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Wreck cuts short Alex Kennedy’s day at Dover in Nationwide race

CHINA GROVE, N.C. – Alex “Kid” Kennedy and the No. 23 Funny Dan Race Car Man/St. Baldrick’s Dodge team of R3 Motorsports didn’t have the results they were hoping for in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway.

After a fairly good practice session on Friday where Kennedy registered the 29th fastest time, but second fastest average for a 10-lap run, the team was poised for a good qualifying session on Saturday morning. When that was washed out by Mother Nature, the starting line-up was set by practice times lining the No. 23 Dodge up 24th on the grid.

After some rain delay, the team’s fired up their cars and took to the one-mile, concrete oval of the “Monster Mile” under threatening skies. Kennedy started out with solid runs and settled into 26th place.

A competition caution was set for lap 40, but an opportunity to make adjustments arose when the caution waved on lap 19. Walter Giles opted to pit the car for a chassis adjustment, lining up Kennedy 28th for the restart.

He would fall to 30th on lap 27, then started to pass cars to run 26th when the competition caution waved. Giles called for four tires, fuel, chassis and air pressure adjustments on the stop. Lined up 26th for the restart, Kennedy gained two positions in six laps.

While running 24th on lap 79, he radioed in the car was sliding pretty bad on the right-rear tire and the loose condition on the exit of the turns was getting worse. Giles said they would fix it on the next stop and for Kennedy to hang on until then.

While exiting Turn 2 on lap 87, the back end came out from underneath Kennedy. He tried to hang on after brushing the outside wall with the right rear quarter panel, but ended up spinning around and down the track with the right side making heavy contact with the inside wall.

After coming to a stop for a bit, Kennedy re-started the No. 23 Dodge and was trying to bring it to pit road. As he moved up the track, the car didn’t turn as quickly as desired and was hit in the right front fender by the No. 16 of Kevin Swindell causing it to spin around on the backstretch

The hit was so severe it tore the right-front suspension from the car leaving the right tire sitting out in front of the grill. The car was loaded on a roll back and taken to the garage leaving Kennedy and the No. 23 Dodge team of R3 Motorsports with a 32nd-place finish.

The team remains locked in via Owner’s Points tied for 29th place, trailing 28th by one marker and 27th by 11 points. Robert Richardson, Jr. returns to the No. 23 Dodge next week at Iowa Speedway.

Alex Kennedy Quotes: “This team didn’t deserve this finish. We had a good car that was getting better on the longer runs in the early part. After I spun to the inside wall out of Turn 2 there I was just trying to get back rolling again, but I just didn’t know how bad the damage was on the right side. I was expecting it to turn and it didn’t. I had the wheel cranked to get back to the pits to see if we could salvage the car, but it wouldn’t turn.

“It felt normal at first, then it just stopped turning and went straight to the top of the track. That’s when the 16 hit me and really tore the car up, and ended his day, too. I feel real horrible for Kevin (Swindell) because I ruined his day. I can’t apologize enough for that.”

May 15, 2011
Roush Yates Powers through Rain Filled Weekend

Mooresville, NC (May 14, 2011) Thunderstorms all along the East Coast couldn’t slow down Roush Yates Engines this weekend. Roush Yates’ horsepower shown through at Virginia International Raceway, Dover International Raceway, and Delaware International Speedway as three of their powerful engines found Victory Lane in three different racing series.

Jack Roush Jr., driver of the number 61 Roush Performance Products Mustang Boss 302R, took home the win in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Series at Virginia International Raceway on Saturday afternoon. Roush Jr. and his co-driver Billy Johnson fought their way through the 61-car field, surviving the inclement weather and some late race contact to earn their first win of the season.

Carl Edwards captured his third win of the season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the rain delayed 5-Hour Energy 200 at Dover International Raceway. Edwards ran down Joey Lagano and survived a spectacular last-lap crash to take the checkered flag under caution after the second green-white-checkered restart of the afternoon. He and teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. started on the front row after qualifying was rained and both Fords were fast all race long.

“It was an amazing race from my seat,” said Edwards. “We were playing the strategy with the rain and Mike was making great adjustments. Our pit stops today were really good. My guys did a great job all day long and I’m just really proud of this whole team.”

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series came to Delaware International Raceway on Thursday night and Rick Eckert, driver of a Roush Yates powered 450 Chevy Dirt Late Model engine, took home the checkered flag. Eckert is having a career-best season, winning two of the last three races and leading the in the points. Driving his self-owned Team Zero by Bloomquist machine, Eckert started on the outside pole and never looked back, out powering the field and dominating the entire race.

To learn more about all of Roush Yates Engines and Performance Products, visit www.roushyatesparts.com or come see their new Performance Products store located at 122 Knob Hill Road in Mooresville, NC.

May 15, 2011
Elliott Sadler Finally Where He Wants to Be: The Nationwide Series Point Lead

It took longer than he thought but Elliott Sadler is finally the point leader in the Nationwide Series. It’s a “finally” moment for many who have been waiting for Sadler to show up on the scene after a slow start led many to start looking elsewhere for contenders.

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]Here’s Sadler though, momentarily back on top in a sport he’s experienced all the highs and lows in. Following a 12-year career in the Sprint Cup Series racing for teams like the Wood Brothers, whom he won his first race with, to Richard Petty Motorsports Sadler, knew he needed to make a change. No longer having fun nor competitive, he ran select races for Kevin Harvick Inc. last season where he became rejuvenated. It led to a full-time ride and with NASCAR changing how points were going to be awarded, Sadler jumped to the top of the list as potential breakouts in 2011.

But following a wreck in the season opening DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona, Sadler was already in a deep hole. The OneMain Financial team went to work and starting stringing together top 10 finishes. By Darlington last weekend they had climbed to second behind Justin Allgaier, five points out of the lead.

At Dover, Sadler and his team would have to again scratch and claw their way back to the top. After starting eighth their day was almost done when they were handed a speeding penalty. At the same time the race was red flagged and had it been called, Sadler would have finished outside the top 15.

Fortunately, the sky cleared and with less than 55 laps to go Sadler got to work moving through the field, determined not to cost his team another good finish. He was sitting ninth coming off turn four to the white flag when all hell broke loose in front of him.

“I’m not sure what happened, I looked up and the 60 and the 20 looked liked they got together,” Sadler said afterwards. “Not sure how that all happened, we were just able to make it through the wreck by staying to the high side of it. It’s a self cleaning race track so we just stayed up high and made it though.”

What happened was scary. Joey Logano got loose and hit the wall and when he came back across the racetrack collected Clint Bowyer who went up onto his side and hit the inside wall. In the process others started to pile on behind.

Carl Edwards went to victory lane and with mayhem all around him Sadler would be able to skirt by for a sixth place finish.

“I made a mistake on pit road and got a speeding penalty right before the rain so I’m glad we were able to get back to racing because that helped us out a lot to race our way back up to sixth,” said Sadler.

With Allgaier having his own troubles and wrecking early in the race, Sadler’s finish made him the point leader by 10 markers over Reed Sorenson. It is the first time that he has led all season.

“I think I led in 1998 too,” Sadler joked. “First time in a long time. That’s our goal, to lead the points and be competitive and consistent so we feel like we’re in a pretty good spot right now. Daytona we started ourselves out in a hole and we’ve worked ourselves back up to where we want to be. Really good consistent runs.”

In Sadler’s words he has a really strong race team and one that he has confidence in. Now with the point lead in hand he’s eager to see what they can do with as they “keep after it” each week. In doing so, those who were looking for a championship favorite finally have. He was just late to the party.

May 14, 2011
Monster Crash in Dover Nationwide Race Leaves Carl Edwards as Survivor in Victory Lane

The Monster Mile lived up to its reputation, from a rain delayed start and a rain-induced red flag to one of the wildest endings ever during the second attempt at a green, white checkered finish.

[media-credit id=26 align=”alignright” width=”201″][/media-credit]After Joey Logano, who was running in the second spot during the overtime session, hit the wall, sending Clint Bowyer airborne and Steve Wallace hard into the wall as well, Carl Edwards, in the No. 60 Fastenal Ford, remained the survivor, claiming the checkered flag in the 5-Hour Energy 200.

In deference to the carnage on the track, Edwards declined to do his traditional celebratory back flip. He instead went to hoist the ‘Miles the Monster’ trophy in a subdued victory lane.

This was Edwards’ 32^nd career NASCAR Nationwide Series win, breaking the tie with NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominee Jack Ingram. Edwards now is fourth alone in that ranking for career Nationwide wins.

“It was an amazing race from my seat,” Edwards said. “A lot was going on. We were playing a strategy with the rain, our pit stops were really good. I thought that rain was going to finish us.”

“When we were coming to the white flag, Joey had a little advantage being on the outside,” Edwards said. “I thought I touched him but I saw the replay and it looked like he got loose and smacked the fence and the bottom fell out of it.”

“It was a very different feeling than what you should have in a race car when you win a race,” Edwards said. “It’s just very fortunate that nobody was hurt.”

“That’s why they call it the Monster Mile.”

Although involved in the wreck himself, Kyle Busch managed to navigate his way through the pile up, claiming the second place for his No. 18 MAC Tools Toyota.

“Well overall the weekend for us just wasn’t quite what we expected,” Busch said. “We unloaded and we weren’t very good off the hauler.”

“The guys dug in and did a great job,” Busch continued. “We caught on some damage on pit road and mashed in the front end, which made it even worse. We passed a lot of cars but then we stalled out.”

“The last lap got awfully crazy there,” Busch said. “I’m not sure if Carl touched him or not but Joey got a little loose and then tried to correct it and at that speed and at this kind of place, there’s not much you’re going to do besides spin out.”

“Joey took a hell of a hit and I’m hoping he’s alright and not too sore for tomorrow,” Busch continued. “There with Clint climbing over him, it just got ugly. That was pretty crazy.”

Reed Sorenson, behind the wheel of the No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet, finished third in spite of a damaged race car. This was Sorenson’s ninth top-10 finish in ten races at the Monster Mile.

“We were in fifth before the caution came out,” Sorenson said. “It usually gets dicey on green, white checkereds. I saw the 20 get into the wall and I was able to get up high and fortunately miss it for a good finish.”

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., in the No. 6 Mississippi Flood Relief-NASCAR Unites Ford, finished fourth and David Reutimann, driving for Rusty Wallace Racing, rounded out the top five in his No. 63 5-Hour Energy Grape Toyota.

The final wreck of the race was not the only craziness that occurred in this Nationwide event at the Monster Mile. There was another melee that occurred on Lap 88 when Alex Kennedy, driving the No. 23 St. Baldrick’s/Funny Dan Racecar Man Dodge, spun and hit the wall, bringing out the fifth caution of the day.

During the caution, however, Kennedy, trying to get his car re-fired and into pit road, drove back up the race track, slamming into the No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford. Kevin Swindell was called at the last minute by the team to substitute for the ailing Trevor Bayne, giving him the chance of a lifetime behind the wheel.

“I don’t know what happened,” Swindell said. “We were just talking on the radio and whoever was wrecked just drove straight up the hill.”

“This may have been my only opportunity,” Swindell continued. “And it gets ruined by somebody being an idiot.”

Kennedy, when interviewed after coming out of the infield care center, explained that he was unable to turn the wheel.

“All of a sudden, it stopped turning,” Kennedy said. “I just tried to stop. I feel horrible for Kevin and I ruined his day. I can’t apologize enough for that.”

Points leader coming into this race, Justin Allgaier also had a monster of a day at Dover. He blew a right front tire and hit hard into turns three and four, causing his first DNF in 21 starts.

“This was just a rough day,” Allgaier said. “Definitely not the way we wanted to leave Dover. Hopefully this is just a speed bump on the way to the championship.”

Elliott Sadler, by virtue of his sixth place finish in his No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet, assumed the points lead from Allgaier. Sadler is currently ten points ahead of Reed Sorenson, with Allgaier falling to fifth in the point standings.

“Our goal was to lead the points and be competitive and consistent,” Sadler said. “At Daytona, we started in a hole but that shows how good our race team is.”

Sadler’s day at Dover, however, was not without its challenges. On lap 141, Sadler was penalized for speeding entering the pits and remanded to the tail end of the lead pack.

“We did get the pit road speeding penalty and we fought our way back to the finish,” Sadler said. “It’s special to leave here with the points lead.”

Unofficial Race Results
5-Hour Energy 200, Dover International Speedway
May 14, 2011 – Race 11 of 35
====================================
Pos. Driver
====================================
1 Carl Edwards
2 Kyle Busch
3 Reed Sorenson
4 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
5 David Reutimann
6 Elliott Sadler
7 Kenny Wallace
8 James Buescher
9 Aric Almirola
10 Mike Wallace
11 Jason Leffler
12 Brad Keselowski
13 Joey Logano
14 Clint Bowyer
15 Mike Bliss
16 Steve Wallace
17 Josh Wise
18 Ryan Truex *
19 Joe Nemechek
20 Michael Annett
21 J.R. Fitzpatrick
22 Timmy Hill *
23 Danny Efland
24 Jeremy Clements
25 Eric McClure
26 Morgan Shepherd
27 Derrike Cope
28 Dennis Setzer
29 Justin Allgaier
30 Brian Scott
31 Tim George Jr.
32 Alex Kennedy
33 Donnie Neuenberger
34 Carl Long
35 Scott Wimmer
36 Tim Andrews
37 Jennifer Jo Cobb *
38 Kevin Lepage
39 Brad Teague
40 Brett Rowe
41 Jeff Green
42 Charles Lewandoski *
43 Blake Koch *

May 14, 2011
TOYOTA NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Dover International Speedway

Camry driver Kyle Busch (second) was the highest finishing Toyota in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Dover International Speedway.

David Reutimann (fifth) and Kenny Wallace (seventh) also earned top-10 finishes for Toyota.

Camry driver Joey Logano, who was running second, was involved in an accident on the final restart that ended the race and he finished 13th.

Camry drivers Steve Wallace (16th), Ryan Truex (18th), Joe Nemechek (19th), Michael Annett (20th) and Brian Scott (30th) were also in the field.

Six Camry drivers are currently in the top-20 in the unofficial NNS point standings following 11 of 35 races in the 2011 season — K. Wallace (seventh), Scott (eighth), S. Wallace (ninth), Nemechek (12th), Annett (13th) and Truex (17th).

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 MAC Tools Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 2nd Did you see the accident on the final restart? “I didn’t really want that kind of view. It’s going to take an awful lot of MAC Tools and Stanley Tools to beat the front end out of this thing. Luckily, we just cut it off and start over. It was a long day for us. We didn’t quite have the car we needed today, unfortunately this weekend. We kept working on it, trying to make it the best we could. The nose damage we had from earlier in the race coming to pit road just killed it. The guys did a good job and we just salvaged along and somehow we ended up second. We didn’t deserve to be second here, that’s for sure. Sometimes they get to you. I saw Joey (Logano) get out — I’m glad to see Joey is alright. I don’t know about Clint (Bowyer), but I hope he’s good, too. That was a wicked hit that Joey took in the turn four wall and then him getting climbed over. It’s good that the front bumpers and the front tires on these cars didn’t come through and hit Joey’s head — the seat or something like that — it could have been really bad. I’m just glad everyone is alright. We salvaged the day with our MAC Tools Camry. Unfortunately, it wasn’t our best, but maybe we can get the m in Charlotte.”

How wild was the race finish? “It was definitely a wild one there at the end. We had a struggling day to begin with our MAC Tools Camry. We just didn’t quite have the handle like we were looking for. Joey (Logano) seemed pretty good. There at the end, coming off the corner, I don’t know if someone got into him or what, that’s kind of what it looked like. Joey took an awful hard hit coming out of turn four on that wall. Then Clint (Bowyer) climbed over him. Luckily Clint’s bumper, tire or shrapnel didn’t get into his head or something like that and cause some serious damage to him. It was a rough day.”

How much did the track change during the race? “I think the biggest change we had was just knocking the nose in coming to pit road — that seemed to kill the handling of our car. We did the best we could trying to get it loosened up and trying to get it where we could run with those guys and get some speed out of it, but we just did not. We didn’t get anywhere today. I hate it, but we came out with a second somehow — I don’t know how that ended up. We’ll take it and we’ll move on into our next race with our Z-Line Designs Camry in Charlotte.”

Did you think the late cautions helped you close in on the leaders? “During the race there, throughout the beginning and the middle stages before we got our damage, we were probably a third or fourth-place car. It was going to be hard to get a third. A good fourth-place car. When I got that damage, it put us back to about a seventh or eighth-place car, but we kept working on it and trying to see if we couldn’t get our track position back somehow. There with the late caution, it definitely helped us. We were going to finish sixth. I think that’s where we were in line. With those late cautions and with the wrecking going on, it brought us up to second-place — so we got a second out of the deal somehow. On those kinds of days, I guess you take them. It’s pretty cool to get a finish like that even though we didn’t’ deserve it.”

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 64 5-Hour Energy Extra Strength Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Finishing Position: 5th

KENNY WALLACE, No. 09 G-Oil Toyota Camry, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard Finishing Position: 7th

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 13th What happened at the end of the race? “It just seemed like I either got tagged or I think just Carl (Edwards) coming up took the air off me enough to make me loose. I just think (watching a replay of the accident) — see I think he’s coming up the track. Those shark fins they got them — you get a car underneath you right about that point you feel the car starting to get loose. It’s unfortunate man. I felt like we had something to win this thing with the GameStop car. We had a good day, for sure. Just trying to get that little bit there at the end. Wish we didn’t tear up as many cars as we did.”

How are you feeling? “I’m fine.” Can you explain what you experienced at the end of the race? “It just looks like Carl (Edwards) was underneath me and he was starting to chase it up the race track. And, it just looked like he was in that spot — that vulnerable spot — right where it seems like it takes the air off your car a little bit and pushes you around. It’s not his fault. It’s just part of us racing really hard hear at the end. I didn’t get spun out. It’s just part of it. It’s just the way these cars are when you get someone underneath you like that it pushes you around.”

Did you see what happened to Clint Bowyer? “All I saw was the underside of him. I saw the underneath of it and I was like, ‘Holy cow.’ It seemed like I got loose and I tried to catch it and overcorrected it into the fence. I come off the fence and the 33 (Clint Bowyer) ramped off my left rear, I think. He went for a heck of a ride. I’m glad to see Clint’s (Bowyer) okay.”

Did Carl Edwards say anything to you following the race? “He just apologized. I don’t think he knew if he hit me or not either. I’m still not sure if he touched me or not. It was just tough racing.”

STEVE WALLACE, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Finishing Position: 16th

RYAN TRUEX, No. 99 Toyota Camry, Pastrana-Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 18th

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 19th

MICHAEL ANNETT, No. 62 Pilot/Flying J Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Finishing Position: 20th

BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 30th What happened on the race track to end your race? “Got a little free on the restart and it got out from under me, I tried to save it without getting into the car on the outside of me and I just lost it. The worst deal is for everybody on the No. 11 team and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing. We’ve had a rough year so far and we were looking to rebound here. A lot of the problems and bad luck we’ve had have not been our fault and now this was a driver’s self-induced problem that looks like it ruined our day and tore up a race car. I have to apologize to my guys and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing.”

May 14, 2011
Ford Dover NNS Post Race (Edwards Presser)

CARL EDWARDS, MIKE BEAM AND JACK ROUSH POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

TALK A LITTLE ABOUT THE RACE AND THE LAST FEW LAPS. “It was an amazing race from my seat. A lot was going on. We were playing the strategy with the rain and Mike was making great adjustments. Our pit stops today were really good. I thought that rain was going to finish us there. I didn’t think we were going to get it restarted but NASCAR did a good job getting the track dry. The second to last restart I really got Joey on that one and I thought it was over and then caution came out and I thought I was in trouble because you give a guy like Joey a second chance at that and he will do better, and he did. They we rolled coming to the white side-by-side and Joey had a little advantage being on the outside and I was driving really hard, really hard, both of us were. I thought I touched him but I saw the replay and it looked like he got loose and smacked the fence and the bottom got out of it. We are very fortunate that nobody was hurt.”

MIKE, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE STRATEGY WITH THE RAIN AND EVERYTHING THIS AFTERNOON? “The rain wasn’t on the radar but all of a sudden it started raining. We had to stop because with 40 laps on the tires it was something we needed to do in case it went back green. That was definitely a challenge but luckily that worked out for us.”

JACK, HOW ABOUT THIS WIN TODAY? “I want to say how proud I am to be an American and with what has happened around the world in the last two weeks. Past that, Mike Beam built a brand new car and it is the first time we have ran that new Mustang incorporating things they thought they learned this year and it wasn’t bad. Carl did a great job today. Ricky Stenhouse did a good job too. I am real proud of the entire Ford and Roush Fenway effort led by Carl and by Mike. I am happy they let me ride along with them.”

CARL, WAS THIS THE MOST EMOTIONALLY DRAINING WIN YOU HAVE BEEN A PART OF? “I don’t know. That was an odd finish emotionally for me to be honest with you. I thought I had bumped him and I thought somebody was hurt there. That looked like a bad enough wreck that I thought somebody was hurt. It was a very different feeling than you normally have in a race car at the end of a race. I am glad that I didn’t hit him and everything was okay. That is a product of what we do. When it comes down to it this race track we were driving so hard and there is so much grip and you are giving everything you can and the cars are so close at the end. Joey was racing as hard as he could and I was racing as hard as I could and that is why they call it the Monster Mile.”

HOW WERE THE TRACK CONDITIONS OUT THERE TODAY? “The track changed a little bit and it was different than practice a little bit. I am going to go back and talk to Bob Osborne about our set up for tomorrow because I think that there are some things I saw out there that I can apply for tomorrow. I am sure the Cup guys that ran today will do the same thing. It really did. The clouds were out, it was cool and then it drizzled. The jet driers changed things. The track did take rubber at one point which was something that can happen now and then but I don’t remember last time. It seemed that was different the way it happened. Hopefully I can apply that stuff tomorrow.”

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU GOT LOGANO LOOSE TO GET INTO THE WALL OR IS THAT NOT SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAPPEN ON THIS TYPE OF TRACK? “It surprised me that he got loose, just like I said earlier. His car was very good and he had the advantage being on the outside. That is why I thought I must have hit him, because it surprised me that his car wiggled like that. Watching the replay, I was far enough away and the placement of the cars, I truly think that where my car was I wouldn’t have loosened him. I don’t know if the track was kind of green up there or maybe there was something going on with the air but it surprised me probably as much as it surprised him.”

JACK, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE DAY KEVIN SWINDELL HAD WITH THE UNFORTUNATE END? “Kevin did a great job yesterday and I had something going on where I couldn’t be here but he did a great job yesterday and was being very careful with the car. He asked for a change and they made a change to the car. I talked to him after the accident and he said he was confident that he was going to get back the spots he lost early in the race and the car wasn’t right and the track was green. Kevin Swindell is a real surprise to me. The guys had a discussion with him last week and they agreed to put him in the car with Trevor still not being ready. He is going to do a great job. I was really impressed.”

JACK, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT TREVOR AND IF HE IS COMING BACK AT CHARLOTTE? “I can’t say definitely because I don’t have the right pay grade and education for that but he is making progress and his symptoms are by and large gone. His blurred vision is by and large gone but we are going to take him to Grisham in Georgia to give him some laps to see if he is comfortable and then report back to the doctors and NASCAR to see what they think.”

WHAT DAY WILL HE BE TESTING? “I am not sure. I was told it will be this week but I don’t know what day. It may very well depend on whether as well.”

FOR ALL THREE OF YOU, THE FACT THAT ALL THE DRIVERS WALKED AWAY FROM THAT LAST CRASH BUT THE MOST SERIOUS INJURY WAS TO A CREW MEMBER ON PIT ROAD. DOES THAT KIND OF CRASH CONCERN YOU ABOUT THEIR SAFETY AND CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE SAFER BARRIER ON THE INSIDE WALL AND THE FACTOR OF THAT? CARL EDWARDS — “We have what I would say is the safest form of auto racing that I have every been a part of here at NASCAR. I think NASCAR does a really good job. I just saw the replay there and I think the extra expense and effort that these tracks and NASCAR have gone, and for the car owners to, all of that stuff is to be commended. The fact that there are safer barriers at inside walls at these places is an extra measure of insurance that all of us appreciate.”

JACK ROUSH — “Happily not all the race tracks are the same. Unless my memory is flawed here Dover has more banking on the straightaways than any track we go to. That puts a special importance to have that inside wall protected as well. When Mark Martin and I came here in 1988 he spun out here a few times. Every time you spin here it is an exceptional circumstance if you don’t hit the wall. The gravity just takes you right into that inside wall. They have done a really nice job at this track with the safer barriers and other things. We really enjoy coming here and racing on concrete.”

May 14, 2011
Edwards Wins Nationwide Race in ‘Monster’ Dover Finish

Team’s 14th Dover Victory adds to Roush Fenway Legacy at Monster Mile

DOVER, Del. (May 14, 2011) – Roush Fenway’s Carl Edwards needed nine laps of ‘overtime’ to win his third Nationwide Race of the season and his second career NNS victory at the “Monster Mile” of Dover International Speedway. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who led early, finished fourth and moved up to fourth in the Nationwide Series point standings. Kevin Swindell, filling in for Trevor Bayne, showed promise, but was caught up in an early accident and finished 31st.

Edwards had to hold his lead against two green-white-checkered starts and the charging car of Joey Lagono. In the end, Edwards hung on by a thread as Lagono lost control and collected several cars behind him in one of the wildest Dover finishes ever.

The win was Roush Fenway’s fourth in the Nationwide Series at Dover and its 14th overall NASCAR win at the Monster Mile. It was Edward’s 12th NASCAR victory on concrete, his third NNS win this season and his 32nd career win in the Nationwide series. The Sprint Cup point leader has now won three times in NASCAR action at Dover and will look for his fourth in tomorrow’s Cup race.

The Nationwide Series returns to action next weekend for a stand-alone event at Iowa Speedway. The race is set for Sunday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. EDT and will be televised live in ABC.

May 14, 2011
NASCAR Nationwide: Can Jennifer Jo Cobb Make More Money as a Start-and-Park?

[media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”262″][/media-credit]

As a huge supporter of females having their right to play with the boys, I want to love Jennifer Jo Cobb. However, her inability to contend with the rest of the field this season has been somewhat alienating.

Yes, I know she is strong-willed, business savvy and a diva with social media. I often find myself impressed by how upbeat and motivated she is despite not knowing what her racing future may bring. However, I’m at a loss when I see her soliciting donations through a website to keep her car running. I keep thinking…isn’t there a better way?

The lack of money dredges ups the unpleasant idea of start-and-park. Respectfully, Cobb has taken a stance against the policy. Unfortunately, NASCAR is an expensive sport to participate in. Starting and parking a few races could potentially inject life into an otherwise flat lined season for Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing.

Originally used to fill the field, starting and parking has become a regular part of NASCAR. With the economy in such a downfall, sponsorship dollars are hard to come by. Starting and parking has become a way for smaller teams such as Cobb’s to race a few laps and earn a portion of the purse. Because they did not have the exuberant costs involved to run a full race, they can sometimes make a buck or two while they find more sponsorship money.

Cobb has won $80,280 and driven 633 laps in six races compared to $77,314 and 17 laps to the last place finisher of the same six races who started and parked. That is a mere $2,966 more than the start-and-park car and does not include the costs of the full set of race tires or car repairs for two accidents she was involved in.

I’ll admit, I have never advocated for start-and-park cars. Not to mention they always screw up my Yahoo! Fantasy Auto Racing team! However, JJC….if you are reading this…just know, your fans and I will continue to support you even if you must start-and-park a few races. Always remember, in every great team started a smaller team just like yours!

Oh and by the way, I didn’t pay the buck for this week’s NASCAR pool guessing how many laps until your wreck or break down at Dover.
@BimbolenaSports

May 14, 2011
Miles The Monster Continues to Survive Amongst Today’s Bigger Giants

During a time when the economy has taken its toll on the entertainment world, NASCAR as a sport was not immune and all the average fan had to do was look around at all the empty seats.

[media-credit name=”doverspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”263″][/media-credit]No longer are the tracks selling out like they used to, and the owners were left to begin experimenting with different promotions to try and draw the fans away from their television sets, and back into the stands.

Gary Camp, who is the director of public relations for Dover International Speedway, was able to answer a few questions about how the economy has affected “The Monster Mile.”

“The economy has affected ticket sales, but that is the case across the entire sport to some extent,” Camp said. “We are optimistic about 2011, and we are doing our best to improve the fan experience for everyone.

“We haven’t raised ticket prices in over five years, and we have been working hard to add value for our fans. From free, live concerts, to the Monster Monument, to our new, expanded FanZone…there is plenty to see and do, even beyond the racing, when you make the trip to the track.”

With Dover looked at as one of only three independent tracks left in the series, Camp was asked what type of impact it had over the bigger corporations such as the International Speedway Corporation which is owned by the France family, or Bruton Smiths Speedway Motorsports Incorporated.

“Because we aren’t part of the ISC or SMI families, we are often deemed an ‘independent’ track. We also own and operate Nashville Superspeedway, near Nashville, and Gateway International Raceway, near St. Louis, but Dover is the only track of these three that hosts a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race,” said Camp.

Camp also talked about the other entertainment options that are part of the Dover experience.

“The unique nature of the facility in Dover sets us apart from other venues, we share the property with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, and all the amenities they bring to the table.

“Fans love the opportunity to play the slots, eat at the multiple restaurants, and coming in 2010, they will play live table games. The ability to do this all on the same site as a race track is very unique.”

The planning and preparation that goes into making sure everything is in place for a typical race weekend can be very stressful, along with the stress factor of knowing that everything needs to be close to perfect.

A race weekend isn’t just put together in the few weeks leading up to the race, instead it takes months of careful planning.

“It’s interesting how many people are surprised to learn that many of our jobs here at the Speedway are full-time positions,” Camp said. “Many think we just open the gates on raceday, close them when it’s over, and do it again the next year.

“It’s a year-long, continual process getting ready for our two big NASCAR event weekends. Budgeting, advertising, creative development, promotions, and more all play in to our ultimate goal—selling tickets and getting fans to come to Dover to see a race,“ said Camp, while talking about the weeks leading up the big race.

Camp has been part of the Dover family for seven years now, and he started out working for an advertising and public relations agency that used to service the track, and casino, as a client.

Camp also mentioned that his most memorable moment throughout the years since he has been at the track was the Dover race following 9/11.

It was the first major sporting event after the attacks, so everyone was in a heightened state of security, and patriotism. MBNA handed out U.S. flags to everyone in attendance, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place as the national anthem and flyover happened that day.

Camp still remembers how vividly the “U.S.A.” chants were that rang through the grandstands, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. after having won the event, celebrated with a huge American flag flying out of his window during his victory lap.

There is plenty to see and do at this unique one-of-a-kind entertainment venue, and the staff at Dover are doing all they can by working with the local hotel operators to get them to help the fans with more reasonable rates, and reduced minimum night stay requirements.

The cost of lodging is typically the largest expense when attending a destination sporting event, so anything that the staff at Dover can do to make it easier on fans will be helpful.

If Miles, the 46-foot-tall monster, doesn’t grab your attention, then maybe 43 of NASCAR’s biggest names racing on this one-mile concrete gladiator ring will.

Either way you don’t know what you are missing, unless you experience it first hand and in person.

May 13, 2011
No. 60 Fastenal Ford Will Support Autism Speaks This Weekend At Dover

Concord, N.C. (May 13, 2011) –The No. 60 Fastenal Ford will sport the Autism Speaks blue puzzle piece logo as a sign of support for the nation’s leading autism science and advocacy organization this weekend at Dover International Speedway during the Nationwide Series 5 – Hour Energy 200.

This is the second consecutive year that Fastenal has sported the Autism Speaks puzzle pieceto raise awareness for this special cause. The Fastenal Ford will be one of 15 Nationwide cars displaying the recognizable blue puzzle piece.

“Thanks to everyone’s support, race weekend at Dover will take on special meaning for NASCAR fans and the autism community alike,” said Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks. “We couldn’t ask for better partners.”

Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating seven motorsports teams. Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and three in the Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. For more information on any of the Roush Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com(http://www.roushfenway.com/). Become a fan of Roush Fenway Racing on Facebook by going to http://www.facebook.com/roushfenwayand follow us on Twitter @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.

May 13, 2011