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  • Cameron Hayley set for Camping World Truck Series debut at CTMP

    Cameron Hayley set for Camping World Truck Series debut at CTMP

    This weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, there are going to be four Canadians in the Camping World Truck Series field – with each of them making their series debut. One of the drivers that highlights the list is Cameron Hayley, who will be driving the No. 32 Cabinets by Haley Chevrolet Silverado for Turner-Scott Motorsports.

    “It’s a huge step for me to go from K&N to truck, but I think I am ready for it,” Hayley commented on Tuesday. “Cabinets by Haley was very good to me allowing me to do this truck race. Its just going to be a huge learning curve.”

    Hayley hasn’t been to CTMP yet, but has been doing a lot of Iracing to get himself prepared for this weekend.

    “I think the road course is going to be a really good start to my truck series debut,” he added. “Out of all three truck races we’re going to do this year, I think this first one is one of our best shots to win one.”

    The 18-year-old will have experience around him with veteran crew chief Mike Hilman Jr. on the pit box, and Ben Kennedy as a teammate. Kennedy, currently in his first full truck series season for TSM, sits ninth in points.

    “I’ve raced with Ben before in the K&N Series,” Hayley noted. “We know each other really well. I think they’ll be a lot of information there.”

    Beyond adjusting from one vehicle to the other, the Calgary, Alberta native notes that there’s the challenge of live pit stops, as the K&N Pro Series does half-time breaks vs pit stops.

    “That’s definately a huge thing for me to adjust to,” he noted. “Aside from that, I think we have a really good team – Mike Hilman Jr. is going to be my crew chief, and he’s a great crew chief. I think we have everything put to put in place to learn a lot, but I think we have a shot to go win it.”

    The opportunity for Hayley to run this weekend came about via sponsorship, but also the success that he has had in the K&N Pro Series East this season with TSM. Hayley currently sits second in points, with six top-fives and eight top-10s in 14 races.

    “It’s been a roller coaster. We’ve had our ups and our downs,” he commented. “We haven’t had the year that we wanted, but it’s definitely been good, none the less. We’re sitting second in points right now. We haven’t got our first win of the year yet, but we’ve had more second place finishes than I care to admit. I think we’re really close for these last two races to try and win the championship.”

    Hayley got his start in racing at the age of seven, racing go-karts in his hometown, before moving to baby grand stock cars at the age of 11. Scoring championships, Hayley began racing a super late model at the age of 14, winning the Bryce Man Memorial Race in Saskatoon. The opportunities kept coming forth for Hayley, as he moved to the K&N Pro Series West two weeks after his 15th birthday, to become the youngest driver at that time to run in the series.  After running a pair of seasons with a win, 17 top fives and 24 top 10s in 30 races, he caught the eye of Steve Turner and was signed to Turner-Scott Motorsports’ K&N program.

    In those pair of seasons in the K&N Pro Series West Series, there was a special win that many fans have talked about since – the 2013 UNOH Battle of the Beach at Daytona International Speedway. Hayley held off Gray Gaulding late in the event to claim the victory for his first career NASCAR win.

    “The Battle of the Beach win was definitely a huge turning point on my career and it’s something that I look back on as one of the highlights of my career so far,” Hayley said. “A lot of people started to recognize my name after that and hopefully we’ll be able to do something like that after my first truck series start and get more people to know who I am.”

    Like many other young drivers, Hayley hopes that moving up through the ranks leads to racing in the Sprint Cup Series, but says that he’s set to take the right steps versus rushing to get there.

    “Next year, we’re currently looking for some funding to run the full Truck Series schedule next year and it’s just about taking baby steps,” he commented. “I don’t want to rush into something I’m not ready for. Who knows in five years you may see in the Sprint Cup Series, or maybe in the Nationwide Series. It all depends on how everything works out in funding and experience that I pick up moving up.”

  • Christian PaHud has Dream Come True Opportunity with PEAK Stock Car Challenge

    Christian PaHud has Dream Come True Opportunity with PEAK Stock Car Challenge

    Third generation driver Christian PaHud had his dream come true by winning the 2014 PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge.

    PaHud, who hails from Dayton, Ohio, has raced in the Southeast Limited Late Model Series and is pursuing his Associates Degree in Applied Science. He has more than 250 career races in his resume, starting his career in go karts on his fourth birthday.

    Michael Waltrip, principal of Michael Waltrip Racing, announced PaHud as the winner in the media center at Pocono Raceway. PaHud was selected after submitting a video entry and then competing for three days in short-track, road, dirt and speedway racing, as well as in the marketing and communications arenas.

    “This year, there were eighteen competitors and it became evident early on that Christian PaHud was going to be our guy,” Waltrip said. “It was obvious that he was going to be the one to beat in season two of the Stock Car challenge. He took control early in the contest and no one was ever able to seriously challenge him.”

    “Our judges were Clint Bowyer, Brian Vickers, Danica Patrick and Jeff Burton and Ty Norris and I worked with him in the marketing area,” Waltrip continued. “Christian did a great job. That sets up season two and this was our winner.”

    Clint Bowyer, MWR driver and judge, also had high praise for PaHud, who is following in the footsteps of Patrick Starapoli, winner of season one of the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge, as well as high praise for PEAK, who sponsored the program.

    “First of all, just to have a sponsor give back to the sport and give someone an opportunity; you just don’t have that anymore,” Bowyer said. “For PEAK to step up, create a challenge and give someone a genuine opportunity is great.”

    “Last year, with Patrick (Starapoli, last year’s winner) winning that K&N race with Bill McAnally, that really validated what we were doing,” Bowyer continued. “I’ll even admit that the first year I went into this thinking how are we going to make sure this is a real opportunity.”

    “After we chose Patrick as the winner, he went on and won that race, the very races that all these team owners are watching,” Bowyer said. “There are a lot of kids right now that are on everybody’s radar so for him to go out and win that race and make the most out of the opportunity that PEAK provided was huge for me.”

    “So, this year I was on board tenfold to watch Christian,” Bowyer continued. “He was the one that stood out and set the pace for everybody. It’s really neat to go through. You don’t just have to be a short-track racer or good on the big tracks. There are a lot of stations that you have to go through and duel it out with the rest of the contestants.”

    Sponsor PEAK has also been most impressed by what they have seen so far in their season two dream challenge winner.

    “We were very impressed with the raw talent that all eighteen finalists had this year at the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge, but Christian’s on-track ability and poise as a young driver brought him to the top,” Bryan Emrich, Chief Marketing Officer for PEAK said. “Christian has a lot of potential to excel in this sport and we’re confident that he’ll make the most out of this opportunity.”

    PaHud’s first race after his dream challenge win will be at All American Speedway in California, running for Bill McAnally Racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series race on October 11th, 2014. Michael Waltrip will also be racing with him and PEAK will be sponsoring both race cars.

    “I definitely can’t wait to get out to All American Speedway and make my first K&N debut,” PaHud said. “I can’t thank you enough for putting this on. Definitely honored to be the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge Winner and can’t wait to race.”

    PaHud intends to lean on everyone that he has met along the way in the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge experience. He will also be finishing up his Associates Degree in addition to pursuing his racing goals.

    “I’ll definitely lean on Patrick quite a bit,” PaHud said. “He was there during the whole competition and it was nice to know that he is there to guide us. I’ll also go to Clint with questions as I can.”

    “I’ve got one more class left to take to finish my degree,” PaHud continued. “It’s not until spring semester so I will have time to race.”

    Bowyer summed up the importance of the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge, likening it to the opportunity that he was given by Richard Childress to get into the racing world at the highest level.

    “I remember being a short track racer trying to figure out how in the hell am I ever going to get a chance,” Bowyer said. “Those opportunities are few and far between. Everyone here at PEAK has done a great job and I think this can build and be better for the sport and our youth.”

    “Richard Childress took a chance on me and I laugh about it every day of my life,” Bowyer continued. “That’s just it. This is that chance for Christian. All he had to do was submit a video and we chose the candidates which were all good. They were all strong and proven racers all across the country. I look for that to continue to grow if we can continue to do this.”

    “I really do believe that the next Kyle Larson or who knows, that could be who we are sitting next to and I think it’s important to realize how big this can be.”

     

     

  • Erik Jones Finds Redemption at Pocono Raceway with Top Ten Truck Run

    Erik Jones Finds Redemption at Pocono Raceway with Top Ten Truck Run

    Erik Jones, the 18 year old driver of the No. 51 ToyotaCare Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, put his two bad ARCA Racing experiences at Pocono Raceway behind him, redeeming himself with a top-10 finish in his first ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Race at the Tricky Triangle.

    Jones finished sixth in his virgin Pocono Truck voyage, surviving ten extra laps and some wild and crazy restarts to do so.

    “Yeah, the ARCA races, we were fast but we just didn’t have the finishes we wanted,” Jones said. “The Truck race was good. We definitely got the truck better as the run went on.”

    “We had a fast Tundra from the start of practice; I just wish we could’ve been on that outside line on that last restart at the end of the day,” Jones continued. “We probably should’ve run third, but don’t know if we had anything for the win.”

    “It was a good day overall,” Jones said. “Eric (Phillips, crew chief) did great calling the race and getting us good track position for the end.”

    While the young driver praised his crew chief, he also gave major props to the man with whom he has shared his seat Kyle Busch.

    “Having Kyle to talk to – he’s definitely a big resource that I have gone to and said ‘hey, how do you get around this place,’ Jones said. “He’s been a big help to me. Definitely just on the job learning with Kyle on the side and that’s been the way I’ve done it for the past year.”

    “My mentor has definitely been Kyle, even throughout my whole career,” Jones continued. “I’ve never really had a mentor or driver coach up until last year when Kyle was helping me out. Especially this year, he has really been helping me out a lot. It’s pretty cool that I have Kyle to go to.”

    While Jones gave total credit to Busch for his success at Pocono and throughout the 2014 season to date, he also acknowledged that it is sometimes difficult to pop in and out of the Truck seat with his owner and mentor.

    “It’s tough,” Jones said. “You always want to race week in and week out. I’m grateful for every opportunity I get.”

    “But it definitely makes it hard to stay in that rhythm when you’re not in the truck and doing it every week,” Jones continued. “We have great race trucks and that definitely makes it a lot easier to get back in when they are so good. It’s tough but we make it work along the way.”

    Jones also credited his teammate Darrell Wallace Jr., who drives the Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 Tundra, as well as his manufacturer for the success that he has had so far this season and especially at Pocono this weekend.

    “Toyota has put a lot into the trucks this year,” Jones said. “I’m getting a strong truck and they put a lot of time building it and in the wind tunnel. It all worked out for this year.”

    “My teammate in the No. 54 has been fast and we’ve been fast as well,” Jones continued. “That has been paying off throughout the season and I hope we can keep it going and ahead of the game so far. I think everyone is trying to catch up with us. So, we want to stay ahead of it and stay fast.”

    While Jones is a bit unsure of what the future holds for the 2015 season, he has definitely got his goals for the remainder of the season after completing his Pocono run.

    “Right now I’ve got the rest of the Truck season with seven more races. So, I’ll do that and two more Nationwide races with Gibbs at Bristol and Phoenix. I’m definitely looking forward to all of them honestly,” Jones said.

    “Next year, if I could be back full-time in the truck, that’d be great,” Jones continued. “I’d love to run here for a driver’s championship; hopefully bring one home to Kyle and everybody.”

    “Right now we’re focused one hundred percent on the owner’s championship for the second year in a row. I think that would be pretty good for us,” Jones said. “Obviously next year hopefully the focus can be the driver’s championship for me but right now we’re all looking forward to trying to go out and get that owner’s championship.”

    Just as he experienced at the Tricky Triangle, Jones admitted that the Truck Series is definitely challenging for him as a young, up and coming driver.

    “I’d say the thing I like most about the Truck Series is the competitiveness and running with the veterans,” Jones said. “And it’s always fun to go to the race track and feel like I have a chance to win this weekend. That’s what is so fun for me and everybody on this deal.”

    “The challenge for me, last year more so than this year, has been really adjusting to the competition level,” Jones continued. “Some of these guys have been racing trucks for so long. They really know how to run these races and they know what they need their truck to do. It took me awhile last year to get adjusted to that competition level and I’m still really trying to figure it out fully this year. So, that’s’ been the biggest challenge.”

    Jones is hoping that his continuing top-10 finishes will also help attract some additional fans to his burgeoning base.

    “It’s not easy,” Jones said of his effort to garner new fans. “Obviously social media has been big for me to connect with people that don’t know who I am. That’s been a huge part for me.”

    “Just going to all the autograph sessions and doing everything on Twitter to stay involved is how I interact with fans,” Jones continued. “The biggest thing for me is trying to meet people, be friendly with them and be open to them.”

    So, what does Jones want fans to know about him, especially after finishing his maiden Truck voyage at Pocono?

    “I guess the biggest thing is that I want to be competitive,” Jones said. “I want to be successful. And I want to move on and be fast.”

    “That’s the biggest thing to me to be successful every weekend. Hopefully we can keep the top-ten finishing streak going and keep it alive for Toyota.”

     

  • Darrell Wallace Jr. Transitions from Eldora Win to Tackling the Tricky Triangle

    Darrell Wallace Jr. Transitions from Eldora Win to Tackling the Tricky Triangle

    Darrell Wallace Jr., behind the wheel of the No. 54 ToyotaCare Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, is ready to make the difficult transition from one of the sport’s highest highs, a coveted Truck win at Eldora Speedway, to the trickiness of Pocono Raceway where he will race the Pocono Mountains 150 in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series.

    Even though he is in Long Pond, PA, he is still savoring his ‘W’ in the Mudsummer Classic at Eldora and in fact, just recently had the opportunity to celebrate with his race team.

    “Luckily the race was a Wednesday night race so we had the whole weekend to sit back, reflect on it and let it sink in,” Wallace said. “I’m still pumped up about it of course. We had our team dinner last night and we were talking about it.”

    “It’s been a fun week.”

    “Eldora was a surprise; a shocker,” Wallace said. “But we did it. If we can just finish out the rest of the season strong and we can keep it going, we will be fine.”

    While Wallace now has turned his attention to Pocono, he admits that the track is more difficult to figure out than even racing on the dirt, at least in his book.

    “It is a tricky triangle for a reason,” Wallace said. “It is grueling on the mindset of a driver, especially me.”

    “It’s just hard figuring out every corner because every corner is unique,” Wallace continued. “The guys brought me a fast Toyota Tundra and we just have to figure out where we need to gain speed. That’s the biggest thing. I think it’s mostly me but we will be fine by race time.”

    Wallace acknowledges that he may just need to lean on not only his crew chief but also his team owner Kyle Busch and teammate Erik Jones to make it around the three corners of Pocono.

    “My crew chief Jerry (Baxter) has been my biggest mentor and coach,” Wallace said. “He has been in the sport for a long time and he knows the ins and outs of it.”

    “I listen to what he has to say, through the frustrating moments to winning moments to losing moments, I try to take in everything he says,” Wallace continued. “We move forward as a team and that’s a huge part of being successful. Having the communication and relationship with your team is critical. Jerry is the team leader and we all listen to him. We’re giving him feedback and we’re trying to help each other progress as one.”

    “I think that is why we’re so dominant at KBM because we have the communication and we’re hitting on every note.”

    “Kyle (Busch) is the centerpiece of this team and we build off him,” Wallace said. “We try to be as fast as him and he is undefeated this season. Toyota is undefeated. We have two wins; Erik (Jones, teammate) has got one. So, we’re on a hot streak right now.”

    “We try to be patient and consistent and be ready to win.”

    Although his teammate Erik Jones is on the quiet-side, at least quieter than Wallace himself, the driver of the No. 54 has the greatest respect for him, especially with Jones’ performance so far at Pocono, where he has practiced consistently in the top-ten.

    “He’s quiet that’s for sure,” Wallace said of Jones. “But Erik is fast and he has speed. We sat on the front row at Iowa and he ended up winning the race. He has always shown speed and he is pretty fast here at Pocono.”

    “We bounce ideas off each other and places where we have been. We grow as a team and we will be just fine here.”

    So, what will success look like at Pocono for Darrell Wallace Jr.?

    “I would definitely be happy with a top five,” Wallace said. “I hate to say it, but we’re on a points run right now. We’re trying to bounce back up through the points.”

    “We have to be smart in the race,” Wallace continued. “The tunnel turn is the trickiest corner that you will ever get through.”

    “We have to be patient, calm and make smart decisions,” Wallace said. “We’ll let those other drivers make a bone head move and then there’s our top five opportunity.”

    “I’m on the level that I want to race,” Wallace continued. “We have to go out there and be smart about every call we make. We can’t get overexcited about what happened before because you get that special moment and then it’s time to get back to work.”

    Wallace finished final practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the 1th position with a time of 55.427 seconds and a speed of 162.376 mph. Wallace will qualify Saturday, August 2nd at 10:10 am and then race the ‘Tricky Triangle’ at 1:00 pm.

  • C.J. Faison Talks Plans for Future After Taking NASCAR Break

    C.J. Faison Talks Plans for Future After Taking NASCAR Break

    Taking time off is one of the hardest decisions to make, especially as a young man with a bright, gleaming future ahead of him in the sport. C.J. Faison is that very driver. On the other hand, not being a part of NASCAR does not mean the dream is over. The dream is only beginning for C.J. Faison.

    Faison is not the only driver struggling to find sponsors in today’s NASCAR. Some drivers who have been a key ingredient for the success of the sport have had issues finding sponsors since the economic recession. For example, in 2011, Jeff Gordon’s primary sponsor DuPont (now Axalta Coating Systems) cut back from nearly a full season of sponsorship to 14 races. After negotiations with Walmart fell through, the AARP Foundation, through its Drive to End Hunger program, picked up the bulk of the season. The quest to find sponsors is grim outside of the premier series.

    But, this is not knocking C.J. Faison to the canvas. After all, Faison has been racing since he was four and a half years old. “My father raced, and he was a pretty good driver who taught me a lot of important fundamentals,” he commented.

    With that being said, Faison is not going to stop until he is at the top level.

    Many young people do not realize how much potential they have. Just because it does not happen at 20, does not mean it cannot be done at 25. In the state our country is in, it is going to take persistence, talent, marketability and connections.

    As far as Faison’s plans for the remainder of the 2014 season, he is planning to run the No. 45 Dirt Modified for Ellis Motorsports.

    “In addition, I also have a brand new dirt late model that I’m building and I hope to race a handful of races with that as well,” he added.

    Does Faison plan to return to NASCAR in the future?

    “I have mostly taken 2014 to back up and regroup with racing and grow my businesses,” Faison said. “I would like to make a return to NASCAR soon.”

    This young man has the heart and determination to make his dreams come true. We know that it is certainly possible. In a 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Dover International Speedway, Faison led the most laps, however, disaster struck with 12 to go, as Faison cut a right-front tire, slamming the outside retaining wall. It was a heartbreaking moment to come that close to winning your first race in NASCAR.

    A veteran driver like Tony Stewart is going to have a tremendous amount of respect for C.J. Faison, a man who worked his way up the hard way. Now, as long as Faison does not block Tony Stewart in any way, I think these two have the potential to be great friends, and competitors on the race track.

  • Bill Hynes jumps behind the wheel of a Stadium Super Truck

    Bill Hynes jumps behind the wheel of a Stadium Super Truck

    Being the Founder and Director of United Fiber and Data, Bill Hynes is around fast open-wheel cars a lot. After all, his company sponsors James Hinchcliffe and Andretti Autosport in the IndyCar Series.

    “James is an amazing driver and just a great ambassador for the United Fiber and Data so that’s why we wanted to put our money behind him,” Hynes commented on Sunday.

    So being around fast cars, it brought forth the attitude of wanting to try going fast behind the wheel himself. Hynes got the opportunity this past weekend when he participated in the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road presented by TRAXXAS events at the Honda Indy Toronto. There were a couple of spins throughout the three days of the weekend, however Hynes was able to keep his truck out of the wall and battle hard both days. He’d finish the first race in sixth on Saturday, while a mechanical issue on Sunday took him out of the running.

    “It was a lot of fun getting behind the wheel this weekend,” he said. “It’s disappointing that we had mechanical issues as the truck stopped on lap four, but hey, that’s racing I guess.”

    Taking to the track, though, Hynes got to experience a bit of both worlds in racing in the rain on Saturday, while racing on the dry pavement on Sunday.

    “Running in the rain – I tell you right now that wasn’t fun,” he admitted. “That was like I was on ice, and it was an experience. But, it gave me more experience so that way I would be even better today.”

    While the results may have not been there, one thing was certain – Hynes had a ton of fun, and did something that many dream of doing. It was also a good weekend on-track for Hynes as Hinchcliffe brought forth many cheers from the hometown fans with signing lots of autographs, taking lots of photos and bringing home an eighth place finish in the Honda Indy Toronto Race 1.

  • Josef Newgarden leaves Honda Indy Toronto disappointed despite high hopes

    Josef Newgarden leaves Honda Indy Toronto disappointed despite high hopes

    Heading into the Honda Indy Toronto, Josef Newgarden was confident in his team and predicted a solid run at the end of the weekend. However that didn’t happen as Newgarden finished 20th and 13th in the pair of races.

    In the first race, Newgarden would get involved in a lap one multi-car wreck after Simon Pagenaud got spun, and then worked his way through the field to 10th, before contact on the white flag lap with Will Power ended his day early.

    The second race simply didn’t go his way either with strategy of when to take rain tires and when to take slicks not panning out, resulting in a 13th place finish. Part of the deal in making it harder to choose when to use which tires is the fact that the entire track is not the same type of pavement – some of it is new concrete, some is old concrete and some is a mix of new and old asphalt.

    “There’s a lot of different surfaces along the course, especially the apexes,” Newgarden commented. “Every apex is a little different around this place. It’s a little tough. You can’t really do anything in the middle of the corner; you got to make your car work good on the entrance and the exit.”

    The way this weekend went, though, fits Newgarden’s season to date as they’ve shown speed across the board – though haven’t posted the finishes to equal it.

    “It’s been up and down for us,” Newgarden said of his season to date. “There’s been points where we could’ve had big results – maybe a win – just hasn’t materialized. We just haven’t caught a break all year. Besides from that, I think our performance is strong so it’s about getting the breaks to fall our way. If we can do that, we can finish the season a high note.”

    Despite the struggles, the speed that they have shown gives confidence in knowing that the Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team is capable of winning races.

    “It helps as you’re confident as a driver in what you need to do in the car,” he explained. “You’re more positive. That’s what I’m trying to do. I feel better about the last couple of weekends with some good top-10s.”

    The Tennessee native would get his start in racing at the age of 13, racing go-karts. From there, he began to work his way up the ladder, eventually landing a seat in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Reaching the top of the ladder marked the “fondest memory” of his career, in being able to run the Indianapolis 500.

    “That’s just a cool thing,” he described. “When you’re able to sit in an IndyCar and run laps around the speedway, it’s not something that you get to do very often and it’s very surreal.”

    Along the way, he has kept fans entertained with his unique personality in whom he is, however he says that while he may seem as someone who’s out there, he really likes his alone time.

    “I’m pretty private guy, more than people realize,” he said. “They think I’m really outgoing but I like to be by myself a lot.”

     

  • Ryan Briscoe hoping to carry momentum through Toronto

    Ryan Briscoe hoping to carry momentum through Toronto

    Starting this year with Chip Ganassi Racing, Ryan Briscoe got off to a rough start, only posting a single top 10 in the first seven races. Though now beginning to get comfortable with his team, Briscoe has posted four top 10s in the last five races, including a fourth at Pocono.

    “I feel I am really happy with where we’re going,” he commented on Friday.”Had a bit of a slow start, but its my first year with the No. 8 team and its a lot of new people coming together. I feel like we’ve been getting stronger and more confident race by race and the results are starting to show for it. I feel we’re getting better with adjustments to the car and thats the big goal so I’m happy with where we’re at.”

    Briscoe added that the adjustments have improved each week as his team learns what he needs and wants as a driver.

    “I feel we have learned a lot but still have a ways to go,” he continued. “I think we’re knocking on the door for a win.”

    Looking to keep the solid performances rolling, Briscoe heads to a track that he has stood on the podium before with a best finish of second.

    “The track is one of those bumpy circuits that have its challenges, are bumpy and have different surfaces round the circuit,” Briscoe said of Toronto. “I think its very special to IndyCar. There’s a lot of history here and a lot of great names have won here. Its also the only Canadian date so it’s a good chance to showcase in front of our fans. I love coming here. Its a great event. I love Canada. I love the people here as they are great fans.”

    Dissecting the 11-turn temporary street circuit, Briscoe says the tough spot is from the esses to turn one.

    “Turn one is so important because it sets you up for the longest straightaway and the tight turn througb three,” Briscoe explained, qualifying 10th for race one.

    In looking for the extra edge of speed, no doubt his teammates are handy with Scott Dixon completing the sweep last year.

    “They’re really good friends to me,” Briscoe said of Dixon and Tony Kanaan. “We’ve raced together for a long time in IndyCar. I just enjoy the commoraditity that there is. We’re really competitive, but there’s no one trying to prove ourselves to anyone on the team and I think that helps the teamwork within the team because we’re not fighting for anything.”

    Though still, having the advantage isn’t easy with this weekend being a double header, now with two races on one day only four hours apart. To be prepared, Briscoe keeps himself hydrated, eats well and gets a good night rest. However, there is also the mental challenge from a schedule point of view.

    “Its difficult because you have limited practice with just a pair of 45 minute sessions with limited tires,” he explained. “There is also no warm-up either day, just straight competition.”

    Now with both races scheduled for the Sunday, there are many unknowns. One thing that remains – Briscoe will enter his ride through the right side as per his pre-race ritual.

    “I’ve gotten in through the left side of the car before and I had negative thoughts,” Briscoe commented.

  • Sheldon Creed looking for second straight Honda Indy Toronto victory this weekend

    Sheldon Creed looking for second straight Honda Indy Toronto victory this weekend

    When Sheldon Creed took the streets of Toronto last year, the young driver shocked many fans in his ability to handle the 600-horsepower truck while only being able 16 years old. Though he didn’t just handle it well – Creed took home the victory in the second of the two races that they ran on the 11-turn temporary street course last year.

    So far this weekend, Creed is off to a solid start this weekend as he posted the second quickest lap at one minute and 33.904 seconds during the 20-minute session. Commenting on the track, the youngster noted that it’s one of his favourite tracks that the Stadium Super Trucks go to over the course of their season.

    “I like the track a lot as you carry a lot of speed here down the straightaways and then the tight corners at the ends,” Creed commented. “It’s different than any of the other road courses that we go to and I like it the best.”

    With the win last year, Creed admits that it does give him a boost of confidence heading into this year’s event.

    “A little bit, I guess. Just want to run a clean race on Saturday and Sunday, and hopefully get a win,” he said.

    So far, Creed is having a solid season, currently sitting third in points despite not reaching victory lane yet this year, though has three podium finishes, including a third place in the last SST event at the X-Games in Austin.

    Creed’s climb up the racing ladder began with racing BMX at the age of three, before getting in dirt bikes when he turned five, and then in the trophy trucks at the age of 10. Creed then got hooked up with the SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road presented by TRAXXAS last year when they held an event in Creed’s hometown of San Diego.

    Since then, Creed has continued to run events and will be one to watch both days on the streets of Toronto. The first race of the weekend is scheduled for today (Saturday) at 2:10 p.m. EST with a live on-stream on the SST website at http://www.stadiumsupertrucks.com. The second race is scheduled for Sunday July 20th at 2:10 p.m. EST, again live-streamed on the website.

  • James Hinchcliffe: “I always love coming home. This race is so special to me.”

    James Hinchcliffe: “I always love coming home. This race is so special to me.”

    This weekend marks a homecoming for one of Verizon IndyCar’s stars as James Hinchcliffe returns to the track that kicked started his career and love of racing, only located approximately a half hour from his hometown of Oakville, Ontario.

    “I always love coming home,” he commented on Thursday. “This race is so special to me. It’s a large part of why I got involved in racing, why I love the sport and why I wanted to be a driver. To come here and have all the support in town means a lot to me.”

    Everywhere you look during race weekend, there are fans adorning the light blue and white colors of Hinchcliffe, or holding signs that say ‘red gloves’ rule as Hinchcliffe continues the tradition of wearing red gloves that was started by fellow Canadian Greg Moore.

    “I am honored by the incredible amount of support and even with the season that we’ve had, it’s been no different than when we came here last year with three wins on the season,” Hinchcliffe commented. “That’s what I love about Toronto fans and my fans in general as they’re not bandwagon fans. Even if you’re having a bad year, they’re going to be there to support you. So coming home now and knowing that, the Canadians always want to give the hometown crowd a victory so now with only me, it’s my job to do that. That pressure is really there internally as if you look on the outside, even if you have a bad weekend, they’re going to support you and that’s what I love about the city and the country and the fans of IndyCar that we have here.”

    Being the hometown hero brings forth a lot of media responsibilities in helping to promote the event, in which Hinchcliffe says can be time consuming – but he doesn’t let it take away from his effort behind the wheel.

    “I think that this year we took a good approach in managing the time that I have on the weekend so that way I don’t have too much and am able to do my job,” he explained. “I think once the weekend starts, it’s much more down to business and not short of the commitment that you see at other double headers. I thank the team for that one in keeping me in check.”

    Though the past trips to the Honda Indy Toronto haven’t panned out as Hinchcliffe probably hoped for, with only one top-10 (eighth) in his four IndyCar starts on the streets of Toronto down at Exhibition Place.

    “We had an engine failure while in contention for a podium in 2012 and then Indy Lights – running for a podium and something broke resulting in getting into the wall, so I’ve had it all here,” he expressed. “So maybe now, there’s nothing left to happen. I mean, how do you mess up the start of the race? How does it get any worse than that?”

    However, the confidence is high as the driver of the No. 27 United Fiber and Data Honda-powered Dallara comes into the weekend with confidence following strong runs on the streets of Detroit and Houston. With three top-six in four of those races, Hinchcliffe feels that the team has made progress to get better on street course double header weekends, giving him the boost of confidence. Perhaps part of that is knowing what to expect in a double header as this is the second year that IndyCar has gone about doing the double headers as a way to add more dates to the schedule to give fans more bang for their buck, and more chances for drivers to win with less travel taxed on to the teams.

    “From a personal standpoint, I changed my preparation based on what I learned in getting ready for the weekend,” Hinchcliffe commented. “Also, the nature of the tracks that we do double headers on are the tracks that we worked on for the bulk of our winter. It’s been coming a little more easier, but they’re still more challenging for the driver and crews. But as we get a better hold on them, they become easier to deal with.”

    If Hinchcliffe is able to reach victory lane this weekend, it’ll be huge for the Andretti Autosport team as this year hasn’t gone the way the mayor of Hinchtown would prefer with no podium finishes to date, as he currently sits 11th in points.

    “There’s no doubt that it’s been frustrating as I think the team and myself are doing a good job as the hardest thing in IndyCar is simply to be fast and we have been fast,” Hinchcliffe commented. “Though there’s just been things happening. You ask – why did that happen? How did that happen? It’s just been one of those years so it is frustrating because our results aren’t matching the job that we’re doing. In the end, though, I think we’re doing really well as it’s been a lot of being in the wrong place at the wrong time this year.”

    When asked whether the performance has been an issue at all, Hinchcliffe noted that hasn’t been the case as they haven’t been getting passed a lot in the final stint of the races, but rather falling victim to bad luck whether it be a yellow flag, being taken out, making a mistake, or getting hit in the head with a piece of debris as he did at the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. However, notably, Hinchcliffe says that it would help if they qualified a little better to make the weekend easier.

    “Depending on your set-up and tire strategy, your qualifying spot can be detrimental in deciding what you’re doing,” he explained. “In the races I think the car and the team have been competitive to up there every single race.”

    Beyond simply qualifying well, there is the added challenge for one of the two races in the form of a standing start versus the traditional rolling start. Despite his subpar experience with standing starts, Hinchcliffe loves them, though also says that perhaps they’re not the best thing for IndyCar.

    “As much as I personally like them, from a series point of view, I’m not sure that they belong in IndyCar but the more we do them, the more we get used to the routine of them and the safer they become,” he expressed.