Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: SM Staff

  • Straight from The Glen: Friday

    The talk in the garage today focused on the news of Atlanta Motor Speedway losing one of its two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races starting in the 2011 season. Drivers reactions were mixed as news came from Atlanta that one of its two Cup Series bids would possibly be moved to the Cincinnati area’s Kentucky Speedway.

    Jeff Gordon was disappointed to see Atlanta have one race removed, but also was excited to have an opportunity to experience new horizons. “I’m a big fan of Atlanta. I love going to Atlanta. You hate to see a race go, but you also have to understand the business of the sport. When we go to Atlanta and they’re having a hard time selling it out, and there’s an opportunity to go somewhere and grow our fan base, and take the series somewhere they’ve never been before, which is potentially what’s going to happen, I think that’s exciting and a good move.”

    Sprint Cup Series points leader Kevin Harvick was also enthused to experience a new track, and referencing NASCAR’s expansion in 2001 to Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway. “The biggest boom we have ever seen in this sport came in 2001 when we went to new venues in Chicago; we went to new venues in Kansas and you had all this movement with the schedule and you created all these new fans. Sometimes things become stale. It is a constantly evolving sport… This sport is too popular to not go to new venues that are not sold out. If its not sold out, you need to be held accountable as a race track.”

    17-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Veteran, Jeff Burton was also on board for the change of venues. “I’m not a big believer that change is good, I’m a believer that good change is good. We’ve seen in Atlanta some good racing, but we haven’t really seen the crowds there… If race tracks aren’t supported by the fans then we’re going to see those tracks moved somewhere else where the fans are going to support it… If there’s another venue where more people can come in and more people can enjoy it then that’s where you can expect the show to be going.”

    On the contrary, many drivers in the garage are upset that one race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is being removed from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule. Carl Edwards talked of the sadness associated with losing a race at the track where he tallied his first two Cup Series wins. “I think Atlanta is one of, if not the greatest oval that we go to. I think that track has all of the things that make racing fun. It has history and a surface that is really fun to race on. The fans there are very knowledgeable about racing and it is a very grueling race. It is fast and exciting, so to lose a race there to me is a little sad. I love that place and every time I come through the gates reminds me of my weekend that I won my first to races in this series.”

    Also displeased with the removal of one race weekend at Atlanta was Clint Bowyer. “I don’t mind a schedule change. I think it is probably time. Some races make sense; some of them don’t in my opinion. Losing Atlanta is a disappointment to me. I think there are a couple of other tracks that have two races that I would have my rather of, if it was my pick, of going once… I think its going to be sad to lose Atlanta, I think that is one of every driver’s favorite race tracks and if we do lose it, its going to be a bummer.”

    We have to look back at what drives this sport or ANY sport for that matter. The single most important element that keeps these drivers in the cockpits of these Stock Cars is the fans. Without the fans this sport will eventually flounder. NASCAR has the opportunity to expand its horizons and reach out to new fan bases.

    In another sense, is it time to reward other tracks that pack fans in the grandstands year in and year out? Take for instance our fans north of the border. They have been enthusiastically attending the NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for 3 years now and will likewise be sold-out again later this month. Is it time NASCAR truly rewarded tracks with Sprint Cup Series races that year-after-year sell out the grandstands?

  • On Pit Road: Yes for Kentucky, No for Indy

    It really came as no surprise to anyone that follows NASCAR Thursday, when Atlanta Motor Speedway President Ed Clark announced that the track would cut back to a single NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race for 2011.

    Ever since Speedway Motorsports Inc. signed the deal to buy Kentucky Speedway in 2009, everyone anticipated a Cup date moving to Cincinnati area track. There was a lot of speculation about just where that date would come from. The guessing grew more varied after O. Bruton Smith and SMI later purchased New Hampshire International Speedway. But if you were among the media, or the few fans that were present at the spring Atlanta race, the handwriting was on the wall.

    I spoke with Smith last year at Kentucky and although he would not commit to the source, he made it clear that an SMI race would move to Kentucky Motor Speedway in 2010 or 2011. When the track didn’t get a race date in 2010, due to the unsettled litigation with the former owners, Smith began talking about changes coming to KMS. In June of this year Smith was at the track for the NASCAR Nationwide Series race and he talked openly about leveling the infield and rebuilding it to mirror the new infield at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    When Smith spoke openly about his displeasure with the security cost at his newly acquired New Hampshire Motor Speedway, many fans felt it was a signal that NHMS would indeed be losing a date to KMS, but that was never considered a serious by most of the media. Remember folks, NHMS does have a ‘Chase’ date and Smith has again been very vocal about wanting a second Cup date for Las Vegas, and also his desire to make that the final race on the schedule. So, if we do see a second date at LVMS soon, it probably will come via NHMS.

    On the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule, the folks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway went public last month suggesting that they were actively pursuing the NNS race date now held by O’Reilly Raceway Park. Never mind that ORP has hosted that race for 28 years and it is an extremely popular race weekend that also includes a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, and a night of USAC open wheel cars, it is a fan favorite weekend.

    This comment by IMS CEO Jeff Belskus was not accepted well by the folks over at the NHRA (owners of ORP) and they quickly pounced on NASCAR to keep the date safe. The IMS move came about as the track has seen their attendance figures plummeting over the past few years. Going from about 300,000 fans a few years ago for the Brickyard 400 to a reported 140,000 this year, says a lot about the track itself and the racing that it provides. Although all NASCAR tracks have suffered attendance problems for 2009 and 2010, none have seen the drastic cut that IMS has. All the while, just down the road at ORP, they are still selling out on the same weekend.

    Hats off to NASCAR for not letting this one drag out as only three days after the IMS announcement, they contacted NHRA to assure them that the NNS date will indeed stay at ORP. In other news, SPEEDTV reports that Chicagoland Speedway will host the first Chase race in 2011 while New Hampshire motor Speedway will move one week to the second Chase race.

  • Road Course Veteran Ron Follows to run for JR Motorsports at the Glen

    Road course ace, Ron Fellows will make second start of the season this weekend at Watkins Glen International Raceway for JR Motorsports. He will be driving the No. 88 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Zippo 200.

    Fellows, finished second earlier this season at Road America for the No. 88 Chevrolet team. In 2008, they teamed up to win at Montreal. Fellows is no rookie when it comes to racing at the Glen. In nine starts Fellows owns three wins (1998, 2000 and 2001), five top five and six top-10 finishes with 189 laps led – the most among current drivers at the Glen. He earned two poles at the facility and has an average finish of 12.2. Fellows holds the additional distinction of being the oldest winner of the 82-lap race at 41 years, nine months and 10 days of age following his 2001 victory. In last year’s event with JRM, Fellows raced to a fifth-place finish, completing 48 total green-flag passes according to NASCAR Statistical Services.

    Fellows, had this to say about tthe upcoming race, “I’m excited to get back to racing with the GT Vodka Chevrolet and all the guys on this No. 88 crew. We not only raced well at Road America last month, but we had a lot of fun in the process. It’s a pleasure to be working with Tony Eury Sr. again. I’ve known him for a long time and he’s one of those guys that have spent a lifetime in the racing world, and he always has a great setup under the car”.

    Fellows had this to say about Crew Chief Tony Eury Sr, “It’s a pleasure to be working with Tony Eury Sr. again. I’ve known him for a long time and he’s one of those guys that have spent a lifetime in the racing world, and he always has a great setup under the car.”

    Fellows, also said, “This GT Vodka team certainly was up for the challenge at Road America, now we just need to do the same at the Glen this weekend. JR Motorsports preparation is top-notch and that puts you at ease when you climb behind the wheel of their equipment. We ran well in this race last year, even after we had some pit trouble. We managed to drive from the back to finish fifth, so I want to top that this time around.”

    In addition to his Nationwide effort, Fellows will also be attempting to qualify for the Sprint Cup race with Tommy Baldwin Racing. The team is 38th in owner points and therefore must qualify for the race on speed.

  • Speedway Media News and Bits NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

    NASCAR News and Notes 8-04-2010.

    • We will see a new and improved track this weekend at Watkins Glen.

    Several significant track improvement await drives at Watkins Glen for this weekends’, Helluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen. These improvements have come during the off-season, which included paving over gravel traps, installing SAFER barriers, new run-off areas, and rumble strips in specific places.

    In turn 5 (known as the Carousel) we will see a new run-off area, rumble strip and adjusted guardrail, in turn 7 we will see a new SAFER barrier, run-off area, rumble strip and partially paved gravel trap, and finally in turn 6 we will see a new SAFER barrier on the drivers right side, plus a paved-over gravel trap, in the inner loop.

    These changes have come inpart, due to an incident last year with Jeff Gordon, Sam hornish Jr., Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Jeff Burton, and Andy Lally, who were involved in a frighting crash in turn 5 the Carousel, last year. During a tire test earlier this season, Gordan had this to say of the track. “I love what they have done with the pavement.” “I think you’re going to see a race that is more entertaining because we don’t have to sit there and pull cars out of the sand trap”.

    • There will be several Milestones at this weeks race at the Glen.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. will make his 500th national-series start Sunday at Watkins Glen. All of them are in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series competitions. He has 384 in the former and 115 in latter. Earnhardt is also a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion in 1998and ’99.

    Also, Kurt Busch will make his 350th series start Sunday. Whiles Martin Truex Jr. will make his 175th Series start.

    • Watkins Glen to celebrate Silver Anniversary.

    This weekend will mark the 25th consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Watkins Glen. The Glen’s first race was in 1957, won by NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee Buck Baker,  who won from the pole. the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series didn’t return again until 1964 and 1965. Billy Wade won the race in 1964, and Marvin Panch in 1965.

    • Driver’s Currently in the Chase and those n the Bubble coming into Watkins Glen.
    Position Driver Points Points Behind
    1 Kevin Harvick 3,080 0
    2 Jeff Gordon 2,891 189
    3 Denny Hamlin 2,829 260
    4 Jimmie Johnson 2,803 277
    5 Jeff Burton 2,757 323
    6 Kyle Busch 2,724 356
    7 Kurt Busch 2,722 358
    8 Tony Stewart 2,719 361
    9 Matt Kenseth 2,682 398
    10 Carl Edwards 2,666 414
    11 Greg Biffle 2,652 428
    12 Clint Bowyer 2,564 516
    13 Mark Martin 2,530 550
    14 Dale Earnhardt Jr 2,435 645
    15 Ryan Newman 2,426 654

  • McMurray wins Indy; Ganassi claims triple

    Team owner Chip Ganassi claimed NASCAR’s version of the Triple Crown on Sunday as his driver, Jamie McMurray, won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. With the win Ganassi became the first car owner to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year.

    “I’m the luckiest guy on the planet,” Ganassi said. “You wouldn’t dare to dream this. You wouldn’t dare to dream this kind of year.”

    McMurray became just the third driver in NASCAR history to win the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year. The last driver was Jimmie Johnson in 2006. Dale Jarrett was the first driver in 1996.

    Dario Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar Series race earlier this year in Ganassi’s Target car.

    McMurray took the lead from Kevin Harvick on the final restart with 11 laps to go and went on to win the race by 1.391-seconds.

    “I’m running the last 10 laps of this thing and just praying every lap there isn’t going to be a caution and that my car was going to have the grip I need,” McMurray recalled. “It is remarkable to be put in this position. Honestly, I’m in shock right now.

    Harvick had just taken the lead when the caution came out on lap 167 to set up a double-file restart and an 11-lap shootout.

    After the race Harvick, who finished second, said his car didn’t show the muster it had to pass McMurray before the caution.

    “I got tight going into turn one there in the middle and just had to wait on my car and Jaime was able to carry the momentum around on the outside,” Harvick said. “The first restart my car actually took off and we were able to get by him but my car never acted like that again but it was a good day for our Shell-Pennzoil Chevy and everybody did a great job just putting us in position. I felt like we had a top-five car but we didn’t have a winning car and we had a chance to win there at the end but just came up a little short.”

    Harvick, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Tony Stewart rounded out the top-five finishers as Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch filled in the rest of the top-ten positions.

    Kyle Busch was involved in a seven-car accident in turn two on the opening lap of the race. However, he sustained only minimal damage to his No. 18 Toyota and drove his car up through the field through the race.

    “I don’t know what happened there on the opening lap,” Busch said after the race. “I just lost it, I guess. It just went around. I had trouble every restart really trying to get going, especially through (turns) one and two. I had trouble getting going on restarts. All in all, we came back and bounced back solidly, so that was good. We needed a good run — it’s been a while.”

    Mark Martin finished 11th and was the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to finish inside of the top-20 at Indianapolis. Jeff Gordon, who was looking for his fifth Brickyard 400 victory, finished 23rd after battling with a tight-handling car throughout the race.

    Jimmie Johnson, who was running for a third-consecutive Indy victory and the fourth of his career, started off the race strong and ran in the top-five for the first 47 laps of the race. Johnson was tenth when the caution came out on lap 66. On lap 69, Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus decided to keep Johnson on pit road for a long stop to make adjustments to the car, leaving Johnson to restart 22nd on lap 70.

    Johnson continued to drop after the stop and spent more time on pit road during the fourth caution of the race on lap 120 to change shocks. He would later go a lap down while on pit road.

    Johnson later finished 22nd, but made it back to the lead lap.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. was running the top-15 before he was involved in a crash with Juan Pablo Montoya. Earnhardt was an innocent bystander when Montoya got loose off of turn 4 on lap 147.

    “The car was really good,” Earnhardt said. “Right in the middle of the race, it got real tight, then we fixed it. I felt like we were pretty good coming up through there. Right at the end, I felt like we had a good car, a good top-ten car. Montoya got in the fence there and just kind of pulled down and stopped in front of us. I was side-by-side with somebody (Marcos Ambrose).

    “I didn’t even see him hit the wall, I didn’t even know there was a car in the wall until he came across the No. 47 (Ambrose) hood and there he was, I ran right in the back of him. Nowhere to go.”

    Montoya would head straight to the garage and would go on to finish 32nd after leading 86 laps. Earnhardt did receive major damage to his left front, but continued and finished 27th, two laps down.

    Montoya had the dominate car for the second year in a row only to finish outside of the top-ten. Last year, Montoya led 116 laps but picked up a pit road speeding penalty from NASCAR in the closing laps to finish 11th.

    It was a call for four tires for the then race leader Montoya, as his teammate and a handful of other cars took two tires that put Montoya further back in the pack.

    “Bad call,” Montoya’s crew chief Brian Pattie said. “Crew chief error. We should have taken two tires.”

    Notes: The 16 laps led by McMurray were the second-least amount led by an eventual Brickyard 400. Jarrett led only 11 laps in his 1996 victory. … The race saw 14 lead changes among 10 drivers. … The race had six cautions for 25 laps. Four of those cautions were for debris, on laps 16, 67, 118 and 139. The other two were for accidents, one on the first lap and the other on lap 147. … Harvick leads Gordon by 184 points heading into Pocono with six races left until the chase cutoff at Richmond.

  • Reutimann announces new deal with MWR; Aaron`s to sponsor

    David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip Racing announced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that the driver has re-signed with MWR and will continue racing the No. 00 Aaron’s Toyota again next year. The deal is a multi-year agreement.

    Aaron’s has signed on to sponsor 30 races each season for the next two years and will also pick up the remaining six unsponsored races for Reutimann this season, bringing his car to a fully funded status.

    “Increasing our involvement in the NACSAR Sprint Cup Series and extending our partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing and David Reutimann through 2012 is a testament to how successful this relationship has been for Aaron’s,” Ken Butler, Chief Operating Officer of Aaron’s, Inc., said. “Much of Aaron’s growth and success is a direct result of our partnership with MWR and we are thrilled to continue that for two more seasons. We have built a rich history with Michael Waltrip and this organization over the last 11 years and I could not imagine Aaron’s partnering with anyone else in this sport. We look forward to being a part of their continued success.”

    The deal was done before Reutimann’s second career Sprint Cup Series victory at Chicagoland Speedway earlier this year.

    “I’m glad both Michael Waltrip Racing and Aaron’s want to keep me around,” Reutimann said. “I’ve been asked about my contract for the last month and we’ve had a handshake agreement, but now it’s done and I’m glad I can finally talk about it. I’m thrilled. This is where I want to be – at Michael Waltrip Racing driving the No. 00 with Aaron’s on the hood. Aaron’s has been a great partner and I consider myself a lucky dog every time I get behind the wheel of the Aaron’s Dream Machine.

    “Michael and Darrell Waltrip have given me just about every chance I have ever had in NASCAR since 2004 and I don’t want to go anywhere else. Good things are happening here and I plan to be a part of it.”

    Team owner Michael Waltrip says there was no doubt that keeping Reutimann around was necessary for the organization.

    “We never wavered on wanting to extend David and neither did Aaron’s,” Waltrip said. “David and Aaron’s are like family to me. They’ve both been a large part of Michael Waltrip Racing since the very beginning and have stuck with us through thick and thin. In the beginning we all took a chance on each other. You might say it was a high-risk, high reward proposition for everyone involved, but we all believed in each other and we are now starting to see those rewards a little more each day.”

    MWR officially began its Sprint Cup Series operation in 2007.

    MWR races two-full time cars, driven by Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. The organization also has a partnership with JTG-Daugherty Racing, who fields the No. 47 Toyota driven by Marcos Ambrose.

  • Gordon looking to break winless streak at Indy

    Former Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon is looking to finally break his winless streak, which has accumulated to 48 races as the series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The “speedway” is like a home away from home for Gordon, who is the only NASCAR driver to have claimed four wins at the historic 2.5-mile racetrack. The first of those four victories came in the inaugural Sprint Cup Series event at the track in 1994.

    While Gordon’s hometown is Vallejo, Calif., he spent many years living and growing up in Indiana and says his win in the inaugural race is among his highest accomplishments.

    “Living in Indiana, racing around Indiana, Indianapolis Raceway Park, the fairgrounds, Bloomington, all over the place, it was every short-track, open-wheel, (NASCAR) Sprint Cup driver’s dream to race at Indianapolis one day,” Gordon said. “To be able to do that in the very first ever NASCAR stock-car race there in 1994, win it, then go on to win it three more times is some-thing that I probably put up as the highest accomplishments of my career.”

    Gordon currently sits second in points, trailing points leader Kevin Harvick by 103 points as the start of the Chase for the Sprint Cup and the final race to qualify for the top-12 sits seven weeks away.

    In 16 Sprint Cup Series starts at Indianapolis, Gordon has nine top-five and 13 top-ten finishes, holding an average finish of 8.6.

    According to NASCAR’s loop data reports, Gordon is the best closer in the last five races at IMS, which means he has gained more positions in the last ten-percent of the race than drivers with more than five starts. Gordon is also fifth in the field in the driving rating category, with a 96.2 average rating over the last five races at the track.

    Gordon is looking to keep his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson from capturing his third straight victory at IMS, and from earning his fourth career victory at the track, which would move the two into a tie for most Cup Series wins at Indy, with four each.

    “Everybody goes all out for this event,” Gordon said. “I believe this DuPont team has a great package for this event. We’ve been working really, really hard on every aspect to find speed. “We’ve got some things up our sleeve for Indy.”

    Despite going winless thus far in 2010, Gordon has scored more top-five finishes than any other driver, currently with ten. Gordon finished ninth in his event last year.

    Notebook:

    — Juan Pablo Montoya and wife Connie welcomed the birth of their third child this weekend. Their second girl, Manuela Montoya Freydell, was born on July 19 and joins their other two children, Sebastian, age five and sister Paulina, age three. Montoya’s spokesperson said mother and baby are doing well.

    — Chip Ganassi could become the first team owner to perform a triple crown by winning the Daytona 500, Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 all in the same year. Ganassi owns two cars entered in the field this weekend. The No. 1 car driven by Jamie McMurray (who won the Daytona 500) and the No. 42 car, driven by Juan Pablo Montoya.

    — Jacques Villeneuve will attempt to qualify for the Brickyard 400 with Braun Racing’s No. 32 Toyota. Villeneuve is a winner of the 1995 Indianapolis 500 in the IndyCar Series.

    — Bobby Labonte is making his 600th consecutive Sprint Cup Series start this weekend at Indianapolis. Labonte also announced this week that he will be returning to TRG Motorsports for four Cup Series races — Pocono, Michigan, Atlanta and Texas. All four races will be sponsored by TaxSlayer.com. Labonte will drive the No. 09 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet this weekend.

    Quotes:

    — Dale Earnhardt Jr: “When somebody asks me what it would feel like to win here, I think about the open-wheel history of this track, and I think about drivers like (Mario) Andretti and (A.J.) Foyt and the guys even before them. I think about the history of this track and how it’s survived the war and closed down and opened back up and everything that it’s been through. When they first brought stock cars here to practice, it was a realization for a lot of people, including myself, being an aspiring driver at the time, that I may have a chance one day to race at Indianapolis that I otherwise didn’t think that I would have unless I was to go in the open-wheel series.”

    — Denny Hamlin: “There is so much history here and I think every driver wants to win here and be a part of that history. I had the chance to visit the museum here a few years ago and to see all of the race-winning cars and the people who made racing here what it is today was really cool. This track has seen it all. Indy is a lot like Daytona because winning means so much at those places that it almost lives outside of the schedule and points, and thinking about the Chase. I know I how I felt winning at Richmond, and I know from talking to Tony (Stewart) and Mike (Ford) what Indy means to them. This is definitely one I want to win for this team.”

    — Joey Logano: “Indy is a tough place to pass, that I remember well. We started dead last in 2009 because we changed engines in The Home Depot Toyota and it was not easy to move through the field. I finished 12th, but did all my passing on the restarts and luckily had a good enough car to do that. I don’t know what the spoiler is going to do to the cars this year, but I am sure qualifying is going to be really important again. We need to get some momentum going, and I think we have some solid tracks for the team coming up starting with Indy. I know we finished 12th last year, but I felt like our car was better than that.”

    The Race: Brickyard 400
    The Place: Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile rectangle)
    The Date: Sunday, July 25
    The Time: 1 p.m. (ET)
    Race Distance: 160 laps/400 miles
    TV: ESPN, Noon (ET)
    Radio: IMS & Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128.
    2009 Polesitter: Mark Martin
    2009 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
    Schedule Prior To Race Day: Friday—Practice, 2-3 p.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday — Qualifying, 10:10 a.m.; Practice, 2-3 p.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m.

  • Pretty Boy Carl Edwards Escapes Jury Again

    Pretty Boy Carl Edwards Escapes Jury Again

    On Wednesday, NASCAR laid down their penalty for Carl Edwards after Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Gateway. Edwards was penalized 60 points and $25,000 plus probation till the end of the year.

    When will he get what he deserves?

    This is the second time in a row he’s purposely wrecked, Brad Keselowski. The first incident was Atlanta back in March where Keselowski flipped.

    He also has a track record as recall a pair of incidents with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Atlanta 2004 and Michigan 2006) and when he tried to choke Kevin Harvick in the garage.

    A lot of people say though Keselowski deserved it, including Edwards, due to what happened before that incident.

    If you back towards the turn one contact, that was a result of Keselowski running the corner too hard. He slid up and made slight contact – rubbin’ is racing. Edwards could’ve easily got back at Keselowski with his own slight rubbin’ in turns three and four.

    Instead, he purposely spins Keselowski, collecting other cars. People who do these moves are beyond rubbin’ as they’re changing a lot of people’s lives. What if someone had seriously gotten hurt? Steve Arpin already reported via his twitter, “Just got my neck snapped back into place from that wreck Saturday, man does that feel better” as a result of his contact with Keselowski.

    Plus, what about those teams’ who were collected and their financial situation? Some of those teams collected are already on a tight budget.

    The perfect revenge for Keselowski would be to ruin Edward’s chase chances, but nope, NASCAR has protected Edwards again. They also put Keselowski on probation until the end of the year.

    This is a result of favoritism as a result of a marketing and money perspective. Edwards is sponsored by big sponsor Aflac and drives for Jack Roush in Ford. Meanwhile, you’ve got Keselowski driving for Penske Racing, who has seemed to be the outcast right now via being the only Dodge team. Suspending or harming Edward’s image in comparison to Keselowski would be bad from that perspective. Now if Edwards wrecks Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, or Kasey Kahne, you’ll see a different story.

    Also, suspending Edwards would be bad against their ‘have at it’ policy as they said they’d let the drivers handle their disputes themselves. But isn’t this above that line?

    What is it going to take for NASCAR to step up? Following the step above of a particular driver involved or somebody getting hurt. Hopefully, we don’t see the lather.

  • Joe Gibbs Racing Looks to Rebound at Indy after Gateway

    Joe Gibbs Racing Looks to Rebound at Indy after Gateway

    Last weekend’s race at Gateway turned into a nightmare for Joe Gibbs Racing as both of their cars crashed on the same lap.

    On lap 152, DiBenedetto blew a tire after contact earlier in the race, which sent him up the wall. After making contact with the wall, he rolled down the track directly in front of his teammate Brad Coleman. The JGR cars ended up 29th and 30th at the end of the race.

    Looking to rebound at O’Reilly Raceway Park, both Joe Gibbs Racing Nationwide Series cars will have new sponsors aboard.

    Rookie Matt Dibenedetto has Game Plan For Life/I Am Second onboard his Toyota for this Saturday’s Kroger 200.

    Game Plan for Life is the title of team owner’s Joe Gibbs’ most recent book which debuted one year ago while I am Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others.

    This will mark DiBenedetto’s fourth start of the year and the fifth of his career.

    Kyle Busch, meanwhile, will have FleetLocate on board his Nationwide car as he tries to sweep all of NASCAR’s top three Series races in the same weekend.

    “FleetLocate Powered By Joe Gibbs Driven provides companies a cost-saving device for keeping track of their mobile fleets in the field,” according to JGR PR. “It not only can track the location of each member vehicle with state of the art mapping and instantly communicate when vehicles leave predetermined boundary limits, but it also measures and provides detailed reports on excessive engine idling and fuel consumption.”

    Busch won’t be doing all the work in all three cars this weekend as Brad Coleman will qualify the Nationwide car for Busch while he practices his Cup car.

    “Last year we qualified outside pole and I will do everything I can to give Kyle a great starting position for the Kroger 200 this year,” said Coleman in the team press release. “You always want to be the guy behind the wheel when they drop the green flag but it is also an honor anytime you are in a JGR car and able to work with one of the best all-time drivers in the sport.”

    In five previous starts at ORP, Busch has two wins, three top fives, and three top 10s.

    Currently, the No. 18 car sits second in the owner’s points, 49 points behind the No. 22 of Penske Racing, while the No. 20 sits third, 146 points behind.

  • NASCAR still reviewing Edwards/Keselowski accident

    NASCAR still reviewing Edwards/Keselowski accident

    ESPN.com is reporting that NASCAR officials are still reviewing the incident involving Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski from Saturday’s Nationwide Series race and could announce a penalty Wednesday. The report by ESPN’s David Newton cites multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.

    Edwards turned Keselowski after the two exited turn four and headed towards the checkered flag. Keselowski had made contact with Edwards in turn one while the two were racing for the lead and the win. Edwards responded by clipping Keselowski’s right rear in the middle of the Gateway International Raceway frontstretch.

    Edwards admitted that the move was intentional and was a reaction to Keselowski’s bump and run in his victory lane interview with ESPN and later in his post-race press conference with the NASCAR media.

    NASCAR issued a three-race probation for an incident in an Atlanta Sprint Cup Series race earlier this year to Edwards, when the driver intentionally wrecked Keselowski in the middle of the front straightaway, sending his rival into the air. Keselowski landed on his roof before the car eventually rolled on to all four wheels.

    Keselowski appeared to be dazed but would go on to be checked and released from the infield care center after each of the incidents.

    “He turned left into me and wrecked me on purpose,” Keselowski said after he was released from the infield care center at Gateway International Raceway. “I gave him the lane, and he still wrecked me. . . . I figured out a way to beat him. He wasn’t happy with me, so he wrecked me. Wrecking down the straightaway is never cool, whether it’s at 200 mph or 120. I’m sorry that’s the way it had to end.”

    Keselowski’s father, Bob, who is a former racer himself, said on ESPN’s national television coverage after the wreck that he isn’t going to let Edwards “kill my boy” and that he will “get my own damn uniform back on and take care of this.”

    In March, NASCAR president Mike Helton said that the sanctioning body would step in and issue penalties if they believed a line was crossed.

    “We made it very clear to (Edwards) that these actions were not acceptable,” Helton said. “We believe (Edwards) understands our position at this point.

    “The clear message, I think, we sent in January was that we were willing to put more responsibility in the hands of the driver. But there is a line you can cross and we’ll step in to maintain law and order when we think that line’s crossed.”

    During a national media teleconference on Tuesday, four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon said that he believed Edwards’ actions in the Nationwide Series race Saturday were “over and above what needed to be done.”

    “I think it’s been well-documented this year that NASCAR is allowing the racing to be more in the drivers’ hands, to try to stay out of some of those incidents that are judgment calls,” Gordon said. “… But just looking at the incidents, looked to me like Brad got into him a little bit getting into one, but was just racing hard for the position, for the win. Then what Carl did I felt like was definitely out of line. I felt like it was over and above what needed to be done.”

    Harvick also said that he believed Edwards’ reaction was over the top.

    “I just think that’s way, way out of bounds as far as hooking somebody in the middle of the straightaway,” Harvick said in a telephone interview with Dave Despain on Sunday.

    The wreck Gateway cost Keselowski’s points lead to drop from 227 to 168 points. Keselowski finished 14th.