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Stock Car Gazette for Monday, 4/28/2008
by Mike Irwin ~ April 28th, 2008 @ 6:31 am. Filed under: Stock Car Gazette.571 reads
I don’t know how anyone could NOT like the racing from Talladega, other than just that your driver didn’t win.
I’ve had computer problems this AM so I apologize for the partial Stock Car Gazette… did what I could, though.
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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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Stock Car Gazette Columnists Speak Out!
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Smoke Claims first Talladega Nationwide Win
by Thomas Chemris
Tony Stewart won from the pole in the NASCAR Nationwide series Aarons 312 at the Talladega Superspeedway. The win marked the first time in his career that Stewart has won at the Alabama facility.
MORE: motorsportsnews.net/archives/1216
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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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Microsoft moves its sponsorship to MWR
Microsoft expanded its motorsports reach today in an effort to increase visibility of its growing Small Business Specialist Community of Partners and solutions for small businesses by announcing it has formed a unique sponsorship with Michael Waltrip Racing. Microsoft will serve as an associate sponsor on MWR’s #00 Toyota Camry entry driven by rookie Michael McDowell [...]
feeds.feedburner.com/~r/autoracingsport/~3/277828467/
Newman may or may not stay at Penske
Looks like the NASCAR Silly Season is going into overdrive early. Dominating the NASCAR headlines has been Tony Stewart’s possible move to another team from Joe Gibbs Racing and now Ryan Newman is mulling his future in NASCAR. Newman’s contract with Penske South expires at the end of this year and although he hasn’t made any decisions [...]
feeds.feedburner.com/~r/autoracingsport/~3/277870612/
Biffle says he has been offered ownership in Cup team
IF SOMEBODY THREW OWNERSHIP AT YOU, EVEN A PARTIAL OWNERSHIP, WOULD THAT SUDDENLY CHANGE THE WAY YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THINGS? “They have. I have had offers of ownership of more than one team in the garage, and it’s definitely an intriguing offer. There’s a lot of things to consider when you’re an athlete in you’re in [...]
feeds.feedburner.com/~r/autoracingsport/~3/278156442/
Roush talked to Danica regarding NASCAR
Officials from Roush Fenway Racing “had a conversation” with IndyCar driver Danica Patrick as recently as two weeks ago when the Sprint Cup Series was in Phoenix for the Subway Fresh Fit 500. And while Jack Roush, the founder and co-owner of the organization, said that he was not part of the conversation, he also [...]
feeds.feedburner.com/~r/autoracingsport/~3/278156441/
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Courtesy of Insider Racing News
www.insiderracingnews.com
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Courtesy of Jayski
www.jayski.com
Kyle Busch wins at Talladega: #18-Kyle Busch won the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway, for his 2nd win of 2008 and 6th of his career. The race ended under caution when there was a semi-big wreck on the last lap [once the white flag is thrown, NASCAR does not do a Green-White-Checker]. It is the 8th time since the ‘Lucky Dog’ rule went into effect at Dover in Sept 2003 that a driver who has received the Lucky Dog/Lap Back pass has gone on to win the Cup race. Busch now has seven NASCAR victories this season: two in Sprint Cup, three Nationwide and two in the Craftsman Truck Series. Finishing 2nd was #42-Montoya [his best oval finish] followed by #11-Hamlin, #6-Ragan, #83-Vickers, #28-Kvapil, #5-Mears, #12-Newman, #07-Bowyer and #88-Earnhardt Jr. #7-Robby Gordon finished 11th. #20-Stewart wrecked late and ended up 38th, #99-Edwards lost a tire and smacked the wall, finishing 40th. There were 8 caution flags for 23 laps and there were 52 lead changes among 20 drivers.
REVISED UNOFFICAL Drivers Points Standings [after Talladega race 9 of 36]:
1) #31-Jeff Burton 1347 [1 win]
2) #18-Kyle Busch 1325 -22 [2 wins]
3) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1268 -79
4) #11-Denny Hamlin 1248 -84 [1 win]
5) #48-Jimmie Johnson 1245 -102 [1 win]
6) #29-Kevin Harvick 1208 -139
7) #07-Clint Bowyer 1182 -165
#16-Greg Biffle 1148 -199
9) #20-Tony Stewart 1137 -210
10) #99-Carl Edwards 1084 -263 [would be 7th if no 100pt penalty][3 wins]
11) #12-Ryan Newman 1062 -285 [1 win]
12) #42-Juan Pablo Montoya 1029 -318
other chase contenders
13) #9-Kasey Kahne 1028 -1pt out of 12th
14) #24-Jeff Gordon 1018 -11
15) #6-David Ragan 994 -35
15) #83-Vickers 994 -35
Points Standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Talladega page.
www.jayski.com/stats/2008/points/9tss2008points.htm
Talladega Superspeedway Fast Facts
.. Kyle Busch won the Aaron’s 499, his sixth victory in 123 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
.. This is his second victory and sixth top-10 finish in 2008.
.. This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in seven races at Talladega Superspeedway.
.. Juan Pablo Montoya (second) posted his first top-10 finish in 2008 and his first finish better than 15th in three races at Talladega.
.. Denny Hamlin (third) posted his sixth top-10 finish of 2008. This is his second top-10 finish in five races at Talladega. He eclipsed his previous best finish of fourth set in October 2007.(NASCAR Statistics)(4-27-2008)
Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Richmond
no changes in who is in or out, the order got changed a bit and the points between 35th and 36th is now 61
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
31) #55-Waltrip/Waltrip Racing 708 +110
32) #41-Sorenson/Ganassi Racing 678 +80
33) #44-Reutimann/Waltrip Racing 670 +72
34) #77-Hornish/Penske Racing 663 +65
35) #01-Smith/Dale Earnhardt Inc 659, 61 points ahead of 36th
these teams/ drivers must qualify by speed:
36) #40-Franchitti/Ganassi Racing 598, 61 points out of 35th
37) #70-Sauter/Haas CNC Racing 584 -75
38) #96-Yeley/Hall of Fame Racing 579 -80
39) #22-Blaney/Bill Davis 577 -82
40) #84-Allmendinger/Red Bull Racing 521 -138
For the owner points standings, see my Drivers/Owners Points Standings page
www.jayski.com/stats/2008/points/9tss2008points.htm#OWN
Talladega Superspeedway Penalty Report:
Car#, Penalty, Reason, Lap Issued
1 #17 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 20
2 #8 Excessive speed - Exiting pits PT 53
3 #17 Excessive speed - Exiting pits PT 54
4 #5 Excessive speed - Exiting pits TE 117
5 #09 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 117
6 #17 Excessive speed - Exiting pits TE 119
7 #20 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 144
8 #70 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 144
9 #10 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 144
10 #2 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 174
11 #20 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 174
12 #43 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 174
13 #43 Pitting before Pit Road is Open TE 181
PT - Pass through
TE - Tail end of the longest line
SG - Stop and Go
OL - One lap
ND - NASCAR discretion
MCI - Must come into pits.(NASCAR Statistics)(4-27-2008)
Who got a lap back on each caution at Talladega: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #21-Wood, still 7 laps down, 36th
Caution 2: #18-Busch, back on lead lap, WON
Caution 3: #2-Busch, back on lead lap, 39th
Caution 4: #7-Gordon, back on lead lap, 11th
Caution 5: #66-Riggs, back on lead lap, 16th
Caution 6: #09-Marlin, back on lead lap, 21st
Caution 7: none awarded with 10 or less laps to go
Caution 8: none awarded with 10 or less laps to go
(4-27-2008)
Six Sprint Cup championships will be represented on the panel as ESPN analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree and Ray Evernham join host Allen Bestwick in a one-hour roundtable discussion on NASCAR Now, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information show, on Monday, April 28, at 5:30pm/et. NASCAR Now features news, highlights, opinion, debate and analysis from drivers, crew chiefs and insiders both on and off the track.
Eight drivers each led their first laps in ‘08 in Paul Menard, Ken Schrader, Juan Pablo Montoya, Regan Smith, David Stremme, David Gilliland, A.J. Allmendinger and Elliott Sadler.(ESPN Research)(4-28-2008)
Restrictor Plate Competition Up…Again: The new car matched – and exceeded – the boom in competition from the last visit to a restrictor plate track (February’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway). There were 52 lead changes among 20 drivers during Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. The Daytona 500 saw similar numbers – 42 lead changes among 16 drivers. Sunday’s 20 different leaders is tied for eighth all-time in Sprint Cup Series competition. The 52 lead changes topped both Talladega races from last season. In the 2007 spring race, there were 42 lead changes; in the fall contest, there were 41. There was also a jump in Green Flag Passes for the Lead, a Loop Data statistic that accounts for lead changes all around the track (not only at the start/finish line). Sunday’s race saw 84 Green Flag Passes for the Lead, compared to 67 during the last race held at Talladega.(NASCAR)(4-28-2008)
Roush-Yates Engines to Support USAC Series: Roush-Yates Engines will be the new sole authorized engine rebuilder for the USAC Ford Focus Midget Series. Instituting Roush-Yates Racing Engines as the authorized rebuilder for the Ford engines powering the series reinforces Ford Racing’s commitment to the series and to providing competitors world-class quality and service. “When we approached Doug Yates and his team at Roush-Yates Racing Engines with this opportunity they jumped at the chance to get involved,” said Dan Davis, director, Ford Racing Technology. “It was an easy decision for us - they are the best in the business and have the resources to provide the best possible product to the series, and together, this puts us in a great position to manage the growth of the series.”
“This will give us a tremendous opportunity to expand as well as further our involvement in racing,” said Jon Giles, general manager of special projects for Roush-Yates Engines. “It puts us a step closer to becoming the complete source for Ford Racing engines.” Roush-Yates Engines has been working hard to understand the needs of the USAC Focus Midget Series competitors and will first focus on ensuring the engine rebuild service is available to competitors. Rebuilds on the 2.0L Ford ZETEC engines used in the series will consist of a long block swap during the first phase of the program and cost $3995.00. Roush-Yates Engines currently develops and builds Ford Racing engines for NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Craftsman Truck competition. In addition, it is now developing and building the powerplants for Ford entries in the Grand-Am Daytona Prototype and KONI Challenge sports car series.(Ford Racing)(4-28-2008)
Ownership not an option at JGR for Stewart: If #20-Tony Stewart wants to become a NASCAR team owner, he’ll have to do it somewhere other than Joe Gibbs Racing. J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR, said Sunday that co-ownership at Gibbs is not an option for Tony Stewart, but other options are available. “Our [ownership] deal is set the way it is,” Gibbs said. “But we could do some stuff to help him get started with his own team if that’s what he really wanted.” Stewart said earlier in the week that he is interest in becoming a Sprint Cup team owner. He also said Haas/CNC Racing has offered that option while allowing him to drive for them. But Stewart is under contact with JGR through the 2009 season. Gibbs said they have no intention of ending the relationship with Stewart before the contract expires. The deal with Home Depot, the primary sponsor of the #20 Toyota Stewart drives, also goes through 2009.(ESPN.com)(4-27-2008)
Condolences to ESPN NASCAR analyst Marty Smith on the death of his father Leo. Thoughts go out to Marty and his family.
Leo Harvey (Butch) Smith II, 60, of Pearisburg, died on Friday, April 25, 2008. In death, Leo regained life, reuniting with his everything, his beloved wife, Joy, in the arms of the Lord after 10 heartbroken years apart. He yearned for nothing but to see her sweet face again. He said so every day. In life, Leo impacted many through anonymous generosity. Few kids contemplate where those Big Macs come from as the athletic bus meanders down the mountain on fall Friday evenings, or how those sparkling new bats appear in the Little League dugout. He was that kind of man. A lifelong resident of the New River Valley, Leo was raised an only child in Christiansburg by a pair of hardworking educators, Leo H. Smith and Eunice Martin Smith. Following brief stints in Culpeper, Va., and Salem, W.Va., during which he worked tirelessly to provide for a young family while earning a college degree, Leo eventually settled his family in Giles Co., in close proximity to his widowed mother and the Virginia Tech Hokies. A loving son, he called his mother daily to ensure her well-being. She once broke a hip and he didn’t just visit sporadically. He was there every day and literally taught her to walk again, tracking every step with an elaborate Excel spreadsheet that spoke well to his meticulous nature. A loving father, he attended ballgames and high school chorus concerts, leaving little doubt to the assemblage which children were his. He was the proudest of papas, and until his dying day instilled in others the value of determination. He cared not if you were the best, he cared that you strove to be. Leo was preceded in death by his father, Leo H. Smith and his wife, Joy Massey Smith. He is survived by his mother, Eunice Martin Smith, 93, of Christiansburg; his daughter, Stacy Smith Moyer and her husband, Chris, of Suffolk, Va.; his son, Marty and his wife, Lainie, of Huntersville, N.C.; and one grandson, Cambron Reed Smith. Visitation will be held Tuesday, April 29, 2008 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Givens Funeral Home, in Pearisburg. Funeral services will be held April 30, 2008, at 2 p.m. at Angel’s Rest Baptist Fellowship, in Pearisburg, with the Rev. Lee Ellison officiating. The interment will follow at Birchlawn Cemetery. Flowers are appreciated and donations made in his honor may be sent to the American Breast Cancer Foundation or Angel’s Rest Baptist Fellowship.(Roanoke Times)(4-27-2008)
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Courtesy of www.SpeedwayMedia.com
NASCAR SPRINT CUP
Unofficial Race Results
Race 9 of 36 - 4/27/2008
Aaron’s 499, Talladega Superspeedway
www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/Race.asp?Race=9
Pos. St. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Winnings
1 5 Kyle Busch Toyota 190 5 188 0
2 26 Juan Montoya Dodge 175 5 188 0
3 7 Denny Hamlin Toyota 170 5 188 0
4 6 David Ragan Ford 160 0 188 0
5 8 Brian Vickers Toyota 160 5 188 0
6 14 Travis Kvapil Ford 150 0 188 0
7 36 Casey Mears Chevrolet 146 0 188 0
8 21 Ryan Newman Dodge 147 5 188 0
9 41 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 138 0 188 0
10 9 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 139 5 188 0
11 35 Robby Gordon Dodge 130 0 188 0
12 38 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 132 5 188 0
13 10 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 129 5 188 0
14 22 Paul Menard Chevrolet 126 5 188 0
15 40 David Gilliland Ford 123 5 188 0
16 19 Scott Riggs Chevrolet 115 0 188 0
17 32 Jamie McMurray Ford 112 0 188 0
18 31 Greg Biffle Ford 109 0 188 0
19 20 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 111 5 188 0
20 30 David Reutimann Toyota 103 0 188 0
21 16 Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 100 0 188 0
22 29 Regan Smith * Chevrolet 102 5 188 0
23 42 Kasey Kahne Dodge 99 5 188 0
24 39 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 96 5 188 0
25 1 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 88 0 188 0
26 24 Michael McDowell * Toyota 85 0 188 0
27 27 Michael Waltrip Toyota 87 5 188 0
28 43 David Stremme Dodge 84 5 188 0
29 18 Elliott Sadler Dodge 81 5 188 0
30 4 A.J. Allmendinger Toyota 78 5 188 0
31 17 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge 70 0 186 0
32 15 Kyle Petty Dodge 67 0 186 0
33 28 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 64 0 186 0
34 34 Bobby Labonte Dodge 61 0 183 0
35 37 Sam Hornish Jr. * Dodge 58 0 180 0
36 12 Jon Wood Ford 55 0 179 0
37 33 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 52 0 174 0
38 2 Tony Stewart Toyota 59 10 173 0
39 23 Kurt Busch Dodge 46 0 173 0
40 11 Carl Edwards Ford 43 0 153 0
41 13 Matt Kenseth Ford 40 0 150 0
42 3 Ken Schrader Chevrolet 42 5 141 0
43 25 Reed Sorenson Dodge 34 0 4 0
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Courtesy of Carolyn’s Jeff Gordon Newsletter cakes24@juno.com
POINT STANDINGS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Aaron’s 499
Talladega Superspeedway
April 27, 2008
Rk +/- Driver Points Behind Starts Wins Top 5 Top 10 DNF
1 — Jeff Burton 1347 9 1 3 6 0
2 — Kyle Busch 1325 -22 9 2 5 6 0
3 — Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1268 -79 9 0 3 7 0
4 +2 Denny Hamlin 1248 -99 9 1 4 6 0
5 -1 Jimmie Johnson 1245 -102 9 1 4 4 0
6 -1 Kevin Harvick 1208 -139 9 0 2 4 0
7 +1 Clint Bowyer 1182 -165 9 0 2 6 0
8 +2 Greg Biffle 1148 -199 9 0 3 5 0
9 -2 Tony Stewart 1137 -210 9 0 3 5 2
10 -1 Carl Edwards 1084 -263 9 3 4 5 1
11 +1 Ryan Newman 1062 -285 9 1 2 4 1
12 +5 Juan Pablo Montoya 1029 -318 9 0 1 1 0
13 -2 Kasey Kahne 1028 -319 9 0 0 4 0
14 -1 Jeff Gordon 1018 -329 9 0 3 3 3
15 +3 David Ragan 994 -353 9 0 1 2 1
16 +3 Brian Vickers 994 -353 9 0 1 2 2
17 -3 Martin Truex Jr. 949 -398 9 0 0 2 2
18 +3 David Gilliland 940 -407 9 0 0 1 0
19 -4 Matt Kenseth 909 -438 9 0 1 4 0
20 -4 Kurt Busch 903 -444 9 0 1 1 2
21 +1 Paul Menard 902 -445 9 0 0 0 0
22 -2 Bobby Labonte 895 -452 9 0 0 0 0
23 +1 Travis Kvapil 893 -454 9 0 0 2 0
24 +1 Casey Mears 887 -460 9 0 0 2 2
25 +1 Jamie McMurray 839 -508 9 0 0 1 0
26 -3 Elliott Sadler 832 -515 9 0 0 1 3
27 +2 Robby Gordon 797 -550 9 0 0 1 1
28 — Scott Riggs 788 -559 9 0 0 0 0
29 +1 David Reutimann 764 -583 9 0 0 0 2
30 -3 Mark Martin 723 -624 6 0 1 3 0
31 +1 Michael Waltrip 708 -639 9 0 0 0 0
32 -1 Reed Sorenson 678 -669 9 0 1 1 2
33 — Sam Hornish Jr. 663 -684 9 0 0 0 1
34 — Regan Smith 659 -688 9 0 0 0 0
35 — J.J. Yeley 551 -796 8 0 0 0 1
36 — Dave Blaney 546 -801 8 0 0 0 2
37 — Jeremy Mayfield 490 -857 7 0 0 0 0
38 — Dario Franchitti 483 -864 7 0 0 0 0
39 — Mike Skinner 423 -924 6 0 0 0 0
40 +2 Joe Nemechek 397 -950 7 0 0 0 0
41 — Patrick Carpentier 390 -957 6 0 0 0 1
42 -2 Dale Jarrett 367 -980 5 0 0 0 1
43 — Kyle Petty 363 -984 6 0 0 0 0
44 +1 Michael McDowell 295 -1052 4 0 0 0 0
45 -1 Bill Elliott 277 -1070 4 0 0 0 0
46 +1 Aric Almirola 243 -1104 3 0 0 1 1
47 -1 Ken Schrader 234 -1113 4 0 0 0 1
48 — John Andretti 149 -1198 3 0 0 0 1
49 +2 Sterling Marlin 97 -1250 1 0 0 0 0
50 — David Stremme 84 -1263 1 0 0 0 1
51 — AJ Allmendinger 78 -1269 1 0 0 0 1
52 — Jon Wood 55 -1292 1 0 0 0 0
53 -4 Johnny Sauter 52 -1295 1 0 0 0 0
54 -4 Kenny Wallace 34 -1313 1 0 0 0 1
55 -4 Eric McClure 0 -1347 0 0 0 0 0
55 -4 Jacques Villeneuve 0 -1347 0 0 0 0 0
55 -4 Stanton Barrett 0 -1347 0 0 0 0 0
55 -4 Boris Said 0 -1347 0 0 0 0 0
55 -4 Carl Long 0 -1347 0 0 0 0 0
Race 9 of 36
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P R E S S * R E L E A S E S
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ESPN’s “NASCAR Now” To Broadcast Live from Dale Earnhardt Day
Network to host special one-hour show live from Dale Earnhardt Inc.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 25, 2008) – ESPN’s “NASCAR Now” will broadcast a special one-hour show live from Dale Earnhardt Inc. on Tuesday, April 29 from 6-7 p.m. (EST). The show will highlight Tuesday’s annual Dale Earnhardt Day event that honors the birthday of the seven-time NASCAR Champion and serves as a major benefit for the Dale Earnhardt Foundation.
The show will be on hand for the event, which runs from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. and will feature a variety of activities and displays for the entire family, and will originate live from the location at 6 p.m.
There will be an official ceremony at 3 p.m. with ESPN’s Dr. Jerry Punch serving as the event’s official emcee. In addition, Dale Earnhardt drivers will be on hand to sign autographs at different times during the event.
In addition to ESPN, Tanner in the Morning of Charlotte, N.C.’s WSOC-FM 103.7 will host a live radio broadcast from 6-10 a.m., Sirius Satellite Radio will be on hand in the afternoon and Primetime with the Packman from Charlotte’s WFNZ-AM 610 will broadcast live from the event from 3-7 p.m.
For more information on the event, visit: www.daleearnhardtinc.com.
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Veszprem, Hungary – On the familiar tracks of Veszprem, Robby Gordon claimed his second special win on the sixth stage of the Central Europe Rally. Gordon, who yesterday suffered a major setback in the overall classification yesterday when he broke the rear hub of his Hummer was determined to showcase his teams talents. Before the start of the second special of the day he and BJ Baldwin wagered dinner on the outcome. The bet was to see if BJ could stay within 45 seconds of Gordon’s time.
While the chance to win the rally overall is all but gone, the two drivers served notice that the Hummers are for real. Both drivers attacked the course and in the end Gordon finished first, one second over Carlos Sainz of Spain. Baldwin was not far behind, in fact just 19 seconds. Gordon got the victory and Baldwin gets dinner.
Team Dakar USA also had a strong showing in the first 157km special in the morning. Gordon and Baldwin claimed the sixth and seventh spots respectively. The Vanguard Hummer has now moved up into the seventh spot while Gordon’s Monster Energy Toyo Tire Hummer is in 11th.
Tomorrow the Central Europe Rally wraps with a 155km special on the Veszprem tracks and then heads to Balaton Lake for the final festivities. Instead of participating in the festivities Gordon will board a plane and deadhead for Talladega for Sundays NASCAR race.
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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Team Dakar USA Closes out the Central Europe Rally
Veszprem, Hungary – The final stage of the Central Europe Rally concluded today with Robby Gordon experiencing more bad luck. Gordon lost a handful of minutes on the stage when his rear wheel came off but still managed an eight place finish. The result was good enough for Gordon to move the Monster Energy Hummer up into the 10th position.
BJ Baldwin had another solid day, scoring a fifth place finish on the stage which allowed him to maintain his seventh place in the overall classification.
After seven days of racing in Hungary and Romania, Team Dakar USA heads back to the United States with a strong sense of accomplishment. “We did not meet our overall objective but this team was strong,” remarked Gordon “I think the international off-road community know we were here. These are the best race teams in the world and to go door to door with them says a lot about our program. BJ did such a fantastic job of representing Team Dakar USA and Ronn Bailey’s Vanguard. I think he really made a name for himself.”
The team will now load up and make the drive back to Paris to organize the vehicles and equipment for shipping back to the United States. For Robby Gordon there is one more stage – he will fly overnight to Alabama for the NASCAR race in Talladega.
In 2009 Team Dakar USA will race the first ever Dakar Rally in South America.
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.SpeedwayMedia.com
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
Unofficial Race Results
Race 10 of 35 - 4/26/2008
Aaron’s 312, Talladega Superspeedway
www.speedwaymedia.com/ns2/Race.asp?Race=10
Pos. St. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Winnings
1 1 Tony Stewart Toyota 195 10 117 0
2 24 David Stremme Chevrolet 170 0 117 0
3 36 Bobby Hamilton Jr. Ford 165 0 117 0
4 3 Jason Leffler Toyota 165 5 117 0
5 26 Mark Green Chevrolet 155 0 117 0
6 7 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 155 5 117 0
7 2 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 146 0 117 0
8 12 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge 142 0 117 0
9 19 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 138 0 117 0
10 20 Mike Wallace Toyota 134 0 117 0
11 15 Greg Biffle Ford 130 0 117 0
12 23 Kertus Davis Chevrolet 127 0 117 0
13 33 Morgan Shepherd Dodge 129 5 117 0
14 39 Donnie Neuenberger Chevrolet 126 5 117 0
15 29 Eric McClure Chevrolet 118 0 114 0
16 8 Kyle Busch Toyota 115 0 114 0
17 43 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 112 0 113 0
18 21 David Ragan Ford 109 0 111 0
20 27 David Reutimann Toyota 103 0 105 0
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
Unofficial Standings
After race 10 of 35
www.speedwaymedia.com/ns2/Standings.asp
Pos. Driver Pts. Bnd. Wins Top5 Top10 Winnings
1 Clint Bowyer 1427 1 4 7
2 Carl Edwards 1400 -27 0 5 6
3 Kyle Busch 1388 -39 3 5 5
4 David Reutimann 1298 -129 0 2 5
5 Mike Bliss 1282 -145 0 1 5
6 David Ragan 1274 -153 0 1 5
7 Brad Keselowski 1252 -175 0 2 4
8 Jason Leffler 1227 -200 0 1 4
9 Mike Wallace 1173 -254 0 0 3
10 Bobby Hamilton Jr. 1055 -372 0 1 2
11 Kelly Bires 1051 -376 0 1 1
12 Jason Keller 1044 -383 0 0 0
13 David Stremme 1027 -400 0 2 5
14 Marcos Ambrose 1022 -405 0 1 1
15 Steve Wallace 989 -438 0 0 1
16 Kevin Harvick 977 -450 0 4 5
17 Brad Coleman 935 -492 0 0 1
18 Kenny Wallace 890 -537 0 0 0
19 Dario Franchitti* 825 -602 0 0 1
20 Tony Stewart 806 -621 3 3 4
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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
www.jayski.com
Hornaday wins at Kansas: #33-Ron Hornaday started from the pole, led the most laps and beat the fuel mileage game to win the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. This is Hornaday’s first win, third top-five and fourth top-10 finish of the season and his 34th Craftsman Truck Series win. KHI teammate #2-Jack Sprague finished second; his best finish of the season. Rounding out the top ten were #6-Colin Braun, #23-Johnny Benson, #5-Mike Skinner, #10-Brendan Gaughan, #8-Chad McCumbee, #22-Scott Speed, #14-Rick Crawford, #59-Ted Musgrave. There were 12 lead changes among 7 drivers and 12 caution flags for 45 laps. Complete race results are posted on the Kansas Race Page.(Unofficial)(4-26-2008)
www.jayski.com/cts/next/2008/5kansas2008.htm#results
Hornaday leads driver point standings: #33-Ron Hornaday has taken over the lead in the driver point standings following Kansas with 775, 61 points ahead of #14-Rick Crawford who moved into second place. Rounding out the top ten; ##30-Todd Bodine, #18-Dennis Setzer, #23-Johnny Benson, #51-Kyle Busch, #88-Matt Crafton, #8-Chad McCumbee, #2-Jack Sprague, #59-Ted Musgrave. Complete driver point standings are posted on the Kansas Race Page.(Unofficial)(4-26-2008)
www.jayski.com/cts/next/2008/5kansas2008.htm#standings
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A R C A (Automobile Racing Club of America)
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Courtesy of ARCA
www.arcaracing.com
Unofficial ARCA RE/MAX Series Point Standings after the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand (4-25-08):
1) Matt Carter 805; 2) Frank Kimmel 765; 3) Justin Allgaier 760; 4) Scott Speed 715; 5) Patrick Sheltra 710; 6) Tom Hessert III 700; 7) John Wes Townley 695; Ken Butler III 670; 9) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 660; 10) Bobby Gerhart 610.
Scott Speed a Lucky Dog in Kansas; Earns Career-1st ARCA RE/MAX Series Victory in Kansas Lottery $150 Grand
KANSAS CITY KS (4-25-08) – ARCA RE/MAX Series rookie Scott Speed, with an assist from the Aaron’s Lucky Dog, won the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand Friday afternoon at Kansas Speedway.
Speed, in the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota, battled back from a lap down, blew by rookie Jesse Smith on a late-race restart with six laps remaining, and then kept Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. at bay to claim his career-first victory in his fifth career series start.
Speed, who led 21 laps total, went a lap down early on while he was leading when he had to come down pit road under green to refasten his window net, which had fallen down.
“I don’t let things that I can’t control affect me while I’m driving,” said Speed. “Obviously, something like a window net I can’t control. I just got really aggressive after that happened so that we could be in a position to earn the Lucky Dog. Once we got that, I pushed real hard to make up a lot of positions.”
Speed was in position to get the Aaron’s Lucky Dog award during a lap 54 caution period, which put the Formula One veteran back in the lead-lap mix.
“It’s certainly great to win a race; it’s been awhile. The goal is to be successful in Cup, so if we are learning a lot here, that’s great. Every lap I make on a racetrack is beneficial. This is why I am pushing so hard; because it’s beneficial.”
Speed, who earned the SunTrust Highest Finishing Rookie honors, also established a new race record at 124.855 mph. Speed’s crew chief Patrick Donahue was the Cometic Crew Chief of the Race.
Stenhouse, Jr., in the No. 99 RoushFenway.com Ford, finished second, 10 lengths away, a career-best for the Olive Branch, Mississippi driver. Stenhouse, who started 17th, also earned the Casite Hard Charger of the Race honors.
“The pit crew did an awesome job today; they gained several spots on that first caution,” said Stenhouse.”I have to apologize to the No. 93. I got a better run than I thought I did off four and accidentally got into him there late in the race. I was disappointed that the last caution came out. It took me a few laps to get going and there at the end I think we could have caught the leader. I just ran out of laps.”
Rookie Jesse Smith, in only his third series start, finished a career-best third in the No. 30 Lloyd’s Barbeque-Spam-Hormel Dodge after leading 24 laps. Michael Annett finished fourth in the No. 28 Northland Oil-Pilot Travel Centers Toyota and was the Aaron’s Lap Leader of the Race after leading 29 laps. Annett was followed by Robb Brent, who finished a career best fifth in the No. 00 Orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep Chevrolet after leading 19 laps.
In all, six drivers exchanged the lead 11 times while four cautions, all for minor incidents, slowed the race on four occasions for 19 laps.
Jeremy Clements, who led three laps, finished sixth in the 1 Stop Convenience Stores-Saxon Group Chevrolet.
Speed’s teammate Ken Butler III, in the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine Toyota, finished seventh after earning the SIM Factory Pole Award with a new one-lap track record of 175.330 mph. He was one of five cars to qualify faster than the track’s previous record. Butler also posted the Accel Fastest Lap of the Race.
Patrick Sheltra, in the Aaron’s Outdoors Dodge, finished eighth after leading four laps. Gabi DiCarlo finished a career-best ninth in the Great Clips Toyota. Surrey British Columbia’s Ryan Fischer recovered from a late-race spin to finish 10th in the Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet.
Justin Allgaier entered Kansas as the series points leader but finished 30th, 17 laps down after experiencing mechanical woes in the closing laps. Rookie Matt Carter, who finished 11th in Larry Clement’s No. 46 Stine Seed-Ft. Dodge Animal Health-Pork Ford, now leads the series’ point standings.
The next event on the ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule is the Carolina 500 at Rockingham. The race is LIVE on SPEED on Sunday, May 4th, beginning at 12 noon Eastern.
SIM Factory Pole Award: Ken Butler III (175.330 mph) *NTR
CAUTIONS: 4 for 19 laps
MRGN OF VICT: .791 seconds
AVG SPEED: 124.855 mph
TIME OF RACE: 1:12:05
LAP LEADERS: Speed 1-14, 94-100 (21); Annett 15-43 (29); Brent 44-46, 60, 76-90 (19); Clements 47-49 (3); Smith 50-59, 65-75, 91-93 (24); Sheltra 61-64 (4)
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U S A R (United Speed Alliance Racing)
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Concord: Unofficial race results
Unofficial Results
1. Michael Ritch
2. Trevor Bayne
3. Carl Long
4. Mark McFarland
5. Clay Rogers
6. Wade Day
7. Frank Deiny Jr.
8. Kirk Leone
9. Billy Bigley
10. J.P. Morgan …
www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=287023
Ritch outruns Bayne, rain in Concord win
Concord, N.C.–When rain halted the Racing Electronics 250 presented by BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors at Concord Motorsports Park, Michael Ritch was in the right place. But it may not have mattered.
Ritch marched through the pack after making an early stop and was out front when the rains put an end to the event on Lap 206. …
www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=287022
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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
localracing.nascar.com/news/6
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Thomson: Keeping Fit in Go-Karts
Grand-Am - Daytona Beach,FL,USA
Drivers come from all walks of motorsport to race; backgrounds include NASCAR Canadian Tire, GP Motorcycles, Canadian Touring Car, and of course, …
www.grand-am.com/koni/news/index.cfm?cid=16199
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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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NASCAR - You Either Get It, Or You Don’t
by Becca Gladden
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/RG/042508.html
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/BB/042608.html
Does NASCAR Need Danica Patrick?
by Brenda Benedict
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/KR/042708.html
A Pumped Robby Gordon Makes Way Back To Talladega
by Kim Roberson
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/CF/042608.html
Talladega Superspeedway Notebook ~ Saturday
by Connie Felix
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/RF/042808.html
Kyle Busch Battles Back To Give Toyota Third Win
by Ron Felix
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/CF/042808.html
Talladega Superspeedway Notebook ~ Sunday
by Connie Felix
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