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  • Kenny Wallace Proves A Man of Many Talents

    Kenny Wallace Proves A Man of Many Talents

    Kenny Wallace, known as the ‘Hermanator’ and for his unusual laugh that he sports so often on his SPEED TV gig, is indeed a man of many talents. His newest talent is as stand in for Roush Fenway Racing driver Matt Kenseth, who is expecting a new baby with wife Katie to be delivered right around the Daytona 500.

    Wallace has announced that he is ready to step into Kenseth’s No. 17 Cup car for practice and qualifying during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway if needed.  Wallace’s first chance at stepping into the car will be for practice on February 11th in preparation for the Bud Shootout.

    “I got a call last night from (Roush Fenway Racing GM) Robbie Reiser, and he said Katie Kenseth is due to give birth to their second baby in a couple of weeks,” Wallace said on the radio show Sirius Speedway. “They want me to be on standby in case she goes into labor before the Bud Shootout or Gatorade Duel.”

    “Matt will run the Daytona 500 no matter what, but they want me there in case they need me earlier in the week,” Wallace continued. “Even though it’s probably because I’m the same size as Matt and will fit into the seat easily, it took me about a quarter of a second to agree.”

    In addition to being on baby watch, Wallace is also preparing for his talents to start his own upcoming race season.  He will be driving full-time for RAB Racing in the Nationwide Series, marking his 22nd year in that Series in 2011.

    “I’ve been nervous since the final 2010 Nationwide Series race at Homestead trying to find the right fit for next year and now I can finally sleep at night,” Wallace said of his new ride. “My goal was to find a team with whom I could be competitive and I believe I have found that with RAB Racing.”

    “I’m ready to go for 2011,” Wallace continued.  “I have known Robby (Benton) and watched him grow his team for the past few years. The relationship with Toyota Racing Development (TRD) is huge and will allow me to be able to work with at least three other Toyota teams, including my brother Rusty (Wallace) and gain valuable information that will help us with the Nationwide program at RAB Racing next year.”

    Robby Benton, RAB Racing Co-Owner could not agree with Wallace more.  “Having our plans in place before the Christmas holiday was great for team morale and will provide us with ample time to prepare for what we need to do for the upcoming season.”

    “We’ve made significant changes at RAB Racing over the last few months in an effort to elevate our program,” Benton continued.  “Our alliance with Toyota, the relationship we have with TRD and now adding Kenny to the mix, will bring some depth to our program.”

    Benton also acknowledged that Wallace, with his many talents, will bring his own sense of style and personality to the team.

    “It also helps tremendously having a driver with Kenny’s notoriety,” Benton said.  “People love him and hopefully we’ll be able to reinvigorate his fan base.”

    Wallace will be piloting the No. 09 Toyota Camry for RAB Racing in the Nationwide Series.  To date, he and the team have secured several sponsors, including the University of Northwestern Ohio,  Federated Auto Parts, and Family Farmers, the latter being a coalition of soybean and corn farmers.

    These sponsors are on board for at least 16 races as primary sponsors.  As with most race teams, however, Wallace and Benton are still looking to fill their sponsorship dance card for the remaining 18 races of the Nationwide season.

    “We have a lot going on within our marketing department right now,” Benton said.  “I feel pretty confident about having all 34 races sold before the Daytona event in February.”

    Lest anyone think that Wallace has just been waiting around for the NASCAR season to start, he has already been busy at the track in Daytona.  He participated in the Rolex 24, racing under the banner of TRG and the Children’s Tumor Foundation.

    Wallace teamed up for the 24 hour race with fellow drivers Ron Yarab, Pierre Bourque, and Daniel Graeff.  While the team sought success on the track, they were also seeking to raise more than $1 million for the Foundation.

    “I am really honored to help represent the Children’s Tumor Foundation, it’s very near and dear to my heart,” Wallace said prior to the event. “Along the way I’m a competitor, a winning race driver, and it’s fun to team up with a winning organization like TRG.”

    Wallace and company finished 20th overall in the Rolex 24, after starting in the 24th position.

    In addition to the Rolex 24, Wallace has been showing off his dirt track racing talent, kicking off his season for 2011.  He has seen action at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, Florida and will next travel the circuit from Volusia to Eldora Speedways throughout the year.

    Wallace’s final talent will emerge later in 2011 after the finale of his NASCAR Nationwide season, when he once again assumes the duties of cruise director.  Wallace will sponsor yet again his ‘Kenny Cruise 2011″ on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

    Wallace will socialize on the Allure of the Seas ship, which will cruise the western Caribbean for a week.  Kenny’s 2011 cruise will leave Ft. Lauderdale on December 4th, 2011 traveling to Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico, before returning back to Florida on December 11th.

    From Rolex and NASCAR Nationwide racing to filling in for an expectant Cup driver and father, as well as social directing on his own cruise, the ‘Hermanator’ is indeed a man of many talents.  And just in case that is not enough Wallace for the year, fans can also check out his famous laugh on Race Day by the Home Depot and Victory Lane on SPEED TV for yet another season.

  • NASCAR’s Digital Fan Clubs Who is best? Who is biggest? Who has the best value?

    NASCAR’s Digital Fan Clubs Who is best? Who is biggest? Who has the best value?

    In this digital age NASCAR and its drivers have begun to reach out to their fan bases via the internet. Fan based websites have gotten bigger and better every year with fan clubs going completely electronic in place of the old school paper newsletter that came through the mail.

    This is the time of year that hosts the launch of most of the new fan clubs and their websites. Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Dale Jr, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and others all either have or will soon launch their new fan clubs and in some case’s their websites. So the Fourth Turn ventured out to see what was out there. The results might surprise you.

    The biggest site is not the best site. The best is not whose you might think. The most well known is light years behind and disappointing. And by the replies from the organizations combined with their sites the drivers who are most committed to their fans would perhaps surprise you. But the biggest surprise is who has the biggest and most loyal following behind them.

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”180″][/media-credit]Jimmie Johnson’s fan club takes a very fresh approach towards his fan club. Their club is free and powered by Lowes. They offer perspectives from Chad Knaus and Earl Barban, in car audio, as well updates from Jimmie. A quick registration process has you ready to be in the middle of the quest for the 6-Pack.

    Their store is powered by Sports Today and offers a variety of merchandise and team 48 encrested items. Although they do offer a live race day chat and live in car audio, I was not able to find a message board or an actual chat room. The site is however, packed with information and fun things for fans of all ages. It is definitely the championship contender of the free sites. Lowes has left no corner unturned to bring the 48 fans in close to their team. Their approach is very reminiscent of Football’s extra man. By educating and illustrating they eliminate the unproductive fuss seen in many places.

    Kyle Busch does not offer a fan club dedicated website. His communications director Ryan Kingsbury stated, “I really see no value in an exclusive website for fan club members, we have a very powerful online presence for all our fans via our websites and social media assets. (KyleBusch.com, Twitter.com/KyleBusch, Facebook.com/KyleBusch) We offer an exclusive e-newsletter to the Fan Club members that we give them special offers, giveaways, first details on appearances, etc…In fact we will be giving away tickets to Daytona to a couple lucky Fan Club members in the coming weeks. Aside for the items they receive in the kit, Fan Club members receive a 10% discount on all purchases at our online store (RowdyBusch.com). We will also have an autograph session at KBM in May, Fan Club members will be able to RSVP and be assured an autograph, as well as an invitation to an exclusive Fan Club meeting in October at KBM. (Which will be well worth the price of the membership) Our Fan Club numbers are up 80% over last year already, for a once a year price of $35 it’s a great value.”

    Kevin Harvick’s club offers a great exclusive membership package that features lots of sponsorship involvement in the form of coupons that are included in the package sent to members. According to Fan Club President Tyler Patterson, the kit includes, a t-shirt, membership card, merchandise discount card, Kevin Harvick autograph card, decal, keychain, ink pen and mouse pad that is also a calendar complete with race dates.

    Patterson added, ”Each fall, we host an open house where fan club members can come and have the opportunity to meet Kevin and get a photo/autograph and tour the race shop. This year we have decided to take our fan club event on the road and will host gatherings at Martinsville in April and Phoenix in November.”

    Fan Central is an extension of KevinHarvick.com and is a basic social network site that allows fans to interact with one another. Kevin “really only uses his Twitter to interact with the fans now,” According to Patterson.

     You can also follow Kevin and Delana on Twitter. Their adventures with Mother Function and Lo are definitely not only entertaining but Delana offers Question and Answer on Race Day most weekends.

    Ryan Newman will also be launching a new fan club based web site that will celebrate their 10th year of operation. They will be doing so with an entirely new concept for fan clubs. Their new site will be a micro social network. The social network style will be the first of its kind in regards to NASCAR based fan clubs.

    By utilizing all of the best things about Facebook along with the NASCAR/Ryan Newman theme and connection, they hope to improve their fan experience several fold. It will work very similar to Facebook, with profiles, post interactions like Facebook and like buttons that will be race points. The race points will be used in a leader board style to allow recognition to the fan club members that post the most participated in conversations and the most well liked pictures and videos.

    Ryan Newman himself will also have a profile allowing him to participate as a part of the fan club. As a part of the group he can interact with the group as a member of the fan club family rather than as an outside object of conversation. The new site will allow Ryan  more transparency and proximity to his fan base.

    The site boasts bright colors and ease of use as well as its revolutionary concept. The site offers a live chat capability for its members based on events such as the Daytona 500 or news events that are taking place within the network itself. The site will be very much picture driven and allows I-Phone and I-Pad access.

    The site, scheduled to launch before the Daytona 500, will seamlessly integrate the old site and its members into the new one. New members will have instant access once the new site has launched.

    Four time Champion Jeff Gordon’s fan site has multiple levels. He has a pay site that features chats with Jeff and his wife. Contests and features like message boards and 24 hour chat. But he also offers a basic package that does not require a financial investment but offers family photos messages from Jeff and video’s of “Network” meetings.

    His general site gives a glimpse into the world of Jeff Gordon, with information about everything from his racing and foundation to his winery and their offerings. Gordon also has launched a Hologram program to protect all of his fans from fake autographs and he allows you to enter the number from your hologram to see if yours is real.

    Jeff’s commitment to his fans appears to be all year long as there were holiday messages found in archives from the last several years. Though Gordon’s blog appears to be more video in nature he keeps touch with scheduled regularity and offers a very close up view of his thoughts, his life, and his career.

    The shining star of the new stars that we checked out is just getting started. His name is familiar but his face will surprise you. Bobby Dale Earnhardt’s fan commitment is second to none. His website is just forming but his internet presence is growing on a daily basis. Between Twitter and Facebook, Team Earnhardt is turning heads. Bobby isn’t just the object of this effort. Bobby is a part of this effort.

    Bobby is Dale Earnhardt’s oldest grand child. He is the oldest son of Kerry Earnhardt. He is choosing to make his own way in the racing world without relying on his family or his family name although obviously he can not change that.  He is determined to make his way the old fashioned way, the way his Grandfather did, on his own. It may seem a lonely way to get there but Bobby is gathering a great many fans to walk the road with him and maybe have a good time with it too.

    Although nearly every driver’s fan club was contacted, only a handful responded. These are the most dynamic and the best of the offerings sampled. It is interesting to note, that in a time when NASCAR is suffering from a lack of people in the seats and on the couch, the common course in regards to its fan clubs is distant anonymity. The drivers who seem to be making the efforts to remain accountable to the fans and to stay close to their fan base are the drivers we see time after time rise to the top of the popularity charts and on the race track as well.

    It is amazing that people have missed one of the greatest stories of the off season, that of the fans of Richard Petty. The king has been off the track for quite some time as a driver but his dedication and loyalty to his fans has never changed. That dedication and loyalty was returned when the King of stock car racing entered a different kind of race one to regain control of his name, it was his faithful following that provided the muscle to make that happen. Is there a lesson to be learned in that, most definitely. Will it be embraced? Only time will tell. But it is interesting to note that the largest fan base in all of NASCAR belongs to a man who hasn’t turned the wheel of a stock car since 1992.

  • NASCAR By the Numbers: Day 14 in the Countdown to the DAYTONA 500

    NASCAR By the Numbers: Day 14 in the Countdown to the DAYTONA 500

    We are counting down the days until the DAYTONA 500 using some fun facts.

    Number 14

    Number of Sprint Cup wins held by each Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman.

    Poles won during the 1980 Cup Series by Cale Yarborough. In 1984, he became the first driver to qualify for the Daytona 500 with a top speed of more than 200 miles per hour.

    Total number of races where Dale Earnhardt completed all 500 laps of the Daytona 500, which is the track record.

    Car No. driven by Tony Stewart. Stewart has 39 Sprint Cup wins and two Cup Series championships in 2002 and 2005. In 2009, Stewart became the first driver/owner to win a Sprint Cup race since Ricky Rudd in 1998. He went on to win four Sprint Cup races and the Sprint Cup All- Star Challenge that season. Most recently, Stewart has been in the news for a confrontation he had with the co-owner of the Sydney Speedway over track safety concerns.

  • Frankie Stoddard: Still Chasing the Dream

    Frankie Stoddard: Still Chasing the Dream

    You have to admire Frankie Stoddard. He was the boy genius that came on the scene with Roush Racing and led the No.99 Jeff Burton team to 14 Sprint Cup wins. That’s more victories than the entire Hendrick Motorsports crew chiefs, with the notable exception of Chad Knaus, have combined. Sponsorship problems led Burton to leave for Richard Childress Racing and Stoddard headed to Bill Davis Racing. Stoddard has not visited victory lane since.

    [media-credit name=”FAS Lane Racing, LLC” align=”alignright” width=”153″][/media-credit]The New Hampshire native has had to lead teams with limited financial support since. His last gig was with the Latitude 43 team of Bob Jenkins. Jenkins, also a New England native, started that team when Roush-Fenway Racing had to downsize to four teams after the 2009 season. The team that formerly had Jamie McMurray as driver was bought by Jenkins. The No. 26 team had its good moments, staying in the top 35 for most of the season and having one top 10 finish, but the resources were just not there to compete for wins and the championship, something that Stoddard has had to deal with since leaving Roush.

    Today, Stoddard made the first step of what he hopes will be a competitive NASCAR Sprint Cup team, but the odds are long. Few victories come from teams other than the super teams of Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Richard Childress Racing. Stoddard’s former team, Roush Fenway Racing has struggled these last few years, and yet Stoddard is assembling Fords bought from Roush and Richard Petty Motorsports. They will be good cars, but they will be the make that hasn’t won half dozen races in the last three years. Stoddard’s cars will carry the number 32. With no hope from Jenkins that his team would move forward, Stoddard made a move.

    “We’re not going to be out there knocking off Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush,” Stoddard said. “Our goal will be to run between 15th and 30th, and by doing that, to give a smaller sponsor a ton of exposure.”

    That’s a heck of goal for a man who has been to victory lane as much as Stoddard. While major Sprint Cup teams command $20-25 million in sponsorship for a full season, Stoddard said his new operation can do the job – on a smaller scale – for as little as $3-4 million. “There’s an untapped market out there,” he said. “There are sponsors that want to be in this sport, but don’t have that $20 million to spend. We’re going to reach out to those companies and give them a chance to be involved.”

    He is joining with Bob Reath, owner and CEO of US Chrome Corporation in this venture. Stoddard and Reath have a history. Reath and US Chrome hired Stoddard to guide driver Dana Patten in five Sprint Cup races back in 1988. With the sponsorship of Reath’s company as well as others, Stoddard hopes for the best.

    As of today, no driver has been announced and no other sponsors have been announced. With the Daytona 500 only two weeks away, it appears that making the field might be a long shot, but that’s been the story of “boy genius” Frankie Stoddard since the Roush days. He has quite a resume, but this may be his biggest challenge.

  • HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: It was a rather vague interview that offered nothing new

    HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: It was a rather vague interview that offered nothing new

    During the course of the past few days we waited in anticipation for a supposed titillating tell all interview with former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield only to discover that he had nothing to say. We were puzzled by a bizarre, million dollar, offer from an Indy Car official that doesn’t seem to have any takers. We learned what the Ganassi slam is and then we marveled at the prospect of a former unemployed home developer who is now the newest NASCAR team owner. With those thoughts in mind let’s begin with:

    WAZZUP with last Tuesday’s live television interview with Jeremy Mayfield on the SPEED Channel’s “Race Hub” program? The promos for this interview suggested that the embattled driver was “finally going to get to tell his side of the story.” What we saw instead was a vague interview that offered nothing new. I truly felt sorry for “Race Hub” host Steve Byrnes who had to carefully navigate his way through an interview that was clearly going to be a waste of perfectly good television time.

    The lengthy saga of Mayfield versus NASCAR began with the driver failing a mandatory drug test, back in May of 2009 that led to his indefinite suspension from the sport. It was later revealed that this test was positive for methamphetamine. However Mayfield claimed he had taken a doctor prescribed drug for an allergy condition with the over the counter medicine known as Claritin D and that combination produced a false positive. He filed suit against NASCAR and demanded his reinstatement. That action led to a lengthy series of court hearings that are still ongoing. Mayfield himself said on Tuesday that the latest round of court arguments could last as long as a year and a half.

    One had the feeling that Mayfield had been carefully coached by attorneys to be extremely careful regarding comments on his legal issues with NASCAR. “I’ve got a lot things to say that I can’t obviously because of the litigation,” he said during the interview adding “I don’t want to get into anymore trouble whatsoever by what I’m saying. It’s just hard because, when you’re in this situation, there’s a lot of anger now and things could come out that wouldn’t be good for either one of us. It’s tough when you walk around everyday and you get the chance to finally tell your side of the story, there’s so much more to it that would really enlighten a lot of things that you just can’t tell.”

    WAZZUP with that moment of murky confusion? That alone should have had Mayfield escorted to the men’s room with a plastic cup.

    When asked by Byrnes about the prospect of his future, Mayfield said he was excited about starting a new metal recycling business but offered no details. Regarding the prospect of returning to racing. Mayfield did mention the possibility of driving for the owner of a dirt car team but again offered no details. He also expressed an interest in driving for an Indy Car, as well as drag racing, if the conditions were right saying “I don’t want to struggle anymore.”

    Perhaps Mayfield is saving all of the enlightening details for some future tell all book. Again, his appearance on the “Race Hub” last Tuesday was a vague interview that offered nothing new.

    ****************

    HOORAH to five time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson for placing his family first and declining a high dollar offer that would have had him driving in the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca Cola 600 on the same day. That offer came from Indy Car CEO Randy Bernard who offered some high profile NASCAR drivers $1 million for taking on both prestigious events plus a $20 million bonus to any driver who could win both of the races on the same day. This high dollar offer was reported to be part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500.

    Although he said there’s a part of him that always wanted to drive the Indy 500, Johnson’s decision to decline the offer was based on the time he would have to spend away from his wife and daughter during the month of May. Preparations for the Indy 500 alone take approximately three weeks. That schedule would have been in addition to his NASCAR Sprint Cup commitments which includes stops at Darlington and Dover during the month of May as well as the All Star Race and the Coca Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    By the way, another HOORAH goes to Rick Hendrick, Johnson’s team owner, for a great comment after learning his champion driver had turned down the Indy offer. Hendrick described Johnson’s potential time away from family as a “deal breaker” and said “his wife’s against it, and she’s got a lot of stroke in that deal.”

    WAZZUP with this Indy Car offer being made to begin with? Recent reports indicates that drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Kasey Kahne have not responded to Bernard’s double duty race day offer and driver Sam Hornish Jr. has made it clear that he doesn’t want to return to the Indy Car ranks.

    ************

    Talk about a way to start off a new year: HOORAH to team owner Chip Ganassi who had the pleasure of watching his Grand American Rolex Series teams, with drivers Scott Pruett and Scott Dixon, finish one-two at the conclusion of 24 Hours of Daytona last weekend. Ganassi teams has now won four of the most prestigious motorsports events in the nation within a period of 12 months. That list includes the Daytona 500, the Indy 500, the Brickyard 500 and now the 24 Hours of Daytona. That accomplishment has been appropriately titled “The Ganassi Slam.”

    HOORAH to NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner Kevin Buckler primary owner of TRG, The Racer’s Group, who watched his team, led by driver Andy Lally, win the GT Class portion of the 24 hour race. Lally, an occasional visitor to the Sprint Cup Series, won the pole during qualifying but a technical glitch during post race inspection put the car at the back of the field. Making this win even more difficult was the fact that the TRG driver team ran the last 17 hours of the race without a working clutch.

    *************

    The final HOORAH of the week goes to Joe Denette a long time native of Spotsylvania County-Virginia. Who’s that you ask? Denette is the newest team owner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series under some very special circumstances.

    In 2009 economics found Denette laid off from his long time job in the home development industry. But that all changed in May of that year when Denette won the Virginia Lottery Mega Millions worth $75.6 million. He opted for the lump sum payment of $47.8 million.

    A long time NASCAR fan, Denette decided to create his own race team and enlisted the aid of Hermie Sadler, NASCAR driver-SPEED Channel reporter, to help him with the massive details. Denette Racing will begin its maiden voyage this year working out of a newly acquired shop in Huntersville-North Carolina. They have already made a very smart move by aligning themselves with Kevin Harvick Inc who will provide the new team with chassis and technical support. Another smart move was the recent signing of up and coming truck series driver Jason White who will be bringing his long time sponsor, Gun Brokers Dot Com, with him.

  • Bourdais, Conway set to return in 2011

    Dale Coyne Racing has announced it has reached an agreement with Sebastien Bourdais to run the road course segments of the 2011 IZOD Indy Car Series.

    Bourdais returns to Indy Car after competing in Formula 1, and the International Le Mans Cup. It was great to get back in one of these cars, Bourdais said, after a successful test session at Sebring earlier this year. I really didn’t know what to expect, but all went well, and I think this will be a great opportunity for both Dale, and me. Sebastien will continue to drive for Peugeot in the Le Mans Cup Series. Indy lights standout Martin Plowman will drive a second entry for Coyne Racing, and is expected to contend for Rookie of the Year honors in 2011. Coyne also announced that the Boy Scouts of America will remain as primary sponsor.

    Andretti Autosport has signed veteran driver Mike Conway to field a fourth car for the 2011 season. Conway is scheduled to run a full season. Returning from serious injuries suffered on the last lap of last years’ Indy 500, Conway will team with three of the biggest names in the sport, Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Danica Patrick. Sponsorship for Conway has yet to be finalized.

    On a final note, Eric Bachelart, team owner of Conquest Racing said he intends to enter two teams for the 2011 IZOD Indy Car Series. It is also a good bet that JK Vernay will move up from the Indy lights series to pilot one of these entries.

    The season opening race for the IZOD Indy Car Series is scheduled for March 25Th thru March 27Th in the streets of downtown Saint Petersburg, Florida.

  • Rules, Regulations and the Speedway Mailbag. Welcome to the 2011 Racing Season

    Rules, Regulations and the Speedway Mailbag. Welcome to the 2011 Racing Season

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”301″][/media-credit]Welcome to another edition of Speedway Media mailbag.

    Since our last meeting, Sprint Cup drivers have spent several days testing on the new Daytona International Speedway asphalt and interacting with media from around the world at the Sprint Media Tour presented by Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina.

    Congratulations to Chip Ganassi and his continued dominance at the Rolex 24.

    Rumors from the Media Tour stated that invited guest at the wedding of Kyle Busch were made to sign a release. This release guaranteed none of the guest would take any unauthorized pictures, send tweets, or publish any inside information from the nuptials.
    This high level of secrecy is more than likely because of a planned future show about the race car driver’s marriage to Samantha Sarcinella.
    Busch has posted some pictures on his web site.

    So, since I have been traveling for the past two weeks, our ratty ole Tupperware bowl is bursting at the seams with letters, so let’s get cracking.

    Brian from Bakersfield writes:
    Dear Speedway Media; Do you think NASCAR racing is fixed?
    Wow Brian, what a question to start off our new year of racing.
    Many sporting events through out the ages have been fixed. The most famous was the 1919 World Series.
    While there have been several races where drivers, and fans, feel there have been some strange decisions by NASCAR that unfairly gave an advantage to select drivers, NASCAR has absolutely nothing to gain by fixing a race.
    Given there are 43 drivers, pit stops, crashes and a multitude of changes during the race, the logistics alone make it impossible to fix a race.
    On the other hand though, I have it on good authority there are other types of competitions that might be fixed.
    Take the Miss Universe pageant for instance. Every Miss Universe winner, including the very first one in 1952, has been from the planet Earth.

    Wally from Walla Walla writes:
    Dear Speedway Media; Can you clarify NASCAR’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” rule?
    Thanks for the great question Wally. After spending hours reading the NASCAR rule book, I cannot locate anything that refers to “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” unless of course you’re referring to the rule book its self.

    Cindy from Cincinnati writes:
    Dear Speedway Media; Have you heard any rumors about new additions to the NASCAR families?
    Well Cindy we have heard some good news from Roush-Fenway Racing. During the Sprint Media Tour presented by Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jack Roush announced that three of his four drivers at RFR, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle, are all expecting family additions in 2011. As luck would have it, all three drivers will welcome their new baby’s right around the same time.

    During the recent test session at Daytona International Speedway, David Ragan, the fourth driver in the RFR stable, was seen with an unusual “O+” on his driver’s suit.
    There is speculation that Ragan is joining a growing number of race car drivers who advertise their blood types on their driver suits. In Ragan’s case it could also be a representation of the number of Sprint Cup wins he has and that he’s remaining positive.

    That’s all for this weeks edition of Speedway Mailbag. On a personal note, I want to extend congratulations to Urban Meyer on his new gig at ESPN.

    Feel free to send your questions, comments and suggestions to mailbag@speedwaymedia.com.

    Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of management.

  • D.J. Kennington Shows Talent at Irwindale in NASCAR All-Star Showdown

    D.J. Kennington Shows Talent at Irwindale in NASCAR All-Star Showdown

    The past few years, auto racing talent has been blossoming out of Canada with a variety of drivers. Steve Arpin and J.R. Fitzpatrick are two to name a few, though another one is D.J. Kennington.

    [media-credit name=”Sal Sigala Jr.” align=”alignleft” width=”200″][/media-credit]Kennington, the 2010 Canadian Tire Series Champion, got his start as a teenager racing at Delaware Speedway. From there, he moved up to the CASCAR Series in 2001, which changed to the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in 2007. Since then, Kennington has been racing at the highest form of motorsports in Canada.

    From 2001 to 2009, he acquired 11 wins, 60 top fives, 82 top 10s and a best year end points ranking of second in 2002 and 2007.

    In 2010, he planned to breakthrough and win his first championship. He fought all year alongside J.R. Fitzpatrick, fighting hard at each and every race. Throughout the season, he got five wins – Delaware, St. Eustache, Saskatoon, Barrie, Antigonish – and finished in the top 10 in 85% of the races.

    In the final race at Kawartha, the St. Thomas, Ontario native finished third taking the championship, 87 points over Fitzpatrick.

    “NASCAR has been really good to us,” Kennington said. “Really happy to get that off my back. Amazing year – five wins is awesome; hopefully this year we can top it. The 2010 season is behind us; time for 2011. Hopefully have as much success.”

    One of the things that Kennington took from the season to carry forward is confidence.

    “Confidence is a lot in this racing business and my team has a lot of confidence,” he said. “I think confidence goes a long way in making for another championship.”

    With the championship, Kennington was invited to Irwindale Speedway to run the Toyota All-Star Showdown, along with 39 other top drivers from the K&N Pro East Series, K&N Pro West Series and NASCAR Mexico Series.

    In the first practice, he was 15th, while he was 21st in the second practice.

    “Excited and good in practice,” he said after the first practice. “Never seen this track before and never sat in this car. We are top 14 and I think the 17 car will be good. The track is tough to get used to.”

    In qualifying, he qualified 15th, two-tenths off of the pole, set to go.D.J. Kennington at Irwindale Speedway

    Once the race started, he held his own as he ran consistent laps, steadily moving up to the top 10, avoiding trouble. When it came down to the final sprint to the finish, he had put himself into position to go after the win after some of the other leaders had fallen victim to problems. He took a late charge at leader Jason Bowles in the final nine lap sprint, though fell short and finished second. Still, Kennington was excited about his performance and the show he had put on considering expectations coming in.

    “Absolutely, really really proud of everybody on this race team,” Kennington told SpeedTV viewers afterwards. “All my guys are here – it’s so amazing. I watched this race last year on my couch, its great to be here.”

    The second place finish marks a good start to the 2011 season, which promises to be promising. Kennington looks to go out and defend his championship, well forming a partnership with Jason White.

    “I’m excited to work with White,” he said. “He has been a friend for a long time and I think we can help each other. Having teammates really helps.”

    Jason White, a native of Sun Peaks, British Columbia, comes onboard after a year of struggle from the mechanical standpoint while being a single-car team owner. The partnership brings forth horsepower and technical support from DJK Racing engine builder Doug Kennington and DJK Racing.

    “After last season we took a look at our program and realized we needed to make some changes to take the next step up,” White explained in a press release. “I talked to a lot of people and different teams and knew that aligning Jason White Racing with DJK Racing was the right move. DJ and Doug Kennington will provide us with plenty of horsepower, the cars will be race ready, and you couldn’t find a more professional group to work with.”

    White has also formed a partnership with Kawartha Speedway Group, acquiring the likes of Derek Lynch, Kawartha Speedway track owner and former Canadian Tire Series competitor, as his crew chief.

    “I could not be more keyed up about this season,” White said. “Having somebody as bright as Derek managing the operation and working as Crew chief on race day is fantastic. He brings a lot of knowledge to the job and I know he’ll make me a better driver.”

    “I’m looking forward to working with Jason,” Lynch said. “Our involvement will take the strain of logistics off his plate, provide him with great race cars and allow him to focus on driving. It’s also a privilege to be associated with a great company like A&W.”

    To find out more about DJK Racing, check out their website at , follow them on twitter or find them on facebook.  

    Special Thanks to Sal Sigala Jr. for the pictures and quotes

  • Roush-Fenway Racing Set to Make Many Headlines in 2011

    Roush-Fenway Racing Set to Make Many Headlines in 2011

    Roush-Fenway Racing will be a very busy place over the next 12 months.

    [media-credit name=”Kirk Schroll” align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]From contract talks with three of their four drivers – Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and David Ragan – to building a daycare on site. OK, so only the first part is true, but with three drivers adding to their families, it might be needed.

    First, comes the business in the unpleasant nature of contract talks. With Edwards and Biffle having made the Chase and won races in the past, the two are not expected to be hard to keep in the RFR family.

    It’s Ragan’s contract that could become a top story however.

    While team owner Jack Roush acknowledged support for the driver and that he would like to retain him for years to come, the expectations and performance need to be there. Ragan has never won a race or qualified for the Chase, last season he finished 24th in points which is a far cry from his 13th standing in his sophomore year (2008).

    It was among the many discussions last week during the preseason media tour where Roush spoke of what was ahead for his organization. Contract talk won’t be the only tasks on the agenda; RFR will be looking to keep a hold on key sponsors.

    “All our sponsors agree they continue to see NASCAR as the sport that’s very important to their marketing efforts,” Roush said last Thursday.

    “They see Roush-Fenway as an organization that’s a terrific investment and for good reason. For 2011, every Cup program has all new cars built. We have realigned our engineering department and we have new software to run our programs on.”

    It was that same software that had Roush was very critical of the team’s performance early last year. It was outdated and inaccurate. He cited it as the reason they had fallen behind other teams and were struggling each week.

    But when the turnaround happened it did so in a big way. Through the summer months the RFR that many were used to seeing had arrived on the scene – Edwards, Biffle and Kenseth finished third, fourth and fifth respectfully at Michigan in August.

    When they entered the Chase they were no longer the pretenders, they were contenders again. Biffle won his second race of the season in the third race of the Chase and Edwards ended the year with back-to-back wins, ending his nearly two-year winless drought.

    “I feel a lot better right now going into 2011 then I did going into 2009,” said Edwards in Homestead where he was already named the 2011 preseason championship favorite.

    “That’s because I feel we have a lot of momentum and things are getting better. We have a new engine that we are working on that just keeps getting better.”

    Kenseth came close to joining the victory party a few times. Had it not been for an overdriven turn one in the fall Texas race, he was half a lap away from winning his first race since February of 2009.

    “I don’t know about just us but all of our cars seem to be faster,” said Kenseth. “It seems like things have been going better. It feels like we’re gaining some momentum and the cars are quicker and we’re understanding each other probably a little better.”

    They will enter 2011 as one of the hottest teams in the garage. With new racecars and a new hunger, look for the Roushkateers to loudly proclaim, “We’re back.”

    Even more exciting though, comes from the big news released last week. Kenseth, Edwards and Biffle will all be new fathers this season.

    “I couldn’t hold back,” said Roush, who broke the news on behalf of his drivers. “Maybe I wasn’t supposed to do that.”

    He went on to say, “I’m excited about it.”

    Senior driver Kenseth and wife Katie will be welcome their second child, joining older sister Kaylin who was born in 2009 and older brother Ross, Kenseth’s son from a previous relationship.

    The expectant due date is anytime after the season-opening Daytona 500. Kenseth even predicted that he expects Katie to go into labor the Monday following the 500.

    For Edwards it will also be his second child in about a year. His wife Kate gave birth to daughter Anne before the Las Vegas race last season. The sex of Kenseth and Edward’s expectant ones weren’t revealed.

    As for Biffle, he found out the day of the Roush media tour that wife Nicole would be giving birth to a little girl. It will be their first child.

    He joked, “We have babies by races. I’m having a Daytona baby. Matt’s having a Phoenix baby.”

    The Daytona race will be the July event, with the Biffle saying the due date is July 10. Should that date remain the same it would give Biffle even more reasons to love the month of July and Daytona.

    Eight years and five days earlier Biffle celebrated his first career Sprint Cup Series victory in the July Daytona race, July 5, 2003.

    “It’s a huge deal. I’m super excited about it. I just can’t wait. Part of me wishes I had done it 10 years ago, but I’m happy. If you’re in the day care business, I think a traveling day care in the NASCAR motor coach lot would be highly popular right now.”

    When the day does arrive where the RFR drivers need to hang up their helmets, Jack Roush might not have to go far to find their replacements.

  • Jason Bowles Wins NASCAR All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway; Pastrana Sixth

    Jason Bowles Wins NASCAR All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway; Pastrana Sixth

    Every year, the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway produces high-octane excitement that includes chaos at every end of the track with wrecks and debates. The 2011 showing didn’t disappoint as it included controversy, lots of wrecks and a brand new winner.

    [media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”190″][/media-credit]
    (C)NASCAR Home Tracks
    Jason Bowles has won nine K&N Pro Series races, has come close before – though had never won the overall event to date. That all changed on January 30th as Bowles took the checkered flag after some of the other leaders ran into problems.

    “I knew I had a good car going into the race and there were so many things that happened that was I able to avoid,” Bowles said after the race. “I just got a huge jump there and that was it.”

    Being the race leader didn’t seem to be the position to be wanted most of the night as most drivers who fell into that sport didn’t fare too well.

    Pole sitter and series rookie Derek Thorn started on pole and led all the first 100 laps to the first break, though falling back, he got passed for the lead by Andrew Myers. Myers led all the way to lap 191, when he had a flat right rear, causing him to make an unscheduled pit stop. Bowles inherited the lead, though it didn’t last long as Paulie Harraka bumped and banged his way past.

    “We got a good racecar,” Harraka said under the break that followed. “To be honest, I didn’t know we had taken the lead. I knew we were marching to the front, I knew we’d be in the top five, but I didn’t know we’d be the leader. I’m having a blast. I’m having a lot of fun. We never get a 100 green flag laps ever at Toyota Speedway but I am having a lot of fun.”

    Harraka then led all the way till 16 to go when Thorn slid up to him, taking him out with others.

    “He came down on me,” Thorn told his crew on the radio after the incident

    “He flat took me out,” Harraka told his crew.

    As a result of Thorn’s intentions, NASCAR black-flagged Thorn for rough driving, sending him to the tail end of the lead. Bowles once again inhereited the lead, though this time it was Greg Pursley passing him with 14 to go. The caution then came out with 11 to go as Dale Quarterly, Troy Ermish and Cole Cabrera got caught up in a wreck, setting up a restart with nine to go.

    “We’re going to need to pull out nine qualifying laps here,” Pursley said under the caution. “This is what we’ve worked for – staying up front and staying out of trouble so we’re going to need nine qualifying laps,:

    However on a restart, Pursley’s plans fell through as he  had a flat tire, pulling out of the racing line to allow the field to past. Bowles then held off a late race charge from D.J. Kennington to win the race.

    Kennington, the 2010 Canadian Tire Series Champion, finished second in his first NASCAR outing south of the border.

    [media-credit id=4 align=”alignright” width=”200″]D.J. Kennington at Irwindale Speedway[/media-credit]
    (C)Sal Sigala Jr.
    “Absolutely, really really proud of everybody on this race team,” Kennington said afterwards. “All my guys are here – its so amazing. I watched this race last year on my couch, its great to be here.”

    Meawwhile, Jonathan Gomez finished third after smoking for most of the race due to an oil leak.

    “It was a handful out there,” Gomez said. “The middle section – 100 laps straight, no cautions, that was a nice break as we know what the last one was going to be. The first run, the car was a little free, made an adjustment and the car was a little tight – didn’t have the forward bite for the win.”

    Luis Martinz Jr. and Johnny Borneman rounded out the top five, while Travis Pastrana finished sixth.

    The Showdown marked the first-ever NASCAR start for the 11-gold medal x-game winner as he begins his stint in NASCAR with Michael Waltrip.

    “Man, it’s awesome,” Pastrana said afterwards. “I can’t say enough about the entire Waltrip crew. (Matt) Crafton did an awesome job guiding me through all this chaos. I finally got the car loosened up those last 25. I finally felt that I had something going. Three-wide is awesome – I actually got to go four-wide sometimes. I had an awesome time out there. I am super pumped. This sport is so much fun out there and I’ve got a lot to learn.”

    Pastrana went through the learning curve as both times under the breaks, the team made the adjustments on the car that were needed.

    “I’ve been tight so I said I want it loose,” Pastrana commented under the second segment. “Harry said loose is fast so I wanted to drop the Days of Thunder on this. So hopefully we don’t spin the car out on the first lap as we drop the hammer on this one.”

    He also fought through the field like a veteran, fighting hard with competitors to stay on the lead lap and get his sixth place finish.

    Derek Thorn, Travis Motley, Moses Smith and NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Steve Wallace rounded out the top 10.