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Author: SM Staff

Carl Edwards: ‘I Really Wish We Could Talk About This Year’

[media-credit id=2 align=”alignright” width=”227″][/media-credit]Don’t ask Carl Edwards about what happened to he and his No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing team last season. He’s done talking about it, ready to focus on 2012 instead of dwelling on what went wrong or what they could have done differently last year.

He’s done talking about it because he says once he parked his plane at the airport a few days ago and walked through the gates at Daytona to start testing, his mindset switched to what he needs to do now. The confidence and excitement that he felt when arriving are more than he’s ever felt before.

But it isn’t so easy to just let go of what the NASCAR world witnessed. From Daytona to Homestead it seems that even after doing everything he could he was always one position short of where he needed to be. That included the Daytona 500, which Edwards has yet to win.

“Well, it would be huge,” said Edwards if he were to win it next month. “That would be an understatement. That is an understatement. Last year we were so close following Trevor [Bayne] across the start-finish line. I learned a lot. I feel like our restrictor plate program is better. I feel that Greg [Biffle, teammate] and I have grown together to be able to do well at these races. It’s the Daytona 500 and I’m very, very excited about it.”

Some might find it ironic that Edwards started and ended last season by finishing second, losing two important things in the process. As Bayne went onto win the biggest race of the year, and his career, which was just two races old at that point, Edwards headed back home and gave himself a headache by wondering what he should have done differently to get around Bayne.

In fact, he even called the race winner to ask. Not being able to let it go until he had a solid answer about how he let the Daytona 500 slip away. Bayne though, didn’t have answer, telling Edwards he couldn’t say whether he should have went high or low. So Edwards left Daytona and moved toward trying to win the championship, which he came up short on too.

Those disappointments have left him. Making many appearances during the off-season he says that the common theme that he’s seen is how excited everyone is about the new season and new opportunities. It’s neat he says, to be apart of something that has a whole group genuinely excited and pumped up about 2012.

That includes crew chief Bob Osborne, who seemed to take last year’s ending the hardest. He didn’t attend Champion’s Week in Las Vegas, instead staying home to work and better the team. Edwards saw what Osborne was going through and says the whole team experienced it with him before putting it on a shelf and moving on.

“If we weren’t upset about it, if it wasn’t something that made you just want to – or that frustrated you, then you’re probably not in the right sport,” said Edwards. “But I believe, I’d like to believe that we’re wise enough to not let that get the best of us, to just go out and perform and do the best we can. That’s competition. That’s life. You’ve just got to keep on going and do the best you can.”

They’ve internalized, compartmentalized and put the 2011 book on a shelf. The slate is clean and the year is fresh and it only matters what they do now. Except Edwards and his team all too well that the odds might be stacked against them. Because they’ve been in this position before, trying to come back from disappointment only to never see their expectations come close to being met.

“I think I’m one of the ones that kind of started that deal in 2008 and 2009,” Edwards believes of the second place curse as it’s being called. “We’ve lived that. It’s really painful. I hope that kinds of takes us out of that – keeps us from repeating that statistic. I hope that experience that we had before in 2009 will keep us from doing it again.

“But this sport is tough. Your success last year does not guarantee you anything right now. That’s just the way this sport is. We’ve made the mistake of resting on our laurels and saying we’re good, let’s focus on a coupe little things. But you can’t do that. You’ve got to keep looking at every little thing.”

It’s why Edwards and his Fastenal team will again be ones to watch as they look to right the wrongs of the Daytona 500 and Chase from last season.

January 14, 2012
Kruseman cruises to 7th Friday Victory at the Chili Bowl
[media-credit name=”Mike Holloway” align=”alignright” width=”196″][/media-credit]The final day of qualifying for the Chili Bowl went off with very few hitches but one very scary crash. Half way through the 4^th qualifying race Joey Moughan’s Black 77 clipped the berm and slid on its side into bale of hay. He was then was launched up into the catch fence where it became tangled in the fence. The right rear wheel was over the top the fence and the car was held in the fence by the right front tire and wheel upside down. After working for several minutes, track safety workers were able to extricate Moughan from the car. He was awake and alert and able to follow commands. He was transported along with family to an area hospital where at last word he was undergoing a precautionary CAT scan.

The racing tonight was fierce. Perhaps more so than any other night of the event so far. With big name drivers like Joey Saldana, Bryan Clauson, Jac Haudenschild, Levi Jones, Cory Kruseman and Brad Loyete all competing for a locked in position in the Chili Bowl A-main.

Winning his 7^th Friday night A main and securing a spot was Cory Kruseman. He ran strong, clean fast races. He was smart and strong with his passes using caution when in traffic and doing what he had to do to win.

The “Wild Child” Jac Haudenschild was the surprise of the night. Wheeling his way into the A main with the flair and flamboyance we have come to expect from Jac. Always the showman his skills were sharp and his car control precise. Starting from the back of the A main he worked his way almost into transfer position finishing just one position shy in 4th.

The two stand outs of the night were without a doubt, Levi Jones and Bryan Clauson. Clauson who announced he will be participating in the rookie orientation for the Indy 500 and attempting to qualify for that race this year came home a strong 3^rd after falling back after nearly stalling the car in traffic.

Levi Jones, who is driving for Shane Hmiel in the Chili Bowl, showed strength and skill sets that were stronger than his 27 years should have allowed him. He flat out gutted Clauson going 3 wide to take over 2^nd in the A main and nearly over took Kruseman at the checkered flag coming out of 4 when Kruseman struggled to get through lapped traffic. Finishing a very strong and charging 2nd Levi will no doubt make his presence known on Saturday night.

Joey Saldana finished third in his qualifying race to make the A main. He was never a factor after starting deep in the field and becoming mired in traffic and slower cars. But it was his skills behind the wheel that made an otherwise unsuccessful race a site to see. Saldana used his ability to control the car in tight traffic and control a car that was bicycling or teetering on two wheels as it goes around the corner to maintain a respectable finish of 15^th, considering he himself said, “I don’t know anything about a midget. I really don’t know a whole lot about what I am doing out there so I am not sure that I am giving my crew enough information to help me. But we are having a good time anyway.”

The draw for the 12 lock ins was held immediately following the A main tonight. The 12 locked in drivers will start the main event tomorrow in the following line up.
1. Kevin Swindell
2. Kyle Larson
3. Sammy Swindell
4. Cory Kruseman
5. Danny Stratton
6. Shane Cottle
7. Levi Jones
8. Ricky Stenhouse
9. Brad Sweet
10. Tony Stewart
11. Bryan Clauson
12. Michael Pickens
The remainder of the field will be filled with the eliminating races starting with the K main tomorrow at 1230 CST. The main event will be a 50 lap event with a field made up of the very best of the best. It is an event that people have traveled from all over the country to see and have followed over radio broadcasts from all over the world. CBS announced that it will televise the event on April 14^th.

Other news Winged Sprint Car driver of the year was announced tonight and Jason Meyers took the honors. As well as the USAC series announced it will be returning to West Memphis on their national tour. It is the first time back to Memphis area for the sprint cars since 2004. The date for the event is Sept. 8^th.

The alphabet soup day for the Chili Bowl begins at 12:30 PM CST tomorrow with the running of the first K main. There will be 2 all the way up to the B main and the event will finish up with the main event for the Golden Driller at approximately 10 PM CST. It is possible to climb into the A main from the K main. It’s not an easy run and you would have to finish in the top 3 of every race to get there. But it is possible so if your favorite did not make the top 12, don’t give up. The Chili Bowl is far from over.
January 14, 2012
From Testing to Teammates and Team Changes, Tony Stewart Excited for 2012

[media-credit name=”Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”232″][/media-credit]Tony Stewart doesn’t appear ready to descend from cloud nine, where’s he’s been since winning his third career Sprint Cup Series championship in dramatic fashion last November in Homestead.

Thursday Stewart was among 31 other teams who got a taste of the first on-track action of the year as they began testing for next months Daytona 500. It was there Stewart said he’s really excited about the upcoming NASCAR season because of the many new things ahead for Stewart-Haas Racing.

“Obviously the end of the year last year was – still almost like a fairy-tale for us, storybook ending,” said Stewart. “But this is our biggest race of the year. It starts today. Well, it started the day after Homestead actually for the crew guys and today is the first day that we get an idea of the rewards for their hard work and see these cars on the racetrack and see what kind of speed they have.”

Normally a driver to find other things to do with his time instead of test, Stewart acknowledged that he was having fun. Not as much though as the individuals who put their blood, sweat and tears into building brand new racecars. Testing days are their days, when the hard work during the offseason from crew chiefs, car chiefs and engineers is put into motion.

“Our sport is unique obviously having our biggest race the first race of the year,” Stewart said. “But it’s very fitting at the same time because this race, we have more time during the off season to prepare for this race then we do the others. You bring cars here that you have the extra time to just make them that little bit nicer than you normally have time to do.”

The work Stewart put into the off season as a team owner he hopes will do its part in winning their first Daytona 500. The Indiana native has won everything in NASCAR except its biggest race. He’s won everything there is to win at Daytona – three July classics, three Budweiser Shootouts, one Gatorade Duel race and six Nationwide Series races – but not February’s Great American Race.

When the green flag drops on February 26 it’ll be the 14th attempt for Stewart. Now though, coming off another huge accomplishment he’s looking toward racing momentum (he won in other racing series during the off season) as well as a few key pieces at SHR to lead him into Daytona’s hallowed ground.

First comes new teammate in superstar Danica Patrick. Another drafting partner, one he worked very well with in July during the NNS race, will be there to lend a helping hand to both Stewart and Ryan Newman during Speedweeks. Patrick will attempt to run in the 500 and other Cup races during the 2012 season.

And while Stewart is certainly happy for Patrick, he’s even happier about who her crew chief will be. Some of the biggest news since Homestead has been the personnel changes around the garage. From drivers to spotters and crew chiefs, this was one of the busiest off seasons in recent memory.

First, Stewart hired Steve Addington as his crew chief; with the man he won the title with in 2011, Darian Grubb, moving to Joe Gibbs Racing and Denny Hamlin. As if in return, Greg Zipadelli moves to SHR as their competition director, leaving behind JGR where he and where once upon a time he and Stewart worked together.

Twelve years ago it was Stewart and Zippy, as he’s known, rolling into the garages at Daytona ready to set the racing world on fire. They won two championships together and over 35 races before Stewart left JGR and formed his own team. Zippy stayed behind but now feels the time is right to make a change and reunite with Stewart.

According to Stewart it made sense to have Zippy in both roles, competition director and part-time crew chief. His experience with young and often inexperienced drivers will play a major role for Patrick in her learning process. It’s the best of both worlds for SHR.

It’s also the best certainly for Stewart. During their tenure together the two were very close, fighting like brothers during the bad times and succeeding in big ways during the good times. The two are perfect for each and the reunion has everyone excited, but none more than Stewart to have his best friend back on his side.

“You know, it’s nice having Zippy back,” Stewart said. “I got to work with him for ten years, so seeing him at the track here today was the first big reminder of kind of going back to what it was like to start with him in ’99. I know we’re excited to have him back and we’re not working in the same capacity together that we did for ten years, but he’s right there next door and it feels like home again. So I’m pretty excited about it.”

January 13, 2012
Jamie McMurray gets a new sponsor for the new season

Belkin, a technology provider based out of California, announced Tuesday that they’re entering the motorsports world and will serve as a secondary sponsor on Jamie McMurray’s No. 1 Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet.

[media-credit name=”Earnhardt Ganassi Racing” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]The company has revealed a brand new identity and logo on a specially-designed car during the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas that the 2010 Daytona 500 winner will drive this season.

Belkin will also serve as primary sponsor on McMurray’s car during the April 1st race at Martinsville Speedway.

“We are excited to join Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Jamie McMurray as a sponsor for the upcoming 2012 NASCAR season”, said the CEO and founder of Belkin, Chet Pipkin. “With tens of millions of fans and legions of devotees and viewers, NASCAR is a sport of the people, so it seems like a natural fit for a company that prides itself on taking inspiration from real people and creating products that enhance the role of technology in people’s lives.”

Here is what Steve Lauletta, the president of EGR, offered on the new partnership:

“Earnhardt Ganassi welcomes Belkin as a new partner of our team, the No. 1 Chevrolet and Jamie McMurray. We hope this relationship will help generate awareness and brand loyalty for Belkin, among our large number of devoted race fans. Belkin’s commitment to innovative design, quality and performance speaks to racing fans and is a natural tie-in with our mission at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.”

January 13, 2012
Kevin Swindell Dominates Day 3 of the Chili Bowl

[media-credit id=30 align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Night 3 of the Chili Bowl was a rough and ragged night of racing. Caution Flag followed caution flag and there were 3 different races that it required multiple attempts to even get a single lap of competition in. But when the dust settled it was a familiar name in victory lane. That name was Swindell. Not Sammy but Kevin. Following in his father’s footsteps the younger Swindell dominated the evening when he was on the track. The major difference one runs the top one runs the bottom. It makes it very easy to imagine a Swindell road block in the Chili Bowl on Saturday.

The third night of the Chili Bowl was pushing hard to beat its 11:00 PM curfew. The competitors managed to pull it out with 8 minutes to spare. But not before a very scary crash involving J.J. Yeley.

Yeley who bobbled early in the A main and was shuffled back to 10^th was charging back up thru the field and had made it back to 6^th and was battling for 5^th when the 4^th and 5^th place cars tangled leaving Yeley no where to go. Yeley ended up hard on his roof and then had contact with another car. Yeley who escaped without injury was unable to return to the race and finished a very disappointing 22^nd.

There was some question in regards to the track maintenance that was done between the C-mains and the B-mains. The track became very wet and very slick making the surface a dirt covered skating rink. The drivers though concerned put on a terrific show in the B Mains with Tracy Hines showing a number of brilliant top to bottom slide moves to move up to the A main. He was never a factor however in the race starting on the next to last row.

Brad Sweet, driving for Kasey Kahne Racing, had a quietly dominant night leading the points all night and into the A main. Sweet would challenge Swindell the entire race and would run 2^nd all night until a late race restart would allow Shane Cottle to slide around him out of 3 to take second. Cottle however was unable to cut into Swindell’s straight away lead in the 3 laps remaining and took home second place with Sweet coming home in 3^rd.

The Chili Bowl line up is up to 9 going into the 4^th night of qualifying tomorrow. But the closer it gets the more apparent it becomes that if you are going to win the Chili Bowl you are going to have to beat a Swindell. With the father and son team having won 4 of the last 5 it would appear that it will take more than speed and talent. It would appear that if you are to beat the Swindells for the Golden Driller it will take a great deal of luck.

Your 9 lock ins so far are: Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael Pickens, Sammy Swindell, Danny Stratton, Tony Stewart, Kevin Swindell, Shane Cottle, Brad Sweet. We will add three more lock ins tomorrow evening as the Chili Bowl approaches.

Shame Hmiel was in attendance tonight along with his driver for tomorrow’s qualifying action Levi Jones. Hmiel showed great humor and great spirit in an interview conducted in the pit area. It was certainly a wonderful thing to see Shane back at the track and still pushing to improve his ability and status. Hmiel who suffered a severe spinal cord injury last summer that left him a quadriplegic said he has a work out routine that is 6 to 8 hours a day. His goal he says is to be able to take his self out of the wheel chair and put his self in his bed so that his parents don’t have to do it.

Also in attendance tonight were Gary Bettenhausen and Bobby Unser.

The Chili Bowl will resume at 5:30 PM CSTtomorrow at the QT Expo in TulsaOklahoma. The event is a sell out. There is no video available until the tentative Jan 28 2012air date with Speed but you can listen to a live radio stream from .

January 13, 2012
Canadian Motorsports Expo Returns For Sixth Year

[media-credit name=”CME” align=”alignleft” width=”185″][/media-credit]The Canadian Motorsports Expo (CME) is back for another year as it will hit the International Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from February 10th to February 12th.

“Over the years, the CME has been successful because it’s the country’s only pure, homegrown celebration of Canadian motorsports,” Inside Track Magazine Editor Greg MacPherson said. “It’s where the racing industry comes together to kick off ‘our’ racing season. We’re all extremely excited about the new February date and the move to the bigger Hall 6. And we’re looking forward to working with the entire Canadian racing community to make the 2012 CME the best ever.”

As in previous five years, the CME will showcase the best products offered to the motorsports lover, along with showcasing some of the cars that will be hitting the tracks in 2012. It also marks the official spot where the 2012 track schedules are announced so fans can begin planning their summer.

Along with the exhibits and cars, there will be seminars hosted by industry experts to therefore help drivers and teams with being ready for the 2012 season to make the best of it.

The CME also tries to bring in special guests for autographs. Last year guests included Steve Arpin, Ron Fellows, Brad Keselowski and Max Papis. This year’s line-up has yet to be announced, however will be announced in the next couple of short weeks.

As with years past, on Friday, Spencer Lewis will officially announce the final Ontario Short Track Rankings, naming the 10 best drivers in Ontario for 2011. Throughout the year, Spencer has done it in quarters, naming the top 10 drivers in certain sections of the year based on their performance.

On Saturday night, the CME will once again play host to the official announcement of the Inside Track Readers’ Choice Awards, which celebrate the best accomplishments by Canadians in 2011 at a national and international level.

On Sunday, CME staff announced that they will be hosting a CASCAR Reunion. The Canadian Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (CASCAR) was founded in 1981 and ran under that banner till 2007 when it became the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

“We are very excited to be hosting the CASCAR Reunion on Sunday, February 12 at the CME,” MacPherson said. “The series laid the groundwork for NASCAR coming to Canada, proving that the country and its racers would support a unified, professional stock car series. Tony Novotny and some of his early partners had a vision, and while it was never easy, he and the racers, their families, the sponsors and fans worked together to create something pretty special. We’re looking forward to having Tony joined on stage by some past CASCAR champions and other CASCAR personalities for a trip down memory lane.”

One of the people on-hand for the reunion will be Tony Novotny, who originally founded the CASCAR series.

“It’s going to be pretty neat to see a bunch of good friends and talk about the old days,” Novotny said. “There should be a lot of fun stories. It was a lot of work and we had our ups and downs. But looking back, we put on some good racing and ran into a lot of good people over the years. It’ll be nice to see everyone again.”

The event will be held at the International Centre which is located at 6900 Airport Road in Mississauga, Ontario.

Fans can find out more information about the event, including prices and the full schedule, via the event website, http://www.canadianmotorsportsexpo.com

January 13, 2012
Ron Beauchamp Jr. Gets New Crew Chief, But Keeps Mopart Parts Onbold

Beauchamp Motorsports announced that for the 2012 season, he will be bringing in new crew chief Deon Deneau to be in charge of the No. 60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge.

“I’ve know Deon for years,” Ron Beauchamp Jr. said. “He’s worked with Butch Miller in ASA, was ASA Crew Chief of the year in 2007, he’s got a lot of other experience and after we met to discuss the opportunity the decision was an easy one.”

Deneau added, “I’m very thankful for the opportunity Ron Sr. has given me, I think the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series has become extremely competitive and has some very talented race teams competing in it and it will be an exciting challenge for us.”

The decision was made to therefore improve the team’s program after a solid season in 2011. At the end of the 2011 season, Beauchamp Jr. finished seventh in points with one top five and five top 10s. The change has already started to take effect in the shop.

“Deon has been evaluating some things and making a few changes,” Beauchamp said. “We’ll also be going over the cars very closely so he can get a better understanding of the setup we’ve been running. The whole team in energized and we can’t wait to get the season going.”

Beauchamp Motorsports also added in the announcement that they will continue their association with Mopar Parts, Exide Batteries and Mobil 1.

“We’re so proud to be teamed with the absolute best group of companies you could associate with,” Beauchamp said. “Our relationship goes far beyond the racetrack and their support has been incredible over the years.”

Race fans will have an opportunity to meet Ron Beauchamp Jr. and see the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge at the upcoming Canadian Motorsports Expo in Toronto, February 10-12 at the International Centre in Toronto, ON.

Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge Team will compete in all twelve races on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule. Once again this year all events will be broadcast on TSN. Fans should check their local listings for times. For more information about the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team log on to www.beauchampmotorsports.com and www.mopar.ca

January 13, 2012
Sammy Swindell Dominates 2nd Night of Chili Bowl Smoke Locks in

[media-credit id=30 align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]Night two of the Chili Bowl has come to an end. It was an awesome night of racing. Some real hard core old school dirt flying hard charging never say die racing. I have to say that I said last night that it just doesn’t get better than this and I was wrong. Tonight was better. The three top dogs of the night met both expectations and surprise with Sammy Swindell winning the A main. The surprise of the night was young Danny Stratton who came home in 2^nd. And another expectation Tony Stewart sealing his spot in Saturday’s big show with a third in the A main.

I know there are a lot of folks out there that don’t like Sammy Swindell but let me tell you he is like watching a master magician. He not only has incredible car control it seems he almost anticipates the moves of others on the track. He is personable. He is honest. He doesn’t beat around the bush. He will tell you what he thinks. “I got it a little messed up there for a few laps and Danny got out in the front there but I got it straightened out and ran him down. But anything can happen here I hope you are asking me questions from the winners circle on Saturday.” There is very little doubt in my mind that I will indeed be talking to Sammy Swindell on the podium on Saturday. The man has won the Chili Bowl 4 times and whether he comes home first or whether he comes home 3^rd, this man is a champion and hall of famer and he showed how and why tonight.

Then you have Danny Stratton, young, brash and committed to one thing and one thing only winning. “We came here to get in the show. We did that. But I think we lost a little bit from the qualifier to the feature and that I am not happy about.” He cut his way through the field with an energy that only youth and invincibility could provide. If he noticed his near misses you wouldn’t know it. He pointed the nose to the front and he never looked back. He has a bright future ahead of him. We will see young Mr. Stratton in the years to come in higher ranking series.

Then there was the man that seemingly everyone came to see, Tony Stewart. The Midget hall of famer didn’t disappoint the crowd or his fans. Finishing second in the heat and first in the qualifying race and third in the A main he secured his spot in the big show on Saturday. To watch him work on the car honestly you would think he was a surgeon working on a patient. Watching him drive you were watching a defying feat over gravity and physics. You would have seen no fear and no worry. “You have to be on your marks every single lap out there. It’s not like a Sprint Cup car where you have 500 laps so if you mess up on one you have 499 to get it back. Most of these races are under 25 laps. You don’t have time. You have to be on the mark.” To watch him with fans you would have seen a curious exchange of energy, emotion and affection. No matter the age, no matter the sex. This was the man they call Smoke and he was a crowd favorite.

When you add these three names to the 3 outstanding competitors from last night, Kyle Larson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Michael Pickens, the A main on Saturday is already a must see event. There are two more nights of qualifying races yet to go. During those two nights we will see Kevin Swindell, Bryan Clauson, J.J. Yeley, and Joey Saldana. There is no way the racing is going to cool off regardless of how much snow falls in Tulsa.

It’s time to finish my job here for the night. But to be honest I feel guilty calling it a job. It was one of the most fun nights of racing I have had in a long time. It ranks close to the very best night of racing I have ever had and the Chili Bowl is not over yet.

A note of interest during the intermission this evening it was announced that Levi Jones of TSR had been named North American Non Winged Sprint Car Driver of the year. Congratulations to Levi and all of his team at TSR.

See you all tomorrow at 5:30 PM CST tomorrow for the third day of the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals

January 12, 2012
The Battle For The Golden Driller Begins in Tulsa

[media-credit id=30 align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]The Chili Bowl Midget Nationals began in Tulsa Oklahoma today. The event is a week of hard core racing. This year’s event garnered over 500 driver entries. Each driver is bidding for a Saturday night A Main starting position.

The activities began with the first group of qualifiers running heat races and qualifying races and on into C main, B main, and A main features. The top 4 from the qualifying races qualified for the A main and the C and B main transferred their top 4. The A main transfers its top 3 finishers into the Chili Bowl on Saturday Night.

Each day of qualifying leading up to the Chili Bowl on Saturday Night will feature the same process of qualifying races up to the A main. Saturday will fill the field with transfer positions from consie races from those that did not qualify the first 4 nights.

The Midget race car for those who are new to open wheel and dirt racing, are 1000 lbs and 72 inches long. They run 4 cylinder engines that produce approximately 300 – 350hp.

Midgets came into being in 1933 and are not intended to run long distances. The average length of a race being 20 – 25 laps. The horsepower to weight ratio of these cars makes them both powerful and exciting to watch. Their short wheel base however, makes them prone to roll over crashes which made it necessary to add the roll bar system in the early 70’s.

The Chili Bowl is their Super Bowl race. It is held in Tulsa Oklahoma at the QT Center. The names that hold the Golden Driller are impressive in their own right. Names like Sammy Swindell, Kevin Swindell, Tony Stewart, and Tim McCreadie top the list. It’s those names and their car owners that create the first night draw with the Race of Champions.

In order to be in the Race of Champions you must have won a Golden Driller or been the car owner of someone who has won the Golden Driller. This year’s field was 14 cars. The starting positions were drawn for drivers by children selected from the stands. For the 4^th year in a row Sammy Swindell drew the pole position. Returning to the Chili Bowl after a 3 year absence Tony Stewart started tail end Charlie in 14^th in the 14.

Stewart arrived late yesterday and missed the practice and hot laps and so was climbing in his Spike chassis Chevy Performance Chevrolet number 14 for the first time when the Champions took the track for a few hot laps just before the Champions features.

The race was an action packed high energy highly contested event that saw Sammy Swindell take an early commanding lead. Son Kevin Swindell made a hard charge on the outside to catch the elder Swindell and started around him on the high side when a caution came out for Jason Leffler getting upside down. Leffler was not injured and the green came back in very short order. Stewart was charging through the field and was up to 6^th when the caution again flew for a spin on the front stretch. When the green came back out Kevin Swindell charged hard to the outside and Sammy dived low to the bottom coming out of 4 to hold off the charge and took the checkers. Stewart finished 7^th. Ricky Stenhouse Jr who was also slotted to run the race experienced mechanical difficulties and never started the race. Bryan Clauson of TSR finished 6^th.

The A main was a hard fought return to grass roots racing. After an evening of difficulties Kyle Larson charged hard to the front taking the lead from George Ramey on lap 18 and he never looked back. Ricky Stenhouse Jr challenged briefly for the lead in heavy traffic but could not catch the charging Larson and finished in 2^nd securing a place in the Chili Bowl feature on Saturday. The transferring drivers were in 1^st place Kyle Larson, 2^nd Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 3^rd Michael Pickens.

The action picks up again tomorrow evening at5:30 CSTwith notables like Bryan Clauson, Tony Stewart, and Kevin Swindell running their qualifying races.

January 11, 2012
12 INDUCTEES ANNOUNCED AS “CLASS OF 2012” FOR NATIONAL SPRINT CAR HALL OF FAME

[media-credit name=”sprintcarhof.com” align=”alignright” width=”150″][/media-credit]The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the names of its twelve inductees for 2012. Those that will be inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 2, during the twenty-third annual ceremonies in Knoxville, Iowa, are:

Drivers: Johnny Anderson, Thad Dosher, Sam Hoffman, Chuck Hulse, Colby Scroggin, Bobby Ward.

Owners-Mechanics-Builders-Manufacturers-Car Sponsors: Harry Hosterman, Henry Meyer, Ron Shaver.

Promoters-Officials-Media Members-Event/Series Sponsors: Earl Padgett, Gary Sokola, W.H. “Bill” Vandewater.

According to National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation executive director Bob Baker, “We are very proud of the work done by our 72-member National Induction Committee each and every year, and this year is no exception. We are equally thrilled that we will be honoring five individuals in their lifetimes in 2012, which sadly is not something that we always get to do. We have already received verbal commitments from Johnny Anderson of northern California, Thad Dosher of North Carolina, Chuck Hulse of southern California, Bobby Ward of Arkansas and Ron Shaver of southern California that they will be with us in Knoxville on June 2 to receive their awards.”

Baker, in making the announcement during the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, continued, “By the same token, it is unfortunate we will also have seven posthumous inductions to make this year. However, we know that it is our mission to educate the current fans of sprint car racing on the many accomplishments of people like Sam Hoffman, Colby Scroggin, Harry Hosterman, Henry Meyer, Earl Padgett, Gary Sokola and W.H. “Bill” Vandewater. Their lives and careers will never be forgotten at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa!”

January 11, 2012