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Featured Other Series

  • Marquez Wins Ninth Straight, One Away From Tying Record

    Marquez Wins Ninth Straight, One Away From Tying Record

    Honda Repsol rider Marc Marquez captured his ninth straight MotoGP victory at the Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland on Sunday, bringing the 21-year-old’s perfect season to the doorstep of the all-time consecutive win record to open a season.

    Next month in Indianapolis at the Grand Prix of the Americas, Marquez can tie Giacomo Agostini’s record 10 wins to open the 1970 season.

    Marquez won the German Grand Prix in what has become typical dominant fashion, beating Repsol Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa to the line by 1.4 seconds. The two Spanish riders were joined on the podium by fellow countryman and two-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo.

    The race at the 2.281-mile Saschenring began similarly to the previous event in the MotoGP schedule at Assen, Holland, with fickle rain showers leaving teams unsure of whether to run wet tires or slicks prior to the start.

    Unlike the Assen event, the opening to the German Grand Prix was characterized by a sort of organized chaos, with over a dozen riders coming to the pit, changing to slicks and then setting up for the start in a tight bunch at the end of pit lane.

    Marquez and Pedrosa, who were set to start first and second, respectively, were among the riders starting from the pit. LCR Honda rider Stephan Bradl elected to run slicks in advance, and was given the advantage of starting from his pre-determined spot on the front row by himself, with other riders gapped several rows behind him. After the starting group began the race from the track itself, the pit lane bunch was allowed to take to the course as the on-track group passed.

    Bradl’s early lead and wide gap to second was compromised within a few laps, with Marquez and Pedrosa catching and overtaking the German rider by Lap seven.

    The partially wet track dried over the coming laps, and Marquez and Pedrosa routinely swapped best lap times as grip increased.

    The Movistar Yamaha team also worked its way through the field, as Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi passed Bradl for fourth and fifth places, respectively.

    In the coming laps, Marquez maintained a lead of at least a half-second on his teammate, although Pedrosa never let the younger rider pull away. By Lap 22, however, Marquez increased his lead to 1.5 seconds.

    Marquez crossed the finish line with a comfortable gap to second, though not as wide as the previous round in Holland and several earlier rounds.

    The Repsol Honda and Movistar Yamaha riders maintained their positions in the top four, followed by satellite Ducati rider Andrea Iannone in fifth place.

    Tech3 Yamaha rider Bradley Smith crashed early, making it his fifth wreck of the weekend.

    Marquez extended his 72-point lead over Pedrosa to 77 points, while Rossi, who was formerly tied for second, drops to 84 points back in third.

     

    Results:

    1. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda)

    2. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda)

    3. Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha)

    4. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha)

    5. Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing)

    6. Aleix Espargaro (Forward Racing)

    7. Pol Espargarò (Tech3 Yamaha)

    8. Andrea Dovizioso (Factory Ducati)

    9. Alvaro Bautista (Gresini Honda)

    10. Cal Crutchlow (Factory Ducati)

    11. Scott Redding (Gresini Honda)

    12. Hiroshi Aoyama (Drive M7 Aspar)

    13. Karel Abraham (Cardion AB)

    14. Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar)

    15. Danilo Petrucci (Iodaracing)

    16. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda)

    17. Yonny Hernandez (Pramac Racing)

    18. Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing)

    19. Bradley Smith (Tech3 Yamaha)

    20. Colin Edwards (Forward Racing)

    21. Broc Parkes (Paul Bird Motorsport)

    22. Mike Di Meglio (Avintia Racing)

    23. Michael Laverty (Paul Bird Motorsport)

  • HUNTER-REAY STEALS VICTORY AT IOWA SPEEDWAY

    HUNTER-REAY STEALS VICTORY AT IOWA SPEEDWAY

    NEWTON, Iowa (Saturday, July 12, 2014) – Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay stole what appeared to be a dominant race win from Tony Kanaan just two laps from the checkered flag in Saturday night’s Iowa Corn Indy 300 presented by DEKALB.

     

    Kanaan, who started second in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, led 247 of the race’s 300 laps, but couldn’t stave off Hunter-Reay after a late-race pit stop for tires catapulted the reigning Indianapolis 500 winner to another Verizon IndyCar Series win at Iowa Speedway.

     

    Hunter-Reay, whose No. 28 DHL car was running 10th on the Lap 292 restart, shot to victory by 0.5814 of a second over Josef Newgarden in the No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing entry.

     

    Newgarden, who started 21st and was running 11th at the green flag for the final restart, also pitted for tires on Lap 284 and overtook Kanaan on the final lap to tie his career-best finish.

     

    It was the fifth consecutive victory at Iowa Speedway for Andretti Autosport, which has won six of the eight races on the 0.894-mile, variably-banked oval. Hunter-Reay also won at Iowa Speedway in 2012.

     

    “That was crazy. We took the tires as a big gamble and credit to (race engineer) Ray Gosselin and (race strategist/team owner) Michael Andretti for making that call,” said Hunter-Reay, whose two laps led were the first since he won the Indianapolis 500. “That was fun. It was like a video game at the end. We had a tough day, but you have to keep your head in it in the Verizon IndyCar Series.”

     

    Hunter-Reay had recorded only two top-10 finishes in the six races since Indianapolis on May 25. He reclaimed third place in the championship standings – 32 points behind new front-runner Helio Castroneves of Team Penske, who finished eighth.

     

    “We stole it today but I’ll take it any way we can get it,” Andretti said. “We’ve lost many that way. It was a day we probably weren’t supposed to win, but, like I said, we’ll take it any way we can get it.”

     

    It was Hunter-Reay’s third victory of the season, and though Kanaan tied his season high he was disappointed not to give Target Chip Ganassi Racing its first victory of the season. There have been eight different winners, representing six teams, in the 12 races.

     

    “It’s such a shame because we dominated the race,” said Kanaan, who won the race in 2010 and finished on the podium each of the past five years at Iowa Speedway. “To win races we have to run up front, so we’ll take the third place and go to Toronto. I don’t think I left anything out there today.”

     

    Teammate Scott Dixon, the reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion who claimed his first Verizon P1 Award of the season on July 11, finished fourth and Ed Carpenter advanced five positions relative to his starting spot for fifth place in the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka car.

     

    No pole sitter has won at Iowa Speedway.

     

    The race was red-flagged after 39 laps because of moisture on the racetrack and resumed after a 26-minute delay. The last red flag because of rain was at Sao Paulo in 2011.

  • Andrew Ranger survives Alberta Has Energy 300 to score second straight victory

    Andrew Ranger survives Alberta Has Energy 300 to score second straight victory

    For the second consecutive weekend in a row, Andrew Ranger and the No. 27 MOPAR team would be celebrating in victory lane as Ranger would lead the final 45 laps en route to victory in the Alberta Has Energy 300 at Edmonton International Raceway.

    It marks Ranger’s 19th NASCAR Canadian Tire Series career victory and ties him for first with D.J. Kennington with the most wins all-time in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. It also marks his second victory of the 2014 season. Notably, the last time Ranger won a pair of races back-to-back was in August 2009 on his road to his second career championship.

    “I am so happy,” Ranger commented post-race. “We worked so hard this weekend and I have to thank my team as they worked hard. We didn’t have a good set-up this morning, but we had a really fast car tonight. It was amazing.”

    After qualifying in the top-five, Ranger ran solidly up front all night long before making the move by pole sitter Alex Tagliani to take the lead. Ranger would then hold off a charge from Jason Hathaway on the green-white-checkered to head to victory lane.

    L.P. Dumoulin would slip by Hathaway on the green-white-checkered to finish second, while Hathaway rounded out the podium after winning three of the last four NCAT oval races. J.R. Fitzpatrick and D.J. Kennington would round out the top-five.

    Joey McColm and Larry Jackson both posted season-high finishes in finishing sixth and seventh respectively. Defending series champion Scott Steckly finished eighth, followed by rookie Stefan Rzadzinski and Noel Dowler. Edmonton Late Model Champion Erica Thiering finished 11th in her second career Canadian Tire Series start. 

    After scoring the pole, Tagliani led the majority of the race, though got loose in turn one on lap 296, resulting in a spin and heavy contact from McColm ending his night. Fellow front row starter Mark Dilley would finish 18th after having to pull behind the wall with mechanical issues.

    The next race for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is at Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatchewan on Wednesday July 16th as the series continues the series annual western swing.

     

    Pos No. Name Laps Total Tm Diff
    1 27 Andrew Ranger 316 52:04.6
    2 47 L.P. Dumoulin 316 52:04.8 0.177
    3 3 Jason Hathaway 316 52:04.9 0.341
    4 84 J.R. Fitzpatrick 316 52:05.1 0.511
    5 17 D.J. Kennington 316 52:05.1 0.54
    6 25 Joey McColm 316 52:05.9 1.269
    7 56 Larry Jackson 316 52:06.5 1.916
    8 22 Scott Steckly 316 52:07.1 2.482
    9 24 Stefan Rzadzinski * 315 52:06.7 1 Lap
    10 5 Noel Dowler 313 52:08.2 3 Laps
    11 72 Erica Thiering * 311 52:08.7 5 Laps
    12 48 Steve Mathews 310 52:07.5 6 Laps
    13 18 Alex Tagliani 295 40:40.3 21 Laps
    14 51 Nick Jewell 295 40:41.7 21 Laps
    15 33 Bob DeLorme * 283 52:09.5 33 Laps
    16 28 Jamie Krzysik * 259 30:43.2 57 Laps
    17 14 James Van Domselaar 240 22:49.6 76 Laps
    18 83 Ian Admiraal * 230 23:50.2 86 Laps
    19 02 Mark Dilley 167 22:52.2 149 Laps
    20 57 Shania LaForce * 134 44:41.9 182 Laps
  • DIXON WINS VERIZON P1 AWARD FOR IOWA CORN INDY 300

    DIXON WINS VERIZON P1 AWARD FOR IOWA CORN INDY 300

    NEWTON, Iowa – Scott Dixon set the Iowa Speedway two-lap qualifying track record en route to the Verizon P1 Award to lead a front-row sweep for Target Chip Ganassi Racing during qualifications for Saturday night’s Iowa Corn Indy 300 presented by DEKALB. Dixon’s two-lap average of 186.256 mph shattered the previous speed record of 180.375 mph held by Takuma Sato since 2011.

     

    Tony Kanaan, the 2010 race winner on the 0.894-mile, variably-banked oval while with Andretti Autosport, recorded a two-lap average speed of 185.891 mph in the No. 10 TNT Energy Drink entry to tie his season-high qualifying result of second.

     

    Dixon, driving the No. 9 entry, is the ninth different driver to claim the Verizon P1 Award during the first 12 races of the Verizon IndyCar Series season. Today’s effort marked his 21st career Indy car pole, tying Gil de Ferran for 13th on the all-time Indy car list.

     

    “It’s definitely a good thing to see the Ganassi cars at the top,” said Dixon, the reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion, whose previous best qualifying result on an oval this season was seventh at Texas Motor Speedway. “We had been stuck in sort of a rut and it had been a while since my last pole (Baltimore in August 2013). We’re winless so we have a bit of work to do. It definitely will be a tough one; the competition is extremely good.”

     

    Eight different drivers representing six teams have won this season, though none have been from Chip Ganassi Racing. Andretti Autosport has won five of the seven races at Iowa Speedway, including the past four.

     

    Dixon started on the pole at Iowa in 2007 and 2008, but has yet to win on the oval. His next victory will tie Al Unser Jr. for sixth all-time on the Indy car win list with 34. No driver has won from the pole in the seven races at Iowa Speedway.

     

    Helio Castroneves, who enters tomorrow’s 300-lap race tied with Team Penske teammate Will Power atop the championship standings, set the one-lap track record (186.809 mph) on his second qualifying lap in the No. 3 for a two-lap average of 185.685 mph and will join Ryan Briscoe (185.339 mph) on Row 2. Power, battling bronchitis this weekend, qualified ninth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car.

     

    Carlos Munoz qualified fifth and Sebastien Bourdais will join the series rookie in Row 3. The fourth Chip Ganassi Racing car, driven by Charlie Kimball, will occupy Row 4 in the seventh starting position with 2011 Iowa race winner Marco Andretti, who starts eighth.

  • Alex Tagliani earns first career oval pole for Alberta Has Energy 300

    Alex Tagliani earns first career oval pole for Alberta Has Energy 300

    When Alex Tagliani announced that he was running the majority of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule this year, some people wondered how long it’d take him to get used to running ovals in a stock car. The answer – not long at all. On Friday afternoon, Tagliani would score his first career oval pole, setting a time of 12.514 seconds in qualifying for the Alberta Has Energy 300. It marks Tagliani’s fifth career pole oval, as he had previously sat on the pole for four road course events.

    It seems that the Quebec native is adapting quickly as Tagliani was running in the top-five at Autodrome Chaudiere last month when contact took him out of contention. Now he looks for his second straight top-five finish following a fifth last weekend at Circuit ICAR.

    Mark Dilley, who led the final practice session, will start alongside Tagliani on the front row in the Friday night race on the recently paved oval. Dilley is hoping to claim his first victory of the season after coming up one spot short at Chaudiere after dueling with Jason Hathaway throughout the race.

    Points leader J.R. Fitzpatrick was third, followed by L.P. Dumoulin and Andrew Ranger.  Joey McColm, Scott Steckly, Jason Hathaway, D.J. Kennington and James Van Domselaar rounded out the top 10.

    The green flag for the Alberta Has Energy 300 is scheduled for 8:35 p.m. MT.

     

    NCATS Edmonton 7/11/14 Qualifying

    Pos No. Name Sponsor Best Tm Best Speed In Lap Laps Diff
    1 18 Alex Tagliani EpiPen/Dicom Express 12.514 71.919 2 2
    2 02 Mark Dilley Johnsonville/Leland/BDI 12.525 71.856 2 2 0.011
    3 84 J.R. Fitzpatrick Equipment Express 12.559 71.662 1 2 0.045
    4 47 L.P. Dumoulin WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare 12.609 71.378 2 2 0.095
    5 27 Andrew Ranger MOPAR /Exide Batteries / Magneti-Marelli 12.613 71.355 2 2 0.099
    6 25 Joey McColm Canada’s Best Store Fixtures 12.618 71.327 2 2 0.104
    7 22 Scott Steckly Canadian Tire/Sylvania 12.620 71.315 1 2 0.106
    8 3 Jason Hathaway Rockstar Energy Drink 12.633 71.242 2 2 0.119
    9 17 D.J. Kennington Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors 12.640 71.203 1 2 0.126
    10 14 James Van Domselaar Steel-Craft Door Products/Elton 12.718 70.766 2 2 0.204
    11 72 Erica Thiering * Alberta Has Energy 300/EIR/Travel Alberta 12.736 70.666 2 2 0.222
    12 48 Steve Mathews MidWest Combustion/Bill Mathews Motors 12.747 70.605 1 2 0.233
    13 28 Jamie Krzysik Decca Industries/Northwoods Hauling 12.791 70.362 2 2 0.277
    14 5 Noel Dowler EMCO/MFP/Praxair 12.805 70.285 2 2 0.291
    15 56 Larry Jackson OMVIC/Stratafax/B&B Decals 12.850 70.039 2 2 0.336
    16 51 Nick Jewell Prairie Dodge Dealers/Sikkens Paints 12.856 70.006 1 2 0.342
    17 83 Ian Admiraal * Alberta Cancer Foundation/Western Camp Service 12.861 69.979 2 2 0.347
    18 24 Stefan Rzadzinski * Goldmark Diesel/CPL Homes 12.934 69.584 2 2 0.420
    19 33 Bob DeLorme * Deerfoot Mechanical Ltd. 13.361 67.360 2 2 0.847
    20 57 Shania Laforce * LaForce Construction 13.857 64.949 2 2 1.343
  • Andretti Autosport chasing fifth straight victory at Iowa Speedway this weekend

    Andretti Autosport chasing fifth straight victory at Iowa Speedway this weekend

    Over the past four years, one team has had a strangle hold on the 0.0.875-mile oval in Newton, Iowa, letting their competitors follow them throughout the night. Now heading into this year’s event, Andretti Autosport will be looking for their fifth straight Iowa Speedway victory. Their chances look strong as AA enters the weekend with four drivers that could potentially snatch up the win, with three of those drivers being past winners.

    Defending race winner James Hinchcliffe has been fast on the ovals, but has had issues take him out of contention each week. He showed the speed to be a top-five finisher at Indianapolis, however a wreck took him out of contention. He was also quick last week, but found himself finishing in the back half of the top-10 as a result of a speeding peantly.  With a average finish of ninth at Iowa, Hinchcliffe will be looking for a good run to carry momentum into his hometown event next weekend in Toronto.

    2012 race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay will be trying to bounce back this weekend after mechanical issues took the 2012 champion out of the race at Pocono. Hunter-Reay has been strong this year, as witnessed by his Indianapolis 500 victory, though has suffered mechanical problems that have taken him out of the running on multiple ocassions. It seems to be same story, new year as that was what took RHR out of the championship battle last year. If he wants to stay in the battle this year, he badly needs a win if he even wants a chance at catching the Team Penske duo at the top of the standings.

    2011 race winner Marco Andretti has been spectacular at Iowa Speedway in the past, scoring four podium finishes in seven Iowa starts. He has also shown speed this year, finishing in the top-five in the Indianapolis 500. Andretti is also known for being stronger on the ovals versus the road/street courses. So could be the weekend that Andretti returns to victory lane?

    Notably, in each year that AA has won the race, it has been with a new face in victory lane as Tony Kanaan kicked off the streak in 2010 and was followed by Andretti, Hunter-Reay and Hinchcliffe. If the trend is to continue, Carlos Munoz has a good chance at doing it as the young rookie has shown that he can duel with the best of them on the ovals. Munoz impressed everyone by finishing in the top-five at Indianapolis last year in his rookie season. This year, he continues to impress with speed across the board, including another impressive Indianapolis finish. With more laps under his belts to get used to what his car needs to run well and coming off a third place finish at Pocono, is it time for the rookie to shine?

  • Ryan Preece set to tackle full slate of racing schedule this weekend

    Ryan Preece set to tackle full slate of racing schedule this weekend

    While most drivers are preparing for one or two races this weekend, Ryan Preece is taking it a step further as he is set to run four races total in the span of three days. Preece will start off the weekend by running Friday’s Whelen Modified All-Star Shootout at New Hampshire before heading back to Connecticut to run Friday night’s Whelen All-American Series SK Modified race at Stafford Motor Speedway. Then on Saturday, he’ll return to New Hampshire to return the Whelen Modified Tour Sunoco 100 and the NASCAR Nationwide Series Sta-Green 200.

    “With four races, that’s four opportunities to run very well,” Preece commented earlier this week. “Right now with the Modified Tour team, we’ve been building up some momentum, and we’ve had two of our best finishes this season the past two races, so I’m hoping to use what we learned in our test and to have a strong car that can win there.  I’ve finished third there three times, so to improve that would be really, really good.  I’d be happy.

    “Also going over to Stafford with our SK Modified, we’re going three races this season with that, we’ve been real strong, and hopefully weather doesn’t come in, which it doesn’t seem like it will, so we’ll be able to have a good strong run there.  And then obviously with the Whelen Modified Tour on Saturday, running that race and trying to win it, the Nationwide car, I’d say our expectations are to run strong.”

    The 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Champion made his Nationwide Series debut at New Hampshire last year, finishing 24th.

    “We ran pretty well last year, and we were a little conservative,” he reflected. “We wanted to pretty much run all the laps, and a rookie mistake on my part trying to charge into the box for the pit stop, I slid through, and then we ran out of fuel with three to go in the Lucky Dog spot.  I think this year we’re going to be a little bit more aggressive as far as the setup goes, and with Zach McGowan, crew chief and me, we’ve been real good.  We’ve been texting back and forth looking at notes and just really trying to be prepared for this race.  I’m definitely pretty excited, and I really can’t thank Tommy (Baldwin) enough for this opportunity.”

    Preece adds that going into the weekend, his goal is to score his first career Nationwide Series top-10 finish, despite some people sayign that it’s a long shot for the underfunded team.

    “I know the amount of work that’s gone into this race car, and Tommy and Zach and all the things we’ve been looking over from last year to this year and what we can improve on and what I can improve on, and I think it’s something realistic,” he explained. “But it’s the same goals as last year, also:  Keep the car in one piece, don’t tear it up, finish every single lap of the race and just keep getting experience and keep running. I mean, you can’t gain experience if you’re out by lap 50 or 100.  So we’re going to try to finish all the laps and have a good, strong run.”

    Kicking off the weekend with Friday’s shootout, there is no doubt that Preece is going  up against some of the top modified drivers with an interesting format that includes a pair of twin 20-lap features and drawing to determine the starting spot.

    “The short runs like that are going to create for some awesome racing and a lot of fun, and obviously all the bonuses that come along with it, whether it’s if you have the fastest lap in the race or the most positions gained throughout the race,” Preece predicted. “It’s going to create for some excitement, and as long as everybody respects one another, because I know most of us are going to run the same car the next day, we shouldn’t have a problem.  But I’m really excited for it; it’s a great opportunity that Whelen New Hampshire and NASCAR has presented for the modifieds, and we just have to take advantage of it and put on a show.”

    Then with the modified event on Saturday at New Hampshire, Preece has it ranked high on list of “want to wins but not yet won” and says that it’s a very hard race to win.

    “It’s something that you have to have the right place, the right time, the car to do it and everything, and we work so hard at it, and we’ve had a really good car last year in the July race,” Preece said. “We had a good car that was capable of it happening, but unfortunately we just didn’t have the right situation on the last lap, and I think we broke our primary motor in practice so that kind of put us down.

    “I’m going to try everything I can.  My team is going to try everything they can, and hopefully you’ll see us in victory lane, but I want to try to have a really strong run, try to get back up on the horse and try to gain some points on these guys so I can possibly try and repeat, but we’ve got some time to do this.”

  • Juan Pablo Montoya adjusting well, but knows more work needed to be champion

    Juan Pablo Montoya adjusting well, but knows more work needed to be champion

    On Sunday afternoon when Juan Pablo Montoya won the Pocono 500 presented by Sonoco, it equaled one thing – he’s back. Everybody knew it was only a matter of time before Montoya reached victory lane in the Verizon IndyCar Series as he had won before behind the wheel of a open-wheel car. It was all about getting comfortable behind the wheel and figuring out everything that had changed from the last time that Montoya ran open-wheel.

    “It’s been a long road,” Montoya commented post-race on Sunday. “It’s a lot harder than people realize because as I said the other day, driving open wheels is so different than what I’ve been driving the last few years, and it’s just ‑‑ it was going to take time.  I don’t like jinxing it and saying, oh, it’s coming, it’s coming.  I’d rather be let’s just keep working on it.”

    In getting back to being a solid IndyCar driver, the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet-powered Dallara is taking some of the lessons that he learned from being behind the wheel of a stock car. Rather than running flat-out every lap, Montoya is keeping himself channeled and running “smart”.

    “NASCAR really showed me to look at the bigger picture that you never did, and I think 90 percent of the open wheel guys never look at the bigger picture, and I probably lost formula championships and everything by not looking at the bigger picture,” Montoya explained. “Now that you do, you go, oh ‑‑ you know what I mean?  It’s a shame you can’t turn back to be 20 again with this experience, but it’s what it is.”

    Now that he has reached victory lane and completed leg one of the journey, the second half begins in working on becoming a champion once again. Montoya recognizes if he wants to catch teammates Helio Castroneves and Will Power, he is going to need to step it up a notch.

    “We’ve been having really good finishes and everything, but if we want to win the championship, we’ve got to make sure we perform a little better on the street courses and stuff like that,” he commented. “We haven’t run on short ovals so I have no idea what to expect.  Hopefully it’s as good as this.”

    Montoya adds that “people know that I’m coming and it’s good” so why change the approach that he has taken so far? For that reason, the Colombian says from here on out, he’s going to continue to be smart about his approach each week.

     “With Hawksworth in Houston, I could have been stupid or braver or whatever you want to call it and ended up in tires with him and prove a point, and what’s the point,” Montoya commented. “The point is that would have gave away 20 or 30 points, and then you get to the end of the year, and you go, oh, I shouldn’t be fighting with that dude, you know?”

    Perhaps Montoya’s smart approach will lead to the Captain getting his first Milwaukee win.

  • With Electric Ride to Chicagoland Speedway, Leilani Münter to Become First ARCA or NASCAR Driver to Travel Oil Free to a Race

    With Electric Ride to Chicagoland Speedway, Leilani Münter to Become First ARCA or NASCAR Driver to Travel Oil Free to a Race

    Next week, race car driver and environmental activist Leilani Münter will bring her renewable energy message to diverse communities across seven states, policy makers in Washington, DC, and to race fans at Chicagoland Speedway.

    On Sunday, July 13, she will begin an electric road trip from her home in Charlotte, NC, to Chicagoland Speedway in her Tesla Model S. Her first stop will be in Washington, DC, where she and colleagues from The Solutions Project will meet on Monday with policy makers to discuss the transition to renewable energy. Along her “Electric Route to the Racetrack,” Leilani will host two meet-ups: the first in Bethesda, MD, and another in Chicago, IL. She is also inviting fans to join her at each Tesla Supercharger stop and has published her route online. When her journey is complete, Leilani will be the first ARCA or NASCAR driver to travel to a race completely oil free.

    On Saturday, July 19, Leilani will slip behind the wheel of her other machine to race at Chicagoland Speedway with PrairieGold Solar as the primary sponsor on her No. 66 Venturini Motorsports ARCA Racing Series entry. PrairieGold Solar is an innovative company focused on developing, owning, and operating solar projects across North and South America.

    “Getting off oil by driving electric cars and using solar to power the electric grid helps America reduce our dependence on foreign oil and secure our energy independence. That’s a win-win for the environment and national security,” said Leilani.

    “Leilani is a wonderful ambassador for renewable energy, and PrairieGold Solar is proud to help support her efforts at Chicagoland Speedway. We invite all of the racing fans to join her team for renewable energy – it’s a race that together we can and must win,” said Paul Batcheller, CEO of PrairieGold Solar.

    “When I first met Leilani at Daytona I was inspired by her passion for using her voice as a race driver to get the word out about the importance of renewable energy,” said Brandon Hurlbut, former Chief of Staff at the US Department of Energy, who also sits on the Board of Directors at PrairieGold Solar.

    The Solutions Project, an advocacy group working towards accelerating the transition to 100% clean, renewable energy has partnered again with Münter at Chicagoland Speedway. The group previously supported her efforts in the Go 100% Renewable No.55 Venturini Motorsports entry at Daytona International Speedway in February. Münter serves on the Board of Advisors for The Solutions Project.

    “With consumer demand and business opportunity for clean, renewable energy on the rise in communities across the country, we are so excited to grow our partnership with Leilani,” said Mark Ruffalo, actor, co-founder and board member of The Solutions Project, “From her choice to go 100% electric on her 3-day drive to the race in Chicago to PrairieGold Solar’s sponsorship of her at Chicagoland, Leilani is a strong voice for all Americans to go solar, go electric and go 100%!”

    Well known for her environmental work, Münter had solar panels installed on her home in February so she can drive her electric car on the power of sunshine. With the cost of solar photovoltaics decreasing by 80% in the last five years, solar energy use is accelerating quickly: every two minutes a solar array is being installed on a home in the United States. Münter is coming off momentum from her latest ARCA at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on May 3 where she ran as high as fourth and kept her No. 55 Blackfish racecar in the top eight spots leading up to the final restart, finishing 14th.

    This will be Münter’s first ARCA race at Chicagoland Speedway. Race coverage for the Ansell ActivArmr 150 will air live on FOX Sports 2 starting at 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 19, with live timing and scoring as well as the radio broadcast through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com.

    About PrairieGold Solar
    PrairieGold Solar is an innovative company focused on developing, owning, and operating solar assets across North and South America. PrairieGold Solar is an affiliate of Prairie Gold Venture Partners (PGVP), a ten year old venture capital firm with over $50M in assets under management across two funds and deep experience in renewables investing. The PrairieGold Solar team builds upon PGVP’s experience in venture capital investing and brings seasoned expertise in project finance, large scale energy M&A and renewable energy business management.

    About The Solutions Project
    The Solutions Project works with diverse leaders and innovators who share a common goal: to accelerate the nation’s transition to clean, renewable energy. The organization inspires and supports individual as well as public and private sector efforts to improve the health, economic and security interests of all Americans through 100 percent clean, renewable energy. The organization’s Board of Directors includes Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo, Stanford University professor Mark Jacobson, Mosaic co-founder and president Billy Parish, and others. To learn more, go to www.thesolutionsproject.org.

    About Leilani Münter
    Leilani Münter is biology graduate turned professional race car driver and environmental activist. Discovery’s Planet Green named Leilani the #1 Eco Athlete in the world. She is a recipient of ELLE Magazine’s 2012 Genius Award and Sports Illustrated named her one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world. Leilani has 9 top fives and 19 top tens in 47 starts. She is the fourth woman in history to race in the Indy Pro Series, the development league of IndyCar. She set the record for the highest finish for a female stock car driver in the history of the Texas Motor Speedway when she finished fourth in 2006. Since 2007, Leilani has been adopting an acre of rainforest for every race she runs. Her motto is “Never underestimate a vegetarian hippie chick with a race car.”
    About Venturini Motorsports
    Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Kevin Swindell, John Wes Townley and Erik Jones. Over the years the Venturini name has become synonymous with modern-day racing in America. In 2012, the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (www.NIASHF.org) and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.

    Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com  |  Twitter: @VenturiniMotor  |  Facebook: Venturini Motorsports

    About ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards 
    The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.

  • NASCAR Touring & Weekly Series Awards Events Announced

    NASCAR Touring & Weekly Series Awards Events Announced

    NASCAR Hall of Fame To Host Gathering Of Champions For Fifth Year

                                                                        

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 8, 2014) — The NASCAR Hall of Fame is the ultimate goal for the sport’s greatest.

     

    Annually, the North Carolina landmark is also the aim of drivers throughout the NASCAR weekly & touring series, as the NASCAR Hall of Fame / Charlotte Convention Center will again host the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards and the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards.

     

    The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards will be Friday, Dec. 12, while the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Series Awards will be Saturday, Dec. 13.

     

    “These awards shows celebrate and honor our champions in NASCAR’s weekly racing program and our touring series – two foundational areas of the sport,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president of regional and touring series. “These two events highlight the hard work, dedication and achievements throughout NASCAR, and I’m excited that fans from around the world can share in the experience through our digital platforms.”

     

    Both the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards and the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards will be streamed live in English and Spanish on NASCARHomeTracks.com via FansChoice.TV. Saturday’s events will also include a broadcast in French.

     

    It is the fifth consecutive year that the two days of awards will be hosted at the NASCAR Hall of Fame complex, which opened in May of 2010.

     

    The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards honor the 2014 Division I national champion, as well as track champions from 58 tracks across the United States and Canada, state and provincial champions and top rookies. In addition, the national champions from NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Division II through V will be honored, as well as the UNOH Youth Achievement Award national champion.

     

    On the following evening, NASCAR’s touring series champions will be recognized at the traditional NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards. Honorees will include the champions from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series and the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.

     

    On Friday and Saturday morning, respectively, NASCAR will hold the Grand Champions event at the Westin Charlotte – the host hotel for both awards shows. The Grand Champions event recognizes the top points finishers in each series, contingency award winners, and special awards recipients.

     

    NASCAR previously announced the date for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards (Friday, Dec. 5 at Wynn Las Vegas) and the NASCAR Nationwide-NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Awards (Monday, Nov. 17, at Trump National Doral Miami).