It’s a bit on the wild side, and a lot of things that wouldn’t be acceptable in a Cup race are otherwise tolerated. Yet it fills the gap the week prior to the Daytona 500 and draws fans in for something beyond the ARCA 200. Many fans are in the Sunshine State to escape the winter doldrums of the northern climes and looking for something good. Like one of the Fox Network talking heads said “Nobody remembers who finished second in The Shootout. Only the winner.”
The fact that the Bud Shootout is loaded with hype sort of reinforces our point. It’s just plain old fashioned entertainment as it’s a different event and comes at the right time after a three month winter hiatus. Not to mention it’s a prelude to the Daytona 500 with the the same drivers performing in live prime time Saturday night TV coverage on Fox.
Kyle Busch’s win in an eleventh hour slingshot move on Tony Stewart to take the checkers proves that this type of racing is just entertainment. Kyle is the anti-hero as well as a talented and capable driver. But when a championship is on the line, Kyle just can’t seem to close the door, thus far. Nevertheless, you can’t count him out especially when he was able to “horse” his wrinkled car to a win.
The after stories of the Bud Shootout indicate that tandem racing is out and bunched up cars in the restrictor plate races are back but with it lots of wrecks. Not so fast though – we think that events like the Daytona 500 may prove that the tandem dance routine may be back a bit due to that long, drawn out, race.
The pre-season media pick that Jimmie Johnson will be back on his winning game in 2012 could be a bit premature. I say, let’s hold up a bit rather than jumping to conclusions. Consider that his crew chief Chad Knaus got caught for rules infractions. And he may be suspended for a while and fined. Probably both because it’s happened to him before. It also means that when JJ’s mount goes through the NASCAR tech line, the inspectors will be peering very closely at it. Suspecting that there’s other illegal parts.
On the ARCA 200 under card, Bobby Gerhart, among others, took advantage of the check-up on the part of race leader Brandon McReynolds and breezed to another win. Over the years, the ARCA race has gone from virtually a demo derby at Daytona into a carefully skillful run by experienced senior ARCA stalwarts along with the newbies who are part of the NASCAR development programs. Add the fact that the ARCA officials seem to be watching for drivers who could be in over their heads in that annual performance at DIS.
Three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Ray Evernham is returning to ESPN as a NASCAR analyst for the 2012 season.
Evernham will join ESPN’s team at Daytona Speedweeks and will be part of NASCAR Countdown before the NASCAR Nationwide Series race that airs on ESPN on Saturday, Feb. 25, at noon ET. He also will appear on NASCAR Now and SportsCenter from Daytona as ESPN’s multimedia platforms surround the opening of the NASCAR season.
Evernham, who won three championships and 47 races as crew chief for Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports, will be an analyst on NASCAR Countdown for many of the 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races that will appear on ESPN networks in the second half of the season. In addition to his work on NASCAR Now and SportsCenter, he will help call several NASCAR Nationwide Series races from the booth.
Evernham was an analyst for ESPN from 2008-2010 but left prior to the 2011 season when he took a consulting position with Hendrick Companies, a management company that oversees strategic initiatives for chairman Rick Hendrick, who also owns Hendrick Motorsports. “I chose to take a year off from ESPN out of respect for ESPN and Hendrick Motorsports,” said Evernham. “I didn’t want to create any perceived conflict of interest while I got my bearings at Hendrick and didn’t want to cause distraction to either company.”
He went on, “Now that I’m settled at Hendrick Performance, I don’t have any involvement on the racing side of the operations and it frees me from any conflict with NASCAR teams. Mr. Hendrick and I have worked out an agreement that allows me to return to the ESPN team.” Evernham has a history with ESPN dating back to 2000, when he appeared as an analyst on ESPN and ABC’s coverage of the IROC Series and some NASCAR races. In 2007, he was a guest analyst on NASCAR Countdown for several NASCAR Nationwide Series telecasts and was featured in Race Wizard with Ray Evernham, a program that aired on ESPN2.
“I’m glad to be coming back to ESPN,” Evernham said. “I really enjoy the team camaraderie at ESPN and I’m very much at home with this group from my previous three years, Stock car racing is my passion and I’m looking forward to being back involved. I’m excited about the momentum NASCAR has going into the 2012 season.”
Evernham, who raced Modifieds in his native New Jersey, rose to prominence in NASCAR after hanging up his helmet and becoming a crew chief. After his championships with Gordon and Hendrick in the 1990s, he started his own team to coincide with Dodge’s return to the top level of NASCAR racing in 2001. He sold the race team in 2007.
With the return of Evernham, ESPN will again have five former NASCAR champions as analysts, including 1989 NASCAR Sprint Cup driving champion Rusty Wallace, 1999 champion Dale Jarrett and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chiefs Tim Brewer and Andy Petree. “We welcome Ray back to the team and look forward to enhancing our coverage of NASCAR with the knowledge and expertise he brings to the table,” said Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production. “He’s a solid professional and a well-respected voice in the sport.”
ESPN’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage begins with the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 29.
The Darrell Gwynn Foundation will host its annual “Track Walk For Those Who Can’t” at the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals at the Gainesville Raceway on Sunday, March 11 at 9:30 a.m. During pre-race ceremonies following the track walk, the foundation will donate a custom powered wheelchair to an individual in need. The Darrell Gwynn Foundation’s mission is to support people living with paralysis and prevent spinal cord injuries.
Adding to the excitement of the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals weekend is NHRA Legend Kenny Bernstein’s historic 300 MPH Dragster which will be on display at the DGF Compound at the Gainesville Raceway. The car, driven by Bernstein and on loan from the NHRA Musuem, was the first Top Fuel Car to break the 300 MPH barrier in 1992 at the Gatornationals. Bernstein himself will be on hand on Saturday, March 10, to sign autographs for NHRA fans at the DGF Compound.
NHRA fans are invited to walk on the historic Gainesville Raceway track, meet their favorite NHRA Drivers and help the Darrell Gwynn Foundation Give the Gift of Mobility by supporting its Wheelchair Donation Program. Track Walk tickets can be purchased for a $20 donation to the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. Tickets can be purchased online at www.darrellgwynnfoundation.org/events or at the Darrell Gwynn Foundation compound located behind the Top Eliminator Grandstand at the Gainesville Raceway. NHRA Drivers that have participated in the track walk in the past include John Force, “Big Daddy” Don Garlits, Antron Brown, Tony Schumaker, Cory McClenathan, Johnny Gray, Matt Hagan, Larry Dixon, Brandon Bernstein and many more!
About a month after the end of all championships, cups and rallies around the world entered in the FIA calendar, the IRDA (International Rally Drivers Association) announces that, taking into account all the rally car models produced by various manufacturers in the world, according to the number of rallies done by all the models of each manufacturer and the number of cars classified in the top thirty positions of each rally in the world entered in the FIA calendar, the No. 1 rally car manufacturer of 2011, according to the results/standings is Mitsubishi which, entering twelve models in the competitions of the 5 continents, beats Ford which used eleven models, third place goes to Peugeot which also used a total of eleven models of cars. The RALLY CAR MANUFACTURERS WORLD RANKING comprises 23 manufacturers for a total of 132 car models
RALLY CAR MANUFACTURERS WORLD RANKING 2011
Position No. 1 MITSUBISHI 40636 points – Position No. 2 FORD 27187 points – Position No. 3 SUBARU 25940 points – Position No. 4 PEUGEOT – Position No. 5 SKODA – Position No. 6 CITROEN – Position No. 7 RENAULT – Position No. 8 ABARTH – Position No. 9 HONDA – Position No. 10 PROTON followed by 13 other car manufacturers
In the various championships, cups or FIA events the RALLY CAR MANUFACTURERS WORLD RANKING is as follows:
FIA World Rally Championship 2011
Position No. 1 Ford
No. 2 Citroen
No. 3 Mitsubishi followed by 10 other car manufacturers
Intercontinental Rally Challenge 2011
Position No. 1 Skoda
No. 2 Peugeot
No. 3 Mitsubishi followed by 9 other car manufacturers
FIA European Rally Championship 2011
Position No. 1 Peugeot
No. 2 Skoda
No. 3 Mitsubishi followed by 13 other car manufacturers
FIA Asia – Pacific Rally Championship 2011
Position No. 1 Mitsubishi
No. 2 Proton
No. 3 Subaru followed by 4 other car manufacturers
FIA African Rally Championship 2011
Position No. 1 Subaru
No. 2 Mitsubishi
No. 3 Ford followed by 3 other car manufacturers
FIA South American Rally Championship 2011
Position No. 1 Mitsubishi
No. 2 Peugeot
No. 3 Ford followed by 4 other car manufacturers
FIA Central American Rally Championship 2011
Position No. 1 Mitsubishi
No. 2 Renault
No. 3 Peugeot followed by 5 other car manufacturers
FIA Middle East Rally Championship 2011
Position No. 1 Mitsubishi
No. 2 Ford
No. 3 Subaru followed by 5 other car manufacturers
FIA European Rally Cups 2011
Position No. 1 Skoda
No. 2 Mitsubishi
No. 3 Peugeot followed by 13 other car manufacturers
FIA Rally Non Championship Events 2011
Position No. 1 Mitsubishi
No. 2 Renault
No. 3 Subaru followed by 14 other car manufacturers
FIA Rally Restricted Events 2011
Position No. 1 Renault
No. 2 Mitsubishi
No. 3 Citroen followed by 7 other car manufacturers
FIA Rally Zone Events 2011
Position No. 1 Mitsubishi
No. 2 Subaru
No. 3 Citroen followed by 14 other car manufacturers
Starting the 2012 season off with a bang, the wheel-to-wheel, handlebar-banging action of AMA Pro Flat Track’s season-opening doubleheader on the quarter-mile lime rock DAYTONA Flat Track will once again be recapped in a one-hour same-weekend broadcast on SPEED. This year, however, the stars of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com Expert Singles division have been moved up to primetime in a broadcast that is scheduled to begin Saturday evening, March 17 at 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT).
“We’re thrilled with the Saturday evening timeslot which SPEED has graciously scheduled for the AMA Pro Flat Track broadcast from Daytona Beach,” said David Atlas, Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. “As anyone who has attended an AMA Pro Flat Track event knows, the stellar athletes that participate in this sport never disappoint. We’re once again ready to put on a show that is sure to thrill audiences across America.”
The 2012 AMA Pro Flat Track season will kick off as part of the historic Daytona 200 Week. The AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com Expert Singles and AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles divisions take to the track in a set of one-day events on March 15 and 16, 2012 at the DAYTONA® Flat Track, located just outside of the Daytona International Speedway’s east banking.
Advance tickets go on sale February 17 at 10:00 am EST, for the return of the Lucas Oil Indy Mile AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National at the legendary Indy Mile track at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana on Saturday, August 18, 2012. The Lucas Oil Indy Mile returns as a featured event of the Indiana State Fair, and again coincides with the Red Bull Indianapolis GP weekend. Activities for the Twins division of the AMA Pro Harley-Davidson Insurance Grand National Championship presented by Motorcycle-Superstore.com and AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com Pro Singles will be begin with gates opening at 2:00pm, timed-qualifying from 3:00 pm-5:00 pm, opening ceremonies 7:00 pm with the first race at 7:30 pm.
The bright lights of the “World Center of Racing” will shine on the stars of NASCAR’s regional and touring series, as NASCAR announced today Daytona International Speedway will host the inaugural “UNOH Battle At The Beach” on Feb. 18-19, 2013.
The two-days of racing will be headlined by three non-points special events: the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, NASCAR Whelen Modified tours, and the Late Model division of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
A temporary oval will be set up on Daytona’s Superstretch to host the races, It is tentatively slated to be approximately .4-mile.
“This is all about the stars of tomorrow vying for glory at Daytona International Speedway,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president of regional and touring series. “During two days and nights of intense competition, fans will be able to see today’s aces of short track racing and some great young talent.”
The event will include live coverage on SPEED.
The process for setting the field for the 2013 UNOH Battle At The Beach will be:
· Winners of the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West events as well as the series champions will automatically be locked into that series’ race at Daytona next year.
· Similarly, winners of the 2012 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour or NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour races and series champions will be locked into the Modified race next February at Daytona.
· The top 10 finishers in the 2012 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division I national standings will earn a protected starting spot in the 2013 Late Model race.
· In addition, the champions of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Toyota Series from Mexico, and Euro Racecar NASCAR Touring Series in 2012 will earn a protected starting spot in whichever one of the three 2013 Daytona races they choose to run.
· The remaining spots in the 2013 Daytona features will be filled through time trials and heat races during the two days of racing next February.
”Grassroots short track racing is the foundation of this great sport and we are thrilled to give these young drivers the opportunity to fight for a win at the ‘World Center of Racing,” said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood. “Many of NASCAR’s greatest stars cut their teeth on short tracks around the country and we look forward to hosting the stars of tomorrow in 2013.”
Chitwood also announced that Daytona has reached an agreement with a number of area hotels to secure special room rates for those nights next February to make it more affordable for racers and fans to attend the Battle At The Beach.
Event entitlement sponsor, the University of Northwestern Ohio, has been heavily involved with NASCAR’s grassroots racing programs. The school, which offers a degree in High Performance Motorsports, owns NASCAR-sanctioned Limaland Motorsports Park and is the sponsor of several NASCAR touring races.
Check out Jayski.com to see what else is happening this week into the weekend which is one of the biggest of the racing season.
NOTE; Information for this column came from press releases, indicated sources and personal notes.
