Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Author: SM Staff

  • Busch wins the All-Star

    Steve Addington is currently the crew chief for the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, driven by Kurt Busch. It was just a short period ago that Addington was the crew chief for Kurt’s younger Kyle over at Joe Gibbs Racing. Addington is well known for his cool demeanor with the younger Busch but during the Sprint All-Star race Kurt Busch had an ill handling car and a younger brother that was the contender, challenging for the win. Kurt hit the wall a couple of times and Addington made adjustments just prior to the final segment that seemed to bring the Dodge to life.

    In the media center after the race Busch said, “It’s an unbelievable experience. It’s something that you sit there and you look at the greats that have won this race, the ones that have had so many years go by in between the wins, just to have an opportunity to go for it tonight, I felt like our Penske Dodge was right where it needed to be at the end.”

    Busch passed Denny Hamlin for the lead with 7 laps remaining in the 100 lap event and held off a hard charging Martin Truex for the win. Hamlin had clearly aggravated his Joe Gobs Racing team mate Kyle earlier in the race when it appeared that Hamlin blocked his teammate causing him to hit the wall. It was just a few laps later that Kyle’s right front appeared to blow sending him into the wall. Kyle parked his wrecked car directly behind the No. 11 hauler and charged into the truck after the incident.

    Afterwards Hamlin, who finished 4th said, “We talked about it and basically Kyle was just frustrated, he felt like he had a really good car. Me, I just came from the back with no practice and got back to the front where we needed to be and I felt like if I gave up the lead right there then I was going to give up the win. I don’t think Kyle would do anything different if he was in my situation. It’s just when you’re the leader, my feeling is that you’ve got the whole race track. If a guy is to the outside then that’s when you need to hold your line.”

    Joey Logano finished in 3rd place even after contact with Mark Martin during the start of the final ten-lap segment triggering a huge melee that also collected previous winners Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Martin.

    Earlier in the night Truex won the Sprint Showdown which allowed him to be eligible for the race and Gregg Biffle finished second which also qualified him to for the All-Star race. Carl Edwards was the fans choice for the “fan vote”.

    Busch won $ 1 million for his efforts.

    PosStNo.DriverMakeLapsStatus
    112Kurt Busch Dodge100Running
    21956Martin Truex Jr. Toyota100Running
    3220Joey Logano Toyota100Running
    41211Denny Hamlin Toyota100Running
    51114Tony Stewart Chevrolet100Running
    61329Kevin Harvick Chevrolet100Running
    7312Brad Keselowski Dodge100Running
    81417Matt Kenseth Ford100Running
    92016Greg Biffle Ford100Running
    101771Bobby Labonte Chevrolet100Running
    111039Ryan Newman Chevrolet100Running
    121888Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet100Running
    13748Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet100Running
    14518Kyle Busch Toyota98Accident
    15169Kasey Kahne Ford98Accident
    16983Casey Mears Toyota95Accident
    17155Mark Martin Chevrolet90Accident
    1841Jamie McMurray Chevrolet90Accident
    1960David Reutimann Toyota90Accident
    20824Jeff Gordon Chevrolet90Accident
    212199Carl Edwards Ford90Accident

    After the win Addington said, “I have never worked for anybody like him. I tried to figure out his emotions and stuff like that, and I just let it be now. I learned he’s going to get all he can out of a race car.”

  • Kahne to Hendrick

    Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) has confirmed that Kasey Kahne, who has been with the team since 2004, will be leaving No. 9 Ford at the end of this season.

    Kahne will be joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2012, possibly in the team’s No. 5 car in 2012 since Mark Martin’s contract ends in 2011.

    2011 is unknown for Kahne at this point. But Hendrick’s satellite team, Stewart-Haas racing could be an option.

    “Kasey is a very talented driver, and I have enjoyed watching him race. We all wish him nothing but the best and hope he succeeds in anything he chooses to do.” team co-owner Richard Petty said in a statement released by RPM.

  • Q & A with Martinsville Speedway

    Speedway Media, is quickly becoming a “one stop shop” for NASCAR fans to find news and stories about NASCAR, NASCAR teams and drivers as well as the facilities that they race at. In order to promote our “Track News” area the editors of the site decided to ask a series of questions about the tracks and programs that they have this season.

    Below are the answers to our questions. If you, the fans, would like to see items added to these track pages please feel free to note these in the comments below…

    1. Can you tell us about the events planned around your race weekends this season both at the track and in the community?

    We have announced plans for an old-school weekend for the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 weekend. We will have about a dozen legendary drivers around the entire weekend and will feature them Saturday night in a group discussion and question and answer session on the Speed Stage. They will also be signing autographs throughout the weekend.   Though it’s early in plans for the fall race, we will be doing the green flag program with the fans again.  

    2. With the economy and unemployment issues in many areas of the US how has the track responded with special programs geared towards saving fans money?   We rolled back all of our ticket prices in 2009 and have continued that trend in 2010 with several ticket packages like the Family Four Pack, which includes four Cup tickets, hot dogs and Pepsi products.  

    3. NASCAR announced that races would start at standard times in 2010. How will this effect the way that your facility plans events leading to race time?   We have generally had some of the earlier starting times, so we don’t think we will change anything because of the new times.  

    4. There has also been talk about condensing the race weekend schedules. How does the track feel about this?   We don’t think we will see that here. We have three full days on track as it is now and it would be too difficult to condense to two days.  

     5. Families often travel long distances and incur significant costs just getting to the race. What plans or events are specifically geared towards children and their families?   Children 12 and under are admitted free to qualifying and the Kroger 250 truck race. We also have areas in the grandstands for the Cup races where children 12 and under are admitted for $10.   We also have a Kids Zone in our display area where everything is geared to younger folks. We also have some games and rides in that area.  

    6. What makes your event a better choice for a sports fan compared to other sports?   One word: excitement. There’s nothing like watching a race at Martinsville Speedway. You are on top of the action all day long; you can’t escape the action.   And then of course there’s another word: value. Fans get more bang for their buck here than anywhere they could go in any sport.   And a couple more words: fan friendly. For more than 60 years, that’s been the mantra here and we’re working harder than ever on it today.   

    7. Where can fans find up to date race weekend schedules and special deals for your race(s)?   www.martinsvillespeedway.com

  • Daytona 500 Winner Jamie McMurray Enjoys Victory Tour Through San Francisco

    Daytona 500 Winner Jamie McMurray Enjoys Victory Tour Through San Francisco

    Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray celebrated his victory with a true taste of Northern California in San Francisco on Wednesday, complete with Dungeness crab, world-class chocolates and a bottle of Sonoma Valley wine.

    McMurray (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet) took the checkered flag in the Great American Race on Sunday, and arrived in the Bay Area just three days later for a San Francisco Victory Tour onboard a motorized cable car led by a California Highway Patrol escort.

    The appearance also marked the Official Countdown to the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at Infineon Raceway, June 18-20 (Father’s Day weekend). Race day is just 123 days away.

    McMurray and his wife, Christy, enjoyed a one-of-a-kind tour of San Francisco, crossing the historic Golden Gate Bridge and visiting Grotto #9 at Fisherman’s Wharf. McMurray learned how to crack a Dungeness crab under the guidance of co-owner Anthony Geraldi.

    The tour continued to Ghirardelli Square where the McMurrays received a basket of gourmet chocolates and were treated to ice cream sundaes.

    The cable car ride culminated at Willie Mays Plaza, at the home of the San Francisco Giants, where McMurray greeted race fans and the Northern California media.

    Giants Vice President Russ Stanley presented McMurray with an official team jersey, complete with his name and car number on the back.

    “I have to say, New York was cool, but San Francisco has been awesome,” said McMurray after the tour. “The weather is beautiful and it’s so great to see the fans come out here. As a driver, you can’t imagine what this means to me. It’s been wonderful.”

    Raceway President Steve Page also presented McMurray with a commemorative magnum of Sonoma Valley wine.

    “What great representatives Jamie and Christy are for the sport,” said Page. “It’s terrific to have someone who is a great road racer and has a good history at our track win the Daytona 500. We’re really excited to see him back in Sonoma in June.”

    Fans joined the Victory Tour onboard a fan-only cable car, which followed McMurray’s lead cable car on its celebratory route. The fans purchased seats on the tour as part of a special ticket package offered by the raceway, which included a weekend ticket to the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

    “We’ve been to every race at Infineon Raceway, and my husband loves it,” said Angelina Valdez, from San Francisco. “This is the second year we’ve attended the fan rally at Willie Mays Plaza, and it’s just so cool to see NASCAR in the city.”

  • Q & A with Atlanta Motor Speedway (Race 4 & 25)

    Q & A with Atlanta Motor Speedway (Race 4 & 25)

    Speedway Media, is quickly becoming a “one stop shop” for NASCAR fans to find news and stories about NASCAR, NASCAR teams and drivers as well as the facilities that they race at. In order to promote our “Track News” area the editors of the site decided to ask a series of questions about the tracks and programs that they have this season.

    Below are the answers to our questions. If you, the fans, would like to see items added to these track pages please feel free to note these in the comments below…

    1. Can you tell us about the events planned around your race weekends this season both at the track and in the community?

    Our race weekends center on our Sprint Cup races, the upcoming Kobalt Tools 500 on March 7 and our Labor Day weekend night race on Sept. 5., but each weekend also features an associate race on Saturday – a Camping World Truck Series race in March and a Nationwide Series race on Labor Day weekend – and Georgia Power Qualifying Night this March. In addition we have added a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race to Friday’s schedule this March.   Off the track, our in-house charitable organization, Speedway Children’s Charities, plans a number of events surrounding each race weekend. This March’s events include a Clay Shoot with David Ragan, the Fast Talk in Club One, and a Track Walk prior to the Kobalt Tools 500 on Sunday, March 7.  

    2. With the economy and unemployment issues in many areas of the US how has the track responded with special programs geared towards saving fans money?   In addition to offering a number of fan- and family-friendly ticket packages, Atlanta Motor Speedway is working with a number of area hotels to provide affordable room rates that do not require a multi-night stay. The complete list can be found here: http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/fans/hotels/  

    3. NASCAR announced that races would start at standard times in 2010. How will this effect the way that your facility plans events leading to race time?   While the standard start times might help facilities in planning events, the fans are best served by this change as they no longer have to check their local listings or favorite website to find the scheduled start time.  

     4. There has also been talk about condensing the race weekend schedules. How does the track feel about this?   You earlier inquired about saving fans money, and one way this can be accomplished is through condensing race schedules. With the success of our first Labor Day weekend night race and from hearing fan comments and reactions, our two-day race weekend was met very positively by fans. By hosting a two-day show, that’s one less ticket and one less night at a hotel fans will be spending their hard-earned money on.  

    5. Families often travel long distances and incur significant costs just getting to the race. What plans or events are specifically geared towards children and their families?   Many of the aforementioned Speedy Children’s Charities events are family friendly, in addition to a number of activities that occur in our Display Lot. Atlanta Motor Speedway also provides a family-friendly, no alcohol and no smoking grandstand during many of our events. In addition, we have also made attending a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway more affordable for families by offering $19 student tickets to our Sprint Cup Series races and kid’s 12 and under will be admitted free of charge on Friday and Saturday with a paid adult.  

    6. What makes your event a better choice for a sports fan compared to other sports? When compared to other sports, a NASCAR race is truly an extravaganza – an event that can span more than a week for the most passionate of fans. The culture and enthusiasm for the sport makes NASCAR more appealing, fun and captivating to many casual fans and the action – high speed on the high banks and a penchant for photo finishes – makes NASCAR racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway unlike any other sport.  

    7. Why should a race fan pick your facility over any other track?   Fans should choose a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway because Atlanta often provides the best, fastest racing our sport has to offer on what is many drivers’ most-popular track. With drivers barreling three, four and occasionally five wide down Atlanta’s frontstretch approaching 200 mph, Atlanta Motor Speedway often features the best of NASCAR’s best drivers.  

    8. Where can fans find up to date race weekend schedules and special deals for your race(s)?   Fans can find information on Atlanta Motor Speedway at www.atlantamotorspeedway.com http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com or they call the Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX or (770) 946-4211. In addition, fans can follow Atlanta Motor Speedway on Facebook or Twitter (AMSUpdates).     Information provided by Matthew Simmons, Marketing & Promotion Coordinator of Atlanta Motor Speedway.

  • Harvick wins Bud Shootout for second consecutive season

    Daytona, Fla. – Despite not having any practice laps due to illness, Kevin Harvick made the pass for the lead with two laps remaining in Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout and went on to win for the second consecutive season.

    Heading into the final lap of the race, Jeff Gordon got into the back of Greg Biffle, setting off a huge crash that ended the race under caution.
    “You don’t expect it because you know that you can wreck anytime at a plate race, but you don’t really expect it. When you’re behind Jeff Gordon, who is one of the sport’s best, and the 16 was on old tires. I don’t know, one of them got into each other and lost it or something.” Kenseth said.
    Kasey Kahne finished second, Jamie McMurray third, Kyle Busch fourth and Denny Hamlin finished fifth.
    Kurt Busch took a wide ride after contact was made with Mark Martin. Busch went through the grass and his hood came up onto the windshield. Unable to see where his was going, he slid back across the track and hit the outside wall.
    “Tough night for our Miller Lite Dodge. I’m not sure what really happened. I’m just making more laps in the ambulance than I am on the track (chuckles). We still have two good bullets. I thought that I was in the outside lane, crossed into the middle; I was just trying to figure out the draft with the big restrictor plate. Man, I’m making a bunch of mistakes I guess.” Busch said. Martin immediately apologized for the contact.

    Race Results

    POS ST NO DRIVER MAKE LAPS STATUS
    1 27 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 78 Running
    2 15 26 Jamie McMurray Ford 78 Running
    3 6 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 78 Running
    4 28 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 78 Running
    5 18 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge 78 Running
    6 14 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 78 Running
    7 11 99 Carl Edwards Ford 78 Running
    8 25 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 78 Running
    9 12 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 78 Running
    10 10 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 78 Running
    11 7 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 78 Running
    12 1 98 Paul Menard Ford 78 Running
    13 5 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 78 Running
    14 21 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 77 Accident
    15 24 7 Casey Mears Chevrolet 77 Accident
    16 20 12 David Stremme Dodge 73 Accident
    17 26 16 Greg Biffle Ford 72 Accident
    18 9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 64 Accident
    19 8 96 Bobby Labonte Ford 63 Accident
    20 22 0 David Reutimann Toyota 56 Accident
    21 2 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge 54 Accident
    22 17 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota 43 Accident
    23 3 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge 36 Engine
    24 23 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 32 Accident
    25 4 82 Scott Speed * Toyota 4 Accident
    26 16 6 David Ragan Ford 3 Accident
    27 13 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 3 Accident
    28 19 20 Joey Logano * Toyota 3 Accident
  • Busch wins at NHIS

    Busch wins at NHIS

    Kyle Busch led four times for 75 of 200 laps en route to his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory on Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    Busch’s No. 51 team used pit strategy to get the win by only taking a splash of fuel to minimize their time on pit road.

    “It barely made it. It ran out (of fuel) coming into victory lane.” Busch said.

    This was Busch’s his fifth win of the season and also gave Toyota five consecutive victories in the series.

    “It was a great race today. I’m real proud of the guys and Richie (crew chief) for working so hard on these trucks. We come to these tracks and sort of struggle sometimes. This is I think our third year together now and we seem to hit on something a little bit better not quite as good as the 33 or the 2 but there at the end we were out front when it mattered and had just the right amount of fuel in order to make it.” Busch said.

    Busch has now won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in all three of NASCAR divisions.

    “That’s cool, man. That’s something special. We look to do that everywhere we go but we’ve been fortunate enough to have good race trucks like we’ve had this year.” Busch said.

    Ron Hornaday finished second, Kevin Harvick third, Matt Crafton fourth and Johnny Sauter finished fifth.

    Hornaday sits atop the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series point standings by 217 points over Matt Crafton with just six races remaining.

    “It was a good day until after the race I guess. I didn’t know, I thought I was better than Kevin (Harvick) for a while and then he had newer tires.” Hornaday said.

    The series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next Saturday night.