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Better late than never… KUDOS to Heather for filling in on Friday… my Internet connection died for a couple of days, then miraculously started working again (prayer works!). |
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T H E * S T O C K * C A R * G A Z E T T E
by MotorSportsNews.Net
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E d i t o r ‘ s * N o t e s
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Better late than never… KUDOS to Heather for filling in on Friday… my Internet connection died for a couple of days, then miraculously started working again (prayer works!).
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Stock Car Gazette Columnists Speak Out!
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motorsportsnews.net/archives/3790
RPM to Toyota, and other car maker talks large this week
by: Doug Turnbull
A partnership with Nationwide Series Toyota team Braun Racing begins this weekend (with Elliott Sadler in the No. 10) for Richard Petty Motorsports and rumors are rampant about the future manufacturer of that team. Reports surfaced this week that RPM is considering putting marquee driver Kasey Kahne in a No. 9 Sprint Cup Series Toyota in the next month and a half, but those sources say that change likely will not happen midseason.
For more of this writer, visit motorsportsnews.net/archives/category/turnbull
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motorsportsnews.net/archives/3798
Track Trash – Newbie Hampster
by: Racing Maniac
A double whammy……… a fuel race and a rain dance. What on earth did we do to deserve this??
At least we got to see The Big One (with the finger pointing directly at Jr.)
For more of this writer, visit motorsportsnews.net/archives/category/track-trash
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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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Report: Danica to Hendrick, Dale Jr to move to JR Motorsports?
If Danica Patrick does jump from the Indy Racing League to NASCAR, as increasingly appears likely, the battle for her, according to sources close to the negotiations, is down to car owners Rick Hendrick, of Chevrolet, and Jack Roush, of Ford. According to these sources, Hendrick and General Motors’ Chevrolet division are now suddenly the [...]
clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=MsyAy&m=1dt3PKRcChX3DX&b=JNEAmpkW0GuVmH35TVU4bg
EGR expects to keep Bass Pro Shops even if Truex leaves
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing President Steve Lauletta said no matter what happens with Martin Truex Jr., he expects Bass Pro Shops will remain with the organization for 2010. Truex, who drives for EGR, is expected to be announced as the 2010 full-time replacement for Michael Waltrip at Michael Waltrip Racing on July 7.
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Courtesy of www.Frontstretch.com
Sprint Cup Race Recap
Strategy Pays Off Big For Logano in New Hampshire
by Phil Allaway
In NASCAR, anything can happen during races.
On lap 180, Joey Logano blew out a left rear tire in turn 3, causing a spinout and a yellow flag. He had to make multiple pit stops under the caution (during one stop, the crew had to remove part of the tire that had wrapped itself around the left rear hub) and lost a lap.
But when Scott Speed crashed in Turn 1 on lap 189, Logano received the free pass, putting him back on the lead lap in the 32nd position. During that caution, he was one of a handful of drivers who pitted, essentially hoping and praying for rain.
In the end, Logano got his wish … and with it came one of the most surprising upsets in the sport’s history.
The leaders drove away after the restart, but having pitted back on Lap 153, they each had to make their final stops under green before long. Tony Stewart went first, pitting from the top spot on Lap 235. Mark Martin and Greg Biffle then each led a single lap before diving down pit road. That left Bobby Labonte up front for nine laps, hoping for the kindness of Mother Nature before he pitted the Ask.com Ford on lap 246. Ryan Newman then took over the point, with rain rapidly approaching the outskirts of the speedway. Things looked good for Newman, for he was actually leading when it started to sprinkle outside. But in the end, the downpour came too late for the No. 39 car; he ran out of fuel with 37 laps to go, forcing him to pit road and handing the lead to rookie Joey Logano.
A couple of laps later, NASCAR threw the yellow flag for rain on Lap 268. Crew chief Greg Zipadelli told Logano over the radio that he had “…three to five laps of fuel left under green,” more than enough to hold on at reduced speed. Logano led the field under yellow before NASCAR finally brought the cars onto pit road and threw the red flag on lap 273. Twenty minutes later, the race was called, giving the rookie his first career Sprint Cup victory in just his 20th career start. At 19 years, 1 month, and 4 days old, Logano shattered the record as the youngest Cup driver ever to visit Victory Lane, breaking Kyle Busch’s mark set at California in September of 2005.
Afterwards, the teenager was just as shocked as the 100,000 fans in the stands.
“When [the blown left rear tire] happened, I thought we were done,” Logano said after the race. “However, [Crew chief Greg Zipadelli decided to go for the fuel mileage strategy] and I was just lucky enough to be in the seat.”
Jeff Gordon, who led 64 laps on Sunday and won the race off pit road amongst the leaders on lap 235, finished second. It was easily the best performance for Gordon up front since his back problems became public in April; he fought tooth-and-nail to keep the lead on several restarts, actually getting aggravated with Kurt Busch on occasion for running him up the track while the two battled up front.
“I was so proud of the team, I didn’t feel like we were that good yesterday,” Gordon said in the post-race press conference. “We were not very good on the restarts. So we had to fight real hard or give up two spots, but man, our car was so strong after we got ten laps on the tires.”
Gordon actually proved really good on the restarts — the problem was, he just was not as good as the other leaders through turns 1 and 2. This is why he had to fight off drivers like Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart at the beginning of a run.
Behind Logano and Jeff Gordon was Kurt Busch in third. David Reutimann, who also gambled on fuel, finished fourth while point leader Tony Stewart rounded out the top 5. Another gas mileage gambler, Brad Keselowski in the No. 09 Miccosukee Chevrolet, finished sixth, followed by Kyle Busch. Sam Hornish, Jr. had a strong run and came home eighth, followed by Jimmie Johnson. Kasey Kahne rounded out the top 10.
The race was marred by a red flag on Lap 176 when Kyle Busch and Martin Truex, Jr. made contact on a restart, resulting in a wreck that wiped out half-a-dozen cars on the lead lap. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. spun his tires in front of Truex to cause the backup that led to the No. 1 car being spun. Among those involved were Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Brian Vickers, and David Ragan.
“I guess Kyle (Busch) just decided he didn’t want to lift, so I was just an innocent victim today,” complained Truex after being wrecked at his home track. “Someone spun the tires and our lane didn’t go. Kyle just lost his head like he usually does when something bad happens.”
This is the second consecutive year that the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 has been rain-shortened.
The Race To The Chase (Top 12 In Points)
Point leader Tony Stewart, running in his backup car after a practice crash on Friday, wound up leading 40 laps on Sunday and finished fifth. But despite the solid performance, since Jeff Gordon charged to second at Loudon Stewart’s lead was cut from 84 to 69 points going into Daytona on Saturday night. Jimmie Johnson, who led the most laps on Sunday, is still third in the standings, 169 off the pace. Kurt Busch, after his best finish since Phoenix in April (3rd), remains fourth but finds himself an additional 101 points in arrears. Carl Edwards holds steady to round out the top 5, but lost quite a bit of ground Sunday due to a 19th place finish. An early problem on a pit stop again cost Edwards, dropping him from the top 5 to 14th and costing him track position he never seemed to make up throughout the rest of the race.
In the second half of the top 10, Denny Hamlin moved up to 6th, just 25 points behind Edwards after a 15th place finish on Sunday. That was just barely enough to jump over Ryan Newman in the standings, as the gas mileage gamble gone wrong for the No. 39 left him languishing in 29th when the race was called. After the engine died on pit road, the team lost three laps desperately trying to restart the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet — a move which dropped Newman to a 29th place finish. Kyle Busch, after a seventh place run on Sunday (his first Top 10 since Charlotte Memorial Day weekend), moved up one place to eighth in the points… just 19 behind Newman.
Two points behind Kyle Busch is Greg Biffle in ninth. Biffle ran well at New Hampshire, but a meeting with the wall late set him back to an 18th place finish. Rounding out the top 10 is Matt Kenseth, who remained tenth in points despite dropping to 22nd on Sunday due to the rain and a rough final pit stop. Mark Martin is now two points behind Kenseth in 11th, while Juan Pablo Montoya holds steady in the final slot in the Chase on the heels of a 12th place finish in New Hampshire. Kasey Kahne climbed to within one point of the top 12 following a top 10 finish Sunday, while David Reutimann climbed to within 12 markers of the Chase cutoff after his top 5 performance on fuel. Overall, the difference between 10th and 14th in the standings is now just a miniscule 17 points with nine races remaining.
Tracking The Top 35
There was no movement into, or out of, the Top 35 as a result of this week’s race. However, the results have actually significantly widened the margin between 35th and 36th place. John Andretti, driving the Front Row Motorsports No. 34 (sponsored by Taco Bell), brought his Chevrolet home in the 16th position. This is the best ever finish by a Front Row car in the Sprint Cup Series, made possible because Andretti’s team decided to get off sequence with their pit stops — just like Logano, Reutimann, and Keselowski.
Scott Speed, whose No. 82 Red Bull team was still within striking distance of the Top 35 going into Loudon, crashed out of the event after contact with Marcos Ambrose on Lap 189. Speed wound up classified 36th at the end of the race, increasing the difference between the No. 34 and No. 82 cars to 155 points going into Daytona. This means that the No. 34 has almost a full race’s worth of points between him and the No. 82 (provided that both cars qualify for an event).
The highest finishing team outside the Top 25 in owner points on Sunday was the No. 09 for Phoenix Racing. Like Joey Logano and David Reutimann’s cars in front of him, Brad Keselowski’s team decided to press their luck and try a fuel mileage strategy late in the race. Keselowski was one of a few teams to make it to the final caution when the rains came; and when the dust settled, he was credited with a sixth place finish — his third Top 10 finish of the season in just five Cup Series starts.
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Courtesy of Google Alerts
Logano finds joy in rain, sets youth mark with first victory
USA TODAY LOUDON, NH — In becoming a Sprint Cup winner at 19 years, 1 month and 4 days, …
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Courtesy of Insider Racing News
Rain Gives Logano First Sprint Cup Win
Logano Can’t Believe His Good Fortune
It’s obviously not Christmas and it’s not Joey Logano’s birthday but he received the best gift of his young life by winning the rain shortened Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The race was red flagged with 28 laps to go and it gave Logano his first Sprint Cup Series victory and made him the youngest driver, at 19 years-old, to ever win a Sprint Cup race. Jeff Gordon was second and holding down the third spot was Kurt Busch. David Reutimann finished fourth followed by Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Sam Hornish Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne to round out the top ten. Stewart holds onto the Sprint Cup Series points lead by 69 over Jeff Gordon and 169 over third place Jimmie Johnson.
The next race on the Sprint Cup schedule – is the 18th event of 36-races for the 2009 Sprint Cup Championship. The Coke Zero 400 will be on Saturday July 4th, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race begins at approximately 8:00 PM. eastern time — with live, high-definition coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 7:30 p.m. eastern time. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128 and MRN radio.
Bass Pro Shop Will Stay With EGR
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing President Steve Lauletta said no matter what happens with Martin Truex Jr., he expects Bass Pro Shops will remain with the organization for 2010. Truex, who drives for EGR, is expected to be announced as the 2010 full-time replacement for Michael Waltrip at Michael Waltrip Racing on July 7. “I heard about that [announcement] – I have no idea [its content],” Lauletta said in the New Hampshire Motor Speedway garage. “We have not re-signed Martin for 2010.” Lauletta was fairly mum on whether the team would put current driver Aric Almirola (who started the year driving for EGR in Sprint Cup and has since been driving select Nationwide and Truck races for other teams) in the No. 1 car or someone else. “We’re not going to talk about what we’re doing and what our options are,” Lauletta said. “We’ll keep that all internal.” He said those discussions would include Bass Pro Shops. “If something happened where we didn’t re-sign Martin, then we would be having dialogue with Bass Pro on who takes the seat,” he said. “When, if that time comes, we’ll be doing that as quick as we have to.”
Robby Gordon Won’t Appeal Penalty
Driver/owner Robby Gordon says he has opted not to appeal the 50-point penalty levied against his Robby Gordon Motorsports team May 27 for having exceeded the maximum specified toe of plus or minus 1 degree during the Coca-Cola 600. Gordon was penalized 50 owner and 50 driver points, while crew chief Kirk Almquist was fined $50,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31. The driver/owner said he was going to appeal but has changed his mind and opted not to go through the NASCAR appeals process. “I’m not going to appeal,” Gordon said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when asked whether he had had his appeal. …Daily Headlines
Mayfield Fights Back
Suspended driver/owner Jeremy Mayfield denies that he has taken methamphetamines and says that because NASCAR has indefinitely suspended him for a failed drug test that he has lost the sponsorship of his race car and had to lay off 10 employees, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday. Both Mayfield and NASCAR filed several documents Thursday in preparation for a hearing next Wednesday on Mayfield’s request for a preliminary injunction to stop NASCAR from enforcing the suspension. “I have never taken methamphetamines in my life, and when accused of taking them, I immediately volunteered to give another urine sample,” Mayfield states in an affidavit that accompanies his brief in support of the injunction request. “Aegis refused my offer. … The Aegis drug test was erroneous. Their actions and those of NASCAR have eliminated my ability to show the test results were a ‘false positive.’”
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Courtesy of Jayski
Logano wins at New Hampshire: #20-Joey Logano won the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for his first career Sprint Cup race in his 20th race. Logano is the youngest driver ever to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at 19 years, 1 months, and 4 days, besting Kyle Busch who was 20 years, 4 months, 2 days old. Logano is the third first time winner in 2009, there were no first time winners in 2008, but four in 2007. #24-Gordon finished 2nd followed by #2-Busch, #00-Reutimann, #14-Stewart, #09-Keselowski, #18-Busch, #77-Hornish Jr., #48-Johnson and #9-Kahne. There were 11 cautions for 47 laps, 2 red flags [big wreck and rain] and there were 23 lead changes among 14 drivers.
For race results, awards and more, see my New Hampshire Race Results Page.(6-28-2009)
jayski.com/stats/2009/results/17nhms2009results.htm
No 301 yet: since the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was changed to the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 for the 2008 season, it has no made the 301 lap [318.458 miles] distance yet, last June the race was rained shortened to 284 laps and #2-Kurt Busch won, this year it was rain shortened to 273 laps and #20-Joey Logaono won.(6-29-2009)
UNOFFICIAL Driver Points Standings [after Infineon, race 16 of 36]:
1) #14-Tony Stewart, 2524 [1 win], finished 5th
2) #24-Jeff Gordon, 2455, -69 [1 win], 2nd
3) #48-Jimmie Johnson, 2355, -169 [2 wins], 9th
4) #2-Kurt Busch, 2254, -270 [1 win], 3rd
5) #99-Carl Edwards, 2157, -367, 19th
6) #11-Denny Hamlin, 2132, -392, 15th
7) #39-Ryan Newman, 2127, -397, 29th
#18-Kyle Busch, 2108, -416, [3 wins], 7th
9) #16-Greg Biffle, 2106, -418, 18th
10) #17-Matt Kenseth, 2054, -470, [2 wins], 22nd
11) #5-Mark Martin, 2052, -472, [3 wins], 14th
12) #42-Juan Montoya, 2049, -475, 12th
Contenders for the top-12/chase:
13) #9-Kasey Kahne, 2048, ONE point out of 12th, [1 win], 10th
14) #00-David Reutimann, 2037, -12, [1 win], 4th
15) #33-Clint Bowyer, 1955, -94, 20th
16) #31-Jeff Burton, 1941, -108, 31st
For drivers and owners points standings, see the Drivers/Owners Points Standings.(6-28-2009)
Race Fast Facts – New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
Joey Logano won the LENOX Industrial Tools 301, his first victory in 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first victory and fourth top-10 finish in 2009. Logano becomes the youngest winner in series history at 19 years, one month and four days.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in two races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Jeff Gordon (second) posted his 16th top-10 finish in 29 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It is his 12th top-10 finish in 2009.
Kurt Busch (third) posted his eighth top-10 finish in 17 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Joey Logano (first) was the highest finishing rookie.
Tony Stewart leads the point standings by 69 points over Jeff Gordon.(NASCAR Statistics)(6-28-2009)
Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Daytona:
No changes, but the spread between 35th and 36th is up to 155 points
34) #7-Gordon/Robby Gordon: 1366, +273
35) #34-Andretti/Earnhardt Ganassi: 1248, 155 points ahead of 36th
these teams/ drivers must qualify by speed but are close to the top-35:
36) #82-Speed/Red Bull: 1093, 155 points out of 35th
37) #71-Gilliland/TRG: 1009, -239
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see my Drivers/Owners Points Standings page.(6-28-2009)
www.jayski.com/stats/2009/points/17nhms2009points.htm#OWN
Kenseth to be honored at Daytona: #17-Matt Kenseth’s signature, right footprint and hand prints will now have their place in the history of Daytona International Speedway. During the upcoming Coke Zero 400 Weekend Powered By Coca-Cola, Kenseth on Friday, July 3 at 11:30am/et will participate in a question and answer session with the race fans inside Daytona 500 Experience motorsports attraction and then proceed outside where he will have his 3×3 cement block with his signature, hand prints and right foot print placed into the Daytona 500 Champion’s Walk of Fame. Kenseth, the winner of the 51st running of the Daytona 500 earlier this year, put his right foot, autograph and handprints into the cement during his Champion’s Breakfast car induction ceremonies. Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig and Daytona 500 Experience General Manager Kim Isemann will assist Kenseth in placing the block into Daytona 500 Champion’s Walk of Fame, which is located just outside the “Official Attraction of NASCAR.” Winning drivers of the Daytona 500 since 1996, the first year of operation for Daytona 500 Experience, have their hands, right foot and signature immortalized in cement in the Daytona 500 Champion’s Walk of Fame. Tickets for the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola on Saturday night, July 4 start at $40. Tickets are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(6-29-2009)
Childers and Reutimann to Each Receive a Muscle Car: On Wednesday, July 1st, at 11am/et, David Reutimann and his #00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota crew chief Rodney Childers will become proud owners of a pair of 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustangs. The keys to each car will be presented to them by Rob Kauffman, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing and owner of RK Collection LLC in Concord. How did these guys get so lucky? On the night of qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600 in May, Reutimann and Childers made a bet with Kauffman. If the two were able to bring home the Coca-Cola 600 trophy from Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Kauffman would allow both of them to take home one trophy muscle car from his RK Collection auto restoration shop. On Monday, May 25th, Reutimann was declared a first-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winner and presented with the coveted Coca-Cola 600 trophy. As Kauffman was boarding a plane to Europe simultaneously, he received a call from Victory Lane. Kauffman will hand over the two sets of keys on Wednesday – one set to Childers and one to Reutimann. RK Collection LLC [rk-collection.com] is located at 7975 Westwinds Blvd NW in Concord.(more info at MichaelWaltrip.com)(6-29-2009)
Top-5’s, Top-10’s: #24-Jeff Gordon and #14-Tony Stewart lead all drivers after 17 races in 2009 with 9 Top-5 finishes, with #48-Johnson next with 7. #14-Stewart has the most Top-10’s after 17 races with 13, followed by #24-Gordon with 12.
Two drivers have run all 17 races in 2009 and have not scored a top-10 finish: #12-Stremme and #98-Menard. Nine drivers have not scored a Top-5 and ran all 17 races: #98-Menard, #12-Stremme, #07-Mears, #42-Montoya, #1-Truex Jr., #43-Sorenson, #26-McMurray, #6-Ragan and #77-Hornish Jr.(6-28-2009)
Driver wins before age 25: Only 60 of 2,227 NASCAR Sprint Cup races for which the winner’s age is known have been won by drivers under 25:
1. Jeff Gordon, 15
1. Kyle Busch, 15 [still under 25 until May 2, 2010]
3. Kurt Busch, 7
(tie) Richard Petty, 7
5. Junior Johnson, 5
Tied with one each: Joey Logano, Bob Burdick. Bobby Hillin Jr.; Parnelli Jones; John Kieper; Terry Labonte, Ryan Newman, Bill Rexford; Fireball Roberts; Donald Thomas; Brian Vickers.(6-28-2009)
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Courtesy of Racin’ Today
Pedley: Please, No Talk About Asterisks After Logano Victory – www.racintoday.com/archives/7031
Rookie Joey Logano Zips To His First Sprint Cup Victory – www.racintoday.com/archives/7013
Pedley: Montoya Makes Point Of Telling It Like It Is – www.racintoday.com/archives/6936
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Your ad could be displayed here… very reasonable rates. E-mail Mike@MotorSportsNews.Net
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Courtesy of That’s Racin’
Rookie winner credits veteran crew chief – www.thatsracin.com/106/index.html?media_id=4815977
Spin, then win? Works for rookie Joey Logano – www.thatsracin.com/140/story/13054.html
Kurt Busch, Gordon thought their scrum was for the win – www.thatsracin.com/140/story/13094.html
Rewind | Commentary and some of the key moments – www.thatsracin.com/140/story/13106.html
Victims jump on Kyle Busch, but he accepts the blame – www.thatsracin.com/140/story/13040.html
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Courtesy of www.Valvoline.com
Yes, He REALLY Said That
Juan Pablo Montoya, on NASCAR’s new double-wide restarts. “There is always somebody that wants to prove a point. Hopefully that guy is not around you.”
I.N. Sider gives the annual Mid-Season Motorsports Exam in the new Behind [Closed] Garage Doors column, now posted at www.Valvoline.com.
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P R E S S * R E L E A S E S
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Nothing pressing today
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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
Busch wins at New Hampshire: With just under 36 laps remaining, #18-Kyle Busch took the lead from #20-Joey Logano and went on to win the Camping World RV Sales 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Logano finished second. On the last lap #32-Brian Vickers,who was running iin the 5th position, checked up while trying to pass Bliss and got hit from behind by teammate, Scott Speed, causing Vickers to spin. Vickers wound up with a 12th place finish. Rounding out the top ten were; #88-Brad Keselowski, #1-Mike Bliss, #33-Kevin Harvick, #60-Carl Edwards, #16-Greg Biffle, #99-Scott Speed, #6-Erik Darnell, #38-Jason Leffler. There were 3 cautions for 15 laps and 11 lead changes among 5 leaders.
New Hampshire Race Fast Facts:
Kyle Busch won the Camping World RV Sales 200 presented by Turtle Wax, his 26th victory in 154 NASCAR Nationwide Series races.
This is his fifth victory and 13th top-10 finish in 2009.
This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in four races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch is the 23rd different winner in 23 series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Joey Logano (second) posted his first top-10 finish in one races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It is his 10th top-10 finish in 2009.
Brad Keselowski (third) posted his second top-10 finish in two races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Erik Darnell (ninth) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 162 points over Carl Edwards.
(NASCAR Statistics)(6-27-2009)
Driver standings following New Hampshire:
#18-Kyle Busch, 2581
#60-Carl Edwards, 2419 -162
#88-Brad Keselowski, 2338 -243
#38-Jason Leffler, 2262 -320
#20-Joey Logano, 2040 -541
#1-Mike Bliss, 1910 -671
#12-Justin Allgaier, 1864 -717
#62-Brendan Gaughan, 1844 -737
#66-Steve Wallace, 1823 -758
#27-Jason Keller, 1810 -771
Kerry Earnhardt gets sponsor for Daytona: Rick Ware Racing announced that Liberty Port, a value added distributor of IT & Telecommunications products, has joined the organization as the primary sponsor for the #31 with Kerry Earnhardt. Liberty Port’s product portfolio includes routers, switches, servers, and security solutions designed for customers of all sizes. Due to the diverse nature of their products, Liberty Port is able to cater to large customers within the financial, education, and commercial development sectors, while still providing cost effective solutions for intermediary businesses.(Rick Ware PR), see an image of the car on the #31 Team paint scheme page.(6-29-2009)
www.jayski.com/schemes/2009/nationwide/31nationwide.htm
JTG needs sponsorship for McDowell: JTG Daugherty Racing doesn’t have enough sponsorship to continue running #47-Michael McDowell beyond next week’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway, team co-owner Tad Geschickter said Saturday. The team has sponsorship for Marcos Ambrose for the two Nationwide road-course events later this season but beyond that, Geschickter is not sure how many races the #47 car will run over the second half of the season. Tom’s snack company has sponsored the car for much of the first half of the season. Geschickter said the organization is concentrating on its Sprint Cup effort with driver Ambrose. The team is imbedded with Michael Waltrip Racing as part of a technical alliance. Whether that MWR relationship continues remains to be seen. “As far as what we’re doing next year, we haven’t started discussions with them yet,” Geschickter said. “We’ll have to renegotiate for the next year. … They’ve done a really good job. The secret’s been that we have integrated our people into their shop.”(SceneDaily)(6-28-2009)
Milwaukee owes NASCAR for races: The race promoter for the Milwaukee Mile owes NASCAR money stemming from the races last weekend, and the Indy Racing League won’t say whether it has been paid yet for its event in May. The Mile hosted the Camping World Truck Series Copart 200 and the Nationwide Series NorthernTool.com 250 last Saturday. Claude Napier, head of Wisconsin Motorsports, did not disclose attendance numbers Friday but said the turnout for the truck race was low. As for the Nationwide Series race, Napier said it was in excess of 35,000 fans. Napier acknowledged that the track would lose money this year. Asked for details, Napier said: “I don’t want to get into specifics about what we owe and what we don’t owe. We are working very closely with NASCAR and in particular we are working on the future.” Ramsey Poston, a NASCAR spokesman, said in a statement that, “despite having a terrific day of NASCAR racing last Saturday there remain outstanding issues which concern NASCAR. As a matter of policy I won’t get into the specifics of our business dealings. However, I can say we are working closely with the track management to resolve outstanding issues.” The competitors were paid, according to a Charlotte Observer story.(Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)(6-27-2009)
NASCAR announced the addition of “Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style” throughout each race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Beginning next weekend at Daytona International Speedway, the first- and second-place cars will line up side-by-side as the green flag is displayed for each restart.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series will use the same double-file restart format as NASCAR Sprint Cup. The race leader will have the option to restart on the inside or outside lane. The second-place car then restarts next to the leader. Regardless of the leader’s starting position, cars in odd-number positions (3rd, 5th, 7th places, etc.) will restart on the inside lane, while those in even-number positions (4th, 6th, 8th places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps remaining in the race.
\ The first-place car will continue to control the timing of restarts in a designated zone on the track, while the rest of the cars are to stay in line until they reach the start/finish line. The first eligible car a lap or more down will continue to earn one lap back following a caution, which is known as the “free pass.” Also, the “free pass” will remain in effect the entire race instead of being eliminated with 10 or fewer laps to go in the event.
Lapped cars choosing to remain on the track will be “waved around” the caution car and will restart the race in respective track position, thereby picking up a lap on the leader, provided the leader also pits. This will also remove lapped cars from behind the pace car, allowing the leaders to take the green without interference.(NASCAR PR)(6-26-2009)
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Courtesy of The Hot Lap
Jun 29 NASCAR Nationwide Series:Excerpt from mtorsports journalist, Gordon Kirby-A few weeks ago NASCAR officials flew to Germany to meet with the Volkswagen Group which has been looking at competing in the IRL IndyCar series when its new formula begins in 2011. But NASCAR has stepped in to try to convince Volkswagen (which includes Audi and, of course, Porsche, too) that the Sprint Cup series would offer a much more powerful marketing platform.Read more (gordonkirby.com) (06-29-09)
gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2009/the_way_it_is_no190.html
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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
Hornaday wins at Memphis: #33-Ron Hornaday set a blistering pace throughout most of the race, but a caution with less than six laps remaining brought about a green-white-checkered finish to tighten the field. Hornaday, the master of the restart, had a brief challenge from #16-Brian Scott, but hung on to win the MemphisTravel.com 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park. This was Hornaday’s second win in a row for both the season and at Memphis, and a series high number of wins at Memphis [3]. It was also Hornaday’s 42nd series career win. Scott finished second. Rounding out the top ten were; #24-David Starr, #15-Aric Almirola, #88-Matt Crafton, #5-Mike Skinner, #17-Timothy Peters, #13-Johnny Sauter, #6-Colin Braun, #30-Todd Bodine. There were 6 lead changes among 5 drivers and 6 cautions for 20 laps.
Hornaday leads drive point standings: #33-Ron Hornaday Jr. continues to lead the driver point standings with 1713, and 76 points ahead of second place #88-Matt Crafton. Rounding out the top ten are; #5-Mike Skinner, #30-Todd Bodine, #24-David Starr, #16-Brian Scott, #81-Tayler Malsam, #25-Terry Cook, #14-Rick Crawford, #6-Colin Braun.
ORP next race for Bainey; embarking on personal appearance tour: Tim Bainey Jr. and the #00 Aaron’s Lucky Dog NASCAR Truck Series Team will embark on a “First-of-its-Kind” Personal Appearance Tour in 2009. They will be hitting the road in style with the all new “Aaron’s Dream Team Express presented by Karolina Koaches” for a 60+ Schedule of Personal Appearances by Tim Jr – a schedule that will see the driver of the Aaron’s Lucky Dog Truck make stops nationwide in an effort to get out and meet as many NASCAR Racing Fans as he can along the way. Bainey’s next appearance on track is scheduled to be the AAA Insurance 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis on July 24, 2009. “We’re running between 5-7 races this season, so that we can maintain our rookie status for next year. Our goal on the track is for me to get some seat time in these trucks, as well as our crew getting acquainted with the series,” said Bainey.(Tim Bainey Jr. PR)(6-29-2009)
The future of series in doubt? UPDATE: NASCAR VP says series strong: Promoter Bruton Smith and NASCAR president Mike Helton are reported to be meeting Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway over the uncertain future of NASCAR’s Truck series, with increasing speculation that the tour – 25 races this season, on 16 Sprint Cup tour tracks and seven other tracks – will be severely cut next season. Indeed even the survival of the Truck series, which was created in 1995 by the late Bill France Jr. as a budget-priced ‘proving ground’ for new car owners, new sponsors and new drivers, has been questioned. General Motors, Ford and Dodge have all withdrawn financial support of the Truck tour and the Nationwide tour, leaving only Toyota officially involved. Toyota officials have reportedly decided to drop their financial support too, though Toyota racing boss Lee White insists no decision has been made. One suggestion to help save the Truck series has been for the four NASCAR car makers to work together to design an inexpensive ’spec’ Truck engine, to cut costs. Another suggestion has been a ‘common’ engine for all three NASCAR touring series.(mikemulhern.net)(6-27-2009)
UPDATE: During an interview on SPEEDtv’s NCTWS setup program, NASCAR VP Steve O’Donnell said the state of the series is “really strong.” O’Donnell stated that NASCAR officials met with team owners earlier this year to help out the racing with some rule changes, they have been working with the teams, and that the series puts on the “best racing”. When asked about double-file restarts, O’Donnell said that the series has two weeks off following Memphis, and that NASCAR will continue to look at it. [Also heard that O'Donnell addressed the state of the series during the Drivers Meeting in Memphis, assuring teams that NASCAR is full speed ahead for 2010. He also said that NASCAR is excited by new owners and drivers and the new tracks coming on line next year.](6-27-2009)
New tire transfer rule: During the prerace show on SPEEDtv, Krista Voda announced that NASCAR has implemented a new tire transfer rule. In an effort to save money, NASCAR will allow teams to transfer one set of four tires from one track to another as long as they are the same combination i.e. Memphis and Milwaukee use the same combination. As a result, some teams were able to take advantage of this new initiative at Memphis.(6-27-2009)
Camping World executive happy with Truck sponsorship: Camping World is happy with its first year of sponsorship of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the company’s director of motorsports said Friday. “We definitely are [happy with it],” said Camping World’s Kurt Hunt prior to the Camping World East Series race Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “The vital signs are good there. The TV numbers, at a time when the numbers [of other series] aren’t as strong as people would like them to be, are strong there. The truck count is strong and we’re seeing first-time winners.” On reports that his company wants to get out of the series sponsorship, Hunt said they “certainly are untrue.” Camping World hasn’t necessarily had the presence that former sponsor Craftsman had at the track and Camping World representatives have not been out front and center at many events. Hunt said there will be a major promotion soon that will be announced for the late summer and fall. “One of the things that probably helped fuel some rumors was the fact that we were getting away from sponsoring on-track with individual teams and drivers,” said Hunt, whose team ended its sponsorship of Kevin Harvick Inc. when it assumed the truck series entitlement. “That’s a tremendous duplication and an unnecessary duplication. We’re not as out there. There were races where sometimes we had two or three cars in the same race. You go from being way exposed on an on-track sense to changing your program to being a series sponsor and … it’s really just a change in philosophy for us.”(SceneDaily.com)(6-27-2009)
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A R C A (Automobile Racing Club of America)
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Courtesy of ARCA
Kligerman, Sheltra, ESR, RCR, Win Tron & More on the Way to Iowa Speedway for Open Test Tuesday
NEWTON IA (6-28-09) – Penske development driver/rookie Parker Kligerman leads the parade of testers en route to Newton, Iowa for Tuesday’s June 30th ARCA RE/MAX Series open test at Iowa Speedway.
www.arcaracing.com/news.cfm?contentid=8224
From the Basement to the High-Banks of Daytona, Independent Darrell Bashman Grinds Away……
SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS (6-27-09) – It’s nearly always the guys winning races and championships who garner the majority of the headlines. But there are also other great stories to tell, like Henryville, Indiana’s Darrell Basham, who made his first ARCA RE/MAX Series start in 1972. Some 240 series starts later, he’s still here, busting his knuckles over his own cars – doing it the hard way. But at 60 years young, still doing it nonetheless.
www.arcaracing.com/news.cfm?contentid=8221
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U S A R (United Speed Alliance Racing)
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Courtesy of USAR
Rookie Lucas Ransone Grabs First Career Pro Cup Series Win at Lanier National Speedway
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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
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/DD/062509.html
Is Toyota Taking On Role Of NASCAR Savior?
by Doug Demmons
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/RG/062609.html
David Poole’s Legacy
by Rebecca Gladden
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/NB/062609.html
Brad Keselowski Is A Wanted Man, And He’s Loving His Options
by Nick Blake
The Nascar Insiders
It Can’t Be All Racing All The Time
I love racing. And when I say that, I mean I LOVE racing.
feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNascarInsiders/~3/rv8Cyq3-mx8/
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/BB/062709.html
Tidal Wave of Forces Affecting NASCAR
by Brenda Benedict
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/KR/062809.html
An Odd and Beautiful Sight, Richard Petty In Victory Lane
by Kim Roberson
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/RF/062909.html
Rain and Crew Chief Decisions Make Logano Cup’s Youngest Winner
by Ron Felix
Insider Racing News
insiderracingnews.com/Writers/MP/062909.html
Could Danica Patrick Succeed in NASCAR?
by Matthew Pizzolato
RaceTalkRadio.com:
Other Rules Changes NASCAR Should Consider, (An Earnhardt Rule Too?) by Dennis Michelsen
www.racetalkradio.com/soz/id289.htm
The Nascar Insiders
Wait, Now You’re Angry That A Start-And-Parker Pulled Out?
There was a small-ish story line from this weekend that most of the media ignored, but that some of the fans certainly noticed.
feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheNascarInsiders/~3/ZFSMGshPnAE/
NASCAR Smarts: One and a Half Thumbs Up!
www.racejournalonline.com/index.php?page=read&article=445
Ralph Sheheen And Double-File Restarts Save Loudon
dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2009/06/ralph-sheheen-and-double-file-restarts.html
Saturday’s Classy TV Presentation Of Two Struggling Series
dalyplanet.blogspot.com/2009/06/saturdays-classy-tv-presentation-of-two.html
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Used Honda Civic
