos knows really what provoked the whole thing, but in the scheme of things if you can’t protect yourself, then NASCAR is not gonna come and protect you, so he had to do what he had to do.”(see the full transcript at Ford Racing)(5-1-2014)
“I didn’t really know much about Dogecoin or Reddit when Denis Pavel initially reached out to us about the race at Talladega Superspeedway,” commented Parsons. “He watched a race on television and was excited about what he saw from Josh Wise and our team. We were able to connect on Twitter and everything took off from there-it’s amazing how social media allows sports fans to actually connect to us, and that it would allow something like this to come together. As far as I know, this is the first online effort like this that’s been able to fund sponsorship for a NASCAR team, so it’s pretty cool to be a part of it.”
“I knew that Dogecoin had done some significant fundraisers, like sending the Jamaican bobsled team to the Olympics,” Pavel said. “I was thinking what kind of response I would get if I did ask the (Reddit) community about sponsoring a Sprint Cup car. They were all with it.”
Familiar with the digital currency Dogecoin, the 16-year-old Pavel from Niles, Ill., decided to utilize the currency to raise sponsorship funds for driver Josh Wise and the #98 Ford Fusion team. Exceeding their initial goal by 10% within the opening week, Dogecoin and Reddit were able to partner with Phil Parsons Racing for the Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway.
“We are all about fun and goofiness,” commented Ben Doernberg, board member at the Dogecoin Foundation. “At the same time, we want to make sure that digital currency is really giving back to the world. We do feel like this is a technology that can make the world a better place, and we want to put that into practice by doing fundraisers.”
To date, this marks the first fundraising effort through Dogecoin and Reddit to sponsor a NASCAR race team. In addition to raising funds online, the team also took to the internet allowing Reddit users to vote on a paint scheme for Sunday’s event. “The more we’ve walked through this fundraising effort, it has really been special to us,” commented Wise. “People are noticing our effort. We’re a tiny little team with seven or eight employees. The amount of support we’re getting from the Reddit community … we’re just trying to do the best job we can.”(Phil Parsons Racing), see images of the scheme/car on the #98 Team Schemes page.(5-1-2014)
· Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 14, 1969 – won by Richard Brickhouse.
· The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989.
· Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006.
· There have been 89 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, one NSCS event in 1969 and two races per year since 1970.
· Talladega Superspeedway is tied with Michigan International Speedway for holding the ninth most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying races (89).
(NASCAR)(5-1-2014)
UPDATE NC Governor Pat McCrory Declares May ‘Motorsports Month’, see images at Charlottemotorspeedway.com.
AND NASCAR mogul Bruton Smith is no stranger to controversy and catching people off guard. He did just that on Thursday when he asked North Carolina’s governor for $100 million to improve his Concord-based race track. Governor Pat McCrory was at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday to proclaim May as “Motorsports Month” in North Carolina, ahead of the All Star Race and Coca Cola 600 later this month. “Racing and motorsports have helped define our state and drive our economy,” said Governor McCrory. “We are proud of the rich history of motorsports in North Carolina and that so many teams, tracks and events call our state home. Today we celebrate that legacy, as well as the industry’s bright future.” The governor was joined by NASCAR Hall of Fame member Richard Petty, Bruton and Marcus Smith, and NASCAR driver Marcos Ambrose to sign the proclamation.
That’s when Smith told the governor he’d be coming for some money. “While you’re here, I’ve got to find some time to talk to you,” Bruton said to McCrory. “We want to spend about $100 million here to improve our situation and I certainly would like to have you to say ‘you know well that’s a good thing’.”
“I’m gonna fight for you,” McCrory responded while laughing. He then pointed to driver Marcos Ambrose . “And I’m bringing my man to help it.”
“Now that I’ve got you here, we only wanna spend a hundred, okay? Downtown Charlotte spending $88 million on something that was built a few years ago. Well, I built this place in 1960. That was a while back.” That’s when Smith asked if McCrory wanted him to come see him to talk or if he wanted to talk “right here in front of God and everybody else.” McCrory took the microphone from Smith saying he’d just come from a prayer breakfast, so “why don’t we do it later.”(wbtv.com)(5-1-2014)
The trio will serve in “official” capacities during what will be a busy and exciting Saturday at the track. The Allisons will serve as the Grand Marshal’s for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 ARCA race, while Farmer will be the Honorary Starter from atop the flag stand.
“This place is special,” said Bobby of the speedway. “We (The Alabama Gang) have always felt like we were a part of it.”
“When you won Talladega, there was something extra special about it,” added Donnie. “It was a huge deal to us, our family and friends.”
“We made each other the best we could be since we raced against each other in the early years,” quipped Farmer of he and the Allisons. “We liked racing against each other, and Talladega was the ultimate place to race.”
The Alabama Gang is also represented atop The Alabama Gang Superstretch. From the exit of turn two to the entrance of turn three, fans now have additional RV options from which to view all races at Talladega Superspeedway. They include Allison Motorhome Ridge, Farmer Motorhome Overlook and Bonnett Corporate Motorhome Summit.
The Alabama Gang continues to live on today with a new generation of racers. The torch of the Allison legacy is passed from Donnie and Bobby to their grandsons Justin and Robbie. Justin Allison, with the help from his grandfather Donnie, has recently emerged on the racing scene in the ARCA Racing Series. Robbie Allison, grandson of Bobby and son of Davey, now lives in Mooresville, NC and is competing in Legends and Late Model cars, as well as Pro Champion Karts. Both Justin and Robbie have high aspirations. Interestingly enough, since Talladega Superspeedway opened in 1969, there have been more than 50 drivers from the state of Alabama to compete at the most competitive facility in the world, and all can say they are a part of “The Alabama Gang.”
The track was also had former crew chief Larry McReynolds, a Birmingham native, who helped Davey Allison to several wins, on hand at Wednesday’s event. Bonnett’s widow Susan Bonnett Northcutt and Liz Allison Hackett and Krista Allison, widow and daughter of Davey Allison, respectively, joined in on Wednesday’s ceremonies, as well. For a variety of ticket packages for the Aaron’s Dream Weekend, log onto talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA.(TSS)(5-1-2014)
Additionally, fans can upgrade their experience for $25 more with the Pit Pass Upgrade. Get up close with NASCAR’s gladiators and take in Driver Introductions at the start-finish line, and see some of the sports personalities conduct a question/answer session that morning from the stage. Now those are memories that will last a lifetime. After time spent on Pit Road it will feel great settling into Talladega’s roomy and comfortable 21 and 22-inch wide chairback seats. And, new for the 2014 Aaron’s Dream Weekend, is the addition of Sprint Vision video boards that are four times the size of previous ones, placed along the frontstretch to provide views of the whole track to every seat in the house.(TSS)(5-1-2014)