![Matt Kenseth photo by MotorSportsNews[dot]Net staff photographer Steve Langley](http://motorsportsnews.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/kenseth-150x150.jpg "Matt Kenseth")
Matt Kenseth won two in a row, decisively taking the Auto Club 500 this weekend. Kyle Busch nearly took all 3 races in the weekend, but did capture the San Bernardino 200 Camping World Truck Series race and the Stater Bros. 300 Nationwide Series race. Read all about it here in today’s Stock Car Gazette…(Matt Kenseth photo by MotorSportsNews[dot]Net staff photographer Steve Langley)
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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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Stock Car Gazette Columnists Speak Out!
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Return of the “Pipe Smoke”
by: John Kokolski
Many of you know me by my name and from my previous writing here. After a lot of thought and prayer, I felt that it was time to return “Pipe Smoke” to the internet. Read more at http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/2986
For more by John, visit http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/category/pipe-smoke
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Busch Dominates California Nationwide Race
by: Thomas Chemris
(photo courtesy of Icon Sports Media)
Kyle Busch was in a league of his own as the veteran driver completely dominated the NASCAR Nationwide series Stater Brothers 300 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California. More at http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/2989
For more by Thomas, visit http://motorsportsnews.net/archives/category/nationwide-series
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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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Courtesy of Carolyn’s Jeff Gordon Newsletter
NASCAR’s Highest-Earning Drivers
Forbes.com
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr
.Earnings: $35 million
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
No. 88 Chevrolet
Sponsors: U.S. Army National Guard, Amp Energy
NASCAR’s most popular driver also became its top earner last year for the first time since 2004, despite finishing 15th in prize money. Earnhardt’s switch to Hendrick will continue to pay dividends in the coming year. The dual paint schemes on his No. 88 car (separate designs for each primary sponsor) is a merchandizing bonanza. Earnhardt-emblazoned goods accounted for an estimated 40% of all NASCAR licensed-product sales last year.
2. Jeff Gordon
Earnings: $30 million
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
No. 24 Chevrolet
Sponsor: DuPont
NASCAR’s all-time money winner earned $10 million in endorsements last year from the likes of PepsiCo, Time Warner Cable and Electronic Arts. Despite not winning a race for the first time in 15 seasons in 2008, Gordon shows no signs of slowing down: He’s driven in 545 consecutive Sprint Cup races, tops among active drivers.
3. Jimmie Johnson
Earnings: $23 million
Team: Hendrick Motorsports
No. 48 Chevrolet
Sponsor: Lowe’s
Johnson, who’s won the last three Sprint Cups, earned $15 million in salary and race winnings last year, $2 million more than any other driver. Times are good for NASCAR’s best driver. Sales of “three-peat” merchandise in November and December topped sales of his championship paraphernalia from 2007, despite the sluggish economy.
To subscribe for Jeff Gordon #24 News e-mail me at cakes24@juno.com and submit your first and last names, plus e-mail address.
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Courtesy of www.Catchfence.com
2009 AUTO CLUB00 RACE RESULTS
- 02/22/09 – Auto Club Speedway
Pos.St.No.Driver Make LAPS PTS/ STATUS
BONUS
1 24 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 250 195/10 Running
2 6 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 250 175/5 Running
3 10 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 250 165 Running
4 5 16 Greg Biffle Ford 250 165/5 Running
5 4 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 250 160/5 Running
6 23 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 250 150 Running
7 25 99 Carl Edwards Ford 250 151/5 Running
8 11 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 250 147/5 Running
9 2 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 250 143/5 Running
10 1 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 250 134 Running
11 15 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 250 135/5 Running
12 22 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 250 127 Running
13 38 12 David Stremme Dodge 250 129/5 Running
14 7 00 David Reutimann Toyota 250 121 Running
15 42 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota 250 118 Running
16 3 26 Jamie McMurray Ford 250 115 Running
17 13 6 David Ragan Ford 249 112 Running
18 37 28 Travis Kvapil Ford 249 109 Running
19 21 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 249 106 Running
20 16 96 Bobby Labonte Ford 249 103 Running
21 17 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge 249 100 Running
22 14 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 249 97 Running
23 26 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 249 94 Running
24 29 07 Casey Mears Chevrolet 249 91 Running
25 20 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge 249 88 Running
26 34 20 Joey Logano# Toyota 249 85 Running
27 33 1 Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 249 82 Running
28 28 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 248 79 Running
29 8 44 A J Allmendinger Dodge 248 76 Running
30 12 7 Robby Gordon Toyota 248 73 Running
31 40 34 John Andretti Chevrolet 248 75/5 Running
32 41 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 247 67 Running
33 32 71 David Gilliland Chevrolet 246 64 Running
34 39 41 Jeremy Mayfield Toyota 245 61 Running
35 31 8 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 242 58 Engine
36 36 36 Scott Riggs Toyota 240 55 Running
37 27 98 Paul Menard Ford 221 52 Running
38 19 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 207 49 Acc.
39 35 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 205 46 Engine
40 18 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 179 48/5 Engine
41 9 82 Scott Speed# Toyota 172 40 Engine
42 30 66 Dave Blaney Toyota 50 37 F.Pump
43 43 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 36 34 F.Pump
# Denotes Rookie
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Your ad could be displayed here… very reasonable rates. E-mail Mike@MotorSportsNews.Net
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Courtesy of Insider Racing News
http://www.insiderracingnews.com
Kenseth Wins In California
CIA Stock Photo
Kenseth Celebrates 2nd Victory
Say what you will, Matt Kenseth is two for two, back-to-back and doubled down for the 2009 season. After not winning in 2008, if the past two races are any indication, Kenseth can’t lose. Certainly he won’t run the table and win all 36 points paying races but you’d never know it from the way he’s started this year. Kenseth beat Jeff Gordon out of the pits on a green-flag pit stop with 123 laps to go. Gordon was leading, Kenseth was running second. Both drivers pitted and it was Kenseth’s crew who won the battle of ‘Who would get out first’. From that point to the end of the race, the two drivers and their cars were pretty much equal. Gordon would close on Kenseth and then Kenseth would stretch it out on the next lap. That continued until the end of the race and on the final two laps it was apparent that Gordon had worn his tires out trying to close on Kenseth. Gordon had nothing left for him and settled for second place.
It was Kenseth’s 18th victory in 330 career races. Kenseth now has three wins at Auto Club Speedway and became the first driver to win the season’s first two races since Gordon did it in 1997. Kyle Busch was third and Greg Biffle fourth. Comeback driver Kurt Busch finished fifth followed by Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers to round out the top ten. The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the third race of the 36-race for the 2009 Sprint Cup Championship. The Shelby 427 will be on March 1st, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. The race begins at approximately 3:30 p.m. eastern time with live, high-definition coverage provided by FOX beginning with its pre-race show at 2:30 p.m. eastern time. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128 and PRN radio.
Kyle Busch Sets NASCAR Record
Day or night, car or truck, it didn’t matter. Nobody could touch Kyle Busch on Saturday at Auto Club Speedway. Busch finished off an absolutely dominant day with a victory in the Stater Brothers 300, leading 143 of 150 laps for his first Nationwide Series victory of the season. Busch picked up where he left off in the Truck Series race earlier in the day, which he won after leading 95 of 100 laps. It’s the first time any driver has won two races in NASCAR’s three national touring series on the same day. Busch will go for a weekend sweep today in the Auto Club 500 in the Sprint Cup Series. No driver has won Truck, Nationwide and Cup races on the same weekend.
Talley Says Race Nearly Sold Out – DENIED
David Talley, Communications Director at Auto Club Speedway, says despite rumors to the contrary, most of the tickets to the Auto Club 500 on Sunday, will be sold or close to it. “We’ve been trying to dispel the rumor that only 35,000 seats have been sold,” said Talley on Friday. “I guarantee you it will be a sell out — or close to one.” …Daily Headlines
UPDATE…After a disscussion on Friday of this week, Mr. Talley specifically told Insider Racing News that the race would be a sellout, or near to it — on Sunday morning, he denied ever making the statement. Judging by the attendance at the two races on Saturday, there will be plenty of empty seats for the Auto Club 500 Sprint Cup race.
ARCA Replaces Nashville With Mansfield
Mansfield Motorsports Park in Ohio will play host to an ARCA RE/MAX Series race on June 20, replacing an event previously scheduled for that date at the Music City Motorplex in Nashville, Tennessee. The change in venue was approved by ARCA officials after promoter Joe Mattioli III reached an agreement with Mansfield Motorsports Park owner Mike Dzurilla to run the event at Mansfield. Mansfield Motorsports Park opened in 2002, and hosted NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ASA, USAR Pro Cup, ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series and numerous other events. MMP hosted eight racing weekends last season, but track management announced in December 2008 that economic conditions would cause the track to cease operations. The agreement between Mattioli and Dzurilla assures that there will be racing at Mansfield in 2009.
Kentucky Plans Expansion
The Kentucky Speedway is planning a $75 million expansion, in hopes of attracting a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race by next year, officials of the Gallatin County track told a news conference in Frankfort, Ky., Tuesday. “The facility is going to have a nice facelift,” said Kentucky Speedway spokesman Tim Bray. Bruton Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns the track, said a 50,000-seat expansion is planned for the Sparta track, which already seats 68,000. Also planned is an infield area that will cater to motor homes. It would accommodate up to 600 vehicles. New restrooms, concession stands and souvenir shops also are planned.
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Courtesy of Jayski
http://www.jayski.com
UNOFFICAL Driver Points Standings [after California race 2 of 36]:
1) Matt Kenseth 385 [2 wins]
2) Jeff Gordon 304 -81
3) Kurt Busch 294 -91
4) Tony Stewart 294 -91
5) Greg Biffle 268 -117
6) Clint Bowyer 266 -119
7) Michael Waltrip 264 -121
David Ragan 262 -123
9) Carl Edwards 260 -125
10) Juan Pablo Montoya 256 -129
11) Elliott Sadler 248 -137
12) David Reutimann 248 -137
13) A J Allmendinger 241 -144
14) Reed Sorenson 238 -147
See drivers and owners points standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Daytona page.(2-22-2009)
http://www.jayski.com/stats/2009/points/2acs2009points.htm
Race Fast Facts – Auto Club Speedway:
* Matt Kenseth won the Auto Club 500, his 18th victory in 330 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
* This is his second victory and second top-10 finish in 2009. The last driver to win the first two races of a season was Jeff Gordon in 1997.
* This is his third victory and 11th top-10 finish in 15 races at Auto Club Speedway.
* Jeff Gordon (second) posted his ninth top-10 finish in 18 races at Auto Club Speedway. It is his first top-10 finish in 2009. Gordon led 64 laps in the Auto Club 500 and moved to seventh on the all-time laps led list with 19,899.
* Kyle Busch (third) posted his eighth top-10 finish in 10 races at Auto Club Speedway. Busch came up short is his bid for a second weekend record, finishing third in the Auto Club 500. Busch, who won the NASCAR Camping World Truck and NASCAR Nationwide Series races on Saturday, however, posted the best overall finish for a triple race weekend.
* Joey Logano (26th) was the highest finishing rookie.
* Matt Kenseth leads the point standings by 81 points over Jeff Gordon.
* Kevin Harvick failed to finish the Auto Club 500, ending a streak of 81 consecutive races competed without a DNF – the longest in NASCAR Sprint Cup history. Harvick’s last DNF prior to tonight came at Dover in September 2006. This is just his 14th DNF in 288 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. Harvick’s Richard Childress Racing teammate, Clint Bowyer, assumes the longest active streak of running at the finish with 75.
(NASCAR Statistics)(2-15-2009)
NASCAR does not check video on rainout finishes: Jeff Gordon told his team last week after the Daytona 500 that he believed he could have been scored 12th instead of 13th in that Sprint Cup race, depending on the interpretation of NASCAR rules and policies. The final verdict: He was 13th. Here’s why Gordon was confused: When the caution comes out during a race, the field is frozen and reset to the previous scoring line. Depending on the track, there are a dozen or so scoring lines spread throughout the oval. But NASCAR policy is that on the last lap, it uses video in addition to the scoring lines to determine the final position. Gordon believed he had passed David Reutimann after passing the scoring line, but before the caution came out for rain in the Daytona 500. NASCAR later called the race because of rain. Gordon crew chief Steve Letarte discussed the situation with NASCAR officials after the race to learn about the interpretation, which was that NASCAR will only use video on the final scheduled lap or green-white-checkered situation. “We use the [non-video freezing] of the field because we didn’t know that we weren’t going to go back [racing],” NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton said Friday at Auto Club Speedway.(Scene Daily)(2-23-2009)
Did Not Finish Streak and stats: UPDATE: #29-Harvick has been running at the finish in 81 consecutive races, the longest current streak and a NEW modern era record, next up is #33-Bowyer at 74 consecutive races. The all-time record for the longest streak of NOT having an DNF is 84 races held by Herman Beam from April 30, 1961 thru March 10, 1963. Kevin Harvick held the modern era (1972-present) record at 58 (10/3/2002-8/1/2004) unil he broke it himself in 2008. Next up is Jeff Gordon at 56 and Dale Earnhardt at 53 [Indy in 1996 thru Martinsville in the spring of 1998.(2-16-2009)
UPDATE: #29-Kevin Harvick blew and engine in the Auto Club 500 and was unable to finish the race. Jeff Gordon now has the longest streak at 57 races without a DNF.(2-23-2009)
NASCAR Stars Back Off Resort Project: Three of the NASCAR celebrities who endorsed the Sheridan Ridge resort development have returned their lots, and the other two have drastically reduced the price paid, county records show. Quit-claim deeds recorded Dec. 30 indicate that drivers Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart and crew chief Greg Zipadelli gave their lots back to Sheridan Ridge Private Reserve LLC, the North Carolina company formed in 2006 to develop a NASCAR-themed community in the [Southwest Virginia] region. Deeds of correction were entered the same date for their property as well as lots owned by driver Elliott Sadler and FOX Sports personality and former crew chief Jeff Hammond, reducing the price of each lot from $323,205 to $50,000 – just enough to cover the lot release fee. “Certain infrastructure improvements to the Property were never completed,” according to the deeds of correction, “and the value of the Property on the recording date was actually $50,000.” In what has been a controversial project from the start, Sheridan Ridge selected a 1,400-acre site on the steep slopes of Walker and Little Brushy mountains to build a multi-million-dollar residential development with more than 500 houses and a 53-acre “village center” featuring shops and amenities.(Bristol Herald Courier)(2-23-2009)
Memorial Service for Wolf: A memorial service for longtime NASCAR official Carl Wolf will be held Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 5pm – 6pm at the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord. Carl passed away Feb. 6 following a lengthy illness. For the past 10 years, Wolf worked for NASCAR in a variety of capacities. He spent time in the NASCAR garage as the supervisor of engine inspection for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He moved into the area of officiating training in June of 2003 – a position he held until his death. Responsible for training and instructing officials in various areas of inspection with a specialized focus on engine training, Wolf was instrumental in the development and implementation of many of the tools and gauges that are still used today in the inspection areas. His vast knowledge, enthusiasm and patience helped make him an outstanding instructor, who was well-respected and highly revered by his students, co-workers and peers. Carl Wolf was 70. In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to Levine & Dickson Hospice House, 11900 Vanstory Drive, Huntersville, NC 28078, The American Cancer Society, 6000 Fairview Road, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28210 or to a charity of the donors choice.(NASCAR)(2-23-2009
New 2009 pages got the 2009 Scanner Freqs for Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, see my Scanner Freqs page AND… while am still missing a few teams, but have the 2009 Pit Crew Chart is posted.
http://www.jayski.com/links/scanners.htm
http://www.jayski.com/pages/pitcrew-chart2009.htm
Sad News – Lee Ann Darnell: ARRANGEMENTS: Lee Anne Darnell [mother of Erik Darnell], 49, of Beach Park, IL passed away on Monday, February 16, 2009, at home. Automobile racing was always a big part of her life. Lee Anne met Danny through racing and the two of them spent countless hours on road trips and at race tracks across the country, and continued to do so with their three children. She was proud of all her children’s accomplishments and encouraged them to follow their dreams. Lee Anne made life-long friends at the track and in the community with her good-natured spirit and passion for life. Survivors include her husband of 28 years, Danny; sons, Erik (fiancee’, Amber Moody) Darnell of Davidson, NC, and Casey Darnell of Chicago, IL; daughter, Dale (fiance’, Jeff LaBelle) of Beach Park, IL; father, Dave (Dawn) Metz of Eagle Nest, NM; mother, Eileen (Ron) Smith of Henderson, NV. A Funeral Service will be held on Monday, February 23, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. at Congdon Funeral Home, 3012 Sheridan Rd., Zion, IL.(2-20-2009) AND The funeral is on Monday, February 23 at 10:30 a.m. at Congdon Funeral Home, 3012 Sheridan Road, Zion, IL. 60099, (847) 746-1234. The visitation is on Sunday, February 22 from 5-8 p.m. Flowers can be sent to the funeral home or in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lee Anne’s name to the Victory Junction Gang Camp.(Roush Racing PR)(2-22-2009)
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Your ad could be displayed here… very reasonable rates. E-mail Mike@MotorSportsNews.Net
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Courtesy of Race2Win
http://www.race2win.net
Listen to Track Talk at a Special Time on Thursday
The Thursday, February 26th edition of Track Talk will be heard at a special time, due to a scheduling conflict. The show will broadcast live at 11:00 pm ET on the Prime Sports Network. Any guests for this show will be announced at a later date. The February 19th episode of Track Talk featured three-time Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday and 2008 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year Regan Smith. Be sure to listen to the archive or download the podcast of that show anytime at PrimeSportsNetwork.com.
Back-to-Back Matt
Matt Kenseth is making up for lost time. Winless in 2008, Kenseth backed up his victory in the season-opening Daytona 500 by holding off Jeff Gordon in Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway. Kenseth, who won for the 18th time in the Sprint Cup series, beat Gordon to the finish line by 1.464 seconds to become the fifth driver in Cup history to win the first two races of a season. The last to do so? Gordon in 1997, at Daytona and Rockingham.
Full Story http://www.race2win.net/wc/09/02/acspr.html
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Courtesy of That’s Racin’
http://www.thatsracin.com
Kenseth and crew make it two in a row
Matt Kenseth followed up his Daytona 500 win a week ago by holding off Jeff Gordon for Sunday’s Auto Club 500 victory.
http://www.thatsracin.com/115/story/4134.html
Logano a lap down, but happy
Joey Logano, the 18-year-old rookie who moved into Tony Stewart’s seat in the No. 20 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing, had another tough day of on-track education.
http://www.thatsracin.com/140/story/4164.html
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GM stock shares hit lowest level in 74 years
Analysts say shares are near ‘worthless’ General Motors Corp. shares on Friday tumbled to their lowest level in more than 70 years, pulled down by a drop in the broader markets and continued speculation about the future of the struggling automaker. GM shares hit a low of $1.52 in early afternoon trading, before rebounding to $1.82 later [...]
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=MsyAy&m=1fkvmOv8UxX3DX&b=KZ9f04v4nsmQEMcQET9yTw
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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 Jayski
http://www.jayski.com
Kyle Busch dominates at California: #18-Kyle Busch led 143 of 150 laps to win the Stater Bros. 300 at Auto Club Speedway. He had the dominant car from the drop of the green flag and was never seriously challenged. He became the first driver to ever win two NASCAR national touring series events in the same day. #33-Kevin Harvick was second, followed by #20-Joey Logano, #60-Carl Edwards, #6-David Ragan, #29-Jeff Burton, #10-David Reutimann, #32-Brian Vickers, #62-Brendan Gaughan, and #66-Steve Wallace. The race was slowed by 4 cautions for 23 laps. There were 6 lead changes among 3 leaders. Announced attendance: 15,000. Complete results are posted on the California Race Page.(2-21-2009)
http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2009/next/02california.htm#results
Driver Standings: Kyle Busch assumes the points lead by 20 over Carl Edwards. Kevin Harvick is third, followed by David Ragan, Brian Vickers, David Reutimann, Joey Logano, Brendan Gaughan, Jason Keller, and Greg Biffle. Unofficial standings are posted on the California Race Page.(2-21-2009)
http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2009/next/02california.htm#standings
Owner Points: Complete standings are posted on the California Race Page.(2-21-2009)
http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2009/next/02california.htm#owners
California Fast Facts:
* Kyle Busch became the first driver to win twice in the same day on two of NASCAR’s top-three circuits. He held the previous best same-day performance with a first in the NASCAR Nationwide and second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held at Daytona on July 7, 2007.
* This is just the third time a driver has won both a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and a NASCAR Nationwide Series race in the same weekend (Greg Biffle at Phoenix in October 2001 and Kyle Busch at Phoenix in November 2007). There have been 31 NASCAR Sprint Cup-NASCAR Nationwide weekend sweeps. No driver has ever won all three races in the same weekend.
* Kyle Busch won the Stater Bros. 300, his 22nd victory in 140 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
* This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in 2009.
* This is his second victory and seventh top-10 finish in nine races at Auto Club Speedway.
* Kevin Harvick (second) posted his 11th top-10 finish in 13 races at Auto Club Speedway. It is his first top-10 finish in 2009.
* Joey Logano (third) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at Auto Club Speedway.
* Brendan Gaughan (ninth) was the highest finishing rookie.
* Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 20 points over Carl Edwards. This is the second time in as many years that Busch has led the point standings in two national series after the first Auto Club Speedway weekend of the season. In 2008, he led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series leaving Fontana. This his his first time to lead the NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings since May 2004.(NASCAR Statistics)(2-21-2009)
MC2 on the #05 in Vegas: MC2 (pronounced MC Squared) Energy Drink and Beverage Plus Inc. announced today that it is teaming up with Nationwide driver Casey Atwood and veteran team owner Wayne Day for the Sam’s Town 300 at the Las Vegas.(MC2 PR)(2-21-2009)
Pacific Packaging Group sponsoring McDowell: Pacific Packaging Group, through their parent company Pacific Group Inc., announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement with JTG Daugherty Racing. Pacific Packaging Group will be sponsoring the #47 Nationwide Toyota driven by Michael McDowell along with the teams other sponsor partners.(JTG Daugherty Racing)(2-20-2009)
Goodyear’s bigger tire won’t impact introduction of NNS COT: Goodyear’s plan for a bigger tire won’t necessarily alter NASCAR’s phase-in plan for a new model car for the Nationwide Series, series Director Joe Balash says. NASCAR already has delayed the introduction of the car from sometime this year to at least 2010 or beyond. Now that Goodyear has said it hopes to have a bigger tire ready to race sometime in 2010, that could throw another curve into the introduction of NASCAR’s new Nationwide car since a change in the size of the tire would require teams to change the chassis. Goodyear says the new tire might be an inch or two taller and wider in order to handle the high right-side loads of the new car, but Balash says the series may move ahead with the new model anyway.(Scene Daily)(2-20-2009
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Courtesy of The Hot Lap
http://www.TheHotLap.com
JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 3rd How was your race car tonight? “The GameStop Toyota went through a lot today. We had a hole punched in the nose about halfway through the race and we had to fix that. It never was the same after that. Just kept working on it and working on it and the last pit stop we got it fairly close. Obviously, not good enough to win. Probably one more pit stop would have been a lot better. The guys did a great job today overcoming all that stuff and doing a great job.” How do you feel after tonight’ third-place finish? “I needed a good, solid finish and something. This is what we needed. I had a lot of fun out there. I tried to get (Kevin) Harvick there at the end — and you get a run and then you get beat on the bottom as you run down the straightaway. Your run gets a little too late at the time.” How did you and your team manage to overcome so much tonight? “They did awesome. We didn’t even know it happened really. Just overcame it really. We came in and made our pit stop and said; ‘Oh, we have a hole in the nose.’ We had to come back in and fix it and all that stuff. It’s just from a piece of debris, sometimes it happens like that. To overcome that was big. Definitely what we needed. With Dave (Rogers, crew chief) coming back and having a solid run with him back is just what the doctor ordered.
Quotes from Brendan Gaughan, top finishing rookie at California “Ninth and 10th for Rusty Wallace Racing. It’s a damn fine feeling to be the Raybestos Rookie of the Race once again [smiles]. Top-10 and a great points night. Some of the guys I saw had some accidents that were in front of us in the points so getting out of Daytona as well as we did is playing right into the whole strategy for me going into Daytona starting this season: get through there, don’t dig a hole, let the South Point Chevy Impalas do their job at California and Vegas. The next race is my home, baby and we’re taking that same race car. It was ninth here and it’s going to be better in Vegas.” YOU RAN IN THE TOP-10 ALL NIGHT AT A TRACK THAT USUALLY FAVORS THE BIGGER TEAMS. THAT MUST BE ENCOURAGING TO YOU. “Rusty Wallace has a great race team. My car chief is Shane Huffman, who has got a ton of experience and he wants to show everybody that not only was he a great race car driver but he can be an even better team player and he is just doing a whale of a job for me. All the guys at the shop, like I said, this is a one team race team that has two race cars. And they act that way, they treat it that way and that is the biggest difference.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Z-Lines Design Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: Q: 1st What does it mean to get this win with Joe Gibbs Racing? “It’s awesome you know. I want to thank Z-Line Designs, Toyota, the fans, NOS Energy Drink, Interstate Batteries and all the guys that make it possible. This is just a blast. To run like that here and to beat guys like Carl (Edwards) and Kevin (Harvick) — it’s pretty special. To win here twice in one day is even more special. I wouldn’t be able to do it without all these guys. Everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing on the Nationwide side, Cup side — everybody. I love driving for Joe Gibbs (team owner) — he’s awesome. And J.D. (Gibbs) — he’s great, too. You can’t ever fault a nybody or have any faults when you’re sitting here in victory lane. That thing was just flawless and I can’t thank them enough. It was great to have Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) back, that really means a lot to us. We just get through practice quicker. Before, we’d have to text him or call him or whatever and get changes made. But, now we can just buzz right through practice. Like last night, we only used 15 minutes of the second one.”
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C A M P I N G * W O R L D * T R U C K * S E R I E S
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Courtesy of Jayski
http://www.jayski.com
Kyle Busch wins at California: Pole-sitter #51-Kyle Busch dominated over the field at Auto Club Speedway to win the San Bernardino 200. Busch led all but two of the green flag laps to pick up his second victory in a row in California. Rounding out the top ten were; #30-Todd Bodine, #07-Chad McCumbee, #24-David Starr, #11-T.J. Bell, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #88-Matt Crafton, #4-Ricky Carmichael, #17-Timothy Peters, #9-Max Papis. There were 4 lead changes among 3 drivers and 2 cautions for 8 laps. Complete race results are posted on the California Race Page.(Unofficial)(2-21-2009)
http://www.jayski.com/cts/next/2009/2california2009.htm#results
Race Awards:
Featherlite “Most Improved Driver” Award: Chad Mccumbee, #07 (16 Places)
Keystone Light Pole Award: Kyle Busch, #51 (174.161 mph)
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Kyle Busch, #51
Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race: Todd Bodine, #30
O’Reilly People, Service and Performance Award: Todd Bodine, #30 (202.406 seconds)
Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award: Ricky Carmichael, #4
Sunoco Diamond Performance: Kyle Busch, #51
(NASCAR PR)(2-21-2009)
Busch leads driver point standings: #51-Kyle Busch is now on top of the driver point standings with 370, just five points ahead of second place #30-Todd Bodine. Rounding out the top ten are; #88-Matt Crafton, #17-Timothy Peters, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #11-T.J. Bell, #5-Mike Skinner, #07-Chad McCumbee, #24-David Starr, #7-J.R. Fitzpatrick. Complete driver point standings are posted on the California Race Page.(Unofficial)(2-21-2009)
http://www.jayski.com/cts/next/2009/2california2009.htm#standings
Owner point standings: following the San Bernardino County 200 at Auto Club Speedway are posted on the California Race Page.(Unofficial)(2-21-2009)
http://www.jayski.com/cts/next/2009/2california2009.htm#owner
DiCarlo to enter at least five more truck races this season: Gabi DiCarlo, the Phoenix, Arizona native finished 19th in the San Bernadino County 200 and arguably completed all of her goals in the first of at least six confirmed NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events this season. Additional NCTWS events for DiCarlo this season include Martinsville Speedway, The Milwaukee Mile, Iowa Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and her hometown track of Phoenix International Raceway. The team may swap New Hampshire Motor Speedway for O’Reilly Raceway Park.(Catchfence.com)(2-22-2009)
Carmichael’s next race – Kansas: During a post-race interview on Fox/TV, Ricky Carmichael said his next race in the #4 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevy would be at Kansas Speedway [April 25th]. Carmichael posted an 8th place finish at California in just his second series start.(2-21-2009)
NASCAR tweaks fueling rule for trucks: NASCAR has tweaked the pit-stop rules for Camping World Truck Series teams as it will force them to use one crewman to fuel the car instead of giving them option of using two crewmen. NASCAR instituted a rule this year that allowed only five crewmen over the wall on a pit stop, and a team can no longer change tires and fuel the car on the same stop. In the past, when teams were allowed to change tires and fuel the car on the same stop with a limit of seven crew members, teams would use five crewmen to change tires, one to fuel the car and one to hold the catch can for fuel overflow. But with the new rule, some teams last week used two crewmen to fuel the car at Daytona International Speedway since they had an extra person available and it takes two gas cans of fuel to fill the tank. When one can was emptied, the first fuel man would move away from the car and the second crewman would be standing by with another gas can to finish the fueling. Tweaking the rule this week, NASCAR will allow only one crewman to fuel the car, so teams will have to go back to the original method of the fuel man handing the empty gas can to a crew member across the pit wall and have the second gas can given to him to finish fueling the car. NASCAR announced the rule change during the prerace drivers meeting Saturday morning at Auto Club Speedway in California.(SceneDaily.com)(2-21-2009)
GEICO, who is kicking off a four-year relationship with world-class driver Max Papis in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, is prepping their guy by providing him the opportunity to hop in the #9 GEICO Toyota Tundra this weekend in Fontana, CA, for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. A week from now in Las Vegas, Papis and the Germain Racing team will be attempting to qualify for the first of twenty Sprint Cup Series races slated for the #13 GEICO Toyota Camry this season. . On Tuesday, luck came calling and GEICO provided funding to help give Bodine and his Germain Racing team the opportunity to participate in Saturday’s San Bernardino County 200.(GEICO Racing/Player Mgmt. PR)(2-20-2009)
Dwayne Gaulding, who has been GunBroker.com’s point man for its racing sponsorship the last few years, says his company has opted to own its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams this year instead of being a sponsor. The online business bought a few trucks from the defunct Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia team and is getting motors from Joey Arrington. The other trucks have come from other organizations, and Gaulding bought a hauler and more equipment from Haas CNC Racing. Jason White will drive the entire season in the team’s #23 truck, Gaulding said, and he plans for Wayne Edwards to do the same in the #22 truck. The #21 truck will be part time. It had Dennis Setzer driving it in Daytona and has Marc Mitchell in the seat for the race this weekend at Auto Club Speedway in California. Doug Howe moved to the team from SS Green Light to be the crew chief for White. “We wanted to get our feet wet in here as owning teams in the Camping World Truck Series, and next year we’d like to own one full-time truck and focus on that one truck,” Gaulding said. “You have to field other trucks to help get a little bit of knowledge. The ultimate goal is to run a team in the Nationwide Series.”(SceneDaily.com)(2-20-2009)
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Courtesy of TruckSeries.Com
http://www.truckseries.com
Busch Smokes Field In Fontana
02-21-2009 | TruckSeries.com Report
Busch Dominates California It wasn’t even close. With a No. 51 Toyota truck that absolutely dominated the competition Saturday at Auto Club Speedway, polesitter Kyle Busch streaked to a 9.023-second victory over Todd Bodine, last week’s winner at Daytona, in the San Bernardino County 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race
http://www.truckseries.com/cgi-script/NCTS_09/articles/000001/000145.htm
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Chad McCumbee big gainer in Truck Series
Rotoworld.com – USA
Chad McCumbee makes the most improvement in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series after the race at the Auto Club Speedway. McCumbee started 12th in the …
http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NAS&id=306&line=9265&spln=1
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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/022109.html
Earnhardt Jr. Shows Frustrations At Daytona
by Brenda Benedict
Insider Racing News
http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/KR/022209.html
Again, The Question Of “Are Drivers Athletes?” Comes Up
by Kim Roberson
The Nascar Insiders
The NASCAR Week That Was: Feb. 15-21
After months of anxiety and anticipation, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season kicked off.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNascarInsiders/~3/545060474/
Insider Racing News
http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/RF/022309.html
Kenseth’s Crew Pulls Out Win Over Gordon
by Ron Felix
Insider Racing News
http://insiderracingnews.com/Writers/MP/022309.html
A Ride on the Wild Side
by Matthew Pizzolato
RaceTalkRadio.com:
Put Cal Speedway Out of Our Misery (And Other Random Thoughts from a Mad Man) by Dennis Michelsen
http://www.racetalkradio.com/soz/id231.htm
The Nascar Insiders
Bored With The TV Broadcast?
Do you get bored watching the race on TV? Well you’re not alone.
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheNascarInsiders/~3/545671112/
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T V * L I S T I N G S
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Courtesy of Jayski
http://www.jayski.com/pages/tv.htm
Mon Feb 23
2:00 am SPEED Report
4:00 am NASCAR Victory Lane SPEED
8:00 am NASCAR Victory Lane SPEED
9:00 am Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain SPEED
12:00 pm NCWTS: San Bernardino County 200 (re-air) SPEED
5:00 pm NASCAR Now ESPN2
5:00 pm 1985 Valleydale 500 ESPNC
8:00 pm This Week in NASCAR SPEED
Tue Feb 24
12:00 am NASCAR Now ESPN2
12:00 am This Week in NASCAR SPEED
8:00 am This Week in NASCAR SPEED
9:00 am SportsCentury – Al Unser Sr. ESPNC
5:00 pm NASCAR Now ESPN2
Wed Feb 25
12:00 am NASCAR Now ESPN2
12:00 pm NSCS Daytona 500 Replay SPEED
5:00 pm NASCAR Now ESPN2
Jayski does not list all the programming offered by SPEED; for complete listings go to their website, http://www.speedtv.com/schedule/
Always CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS!
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