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Featured interviews from SpeedwayMedia.com

  • AJ Allmendinger Writes Next Chapter with JTG Daugherty Racing

    AJ Allmendinger Writes Next Chapter with JTG Daugherty Racing

    AJ Allmendinger is back at Dover International Speedway in the No. 47 House-Autry Toyota for JTG Daugherty Racing, where he will be full-time in 2014.

    But according to the driver known as the ‘Dinger, this is not a comeback as much as the next chapter that he is writing in his personal and professional story.

    “Whether it’s a comeback or whatever the media wants to make it, for me I just feel very fortunate and lucky,” Allmendinger said from the No. 47 hauler in the infield of the Monster Mile. “In a way, it’s a continuing story that we all write.”

    “Our whole lives are about writing the next chapter until the end of it,” Allmendinger continued. “For me, it’s a new chapter but a completely different chapter.”

    “And for me, it’s all about being a better person.”

    “The values that Tad and Jody (Geschickter, team owners) as a family have and what values Brad (Daugherty, owner) has and what the values are of this race team and how people react to that, that’s what is just good to be around,” Allmendinger said. “It’s great for me to be around because that’s where I’m trying to get to.”

    “It makes it just as a life thing to be able to talk to them,” Allmendinger said. “It’s the same thing that I have with Roger (Penske) being able to call him.”

    “It’s just another chapter and hopefully it leads to another good chapter.”

    Allmendinger also hopes to write his next chapter at Dover International Speedway, affectionately known as the ‘Monster Mile.’ And with a record of three top-ten finishes since 2009, Allmendinger thinks that monster track perfectly suits his driving style.

    “When it comes to an aggressive driving style, this is probably one of the tracks that you can be more aggressive at,” Allmendinger said. “You look at a place like last week at New Hampshire and that’s all finesse.”

    “It’s fast and it’s just enjoyable,” Allmendinger continued. “The hardest thing with this place is that the two ends drive a lot different, especially when it gets hot out because three and four get really tight.”

    “Both ends of the track may look the same but they drive very differently.”

    Allmendinger cited not only the challenge of dealing with the rubber build up on the track, but also the challenge of getting through each lap in setting realistic goals not only for himself but for his race team.

    “It’s really lap by lap, session by session,” Allmendinger said. “The past few years the way the rubber built up would really change the race track after 100 laps.”

    “I don’t know if it will be the same but for me, that’s what makes it fun because you really have to think about how to get around the rubber,” Allmendinger continued. “It changes the line and makes you search around which is also fun.”

    “We’ll see how it plays out with this car and this tire,” Allmendinger said. “I look for anything in the top-20 as a decent day and anything in the top-15 as a good day and top-10 as a great day.”

    While enjoying the opportunity to pilot the No. 47 House-Autry Toyota at Dover, Allmendinger acknowledged that it is a bit of a challenge being in and out of the car as he shares it with Bobby Labonte, who is still recovering from broken ribs due to a cycling accident.

    But he totally agrees with this approach, given his respect and the respect of the team for veteran and champion Labonte.

    “The end of this year, I’m in the car and then out of it,” Allmendinger said. “It’s difficult but it’s the situation as well.”

    “I respect what Tad and Jody and Brad as owners decided,” Allmendinger continued. “They are very loyal to Bobby (Labonte) and what he’s done for the company the last couple years.”

    “I’m OK with that,” Allmendinger said. “Of course, I’d like to be in the car every weekend but at the same point I’m in total agreement that they need to go about it the way that they decided.”

    As Allmendinger writes the new chapter in his career, he is also excited to work with crew chief Brian Burns as they both build the No. 47 team together.

    “It’s just about building that team chemistry between myself and Brian,” Allmendinger said. “As driver/crew chief, he’s still learning me a little bit and I’m still learning him.”

    “He’s relatively new, not even really a year into him being a crew chief,” Allmendinger continued. “So, we’re just learning each other and trying to learn from start to finish of a weekend.”

    Allmendinger also acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges is simply being with a one-car team. And although Kurt Busch has made the Chase in that type of position, Allmendinger feels that situation is totally different from theirs, particularly without the advantage of an alliance.

    “Honestly what the 78 is doing and what Kurt is doing is fantastic to see but it doesn’t affect me either way,” Allmendinger said. “Kurt’s an amazing driver and there is no secret that he can wheel anything.”

    “But they’re in a situation where they have an alliance with RCR and that helps,” Allmendinger continued. “Right now, we’re by ourselves.”

    “But I look at the reason why I came here and I realize it’s not overnight,” Allmendinger continued. “There are lot of good things about this team that we can build on.”

    “You’ve got to have realistic goals,” Allmendinger said. “You look at the team right now and it’s 30th in points.”

    “When you go into next year, you have to start running top 20s and then top-15s and top-tens and slowly progress,” Allmendinger continued. “You cannot expect to go from 30th to first.”

    “The ultimate goal is to be first but it’s going to take time,” Allmendinger said. “It’s a lot of fun to get there and everyone has the same goals and the same passions.”

    “That’s what makes it most exciting.”

    While Allmendinger looks forward to the 2014 season, he also is pleased that for one of the first times in his career, he will actually be able to celebrate an off-season without the angst of looking for a ride.

    “I was joking around telling Tad that this was the first off season I could take a vacation instead of being on my phone, being hey, what am I doing next year?” Allmendinger said. “ It’s been tough through off seasons, whether it’s Red Bull wondering if I would have a ride or RPM not knowing what was going to happen with sponsorship and if there was going to be a team the next year.”

    “All kidding aside, to go into the off-season and really have a goal to be focused on, it gives me confidence and energy to work really hard to be prepared for next year,” Allmendinger continued. “And to be able to work with the team, I just enjoy being here.”

    “We’re doing this for fun and this brings the fun level back,” Allmendinger said. “And that to me is what makes me most excited.”

    Part of Allmendinger’s new chapter is an entirely new outlook on racing and on life in general. And in his new world, he is no longer allowing numbers, whether good or bad, to define himself.

    “You look at the ultimate goal to be a winner but to me it’s about trying to be at your best in life every day,” Allmendinger said. “I used to just look at the end result and the position after my name.”

    “That was the way I determined my life that weekend or that week,” Allmendinger continued. “Unfortunately in this sport, you get those bad finishes next to your name and it just spirals down and I just let that affect me.”

    “I didn’t look at the process just the end result and whether it was a good result or I put everything into it and had a bad result, that result determined what I thought about it,” Allmendinger said. “Now it’s about the process.”

    “My ultimate goal is to say every week that I was mentally prepared and that I knew that I did everything I could,” Allmendinger continued. “As long as we give our best efforts, that’s all you can ask for in life.”

    “That’s more my outlook now,” Allmendinger continued. “Before it never was and I’d let that kill me.”

    “If it was a good race, it made me happy for a week and if it was a bad race, it would keep taking me down the wrong path,” Allmendinger said. “That’s why I say that I just have a better outlook overall and I think that’s what I need to continue.”

    “I feel like for me, I’m in a really good place,” Allmendinger continued. “I’m always trying to be in a better place in this new chapter in my life.”

  • Marshall’s Madness: 17-year-old Female Living the Dream

    Marshall’s Madness: 17-year-old Female Living the Dream

    Taylor Ferns doesn’t stay up late on Fridays chit-chatting spreading rumors, or wake up Saturday mornings planning her shopping trip, she heads to the racetrack. This female straps herself into a race car and doesn’t just call herself a racer, because she is a racer.

    17-year-old Taylor Ferns is becoming a known name in the garage area, which all started in Township, Michigan when she began racing Bandoleros. She quickly progressed to Quarter Midgets where her career took a huge step. In 2008, Taylor made history by becoming the first female to ever win a USAC Kenyon Midget Race.  She made the record books again in 2009 when she became the first female to win a race at the Joliet Memorial Stadium in Illinois.

    After years of sweat, blood and tears Taylor entered the ARCA Racing Series in which her Uncle used to race in. Her first career start with Venturini Motorsports was at Mobile Speedway where she notched 9th place. That finish has opened many doors for Taylor. The biggest of those openings was Venturini granting her more starts in the ARCA Racing Series.

    Illinois State Fairgrounds was another big race for Taylor because her career was born on dirt. Taylor was able to start 5th (her career best start) and faded back to finish 9th while watching her teammate win. DuQuoin was another dirt track Taylor was opposed with in the ARCA Racing Series, she took that race fine to as she grabbed 10th position.

    The NASCAR world has been so focused on Danica Patrick these past few years we’ve forgotten amazing competitors like Taylor Ferns. Oh, and by the way, Taylor is MUCH better then Danica. Taylor doesn’t let the “you can’t do it because your a girl” stick to her either, because she knows every time you put on that helmet you are just like the others.

    Interview I Did With Taylor Ferns: September24th-TaylorFernsInterview

  • D.J. Kennington looks to bring home NCAT Championship this weekend

    D.J. Kennington looks to bring home NCAT Championship this weekend

    Following a top three finish at Barrie Speedway, D.J. Kennington extended his lead slightly in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series standings. Heading into the final event this weekend at Kawartha Speedway, the two-time series champion leads Scott Steckly by five points.

    “In the big picture, we’re in good shape,” he commented after the race. “The Castrol Edge team is vying for the championship here and hopefully we get it finished up at Kawartha.”

    From 2007 to 2009, Kennington came close each of those years – either finishing second or third. It was 2010 that he finally broke through and won the championship.

    In 2010, Kennington won at both Riverside Speedway and Barrie Speedway to take a 40 point lead into Kawartha Speedway and seal the deal, 87 points ahead of J.R. Fitzpatrick.

    Kennington finished second to Steckly in 2011, before winning the championship once again in 2012. He had a mechanical problem at Barrie, though rebounded by winning both Riverside and Kawartha to win the title, 27 points ahead of Fitzpatrick.

    This year, Kennington has had 10 top 10s in 11 races with his worst being a 16th in Quebec at St. Eustache. He also takes momentum with him to the final race at Kawartha Speedway, having scored a top five in each of the last four races, including a win at Trois-Rivieres.

    To add to that, Kennington has had success at Kawartha in the past, winning three races and scoring five top fives in the past six years. He also has led 277 laps on the oval.

    If Kennington is able to lock up the championship, he will become the all-time series championship leader having broken a tie with Steckly and Ranger. Each of the three drivers has a pair of championships in the seven years that the series has existed. Topping the all-time series win list with 19 wins, it would seem fitting that Kennington would hold the record.

    When I asked Kennington a couple weeks ago at Barrie his thoughts going into Kawartha and his thoughts on the championship, he kept his answer simple and to the point.

    “That’s what we’re going to do.”

  • Cole Whitt ‘Just Thankful for the Opportunity’ at Swan Racing

    Cole Whitt ‘Just Thankful for the Opportunity’ at Swan Racing

    Cole Whitt is getting the opportunity to jump into the No. 30 Toyota for Swan Racing, making his debut at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. And for this young, up and coming racer, he sees this as an opportunity that he is not just thankful for, but one that he has been waiting for all of his life.

    “This is a big deal,” Whitt said after the announcement was made. “I’m grateful to Swan Racing to be able to go out there and show what I’m able to do in the next few races and maybe into 2014.”

    Whitt will be replacing veteran David Stremme, who has driven every race for Swan Racing this season, with the exception of the Daytona 500.

    “We welcome Cole Whitt to Swan Racing as the team builds for the future,” Brandon Davis, team owner, said. “Cole is a very talented driver with a bright future and we are eager to see him compete for Swan Racing.”

    Whitt, who is just 22 years of age, credited his hard work in the Nationwide Series this year with having garnered this new opportunity to be in the Swan Racing ride. The driver, who competed for TriStar Motorsports, has two top-10 finishes to his credit, including an 8th place at Road American and an 8th place at Watkins Glenn.

    Whitt admitted that this new opportunity came about very quickly, in fact just a few weeks ago when the series was in Atlanta.

    “That was the first I heard about it and they wanted to move pretty quick,” Whitt said. “They wanted to make a change which I think says a lot about the team because they want to grow.”

    “They want to become a top Cup team and be competitive,” Whitt continued. “And it says a lot about what they think of me if they want to grow their team with me.”

    “It’s pretty cool to see a team step out and try to step up their program.”

    Whitt has a five race deal with Swan Racing, including his debut at Chicagoland and also stints at Kansas, Charlotte, Talladega and Phoenix.

    “I feel comfortable at Chicagoland and any of the big, fast tracks,” Whitt said. “I like the mile and a half tracks and the high banked tracks so that style fits what I enjoy racing on.”

    “I’ve run there before in the Nationwide car and I don’t remember how we finished but I do remember being fast in practice,” Whitt continued. “So, I feel comfortable about where we’re going and I’m looking forward to it.”

    Whitt acknowledged that he has his work cut out for him in more ways than one, from competing with the top dogs in the sport to getting adjusted to a whole new crew chief and team.

    “It’s tough anytime to step into a ride like this where you’re going up against the best guys and the best teams in the sport,” Whitt said. “The hardest part is obviously going into a brand new team with guys I’ve never worked with and to try to establish that communication.”

    “I’d say one of the toughest parts is that this team is still growing and I’m still growing as a driver,” Whitt continued. “But the fact that we can grow together and become really strong means everything to me.”

    Whitt is definitely looking forward to working with his new crew chief Steven ‘Bones’ Lane. And he also takes comfort in the fact that Tony Eury Jr., with whom Whitt worked during his stint at JR Motorsports, is with Swan Racing as well.

    ‘Bones’ is there and I’ve heard a lot about him through Kevin Hamlin,” Whitt said. “He seems laid back, has a good attitude and really wants to go fast which is how I am.”

    “I think we’ll get along good and hopefully we’ll be able to establish our lingo quick,” Whitt continued. “That’s the biggest thing is to talk about what you’re feeling about the car.”

    “It’s easy to talk about loose or tight but the hardest part is to talk to the crew chief about how much of an adjustment needs to be made to get the car the way you want it,” Whitt said. “Hopefully, we can establish that pretty quick and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

    “Tony Eury Jr. is there too and I’ve worked with him before so that will help.”

    Whitt also understands that he is joining the team smack dab in the middle of the Chase for the Sprint cup championship run for these last remaining races of the season. And although not one of the Chase contenders, Whitt expressed his confidence and even a bit of swagger as he described how he would handle that pressure.

    “If I got a car capable of running up there with those guys, then I feel we deserve a spot to be racing with them,” Whitt said. “I’m going to be running as hard as I can to try to go forward.”

    “But if we’re not having a good day, then I don’t want to be in the way,” Whitt continued. “That’s part of anytime that you’re getting lapped because you always give the leaders the spot and try to help them out.”

    “But if we’re up there legitimately racing for position, we’re going to take all we can get.”

    Although still very young in his racing career, Whitt has a maturity beyond his years when he describes the lessons that he has already learned in the sport he loves.

    “I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned in racing is not just the on-the-track stuff but I’ve grown up a lot in the past year and this season,” Whitt said. “And a big lesson learned is just to have fun and to remember why I got into racing in the first place.”

    “All of us are very blessed to be involved in this sport,” Whitt continued. “Getting to do what we love to do for a living is a big blessing.”

    “Obviously, I’m very competitive and I let that get ahold of me sometimes but at the same time I’ve learned to have fun and enjoy the moments that you get to have,” Whitt said. “Helping my new team step up is what excites me the most.”

    “I just am thankful for the opportunity and hoping to make the most of it for these guys.”

  • Jamie Little one of ESPN’s busiest and toughest pit reporters

    Jamie Little one of ESPN’s busiest and toughest pit reporters

    Just like racing, life never slows down for ESPN pit reporter Jamie Little.

    Whether it’s running up and down pit road at a NASCAR race, jumping over to the IndyCar Series or enjoying the excitement of the Winter X Games, Little is all over the country. From one track to another, one series to the next or completely away from racing, that’s just the way she likes it.

    “I’m not one of those people who does well sitting still,” Little said during race weekend in Atlanta. “So being busy is very beneficial to me. I have the perfect job for that.”

    Little is one of the few at ESPN who can do NASCAR as well as IndyCar, while plugging in wherever else she’s needed. She does five IndyCar races throughout a season while covering the Nationwide Series full-time then the Sprint Cup Series during the second half of their season.

    “You get used to it, you do it enough. It’s like second nature,” she said about always being on the go. “Say bye to the family and I  come home two or three nights later. It is a lot, I’d like to travel a little bit less if I had a perfect world and I think most people in NASCAR would say that’s because it’s crazy schedule, lasts all year basically. But yeah, I love to travel. I don’t mind it.”

    Late last year Little gave birth to her and husband Cody Selman’s first child, son Carter. While pregnant Little continued fulfilling all work responsibilities, traveling and working up until 36 weeks, which earned her many stares, but she had a great pregnancy by staying active and having the right mentality.

    And many might remember that stretching ESPN firesuit she donned the entire time. It became as big – no pun intended – an attraction as the cars on the track. Carter, who just recently turned a year old, has been to a few races this season including the Indianapolis 500.

    “I’m gone three to four days and I’m home the rest of the week. I’m home, home,” Little said. “We always have a conference call on Tuesday’s and then I’m always checking Twitter, I’m talking to people in the industry, reading things and staying on top of the news for the weekend.”

    When at the track Little is focused on the job, professional and still as hardcore. Before finding her way to the media center for our chat, she was in the garage making her rounds. Talking to crew chiefs and drivers, getting a feel for the weekend ahead. The access she has, walking right up in team haulers and shooting the breeze about racing, is one of the coolest parts of Little’s job.

    In front of the camera however, the atmosphere is completely different. She knows what her job is and sometimes that might mean asking the difficult questions. Questions a reporter can’t be afraid to ask on top of knowing exactly what to ask.

    “One thing because ESPN has groomed me, I started working for them when I was in college, and something that they preach for all their announcers and we’ve gone to classes for this, is asking a question,” Little revealed. “Don’t make a statement. Don’t ask double barrel questions. Don’t ask open-ended questions. In NASCAR is it tougher because we talk to these guys so much and a lot of times it is conversational, you want to make a statement.”

    For Little, she tries to aim for what would elicit answers the fans would be interested in. Every time she approaches a driver it’s with that in mind, as well as the fact that certain drivers – such as Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick – are always a little tougher and in order to get a good answer regardless, she must ask the right question.

    Over the years Little has earned a reputation for not being afraid to get the story. It was rough at first, she acknowledged, and some drivers blasted her on national television, but she’s learned the timing of things and especially to trust her gut. If something doesn’t feel right and might turn out to make everyone look bad, Little will change direction. It’ll never be enough though, to keep her away.

    “I’m just inclined that when I see stuff happening I want to be in the middle of it. If there’s a crash and there’s a fight, there’s conflict, I’m usually the first one there,” she said.

    “My crew, we sprint. [Bristol] Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick: Harvick’s car is in Hamlin’s pit box; I was in the spot when Kevin got out and got the interview right away. You just stay onboard because that’s the coolest thing about our job and why I’m appreciative of it because I’m in the middle of it, I have access to all that, firsthand. We don’t have to sit there and wonder what’s going on or what was said. I’m there and I have the ability to ask, straight up.”

    And Little could be said to be a well rounded motorsports analyst. That coming not only with her years of pit road experience but as someone who has her own racing past: when Little was a teenager she dabbled in supercross bikes and in 2008 she won the Toyota Pro / Celebrity race in Long Beach. Which might make it surprising that the notoriety of everything around her will never wear off and neither will the fun.

    “I’d say getting to go to Victory Lane when your driver wins and you get to cover them from the beginning of the race until the end and you see how it progressed,” revealed Little on her favorite times at the track.

    “Especially when you get a first time winner or it’s a popular win. Ryan Newman winning at the Brickyard? That was huge, that was as big a win that he could possibly get and that track means so much to me having covered the Indy 500 ten times, I love that place. So to get Victory Lane with him and get to document and cover his pit all day long and how they got that win, that was awesome.

    “That’s when it’s so much fun and I just sit back afterwards and pinch myself like, ‘this is the job I get to do.’”

  • Corey Lajoie Looks to Extend his Joy of Winning

    Corey Lajoie Looks to Extend his Joy of Winning

    Corey Lajoie will be tackling the ARCA race at Iowa Speedway with one goal in mind, to extend his winning streak to three. In fact, the 21 year old up-and-coming racer has almost achieved perfection, winning both of the ARCA races that he has entered, with the goal of making it a three-peat.

    “To win in my only two starts this season is so exciting,” Lajoie said. “Having a taste of victory makes me even more excited to try to get that Medallion Financial Ford back in Victory Lane in Iowa.”

    “I just want to be the first one across the finish line,” Lajoie continued. “In the other two races, everything worked in our favor and we’re hoping the same will hold true.”

    “We’ve had two really good cars and we’ve been in position to capitalize on them when stuff happened to other people,” Lajoie said. “Hopefully this week, we can run out front and hopefully have nothing go wrong with the car.”

    Lajoie has scored wins at two very different tracks, Chicagoland and Pocono, prior to his attempt to extend his joy of winning to Iowa.

    “At Chicagoland, it was my first time on a mile and half,” Lajoie said. “That’s a learning experience in itself.”

    “I was getting faster on every lap of the track and by the end of the race, we were the fastest car,” Lajoie continued. “Some tried to stretch and make it on fuel and didn’t make it.”

    “So we were the first one getting the checkered, which worked out really good.”

    “Pocono, man that track is tough,” Lajoie said. “They call it the ‘Tricky Triangle’ and it definitely lives up to its nickname because that place is really technical.”

    “We picked up four seconds from when we first started practicing until race time just from me getting used to the track.”

    Lajoie has been at the Iowa Speedway, where he will compete next, before in the NASCAR K&N Series. He has one win, two top-fives and three top-15 finishes in his four starts at the track.

    “I really like Iowa,” Lajoie said. “We won there last fall in the K&N Series.”

    “I grew up racing on short tracks, and Iowa is a perfect combination of short track and superspeedway,” Lajoie continued. “You carry a lot of speed there, so I’m thankful I will have a Roush Yates engine under the hood.”

    “I think we will have a really good shot at the win this weekend,” Lajoie said. “At least I know where the parking lot is when I get there because I didn’t even know that for the last two races.”

    Unlike some of the other racers against which Lajoie has competed, he and his team have just one car that they modify depending on the type of race track on which they are competing.

    “Iowa is a seven-eighths track, so we had to make a bunch of changes on our car with brake packages and suspension packages to accommodate for that,” Lajoie said. “You’re not as worried about aero at these short tracks.”

    “You’re more worried about down force and trying to get the car turning because the bigger tracks you rely a whole lot on aero,” Lajoie continued. “We’ve been lucky enough to have a good enough and neutral enough car that doesn’t favor one side or another.”

    “The biggest thing you have to worry about is keeping the tires on it,” Lajoie said. “The ARCA cars have the most horsepower so they fight a lot more issues.”

    “I know there will be some guys with some throw down short track cars there but hopefully we can make up for it in the seat,” Lajoie continued. ““We’re going to be worrying about putting the pedal to the ground and keeping the nose clean to get to Victory Lane.”

    While Lajoie has a relationship with Richard Petty Motorsports and hopes to race for them full-time next year in the Nationwide Series dependent on sponsorship, he also relies on a little help from his family, including dad Randy Lajoie, and his friends when it comes time to get to the race track.

    “Petty doesn’t have their hands in very much for this ARCA deal,” Lajoie said. “They help with the motors and pit crew and all that but the people at the shop is just me and one buddy and a couple others who pitch in and help hands every now and again.”

    “Dad is out there for the Boone Nationals, the dirt modifieds, so he’s only about an hour and a half away,” Lajoie continued. “He’s going to cruise over race day and come hang out with us.”

    “I compare our team to being like a pickup basketball team playing against Syracuse, North Carolina and Duke,” Lajoie said. “And we’ve been beating them every time.”

    “Our pick up team ain’t doing too bad.”

    Lajoie admits that he does not get quite the seat time of some of his other competitors, however, he tries to make the most of every opportunity that he has. And he also tries to keep himself in race shape by getting to the gym and racing in other series of the sport.

    “I just really have been working out and doing cross fit the last couple weeks which has been kicking my butt,” Lajoie said. “You work muscles in the car that you don’t even know you have.”

    “I wish I could get more laps because everybody I’m racing has way more laps than I do,” Lajoie continued. “So, I have to make the most out of every opportunity.”

    “Sometimes I race a late model every now and then and run at Rockingham but I really don’t have any other options like a Kyle Larson that runs ten times a week,” Lajoie said. “I’m just in the shop, grinding it out and trying to get my car faster.”

    Lajoie has already loaded up the car and will send it on its way to Iowa, while he and his team will fly out on Friday morning.

    So, is the young driver ready to get to Iowa and attempt a third win on just his third start in the ARCA Series?

    “I’m looking forward to that,” Lajoie said. “That’s going to be awesome if I get to Victory Lane for my third win in my third start but then I’m going to go back to the shop and get ready for win number four.”

    “I just want to go racing because all this work and late nights and early mornings are for the birds until you get out there in Victory Lane,” Lajoie continued. “And then it’s all worth it.”

  • Jason White looks to finish off NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season well

    Jason White looks to finish off NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season well

    This past weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsports, Jason White started off the weekend looking for speed, though got better as the weekend went on. He qualified in the 26th position and said as the race went on, the car got better and he came home with a 17th place finish.

    “Car really came around today,” he said after the Clarington 200. “We started off really tight but it came around real good and near the end, we were only about half a second off the leaders. We were just waiting for a green-white-checkered, which I guess NASCAR decided we didn’t need so pretty disappointed in that. All in all, car got better throughout the weekend and we gained 10 positions so we’re pretty happy with that.”

    NASCAR decided against a green flag finish when the caution flew with nine laps to go because the Canadian Tire Series cars were at their allotted time limit in NASCAR’s attempt to keep the Camping World Truck Series event on schedule.

    The race, though, mirrors White’s season so far as he has had some good finishes including a fifth at St. Eustache, while having some not so good finishes. So far this year, White has finished in the top 15 in each race except this past weekend and currently sits eighth in points.

    (C)Ashley McCubbin

    “It’s been up and down,” the driver of the No. 21 A&W/Bowers & Wilkins/Thermal Technology Dodge said. “We’ve been getting better and we’re just trying to keep the car on track. when we do, we run pretty well so we’ll finish off the last two races and see if we can get up to seventh or sixth in points.”

    Heading into the final two races of the year at Barrie Speedway and Kawartha Speedway, White is only 38 points out of sixth and two points out of 12th.

    “We have to finish both top 10 both times to have a good points finish so we’ll just have to see where it goes,” he commented. “Barrie should be interesting and Kawartha is the last race of the year so we’ll see what happens then.”

    White hasn’t had the best of luck at Barrie Speedway the past five years, failing to finish three of the five races and having a best finish of 13th in 2010.  Meanwhile at Kawartha Speedway, White has two top 10s in six starts. If the British Columbia native can stay out of trouble both races, though, look for him to be in contention for a solid finish.

  • Joey Coulter has rough day at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park

    Joey Coulter has rough day at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park

    Going into the race, Joey Coulter was excited for the Chevrolet Silverado 250, having a blast, just looking for some more speed.

    “We practiced good during the weekend; just didn’t get the qualifying run we were hoping for,” he commented before the race. “Made a few changes and I think our Monster Energy Tundra is going to be really good today.”

    Coulter also commented that he was looking forward to racing side-by-side as during practice, everybody stuck to staying single-file and spread out.

    “We’re all going to have to figure out how to pass, run side-by-side real quick,” he added. “That’s probably going to take a few laps to get everybody sorted out. I think once the race gets going, there’s going to be quite a bit of passing, definitely lot of action.”

    The race wouldn’t go as the driver of the No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Tundra would’ve hoped for as he would lose control of his truck in turn eight, making heavy contact with the tire barrier on lap 10. The contact caused damage to the left front nose, radiator and oil cooler. Coulter make it back on track, though finished 26th.

    The bad luck at CTMP this past weekend matches that of his season as he currently sits 12th in points with three top fives and five top 10s in 14 races.

    “We’ve had a lot of speed,” he said. “We’ve been pretty happy with how our Tundra has been running, just haven’t had the luck to go along with it. A lot of blown tires, just things that you get into those situations where you feel you can’t do anything right. The bright side is we have fast trucks when we don’t have bad luck.”

    This year marks Coulter’s first year at Kyle Busch Motorsports, after moving over from Richard Childress Racing over the off-season.

    “I think Joey had a good year last year and had success in the truck series with a win at Pocono, had some good runs where he showed speed later in the year, and that stood out right there,” Busch said Coulter and his reason for hiring him in February.

    Coulter says that having Kyle Busch as his car owner is “pretty awesome”.

    “A lot of information for sure is available,” he said. “He’s one of those drivers that can diagnose anything, really pays attention to detail. For a younger driver to be able to ask him what such and such feels like, and his answers right on the money helps makes things right pretty quick.”

    The road course race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park marked just the tip of the iceberg in this year’s diversity for the Camping World Truck Series as they’re running restrictor plate tracks, intermediate tracks, short tracks and dirt also this year.

    “I love it,” Coulter said of the diversity. “When I was racing in the ARCA Series, one of my favourite parts was running all those different race tracks within a month basically. So when I heard where the trucks were going to race this weekend with dirt and road courses, I was pretty excited about it. I like having it mix-up and really adds another level of challenge to the drivers and show people what kind of drivers they are, whether they’re just short track drivers or have their hands on the whole spectrum.”

    One of the things that got tried out this year is the “heat qualifying” format as it was used at Eldora Speedway mid-summer to set the field. Whether it’s a good idea to possibly try it out at a different track, Coulter is unsure.

    “It’s hard to say because the dirt track changes so much faster than the pavement does,” he said. “So I’m not real sure. I don’t think it’d hurt to try it once or twice, but I’m not sure that it’d make much of a difference. Also with Eldora being a one-off, lot of trucks that aren’t locked in trying to make the race, less trucks running in the field there. A place like Martinsville, it’s more of your full time guys with a few extra trucks. I don’t know but it’s something that it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

  • Ryan Truex Feeling Fortunate and Lucky After Bristol Debut

    Ryan Truex Feeling Fortunate and Lucky After Bristol Debut

    While Ryan Truex’s Sprint Cup Series debut might not have turned out exactly as he had hoped, the 21 year old development driver for Richard Petty Motorsports and past K&N Series Champion left Bristol feeling ‘fortunate and lucky’ to be where he is at currently in the sport today.

    First and foremost, the youngest racing Truex feels lucky to be able to get back in a race car after a dirt bike accident over the Easter holiday left him injured with a broken collar bone.

    “I went to the doctor and we hoped it would heal on its own,” Truex said. “We went six weeks and it hadn’t healed so then we had to have surgery.”

    “I have a plate and twelve screws in there,” Truex continued. “It’s fine now but it wasn’t fun at the time.”

    “I had to go through the surgery plus the physical therapy, which was twelve weeks from the time I had surgery to the time I was cleared to race.”

    “And that didn’t include the six weeks of hoping that it would heal on its own,” Truex said. “It’s been a challenge and I’m apparently now banned from dirt bikes.”

    Truex also feels fortunate and lucky to have signed with Richard Petty Motorsports as a development driver and to have been able to maintain a relationship with Phoenix Racing that allowed him to make his Cup debut in the No. 51 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    “Before I signed with Richard Petty Motorsports, I was supposed to drive the No. 51 in Richmond and Dover,” Truex said. “And then I went and got hurt and messed those plans up.”

    “Phoenix Racing was able to plug me into their schedule later in the year and Bristol was the first opening,” Truex continued. “So, that was the first one we chose being a half mile and I was approved for it by NASCAR to run in the Cup Series.”

    After being out recuperating from his injury, the opportunity to be back behind the wheel of a race car, especially in the Cup Series at one of the most noted tracks on the circuit in a race under the lights was not only exciting but a bit overwhelming for the young up and coming driver.

    “It was really cool but a little intimidating being in a field with guys like Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson, all those guys who have proven themselves in the Cup Series,” Truex said. “And that was my first race since the Daytona Truck race so it had been about six months since I had raced anything.”

    “The week before, I practiced and qualified Marcos Ambrose’s Nationwide car so I had a little seat time in something but other than that, that was the first weekend back in a race car and the first time in the Gen 6 car at all,” Truex continued. “So, it was a bit of a curve ball for me and it was a steep learning curve.”

    Truex did indeed have challenges in his Cup debut, struggling with his car race, hitting the wall and finishing 42nd in the Bristol Irwin Tools Night Race.

    “We qualified really well and I was really happy with that,” Truex said. “We practiced pretty good and I thought we were a top-20 car at least.”

    “In the race, we started off the first few laps and did alright but for some reason our car was just really, really loose and I ended up getting up out of the groove,” Truex continued. “I got up in the marbles and got freight trained.”

    “Once I gathered it back up and got the junk off my tires, we started riding and were way back,” Truex said. “I was biding my time and then we started to get really, really tight and, being a rookie, I didn’t realize the problem at the time but it turns out that we ran over some debris and we had a cut in the left front tire.”

    “It was slowly going down and then it blew out and ended our night.”

    Fortunately, the rookie driver did not re-injure his collar bone although his older brother Martin Truex Jr. did not fare so well. After Martin’s hard hit late in the race at Bristol, an MRI showed that he had broken his right wrist and will have to wear a special cast for the rest of the racing season.

    Although Ryan’s Cup debut race night was shortened by the blown tire and wreck into the wall, the younger Truex did learn some lessons from the evening and even got some advice and counsel from some of the biggest names in the sports.

    “The biggest lesson for me is that I just need to be out there every weekend,” Truex said. “Since I stepped up from the K&N Series to Nationwide in 2011, I’ve been running part-time, once or twice a month at the most.”

    “Last year, I had seven races with Joe Gibbs Racing, plus a couple of other races with some other teams, which added up to about eleven races for the year,” Truex continued. “That’s been the biggest challenge for me is just having some repetition in my racing and going out every weekend in my race car and be familiar with it.”

    “One of the people that I talked to before driver intros standing in the tunnel at Bristol was Jeff Burton,” Truex said. “I thought that was really cool.”

    “Mark Martin came up to my car and talked to me for a few minutes and told me what to expect and what to do,” Truex continued. “So, there were a couple of guys that I respect who talked to me and I thought that was awesome.”

    “I grew up watching them race so for them to come over and give me words of advice was really cool.”

    Another of Truex’s idols has been Richard Petty and the young driver feels especially fortunate and lucky to be invited into the fold of the ‘King’ and a part of Richard Petty Motorsports.

    “It’s a huge deal for me to be with Richard Petty Motorsports,” Truex said. “In the past few years, I’ve been jumping around between teams and had some one-off deals, but since I’ve left Michael Waltrip Racing, I’ve never really had a true home.”

    “So, they’ve taken under their wing and committed to developing me as a driver in the Cup Series,” Truex continued. “I’ve signed a multi-year deal with them with the goal of running full-time in the Cup Series one day.”

    “So, that feels really good to just have one place to focus on and not have to worry about where I’m going to race week to week.”

    For this year, Truex will continue to run some races in the No. 51 car for Phoenix Racing and hopes to be back in that car as early as the Richmond race. But his real focus is on the 2014 season when, sponsorship pending, he hopes to race full-time for Richard Petty Motorsports in the Nationwide Series.

    “That’s the goal for me personally and for the team to be out there next year running for a championship,” Truex said. “But the biggest thing is finding the funding to do that.”

    “Now that I have a team out there searching and helping me find the funding to run full-time, it takes a lot of pressure of me and makes me feel more secure with my future.”

    Most of all, Ryan Truex is feeling fortunate and lucky to be a part of a family that has supported and nurtured his racing career every step of the way.

    “My brother has always been there for me my whole career, and my parents are at my races every single weekend giving me support,” Truex said. “My dad always tells me that if you work as hard as you can and take advantage of every opportunity, there is no reason why you can’t reach your goal.”

    “That’s been my philosophy too,” Truex continued. “There has been plenty of frustrating moments but then you step back and look at how far I’ve come and at the people I have around me, and it’s a pretty awesome deal for me.”

    “I’m fortunate and lucky to be able to be where I’m at,” Truex said. “And I know that if I keep working at it, never give up and get down on myself that eventually it will work out.”

     

  • Matt Crafton looks to continue solid season in Canada this weekend

    Matt Crafton looks to continue solid season in Canada this weekend

    If you look at Matt Crafton’s season so far, you could say that he has had a great season to date. After all, he has finished in the top 10 each week with a win at Kansas and currently leads the points, 39 points ahead of second.

    “Our season has been really good so far,” the driver of the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra said. “Can’t ask for a whole lot more except for a few more wins.”

    One of the things that has benefited Crafton this year is his experience with this being his 14th year in the truck series, but also the fact that he’s avoided finding himself in the middle of feuds with other drivers. Except for a small argument with Joey Coulter in the late laps of the UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Crafton has avoided trouble and been solid.

    With experience comes learning to be “respectful” while racing hard and rubbing fenders at the same time.

    “There’s a difference between going up there and wrecking somebody – that’s disrespectful racing,” Crafton said. “There’s going to times when you have to lean on someone – they say rubbing is racing, that’s what they call it – but at the same time, you just have to be a little respectful and not run through somebody to get the position.”

    This weekend, though, offers a different challenge as not only will Crafton be turning left, but he will be turning right as the Camping World Truck Series tackles Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) this weekend. Crafton says the key to the weekend – survival.

    “That’s all its about,” he said. “Definitely you want to be fast, but at the same time, you want to keep all four tires on the black stuff. If you stay on the road and you’re there at the end, you’ll contend for the win or a top five without a doubt.”

    Crafton is one of a few drivers that has some laps already around CTMP as he had the opportunity to run some laps behind the wheel of a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series car.

    “It was a lot help,” Crafton said. “I’m glad that I had the opportunity to do that. it was really big. I think that’s going to help me get up to speed without a doubt. We have a lot of practice, but at the same time, you never know if they’ll be any rain or any weather. At the same time, to have the help that I got in doing that, that was a big deal.”

    In the laps that he got to run, Crafton says the turn two and four will probably be the most challenging because they’re both “blind drop off” corners.

    The road course race this weekend at CTMP is just one of the challenges that the truck drivers have had to face in the diversity of their schedule that has included intermediate tracks, restrictor plate tracks, short tracks and even dirt racing at Eldora.

    “It’s awesome,” Crafton said. “I wish we would’ve been road racing a long time ago. It’s just disappointing that they took it off the schedule and it took so long to get it back on. I’m definitely glad the road course racing is back.

    “The dirt race – I wasn’t so sure about, but that was a great, great racing. I had a lot of fun in that race.

    “I think it’s very cool schedule we have this year.”

    If Crafton can survive this weekend and the rest of the season, he could be well on the way to his first Camping World Truck Series Championship, one that a lot of people are saying will mean a lot simply due to the challenges the drivers are facing this year.