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  • NASCAR Drivers and Teams Guardian Angels for Paralyzed Veterans of America

    NASCAR Drivers and Teams Guardian Angels for Paralyzed Veterans of America

    NASCAR Kurt Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., A J Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski and team owners Richard Petty and Roger Penske are used to competing out on the race track.  But this weekend they were deemed guardian angels instead to the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

    “Honestly, these NASCAR drives and owners are guardian angels,” Randy Pleva, a paralyzed veteran from West Virginia and a volunteer leader with the PVA, said. “We know we can count on them and I know that they just won’t wash their hands of us ever.”

    [media-credit id=11 align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]The new Paralyzed Veterans of America initiative, supported by NASCAR, is called ‘Mission Able’.  This effort will focus on bringing awareness to the needs of veterans who have served their country but have returned home with some sort of disability due to a war injury.

    Kurt Busch, who has participating in a karting race, The King’s Cup, to benefit PVA shared why he was involved with the organization.

    “I’ve been working with some military groups this year,” Busch said. “It’s a mind blowing experience to see what these men and women have been through. To have Penske Racing teamed up with PVA means so much.”

    “This is my first year with PVA,” Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 56 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, said. “The things the military does for us, it goes unsaid how much we appreciate it.”

    “They make the ultimate sacrifice for us to do the things we love,” Truex, Jr. continued. “We wouldn’t be here racing in the greatest country in the world. This is just a small thing that we can do that, when they come back from battle, there is someone battling to take care of them.”

    One of the longest partners on the PVA team, at least on the NASCAR driver’s side, A J Allmendinger, was glad to have some new teammates in assisting the organization. Allmendinger donated space for the PVA logo on his Rolex car when he raced at Daytona to call attention to the new PVA program ‘Mission Able.’

    “For me, it’s just an honor to be a part of the PVA,” Allmendinger said. “Every year I’ve gotten to run the PVA paint scheme during the Fourth of July.  That is a big honor.”

    “The PVA has been a big part of the King and I’ve been honored to work with the great people of the PVA,” Allmendinger continued. “What they do for this country, you can’t even put into words. When they come back, we’ve got to take care of them.”

    Brad Keselowski is also in tune with the needs of paralyzed veterans.  His new foundation has focused on wounded warriors and those who have sacrificed.

    “If you look back to the history of NASCAR, a lot of it was started by folks that had served,” Keselowski said. “So NASCAR has a long, storied tradition of being involved with the military. Today this announcement is their next evolution and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

    Keselowski also shared a personal story of a friend who was wounded by and IED.

    “You see how real it is,” Keselowski said. “And you wonder who will be taking care of him. It’s very special what the PVA does.”

    “It’s a pleasure for me to be here today,” Roger Penske, team owner and new PVA partner, said. “The men and women who serve our country are a big family as is the NASCAR family.”

    Fellow team owner, Richard Petty, a long time supporter of PVA also weighed in on why he feels so passionately about this organization and ‘Mission Able.’

    “It is the right thing to do,” Petty said. “We need to help however we can to raise money and awareness so that our military and veterans can live the lives they deserve.”

    For PVA, they again reiterated how much the NASCAR partnership has meant to their organization.

    “We are pleased to have these NASCAR drivers supporting our mission,” Bill Lawson, National President of PVA, said. “With their help, we will be able to continue changing the lives of our wounded heroes.”

  • Tony Stewart Edges Clint Bowyer for One, Two KHI Nationwide Punch at Daytona

    Tony Stewart Edges Clint Bowyer for One, Two KHI Nationwide Punch at Daytona

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]In the third closest finish in Nationwide racing history at Daytona, Tony Stewart edged out Kevin Harvick Inc. teammate Clint Bowyer by .007 seconds to win the DRIVE4COPD 300.

    This is Stewart’s 10th NASCAR Nationwide victory in 91 races and his sixth victory at Daytona International Speedway.

    “Wow is the first thing,” Stewart said simply when asked about his win. “We got to the front pretty early and once we got to Clint (Bowyer), we knew we would be a pretty potent combination.”

    “We knew it was going to be between the KHI cars and the Gibbs cars,” Stewart continued. “We were sacrificing the speed to get air in the grille. You didn’t really know which strategy was best”

    “We had the caution and the flat tire,” Stewart said. “I didn’t realize we had as many cars a lap down, but that is what saved us.”

    Clint Bowyer, behind the wheel of the No. 33 Rheem Heating Cooling Chevrolet, came up just short of accomplishing the victory. Bowyer, who posted his 10th top-10 finish at Daytona, started the race from the pole.

    “A lot of work goes into these race cars for this place,” Bowyer said. “Hats off to these guys for sitting on the pole and I had a car capable of being up front and winning the race.”

    “The race was a little bit slow,” Bowyer said. “But then I found my dancing partner and we were able to make some ground and have some fun with the No. 18 and the No. 20.”

    Bowyer said that he was glad to see Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at the front in his Chevrolet and the two were able to work their way toward the front. Earnhardt, Jr. finished in the fourth position.

    “What do you do?” Bowyer said, reliving the end of the race. “I tried to block and then all hell broke loose. Awesome ending and that’s the thing that’s so much fun about this place. No matter what the race is, the ending is always great.”

    Bowyer also worked with JR Motorsports driver Danica Patrick during the race, at one point pushing her to the front. Patrick finished the race in her No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the 14th position.

    “Why not put her in the show?” Bowyer said of his push. “She did a good job today.”

    One of the best finishes was for young driver Landon Cassill, piloting the No. 1 Phoenix Construction Chevy. Cassill managed to finish in the third position right behind both of the KHI teammates.

    “It was just a crazy day,” Cassill said. “We didn’t draft at all in practice today, so it was a learn on the fly deal.”

    “Towards the end there Tony got lined up behind me on the restart and pushed me through,” Cassill continued. “I just followed directions and when we had to swap with two to go, I was just glad to push him.”

    “James Finch gave me this race as a gift pretty much for running his Cup car last year,” Cassill said.  “I wouldn’t be here without James Finch. He got me back in the sport.”

    NASCAR confirmed that Cassill is now the official points leader, by just two points over Reed Sorenson,in the Nationwide Series. Ironically, the driver shared that he does not even have a ride lined up for the next race of the season.

    “I don’t have a ride next week, so I’m just going to bask in this for the next seven days,” Cassill said of his points lead. “But if I don’t get a ride, Reed (Sorenson) will be back in the lead.”

    The potential points leader, Reed Sorenson, driver of the No. 32 Dollar General Chevy, scored a top five finish. Sorenson thought this was “pretty good”, especially since he was racing against so many Cup drivers.

    “The 4 and the 1 came down and we had to check up,” Sorenson said of the last lap of his race. “That pretty much ended our run. We were coming and we were going to have a shot to at least finish second or third or fourth there.”

    “This is my first time racing and it’s pretty much what I expected,” Sorenson said of the new racing style. “I guess we’re going to have to get used to it.”

    Jason Leffler, Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Michael Waltrip, and Trevor Bayne rounded out the top ten for the DRIVE4COPD 300.

    Unofficial Race Results

    DRIVE4COPD 300, Daytona Int’l Speedway

    February 19, 2011 – Race 1 of 34

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
    1 – 4 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
    2 – 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
    3 – 1 Landon Cassill Chevrolet 41 0 120 Running
    4 – 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
    5 – 32 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 39 0 120 Running
    6 – 30 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 38 0 120 Running
    7 – 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0 0 120 Running
    8 – 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 36 0 120 Running
    9 – 99 Michael Waltrip Toyota 0 0 120 Running
    10 – 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 35 1 120 Running
    11 – 38 Kasey Kahne Chevrolet 0 0 120 Running
    12 – 20 Joey Logano Toyota 0 0 120 Running
    13 – 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 31 0 120 Running
    14 – 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 31 1 120 Running
    15 – 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 29 0 120 Running
    16 – 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 28 0 120 Running
    17 – 52 Bobby Santos Chevrolet 27 0 120 Running
    18 – 15 Todd Bodine Toyota 0 0 120 Running
    19 – 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 25 0 120 Running
    20 – 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 24 0 118 Running
    21 – 5 David Starr Chevrolet 0 0 118 Running
    22 – 70 Shelby Howard Chevrolet 22 0 118 Running
    23 – 81 Donnie Neuenberger Dodge 21 0 118 Running
    24 – 141 Patrick Sheltra Ford 20 0 118 Running
    25 – 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 19 0 118 Running
    26 – 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 18 0 117 Running
    27 – 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 17 0 116 Running
    28 – 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 16 0 115 Running
    29 – 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0 0 107 Running
    30 – 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0 0 105 Running
    31 – 39 Josh Wise Ford 13 0 103 Running
    32 – 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 12 0 103 In Pit
    33 – 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 11 0 95 Running
    34 – 11 Brian Scott Toyota 10 0 70 In Pit
    35 – 40 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 9 0 57 Out
    36 – 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 8 0 53 In Pit
    37 – 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 8 1 51 Running
    38 – 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 6 0 45 Running
    39 – 62 Michael Annett Toyota 5 0 26 In Pit
    40 – 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 4 0 18 In Pit
    41 – 24 Kevin Lepage Ford 3 0 12 In Pit
    42 – 27 J.R. Fitzpatrick Ford 2 0 10 In Pit
    43 – 25 Kelly Bires Ford 1 0 5 In Pit
  • TOYOTA NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Daytona International Speedway

    TOYOTA NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes Daytona International Speedway

    Kyle Busch (seventh) was the highest-finishing Toyota driver in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Daytona International Speedway.

    Camry driver Michael Waltrip also earned a top-10 finish with a ninth-place result in the 120-lap event.

    Joey Logano (12th), Joe Nemechek (15th), Todd Bodine (18th), Steve Wallace (20th), Kenny Wallace (28th), Brian Scott (34th) and Michael Annett (39th) were also in the 300-mile race around the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

    KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 7th What happened at the end of the race with Joey Logano? “It was just unfortunate with Joey (Logano) there. We had two great race cars all day. We worked together the whole time. All we wanted to do was bring it home in one piece and unfortunately we didn’t make it — just circumstances. I saw the 4 (Tony Stewart) coming up in my mirror really, really quick so I tried to block the middle and come down just a little bit. Obviously that off-centered me from Joey’s rear bumper and turned him sideways — completely my fault. Unintentional, but just trying to make it to where the 4 didn’t have room to shoot up through the middle of us there and make us all three-wide all pushing each other. I hate it for those guys and Joey and everybody on the GameStop team. Our Z-Line Camry was good and worked well with them all day. Just unfortunate at the end there.”

    Did you have fun drafting with Joey Logano in the race? “Yeah, we did a great job today. All day we worked really, really well together. It was just due to circumstances. Joey wanted to run the top and try to stay separate from those guys, but I wanted to block the middle so (Tony) Stewart couldn’t come up there. We just weren’t on the same page at that moment in time and obviously we got a little disengaged there. Overall though, we worked really well on the radio and things were great. We did it in practice today on the Cup side. We’ll see how it plays out tomorrow and should be fine.”

    What were you able to learn today for tomorrow’s race? “That communication over the radio is a big deal I think. Having guys that you can click over and talk to — that’s going to be really, really key. That was good and just being able to talk and have that dialogue back and forth on what we could do, what we could strategize on and all that.”

    Were you optimistic when you were back with Clint Bowyer and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the last restart? “I felt pretty optimistic about it. I just wanted to block the middle so that would have made the 4 (Tony Stewart) and the 1 (Landon Cassill) pick a lane — who are you going to push? Are you going to push the outside or are you going to push the inside? They probably would have pushed the inside being as though they were Chevrolets too. That was my whole goal was to make it a race between us four and once the 4 kind of showed his nose there in the middle I tried to block it.”

    Will there be an added risk now of getting off-center in the closing laps and spinning the car in front of you? “I thought the 4 (Tony Stewart) was going to come up and push me and just try to get our row past, but then when he tried going through the middle — that’s obviously when I tried to block the middle. It got Joey (Logano) and I off-center and cost him to wreck. Luckily it wasn’t a big pile. I say Joey did a good job over-correcting. Normally you don’t say that you want to over-correct, but instead of spinning out in front of all of us and collecting all five or whatever there was left behind there — he did a nice job getting it out of the way.”

    Do you feel better prepared for tomorrow following this race? “Nope. It’s all circumstances. It just comes down to where you are at the end of the race and try to make the most of it. Tony Stewart must be the luckiest guy around Daytona every February — besides Sunday. He uses it all up on Saturday — that’s his deal. I’m trying to save a little bit of mine for tomorrow.”

    MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 99 Pastrana-Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry, Pastrana-Waltrip Racing Finishing Position: 9th How was your race? “It was disappointing. I should’ve helped Trevor (Bayne) at the end. I just screwed up. I should’ve let him get in line and I didn’t and then I didn’t have anybody to play with. Then Kasey (Kahne) got there, but it was too late. It was just typical — yesterday was perfect and it felt awesome and today everything just seemed to keep going wrong. We had a shot, but I just made a mistake. I should’ve pushed the 16 (Trevor Bayne).”

    MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 99 Pastrana-Waltrip Racing Toyota Camry, Pastrana-Waltrip Racing (cont) Do you expect the same type of racing in tomorrow’s Daytona 500? “Certainly. Today, I think, is a whole lot of what you’ll see tomorrow and so it just gets really crazy — 500 miles and you’ve got to be running at the end. We’ll just try and figure it all out and hopefully have a good outcome at the end of the day.”

    JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 GameStop Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 12th What happened at the end of the race? “Kyle (Busch) and I were just pushing each other trying to win the race and I can’t even tell you what happened because it happened so quick. We were just pushing each other hard and just talking to Kyle. He was trying to block the center group coming up and I think he just moved a little bit too quick and it just sent me going. I almost had a save and then it came back and slapped the wall so that was the end of that.”

    Did you think you and Kyle (Busch) had a chance to win the race? “Of course we had something for them. Kyle (Busch) and I were working with each other and we drove each other up there and we worked good as teammates all day. It’s not his fault. It’s just a product of this racing we’ve got. It sucks because you can’t do nothing about it. There’s nothing else we can do to make us stop doing it and unfortunately it’s just ridiculously stupid at the end of the day, and we were wrecking each other so that’s the hard part.”

    Do you expect the same type of racing in tomorrow’s Daytona 500? “Oh yeah, the same thing. The good thing is we did a good job as teammates working with each other and learning how to do this better. We did a good job with it all day. Our Toyota’s can’t push as long as the Chevy’s and Ford’s can so we had to switch a whole lot of times compared to everybody else. I don’t know what to do about a finish like that. That’s going to be part of our racing here at Daytona and at Talladega.”

    JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 D.A.B. Constructors, Inc. Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports Finishing Position: 15th

    TODD BODINE, No. 15 Tire Kingdom-Valvoline Toyota Camry, Germain Racing Finishing Position: 18th

    STEVE WALLACE, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Finishing Position: 20th

    KENNY WALLACE, No. 09 UNOH Toyota Camry, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard Finishing Position: 28th

    BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing Finishing Position: 34th What happened to take you out of the race? “I don’t know — we could’ve been the cause of it. I had the 31 of Justin Allgaier pushing me. He just had me out of control so I tried to radio my spotter to tell him to back off. We came out of (turn) 1 and the 60 (Carl Edwards) came down and things started happened. I know a wreck started, but I kind of got loose and then saved it and had it going straight and was just trying to miss everything and I didn’t see the 12 (Sam Hornish Jr.) coming through the grass back on the race track and ended up centering him. It’s just really unfortunate. These guys obviously put a lot of work in over the offseason on our Shore Lodge Toyota and it’s not the way that anybody wants to start off the season. Right now, we’ll just salvage whatever we can. These guys are going to get us back out there and we’ll get finished.”

    MICHAEL ANNETT, No. 62 Pilot Travel Centers/Flying J Toyota Camry, Rusty Wallace Racing Finishing Position: 39th

  • FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES – Driver 4 COPD 300

    FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES – Driver 4 COPD 300

    FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES Driver 4 COPD 300       

    February 19, 2011    Daytona International Speedway    

    JOSH WISE – No. 39 Cajun USA Mustang (Finished 31st) – “When you’re running in the pack it’s hard to see everything that’s going on, but from my vantage point I just saw someone get turned down in the grass.

     You know they’re gonna come back out across the track and it’s a decision of do you check up and cut across the inside to try and beat them across that way, or do you just try to stay in it and keep her on the outside.  I thought my best shot was staying high and squeezing around the outside before he came across the track and it wasn’t the best judgment I made today.”

    TREVOR BAYNE – No. 16 Ford Drive One Mustang (Finished 10th) – ARE YOU HAPPY WITH 10TH?  “No (laughing).  I never thought I’d say that, but we had a car to win, we really did.  They built us an awesome Ford Mustang.  We led a lot.  We had a tire come off – the left-rear – but saved the car and got back on the lead lap.  We got back up to fourth on the last restart and then got hung in gears between third and fourth and it kept us from hooking up with Stenhouse and the 6 car.

    We lost a lot of spots and gained a lot back to get to 10th, so I’m glad we got to 10th, but it’s upsetting and frustrating when you want to get a win for these guys and you’ve got a really good opportunity.

    I think we’ve got a good season ahead of us.  They’ve worked really hard on these cars.  Jack Roush and everybody at Roush Fenway has put a lot of effort into it, but we learned a lot for tomorrow.  That was a good thing.  I got to work with some Cup drivers out there, pushing them around and getting pushed by them. I had a lot of help to get back on that lead lap, so our day could have been worse, but we would have liked to win.” 

    WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY?  “The whole experience.

     I worked with all the drivers I’m gonna be racing with tomorrow.  We led some laps.  We pushed guys.  We got pushed by guys.  That was actually the first time in race trim I had been pushed.  In the Duels I pushed Jeff Gordon the whole time.  In this race, I pushed most of the time and then I got out front for a few laps and led and that was good for us.” 

    YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE GOOD LUCK ON YOUR BIRTHDAY.

    YOU HAD TO BE THINKING ON THAT RESTART THAT THIS WAS GOING TO BE YOUR DAY.  “It was good luck all the way until the last lap and then we made an error.  I thought I was in fourth because I felt it go in, but it wasn’t all the way in.  It was stuck in third and had I known I could have moved it around, but I’m just thankful we got back on the lead lap and that blown tire didn’t end a lot worse than it did.”

    WILL THE YOUNGER GUYS STICK TOGETHER TOMORROW?  “We had a lot of help from the veterans.  Stenhouse and I worked so good together, but when I was in trouble Brad Keselowski helped me out.  Carl Edwards helped me out.  Dale Jr. helped me out.  Kyle Busch, Joey Logano – I worked with all the class acts of the field today, so that was really cool.”

    RICKY STENHOUSE, JR.  – No. 6 Blackwell Angus Mustang (Finished 8th) – YOU LOOKED LIKE ONE OF THE CARS TO BEAT OFF THE RESTART THERE, WHY DID YOU FALL BACK?  “Yeah, I was just talking to Trevor and I thought I kind of messed him up because I thought he was going to wait on us but it ended up that he got caught between third and fourth gear so we lost a lot of ground there. He had a fast race car and he was really good at pushing. We were hoping to get hooked up there at the end because even with the little bit of damage on my car it still would lead pretty fast and he was such a good pusher. We saw the cup guys lining up together, so we were going to try to go together too. It just didn’t quite work out for us today, but we will definitely take the top-10 finish.”  NOW THAT

    YOU HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO RUN A FULL RACE OUT HERE, HOW WAS IT DIFFERENT THAN THE PREPARATION FOR THE RACE?  “I didn’t know exactly how it was going to be, but I would have definitely liked to practice more on the two car draft and pushing and stuff. We never really got the chance to do that a ton in practice. I feel like that is the thing to do. Getting the timing down and getting locked up as quick as you can is the thing that we need to do.” 

    DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR TREVOR FOR THE 500 TOMORROW?  “We were just talking about that. It was good that he got the opportunity to draft with some of those Cup guys today because they know he can push really good and his car is really fast for tomorrow. That is going to help him out a lot, I am definitely rooting for him.”

  • Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes – NNS Race Final – Daytona

    Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes – NNS Race Final – Daytona

    Saturday, Feb. 20, 2011     

    Denny Darnell

    Scott Sebastian

    Dodge Motorsports PR

    Daytona Int’l Speedway

    DRIVE4COPD 300

    Post-Race Quotes

    NASCAR Nationwide Series                           

    BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger) Finished 30th “What a shame.  This Dodge Challenger was really fast.  It’s just a shame not to be able to be there at the end of the race and have a shot at the win.  The guys did a great job building a fast race car.  We were able to get to the front anytime that we wanted all day.  I kind of got cut off.  I was trying to pass the 1 (Landon Cassill) car; we’d been working together early in the day.  I think he was going to pull down back in front of me trying to work with me.  I had someone pushing and you just can’t stop.  He came down in front of me and I wanted to get underneath him and he just kept pushing and put me in the grass.  It’s just one of them deals.  Just a little bit of miscommunication.  I feel bad for my guys who worked so hard on this car.  This Challenger was so fast all day.  We really thought that we were going to win this race.  It didn’t work out.  That’s racing.”

    ANY THOUGHTS ON YOUR NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES DNF (Did Not Finish) STREAK ENDING AT 102 RACES?  “It’s a bummer.  I’ve been lucky enough to have great racecars underneath me and lucky enough to be fast.  To run 102 races without a DNF is pretty incredible.”

    SAM HORNISH JR (No. 12 Dodge Challenger SRT8) Finished 36th “We just got collected twice, it’s a shame.  Both wrecks were about the same each time.  The first spin, somebody got sideways and get us turned.  Then we tried to get back on the lead lap.  The 15 was pushing us and somebody checked-up in front of me.  I had to get out of the throttle to not get into him.  We got spun around and ended up getting into the wall.  We had a vibration and the (front axle) toe was kicked out; it was enough for one day.  I just wish we could have done a little bit more with our Dodge Challenger SRT8 today.  This car was fast and looked awesome.  I love racing here at Daytona.  It was just a tough day.”

  • Race Schedule App For Droid Smart Phones

    What Time is the Race? There’s Now an App for That

    Android App Provides Instant TV Information for Fans of Eight Racing Series

    Asheville, NC, February 18, 2011 – SpeedWeekly Magazine, “Your Racing News Source,” is living up its billing by providing auto racing fans with a free Android App for the most popular auto racing television schedules. The App includes the start time and network of every nationally-televised race in eight different race series. A similar App for the Apple iPhone will soon be available.

    The free App, available for download from the Android Market on your phone or by visiting SpeedWeekly.net, provides the schedules for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, along with the complete schedules for ARCA, IndyCar, Formula One, Grand Am and American LeMans. The App premieres during NASCAR’s SpeedWeeks, the week leading up to the Daytona 500.

    “This new SpeedWeekly App is a major advancement for race fans on the go,” said Rick Bradham, Publisher of SpeedWeekly Magazine. “Other Apps may offer TV information about a specific network or racing series, but ours is the first to cover all nationally-televised races for eight of the world’s most popular auto racing series.”

    The user-friendly App allows fans to select a series and date and find the name of the race, the track, the start time, and the network televising the race. After each race, the name of the winning driver will replace the start time and network on the App.

    “Whether fans are on the road, in a different time zone, or just away from their computers, they can easily find the start time and network for all their favorite races. This exclusive new App puts the power of a complete program guide in the palm of your hand,” said Bradham.

    In addition to the new App, SpeedWeekly offers two website widgets that provide an auto racing TV schedule. To grab a widget for your site, go to speedweekly.net and select “TV Schedules” from the toolbar. Choose either the small or large widget, grab it and paste it to your website.

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    SpeedWeekly Magazine, “Your Racing News Source,” is a weekly publication dedicated to NASCAR and local racing. SpeedWeekly is distributed weekly at local race tracks, auto racing museums, race team facilities, select retailers and by subscription service. Local racing coverage includes all divisions and classes at 27 asphalt oval tracks in the Southeast along with 12 traveling series including ARCA, UARA, USAR and PASS South.

  • Nationwide Insurance Adds Danica Patrick to You and Me Both Junior Team

    Nationwide Insurance Adds Danica Patrick to You and Me Both Junior Team

    Move over ‘You and Me Both Junior’ as there is a new girl on the team.  Nationwide Insurance announced today that Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports, will join her boss and the Earnhardt family as part of the Nationwide promotion team.

    [media-credit id=11 align=”alignright” width=”257″][/media-credit]Patrick, who is also a Nationwide customer as are Dale Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt, met with the media at Daytona International Speedway to announce the new partnership.

    “We are thrilled to be here to talk today about our relationship with JR Motorsports,” Jennifer Hanley, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Nationwide, said. “We have been in a relationship from a motor sports perspective for four years.”

    “One of the nice things that happened when we came together is that we learned that the Earnhardt family has been long-time customers of Nationwide,” Hanley continued.  “In fact, the relationship spanned over thirty years.  So, it was a great story for us to tell together.”

    “With the addition of Danica now to JR Motorsports, it gives us a fresh, new opportunity to talk about new products and services that our company has,” Hanley said. “One of those new products is the vanishing deductible.  We were able to bring Danica together with Dale to bring some humor to a spot that features both racers.”

    The commercial, shot on location at Charlotte Motor Speedway, shows Jr. and Danica on pit road.  Danica encourages Junior to “Go Long” and tells him to “Keep Going” until he vanishes from the picture, all the while explaining the benefits of Nationwide’s new Vanishing Deductible plan.

    As Danica rambles on, the commercial turns to Dale Junior driving away from the track, sharing the fact that something else has been vanishing besides his presence on pit road.  In fact, Junior shares that Danica’s ride home as just vanished, as he smirks in a self-satisfied way and drives off pit road.

    The commercial was previewed in the media center and drew an enormous laugh, particularly after Junior’s wicked grin and ditching of his protege.

    “Thank you for laughing because that really was the reaction we wanted,” Patrick said.  “It was really fun to shoot.”

    “Dale and I had worked together on a music video but it’s been a while,” Patrick said.  She and Junior had shot a Jay-Z music video “Show Me What You Got” in Monaco in 2006.

    “So, it was nice to do that and nice to do that with my boss as well,” Patrick said.  “I really like the commercial and I felt like I was getting it as we were doing it.  I think that in any successful campaign the product is good too.”

    “I’m honored to be with Nationwide now,” Patrick continued.  “But being with Dale is icing on the cake.”

    For his part, Junior also enjoyed his time shooting the commercial with Danica.

    “I expect the ‘Go Long’ TV spot will be one of the most popular,” Junior said.  “This was my first commercial with Danica Patrick so everyone will have to determine who played their role the best.”

    While both of the ‘stars’ were praising each other, they both acknowledged that shooting the commercial was quite a bit of work.   They still worked through it in record time, completing their task in about four hours.

    “Well, we did many shots,” Patrick said.  “Dale did his share of running.  He got himself a work out.”

    Patrick also joked that the filming had to be completed expeditiously on her account.

    “It’s really about my hair,” Patrick said.  “It’s about the hair blowing in my face, so it was about getting it out of my mouth.”

    As does her boss, Patrick too has absolute faith that the commercial will be a hit, especially as she watched the reaction of all in the media center.  Nationwide is also sure that the commercial will benefit their product.

    “In pre-market testing, the 2011 ad featuring Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Danica Patrick has shown double digit increase over the 2010 ads.” Hanley said. “We think NASCAR fans will enjoy the banter between the two superstars.”

    Kelley Earnhardt also echoed the commitment of JR Motorsports, as well as the Earnhardt family, to Nationwide Insurance.

    “Pretty much what it means to our family is an authentic long-standing relationship,” Earnhardt said.  “To have this partnership has been a win win for JR Motorsports and Nationwide.  We’ve done a lot of fun things together and it’s been fun to add Danica to that mix.”

    Dale Junior added his appreciation to Nationwide Insurance, not just from a business perspective as sponsor of the Nationwide Series, but also on a personal level.

    “One of the best things that I can do is align myself with companies and brands that I actively use,” Junior said.  “This is a partnership that is as genuine as they come.”

    “Nationwide was recognized by NASCAR this past year for their marketing achievements and TV campaigns,” Junior continued.  “It’s an honor to be a part of it.”

    The new Nationwide commercial will debut nationally on ESPN during the Daytona Nationwide race.  It will also be run for audiences outside of motor sports, which is intended to reach an even broader audience.

  • Robert Richardson Jr. Puts Wildlife Conservation Society Into Daytona NNS Opener

    DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (February 18, 2011) – – Robert Richardson Jr., qualified his No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge Challenger R/T 38th Friday afternoon at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway securing the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) a starting position for tomorrow’s DRIVE4COPD 300, the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season-opener.

    Richardson Jr., who is pulling double-duty this weekend by also partaking in Sunday’s prestigious Daytona 500, maneuvered his brilliantly designed No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge Challenger R/T around the 2.5-mile superspeedway in a time of 51.064 seconds at 176.249 miles per hour.

    Boasting a defying paint scheme, crafted by the legendary NASCAR artist Sam Bass, the No. 23 Dodge Challenger will display a tiger, an elephant, a penguin, a dolphin and a turtle along with the Wildlife Conservation Society logo. R3 Motorsports, Sponsormonsters and WCS will use this recently announced partnership to bring further awareness to the need to save wildlife and wild places around the globe.

    “The car was real smooth, it drove real well,” said Richardson, who will make his 70th career Nationwide start and ninth at Daytona Saturday afternoon. “I just want to thank everyone who has commented on the paint scheme. It’s really cool to be driving something this neat. Hopefully, we can have a good run tomorrow and put this No. 23 Wildlife Conservation Society Dodge Challenger R/T up front.”

    On Thursday morning, Richardson Jr., the McKinney, Texas native drafted his WCS Dodge Challenger R/T to the 11th fastest time proving that has a car competitive enough to be a threat in the 30th annual DRIVE4COPD 300.

    “I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again, we have a real good race car,” sounded Richardson Jr. “It may not have been super fast by itself, but she really hauls in the draft and that’s when it counts. Our biggest goal is to avoid any trouble on the track and be around with five laps to go so we can give everyone that supports WCS something to cheer about!”

    The green flag waives in Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300 (120 laps / 300 miles) at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway shortly after 1:00 p.m. Eastern on February 19th with live coverage on ESPN2, MRN Radio and Sirius XM Satellite Radio (Channel 128).

    For further information and to join WCS’s mission, please logon to their website at WCS.org. http://www.wcs.org/

    About WCS:

    Founded in 1895, the Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. They do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes toward nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to its platform, because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

  • Dodge Qualifying Quotes — Nationwide Series at Daytona

    BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger) Qualified 12th

    HOW WAS YOUR QUALIFYING LAP? “It was a decent run, just about what we expected. We’re ready to race. It should be interesting to see how things play out in tomorrow’s race. I’m looking forward to it.”

    WHY RACE IN BOTH NASCAR SERIES? “It takes a lot of work to drive in both series, but it’s rewarding. I enjoy it, especially when you have fast cars like we have with our Dodge Challenger on the Nationwide side. Hopefully, I can learn things that will make me a better race car driver. I have fun. We’re able to make Penske Racing stronger. We’re able to do things for Dodge. We’re able to get sponsors like Discount Tire. There are just too many benefits to pass up.

    HOW DIFFICULT IS IT KNOWING YOU’RE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE NATIONWIDE TITLE? “It’s painful, but it is what it is. We had a really great year last year and we can still run for the owner’s championship. We’ll just try to focus on the positives.”

    TODD GORDON (Crew Chief, No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger)

    “We’ll see where that (qualifying run) shakes out. With the plate changes this week, it’s been a little bit of a challenge, but we feel like we’ll race really well. We didn’t expect to be on top of the board in qualifying. I think the winner of the race will come from a two-car draft at the end. I don’t’ know that they’ll do it (draft together) all day, but at the end it will be two cars locked together.”

    SAM HORNISH JR. (No. 12 392 Dodge Challenger) Qualified 17th

    “It was an OK lap, not quite as quick as we wanted to be. It’s so hard to tell where you were at for speed in yesterday’s practice with all the other cars out there. We can’t do anything but get ready for tomorrow. This is a little bit different than what it’s been in the past as far as coming to Daytona, but I really enjoy being in this Dodge Challenger. It’s a different style of racing than what I’ve ever run here at Daytona. I was really partial to the old surface where the car slid around a lot. You had to get in and out of the throttle. I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow.

    GIVE ME AN IDEA OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE BUMPERS LINING UP? “There are several things that are different between the Cup cars and Nationwide cars. If you look at the front bumper of the Cup cars, there’s a longer flat area across the front of the bumper. That allows you to push the guy straight forward. These Nationwide cars have a more round nose, plus the cars are lower in the front and the bumpers are a little bit higher. The rear bumpers on the Nationwide cars are also a lot softer than on the Cup cars. You can’t hit that person as hard. It will cave in the bumper. It should be interesting to see the drafting tomorrow.”

  • Bodine Racing in NNS at Daytona – First Time Since 2003

    Todd Bodine Racing No. 15 Tire Kingdom Camry at Daytona First Daytona NNS Race for Bodine Since 2003  

    * Bodine is the Reigning Truck Series Champion after earning his 2nd title in 2010

    * Bodine is Third Driver in Truck Series History to Win Multiple Titles, and Clinch Early

    * Bodine Owns 21 Truck Series wins with Germain Racing and 36 NASCAR career wins

    * At Daytona, Bodine has finished 5th or better in each of six NCWTS races

    * The Chemung, NY, driver owns 15 NNS victories and seven Pole awards in 324 career starts

    Mooresville, N.C. (February 18, 2010) – Germain Racing driver and reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Todd Bodine is giving Tire Kingdom as well as team sponsor Valvoline double exposure in Daytona this weekend. Bodine races the No. 30 Tire Kingdom Tundra tonight at Daytona International Speedway and tomorrow he will compete in his 12th race in NASCAR’s number two series at the famous race track behind the wheel of the No. 15 Tire Kingdom Camry. “ Tire Kingdom has been in racing — they do a lot of other things in NHRA and drag racing, and they partnered with Valvoline to come up with this program for Speed Weeks.  

    We’re really proud to be able to be with them in NASCAR. Hopefully we can grow the program and make it bigger and better down the line,” said Bodine, who scored a victory sporting the Valvoline logo last season in the Truck Series at Texas Motor Speedway. 

    Follow Germain Racing on Twitter @GermainRacing or on the web at Germainracing.com or become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/pages/Germain-Racing/198863890135.  

    Service Central® is the automotive service offering available exclusively at Tire Kingdom®, NTB-National Tire and Battery®, Merchant’s Tire and Auto®, and Big O Tires®. Available at nearly 1,300 locations nationwide, its trained and certified ASE technicians use state-of-the art equipment to provide quality service on cars or trucks. The nationwide warranty provides peace of mind while it protects consumers and their investment in over 40 states. (http://www.facebook.com/ServiceCentralRacing)  

    ABOUT TBC RETAIL GROUP

    Headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, TBC Retail Group, Inc., a subsidiary of TBC Corporation, operates more than 800 tire and automotive service centers under the brands: Tire Kingdom®, NTB – National Tire and Battery®, and Merchant’s Tire and Auto Centers®, along with nearly 500 franchised Big O Tires® locations. The contingent of nearly 1300 stores has trained and certified ASE technicians who use state-of-the-art equipment to provide quality service on cars and trucks.  The nationwide warranty provides peace of mind while it protects consumers and their investment in over 40 states.  TBC Retail Group employs more than 300 associates at its Juno Beach , Fla. headquarters and approximately 10,000 associates nationally.  To locate a store near you, call 800-NEW-TIRE. TBC Corporation, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens , Florida , is one of the nation’s largest marketers of automotive replacement tires through a multi-channel retail and wholesale strategy.        N

    otes: Bodine, No. 15 Tire Kingdom Camry Daytona International Speedway * Bodine has 15 Career Wins in NNS and seven pole awards. He has earned 90 top-five and 160 top-ten finishes in NASCAR’s number two series. He has 324 starts and owns Germain Racing’s first top-ten and top-five finishes in NNS. * Bodine has 11 NNS starts at Daytona including a runner-up finish (1 top-five, 3 top-tens) * Bodine’s last NNS start at Daytona was in 2003 (Start 20th, Finish 8th) * Bodine has competed in 9 NSCS races at Daytona, led in three and earned 2 top-ten’s * Bodine has raced in 6 NCWTS events at Daytona, completed all 602 laps, led laps in every race and scored fifth or better in each race, including two wins * Tire * Last season, Todd Bodine became the third driver in Truck Series history to clinch the Truck Series championship title early, and, to clinch multiple titles

    * Germain Racing is only the second team in Truck Series history to earn multiple wins in seven consecutive seasons. The team has 22 wins, nine pole awards and two championships * Bodine has two wins at Daytona that came as part of a four-race restrictor plate track sweep (Talladega 2007, Daytona, 2008, Talladega 2008, Daytona, 2009—NCWTS)

    * Bodine has earned 21 wins and seven pole awards of Germain Racing’s Truck Series total of 22 wins and nine pole awards * In six full-time seasons in the Truck Series, Bodine has scored championship finishes of fourth or better, including two championship titles (2006, 2010) * Germain Racing competes in NASCAR’s three national series and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Follow Germain Racing @GermainRacing on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook * Germain Racing is seeking team sponsors. Visit www.GermainRacing.com * Germain.com is the central website for the Germain Motor Company, a top-25 automotive retail network with locations in Ohio , Florida and Arkansas . Shop Germain.com for your next car or truck purchase           Lori Smith Germain Racing 218 Raceway Drive (704) 799-4300 Office (704) 799-7742 Fax lsmith@germain.com www.germainracing.com Twitter: @Germainracing Also on Facebook: Germain Racing   Mooresville, NC 28117Kingdomhas joined Bodine and Germain Racing for the Daytona weekend in conjunction with team sponsor Valvoline ABOUT SERVICE CENTRAL: On SPEED, watch Bodine in the No. 30 Tire Kingdom Tundra on Friday, February 18th, at Daytona International Speedway on SPEED with race coverage beginning at 7:30 PM Eastern. Or, tune your radio to your local MRN affiliate.

    Watch Bodine on ESPN2 on Friday at 4:00 PM ET as he qualifies the No. 15 Tire Kingdom Camry for Saturday’s race which airs on ESPN2 at 1:00 PM ET. Germain Racing and Bodine were hoping to make it a trifecta weekend for Tire Kingdom ’s debut run with the team, but Bodine was caught up in a late race crash in the Gatorade Duels on Thursday afternoon which spoiled his bid for a spot in the Daytona 500 starting lineup. Still the driver affectionately known as “The Onion” will do his best to make the competition cry and the fans cheer wildly on two different broadcast networks this weekend at Daytona.