Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Month: June 2011

  • Armstrong Mounts Comeback Before Hometown Fans to Win at Winchester

    (WINCHESTER, Ind.) – Dakoda Armstrong needed no more inspiration to win at Winchester Speedway than that which was provided by over five dozen friends and family members seated just above the start/finish line, standing and cheering throughout the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts.

     

    Armstrong stuck in the top five for most of his first start in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards since May 15 at Toledo Speedway, and pounced upon the lead with 10 laps to go after moving into position because of a key pit decision by veteran crew chief Paul Andrews.

     

    Andrews had elected to give the No. 22 Cardinal Ethanol/ICM, Inc./Murex Dodge just two fresh tires and less than a full load of fuel on a Lap 170 pit stop, the move that the New Castle, Ind. driver said helped him to the third win of his ARCA career.

     

    “We didn’t fill all the way up, just so we’d stay a little bit free,” said Armstrong, who only entered the race Wednesday after combining enough sponsor funding to make the start possible.

     

    “We were getting a little bit tight as the night went. The car was perfect. I think a couple people started pushing through the center, and we were still rotating and could actually drive off. It was a great call, and it was a great run.”

     

    Armstrong’s start was his fifth of the year for Cunningham Motorsports. In three weeks – on his 20th birthday – Armstrong will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Iowa Speedway for ThorSport Racing.

     

    Rookie points leader Ty Dillon (No. 41 Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet) had assumed the race lead at Lap 162 when Ryan Blaney (No. 25 Lauren Briant/Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet), who had led 154 laps, suffered a flat right front tire, knocking him out of contention in his ARCA debut. Dillon seemed primed to win for the fifth time in nine races this season, using the same strategy he had taken to victory twice before in June: staying patient while the leader suffered trouble, and then advancing into the lead and running away to the checkered flag.

     

    A late two-tire stop for Dillon, though, left him with bad left tires and forced him to bottom out and drive loose in the turns, allowing Armstrong to make the pass for the lead and the eventual win on Lap 190.

     

    Earlier in the day, Blaney – the son of NASCAR and World of Outlaws veteran Dave Blaney – had sped to a Winchester ARCA qualifying record of 15.837 seconds (113.658 mph), but Dillon charged around him on the outside at the start and seized a 0.119-second lead on the first lap. Blaney stormed back inside of Dillon in the third turn of the next lap to lead for the first time in ARCA Racing Series competition.

     

    Though Chris Buescher (No. 17 David Ragan Ford/Roulo Brothers Racing Ford) challenged Dillon for second and came exceptionally close to overtaking him on Lap 7, Dillon kept the position. The early battle was a sign of things to come for Buescher and Dillon.

     

    Matt Merrell (No. 32 Champion Oil Toyota) crashed coming out of the third turn on Lap 10, with Blaney holding a 0.721-second lead. The first caution period of the race lasted four laps, and Blaney kept the lead off of the Lap 15 restart. Mike Young and Blaney’s Venturini Motorsports teammate John Blankenship both spun in separate incidents over the next 15 laps, and Blaney continued to lead out of each ensuing restart.

     

    A five-car incident involving Maryeve Dufault, Richard Harriman, Young, Levi Youster, and Darrell Basham brought the field to the red flag at Lap 37. After a seven-minute delay, the race began again, with Blaney leading the field through a small cloud of fluid-drying material laid on the track through the exit of Turn 1 and the entrance of Turn 2.

     

    With Frank Kimmel (No. 44 Ansell/Menards Ford) passing Armstrong for fourth on Lap 45 and Buescher continuing to battle Dillon for second place, Blaney began to run away from the field. Clean air in front of him helped Blaney to a 1.187-second lead by Lap 57, a 2.025-second advantage six laps later, and more than three seconds on the field by Lap 69.

     

    Tim George Jr. (No. 31 Applebee’s/Potomac Family Dining Group Chevrolet) ran sixth at the time, and Chad McCumbee (No. 1 ModSpace Ford) passed Tom Hessert (No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet) for seventh. Chad Hackenbracht (No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet) followed suit and got by Hessert at Lap 72, but Blaney continued to extend his advantage over the entire group.

     

    By the time Jared Marks crashed in Turn 2 on Lap 91, Blaney had moved his lead above four seconds. The leaders all came to pit road, though, and it was Hackenbracht who assumed the top spot after taking just two tires. George followed in second, with Blaney, Dillon, and Buescher rounding out the top five.

     

    Hackenbracht led through the halfway point of the race, but Blaney was quick to take back the lead, moving past Hackenbracht by a very slim margin on Lap 101. Three laps later, Blaney had built an advantage of more than a second on Hackenbracht, and Dillon and Buescher soon passed Hackenbracht for second and third.

     

    Blaney again built his lead over the field, and received a boost when Dillon and Buescher continued to battle. Dillon first used lapped cars as picks to keep Buescher at bay, but Buescher pulled the same trick at Lap 130, as Kimmel acted as a block to help Buescher move past Dillon for second. Meanwhile, Blaney extended his lead to nearly four seconds, and was then able to send Hackenbracht – formerly the leader – off of the lead lap.

     

    At Lap 160, Dillon passed Buescher for second, and just two laps later, Blaney’s tire blew, sending him to pit road and Dillon to the lead. Dillon created a three-second advantage as Buescher also experienced issues, but the Lap 170 pit cycle truly shaped the finish.

     

    With Armstrong having moved to second after taking just two tires, Dillon initially opened up a short lead but almost immediately saw sparks come from under his car. Armstrong closed in little by little, shortening Dillon’s lead with every lap as fans from his hometown just a 35-minute drive away stood and cheered in the center of the grandstands.

     

    Armstrong grabbed the lead at Lap 190, and drove away to a 0.9-second victory in front of his friends and family, backing up a similar home state performance achieved in his win at Salem Speedway last September.

     

    “It just couldn’t have been better,” Armstrong said. “Our sponsors had a hospitality tent, so we brought out about 60 or 70 people. You can’t get any luckier than that, to get a win when everyone’s here and it’s just 35 minutes from my home. It’s huge for us.”

     

    Buescher, who had been making the Armstrong-Dillon battle a three-man fight, passed Dillon to take second for the fourth time this season and third time in the last four races.

     

    “Let me just say that I can’t believe we’re leaving Winchester without any damage to the car; that’s a good thing,” Buescher said. “We finished second again, so we’ve got to break this little streak we have going. But it’s not bad.”

     

    After earning his way back on to the lead lap, Hackenbracht passed for third place – a fourth career-best in his last five races – and Dillon drove home fourth. Hessert finished fifth, the final driver on the lead lap.

     

    Blaney ended the race sixth, one lap down, and led McCumbee, Kimmel, Grant Enfinger (No. 36 Hoosier Tires Midwest/RaceTires.com Dodge), and Blankenship in the top 10.

     

    George finished 11th, followed by Marks, Sean Corr, Levi Youster, and Young.

     

    Though Armstrong led 11 laps, including the most important, Blaney walked away with the top total at 154 laps. Dillon led 29, and Hackenbracht led six. The race was slowed by six total cautions for 34 laps, and ended with an average speed of 77.782 mph after one hour, 17 minutes, and eight seconds.

     

    The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards returns to action after the Independence Day holiday weekend, with a race Saturday, July 9 at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Mich., just outside Grand Rapids. The Hantz Group 200 is scheduled as the 10th race of 19 on the ARCA Racing Series schedule, and will begin at 8:30 p.m. with live timing and scoring coverage provided at ARCARacing.com. The event will be the 24th for the series at Berlin since 1958.

     

    ARCA Racing Series practice begins at 2:30 p.m., and will last for 90 minutes. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell follows at 5, and the ARCA Racing Series drivers will participate in an autograph session at 6:15, just before the race. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage of all events.

     

    The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards features 19 events at 16 tracks on its 2011 schedule. The series has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series tests the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, annually visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course.

     

    Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

  • Sorenson wins at Road America

    Sorenson wins at Road America

    Reed Sorenson had enough fuel to make it to the finish line to win Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide race at Road America.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”234″][/media-credit]Justin Allgaier was leading when the final yellow flag came out on the final restart in the third attempt. But Allgaier ran out of fuel before making it to the finish line. Unable to keep pace lap speed, Allgaier surrendered the lead to Sorenson.

    At the same time, Ron Fellowes did not slow when the final yellow flag came out and passed both Sorenson and Allgaier before getting behind the pace car. Fellows appeared to have won the race until NASCAR reviewed the tapes a saw that Fellows did not slow when the caution light was displayed, giving Sorenson back the lead and the win.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Bucyrus 200, Road America
    http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=16
    =========================================
    Pos. No. Driver Make Points
    =========================================
    1 12 32 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 47
    2 5 7 Ron Fellows Chevrolet 0
    3 3 22 Jacques Villeneuve Dodge 0
    4 7 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 40
    5 25 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 40
    6 21 153 Andrew Ranger Dodge 0
    7 22 62 Michael Annett Toyota 37
    8 8 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 36
    9 17 167 J.R. Fitzpatrick Ford 35
    10 23 15 Timmy Hill * Ford 34
    11 15 30 Ricky Carmichael Chevrolet 0
    12 1 18 Michael McDowell Toyota 0
    13 18 39 Josh Wise Ford 31
    14 26 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 30
    15 13 11 Brian Scott Toyota 30
    16 24 81 Blake Koch * Dodge 28
    17 32 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 27
    18 39 70 Dennis Setzer Dodge 26
    19 14 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 26
    20 9 38 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 24
    21 19 23 Alex Kennedy Dodge 0
    22 20 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 22
    23 2 33 Max Papis Chevrolet 0
    24 28 87 Kevin Conway Toyota 0
    25 41 52 Tim Schendel Chevrolet 19
    26 6 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 19
    27 29 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 17
    28 16 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 16
    29 42 113 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 15
    30 30 141 Doug Harrington Ford 14
    31 11 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 13
    32 27 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 12
    33 4 60 Billy Johnson Ford 0
    34 10 164 Jason Bowles Toyota 0
    35 35 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 9
    36 33 175 Carl Long Ford 8
    37 40 40 Charles Lewandoski * Chevrolet 7
    38 31 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 6
    39 36 103 Scott Wimmer Dodge 5
    40 34 146 Chase Miller Chevrolet 4
    41 38 142 Tim Andrews Chevrolet 0
    42 37 55 Brett Rowe Chevrolet 2
  • Jeff Gordon Ready to Put Sonoma 2010 in the Rearview Mirror

    Jeff Gordon Ready to Put Sonoma 2010 in the Rearview Mirror

    Once known as a road course king, Jeff Gordon was more a menace to his competitors during last season’s Toyota/SaveMart 350. He might have come home with a top five finish but it didn’t come without controversy or in a fashion he and many others would rather forget.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”256″][/media-credit]“Disaster,” said Gordon Friday in Sonoma when asked about last year. Disaster because Gordon drove through the field, literally, and in the process angered many of his peers. They went home with wrecked cars and bad finishes as Gordon went home with a target on his back.

    “It was just one of those terrible days where I made a lot of mistakes,” said Gordon. “No doubt made a lot of people unhappy and been trying to move on from it ever since.”

    Gordon knocked fenders with Brian Vickers who then spun David Ragan. Later that same lap he drove down into turn 11 and drove through Martin Truex Jr. who spun and was later caught up in a wreck on a restart because of his track position. Truex wasn’t pleased and promised payback on Gordon, saying what goes around comes around.

    In turn 11 again a few laps later Gordon drove into the back of Elliott Sadler who hit Clint Bowyer and they both spun. His actions left broadcasters and fans wondering out loud, “What is Jeff doing?”

    Gordon’s final victim was Kurt Busch. Coming up the hill in turn two Gordon forced Busch off the pavement. When he attempted to get back on track it stacked the field up behind him, including Marcos Ambrose who was trying to gain back positions he lost after being placed seventh by NASCAR after his car didn’t refire under caution.

    Gordon drove with one eye over his shoulder for many weeks to come, expecting payback. Entering Sunday’s race he admits that he’s not sure if those drivers will remember a year ago but says he won’t be thinking about any of them.

    “I’ve tried to apologize to the ones that I really made mistakes with,” he said. “There were some racing incidents that went on that day too that were just racing and that you just move on and race one another however you race one another. I have to approach this race the same way I do any other race and just go out there and do everything I can to get the best finish I can. Not put too much effort into thinking about what those guys have planned or whatever.”

    Guys like Truex Jr. who will start next to Gordon on Sunday. The two qualified 13th and 14th respectively. Truex Jr. though said he won’t be focused on the past, instead he’s focused on getting the car to perform as well as last years and capitalizing.

    Busch, who starts 11th, might not be as nice. He had numerous run-ins with Hendrick Motorsports drivers last season and has no problem talking about it. He made sure everyone was well aware on Friday that the last two years at Sonoma a HMS driver ran him off track.

    “It was an off day for Jeff,” said Busch. “He apologized to a handful of guys afterwards and for some reason pinpointed me. I thought that was interesting. He drove straight through our right rear and we finished 32nd.”

    Yet, both Gordon and Busch acknowledged that there’s a different style of aggressiveness when it comes to Sonoma. One Gordon most likely won’t repeat anytime soon, at least not as he did last year. Whereas a rhythm can be found and executed on an oval, racing at Sonoma allows a driver to throw the car around and drive much harder into a corner.

    There’s also the added fact that NASCAR’s new car doesn’t damage as easily. Drivers are willing to take more chances, trade more paint and even lean on other drivers. Even if that means leaning a little too hard to where it doesn’t always work out for the other driver.

    While Gordon hopes he doesn’t end up in the position he put many a year ago, he knows that if those drivers see a chance to put a fender to the No. 24, they might take it.

    “I’m sure if they’re in a position to kind of get back what happened then I’m sure they will,” he said. “My goal this weekend is not to allowed myself to get in that position.”

  • Carl Edwards Pulling Out of Nationwide Race A Good Thing; My Picks For Sunday

    Carl Edwards Pulling Out of Nationwide Race A Good Thing; My Picks For Sunday

    Carl Edwards did what most diehard race car drivers just hate to do and that is to pull out of any event. Edwards, who was displeased with how his car has been running in both practice and qualifying for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 tomorrow, did just so. In 2009, Kyle Busch dominated in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, yet he struggled in the Sprint Cup Series and failed to make the Chase. If Kyle had pulled out of more Nationwide races to focus on his cup program, would it have made a serious dent in the championship picture?

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”242″][/media-credit]Yes, I did lose a lot of respect for Edwards after the incidents with Brad Keselowski, but instances like this prove to all the fans of the sport that Carl is indeed a man that is dedicated to his job and will not leave his team in a pile of trouble. Edwards said, “In the end, this puts us in the best position with both teams to perform well, so I’m grateful to be able to make the change and I feel like we are doing the right thing.”

    I think we would all feel the same way. If I were in that position, I know for a fact that I would have to think really hard. Road course racing doesn’t appear too often during the NASCAR season and I love road courses, but does that love go too far? I would hate to leave my team in a state of confusion and I admire Carl for his action on this issue.

    Now, we have the race on Sunday. I think the two big favorites for this race have to be Marcos Ambrose and Kurt Busch. Ambrose wants redemption after last years gaffe. Kurt Busch has been taken out by both Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon the past couple of seasons and his results from practice show that he is a true contender with his avg practice result of 2.3. Watch out for the 9 and the 22, but don’t forget about Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Juan Montoya.

  • Matty’s Picks – Vol. 7 – Infineon – June 26, 2011

    Matty’s Picks – Vol. 7 – Infineon – June 26, 2011

    Matty’s Picks
    Vol. 7 – Infineon – June 26, 2011

    Its time to go road racing for the first time in the 2011. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its next stop in Sonoma, California on Sunday for the first of two road courses on the 2011 Cup schedule.

    [media-credit name=”InfineonRaceway.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]California is home to the highest and lowest points in elevation in the Continental United States, and surprisingly both points are within 100 miles of one another. Mount Whitney in the Eastern Sierras measures 14,495 feet while Bad Water located in the hottest and driest place in the US, Death Valley, is 282 feet below sea level.

    Now, the debate still rambles on what is missing from The Chase. I am an extreme advocate for a road-course race to be ran during the last ten races of the season. Road-courses show a driver’s true talent with the constant shifting, breaking, right and left corners, and the overall toughness of a driver behind the wheel.

    Infineon makes the most sense for a race in The Chase just because of the weather there during Chase season. The other road course on the schedule, Watkins Glen International, happens to be my home track, and has been known to see snowfall during the last ten weeks of the NASCAR season. The only other option would be to add another road course like Barber Motorsports Park, Road Atlanta, or a true test the brand new Circuit of the Americas being built for next year’s US Grand Prix just outside of Austin. Nonetheless, to really make The Chase complete, a road-course must be added if for nothing else, another wild card race.

    Michigan Recap

    I won’t spend too much time on my recap of last week in this week’s picks because my picks last week were less than impressive. I scored no imaginary points last week for myself and my top finisher was shown 14th when the checkered flag flew Sunday afternoon. Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne both had a decent runs going very early, but fell out of the Top 10 in the running order by lap 50. The action picked back up by the mid-way point in the race, Harvick and Kahne battled each other for a Top 5 spot around lap 100. Kahne would eventually make it to fifth before his pitfall of the race came on lap 155 when he ran his car out of fuel. He would make it to pit road, but struggled getting his car fired and sat in his pit box for over a minute before his car finally started once again. Kahne would go on to finish one lap down in 28th, netting me zero points. Harvick lasted a bit longer towards the front, but would eventually hit the wall around lap 182, and bring his Chevy home 14th, also netting me zero points.

    Infineon Picks

    I’m a bit torn this week on defining what a Dark Horse is on a road course. I would like to say that it’s a guy that nobody sees coming, sort of like pole-sitter Joey Logano. I sure didn’t see him starting up front tomorrow when I started this column on Thursday Afternoon. Kudos to him for surprising everyone with the pole.

    For my Dark Horse pick this week I have to play a little track-position game and go with a guy that has not won on a road course. Clint Boyer does have two Top 5’s at Sonoma and also boasts an average finish of 12.6. Bowyer starts ninth on Sunday and was 14th quickest in practice on Friday. Starting up front at a road course can set the pace for the entire race, and Bowyer has given himself a spot in the Top 10 for Sunday.

    The Thunder from Down Under, Marcos Ambrose is my pick to win this Sunday at Infineon. He starts one position in front of Bowyer in eighth and has an astounding record on road courses. Ambrose has an average finish of 9.8 in all his starts on road courses, with four Top 5’s in just six starts. Ambrose was born to drive on road courses and is utterly familiar with left and right turns from his days of Supercar Racing in Australia. He’s got a great car and a great starting spot on Sunday, so watch for him to finish towards the front.

    Stay tuned for next week’s preview as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads back to Florida to go night racing once again at Daytona. Until next time…..you stay classy ROAD COURSE NATION.

  • Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes – Keys for Success – Infineon

    Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes – Keys for Success – Infineon

    Saturday, June 25, 2011

    Dodge Motorsports PR

    Infineon Raceway

    Save Mart 350

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

    KEYS FOR SUCCESS: Save Mart 350

    SONOMA, Calif. (Saturday, June 25, 2011) – Each race weekend, selected Dodge Motorsports engineers, Penske Racing engineers and crew chiefs, drivers or engine specialists give their insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race. This week, Travis Geisler, Penske Racing’s Director of Competition, provides the keys for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race.

    Track: Infineon Raceway (Race 16 of 36 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series)

    Race: Save Mart 350 (110 laps / 350 kilometers, 218.9 miles)

    Trivia Question: What is the worst starting position for a Sprint Cup race winner at Infineon? (Answer below)

    TRAVIS GEISLER (Director of Competition, Penske Racing)

    Be Smooth: “The key to any road course race is to be smooth and a lot of things are required for that to happen. It requires the driver to stay on the asphalt for the entire race. We see drivers that don’t typically have issues, but have issues at this race. Last year, it was Jeff Gordon who had the bullseye on his back. You can’t lose track position by going off the track, losing a lot of spots to the competition.”

    Pit Strategy: “Your pit strategy has to be perfect. The way that the cautions fall, if you miss by a lap, it can really kill you. If you’re planning on pitting and a caution comes out the lap before you come to pit road, you’ve just lost whatever advantage you had. You need perfect race strategy at Infineon.”

    Good Mechanical: “You need to have really good mechanical parts and pieces this weekend. The transmission, engine, driveline and the brakes need to stay with you the whole event. The wear and tear on these cars at a road course like Infineon is much different than an oval. So much more mechanical equipment comes into play here.”

    Take Care of Equipment: “You can have all the best components on your car, but you still need a driver who can take care of the equipment for the entire race. This is one of the most challenging races to win because of how much goes into the entire race equation. We head to Daytona next weekend and we’re not concerned about as many things; here, the checklist is huge. Trying to figure out how to eliminate the mistakes in a lot of areas is really a challenge.”

    Trivia Question Answer: 32nd – Juan Pablo Montoya – No. 42 Dodge in 2007.

  • TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Post-Qualifying Notes & Quotes Infineon Raceway

    TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Post-Qualifying Notes & Quotes Infineon Raceway

    1st, JOEY LOGANO 4th, DENNY HAMLIN 6th, KASEY KAHNE 10th, BRIAN VICKERS 14th, MARTIN TRUEX JR. 19th, KYLE BUSCH 21st, BOBBY LABONTE 27th, CASEY MEARS 31st, JOE NEMECHEK 32nd, DAVID REUTIMANN 37th, MIKE SKINNER 38th, DAVID MAYHEW

    JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 1st Did you expect to get a qualifying result like this? “No, no, no. I was surprised it was as fast as it was. I felt like the car had a lot more grip in it, and I felt like we fixed the car, but personally I felt like I screwed up about three times in one lap. I didn’t feel too good about myself after it and I thought I screwed that one up. It was good, car was fast. We’ll work on our stuff in race trim a little bit more tomorrow and see if we can get our Home Depot car fast. This is place is so — you can have a fast race car here and it doesn’t mean a whole bunch here. Obviously your strategy is going to be a big deal and I think the real big deal is staying out of trouble, which is where I need to work on the most than anywhere else.”

    What have you done to prepare for this weekend’s race? “We’ve done a lot of things. These road courses for me have been a struggle in trying to get in the corners is probably the biggest thing. So, we went to Road Atlanta and tested with Max Papis. We had a little two-seater car and he gave me a ride and I was like, ‘Wow, you can get in the corner a lot harder.’ It’s cool to see that and learn — think that is definitely paying off right now. Thanks to Max on that one. My Home Depot car is fast. I was really surprised about the speed in it. I didn’t feel like our car was that good in practice at all. The car was a lot better. I’ll take it for sure.”

    Are you excited to get your second career pole award? “It’s really awesome, for sure. This is the last place that I figured we’d get a pole. I think obviously if you’re looking at — I’ve never had a top-10 start here and I’ve never finished that good here either. After practice, I felt like we needed a lot more forward drive and a lot more side-bite in our car. Man, they made it happen. I said, ‘Geeze, should have asked for that a long time ago.’ They definitely did a good job of making our Home Depot car fast. I was surprised, I felt like my lap was okay, didn’t feel like it was stellar by no means. Man, a hell of a lap. The last three cars were Kasey (Kahne) who got the pole last year, and Denny (Hamlin), our teammate is really good here, and Kurt (Busch) that was four-tenths faster than everyone else in practice and has gotten the last three poles. Man, I didn’t know — I didn’t think it was going to hold up — I don’t think of my guys thought it was going to hold up. We were pretty pumped up right now, we needed a momentum change with our Home Depot team right now. We’ve been going through a little bit of a drought. This is definitely going to help us a lot.”

    Will racing the K&N Pro Series West race tomorrow set you up for a good race on Sunday? “It is an advantage for sure. I run a lot of Nationwide races the day before because I think it helps. I think here is a bit bigger help just because there’s so many more turns and getting used to it. The cars drive so different, you can’t compare the two. You’re looking at a lot lighter car over there. Lower, a lot less horsepower — all that stuff makes a huge different. The tire over there — that’s probably the biggest difference. That car there is a lot of fun to drive. All that makes it cool. I have a lot of fun doing that. I do think it helps. The first time I came out here, I ran the West race and I ran pretty good in the Cup race. Last year I didn’t run so good in the Cup race and this year I am and I got the pole. Hopefully it’s all good and working out for me. Hey, if that’s what it takes, I’ll run that thing every weekend — they’re fun to race anyway. Last time I ran here I got dumped in turn 11 for the win on the last lap, so I need to redeem myself.”

    How will being out front benefit you in Sunday’s race? “I don’t know, I’ve never been up front here before. That’s a question I’m going to answer Sunday. I think right now I need to figure out where I’m going to start — on the inside or the outside and kind of think about that. Watching the previous race here, just looking at where those guys started and stuff like that — I’ll try to make the best decision I can. It’s a long race, hopefully we do get out front by the end of turn two there and try to put some distance on them and lead some laps. Right now we’re focused on tomorrow and getting our car the best we can so we can do that.”

    DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 4th Are you happy to be starting the race from near the front of the field? “That’s a good starting spot for us. We definitely made some big strides in our road course program. Obviously, it showed up there at the end. We’re looking forward to it. Obviously, starting this far in the front we should have a shot at it.”

    KASEY KAHNE, No. 4 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 6th

    BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Red Bull Racing Team Starting Position: 10th Did you run the speeds in qualifying you thought you were going to? “It’s pretty close. We had a 17.30 in practice coming into 11 and then I tried to get a little more out of the brake and I wheel hopped, so we didn’t have a good time in practice. We felt really good about the car, we made some adjustments. The adjustments were a plus. We picked up a little bit.”

    How was your qualifying lap? “I felt pretty good about it. We made some changes from practice to race and they were good changes, probably even better than I anticipated. I probably could have gotten a little bit more out of the slow corners, but you never know. If you push it too much and you wash the front out, then you’re done and you miss the curb. In practice, coming to turn 11 we had a 17.30 and then I wheel hoped getting into turn 11. We were trying something and it didn’t work and it made my braking zones worse. We felt like we had at least that in the car. I felt like we at least had a 17.30 in the car. Clearly thought we were better than what our practice speeds showed because of that wheel hop situation as long as that didn’t happen again. We were able to best that. I felt like it was a pretty decent lap, we were on the pole there for a bit.”

    MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 14th How was your qualifying lap? “It was okay. We had a good practice today. We were fighting a few issues that we didn’t really straighten out. We had them again at the beginning of qualifying so we had to straighten those out, so that was disappointing. We picked up a 10th from practice which is always a good thing here. It’s difficult when you only have one shot at it, one lap to back it up. So, we did that. We just need a little more speed but our car was pretty good today in practice. I’m looking forward to it.”

    KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Pretzel Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Starting Position: 19th

    BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Clorox/Kleenex Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing Starting Position: 21st How was your qualifying lap? “It was okay, the biggest struggle that we had for whatever reason that time was it just never got cleared out. It was — the carburetor just doesn’t get cleared out, I don’t know why. It just didn’t run right. But the lap itself, car wise was better than we were in practice. For whatever reason we fight that and we fought it all day. We went back and forth on it and never could get it right. I hate it for the guys because I think we could have been faster if we would have had something — nothing we could do about it, just to go faster down the straightaway would have been better.”

    CASEY MEARS, No. 13 GEICO Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Starting Position: 27th How did your car feel during your qualifying run? “It wasn’t bad, really. I really tried to keep the thing in shape, I didn’t want to get too out of control. It was a clean lap, we just had a real hard time with forward bite. I wasn’t sideways, but I was half throttle and I needed to be wide open off of turn 11 and out of turn seven. A little loose in the high-speed corners. I’m pretty happy with it. Our GEICO Toyota, these guys have done a really good job, we’ve made a lot of progress as a team. It’s fun to come back to a road course — I really enjoy shifting gears and having a little change of pace. The weather is beautiful, we’re ready to have a good day on Sunday.”

    JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Starting Position: 31st

    DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Starting Position: 32nd

    MIKE SKINNER, No. 60 Big Red Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Starting Position: 37th

    DAVID MAYHEW, No. 66 HP Racing LLC Toyota Camry, PRISM Motorsports Starting Position: 38th

  • Chad Hackenbracht Sets Record Straight with New Shirt

    (WINCHESTER, Ind. – June 25, 2011) – With Chad Hackenbracht finding his way to the top 10 at the end of a race for the first time last month and then scoring his first top-five finish last week, the New Philadelphia, Ohio driver figured it was time to make it known exactly how his last name is pronounced.

    Last week at Michigan International Speedway, the driver unveiled a new T-shirt that’s making the rounds in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards garage, a garment featuring a clever quiz of sorts that asks exactly: “What’s a Chad Hacken-something?”

    Having heard his name often pronounced by fellow competitors, journalists, and fans as “Hack-en-brack,” the 19-year-old and his advisors decided to have some fun with the common misconception, releasing a T-shirt that gives the following answers for what a “Hacken-something” might be. The choices on the shirt, showcased by SPEED reporter Bob Dillner on the RainEater Wiper Blades 200 broadcast, were as follows:

    A. Fancy German Beer B. Small Brazilian Amphibian C. What your father does when he has a sinus infection D. A Race Car Driver E. Name of scientist responsible for discovering time travel F. Eighth color in the rainbow G. An in-grown toe nail

    The answer, of course, is D, for Race Car Driver, and the Tastee Apple Chevrolet’s driver even included a simple pronunciation guide at the bottom of the chart, instructing readers to pronounce his name “Hock-en-bra.”

    Hackenbracht watched the race broadcast on replay to review his fourth-place finish, and smiled when seeing the clip featuring his novelty wear.

    “It was pretty cool to see the shirt on TV,” he said. “When I got off the track I had 18 missed texts, all from people that wanted a shirt. It was a really big hit and it’s pretty cool that SPEED did that for us.” Hackenbracht said that his name has been represented incorrectly for some time, and that he had fun working to educate others on the correct pronunciation.

    “Almost everyone mispronounces my last name,” he said. “The Hacken-something started from a Canadian drifter I know who couldn’t say my last name so he just called me Hacken-something, so from there we gave the idea to the ad agency and they had a blast coming up with the shirt! Common ways that people say it wrong are ‘Hack-en-brack,’ ‘Hock-en-brach,’ ‘Hack-en-sack’…they just keep getting stranger and stranger.

    “But now they’ll know how to say it correctly!”

    Hackenbracht will compete in Saturday night’s Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts at Winchester Speedway, which is the ninth of 19 races in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season. Practice begins at 1:45 p.m. and lasts for 90 minutes, and will be followed by Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell at 4:45 p.m. The 200-lap, 100-mile race begins at 8 p.m., with live coverage available at ARCARacing.com.

    To purchase the popular “What’s A Chad Hacken-Something” tee-shirt, please log on to store.cghmotorsports.com or CGHMotorsports.com.

  • CHEVY NSCS AT SONOMA: Post Qualifying Press Conf. Transcript

    CHEVY NSCS AT SONOMA: Post Qualifying Press Conf. Transcript

    NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

    SAVE MART 350

    INFINEON RACEWAY

    TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

    JUNE 24, 2011

    Three Team Chevy Drivers Score Top-Five Starting Positions at Infineon Raceway

    SONOMA, Calif. – (June 24, 2011) – Jamie McMurray will start on the outside of the front row for Sunday’s Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Fellow Team Chevy driver Paul Menard, No. 27 Duracell/Menards Chevrolet, will roll off third for the 110-lap/218.9-mile/350K race, the first road course of the season.

    Ryan Newman, No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet, will start fifth in the 43-car field for the 16th race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

    Clint Bowyer, No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet, will start ninth to give Team Chevy four of the top-10 starters.

    A total of 16 Chevrolet drivers will take the green flag at Noon P.T. (3:00 P.M. ET).

    Joey Logano (Toyota) won the pole. Denny Hamlin (Toyota) completed the top-five qualifiers.

    CLINT BOWYER, NO. 33 CHEERIOS/HAMBURGER HELPER CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 9TH: ON HIS QUALIFYING EFFORT: “It was actually a solid run for us this evening, especially after the way we unloaded. I’m not a road course racer by any means, but I enjoy coming here. The guys worked hard to get us a top-10 starting position so we should be ready to go on Sunday.”

    POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:

    JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 MCDONALD’S CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 2ND

    PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 DURACELL/MENARDS CHEVROLET, QUALIFIED 3RD

    JAMIE – TALK ABOUT THE STRATEGY YOUR TEAM PUT TOGETHER COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND: “I was actually a little bit nervous coming here because we didn’t go do a road course test before this weekend’s race. So you don’t really know if what you are going to unload with is going to be close. We unloaded and the car was really good right off the truck and just had a really good day. I was shocked when I saw the lap times that guys were able to run when I was in line waiting to go. Once really just leaving over here at the half-way point in the track on my get-up-to-speed lap, I couldn’t believe the grip that the track had. I was really happy with our results today.”

    PAUL – TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COMING TO THE ROAD COURSE AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON AND THE STRATEGY: “Definitely track position is important and we didn’t expect, when we unloaded this morning, I did not expect to qualify in the top-five. We struggled for grip all practice long. Hit on a couple of things toward the end of practice and made a few adjustments before qualifying. The car actually drove really good right there. Looking forward tomorrow to work on some more. We have a lot of practice tomorrow to try and figure this tire out and get it better for Sunday.”

    PAUL-HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WILL RACE ON SUNDAY? DID PRACTICE TODAY GIVE YOU AND INDICATION OF HOW YOUR CAR WILL BE? “I will let you know tomorrow morning. This tire gets really slippery after a couple of laps, we have to figure how to keep the drive off as good as possible. It is never going to be perfect. But we just have to work on the things we can work on. The car turns good, try to get the grip off the corners. I think everybody is going to fight that come Sunday.”

    JAMIE – HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WILL RACE ON SUNDAY? DID PRACTICE TODAY GIVE YOU AND INDICATION OF HOW YOUR CAR WILL BE? “I think it is going to be really interesting on Sunday because the tire falls off a second in four or five laps and what is going to be curious tomorrow to find out is if it falls off another second in the next 10 laps. Because if it does, you will be able to put tires on. It won’t be the typical road course where you pit with 35 laps to go or whatever your fuel window is and then stay out and stay out. If the tire falls off the way that it did today on Sunday, there will be some different strategies going on and you will be able to pass guys fairly easily because even on new tires, it is really hard to get a hold of the race track now. It is really worn out this year.”

    JAMIE – WHAT KIND OF SHAPE WAS THE TRACK IN? “I think it was significantly better than what we had in practice. I mean normally when you are qualifying here, it is hard to back up your time from practice. When we do our practice runs, you leave from here and you get the whole lap to get your tires warmed up. Then when it comes time to qualify, you come from the backstretch and you just don’t have enough time to get enough heat in the tire. But today it was different. I couldn’t believe the grip in turn 11 the first time coming by so the track was in good shape.”

    PAUL – CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS YOU FOUND TO GET SO MUCH BETTER? “No, I can’t. (LAUGHS) They were a step in the right direction, I’ll say that. Some promising things that we can work on for tomorrow.”

    About Chevrolet: Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com ce5&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.chevrolet.com%2f> .

  • STEVE WALLACE AMONG FRIDAY’S FAST FIVE AT ROAD AMERICA

    STEVE WALLACE AMONG FRIDAY’S FAST FIVE AT ROAD AMERICA

    –5-Hour Energy Pilot Carries Banner for Nationwide Series Drivers in Final Practice–

    ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 24, 2011)-Among the top-five in today’s final practice for Saturday’s Bucyrus 200 at Road America were two Formula One veterans, a champion of the 24 Hours of LeMans, a Rolex Series winner and Rusty Wallace Racing’s Steve Wallace (No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry).

    Wallace’s best lap of 135.117 seconds (107.853 MPH) around the 4.048-mile circuit placed him the fastest of the Nationwide Series regulars in final practice and fifth-fastest overall.

    While his performance may surprise some, Wallace has quietly developed into one of the preeminent road racers among Nationwide Series regulars. The driver of the 5-Hour Energy Toyota enters Road America with two top-ten finishes in the last three NNS road course events. Only a hit from Ron Fellows last year at Montreal kept Wallace from three straight top-tens in last year’s road course races. Heading into tomorrow’s 202.4-mile affair, Wallace has the highest driver rating at Road America of all NNS regulars.

    Noted Wallace, “I’m looking forward to the race; I feel like we have a strong 5-Hour Energy Toyota for tomorrow. This is a track that can really test every part of the team, the car and the driver, though, so it’ll take more than a strong car to finish up front. Hopefully, we can have good pit stops, good strategy and the driver can keep the car on course all day.

    “If we can do that, you never know what will happen in these road course races. Growing up, I never thought that my first Nationwide win would come on a road course, but who knows, much stranger things have happened.”

    Tomorrow afternoon’s Bucyrus 200 is set for a 5:30 PM ET start from historic Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. The event features live television coverage by ESPN, beginning at 5:00 PM ET with NASCAR Countdown, featuring RWR’s own Rusty Wallace.

    # # #

    About Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC

    North Carolina-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary racing history of its founder, Rusty Wallace. The team currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys-driven by Steve Wallace and Michael Annett, respectively-in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. RWR will also campaign the No. 64 Camry in select 2011 events. RWR entries have finished among the top-ten in the Nationwide Series driver or owner standings in each of the last three seasons. For more on Rusty Wallace Racing, please visit the award-winning rustywallace.com.

    About Living Essentials, LLC

    Farmington Hills, MI-based Living Essentials, LLC, is the maker of 5-Hour Energy, the category leader in two-ounce liquid energy shots. 5-Hour Energy is available nationwide at major retailers in the Grocery, Drug Store, Mass.