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Featured interviews from SpeedwayMedia.com

  • Sean Downes, NASCAR Newest Salesman, ‘Blown Away’ by the Sport

    Sean Downes, NASCAR Newest Salesman, ‘Blown Away’ by the Sport

    Growing up and living in the northeast, where franchises like the Yankees, Knicks and Rangers reign, Sean Downes, NASCAR’s newly appointed Managing Director, Business Development, candidly admits that stock car racing was not on his sports radar.

    Yet, after attending his first race at Indy, he was ‘blown away’ by the sport.

    [media-credit name=”NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”205″][/media-credit]“I was working for an agency and we had a client, The History Channel, who asked me to launch a new TV show using NASCAR,” Downes said. “Me, not knowing anything about the sport at the time, discouraged them.”

    “So, they said ‘Sean, if you want this business, you’re going to do a NASCAR deal.’

    “So, I did my due diligence and we did a three race deal with one of the race teams,” Downes continued. “And as a part of the deal, they negotiated a great rate for us and they said ‘Sean, the only thing we ask is that you come to a race.’

    “In my mind there was no way I was going to one of those races because I simply, candidly had no interest,” Downes said. “So, the first race came along and we were the primary sponsor on one of the cars.”

    “They called me up and said ‘Sean, are you coming to the race?’ Downes continued. “This was June 2005 and I told them that my son was about to be born and I couldn’t leave my wife in case she had the baby.”

    “The second race came and it was July and they asked again if I was coming down from the race,” Downes said. “I told them again that my wife just had our second baby and I can’t leave her.”

    “Then the third race came and it was August and they finally said ‘Sean, you are coming to the race,’ Downes continued. “This was at the Brickyard.”

    “And from the moment I stepped onto the infield, I was simply blown away.”

    “From the accessibility of the drivers, the relationships with the race team we had developed, the fans, the sensory overload, the smell of the gas, the roar of the engines and the tires screeching,” Downes said. “I was hooked.”

    “And then I took a step back and looked at the business opportunities, as well as the role of corporate America in supporting this sport, and I knew I had to get involved,” Downes continued. “And within two months, I was working at NASCAR.”

    Downes worked for the sanctioning body from 2005 to 2009, focusing on developing the official partners of NASCAR.

    “I was there with NASCAR for three and a half years as Director of Partnership Marketing,” Downes said. “I was helping the official partners fulfill their contracts, leverage the relationship with the sanctioning body, and keeping a smile on their faces on a day to day basis.”

    Although Downes left NASCAR for a stint at the Madison Square Garden, he stuck with the sport and continued his passion. And he kept up with his contacts in the sport he had come to love.

    “I started talking to NASCAR this past May about a new role overseeing the sales effort here with a more integrated look at the sport and the opportunities in it,” Downes said. “So, I’m going from an account management role to out selling new business and new partnerships, bringing new official partners into the sport.”

    “It’s our job and our duty to look at new categories to find companies that want to engage a very loyal fan base.”

    Downes has two priorities for growth, focusing on companies involved in green industries and those involved in new technology.

    “Green is going to be a huge initiative for us,” Downes said. “We’re also looking at technology and the different opportunities in working with best in breed technology companies.”

    “So, we’re going to have a person stationed in California to cultivate relationships with the top companies in Silicon Valley.”

    In this tough economy, Downes knows he has his work cut out for him, especially being based out of NASCAR’s New York City office. Because of that, he has a variety of strategies for making inroads with new potential partners.

    “It’s a combination of cold calling and creating awareness and educating people,” Downes said. “NASCAR is not a sport in the northeast that is known.”

    “So, it’s sitting with top marketers to educate them about the sport and the possibilities and opportunities there,” Downes continued. “But it’s also leveraging relationships we have in the industry.”

    “Sports marketing companies are critical to our success,” Downes said. “We have an industry marketing team that helps the teams and the tracks look for partners but at the same time, when we’re talking to companies we’re also talking with them about a fully integrated activation program.”

    But most important, when Downes is now asked if he is headed to the race track, he answers only in the affirmative.

    “I’m headed to the Brickyard next race weekend,” Downes said.

     

  • Kyle Busch’s Wife Samantha Brings Her Own Unique Style

    Kyle Busch’s Wife Samantha Brings Her Own Unique Style

    This past weekend, Kyle Busch achieved a milestone, securing 100 wins in all three major series of NASCAR. And beside him every step of the way has been his wife Samantha, who brings her own unique style to their relationship and to the sport.

    [media-credit name=”Kyle Busch Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”150″][/media-credit]The couple tied the knot on New Year’s Eve in a unique, fairy-tale wedding that she designed. Busch definitely brought her own style to that event, from her designer dress to a feather-studded reception.

    “It was an awesome day,” Busch said. “All the team guys and my family, which is gigantic, were all there.”

    “The two best moments were when I was getting ready and I finally got my dress on and my dad came in,” Busch continued. “My dad burst into tears, I started crying and the girls started crying. The makeup lady was yelling at us all to stop crying.”

    “Then when we got to Holy Name and they opened these two big doors and the aisle was forever long and I just saw Kyle at the very end of it and then I’m crying all over again,” Busch said. “Before the wedding he told me that he doesn’t cry about anything but I see him tearing up so me and my dad started crying again.”

    “Everybody was crying but it was great.”

    In addition to the nuptials, Busch also brings her own unique style to her career. After many semesters of hard work, she will finish her degree in industrial organizational psychology, which she has also managed to blend with racing.

    “The school year starts in August,” Busch said. “I have two classes and I’m done after that finally.”

    “What’s nice about it is with KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), I get to apply it all,” Busch continued. “And Joe Gibbs Racing is letting me do my thesis on them.”

    While Busch’s career in psychology is unique enough, she has also recently taken on a new endeavor. She is uniquely marrying fashion with her world of racing.

    “Our retail store has been very successful this year,” Busch said. “Chase Authentics called and I have three pieces for an exclusive for a Kyle women’s line.”

    “One’s a very cute hoodie, one is a three-quarter length hem length, and the other is a double-layer tank top,” Busch continued. “The tank top is white and black and then I did this silver foil that says ‘Kyle Busch’ and ‘18’.”

    “My hope is that one day they let me do a whole women’s line.”

    “It’s so funny,” Busch said. “I sometimes get more fashion questions than racing questions.”

    “I know that some of the guys that follow me on Twitter don’t love it but I try to keep a good balance during the race,” Busch continued. “But even some of the guys now will ask questions for their wives.”

    “But I love it,” Busch said. “I’ve helped girls get ready for prom via Twitter, or concerts, first days or weddings.”

    “There are a lot of women who are into racing but they are also into fashion so it kind of works,” Busch said. “It’s taken off into its own thing.”

    One of the other most unique aspects about both Samantha and Kyle Busch is their dedication to the Kyle Busch Foundation. In addition to the five children’s homes that the Foundation supports, Busch has high hopes for expansion and outreach to individual children and families.

    “Right now we have five children’s homes and we donate books, clothes and at Christmas we give more of a monetary gift,” Busch said. “We get hundreds of thousands of requests and we want to help.”

    “So, we’re trying to raise enough money so we can pick several families to help,” Busch continued. “The homes are our first priority but even if we can help a couple of families, that’s how we’re trying to become broader.”

    “The fans have been great this year,” Busch said. “There’s this thing called ‘Lexie’s Challenge’ where this young girl buys a gift card every time Kyle wins.”

    “So, the fans have joined in and every time we win, we get all these gift cards and we divide them up for our homes.”

    In addition to the Foundation work, both Samantha and Kyle Busch have a unique appreciation for their fans. And they both try every chance they can to connect with them, including meet and greets at local home tracks throughout the country.

    Kyle Busch, in fact, went from Victory Lane at the inaugural race at Kentucky Speedway to the Slinger Nationals, where again he captured the checkered flag, much to the delight of the many fans who wanted to celebrate with them both.

    “He won Slinger and there were 300 people outside his hauler,” Samantha Busch said. “So, I stood outside the hauler and got everybody into line.”

    “There were so many kids in the back and I didn’t want to see them get left out,” Busch continued. “So Kyle stayed and we got through 300 plus people in an hour. It was really good.”

    “There were so many kids running around saying “I met Kyle Busch.”

    Given the wins, the milestones achieved, as well as the challenges that season has brought, from Kyle’s speeding ticket to the dust up with competitor Kevin Harvick and team owner Richard Childress, it is small wonder that one of the other unique aspects of Samantha Busch is the perspective she brings to those ups and the downs.

    “It’s definitely been a challenging year,” Busch admits. “There have been things that have happened.”

    “But I’m always here for him and he’s here for me and we always say no matter what’s going on, we always have each others’ backs,” Busch said. “And we don’t let it affect him on the race track.”

    “When he puts his helmet on, he’s so focused so that’s been great,” Busch continued. “We’re just going about being us and keeping our family and friends close. It only makes you stronger, right?”

    While many other drivers and their families struggle with being in the spotlight, especially during challenging times, both Samantha and Kyle Busch take the unique approach of being out there in the public eye.

    “For us, our wedding was televised so we’re pretty open,” Busch said. “We have enough going on that we don’t worry about how others handle their business. We focus on ourselves.”

    “It’s so funny because every weekend, we’re at the track but when we’re not, we’re at KBM,” Busch said. “When you have the Truck team and the Foundation and the retail and the late model races, there really isn’t any time to focus on anyone else’s issues.”

    One thing that makes Kyle and Samantha Busch unique, at least at present in the NASCAR garage, is that they have two adorable dogs but no children yet. And as far as Busch is concerned, that is “down the road”, although she does admit it would be especially nice to have a daughter with whom to bake and shop.

    “That’s down the line,” Busch said. “My parents are moving to North Carolina in two years so that will be a good timing. It’s in the plans, but in the distant plans.”

    Samantha Busch is not, however, unique in a very important way. She, like so many other drivers and their wives, are superstitious, not even daring to think about championship possibilities.

    “It makes me so nervous,” Busch said. “It’s a forbidden topic.”

    “When I was home, there were all these dress stores and my mom asked me if I wanted to even look for a dress, but I told her, ‘Don’t say that, we’re not in the Chase. I can’t even look for dresses.’

    “You never know,” Busch continued. “I won’t even look at dresses. I won’t look until it’s all over.”

    So, what makes Samantha Busch most unique?

    “I am an individual,” Busch said. “And there are not many people that bring shoes to racing!”

    “Some people who didn’t know me before ask if this is the way I am,” Busch continued. “But my friends who’ve know me forever say that’s just how I am.”

  • Rachel Gilbert, 100 Year Old NASCAR Fan, Fulfills 100th Birthday Destiny at the Magic Mile

    First it was a party, cake and a fast lap around the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where Rachel Gilbert drove the pace car.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]Now, for this race weekend, Gilbert has continued to fulfill her 100th birthday destiny by serving as grand marshal for the Whelen Modified Series race.

    Gilbert’s adventure started several months ago when her daughter emailed the race track, asking if any accommodations could be made for her mother’s 100th birthday, particularly as she could not sit in the grandstands comfortably.

    Jerry Gappens, New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s executive vice president and general manager, and his staff were intrigued by the request. Not only did they accommodate this family’s wish, but also helped Gilbert fulfill her NASCAR destiny, naming her the Speedway’s oldest fan.

    For her 100th celebration, Gappens provided a race car birthday cake at the track, an official LENOX Industrial Tools 301 hat, a NHMS jacket and a birthday card. The Speedway even made arrangements for her to take a few fast laps around the track.

    “Rachel is a true pace setter,” Gappens said. “We wanted to take the opportunity and celebrate this special occasion.

    But Gappens had even more in store for Gilbert. She also got an official crew shirt from her favorite driver Carl Edwards, as well as tickets to Sunday’s Cup race.

    “This all started from the email,” Marie Ann Mills, Gilbert’s daughter said. “It started by having her go around the track and then providing her with tickets to Sunday’s race.”

    “And I also got to drive the car,” Gilbert reminded her daughter. This was especially a treat for Gilbert as she gave up her car once she moved into an independent living facility for seniors.

    And celebrate she has. One of the biggest highlights for her has been serving as the Grand Marshal for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Series race and giving the command to start engines.

    Gilbert admitted she was slightly nervous prior to giving the command. But armed with a note that read “Drivers Start Your Engines” and surrounded by her family, she delivered the most famous words in motorsports beautifully.

    “I was nervous at the very beginning,” Gilbert said. “But it was a dream come true. This was great.”

    “That was unbelievable,” Gilbert’s daughter shared. “We were so proud of her.”

    Gilbert is a true NASCAR fan and has been for many years, starting in the 1960s when she followed her husband and some of their friends to races at Bryar Motorsports Park in Loudon, New Hampshire. She has also attended the Daytona 500, where she saw legends like Richard Petty and Bobby Allison race.

    Since that time, Gilbert has been hooked, never missing a race on television according to her family. In fact, residents of the facility where she lives have affectionately nicknamed her “Speedy” because of her affection for the sport.

    “I’ve been a fan for so long,” Gilbert said. “I have friends that we would go to the races with and we kept it up every year.”

    Gilbert’s favorite driver during that period of her life was Dale Earnhardt, Sr. She still struggles when she talks about him and cannot believe he has been gone that long.

    Not only has Gilbert been a race fan forever, but she also has a few other secrets to her achieving her centennial birthday. What are her keys to her longevity?

    “Good exercise,” Gilbert said simply. “That and a good gin and tonic when I go out.”

    Gilbert’s other key to her success has been her family, their love as well as their support of her NASCAR dream.

    “She always has a smile on her face,” Gilbert’s daughter shared. “If I could be half the woman that she is, I will be a hell of a woman.”

  • Jeff Gordon Tackles Ending Hunger, Congo Refugees and Racing at New Hampshire

    Jeff Gordon, four-time NASCAR Cup champion, is a busy man this weekend in New Hampshire. Not only will Gordon tackle the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but he is also tackling his philanthropic destiny, both locally and globally.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”235″][/media-credit]Prior to the start of the race weekend, Gordon visited the New Hampshire Food Bank as part of his Drive to End Hunger campaign with the AARP Foundation. He presented a $10,000 check to the Food Bank and toured their distribution facility.

    “Getting to work with the AARP Foundation through Drive to End Hunger has been really inspiring,” Gordon said. “To not only help nationally but to go into these communities and make an impact on those that are suffering from hunger is great.”

    “This was my first time this year visiting one of the food banks that actually is collecting the food, sorting the food, and distributing the food,” Gordon continued. “They really impressed me in how organized they were and how efficient they are with the food that is either donated or purchased through the funds that are donated.”

    “They’re cooking hot meals that are being distributed out to the Boys and Girls Clubs and different organizations,” Gordon said. “It was great to see the dollars that are being donated by fans and companies, being brought together by AARP and the Drive to End Hunger program, and to see it at work.”

    Gordon’s visit to the New Hampshire Food Bank not only had a tremendous impact on the fans who attended to see him and donate food, but it also made the world of difference to the work of the Food Bank.

    “This was a huge opportunity for us to partner with AARP and Jeff Gordon,” Melanie Gosselin, Food Bank Executive Director, said. “Often we don’t get celebrities here in New Hampshire so we’re tremendously thrilled that Jeff and his team are behind the fight against hunger nationally and locally as well.”

    “We’re serving one in ten in the State and one in seven are senior citizens,” Gosselin said of the work of the Food Bank. “So we can turn that $10,000 donation that was made into 70,000 meals. It’s a huge boost to us.”

    In addition to his philanthropy boosting the Food Bank, Jeff Gordon is looking forward to a great race weekend at New Hampshire. He is currently seventh in points with two wins for the season at the halfway point to the Chase.

    “Even though we are half way through the season, we have only a handful of races left before the Chase and the real championship begins,” Gordon said. “We’re pretty pleased with our season to this point and certainly happy about the two wins.”

    “I feel like we’ve been fortunate the last few weeks to get some pretty good finishes to move ourselves up in the points,” Gordon continued. “But I feel like we need to perform a little better than that if we’re really going to not only advance in but also be a real threat for the championship.”

    “So, I think this is a crucial weekend for us and one that I feel confident in,” Gordon said. “At this point you just have to keep taking it one at a time and see and hopefully improve each week.”

    Almost immediately after the race, Gordon will turn his attention to his newest philanthropic work, one that will take him around the world to the Congo.

    “I leave Sunday night after the race,” Gordon said. “I became a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, what they call the lead group, which is a smaller, younger group of philanthropists in all different areas. It’s a very ambitious group and prestigious group to be a part of, led by former President Clinton.”

    “We decided our initiative together was a refugee camp in the Congo,” Gordon continued. “They want to go to the harshest environment to make the biggest impact.”

    “We decided we needed to go and visit the refugee camp as we couldn’t talk about it and make a difference if we had never seen it,” Gordon said. “So, we’ve been planning this trip.”

    “I leave Sunday, get there Tuesday and come back on Thursday,” Gordon continued. “So, it’s a quick trip but there’s a lot packed into a short time.”

    “My expectations are to see some jaw-dropping, eye-opening experiences that are going to change my life forever,” Gordon said. “And hopefully we can do some very good things to try to change that in the future.”

  • Clint Bowyer Has One Word for 200th Career Start: Pride

    Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, is set to mark a milestone in his career.  He will make his 200th Sprint Cup career start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the Lenox Tools 301 this weekend.

    “200 races means a lot to me,” Bowyer said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity just to be in this sport.”

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”201″][/media-credit]Bowyer’s milestone also had him thinking about his first race in the Cup Series in Phoenix.

    “To think back to Phoenix and what that race meant to me and to now,” Bowyer said. “It truly meant a lot to my career.”

    “That race is what led to all of this,” Bowyer continued. “I’m just thankful for all the opportunities along the way and I’m trying to make the most of them.”

    Does the 200th start make the young driver feel just a tad bit old?

    “No, it doesn’t make me feel old”, Bowyer said with a laugh. “But it does make you realize how fast time flies.”

    “200 races, it’s like ‘Holy cow, already?’, Bowyer continued. “It’s just amazing how fast things happen.”

    Bowyer will definitely have to try to make the most of his achievement, especially at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with whom he seems to have a love/hate relationship.

    NHMS was the site of Bowyer’s first ever Cup win, however, it was also be the beginning of the end of his Chase chances last year, when he suffered a lethal penalty that put him dead last in the Chase standings.

    “Probably the best moment in my career was right here in New Hampshire with my first win,” Bowyer said. “And probably the worst was having that penalty right here.”

    Although Bowyer has run well at the track in the past, he is not taking anything for granted for his upcoming race this weekend.

    “We’ve always run well in a short flat-track program,” Bowyer said. “But there’s nothing saying that we’re not going to bring that same recipe back that we did last year and find that same success.”

    “We’re going to have to work hard,” Bowyer continued. “And we’re going to have to find a good balance on our race car.”

    “But it seems like it’s easier to find that balance for us on a track like this.”

    Can the RCR driver put aside the penalty that he suffered the last time he was at New Hampshire Motor Speedway?

    “It is what it is,” Bowyer said philosophically. “It doesn’t matter. It’s behind me.”

    In fact, Bowyer is more worried about what happened to him last weekend at Kentucky than what he endured the last time he ran a race in New Hampshire. Bowyer had a terrible run in Kentucky, cutting a tire and wrecking in the waning laps of the race, finishing miserably in the 35th position.

    “It’s frustrating to have to come back here and answer questions about last year because I’m worried about last week and overcoming last week; forget about last year,” Bowyer said.

    Yet Bowyer is trying to put his bad week in his rear view mirror, especially in light of his 200th start milestone.

    “It can very easily become a negative and spiral out of control,” Bowyer said. “But there are so many positives about our season. We’ve run well and that’s what has put us in this situation.”

    Bowyer’s situation is that he is now 12th in points and battling mightily to make the Chase to contend for the 2011 NASCAR Cup championship.

    “This is a crucial time for us,” Bowyer said. “We’ve got them breathing down our necks.”

    “But I tell you, with this crazy wildcard thing, this is a good track for us to get a win and solidify ourselves in the Chase,” Bowyer continued. “So, it’s an important weekend for sure.”

    Bowyer is definitely viewing his 200th career start as a chance to redeem himself and his race team. And for Bowyer, he wants to do so not just for himself but also his fans.

    “This is a chance to redeem myself absolutely,” Bowyer said. “You see a guy with a shirt on their back and it’s a sense of pride as well as responsibility for me.”

    “I look to go out there and run well for them and make them proud,” Bowyer continued.

    Bowyer was fastest in practice but could not quite pull off a pole run. He qualified 12th, with a speed of 133.595 mph and a time of 28.540 seconds.

    “New Hampshire has always been a great place for us to come,” Bowyer said. “The best thing is all the fans and all the people I have met over the years.”

    “Those relationships you’ll have with you the rest of your life and will mean the most to you,” Bowyer continued. “It makes me focus on this next race to make sure there is another 200 races after that.”

  • David Ragan Under Pressure In Spite of Daytona Redemption Win

    David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 UPS ‘We Love Logistics’ Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, finally achieved his goal of being a NASCAR Sprint Cup winner, redeeming himself with a victory at Daytona International Speedway.

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”233″][/media-credit]Even with that win, however, the 25 year old driver is still feeling pressure all around him as he readies for the New Hampshire Motor Speedway race weekend. And that pressure has been with him since his first day at Roush Fenway Racing.

    “I’ve said it a lot that I’ve had pressure from day one being at Roush Fenway, being a young guy, not having a lot of experience coming in, having a good year my rookie year and an even better year my sophomore year and then really struggling,” Ragan said.

    “Coming into this season, we knew we’d have a lot of pressure to run well,” Ragan continued. “We knew we had to win.”

    While Ragan has definitely gotten one monkey off his back with his Daytona race win, he acknowledged that the pressure to now make the Chase is even more heavily on his mind.

    “Honestly, that win was big,” Ragan said. “And following it up with a top-10 and leading some laps at Kentucky was a Chase caliber run for our team.”

    “Wins are very important to us still and that’s what we come to the race track every weekend to do,” Ragan continued. “But top tens, top fives, and leading laps are what’s going to get us to that top ten in points.”

    “We’ve put ourselves in a position to make the Chase and I think that brings up more pressure,” Ragan said. “Now we’re so close to capitalizing on the progress that we’ve made.”

    “Being right outside that top-10 with the win, it’s like ‘hey, we’ve got to do something with it’,” Ragan continued. “We can’t turn back now.”

    Another major looming pressure for the young driver is his future with Roush Fenway Racing, as well as the team’s continued sponsorship relationship with UPS. And for Ragan, he would like nothing better than to have that pressure relieved with the finalization of both of those deals.

    “I’m really happy at Roush and the Fords are running great,” Ragan said. “I think Jack’s happy with the performance of the 6 team in comparison to his other teams.”

    “A lot of it depends on what UPS does,” Ragan continued. “So, it’s just a matter of the negotiations between Roush and UPS and working out all the details.”

    “I still think we’re four to six weeks out from really having some announcements and look forward to some good runs in between them,” Ragan said. “But you can’t stop with what you’ve done. You’ve got to keep going and that’s what’s important.”

    “I’m encouraged by some of the recent conversations we’ve had,” Ragan continued. “Things look to be on the good side.”

    For this race weekend, Ragan is also feeling the pressure of being good at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a place where he has admittedly struggled at times. Ragan’s best finish in eight appearances at NHMS was 15th during his first ever start at the track in the summer of 2007.

    The driver, however, is hoping to take some of the pressure off as he is bringing the same UPS Ford race car that he raced last at Richmond, earning him his first top-five finish of the season.

    “Coming off our recent success at Martinsville and Richmond, I’m looking forward to another short track.” Ragan said of NHMS. “Our Fords have improved a lot at the flatter short tracks, so I think we’ve got a good shot.”

    “Our Fenway tie to the Boston area means a lot to our team,” Ragan continued. “That gives us extra motivation to get a good finish this weekend in Loudon.”

    One way that Ragan has relieved his sense of pressure is by racing his Legends car. He even had a win this past week at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    “I raced my Legends car at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday and won,” Ragan said. “This was in preparation for a big race coming up the first week in August.”

    “It’s always fun,” Ragan continued. “I get out there and race three or four times a year and we really enjoy ourselves. So, that win was a good omen for things to come this weekend.”

    Although he has had a bit of a pressure release with his Legends win, Ragan knows full well that the pressure will return in force when he gets behind the wheel of his Cup car for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 this Sunday.

    “There’s a lot of pressure at this Sprint Cup Series level but that’s what we thrive on,” Ragan sad. “So, it affects us in a good way.”

  • Todd Peck Looks to Leave a Legacy in Iowa Truck Series Debut

    Todd Peck Looks to Leave a Legacy in Iowa Truck Series Debut

    Todd Peck intends to leave a legacy, both professional and personal, in his debut Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway this weekend.

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit peckmotorsports.com” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Peck is a family legacy race car driver, as the son of Dr. Mike Peck and the nephew of Tom Peck, both of whom raced their central Pennsylvania family team in the Nationwide Series. Peck’s family team has more than 50 top-10 finishes in five full seasons under their belts.

    “Most people get into racing after growing up at the race track and I’m no exception,” Peck said. “My uncle raced dirt in central Pennsylvania for years and progressed into the Busch Series where he and my dad as a team owner had a partnership, racing there for ten years through the mid 90’s.”

    “When you’re a kid growing up, you get hooked and you get the bug and your destiny is in the race car,” Peck continued. “That’s all you want to do.”

    Peck, hailing from Hanover, PA whose claim to fame is being the home of Utz Potato Chips, started racing go karts at age 14 years. He has continued working his way up the rungs of racing, including 15 starts in the K&N Pro Series East and running currently in the Super Cup Stock Car Series.

    This will, however, be the legacy driver’s first ever Truck Series race, as well as his first time ever at Iowa Speedway. He will be piloting the No. 96 Chevrolet race truck for his family-owned team and is clearly using this debut run to attract not only attention, but potential sponsors as well.

    “I can’t wait to get to Iowa and debut our team in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,” Peck said. “We’ve been working toward this weekend since we made the decision at the beginning of the year to race a truck.”

    “This is our maiden voyage.”

    But even more important than his Truck debut is the personal legacy that Peck hopes to leave, racing in tribute to the Arthritis Foundation’s campaign, ‘Kids Get Arthritis Too.’ It is personal for Peck, who himself was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis (JA) at the age of 15 years old.

    “At that age, you don’t think of kids having arthritis,” Peck said. “It’s an old people’s disease that my grandparents have.”

    “But there are over 300,000 kids diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis and it’s not as uncommon as you’d think,” Peck continued. “Being as I’ve struggled with it, once we were given the opportunity to perform on the big stage of the Truck Series, it was a no brainer to be involved.”

    Peck actually unveiled his race truck at the national JA Conference in Washington, DC last week. Kids, struggling with the same disease that he does, signed their names all over the truck that he will race.

    “We did the unveiling at the national JA conference and that was awesome,” Peck said. “Well over five thousand people attended the conference and it was really cool to see the kids’ reaction and excitement.”

    “We spent the weekend talking to the kids and their families, sharing stories and inspirational messages,” Peck continued. “Our message was that even though you have JA you can work with it and do what you want to do.”

    Peck and his team will also be hosting JA youth and their families at each and every race in which he will compete. In fact, two children with JA and their families will be present for Peck’s Iowa debut.

    “For all the races we have, we’ll be hosting families at the track and around the garage area,” Peck said. “We’ll let them get up close and personal to the racing and I’m looking forward to that as well.”

    While Peck was touched by every child with JA and their stories, he was especially moved by the story of two children in particular.

    Because of complications from their arthritis, these two children were unable to attend the conference. So, their friends made cardboard cut outs of them, using their head shots, pasted them on bodies and laminated them so they could not only be ‘present’ at the event, but to also get ‘their pictures’ taken with the race truck.

    “We decided that if they couldn’t be at the conference with the truck, we were going to take them to Iowa for the race,” Peck said. “So we are putting their pictures on the dash of the truck for that race.”

    With the children from the Arthritis Foundation on the truck and his family standing behind him as part of his race team, Peck hopes to leave his own legacy in the Coca Cola 200 at Iowa Speedway. At present, however, Peck is not quite sure what that legacy will be.

    “I have tried to give myself expectations on one hand,” Peck said. “And I’ve tried to keep myself from having expectations on the other hand.”

    “We tested and I was extremely pleased with the Truck,” Peck continued. “But just to get the ball rolling and get out there, part of me says I need to stay realistic, qualify and run hard to get a foot hold for the next race.”

    “But the other part of me, the racer, knows that once the green flag drops, it will be about three seconds into the race that I’ll forget about that, put it into kill mode and away we go,” Peck continued. “No matter what I expect, once the green flag drops, it’s an all or nothing deal.”

  • Jason White Hits Lottery Again for Joe Denette Motorsports with Best Team Finish

    Jason White Hits Lottery Again for Joe Denette Motorsports with Best Team Finish

    With his Mega Millions lottery winnings in hand, Joe Denette has been living the NASCAR dream , creating his own Camping World Truck Series team, Joe Denette Motorsports, this season.

    But Denette’s driver, Jason White, behind the wheel of the No. 23 BunBroker.com Chevrolet, hit the lottery again for him, scoring the team’s best finish ever at Kentucky Speedway this past weekend.

    [media-credit name=”Photo credit joedenettemotorsports.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]After battling eventual race winner Kyle Busch in the final restart, White was able to score his first top-5 finish in 2011 and a career best finish for Joe Denette Motorsports.

    “It’s huge,” White said of his finish. “To drive for Joe Denette Motorsports is awesome.”

    “The guy was a huge NASCAR fan and hit the lottery and now for his first season to be able to come out and be competitive and to have a chance to win a race was big for him and us,” White continued. “It’s exciting for the team.”

    White credits the career best team finish with testing that he and his crew did at Rockingham the week before, along with fellow driver and competitor Ron Hornaday.

    “We went testing the week before with Ron Hornaday and we learned a lot, what not to do and what to do,” White said. “I ended up being just as fast as him so the team was all excited about that.”

    “We took what we learned there and took it to Kentucky,” White continued. “So, with the setup we came up with at Rockingham, we just fine tuned it.”

    White practiced in the top-10 and told his team that he thought they had at least a top-five truck and potentially could win the race.

    “I ended up qualifying ninth and even took the lead, going back and forth with Austin Dillon,” White said. “So, that was pretty exciting.”

    Unfortunately, White and his team had a problem with the jack during one of the pit stops later in the race and came out in seventh. He was, however, able to charge back to the front of the field, before the caution flew yet again.

    “That last restart, we were fourth and so basically went to second in the first turn and came up to Kyle (Busch) and was about to pass him for the lead with three to go and the caution came back out for that big wreck,” White said. “I was like ‘oh, man, I didn’t need that.’

    White also knew that the bottom of the track had limited grip and was very slick. On the restart, the young driver spun his tires, allowing Kyle Busch to go on to win the race.

    “I would have been OK but Elliott (Sadler) made it three wide and that really hurt us bad,” White said. “He was doing what he had to do, but looking back, if he would have just pushed me or stayed in line, we could have both had a chance on Kyle (Busch).”

    “We ended up fifth but it was a great weekend for the entire team,” White continued. “To be able to compete for the win was definitely exciting and we will be able to continue that throughout the rest of the season.”

    White was also pleased that he got to lead a few laps at Kentucky Speedway. And, although he has led before, particularly at Bristol, this meant a lot to the young driver.

    “I’ve led laps the last couple of years here and there but this year, we’ve got better equipment and better stuff,” White said. “We’re trying to be able to continue on with that for the rest of the season.”

    As for race winner and competitor Kyle Busch, White and his team are just a bit tired of continuing to run behind him.

    “I learned from him, but I’m just ready to beat him,” White said. “I’m at the point now that I can beat him.”

    “If we could have restarted the race the time before, I think we could have gotten him,” White continued. “We had a lot of fun and we learned what we did wrong and will fix it for next time.”

    White is definitely looking forward to his next chance, which will come this weekend in the Camping World Truck Series Coca-Cola 200 presented by Hy-Vee at Iowa Speedway.

    “I always liked the track,” White said. “We’ve always been fast there.”

    “I think we’ll be top-five and contending for the win,” White continued. “If we’re not, I’ll be disappointed.”

    “I really believe that with what we learned last week, we should be able to go out and continue to do what we did last week.”

    While Joe Denette most definitely feels like he won the lottery twice now after the team’s best career finish, White has reserved his judgment.

    “I don’t necessarily feel like I’ve won the lottery yet,” White said. “I need to win a race first.”

    “This weekend was a great shot in the arm, it was great for me and it was great for the team,” White continued. “But I want to be able to win. We need to win.”

    “This is the momentum we needed to continue for the next few races so we can prove we can go out there and do it,” White said. “Once I win a race, then I’ll say ‘I’ve won the lottery.’

  • Andy Lally: From Daytona Lone Ranger to Inaugural Kentucky Wannabe

    Andy Lally: From Daytona Lone Ranger to Inaugural Kentucky Wannabe

    Andy Lally, rookie driver of the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Interstate Moving Services Ford, is making an interesting transition, from lone wolf without a dance partner at this past weekend’s Daytona race to Kentucky wannabe, having to qualify in on time for this weekend’s inaugural race.

    [media-credit name=”andylally.com” align=”alignright” width=”222″][/media-credit]Lally started this journey last weekend with his best qualifying effort to date at Daytona, snagging the seventh starting spot between five time champ Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the sport’s most popular driver.

    “This was just a cool little feather in the cap that a small team had come up here and done this,” Lally said. “That was pretty neat.”

    Yet, in spite of the excellent starting position, Lally was quite the lone wolf, at least in the initial portion of the Coke Zero 400.

    “Yes, I did feel like the ‘Lone Ranger’ a little bit, but it was fairly expected,” Lally said.

    “I had spoken to Geoff Bodine before the race about hooking up and getting together,” Lally continued. “But we were starting in seventh and he was back in 35th or so, so it was going to be a little bit of time before we found him.”

    “We just tried to hold on at the front as long as we could.”

    Lally acknowledged that it was easier to hold on at the front more so when the race started and on the restarts when there was a bit of a pack. But that quickly changed when the tandem racers started the two-by-two pairings, causing Lally to struggle.

    “It was kind of like the old days in the big packs until everybody gets hooked up and single file,” Lally said. “It wasn’t easy to hold on after that happened.”

    “I was fighting tooth and nail to do whatever I could to stay in the draft and side draft guys,” Lally continued. “But it was definitely difficult to get off the gas and try to hook up with somebody.”

    “This was my third restrictor plate race so I’ve seen the benefits of the hook up every time,” Lally said. “We struggled on our own for about 20 laps or so but once we hooked up with other cars, we were pretty decent and were able to move up through the field.”

    Lally had particularly good luck when he teamed up with Terry Labonte, who was driving the No. 32 C&J Energy Ford. The Lally/Labonte tandem was so good together that they were able to push their way forward into the top ten at one point in the race.

    “That was not planned,” Lally said of his liaison with Labonte. “That was almost forced by me.”

    “Terry Labonte and Robby Gordon were running together and on the restart they got split up,” Lally continued. “Terry was on the bottom with a bunch of fast cars linked together. When I saw it, I moved to the bottom and drove up behind Terry, smashed him in the rear and started pushing him, whether he wanted me there or not.”

    “I think Terry was a little hesitant at first but after the first few laps, we started going forward and passing cars,” Lally said. “So, then we got a message over the radio from his spotter that he liked the way I was going and he wanted to stay together.”

    “We did that for the next 130 laps and we stayed together as best we could.”

    The tandem did indeed stay together, that is until mayhem ensued at the end of the race during the two green, white, checkered attempts at a finish.

    “Unfortunately, we weren’t in a position to really capitalize on that mayhem at the end of the race,” Lally said. “We had done a long green flag run but the pit stops weren’t what we needed and we lost the lead draft.”

    “And then we went on a long green flag run and the pack pushed by us to put us a lap down,” Lally continued. “If all that havoc had happened one lap prior, we would have been in decent shape.”

    “Once we took the white flag, we knew there was no more advancing of positions, so we just kind of backed off and tip toed through the minefield on the way to the checkered flag, passing battered car after battered car.”

    After finishing 27th, Lally admitted he was ready to put the superspeedway in his lone wolf rear view mirror and head to the first-ever Cup race, the Quaker State 400, at Kentucky Speedway. At that track, he will not be alone as he was at Daytona.

    “We’ve got a track that I’ve never been to,” Lally said. “But for the first time a number of other guys have never been to it either.”

    “A bunch of these guys have done the Truck race or the Nationwide race but from the information I got from the guys who did the tire test, it was fairly similar to Kansas,” Lally continued. “So, I think everybody will unload with their Kansas set up and go from there.”

    Lally is definitely a Kentucky wannabe as he currently sits 36th in owner points, just one position shy of being locked in.

    “Right now getting in the show will be the biggest thing,” Lally said. “It’s going to be a big challenge.”

    “We actually get a test day so we’ll get some laps on the track on Thursday,” Lally continued. “So, we’ll make some adjustments and see what we got for qualifying. We’ve got 48 cars for 43 spots so that’s a challenge.”

    “You’re never not trying to go hard but we’ll do more mock qualifying runs and do more in qualifying trim than race trim,” Lally said. “So, we’ll see.”

  • Oriol Servia Puts Newman-Haas Racing Back on the Map With Strong Start

    Oriol Servia Puts Newman-Haas Racing Back on the Map With Strong Start

    After not having a lot of success last year in the part that sponsorship funding could not be found, Newman-Haas has been able to put themselves back on the map this year with a large part of that being cause of Oriol Servia.

    [media-credit name=”oriolservia.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Nine races into the year, Servia currently has the No. 2 car fourth in points, 89 points behind points leader Dario Franchitti.

    “The season has been great, outstanding to the point that we’re getting so close to the win that we can almost smell it and I think that nothing else will satisfy us now, which is where we exactly want to be in IndyCar racing,” he said. “So we’re in a really good place, we’re getting stronger and stronger each weekend. I’m fourth in the points; I lost third in the last race, but we’re hoping this weekend that we have a good one and we can get back in the top three in the standings.”

    There’s been a lot of change within Newman-Haas, including the addition of rookie driver James Hinchcliffe, which has been good for the team.

    “It’s great, actually, because he’s not only a great driver, but he’s very fun to be around with,” Servia said. “He’s very smart and he’s a rookie, but comes with a lot of experience because he’s done Indy Lights and Atlantic Series for a few years now so he has a very good work ethic. We work really well together between us and the engineers and it’s the way it has to be to be successful in the series. So its been huge for me to have him as a teammate and I think being together is a big reason why we’re doing really well.”

    The Girona, Spain native got his start with Newman-Haas back in 2005 and the following season, he was able to finish second in points. From there, they tried to put a deal together, even running four races in 2009, though the deal didn’t come together till this year. He caught the eye of Newman-Haas after success in the Firestone Indy Lights, including a championship in 1999.

    “That’s a moment in my life where I was trying to become a professional racer, but I wasn’t yet,” he said. “That meant that I had to win the championship if I wanted any chance and the day I won the championship, I only lost control of all of my emotions and it was a great feeling.”

    While working his way up the ranks, he has learned many lessons, though for him, its all about the work ethic.

    “The biggest lesson in racing is that you gotta be consistent, you gotta never give up, and you got to work hard,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re talented or not, but if you don’t work as hard as you can, you just will not do it, even if you’re the most talented. So, you know racing teaches that you very well because each weekend you’re battling against similar equipment and other drivers and it’s a great way to test yourself every weekend. So definitely one of the biggest things I’ve learned in racing.”

    For Servia last week, it was a finish of 14th after qualifying ninth, though with the Honda Indy in Toronto this weekend, Servia is hoping for more success.

    “Its very difficult to start with, especially to race on, and we’ll see,” he said. “The street race, its very easy to make mistakes and ends up being a survival race, so the first thing is I just hope that we can be there at the end. That’s the first thing, and then hopefully fighting for victory.”

    While Newman-Haas has gone through some changes, the series is also going through changes as a new car will be introduced in 2012. To that, Servia says its a good addition for the series for the drivers and fans.

    “I think it’s great that we have a new car,” he said. “I don’t care how it looks, but I think its about time to have a different car. I mean, its good for the drivers as we have to get use to a new car, but its good for the fans also. I think this car has been used now for at least seven years, I think, and the fans like to see some innovation and some change and I think it won’t be difficult to make it a good looking car.”