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  • For Richard Petty Motorsports, A Great Start To A New Era

    For Richard Petty Motorsports, A Great Start To A New Era

    This was quite a week for Darrell Wallace Jr.

    Not only was he getting ready for his first full season in NASCAR’s Monster Energy Series as the new driver for Richard Petty Motorsports, but he also had a lot of weight on his shoulders. Wallace received plenty of media attention leading up to the Daytona 500 because of the excitement he has generated as a rookie driver and that fact that he is NASCAR’s first full-time African American driver at the highest level of the sport since Wendell Scott in 1973.

    So as “Bubba” Wallace was getting into the iconic 43 car this past Sunday before “The Great American Race”, RPM majority owner Andrew Murstein came over to him with one more pre-race responsibility.

    But this one was significant, historic and pretty cool all at the same time.

    “Right before he stepped into the car I called Hank Aaron and handed the phone to Bubba so he could wish him good luck,” said Murstein who is friends with the baseball Hall of Famer that sits on the board of Murstein’s company Medallion Financial Corporation.

    At Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on February 18, 2018. CIA Stock Photo, courtesy of RPM

    It was a magical moment as two men from Mobile, Alabama shared a moment on the phone. An iconic sports figure speaking to a young man who hopes to accomplish so much in his his sport.

    “Hank broke records and racial barriers,” said Murstein. “I honestly believe that one day Bubba will do the same.”

    Well after this past Sunday, Bubba Wallace is well on his way to greatness after a remarkable second place finish at the Daytona 500.

    “I was very impressed with the young man on the track,” said Aaron. “He did a great job. I was even more impressed with everything he has been doing off the track including his relationship with his family who was at the track. That interview he did post race showed the very human side of sports. I believe he has a very, very, bright future. He has the potential to bring many new fans to the sport, and I hope he succeeds.”

    While Wallace certainly made a name for himself on Sunday, it was a very important day for Richard Petty Motorsports as they handed the keys to their car to a man who they hope can drive the team back to the top of the sport. It was also the beginning of a new partnership between RPM and Richard Childress Racing.

    RCR’s Austin Dillon won the race and RPM’s Bubba Wallace edged out Denny Hamlin for second.

    “This was a great day for RPM and RCR,” said Murstein. “I was talking to Richard Childress after the race and we both said what a great way to start the season with our new alliance together. (We finished) first and second and we helped push Austin to victory”.

    The family of late Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt allowed the number 3 to come out of retirement and with Wallace driving Richard Petty’s 43, the results of this race and the excitement of what lies ahead is exciting.

    “The 3 and the 43 are probably the two most iconic numbers in the sport and for the first time ever we are pretty much on the same team,” said Murstein. “Bubba showed enormous talent, intelligence, passion and charisma all week. Richard Petty looked at me and said, “Andy we have a star in the making.” If anyone knows one it’s him.”

    As you could imagine, “The King” was extra giddy after Wallace steered his 43 car to a second place finish. He doesn’t head down to pit road very often, but on Sunday, he couldn’t wait to see Wallace after the race. Petty has been very excited about bringing Bubba on board, and that excitement was turned up a notch after an incredible start to the season.

    “Richard had an extra bounce in his step yesterday,” said Murstein. “He’s in great shape but yesterday he came to pit road after the race and he was walking faster than all of the reporters who were chasing him. He wanted to congratulate Bubba because “The King” could not be more proud of him.”

    This is truly a new era for RPM.

    They have a new driver in Wallace, a new primary sponsor in Click n’ Close, and Chevrolet is the new car manufacturer. Throw in the alliance with Richard Childress Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports has officially ushered in a new era. The hope is that there will be a time when finishing second is disappointing, but what happened on Sunday signals a new beginning for the team.

    “This was the best second place finish ever,” said Murstein. “This was RPM’s best ever finish in the Daytona 500.”

    While Richard Petty won the race seven times during his career, he hasn’t won it as an owner. In fact, the results overall for RPM over the years has not been satisfying but now there is more than just a light at the end of the tunnel for everyone involved. There is optimism, excitement, and smiles throughout the team as they get ready for this week’s race in Atlanta.

    The centerpiece of this new era in RPM history is clearly Wallace who is part of a new era of young drivers in NASCAR that have the responsibility of carrying the torch for the sport after a number of veteran drivers recently retired.

    At Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida on February 18, 2018. CIA Stock Photo, courtesy of RPM

    On Sunday, Wallace looked like anything but a rookie with a performance that everyone is still talking about.

    “For a rookie driver in his first ever Daytona race at this level to perform like that is unheard of” said Murstein. “It’s a new day at the greatest name in racing…Richard Petty Motorsports. It’s historic not just for RPM but for the sport. (Bubba) is a real game changer and will bring a lot of positive interest and attention to our sport.”

    Wallace has the ability and personality to help drive business for RPM and NASCAR. On Sunday morning, he was featured on both ESPN SportsCenter and Fox News Channel and during the week did a plethora of interviews for many outlets including Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. The aura of the Daytona 500 is already legendary, but now the arrival of Wallace has created a new excitement.

    Before, during and after the race on Sunday, he set the tone for the rest of the season as RPM appears to have turned a corner in building the brand back to elite status in NASCAR.

    “The whole day there was magic in the air,” said Murstein. “From stars in other sports wanting to meet Bubba, to all of the media attention he was getting, to history in the making with the first full-time African American driver in nearly fifty years, you just knew something great was going to happen. “So even when we went down to about 25th place you knew he would come back. Nothing was going to hold him back today.”

    While RPM has opened up a new chapter in it’s history, the emergence of Bubba Wallace is also part of a bigger picture when you think about NASCAR as a whole. There are so many quality young drivers in the sport like Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott. They are more than just the future of the sport…they are a big part of the present.

    And now RPM has their own in Wallace.

    “Yes we have a star in the making,” said Murstein. “He handles everything perfectly. He has a great sense of humor, he’s smart, charismatic and he has the eye of the tiger. There’s a big youth movement in the sport today and you have several young superstars in the making. Thankfully, we have one of those to now build our team and our future around.”

    As Bubba Wallace and the RPM team head to Atlanta for this Sunday’s race, there is a new sense of excitement around the 43 car. Andrew Murstein has said over and over how the goal has been to bring Richard Petty Motorsports back to the top of the sport where it belongs.

    With Bubba on board, a new and exciting primary sponsor, and a partnership with another iconic racing brand, the future for RPM is very bright.

  • 2018 Daytona 500 – A Race that will be Remembered Forever

    2018 Daytona 500 – A Race that will be Remembered Forever

    From the drop of the green flag to the drop of the checkered flag, Sunday’s Daytona 500 was a historic one.

    Young Alex Bowman put Dale Jr’s former No. 88 car on the pole for “The Great American Race.”

    Yes, it did feel kind of weird not seeing Dale Jr. making laps in the Daytona 500, but for the 40th straight year, an Earnhardt raced in the Daytona 500. Dale Jr’s nephew Jeffrey Earnhardt kept the streak alive, racing the No. 00 Chevrolet for StarCom Racing.

    We also said farewell to one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers as Danica Patrick took the green flag for the final time in a NASCAR stock car. She ended her career by wrecking out of the Daytona 500 and was not able to see the checkered flag wave as she crossed the start/finish line, but she will be missed in our sport.

    Some can argue that she did not have much success in NASCAR but she touched many lives and will always be known as an inspiration and hero to many NASCAR fans.

    How about the prize that everyone was racing for?

    Those 40 drivers all had one goal, it was to hold up the famous Harley J. Earl trophy and forever be remembered as a Daytona 500 champion.

    February 18, 2001, the same date this race was raced on, NASCAR lost a legend driving his famous No. 3 car. Dale Earnhardt left this world doing something he loved to do, which was to race, on a track that gave him so much trouble to win the biggest race of his life.

    Twenty years ago, Earnhardt took his No. 3 car to victory lane at the Daytona 500.

    After so many years of trying and frustration, the No. 3 car conquered the Daytona 500 and whether you liked him or not, you felt some compassion that he finally won that race.

    Twenty years later, the No. 3 made it back to victory lane.

    The No. 3 car was doing donuts on the grass like it did twenty years ago. Richard Childress’s grandson Austin Dillon did it, he won the Daytona 500.

    “It’s so awesome to take the No. 3 car back to victory lane. This one is for Dale Earnhardt and all those Earnhardt fans,” Dillon said.

    After his controversial pass on the last lap, he won the biggest race of his career.

    Dillon did what he had to do, he wanted that win just as bad as Aric Almirola, who was leading the race with less than a lap to go.

    If you are a racer that wants to win the Daytona 500, a race that many drivers dream of winning, you probably aren’t going to lift off the throttle on the last lap of the Daytona 500.

    Almirola finished the race in the infield care center, heartbroken that his dreams of winning the Daytona 500 had vanished on the last lap.

    “My heart is broken,” he said, “but the beauty is we’ll go to Atlanta and we’ve got an incredible race team here at Stewart-Haas Racing and we’ll have another shot next week.”

    How about the runner-up finisher of the Daytona 500? It was the famous No. 43 car, driven by rookie Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr.

    It felt a little like there were two winners at the end of the race.

    Not only did emotions take over Austin Dillon, Bubba showed tons of emotion after the race that many of us did not expect Bubba to ever show.

    During his press conference, Bubba broke down and could not contain his emotions after his mother hugged him and told him, “I’m so proud of you, baby.”

    Bubba made history by finishing second which made him the highest finishing African American in Daytona 500 history.

    Trying to hide his emotions, Bubba said “I just try so hard to be successful at everything I do,” “And my family pushes me each and every day, and they might not even know it. But I just want to make them proud.”

    The 2018 season began with the No. 3 and No. 43 finishing one, two in the Daytona 500.

    Two numbers that have seen so much success and carry so much history.

    The future of NASCAR looks bright and this Daytona 500 truly defined it.

  • Daytona 500 Report – More of the Same

    Daytona 500 Report – More of the Same

    The 60th edition of the Great American Race was run Sunday under sunny skies in Daytona Beach, Florida. From the start, shortly after 3:00 p.m.,  it was nearly four hours of chaos. At the end, there were only a few competitive cars left to race.

    At Lap 61, nine cars were eliminated or damages. This included stars like Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Larson. At Lap 103, Chase Elliott, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and Kasey Kahne were eliminated. It wasn’t over. At Lap 200, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., William Byron, Ryan Newman, and Kyle Larson were eliminated or damaged. Then came the “overtime,” and that cost Aric Almirola, who was leading at the time, elimination. That’s a total of nearly half the field.

    Why, you may ask. The answer is restrictor plate (or tapered spacer) racing. It involves cars racing at fast speeds, so close together that there is no room for error. Then include the fashionable practice of blocking. It’s Daytona Roulette. The result is only a few cars lucky enough to have avoided all the earlier carnage can be around at the end. Unfortunately, on this day even the lessening of contenders did not stop the blocking, and a crash ended the race. You may have read my earlier comment on the so-called plate racing from about five years ago. This guy doesn’t like it. Many people do. Some like the fact that almost anyone can win and others like the crashes. With 80 percent of the field either having damage or eliminated from competition, it becomes little more than a demolition derby or as I called it, a train wreck, not racing.

    One proponent of this “racing” told me today that we run nearly 200 mph at several tracks, why is this a problem at Daytona, he asked. High banks and aggressive drivers is the answer. Those tracks don’t have the banking or the aggressive behavior that is required at Daytona because in order to keep up, you have to block, and when you get a push from behind, you are helpless to slow down.

    What’s the answer? I won’t pretend to even think I know. I do take one tidbit from the past. Back in the dark ages before Bobby Allison tore out the catchfence at Talladega when everyone was running seven-liter engines, NASCAR decided to inch away from the big blocks for a more reasonable cost. The late Bud Moore was the first to try it and his No. 15 Fords had a hard time keeping up until everyone changed. Speeds at Daytona were about 176 mph and the racing was great. Now they use these smaller blocks and go even faster with a restrictor plate. Much like the gun debate in society, no one has an answer and no one is even trying to do anything to change it. So, we’re stuck with crash fests. Sad.

    The lesson from all of this is never take anything from plate races that would mean there is a pattern to competitiveness that would ring true for the rest of the season (except for the three remaining plate races). Chevrolet won the 500, but only led 19 laps on the day. Ford drivers led 150 laps and Toyota drivers led 38. Chevrolet, which brought the new Camaro ZL1 to Daytona, led only 19 laps all day. When we get to Atlanta, we’ll have a better idea of the season ahead. No, we won’t anoint Bubba Wallace the most popular driver yet (though he’s got a head start on that), or declare the young kids as not as advertised. It’s back to reality next week and real racing.

  • For Wallace, The Real Rookie Test Begins Now

    For Wallace, The Real Rookie Test Begins Now

    Over the years the racing at Daytona International Speedway has proved that when it comes to the finish, it doesn’t matter how strong a car may be; things become a crapshoot. But with that being said, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace’s Daytona Speedweeks went like a dream as he was fortunate enough to have one of the strongest cars in Daytona Beach.

    He posted a strong qualifying run, finished third in his Can-Am Duel, and ultimately finished second to Austin Dillon in the 500. Afterward, the racing world was treated to a heart-warming show of emotion as Wallace tried to keep it together after getting hugs from both his mother and his older sister.

    But now the real test begins, as the 24-year-old Rookie of the Year contender faces down the next 35 races in what is essentially a brand new team. Richard Petty Motorsports formed an alliance in the off-season with Richard Childress Racing that ultimately switches out the N0. 43 Ford to the No. 43 Chevy, a switch that looks like it could already be paying dividends.

    While Wallace showed serious strength in the 500, how he’ll fare next weekend at Atlanta is anyone’s guess. RPM is still ironing out whatever kinks there may be while traveling to a very fast 1.5-mile track, and in order for Wallace and the No. 43 crew to carry on with their Daytona momentum they’ll need to exercise the same sort of discipline they showed at Daytona. All said, it’s doubtful; that will be a tall order.

    This isn’t a fact that’s lost on Wallace. He’s a rookie with a team that has not had the best of luck over the years, having only won once since 2000 (Aric Almirola’s rain-shortened 2014 Coke Zero 400 win at Daytona). Said team relocated to Welcome, North Carolina to be closer to RCR and their equipment. The driver himself has had a rough go of things as well, having lost his XFINITY Series ride after it was shuttered early in 2017, and not having scored a win to show for any of it.

    Photo By: David Rosenblum
    The No. 11 of Denny Hamlin squeezes the No. 43 of Wallace toward the wall as they cross the finish line in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

    That would be taxing on anyone, understandably, especially with someone who has experienced as much success as Wallace. But considering his work ethic and the way he carries himself on and off the track, it wasn’t a question of if he would get a chance to prove his worth, but when. Now, at the start of his first full Cup season, he’ll have plenty of speed at his disposal and plenty of chances to back his Daytona performance.

    He’s had great showings at various types of tracks, and although success isn’t guaranteed, that yellow stripe on his back bumper won’t hold him down by any means. He drives like a veteran, keeps his equipment clean, and knows how to keep his aggressiveness in check. It’s obvious he’s hungry, and with the potential for RPM to build itself around him, he may very well be the next big thing in NASCAR.

     

  • The View From My Recliner — Pre 500

    The View From My Recliner — Pre 500

    It’s been a while, but the recliner is set for another great season of NASCAR action.

    I hope there is more action in the Daytona 500 than the Advanced Auto Parts Duel at Daytona because riding around in single file and the big one happening on the final lap doesn’t mean action to me.

    It looks like the new ride height rule has crew chiefs and engineers scratching their heads about how to make the car handle at Daytona. Thankfully they have a couple of days to run simulations and get a plan together and hopefully bring us an action-packed Daytona 500.

    The idea behind this column is to share the perspective of a fan. If there is something you want to comment on, feel free to e-mail me jdhwood20@aol.com. I am here for you.

    Time for some Bold Predictions from the Recliner.

    • The five crew members over the pit wall will be a mess and before NASCAR gets to Charlotte for the All-Star Race, that rule will change.
    • Ryan Blaney will win the Daytona 500.
    • I will be the new owner of BK Racing. Well, not really, but Ron Devine won’t be soon.
    • When we hit the intermediate tracks, every Ford driver will be complaining that Chevy and Toyota will have an unfair advantage.
    • The Danica Double will end with wrecks at Daytona and Indy.
    • Chase Elliott will get his first win and they will keep coming after that.
    • Furniture Row Racing will have the Championship hangover and Martin Truex Jr. will not make the final four at Homestead.
    • The final four at Homestead will be: Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney.
    • The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion will be Kyle Larson.

    There are a few things I will be watching for this year.

    I want to see how Aric Almirola performs in Stewart-Haas equipment. He was respectable at Richard Petty Motorsports, but he knew most weeks that a top-15 was what he could hope for. Now that he is in a top-notch ride, he needs to prove he is the driver who can handle the equipment.

    I hope Bubba Wallace gets enough funding and RPM has the patience to see him develop as a driver at the Cup level. I think he has the talent and I hope he gets the chance to prove it.

    I am looking forward to finding out how the Hawkeye inspection platform works and if we will have 20 cars late for qualifying.

    It truly is an honor to have this space to share my thoughts on a sport I love.

    Enjoy the Duels and the rest of Speedweek.

    We’ll talk soon when I share The View From My Recliner.

  • Sunday Recap: Daytona 500 Qualifying and The Clash

    Sunday Recap: Daytona 500 Qualifying and The Clash

    Daytona 500 Qualifying

    Alex Bowman captured his first ever Daytona 500 pole in his new No. 88 Nationwide Insurance Camaro ZL1 with a lap of 195.644 mph. Starting alongside Bowman with a lap of 195.092 mph will be Denny Hamlin in his No.11 FedEx Camry.

    “It was a little nerve-wracking. Our Nationwide Camaro ZL1 has been great since we unloaded. All the guys back at the chassis shop, body shop and the Hendrick engine shop have been top-notch. They’ve all worked so hard. And we knew we were going for the pole; that’s what we’re here to do,” said Bowman.

    Bowman looked like he had the car to beat after the first round, where he topped the chart with a lap of 194.885 mph.

    The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas were fast too, as they all made it to the final round of qualifying.

    “Just great teamwork. It’s a testament to all of the hard work at TRD (Toyota Racing Development) and all the work they put in to give us great engines and technology. Really, everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing’s fab shop to give us a race car that’s obviously very fast,” Hamlin said.

    The rest of the field will be set Thursday night after the Can-Am Duel races.

    The Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona

    Brad Keselowski took the No. 2 Miller Light Ford to victory lane after starting in the last position.

    “I’m really proud of the whole effort here. What a way to start Speedweeks, putting the Miller Lite Ford in Victory Lane. I’m really proud of my team. I felt like we were due today,” said Keselowski.

    The top five included Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Dillon.

    Dillon started on the pole position but quickly lost the lead to Denny Hamlin. The field would run single file until Kyle Larson saved his loose race car from the apron after trying to pass Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    Prior to the competition caution on Lap 25, most of the field pitted and the lead was passed on to Larson. Larson would later be passed by Kevin Harvick as he brought the field to the caution.

    On Lap 33, Jamie McMurray went around and hit the wall which brought out the second caution of the day. About seven cars pitted and Chase Elliot would lead the field back to the green on Lap 39. But that did not last long as Blaney gave Keselowski a push to gain the lead.

    Stenhouse would be penalized with a pass-thru penalty on Lap 43 after passing Kyle Busch under the double-yellow line to advance for a position in the backstretch.

    With 10 laps remaining the field was single file which was a bit surprising. By the way they ran earlier in the race, most probably expected the same to happen as the laps were closing.

    The white flag waved and Larson gained a run in the backstretch which led him to turn Jimmie Johnson into the wall and fail to finish a seventh straight Clash.

    The Clash was just a little preview of what to expect for next Sunday’s Daytona 500.

    Follow @MrBrandonRivero for his latest articles

  • Cup Cars Back on Track at Daytona: Saturday Recap

    Cup Cars Back on Track at Daytona: Saturday Recap

    Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona Practice

    The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series cars were finally back on track this morning at Daytona International Speedway.

    Starting off with the Advance Auto Parts Clash practice, Ryan Blaney led the charts with a top speed of 199.601 mph in his new Menards No. 12 Ford Fusion for Team Penske.

    The Ford camp took over the top four spots followed by Joey Logano with a top speed of 199.543, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with a 199.508, and Brad Keselowski with a 199.490 mph lap.

    The Fords also dominated the top two spots in the best 10 consecutive lap averages with Keselowski running an average speed of 197.883 and Stenhouse Jr. averaging a speed of 197.880.

    The quickest Chevrolet was the No. 42 DC Solar Camaro ZL1 of Kyle Larson with a top speed of 199.468.

    The No. 18 M&Ms Camry driven by Kyle Busch was the fastest Toyota with a top speed of 198.684.

    There are 17 cars in the field for the Clash so it should be interesting to see the results of the draw for the starting lineup.

    First Daytona 500 Qualifying Practice

    Before the first Daytona 500 practice began NASCAR announced a gear ratio change from 360 to 350 for both Daytona 500 practices.

    Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Camry topped the charts of the first practice with a top speed of 199.743 followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates of Denny Hamlin with a 199.623, Daniel Suarez with a 199.610, and Erik Jones with a 199.517.

    With under five minutes left in the session, the group of teammates drafted until the session ended.

    During the practice session, a car leaked fluid on the track and put the practice on a red flag for about 30 minutes.

    Most of the practice consisted of single-car runs. The new driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Insurance Camaro ZL1, Alex Bowman, led, for the most part, and had the fastest single-car run with a top speed of 193.999 mph.

    Having some draft help, Austin Dillon in his No. 3 Camaro ZLI led the Chevy camp with a top speed of 197.278.

    The No. 17 Ford of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the fastest Ford and marked a top speed of 195.389.

    Final Daytona 500 Qualifying Practice

    The final Daytona 500 qualifying practice looked a lot different from the first one. It started off with a few single cars runs and then drafting took over the track.

    Rookie William Byron in the No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 topped the charts with a speed of 201.681 followed by the No. 17 Fusion of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with a top speed of 201.649 mph.

    The quickest Toyota was the No. 11 of Denny Hamlin with a 201.464 mph lap.

    Alex Bowman in the No. 88 had another fast single car run before drafting began to take place. Danica Patrick in her bright green No. 7 GoDaddy.com Camaro ZL1 for Premium Motorsports led a portion of the practice session while in the draft.

    With less than 10 minutes to go in the session, a pack of about 13 cars formed on the high banks. Byron had a few moments that could have left him with a wrecked race car.

    The front row of the Daytona 500 will be decided tomorrow during qualifying.

    Follow @MrBrandonRivero for his latest articles

  • GHOST TRACKS: Revisiting Indiana’s Armscamp Speedway

    GHOST TRACKS: Revisiting Indiana’s Armscamp Speedway

    “No Trespassing” signs were everywhere. I had taken a wonderful 90-minute ride on my Triumph Bonneville to see the old race track and I didn’t want to go home empty-handed. It took half an hour to find someone who assured me that I could take a few quick photos of the former Armscamp Speedway in Alexandria, Indiana.

    There’s not much left. The south concrete wall still stands, marking the asphalt track’s fast main straightaway. The smaller infield track, which circles inside the quarter-mile main facility, is easier to make out. Half-century-old trees have grown up and through everything, including the old track surface itself.

    Built in 1941, Armscamp Speedway was at its zenith in the 1950s under the watchful eye of owner Paul Karnes, universally known as “Whitey.” If you could travel back in time and attend an average night at Armscamp Speedway, there is absolutely nothing that you would not recognize. You would feel right at home.

    You could watch races on Friday or Sunday nights. Occasionally a special double feature would be held with a complete midget show running Sunday afternoon at 2:30 pm, followed by a “hardtopper” show at 8:30 pm the same evening for stock cars. For a dollar, you could watch them both (about $6.50 in today’s devalued currency).

    The entire nightly routine would feel familiar to a modern short track fan. See if there’s anything here you recognize…

    Qualifying, or “time trials’ as they were then known, began an hour before the first race. If you could run the quarter-mile bullring in about 17.5 seconds, you were among the fastest cars.

    Fifty or more “hardtops” would enter the event, divided up into a trophy dash and four 10-lap heat races. The faster cars advanced into one of two 15-lap “semifinals,” with the fastest semifinal cars transferring to a 25-lap feature event.

    Amateur racers competed in “pleasure cars,” sort of an early version of street stocks. All other drivers were listed as professionals if their class paid a purse. The fact that most of them held day jobs mattered not. If you got paid, you were a professional racing driver.

    Just like today, a handful of the fastest open-wheel touring pros could make a decent living by racing full time. When Bob Breading of Indianapolis won the first of his three eventual Consolidated Midget Racing Association titles in 1946, his earnings for the year totaled $14,000. He would spend more than half of that on travel and car maintenance, but $6-7,000 was an upper middle class living in 1946 when the average US annual salary was barely $2,600.

    Special events paid more. A $2,000 total purse for a special main event was a big payday in the early 1950s, and a common sum for special touring series events or 100-lap championship features.

    Does all this still sound familiar?

    Drivers and officials at Armscamp Speedway argued over fairness and budgets just like today. Whitey Karnes introduced a new rule for the 1952 season declaring that any car winning three features must be sold to the first bidder for five hundred dollars. If no one bought it, the driver was free to continue competing in it. The “claim” rule is standard for many Midwestern short tracks today.

    Armscamp’s 1953 rules package was exactly ten sentences long. This is an exact quote: “Motor… anything you can’t see (is okay). If the motor looks stock outwardly, it’s okay. No tear downs!”

    The successful drivers were well known to race fans throughout the region. Names like Huston Bundy, Audie Swartz, Johnny Arnold, Francis Morris and Bill Holloway were in the newspaper every week.

    In 1953, Holloway was a 29-year-old from Muncie who built his own cars, managed the family garage, held a full-time position at Delco and ran four or more short track races every week. The previous year he had set single lap, 5-lap, 10-lap, 15-lap and 50-lap speed records at Armscamp while posting more Hardtop feature wins than any other driver. He raced for thirty years in stock cars and midgets before taking up motorcycles. He was still riding a 1200cc bike (rapidly) at age 83. If they’re going to build a Hall of Fame, guys like Holloway belong in it. He was typical of the local heroes who lit up Midwestern tracks every weekend in the middle of the 20th century.

    Armscamp Speedway ran its final race in the summer of 1967, after 26 years as a mainstay on the Indiana/Ohio short track racing circuit.

    If you could travel back in time to Armscamp Speedway in the 1940’s and 50’s, every single moment of your experience would be familiar. It would feel like home. You would instantly become comfortable with the format, the atmosphere and even the fans. It is shocking how little has really changed throughout the history of short track racing.

    The ruins of Armscamp Speedway can be found about a hundred yards northwest of the Centennial Steel building on the north side of State Road 28, less than a mile west of the junction with State Road 9 in Alexandria, Indiana. There’s not much to see, but I still considered it worth the trip. It’s like having your own personal time machine.

    But be sure and ask first. There are “No Trespassing” signs everywhere.

    Stephen Cox

    Sopwith Motorsports Television Productions

    Driver, Super Cup Stock Car Series & FIA EGT Championship

    Co-host, Mecum Auctions on NBCSN

  • Ryan Reed and Cole Custer–Two XFINITY Drivers Looking Forward to the New Season

    Ryan Reed and Cole Custer–Two XFINITY Drivers Looking Forward to the New Season

    CHARLOTTE, NC – Ryan Reed and Cole Custer are promising young drivers in the XFINITY Series. They’ve both had success with Reed winning races for a couple of years and Custer making the playoffs and winning the final race of the 2017 season. Both have a goal of driving in the Monster Energy Cup Series at some point, but neither is in a hurry. They are looking forward to Daytona and the rest of the season

    RYAN REED – No. 16 Ford Mustang – DO YOU LIKE PLATE RACING? “I certainly don’t hate it just because you’ve had good results. I think it’s easy to kind of get in slumps at superspeedways that aren’t even your fault. We just don’t seem to get in those. I think nowadays especially it takes having really strong race cars, especially at plate races, you have to make a lot happen. You have to be able to make moves and be aggressive. If you don’t, if your race cars aren’t as good, you just can’t make it happen. Fortunately, we don’t have that problem at Roush. I don’t know if I love them or hate them because so much is out of your control, but certainly having some success there helps you smile when you think of them rather than frown.”

    IT’S THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OR ROUSH. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DRIVE FOR HIM? “First of all, just driving for Jack is obviously really special. He’s such a big part of NASCAR’s history and he’s kind of one who has laid the groundwork for where NASCAR is today, so when you look at Jack Roush you have a lot of respect for him and to be able to drive for him is really cool. You pull from a lot of that knowledge and then I think for me what really makes it special is having won for him. Jack’s not a guy who is satisfied until you have success, so you can have top fives or top 10s and he’ll come up to you and pat you on the back, but when you see Jack smiling in Victory Lane you know, ‘OK, I actually made him proud today.’”

    IS THERE A PLAN FOR YOU TO MOVE UP TO CUP? “Yeah, there has been talk. Obviously, we all know there is a lot that has to happen to go from XFINITY to Cup – sponsorship, the team being ready, the driver being read – and so I think something that I certainly want to do. I got in this sport to be a Cup driver one day, so I’m working really hard at it. I give Jack a hard time and push for it, so I think it’s something that’s on all of our minds and just when is the right time and how do we get there. Those are the questions we have to answer, so hopefully sooner than later we get that figured out.”

    HOW DO YOU FEEL THE CAMAROS AND MUSTANGS MATCH UP? “That’s a question we all ask ourselves a lot and compare ourselves to our competition. I think they are. I think there are differences and I think each one has their advantages over the other. It’s a little bit different now for us with the composite body. That changes it a little bit, but I think they are competitive and I think it’s a lot on us to try and figure out how to use our strengths with our Ford body to our advantage.”

    HOW WILL IT BE HAVING FOUR DIFFERENT DRIVERS IN THE OTHER TEAM CAR? “We ended the year last year without teammates or at least the vast majority of the second half of the year we didn’t have a teammate, so just having a second car is helpful. It can be done. You’ve seen it with organizations that have one-car programs and they have success, but for the most part, I think, it’s gonna be helpful just to have the second car. Mike Kelley is a really good crew chief, so I think he’s gonna be able to help the program. The whole XFINITY program, having him involved in that again, and I think having three fairly inexperienced drivers – at least in XFINITY cars – that will be different, but I also think it will be good because Ty has had some NASCAR experience with Roush, but Chase and Austin come from different organizations, so it will be cool to see their mindset and be able to pull from their previous experience, and also Austin is going to be splitting time with Penske as well, so that will be really good information and a really good comparison as we go.”

    HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE OTHER GUYS? “I know Ty pretty well. I know Ty and I really have spent time with all three of them. We’ve all been in the Ford camp. Ty, I’ve run races with him last year, so I have a little bit of experience working with him, but we’ve all been in the Ford camp for a number of years, so I have a little bit of experience with them. I think that transition will be easy. The communication, we’re all comfortable with each other, so I don’t think that will be too much of an introduction phase.”

    COLE CUSTER – No. 00 Ford Mustang – WHAT IS YOUR TIMEFRAME IN TERMS OF GETTING TO CUP? “There isn’t really a timeframe, honestly. We’re just trying to get some experience and also trying to win this XFINITY championship, so however, it plays out it plays out. I think you just have to focus on what you’re doing and do the best you can.”

    CUP IS THE GOAL? “Yeah. Everybody wants to get to the Cup level, but however, it plays out it plays out.”

    WHAT HAS SHR DONE FOR YOUR CAR THIS YEAR? “In the XFINITY Series they’re doing the flange fit bodies, so it takes a lot of the creativity that we had with the steel bodies out of it, so we’re still trying to find ways to make those better and trying to just get the scans right on them because NASCAR put a new scanning system in place. There is a lot of stuff and new rules out that we need to figure out and try to make our cars the best we can within the rules.”

    DIDN’T YOU RUN A COUPLE RACES WITH THE FLANGE FIT BODY? “Yeah, we ran a couple races. We have some experience, but they also didn’t have that Hawkeye system, which is keeping us within lower tolerances and those races that we ran were short tracks, so the aero side wasn’t quite as important.”

    THINGS SEEM CALM AT SHR THIS YEAR. HOW MUCH EMPHASIS HAS BEEN PUT ON CUP AND XFINITY WITH NO CHANGEOVER? “I’ll tell you right now there is no calm offseason, ever. It’s always a struggle, so there’s always stuff to learn with the Hawkeye system. That’s the biggest thing, honestly. We’re just trying to figure out how to get our cars to fit the scan. That’s the biggest thing. Everybody is working really hard right now to figure that out and it’s definitely gonna help us this year because we’re in way better shape than we were last year, so to be able to fluff and buff on our speedway cars and to focus more on the tracks that we need to work on, that’s gonna help us a lot.”

    HAVE YOU SEEN ANY ADVANCEMENT IN THE ENGINE PROGRAM? “Doug Yates and all those guys are always working on stuff. I don’t know if there is any better engine program out there. There were times last year where I knew we were as fast as we were just because of the motor and I’ve never felt that before. It was crazy and I know that they’re working hard to get it even better, so I think we’re gonna be in good shape no matter what this year and I’m looking forward to it.”

    WHAT ARE FIVE RACES YOU WOULD LIKE TO WIN OR COMPETE? “I would say I’d like to go back and race more midget stuff at some point, and then I’d like to run Turkey Night more than the Chili Bowl. Another race would be some type of V8 SuperCar. I think that would be kind of cool to run something over there. The Indy 500 is cool. Rolex 24 would be cool to run. I don’t know. It’s hard to run through. I’d have to really think about it, but those are the ones that come to mind.”

    ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT THE ROVAL AT CHARLOTTE? “It’s gonna be interesting, that’s for sure. It’s a really tight track, I guess. It’s gonna be interesting. We’re gonna see when we go there. We’re gonna be the first cars to find out, so nobody really knows what to expect. It could be good, it could be not what we need, but it’ll be interesting for sure.”

    WHICH DO YOU PREFER, OVAL RACING OR ROAD COURSES? “Oval racing is where I’m from and probably what I more specialize in, but I really do like road racing. It’s a lot of fun. It’s something I feel like we need more of. I wish we went to more road courses like Road Atlanta and just different kinds of actual road courses because we have some really great ones in North America. Hopefully, we can keep running more. You’re just doing a lot more. Even though oval racing is really hard and you have to be real precise and you’re always on the edge, road course racing is fun because you’re banging gears, you’re driving it sideways, you’re spinning the tires, you’re hard on the brakes. It’s just a lot of stuff going on and it’s really fun.”

    TONY SAID HE MIGHT LIKE TO RUN THE ROVAL. HOW WOULD IT BE TO HAVE HIM AS A TEAMMATE FOR THAT EVENT? “It would be awesome if Tony ran an XFINITY race with us. It would be really cool to have him as a teammate and get to bounce ideas off him. He’s obviously one of the best all-time, so it would be a dream come true to be his teammate.”

  • Ty Dillon Wants to Grow in the Sport on His Own Terms

    Ty Dillon Wants to Grow in the Sport on His Own Terms

    CHARLOTTE, NC – Ty Dillon, grandson of Richard Childress, enters his second season in Monster Energy Cup ready to go. Dillon was frustrated with the way 2017 went since he had never struggled in a rookie season in the past. He has great confidence going into 2018 in his second season with Germain Racing and is looking forward to running Bristol, his favorite track. He took questions from the media gathered at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour.

    Dillon admitted he was excited about the coming season and his new daughter, recently born.

    “Having my little girl in the off-season helped put some things in perspective in my life and I have been trying to change my approach on some things. I let the sport get me a little down, which sounds ridiculous in your rookie season because I never really struggled in any of my previous rookie’s seasons, whether it was trucks, XFINITY. I won races in my rookie season in both those series and was battling for championships all the way down to the end. Last year that wasn’t really the case. We had a couple of close calls to win a race. I feel relieved that at the end of my rookie season I really learned some things that are going to help me this year. Also, kind of changed my outlook. Everything is an opportunity.”

    Dillon finished 13th in the Spring race at Bristol but crashed in the night race and finished 36th. Even so, Dillon likes Bristol.

    “Bristol has been a good track for me. In all my careers, I probably have one of the best average finishes at that racetrack,” Dillon said. “I look forward going back. The second race in the Cup series wasn’t really strong for us but look forward to capitalizing on it as it is one of my favorite tracks to go to.”

    One would have expected that Dillon would join his brother at RCR, but he went to Germain instead because his grandfather already had Ryan Newman and Paul Menard in addition to his brother already, Dillon likes the opportunity.

    “I think the fact that I have my own identity at Germain Racing and the more we grow as a team, the more I grow as a driver, the more I grow as a person we feel comfortable,” Dillon said.

    If Richard Childres calls, will you drive there?

    “I think there was something inside of me that wanted to break out of that a little bit. As much as I love having a brother in the sport and my family in the sport and my grandfather is an owner and how much I would love to win races and championships for him, I think I needed to break out of that grandson-brother shadow that I had.” Dillon said. “Not that it was a negative shadow. I just want people to see me for me. Austin and I can do some great things together, and we do on and off the racetrack, but for me to grow as a person off the racetrack is just as important. So, Bo taking the opportunity on me and Geico to bring me in, I can’t wait to make the most of this opportunity and grow with both of them.

    “I want to be my own self, but I think there are a lot of things my brother and I can do that are great and I still want to work with my grandfather. But I want people to know me for me and know my life and know who I am. At the young parts of my career and the beginning stages, we needed to be grouped together to get the full impact and now that I feel like I’m at this top level I can start branching off and let people know me. I want to race for Germain Racing and Geico my whole career and win races and championships and build my own brand like Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.”