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  • Truckin’ at Martinsville: Kroger 200 Notebook

    Truckin’ at Martinsville: Kroger 200 Notebook

    In looking at how things were boiling down for the start of the Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway this afternoon, everybody knew it’d be a battle between Ron Hornaday, Kyle Busch, Todd Bodine and Kevin Harvick.

    At the beginning, it’d look to be Busch’s race to lose as he led. However, when strategy started taking place, it began changing from one person to the other.

    Todd Bodine pitted early due to starting near the back, and then when the leaders pitted, he was able to gain track position and get to the lead.

    Bodine led from gaining that spot up front till Kyle Busch caught him and passed him.

    Though with less than 20 to go, Hornaday took charge on a late race restart and took the lead the hard way—on the outside—and never looked back.

    “I got tears in my eyes,” Hornaday said in victory lane. “This is so cool. I hate to be a baby. There’s a lot of people that have got thing going on. Shane Hmiel, Todd’s mom, it’s just emotional. Harvick said this paint scheme was unbeatable and we kept it going.”

    Hornaday Shoots Rumors Down With Win

    This marks a highlight in a season that some would call a disappointment for Hornaday, as the four-time champ currently is outside the race for the championship. Rumors began that possibly, Hornaday would be leaving Kevin Harvick Incorporated, though with new crew chief Butch Hilton, those rumors look to be disappearing.

    “It’s so cool to have Kevin and Delana have the confidence in me and give me Butch and the guys to do this.” Hornaday said.

    “To have Butch and the guys get Ron Hornaday in this victory lane at Martinsville is pretty cool.” Kevin Harvick added.

    Owner’s Championship Battle: Germain Racing vs. Kyle Busch Motorsports

    While Bodine has the driver’s championship pretty much locked up, the battle for the owner’s championship is heating up. Coming into the race, the No. 30 of Germain Racing, driven by Bodine, led the No. 18 of Kyle Busch Motorsports, driven by Busch, by 36 points. Bodine finished third, though there was no points change as Bodine led the most laps.

    “This is how you win championships,” Bodine said after the race, competing just hours after the death of his mother. “We didn’t have the best truck, but we got third.”

    Bodine and Busch look to battle it out to the end as they’ve already had their run-ins, including a conversation following Bodine’s win at Kentucky this year. Martinsville was no exception to their battle as they fought hard side-by-side, and at one point, Bodine was accused of trying to fool Busch on a restart.

    “If they think I was trying to do a slow restart to fool Kyle Busch, they are wrong,” Bodine said on the radio at that time. “I just didn’t get a good restart. Message delivered—I’ll work on it.”

    The Drama Surrounding Kevin Harvick (and others)

    Kevin Harvick, who won the spring race at Martinsville, finished 15th after an eventful day that included run-ins with multiple drivers. The run-in that caused the most discussion would be Harvick vs. the Red Horse Racing drivers, Timothy Peters and Justin Lofton.

    Battling side-by-side, Peters and Harvick made contact multiple times, which resulted in Harvick cutting a left rear tire down. Harvick then spun out and tried to get the car re-fired while Johnny Sauter got wrecked at the other end of the track, bringing out the caution.

    NASCAR deemed that Harvick was part of the reason for the caution, not allowing him to get the lucky dog (giving him his lap back) as he had fallen a lap down in the process. Some could say this changed the entire outcome, as it put Harvick back and made the hole bigger. Had Sauter not spun, there would’ve been no caution as Harvick wasn’t in the way.

    Once Harvick got back on the lead lap with approximately 15 to go, he then tried to mount his charge, yet ended up running into issues with Lofton. Lofton made contact with Harvick, causing further damage to Harvick’s truck, during a wreck that started with Sauter and Lofton. Emotions were displayed after the race as Harvick drove up the back bumper of Lofton’s truck on pit road.

    Though while we’re here, Sauter should be warned for his actions as instead of answering the black flag and coming down pit road to get the loose sheet metal removed, Sauter brake-checked Lofton down the backstretch, causing a bunch of other drivers to wreck in the corner and a caution.

  • Hornaday wins the Kroger 200 at Martinsville

    Hornaday wins the Kroger 200 at Martinsville

    The brisk chill of a Martinsville morning in October wasn’t enough to cool the excitement of short-track truck racing Saturday. By drop of the green flag the temperature and the anticipation for Camping World Truck action were both on the rise.

    Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag with his sixth season pole start. It wasn’t long however before the forces of KHI were bearing down upon him. Kevin Harvick and Ron Hornaday made their way to the front and for the first quarter of the race they seemed a dominate force to be reckoned with.

    With a lot of new blood in the field the cautions began flying and through it all it was not leading the pack through the brunt of the short track furry but Todd Bodine.

    With a load on his heart and on his mind Bodine raced his way from 24th starting spot to lead 83 of the afternoons 206 laps. The emotional favorite for Saturday’s victory started to fall of his pace in the closing laps and Hornaday and Busch surpassed Bodine to battle for the Grandfather clock.

    As the No. 24 of Cody Cambensey spun on lap 198, it came down to a shootout battle between day’s three top trucks.

    Hornaday, Busch, and Bodine restarted for a green-white-checkered finish each determined to push their trucks and their competitors as hard as they could while keeping the battle as clean as possible.

    When the final flag flew it was Hornaday with the victory, Busch finished second, Bodine third.

    “To win here at Martinsville … the grandfather clock…it’s a big deal,” said the 52-year-old Hornaday. “I’m pretty manly about stuff. I’ve won championships and not cried, but I had a tear in my eye today.”

    Busch was disappointed with his second place finish, but congratulated the No. 33 of Hornaday and KHI for their Victory.

    “Over all it was a good day.” Busch said. “We ran real competitive. I mean, we were right behind the 2 and the 33 for most of it trying to make our way back to the front, but getting there we were just too tight.”

    Bodine retained the points lead with his third place finish, and after the race he spoke to the media about the race.

    “We had a really good truck; it kind of went away a bit at the end. I was over driving it a bit probably.” Bodine said.

    “This was one of the wild cards we were worried about, with points racing.”

    Unofficial Race Results

    Kroger 200, Martinsville Speedway

    October 23, 2010 – Race 21 of 25

    Pos.St.No.DriverMakePts.Bon.LapsStatus
    1333Ron HornadayChevrolet1905206Running
    2118Kyle BuschToyota1755206Running
    32430Todd BodineToyota17510206Running
    4723Jason WhiteToyota1600206Running
    51551Aric AlmirolaToyota1550206Running
    6105Mike SkinnerToyota1500206Running
    713181David StarrToyota1460206Running
    82060Stacy ComptonChevrolet142026Running
    964Ricky CarmichaelChevrolet1980206Running
    10288Matt CraftonChevrolet1340206Running
    111439Ryan SiegChevrolet1300206Running
    12831James BuescherChevrolet1270206Running
    13117Justin Lofton *Toyota1240206Running
    142548Hermie SadlerChevrolet1210206Running
    1542Kevin HarvickChevrolet1235206Running
    1693Austin Dillon *Chevrolet1150206Running
    17239B.J. McLeodChevrolet1120206Running
    181615Jason BowlesToyota1090206Running
    19277John KingChevrolet1060206Running
    2029116Wes BurtonChevrolet1030206Running
    21513Johnny SauterChevrolet1055206Running
    2217120Johanna LongToyota970206Running
    232685Brent RaymerFord940204Running
    243357Norm BenningChevrolet910204Running
    253047C E FalkChevrolet880203Running
    26346Amber CopeDodge850203Running
    272846Clay GreenfieldDodge820202Running
    2831187Chris JonesChevrolet790202Running
    2919192Dennis SetzerChevrolet760201Radiator
    30321Angela CopeDodge730200Running
    3121197Matt LoftonToyota00198Running
    3236124Cody CambensyChevrolet670198Running
    333510Jennifer Jo Cobb *Ford640172Running
    341217Timothy PetersToyota610163Accident
    351812Mario GosselinChevrolet580116Engine
    362293Mike GarveyChevrolet55027Brakes
  • Richard Petty Motorsports Survival: Is It Possible?

    Richard Petty Motorsports Survival: Is It Possible?

    When Dale Earnhardt Jr. left Dale Earnhardt Incorporated in 2007, a lot of people said that it was the end of the team. Tony Stewart went as far as saying that, “DEI is just a museum without Earnhardt.” However, DEI managed to keep things together as they merged with Ganassi Racing to form Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing and have won the two biggest races this year with Jamie McMurray.

    With Kasey Kahne’s departure from Richard Petty Motorsports, it looks that they’ll be put in a position where their survival is also in question.

    Thursday morning, a meeting took between principals of RPM and Roush-Fenway Racing, supplier of chassis, engines and technical support for RPM, to discuss the long-term financial future of the organization.

    RPM was originally formed in January 2009 through the merger of Gillett-Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings.

    Since then, Ray Evernham has been trying to get out of the fold with his lawyers as he wants to focus on other venues of interest and doesn’t believe in the situation there.

    That would seem to equal no surprise as when more details about RPM are released, the more people become to realize the mess that equals RPM right now.

    It was reported by FOX Sports that Roush-Fenway had repossessed cars that RPM was planning to use at Talladega Superspeedway at the end of the month due to lack of payment. FOX Sports added also that according to their source, employees were told that they may not have a job past Martinsville this weekend.

    Since then, as according to NASCAR.com, this has been settled. The chassis were to be returned to RPM on Thursday morning with the engines being delivered Friday morning.

    Despite the quick solve to the problem, it does make you wonder about team’s financial issues.

    Along with losing Kahne at season’s end, RPM is also losing Elliott Sadler, who says he doesn’t want to no longer to be in this situation, and Paul Menard, who has signed a deal with Richard Childress Racing. More importantly with Menard, he is taking the Menards sponsorship with him to RCR and Budweiser is following suit as they’re pairing up with Kevin Harvick.

    Joining the team in 2011 will be Marcos Ambrose, who will be a teammate to A.J. Allmendinger who just signed a multi-year contract extension.

    Ambrose had requested to leave JTG Daugherty Racing early, however Tad Geschickter, current team owner, said the request was turned down due to current sponsor and promotional obligations.

    “Our plan at this point is to finish out the year,” Geschickter told NASCAR.com.

    Ambrose hasn’t had major success in NASCAR he currently sits 26 in points and has seven top fives and 13 top 10s in 78 career starts.

    Allmendinger, the team’s principal driver, currently sits 20 in points and after four years of competition in Sprint Cup, has only two top fives and 15 top 10s in 111 career starts.

    Though besides the drivers being an issue, there is also the issue of the relationships between John Henry, part owner of Roush-Fenway Racing, and George Gillett. New England Sports Ventures, which John Henry owns, acquired the English Premier League’s Liverpool soccer team in a forced sale through the Royal Bank of Scotland for $476 million from George Gillett and fellow owner Tom Hicks.

    Both principals are heavily involved in sports’ ownership as Henry owns the Boston Red Sox while Gillett sold his controlling interesting in the Montreal Canadiens NHL team.

    With each side having a say in what goes on with regards to the partnership, could this outside of NASCAR deal end up hurting RPM?

    Secondly, Kahne left under not the best circumstances as he refused to return to his car following a wreck Saturday night after the car had been repaired. The reasons he said were due to sickness, however it has been learned since that there was some tension within the organization.

    Sources have told Speed that the reason Kahne was released had to do with the fact that RPM owed him back salary, again citing financial issues.

    With those activities, it is certain to leave bad taste in people’s mouths and have them questioning the validity of RPM before going forth with agreeing to possibly sponsor them.

    This may not be the end of issues at RPM being discussed as Darrell Waltrip said on twitter last night that there is more to the RPM-Kahne story then many people know.

    Either way, the survival of the team is in question and it’ll be interesting to see what the next couple of months hold.

  • Hamlin captures the Tums Fast Relief 500 pole

    Hamlin captures the Tums Fast Relief 500 pole

    Denny Hamlin captured the pole for Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway with a lap of 97.018 (19.518)secs.

    “We haven’t had our car in race trim yet. I feel like we have a good baseline setup for here, obviously so we decided today that we were just going to focus on qualifying knowing that the corner pit stall is very, very critical here at Martinsville. I love it when a plan comes together.” Hamlin said.

    Marcos Ambrose qualified second, Greg Biffle third, Ryan Newman fourth and Juan Montoya qualified fifth.  

    “That was pretty good considering I almost wrecked. I’ve never been so scared in my life. I thought I was gonna hit the fence. I didn’t know it was gonna stop, but I did the best I could. I gave up a little bit on that second lap, but I learned something that will hopefully help me for Sunday.” Biffle said.  

    “It was a lot better than what we had in practice and we made some changes trying to do that. So when you can make changes and they turn out to the good that is a good thing.” Newman said.  

    “It was okay, not as good as practice. We decided to change what we did in the last part of practice and it bite us a little bit, but we are pretty good.” Montoya said.    

    RACE LINEUP

    Tums Fast Relief 500, Martinsville Speedway
    October 24, 2010 – Race 32 of 36

    Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time Behind
    1 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 97.018 19.518
    2 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 97.003 19.521 -0.003
    3 16 Greg Biffle Ford 96.988 19.524 -0.006
    4 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 96.973 19.527 -0.009
    5 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 96.959 19.53 -0.012
    6 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 96.889 19.544 -0.026
    7 99 Carl Edwards Ford 96.835 19.555 -0.037
    8 0 David Reutimann Toyota 96.825 19.557 -0.039
    9 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 96.696 19.583 -0.065
    10 6 David Ragan Ford 96.686 19.585 -0.067
    11 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 96.666 19.589 -0.071
    12 98 Paul Menard Ford 96.657 19.591 -0.073
    13 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 96.622 19.598 -0.08
    14 82 Scott Speed Toyota 96.607 19.601 -0.083
    15 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 96.583 19.606 -0.088
    16 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 96.479 19.627 -0.109
    17 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 96.46 19.631 -0.113
    18 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 96.366 19.65 -0.132
    19 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 96.352 19.653 -0.135
    20 13 Casey Mears Toyota 96.342 19.655 -0.137
    21 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 96.244 19.675 -0.157
    22 20 Joey Logano Toyota 96.229 19.678 -0.16
    23 9 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 96.19 19.686 -0.168
    24 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 96.166 19.691 -0.173
    25 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge 96.136 19.697 -0.179
    26 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 96.132 19.698 -0.18
    27 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 96.107 19.703 -0.185
    28 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 96.024 19.72 -0.202
    29 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 95.888 19.748 -0.23
    30 164 Landon Cassill Toyota 95.888 19.748 -0.23
    31 19 Elliott Sadler Ford 95.859 19.754 -0.236
    32 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 95.767 19.773 -0.255
    33 83 Kasey Kahne Toyota 95.685 19.79 -0.272
    34 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 95.675 19.792 -0.274
    35 9 Aric Almirola Ford 95.641 19.799 -0.281
    36 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 95.521 19.824 -0.306
    37 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 95.208 19.889 -0.371
    38 26 Ken Schrader Ford 95.098 19.912 -0.394
    39 37 David Gilliland Ford 94.78 19.979 -0.461
    40 34 Tony Raines+ Ford 94.092 20.125 -0.607
    41 7 Kevin Conway+* Toyota 93.868 20.173 -0.655
    42 71 Hermie Sadler+ Chevrolet 93.77 20.194 -0.676
    43 81 J.J. Yeley Dodge 94.855 19.963 -0.445
  • Fourth Turn … A Fan’s Perspective

    Fourth Turn … A Fan’s Perspective

    Welcome to NASCAR, E15!

    Recently, NASCAR announced that in 2011 it would be moving to Sunoco Green E15. The fuel is 15% Ethanol and 85% 260 GTX. Hence it’s name E15. But do we really know what ethanol is? Where does it come from? What are its advantages and disadvantages in a NASCAR stock car? How is it more advantageous to the environment?

    Ethanol is an alcohol that is currently used in gasoline as a detergent and has been for many years. It burns hot enough that it keeps the deposits from clogging the fuel injection systems that are used on most domestic vehicles.

    The ethanol product that NASCAR will be utilizing in all three of its touring series will be made of Corn. It can also be made from other biomass products, such as corn cobs and stalks, rice straw, wheat straw, switch grass, vegetable and forest wastes and other organic materials. Twenty percent of the nations corn supply was used for Ethanol in 2007. That translates to approximately 3.0 billion barrels of ethanol. For every barrel of Ethanol that is utilized we offset use of 1.2 barrels of petroleum.

    Ethanol adds oxygen to the gasoline causing more complete combustion and thus decreasing the amount of harmful emissions that are released into the atmosphere. It adds 2 – 3 points of octane to the gasoline which causes it to have an increase performance and higher horse power output. It also adds to the life of the fuel injection system by keeping harmful deposits from accumulating in the injectors and the engine itself.

    NASCAR choose Sunoco’s Green E15 because it utilized American Farmer’s products according to NASCAR’s CEO Brian France. By doing so Sunoco is assisting farmers by increasing their crops and the change to the fuel will allow for an increase in the size and production of the plant in Marcus Hook, PA, where the fuel will be mixed, and thus will add jobs to the economy.

    Ethanol has some distinct drawbacks to go with its obvious environmental pluses. One, Ethanol attracts moisture. Many of the tracks that NASCAR competes on in the summer months have hot and humid climates. This attribute of the fuel will require different storage containers and different measures to protect the cars from getting moisture in the fuel. Thus, Sunoco will be mixing the fuel in tankers and bringing those tankers to the track and dispensing the fuel from there. The new fuel cans that will go into mandate next year as well as the lack of a catch can will also add to the safety of keeping moisture away from the fuel.

    Two, the fuel burns blue and it burns 150 times hotter than the fuels teams currently use. No doubt this was a consideration in doing away with the catch can men on the pit crews. The fire protection gear worn by the crews on pit road and by the drivers in the car are sufficient to protect them from the new fuel according to Simpson fire safety group.

    Third, it can have issues with some polymers that we currently see used in the fuel systems on SC cars. Rubber and plastic literally melt. Although, it has been being tested for several months on the down low by teams and they have pretty much overcome these issues, it has not been tested in competition. The odds of having a piece fail due to fuel damage by the time the series begins using it in Daytona is slim. It is not out of the question but most teams have already been tweaking those parts and pieces to insure their longevity.

    Lastly, on a competition basis, the teams have discovered that the mileage factor with the E15 fuel drops noticeably.

    “The fuel mileage is going to change for a little bit, but it’s going to change for everybody across the board,” stated Joe Gibbs Racing Vice President Jimmy Makar. “The biggest thing is the chemical properties and making sure we have the compatibility with different components in the engine or the fuel system itself.”

    Danny Lawerence of Richard Childress racing tested E15 at Richmond earlier this year. “There were no issues with it at all. It makes a little more power, but we did use a little bit more.”

    There is little doubt that the change to Ethanol fuel was made at this time to prepare for the announced change to fuel injection slotted to occur in July of 2011. Ethanol increases the life of fuel injection systems and helps to prevent failures. By making the change at this time, NASCAR is assuring the prevention from a sudden increase in the cost of competing

    The introduction of Ethanol fuel to a racing series is not a new one. Indy Car made the switch in 2007 to E85. The fuel that is utilized in that series is a product of Brazil and it’s source is sugar cane. The ethanol is mixed 85% ethanol and 15% Methanol.

    Many have confused Ethanol with its closest relative, Methanol. Methanol is not a biomass fuel. Methanol is a petroleum product and although it burns hotter it is more flammable and not as suitable for the combustion type engines utilized in NASCAR.

    The other fuel that it is often mistaken for is Nitro-methane which is used in top fuel cars in NHRA. Nitro-methane is a combination of Propane and Nitric Acid. It’s highly unstable and combustible nature are what make the bright blue signature flames of Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars. It’s fast burning nature would make it unsuitable for sustained competition like NASCAR.

    This ethanol is however a lower percentage of the Ethanol fuel used in World of Outlaws in the 90’s when Doug Wolfgang was nearly killed because the fire fighters didn’t realize quickly they were dealing with an alcohol fire. The lower percentage will allow the fire to be seen as a blue tinted much more vivid red flame. Please note that fire safety systems have advanced far above the ones that Wolfgang was utilizing at the time of that crash in Kansas City Kansas in 1992.

    The presence of ethanol will require fire safety crews to change how they fight a fire on the track. Different extinguishers and Different procedures will need to be utilized in and out of the car. Ethanol’s alcohol make up will make it necessary to change to fire fighting foam.Fire fighting foam is a foam used for fire suppression. Its role is to cool the fire and to coat the fuel, preventing its contact with oxygen, resulting in suppression of the combustion. The P.A.S.S. method is not used for a known alcohol fire. Instead the object is to avoid spreading the fire while at the same time neutralizing as much of it as possible.

    Bob Dylan said, “The times they are changing.” More truth has never been spoken about our sport. From the fuel to the COT and soon the fueling systems they use to create the power and speed that we sit on the edge of our seats for. But the educated fan is a well armed one. Knowing what when and how with the fuel won’t make you an engineer. But it will make you more aware of the subtleties that your team and driver are dealing with next year. Frankly, new fuel mileage, more speed, and doing a good thing for the environment is a good thing for the sport and the earth. This time NASCAR gets a big thumbs up.

    ~~~~~****~~~~~

    Congratulations to Jamie McMurray on a well deserved and hard fought Sprint Cup win. You proved once again that you don’t have to make the chase to be a true competitor or a winner. Congratulations to Brad Keselowski for his Nationwide Series win. Smooth and aggressive in true Keselowski style. I would like to take this opportunity to offer our sincere and deepest condolences to Jeff Byrd’s family, friends and co workers. He left a mark on our community that will never be forgotten. He will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this very difficult time.

    And finally to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

  • Silly Season Comes Early These Days

    Silly Season Comes Early These Days

    Once upon a time, Silly Season started about this time of year. Most driver and team changes were announced near or after the final race of the season. Rumors were always present, but no one knew anything until the teams made an announcement. And that happened about this time of year. Not anymore.

    It all started a few years ago. Dale Jarrett moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to Robert Yates racing early. Heck, Ernie Irvan moved to Yates early when the untimely death of Davey Allison caused a vacancy. A few years ago, Jack Roush fired Kurt Busch after an unfortunate run-in with the law in Arizona after he announced he was moving to Penske Racing. Then there was the Kyle Busch move to Gibbs when Rick Hendrick decided to hire Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Dale Jarrett and Elliott Sadler disgusted with performance before the season was over moved to Michael Waltrip Racing and Evernham Racing one year. Many moved on early, leaving sponsors in limbo and teams in disarray. It continues today.

    The latest of these moves happened sudden after the Bank of America 500 last week at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne had already made his move. Kahne had come into Sprint Cup racing with Evernham Racing. Having been trained under the Ford brand, he rejected Ford Racing and headed to the Dodge team, which caused a lawsuit that was settled without a trial and probably left a mark on the young driver. Fast forward to two years ago when, in order to survive, Evernham took on partner George Gillette, Jr. and later merged with Petty Enterprises under the same Dodge banner. During these hard times, insiders tell us that Kahne and his team became separated from the four-team organization. When Kahne and teammate A. J. Allmendinger had problems on the track earlier this year, Allmendinger admitted that he rarely saw or talked to Kahne. It was no surprise that Kahne announced a multi-year deal with Hendrick Motorsports for 2012. That left Kahne in limbo for 2011, but Kahne and his crew chief, Kenny Francis, pledged to run the season and win races at RPM.

    It all blew up last Saturday night. Kahne’s fast Ford, which had qualified well and run well in the early going, lost its brakes. Kahne was so disgusted that he refused to get back in the car after repairs. Complicated was the reported confrontation between a “Petty Motorsports employee” and Kahne in which is effort was challenged. Kahne refused to get back in the car and J.J. Yelley finished the race. Kahne claimed sickness for the refusal to finish the race, but it was notable that he ran a foot race the next day in Charlotte. RPM released him from his contract on Wednesday. It is expected that he will be in a Red Bull Toyota on Sunday.

    So what gives with these early departures, regardless of sponsor or team obligations? Beats me. You can’t blame drivers for trying to improve themselves (Paul Menard, another RPM driver who has already announced he’s moving to Richard Childress Racing), but it seems to me that contracts are more important than “feelings.” Is it a product of the instability at RPM or is it more than that? Or is it just the way the Cup series is these days? I just feel sorry for all those people with Budweiser clothing. The Dale Junior bunch and Kasey Kahne bunch are going to have to buy a new wardrobe. Junior went from Bud red to AMP green and now Kahne’s fans have to go from Bud red to Red Bull blue. The concessionaires are smiling, but the pocketbooks are suffering. In a bad economy.

  • The End of an Era? RPM folding??

    The End of an Era? RPM folding??

    Rumors have circulated for months but the demise of Petty Motorsports could be upon us. Since last weekend in Charlotte where Kasey Kahne had an apparent uncharacteristic temper tantrum, RPM has released Kahne (after asking him to first step aside) late last night, replacing him with Aric Almirola.

    Now, Fox Sports reports from the Charlotte area say that Roush Fenway Racing and Roush – Yates have stopped delivery of equipment and repossessed cars and engines at RPM’s shops. According to the report no more cars are available to RPM after this weekend’s race at Martinsville. There were also reports that they may not have jobs after Martinsville.

    The financial issues that Petty has endured are well documented. He sold to Boston Ventures in 2008 and then merged with Gillett – Evernham later that same season (which is where Kahne originated) . Earlier this year there were rumors of a large default on debt.

    Speedway Media will bring more as it develops.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: Chase drama at Martinsville

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: Chase drama at Martinsville

    Round six of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship will be taking a very interesting turn this Sunday when it presents another round of short track racing at the Martinsville Speedway. Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 could turn out to be a clash of the titans. The drivers first and second in the standings have personal stats from this race track that are nothing short of amazing. Adding to the weekend drama are the details of an unexpected, but not necessarily surprising, major driver change.

    ***********

    THE STORY BREAKDOWN

    During the course of Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 all Chase observers will be watching the performances of Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin. Johnson goes into the race with a 41 point advantage over Hamlin. Both drivers have outstanding performances at Martinsville in the past. Between them Johnson and Hamlin have won the last eight races there.

    Johnson is a six time winner at Martinsville. He also has six other top five finishes. The last time Johnson finished outside of the top ten at Martinsville was during his rookie season back in 2002.

    Hamlin is a three time winner at Martinsville. His hot streak at this race track includes winning the last two races there in a row and three of the last five events. If Hamlin is going to trim down Johnson’s points lead, or possibly reclaim the points lead, then Martinsville is best arena to get the job done although it may require some surprise situation such as Johnson having a bad race.

    Kevin “Happy” Harvick is third in the Chase standings and 77 points away from the top. However Harvick may not be that happy about the Sprint Cup Series’ return to Martinsville this Sunday. His worst finish of the year, a 35th, came after the spring race there. Harvick has raced at Martinsville twice a year since the 2001 season without a top five finish. Harvick’s game plan for Sunday’s race is to score a top ten finish to keep Johnson and Hamlin within his sights. Harvick will be hedging his bet on next week’s restrictor plate race at Talladega an area that he excels at. Harvick probably also yearns for the old points system used prior to the creation of the Chase. Under the old school system he would be leading the standings with a 249 points lead over Johnson.

    Jeff Gordon’s drive for five championship run is treading water and he needs to launch something spectacular and do it soon. He’s currently fourth in the Chase standings and 156 points out of first. The Martinsville Speedway could turn out to be a good launching pad for Gordon because he virtually owns the individual driver’s stats there. Gordon leads the active drivers list in Martinsville wins with seven. He also leads in top five finishes with 23, top ten finishes with 29, laps led at 2,888 and has won the pole position a series high seven times. The last time Gordon finished outside of the top five at Martinsville was back in 2004 when he finished ninth. He came very close to winning the race last March only to get beat by Hamlin during the final green-white-checker finish.

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    The other big story you will hearing a lot about this weekend concerns Richard Petty Motorsports’, (RPM), Wednesday night decision to release Kasey Kahne as the driver of their #9 Ford. This decision stemmed from last Sunday’s race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway when Kahne suffered a hard crash due to failed brakes. Noting that it was the team’s third brake failure of the season, a normally easy going Kahne went ballistic over the radio making it clear that he’s had enough and he can’t wait to leave the team at the end of the season when his contract runs out. The team made repairs but Kahne declined to get back into the car. He later said he wasn’t feeling well following the crash. Driver J J Yeley finished the race for RPM.

    Earlier this year Kahne announced that he was leaving RPM at the end of this season and had signed a contract to drive for Hendrick Motor Sports, (HMS). However, his new ride, currently occupied by driver Mark Martin, wasn’t going to become available until the start of the 2012 season. Team owner Rick Hendrick engineered a deal to have Kahne drive a Red Bull Racing Toyota during the 2011 season.

    It now turns out that Kahne will be getting a head start on his 2011 ride. He is listed as the driver of the #83 Red Bull car at Martinsville and is expected to be in the car for the remainder of the current racing season. Meanwhile RPM announced that driver Aric Almirola will take over the wheel of their #9 Ford at Martinsville. In a sheer note or irony, Almirola was the driver of record for the #83 Red Bull ride at Martinsville.

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    THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN

    To know real surprise the Las Vegas based World Sports Exchange, (WSE), has Denny Hamlin on top of their ratings list at 3 to 1 odds followed closely by Jimmie Johnson, 4 to 1, and Jeff Gordon at 6 to 1. Two time race winner Tony Stewart has been ranked at 10 to 1.

    The middle tier of the WSE rankings shows Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch at 12 to 1 odds with Clint Bowyer at 18 to 1. At 20 to 1 is a quartet of drivers led by former race winners Jeff Burton and Kurt Busch along with Jamie McMurray and Joey Logano.

    In the lower tier the WSE has Juan Pablo Montoya, Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman ranked at 25 to 1, Greg Biffle at 30 to 1 while Martin Truex Jr and Matt Kenseth come in at 35 to 1. Completing this week’s ranking is a trio of drivers, at 40 to 1, featuring Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr and two time Martinsville winner Mark Martin.

    Now for the disclaimer. NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers are for information and entertainment purposes. They neither encourage and condone the placing of wagers on their races. Instead you may want to consider spending your money getting a head start on Christmas shopping. Those NASCAR tree ornaments are highly recommended especially if you’re an unmarried man living alone.

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    THE TRACK BREAKDOWN

    The Martinsville Speedway was opened in 1947 by Clay Earles and remains as one of the oldest, continually operated, race tracks in the country.

    The facility began as a dirt track. The first sanctioned NASCAR race was held there in September of 1949 and was won by the legendary Red Byron.

    The track was paved in 1955. Concrete overlays were placed in the turns in 1976.

    The Martinsville Speedway is a .526 mile oval that is shaped like a paper clip. The track is practically as flat as a paper clip. There is only 12 degrees of banking in the turns and zero degrees on the straights. Those straight-aways are only 800 feet long which presents a physical challenge for the drivers. The speedway currently has seating for 61,000 fans.

    The speedway’s pit road is also a challenge for the drivers. The pit stalls measure 14 feet wide by 28 feet long. The pit road speed is a very slow 30 MPH.

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    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 is 500 laps/263 miles around the Martinsville Speedway’s .526 mile oval.

    The race has 48 entries vying for the 43 starting berths.

    11 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning these teams are not guaranteed a start in the race because they are currently outside of the top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speed to make the race.

    Weather should not be an impact on the race. The Sunday forecast for the Martinsville-Virginia area calls for some partly cloudy conditions with daytime highs at 76 degrees.

    Racing fans planning on watching the Tums Fast Relief 500 on television need to be aware that you will start with the ESPN2 network, at 12 pm eastern time, for the “NASCAR Countdown” show. Then, at 1 pm et, you will need to switch to the ESPN network for the actual race. The rebroadcast of the race will be on Monday morning, 2 am et, on ESPN2 and again on Wednesday, 12 pm et, on SPEED.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A tail gate party and a grandfather clock at Martinsville

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A tail gate party and a grandfather clock at Martinsville

    For the first time in nearly a month, NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series returns to action on the very venue that made the series famous to begin with: a short track. Saturday’s Kroger 200 at the Martinsville Speedway is expected to be a lively NASCAR style tailgate party when 36 full sized racing trucks line up on this famous speedway’s half mile, paper clip shaped, oval.

    THE STORY BREAKDOWN

    The significant news for the race winner of the Kroger 200 literally involves the time of day. For many years the winner of the two Sprint Cup events at the Martinsville received a beautiful, custom made, grandfather clock. For the first time ever speedway officials have decided to bestow that special honor to the winner of the NASCAR Camping World Series race winner. Everyone wants to be the first series driver to win this beautiful clock and it’s definitely going to be an added incentive within this race.

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    Keep a sharp eye on the #17 Red Horse Racing Toyota during Saturday’s race. Driver Timothy Peters, along with crew chief Jeff Hensley, will be on a major mission. They won their first ever series race at Martinsville last year and they’re definitely planning on a repeat. That first win last year was particularly special because of the hometown crowd element. Both Peters and Hensley are from Martinsville.

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    Keep an eye on a quartet of lady drivers who could possibly create some NASCAR history during Saturday’s truck race. Depending on how qualifying turns out, it could be the first time that four lady drivers starts a national NASCAR touring series event. Leading the group is Jennifer Jo Cobb. The driver of the #10 Ford will be making her 25th series start. In the process of trying to launch a national NASCAR career is Johanna Long, #20 Dodge, who hopes to make her fifth series start on Saturday.

    Looking to make their series debut, and some additional NASCAR history, are Angela Cope, #01 Dodge, and Amber Cope, #6 Dodge. The Copes are hoping to become the first ever set of sisters to compete in a NASCAR national touring series. They will also be seeking major seat time while earning respect from the other drivers.

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    Also keep a sharp eye on series points leader Todd Bodine. With only five races left in the season, Bodine currently holds a 262 points lead in the championship standings over Aric Almirola. It appears that Bodine is well on his way to his second series championship.

    But Bodine is involved is involved in another points battle that is still too close to call. That would be the series’ coveted owner’s championship. His owner of record, Steve Germain, is currently on top of the standings but it’s a rather slim lead of 39 points over Kyle Busch Motorsports. Kyle Busch has been driving his own truck when his Sprint Cup schedule allows it. This owner’s points championship will be getting rather interesting because Busch has announced plans to drive the #18 Toyota in the final five truck races of the season.

    Also check out the different paint scheme for Bodine’s #30 Germain.Com Toyota during the Martinsville race. The truck will be loaded with pink paint in support of October being breast cancer awareness month.

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    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    The Kroger 200 is 200 laps around the Martinsville Speedway’s .526 mile oval. The fact that the speedway is shaped like a paper clip makes it even more challenging.

    The race has 38 entries vying for the 36 starting berths.

    14 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning these teams are not guaranteed a starting berth because they are currently outside of the top 25 in owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speeds to make the race.

    There doesn’t seem to be any real dominance by any one truck team at Martinsville. 23 series races there has produced 19 different winners.

    The Kroger 200 will be broadcast live by SPEED beginning at 1230 pm eastern time.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: The Nationwide Series farewell to Gateway

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: The Nationwide Series farewell to Gateway

    NASCAR’s Nationwide Series will be running a stand alone event, meaning they are racing at a track separate from the Sprint Cup schedule, this weekend. Sadly Saturday’s race, the Five Hour Energy Drink 250, will be NASCAR’s farewell appearance at the Gateway International Raceway.  This difficult decision was made by the raceway’s parent company, Dover Motorsports, earlier this year based on current, and projected, harsh economics.

    THE STORY BREAKDOWN

    With the Nationwide Series racing at the Illinois based Gateway International Raceway and their Sprint Cup counterparts racing halfway across the country, at Martinsville-Virginia, it appears that there is a very good chance that a bonafide Nationwide Series team could actually win this race. There are only five double duty drivers, or those who are competing in both series’ races, on the entry list

    That’s the good news for the full time Nationwide Series teams. The bad news is two of those double duty drivers are Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards who are running the full schedules in both series this year. They are currently running first and second in the championship standings but that’s just basically a formality because Keselowski goes into next Saturday’s race with a whopping 450 point lead over Edwards. Mathematically speaking, if Keselowski can leave the Gateway event with a lead of 587 points then he will automatically clinch the Nationwide championship despite the fact there will still be three races left in the season.

    Meanwhile Edwards will be looking to sweep Gateway after winning the race there last July. That race is not a very fond memory for Keselowski. On the final lap of the race there was contact between the two drivers. Edwards got the checkers while Keselowski got the wreckers.

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    Considering the travel distance and the tight schedules between the two race locations, these double duty drivers are going to need some help. This is especially true of Saturday morning. The Cup schedule calls for final practice sessions at Martinsville around the same time the Nationwide schedule will be holding the qualifying session for the Gateway race. That means the Cup drivers will have to depend upon substitute drivers to handle things in Illinois during their absence.

    Penske Racing development driver Parker Kligerman will be at Gateway to sub for Keselowski. Edwards will be counting of help from Roush Fenway Racing development driver Erik Darnell during his absence. Other subs include Colin Braun filling in for Paul Menards Ford while Jeff Fuller will be helping out Joe Nemechek. McDonald Motorsports has yet to pick a sub driver for Michael McDowell.

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    There is another matter regarding the need of a substitute driver for a very special reason. Brendan Gaughan, driver of the #62 Toyota for Rusty Wallace Racing, may need to return home to his native Las Vegas. His wife Tatum may be delivering the couple’s first child, a boy, just about any day now. Wallace said he has driver David Stremme on standby in case Gaughan has to get gone.

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    There’s one thing we know for sure about the Nationwide Series race this Saturday: it will not have a repeat winner. 2009 winner Kyle Busch will remain at Martinsville and the same goes for his team mate Joey Logano. That means there will be none of the massive domination of Nationwide Series races from Joe Gibbs Racing that we’ve seen so much of this year. JGR has opted to place their development drivers, Brad Coleman and Matt DiBenedetto, in their Toyotas this Saturday.

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    THE RACE BREAKDOWN

    The Five Hour Energy Drink 250 is 200 laps/250 miles around the Gateway International Raceway’s 1.25 mile oval.

    The race has 49 entries vying for the 43 starting berths.

    19 of the entries are on the go or go home list and do not have a guaranteed starting berth because they are currently outside of the top 30 in owner’s points. These teams will have to ely on qualifying speed to make the race.

    The Five Hour Energy Drink 250 will be broadcast live by the ESPN2 network beginning at 3 pm eastern time.