Stock Car Gazette for Monday, 4/21/2008

I got to watch a little of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Mexico yesterday. It was pretty exciting, at least SOME of the time. What’d you think?

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T H E * S T O C K * C A R * G A Z E T T E
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E d i t o r ‘ s * N o t e s
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I got to watch a little of the Nationwide race in Mexico yesterday. It was pretty exciting, at least SOME of the time. What’d you think?

Leave your comments on the website at:

http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1203#respond

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Stock Car Gazette Columnists Speak Out!
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Talladega 101
by: Mike Wells

Talladega Superspeedway is what most people call the biggest, fastest and most competetive track of them all.

MORE: http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1201
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Busch Makes It Three in a Row; Takes Nationwide Win South of the Border
by: Thomas Chemris

Kyle Busch made it three wins in a row in the NASCAR Nationwide series as he took the checkers in Mexico City, Mexico at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez.

MORE: http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1202
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MotorSportsNews.Net(work) web site features
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Dodge Motorsports Generating Excitement On and Off the Track

http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1200

Stock Car Gazette for Friday, 4/18/2008

http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1199

Stock Car Gazette for Thursday, 4/17/2008

http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1198

Jr. Drifts Down Whisky River

http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/1197

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N A S C A R * S P R I N T * C U P * S E R I E S
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Ken Schrader, other notables enter ARCA Rockingham race
The Carolina 500, ARCA’s May 4 race at Rockingham Speedway, has drawn the attention of several drivers who don’t typically participate in the ruling body’s races. Bobby Hamilton Jr. and Ken Schrader have recently joined the list of entrants. Schrader has won 15 ARCA races during his career. Other notable entries have been filed in the [...]

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/autoracingsport/~3/274183276/

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Courtesy of Stock Car Gazette subscriber Ed B. – thanks!

Shane Hamel drives again, USAC

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/tim_tuttle/04/17/hmiel/index.html

austin-dillon-finishes-second-in-east-series-debut

http://snipurl.com/254sp-gazete

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Courtesy of Jayski

http://www.jayski.com

NASCAR Now this week: On Monday, April 21, host Allen Bestwick leads a discussion of the Mexico City weekend and other NASCAR news in a one-hour episode airing at 5:30 p.m. ET. Joining Bestwick will be a panel of ESPN?s NASCAR analysts and reporters. Half-hour episodes of NASCAR Now air Tuesday and Wednesday of this week at 6 p.m. and Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m.(ESPN PR)

Max Papis in the #70?: Hearing that Haas CNC Racing has talked to Max Papis about running the two Sprint Cup road course races in the #70 car. Papis’ agent confirmed talks and said he “feels as though they are close to a deal”. Papis was originally planning to drive the Phoenix Racing #09 at both road course events.(4-21-2008)

No Blank Car For Sponsor-Seeking #01: The #01 DEI Chevy of Regan Smith may be short on sponsorship, but don’t expect a blank car to show up at the track resembling Yates Racing entries. Instead of running a plain scheme to highlight the need to find more sponsorship, DEI Vice President of Motorsports Operations John Story said the team has decided instead to “sweeten” its deal with Principal Financial Group, who initially just signed as a full-season associate sponsor with a handful of races as the primary. “We’ve discussed, do you leave the car blank, do you do what Yates has done and say, ‘SponsorYates.com and call us,’ and we believe it can actually work against you in many ways,” Story told the Press. “If you left the car white, a sponsor may in fact say, ‘Hey, that’s a great car and they’ve got space available, let’s call.’ Or they may say, ‘Nobody else is sponsoring that car. Why should we? Is there something wrong with them?’” Recently, the car has run with the DEI logo on the hood, but with the Principal signage on the rear quarterpanels and back. In addition, Smith has worn the Principal firesuit and referred to the company in interviews as if it’s any other primary sponsor. Story doesn’t believe that DEI is devaluing the sponsorship long-term by giving Principal more than it’s paying for. He also doesn’t think the No. 01 is missing out on the opportunity to attract new sponsors by not running a blank car, saying that DEI is in discussions with companies about sponsorship for this year and beyond.(Long Islans Press)(4-21-2008)

Jamie Little wins Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race: ESPN pit reporter Jamie Little held off Craftsman Truck Series driver Mike Skinner by .324 seconds in race-modified Scion tCs to win the 32nd Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race on Saturday. “When you interview a winning driver after the race, they always tell you how they just try to get through that last lap,” said Little after beating Skinner, a repeat winner in the Pro Category. “Well, now I know exactly what they’re talking about.” In a last-lap duel, Skinner made contact with Little coming out of the hairpin turn on the 1.97-mile street circuit through the downtown streets of Long Beach to pull side-by-side, Little was able to get back on the gas and pull in front of Skinner as the two came to the finish line. “You go into the event with everyone out here wanting to help raise money for charity and have fun,” said Little, who will give the $5,000 from Toyota to UCI Reeve/Irvine Center in California for spinal cord injury research. In the Professional category, Skinner never gave up the lead. After starting 30 seconds behind, he quickly made up ground and caught up with the tail end of the celebrities by lap 3. He then maneuvered through traffic, catching the leaders with just two laps remaining.(SceneDaily.com)(4-21-2008)

Robby Gordon and Central Europe Rally on DIRECTV’s The 101: Team Dakar USA announced the acquisition of the United States broadcast rights for the Central Dakar Rally. DIRECTV will air a daily half-hour show on channel 101, the in-house channel available throughout the United States on the satellite television service. The show airs April 19-26 featuring 13 minutes of overall rally coverage plus nine minutes dedicated to the American efforts of Team Dakar USA. The program airs at 7 pm then re-broadcast at 12:30 am/et. Team Dakar USA Owner and driver Robby Gordon is no stranger to logistical challenges, but the Central Europe Rally may prove to be the greatest challenge yet. Gordon, a fulltime Sprint Cup driver, plans to fly to Paris after Saturday’s Sprint Cup race in Phoenix. In Paris he’ll join members of Team Dakar USA program then drive the race and support vehicles over 1,300 kilometers to Budapest for the rally’s start. At the rally’s conclusion on April 26, Gordon will fly back to the United States to compete in the Sprint Cup race at Talladega on April 27th [P.J. Jones will sub for Robby in practice and qualifying]. For additional rally coverage please visit robbygordon.com and robbysuprising.com where Team Dakar USA will have daily updates, the twitter micro blog feed, and videos.(RGM)

Ragan has blood type on his uniform: David Ragan has an “O+” by the name on his uniform, designating his blood type. Drivers occasionally put their blood type on their firesuits in case they are in an accident and are rushed to a hospital. Ragan said his suit maker Sabelt asked him for his blood type before it started making suits for him this year. The Roush Fenway Racing driver isn’t the first driver in NASCAR to have his blood type on the uniform but it is fairly rare to have that.(SceneDaily.com)(4-20-2008)

Ford improving over 2007: Ford had only one victory in 2007′s first eight events, that by #17-Matt Kenseth in Week 2. In three races with the Car of Tomorrow, the manufacturer was winless with only four top-10s, none better than fifth. Rival Chevy had seven wins, including all three races in the COT and 23 top-10s in the new car. Hendrick Motorsports, the top Chevy team, had five wins and was so dominant in the COT the rest of the competition looked clueless. These are much happier times for team owner Jack Roush and Ford exec Dan Davis. “I really felt like we didn’t have the engineering base that they had at Hendricks,” Davis said. “I felt like, ‘OK, it’s going to be a struggle all year, and we’ve got to work really hard to catch up.’” That they did. Two-thirds through the 2007 season, Ford — specifically Roush Fenway — had all but eliminated the deficit it faced in the new car. And eight races into the 2008 season, despite Jimmie Johnson’s win last weekend at Phoenix to give HMS its first win, one could even argue Ford has taken over the top spot. Edwards’ victory at Texas was Ford’s third in seven races. Two top-10s at Phoenix gave the manufacturer 18, including eight top-5s, in the new car, which was fully implemented for this season.(ESPN.com)(4-19-2008)
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P R E S S * R E L E A S E S
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Budapest, Hungary – American driver Robby Gordon and his Monster Energy Toyo Tire blazed to a second place finish in the first stage of the inaugural Central European Rally.

The stage began before a large crowd at Hero’s Square in Budapest where the teams were introduced to the spectators. The competitors then drove to beginning of the special 58km away in Dabas. More like a WRC style rally course rather than the marathon wide open stages of the Dakar, Gordon and navigator Andy Grider laid siege to the tight twisty tree lined narrow track.

“We attacked the course today. This is a sprint race that is going to be one by minutes if not seconds, so it is great that we are second after the first stage. This was a fantastic result for our team because we are competing against some of the best teams in the world. The competition has done their homework but so has this team. We went hard today and still got beat by about 40 seconds so I know we have some work to do, but overall I’m very happy” said Gordon.

Teammate BJ Baldwin impressed the crowds with his wide-open driving style but one of the spare drive shafts stored in the engine compartment broke free and knocked off a drive belt, which he and navigator Kevin Heath repaired. With the setback the Vanguard Hummer team finds themselves in 23rd position – 9:41 seconds back from overall stage winner Carlos Sainz of Spain.

The rally now heads for Baia Mare in Romania for the second stage which will feature two specials – both 76km. The terrain is reported to be muddy and rocky.

Coverage of the Central Europe Rally can be seen in the United States on DirecTV. The half hour show will be aired twice – first at 7p.m. est and then again at 12:30a.m. Additional rally coverage can also be found on robbygordon.com and robbysuprising.com where Team Dakar USA will have daily updates, the twitter micro blog feed, and videos.
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N A S C A R * N A T I O N W I D E * S E R I E S
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Courtesy of www.catchfence.com

Three, Amigo; Kyle Busch Captures Third Straight Nationwide win: Kyle Busch picked up his third consecutive NASCAR Nationwide Series victory on Sunday after he won his first race “South of the Border” in the Corona Mexico 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Busch passed Scott Pruett with nine laps-to-go and then pulled away for his 14th career win and first on a road course. With six laps-to-go Marcos Ambrose passed Pruett for second and tore the bumper cover of Pruett’s No. 40 Dodge in the process. After a day of coming from the back twice, and an incident with Boris Said, Ambrose was able to score a career-best second-place finish. Pruett, who led the most laps with 33, was not black flagged in the closing laps for the flapping bumper cover and was able to hang to finish third. Carl Edwards and Patrick Carpentier rounded out the top five

NASCAR to integrate Nationwide Series version of COT in mid-2009: The NASCAR Nationwide Series likely will go with its own version of the “car of tomorrow” in 2009, but not at the start of the year as had been originally targeted by NASCAR officials. The rollout of the new Nationwide car most likely will be around midway through 2009, NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Saturday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. “It will probably be in the middle of next year sometime,” Pemberton said. “We will try to do something that’s more user-friendly than the roll-out schedule that they had in the Cup Series.
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Courtesy of Jayski

http://www.jayski.com

Kyle Busch wins in Mexico City: #20-Kyle Busch won the Corona 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez for his third Nationwide Series win in a row. #59-Marcos Ambrose finished second, his career best. #40-Scott Pruett was third, followed by: #60-Carl Edwards, #9-Patrick Carpentier, #2-Clint Bowyer, #29-Scott Wimmer, #88-Brad Keselowski, #1-Mike Bliss, and #66-Steve Wallace. There were 7 cautions for 18 laps (and 2 red flags to clean the track) and 9 lead changes between 7 leaders. Complete results are posted on the Mexico City Race Page.(4-20-2008)

http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2008/next/09mexicocity.htm#results

Bowyer continues to hold points lead: Clint Bowyer still holds the lead over Carl Edwards, but the difference is now just 9 points. Kyle Busch remains in third, 66 back. David Reutiman moves up to fourth and David Ragan falls to fifth. Standings are posted on the Mexico City Race Page.(4-20-2008)

http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2008/next/09mexicocity.htm#standings

Owners Points: Owner points after Mexico are posted on the Mexico City Race Page.(4-20-2008)

http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2008/next/09mexicocity.htm#owners

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Accident Spoils Said’s Strong Run in Mexico
MEXICO CITY (April 20, 2008) –Boris Said’s day ended abruptly in Mexico City. While running in eighth place and making a charge to the front, Said’s No. 25 Ford Fusion got wrecked with 26 laps remaining in …

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=286060

It’s as Easy as ‘Uno, Dos, Tres’ for Kyle Busch in Mexico City
Joe Gibbs Racing Driver Notches Third Straight NASCAR Nationwide Series Win by Piloting No. 20 Doosan Infracore Toyota to Victory in Corona Mexico 200
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 20 Doosan Infracore Toyota for Joe Gibbs …

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=286052

AMBROSE REMARKABLE SECOND FROM THE REAR IN MEXICO CITY
Marcos Ambrose has driven the race of his life to pass more cars than any other driver on his way to second place in the Corona Mexico 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course in Mexico City today. …

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=286039

Mexico City: Ambrose post race interview
MARCOS AMBROSE — No. 59 Kingsford with Hickory Ford Fusion — (finished 2nd, qualified 4th)
We’re really pleased. I feel like we had been battling all day. We had an overheating motor there at the end. We had to start at the back with a clutch problem and that was …

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=286022

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Courtesy of www.SpeedwayMedia.com

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Unofficial Race Results
Race 9 of 35 – 4/20/2008
Corona Mexico 200, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

http://www.speedwaymedia.com/ns2/Race.asp?Race=9

Pos. St. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Winnings
1 6 Kyle Busch Toyota 190 5 80 0
2 4 Marcos Ambrose Ford 170 0 80 0
3 2 Scott Pruett Dodge 175 10 80 0
4 3 Carl Edwards Ford 165 5 80 0
5 6 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge 160 5 80 0
6 8 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 150 0 80 0
7 21 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 151 5 80 0
8 28 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 142 0 80 0
9 24 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 138 0 80 0
10 12 Steve Wallace Chevrolet 134 0 80 0
11 11 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 130 0 80 0
12 33 David Reutimann Toyota 127 0 80 0
13 19 Mike Wallace Toyota 124 0 80 0
14 17 Max Papis Chevrolet 121 0 80 0
15 32 Adrian Fernandez Chevrolet 118 0 80 0
16 9 Jason Keller Chevrolet 120 5 80 0
17 13 Brad Coleman Ford 112 0 80 0
18 16 Ruben Pardo Dodge 109 0 80 0
19 26 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 106 0 80 0
20 15 Rafael Martinez Ford 103 0 80 0
21 36 Jason Leffler Toyota 100 0 80 0
22 22 David Ragan Ford 97 0 80 0
23 41 Landon Cassill * Chevrolet 94 0 80 0
24 42 Kevin Lepage Ford 91 0 80 0
25 30 D.J. Kennington Dodge 88 0 80 0
26 14 Erik Darnell Ford 85 0 80 0
27 18 Kelly Bires Ford 82 0 80 0
28 37 Alex Garcia Chevrolet 79 0 80 0
29 27 Brian Simo Chevrolet 76 0 80 0
30 25 Kyle Krisiloff Dodge 73 0 80 0
31 35 Stanton Barrett Chevrolet 70 0 80 0
32 15 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet 67 0 78 0
33 3 Colin Braun Ford 69 5 76 0
34 10 Antonio Perez Dodge 61 0 75 0
35 5 Boris Said Ford 58 0 54 0
36 20 Michel Jourdain Jr. Toyota 55 0 39 0
37 34 Kevin O’Connell Chevrolet 52 0 32 0
38 38 Kenny Hendrick Chevrolet 49 0 30 0
39 39 Jose Luis Ramirez Dodge 46 0 28 0
40 31 Chris Cook Chevrolet 43 0 20 0
41 43 Larry Gunselman Chevrolet 40 0 17 0
42 42 Scott Gaylord Ford 37 0 12 0
43 39 Kertus Davis Chevrolet 34 0 1 0

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Unofficial Standings
After race 9 of 35

http://www.speedwaymedia.com/ns2/Standings.asp

Pos. Driver Pts. Bnd. Wins Top5 Top10 Winnings
1 Clint Bowyer 1339 1 4 7
2 Carl Edwards 1330 -9 0 5 6
3 Kyle Busch 1273 -66 3 5 5
4 David Reutimann 1192 -147 0 2 5
5 David Ragan 1165 -174 0 1 5
6 Brad Keselowski 1153 -186 0 2 4
7 Mike Bliss 1136 -203 0 1 4
8 Jason Leffler 1062 -277 0 0 3
9 Mike Wallace 1036 -303 0 0 2
10 Kelly Bires 1008 -331 0 1 1
11 Kevin Harvick 977 -362 0 4 5
12 Jason Keller 947 -392 0 0 0
13 Marcos Ambrose 943 -396 0 1 1
14 Steve Wallace 922 -417 0 0 1
15 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 890 -449 0 0 1
16 David Stremme 857 -482 0 1 4
17 Brad Coleman 836 -503 0 0 1
18 Kenny Wallace 817 -522 0 0 0
19 Dario Franchitti* 785 -554 0 0 1
20 Kevin Lepage 713 -626 0 0 0
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Courtesy of That’s Racin’

http://www.thatsracin.com

Kyle Busch wins again
Ambrose 2nd in a wild one in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Kyle Busch won his third consecutive race on NASCAR’s Nationwide Series, holding off Marcos Ambrose by less than a second Sunday in the Corona Mexico 200

http://www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/13201.html

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Courtesy of The Hot Lap

http://www.TheHotLap.com

Post race quote from Scott Pruett, #40..who led 36 of 80 laps, finished 3rd“(Busch) shoved me a few times, telling me he was getting anxious to go,” “Instead of getting turned around and my car tore up like last year, I gave him (room) and thought I could hold on and Marcos came up as well.“It was a good run, not a great run.” (NASCAR Media) (04-20-08)

Post race quotes-Carl Edwards, #60, finished 4th. – “That was fun. We just lost track position. We had a car that could win the race. That’s good. It’s too weeks in a row that we’ve been good. I’m really proud of the Water Smart guys, Scotts, Vitamin Water and everybody. My crew did a great job and it’s just too bad we got caught up on that caution but we got to fight back and my hats off to Kyle Busch and everybody on that 20 team, they did a great job. That’s three in a row for them. The good thing is that’s two weeks in a row that we’ve had a car that can win. That’s good.”(Ford Racing) (04-20-08)

Post race quotes from 2nd Place finisher, #59 driver, Marcos Ambrose:We’re really pleased. I feel like we had been battling all day. We had an overheating motor there at the end. We had to start at the back with a clutch problem and that was still there in the race and we had to watch that. Then we had to come from the back again because we miscalculated the fuel and we had an ignition stall. Then we had a penalty on pit lane and had to come from the back again. It had just been a day of fighting. I really want to first apologize to Boris on one of those restarts. I got into him and spun him out and ended his day. I just want to answer those questions now before they come up. I feel bad for him but our day has been fantastic and I’m really proud of my Kingsford guys. We fought all day and never gave up. I think if we had another two laps we would have had something for Kyle because he was really starting to go off. I’m proud of my finish. This is my best finish since I’ve been in NASCAR. I’ve got to be pleased.” I KNOW YOU APOLOGIZED BUT BORIS SEEMED PRETTY INTENT ON GETTING REVENGE SOME DAY AND HE DID TALK TO YOUR CREW CHIEF. “There’s no point in getting in the crew chief’s face because he’s not driving the car. I’m going to ring him on Monday and hopefully sleep will help him just think through things a little bit more. I value Boris’ friendship and he is a fantastic racer. I didn’t mean to do it. I don’t know what happened, to be honest with you. I had pretty square contact and all of a sudden, he’s up speed and off to the left. I caught his rear bumper bar in mine. I don’t know what happened, it wasn’t intentional. Racing happens. Look at the deal last year with Robby Gordon. Bad stuff happens out there and it’s unfortunate. I’ll apologize to him to his face. I’ll apologize to him today in front of the media. I can’t take it back. I wish I didn’t do it. I don’t know how it happened and that’s all I can really say. If he wants to come talk to me about it, I’d like to sit down and just find some common ground. It’s just unfortunate that that stuff happens but that’s what racing is all about. That’s what fans turn out for.” (PR-Ford Racing)
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C R A F T S M A N * T R U C K * S E R I E S
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Courtesy of Jayski

http://www.jayski.com

ESPN pit reporter Jamie Little held off Mike Skinner by .324 seconds in race-modified Scion tCs to win the 32nd Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race on Saturday. In a last-lap duel, Skinner made contact with Little coming out of the hairpin turn on the 1.97-mile street circuit through the downtown streets of Long Beach to pull side-by-side, Little was able to get back on the gas and pull in front of Skinner as the two came to the finish line. “You go into the event with everyone out here wanting to help raise money for charity and have fun,” said Little, who will give the $5,000 from Toyota to UCI Reeve/Irvine Center in California for spinal cord injury research. “But when the race starts, the competitive juices take over and everyone wants to win.” In the Professional category, Skinner never gave up the lead. After starting 30 seconds behind, he quickly made up ground and caught up with the tail end of the celebrities by lap 3. He then maneuvered through traffic, catching the leaders with just two laps remaining.(SceneDaily.com)(4-20-2008)
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A R C A (Automobile Racing Club of America)
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Courtesy of ARCA

http://www.arcaracing.com

Rookie Hawkins Hustles in Hawkeye State; Wins Prairie Meadows 250 in Career-First Start
NEWTON IA (4-19-08) – Canton, Georgia rookie Matt Hawkins wasted no time in asserting himself among the ARCA RE/MAX Series ranks. Hawkins, in his career-first series start, tracked down Matt Carter just in time, rubbed fenders just enough and cruised on to win the Prairie Meadows 250 Saturday afternoon at Iowa Speedway.
[Read More] – http://www.arcaracing.com/news.cfm?contentid=6374

Prairie Meadows 250
Pos Car Driver
1 39 Matt Hawkins
2 16 Justin Allgaier
3 44 Frank Kimmel
4 46 Matt Carter
5 30 Jesse Smith
6 2 Scott Speed
7 22 Ken Butler III
8 11 Bryan Silas
9 60 Patrick Sheltra
10 4 Tayler Malsam

http://www.arcaracing.com/schedule.cfm?contentid=1217&display=results

POINTS STANDINGS
Pos Driver Points
1 Justin Allgaier 680
2 Frank Kimmel 635
3 Matt Carter 615
4 John Wes Townley 540
5 Tom Hessert III 535
6 Patrick Sheltra 515
7 Bobby Gerhart 485
8 Scott Speed 465
9 Ken Butler III 460
10 Mike Harmon 455

http://www.arcaracing.com/points.cfm

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ENGINE FAILURE ENDS ALLI OWENS’ STRONG EFFORT IN IOWA
Newton, Iowa (April 19, 2008) – Alli Owens’ finish in the Prairie Meadows 250 at Iowa Speedway does not reflect her top notch performance. After starting from the 29th position, the 19-year-old driver of the No. 12 ElectrifyingCareers.com Chevrolet …

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=285850

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U S A R (United Speed Alliance Racing)
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Courtesy of USAR

http://usarprocup.com

Danny Abold Wins Miller Lite 250
By Paul Warner
Sunday, April 20, 2008 12:51:00 PM

Veteran takes rain-shortened event

South Boston, Va.-The only person hoping for rain in the Miller Lite 250 at South Boston Speedway was Danny Abold. On Lap 161, Mother Nature granted his wish Sears Auto Center Northern Division opener on Saturday night.

Abold was one of the few drivers that elected not to come to pit road early in the race and when the skies opened for good around 11:30 p.m., Abold picked up his first Hooters Pro Cup win.

“There are three things you got to have in racing. You gotta have luck, experience and hard work,” said Abold, driver of the No. 6n U-Pull U-Save Chevrolet. “I got the luck tonight, my crew chief [Keith Hinkein] has all the experience in the world and all my crew guys put in the hard work to put me where I was when the rain came.”

But as the rain was closing in so was Benny Gordon.

Read more – http://usarprocup.com/view_article.asp?id=2657

See the Race Results

http://usarprocup.com/Event/2008-04-19/2008-04-19-RaceResults.asp

2007 Pro Cup Rookie Of The Year Raises The Bar For 2008

http://usarprocup.com/view_article.asp?id=2655

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N A S C A R * C A N A D I A N * T I R E * S E R I E S

http://localracing.nascar.com/news/6

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WESTERN SWING DATE CHANGES ANNOUNCED

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 18, 2008) – Both western events on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio schedule will move forward one week due to the change of dates for the Rexall Edmonton Indy weekend.

The race at SunValley Speedway in Vernon, B.C. is now scheduled for Saturday, July 19 and the new Edmonton dates have qualifying on Friday, July 25 and the race on the 1.973-mile temporary road course at Edmonton’s City Centre Airport will be held on Saturday, July 26.

A season ago in the Canadian Tire Series’ first year capacity crowds at both venues saw J.R. Fitzpatrick take both ends of the western Canadian swing.
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… and … in other motorsports
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History Made In Japan, Danica Patrick Wins First Race

History was made in Motegi, Japan on Saturday when 26-year-old Danica Patrick became the first female to win a major auto racing event in the Indy Japan 300. Since exploding into the consciousness of an international audience at the 2005 Indianapolis 500, Danica Patrick has faced questions of when she would win an IndyCar Series race. Patrick answered that question with a flurry of a finish at Twin Ring Motegi in her 50th IndyCar start.

“Finally,” Patrick said in victory lane with tears streaming down her cheeks. “This is a long time coming. It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I know I was on the same strategy as Helio (Castroneves) and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn’t believe it. This is fabulous.”

Helio Castroneves, making his 100th IndyCar Series start, finished 5.8594 second behind and Scott Dixon was third. Dixon’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Dan Wheldon, finished fourth and Tony Kanaan was fifth. With six laps remaining, Dixon had a 3.6-second lead over Dixon. But the leader had to pit for a splash of fuel on Lap 195. Wheldon and Kanaan had to follow suit on Lap 196. That left the door open for Patrick and Castroneves, whose last pit stop came on Lap 148.

Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter, staring at a career-best finish, also had to pit and wound up sixth. Rahal Letterman Racing’s Ryan Hunter-Reay was seventh and A.J. Foyt Racing’s Darren Manning eighth.
(Speed News Now) – http://speednewsnow.com/Results2008/041908b.html

Danica Patrick makes IndyCar history by winning Japan 300
MOTEGI, Japan – Danica Patrick was always sure a woman could win a race. And now the questions about her will surely stop.

http://www.thatsracin.com/topstories/story/13163.html

Slideshow | Danica Patrick scores historic win

http://www.thatsracin.com/photos/other/gallery/13193.html

Results | Unofficial Indy Japan 300 scoring

http://www.thatsracin.com/other_series/story/13168.html

Patrick wins
Danica Patrick scores the IndyCar win in Japan.

http://www.thatsracin.com/photos/other/gallery/13193.html

Patrick Makes History
Danica Patrick made history at Twin Ring Motegi after she became the first female to win an IndyCar Series race when she took the checkered flag, in her 50th series start, in the Indy Japan 300.

http://lists.racingone.com/t/3324583/12980804/9728/0/

Complete Results

http://lists.racingone.com/t/3324583/12980804/9729/0/

Post-Race Transcript

http://lists.racingone.com/t/3324583/12980804/9730/0/

Power Takes Champ Car Finale
Will Power led all but three laps to win Sunday’s Long Beach Grand Prix. Although it awarded IndyCar Series points and purse, it was the final race for the Champ Car turbocharged Cosworth powered Panoz cars.

http://lists.racingone.com/t/3324583/12980804/9731/0/

Complete Results

http://lists.racingone.com/t/3324583/12980804/9732/0/

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C O L U M N S / C O M M E N T A R I E S
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Insider Racing News

http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/BB/041908.html

Heidi: Avoided or Revisited?
by Brenda Benedict

The Dreaded Off Week: Like most NASCAR fanatics, this is a sad week.

http://www.speedwaymedia.com/Articles/08/041908Fleshman.asp

Insider Racing News

http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/RF/042108.html

Kyle Busch Out-Runs Ambrose and Pruett For Third Straight Win
by Ron Felix

Danica Wins!
by Carol Einarsson
Helio thinks she was a lap down.

http://www.racejournalonline.com/index.cfm?Pagename=column&id=447

ESPN’s Mexican Marathon

http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2008/04/espns-mexican-marathon.html

David Poole Joins ESPN2′s Monday “NASCAR Now” Roundtable

http://dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2008/04/david-poole-new-knight-of-nascar-now.html

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T V * L I S T I N G S
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Courtesy of Race Fan TV

http://snipurl.com/llya-stockc

MONDAY, APRIL 21

12:30A-3:00 espn2 NASCAR Nationwide Series Mexico 200, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez , Mexico City,
Mexico, Apr 20/08, HD, R-ESPN
12:30A-1:00 DTV 101 Central Dakar Rally, R
2:00A-3:00 SPEED SPEED Report, R
4:00A-5:00 SPEED NASCAR Confidential, R
8:00A-9:00 SPEED NASCAR Confidential, R
9:00A-10:00 SPEED Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain, R
9:00A-11:00 ESPN-CL IRL IndyCar Series Indy Japan 300, Motegi, Japan, Apr 19/08, R
11:00A-1:00P ESPN-CL IRL/Champ Car World Series Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, Apr
20/08, R
12:00n-3:00P SPEED Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Mexico City 250, Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez,
Mexico City, MEX, Apr 19/08, R
5:30P-6:30 espn2 NASCAR Now, Allen Bestwick, HD, L
7:00P-7:30 DTV 101 Central Dakar Rally. Daily coverage of the off-road rally through Hungary and Romania
which is standing in as a replacement for the 2008 Dakar Rally which was cancelled in
January
8:00P-9:00 SPEED NASCAR Confidential, R

TUESDAY, APRIL 22

12:00m-1:00A SPEED NASCAR Confidential, R
12:00m-1:00A espn2 NASCAR Now, HD
12:30A-1:00 DTV 101 Central Dakar Rally, R
3:00A-4:00 SPEED National Arenacross Series, Chevrolet Centre, Youngstown, Part #2, OH, Feb 3/08, R
4:00A-5:00 SPEED National Arenacross Series, Arco Center, Sacramento, CA, Feb 24/08, R
8:00A-9:00 SPEED NASCAR Confidential, R
11:00A-12:00 ESPN-CL 2005 Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals, Pomona Raceway, Pomona,
CA, Nov 6/08
12:00n-1:00P SPEED AMA Formula Xtreme motorcycles, Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, AL, Apr
20/08, N
1:00P-2:00 SPEED FIM 250 World Championship, bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal, Estoril, Portugal,
SDD, Apr 13/08, R
2:00P-3:00 SPEED FIM MotoGP World Championship, bwin.com Grande Premio de Portugal, Estoril,
Portugal, Apr 13/08, R
6:00P-6:30 espn2 NASCAR Now, Ryan Burr, HD, L
7:00P-7:30 DTV 101 Central Dakar Rally. Daily coverage of the off-road rally through Hungary and Romania
which is standing in as a replacement for the 2008 Dakar Rally which was cancelled in
January

Race Fan TV does not list all the programming offered by SPEED; for complete listings go to their website, http://www.speedtv.com/schedule/

DISC-HDT = Discovery HD Theatre
ESPN-CL = ESPN Classic, US
HDNet = High Definition Network available on DirecTV (Channel 79) and DISH, etc.
Outdoor = Outdoor Channel (US)
VS = Versus (formerly known as OLN, Outdoor Life Network)

Always CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS!
___________________________________________________________

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