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Featured Other Series

  • Matt Crafton: NASCAR Champ, Texas Race Winner and Elladee’s Dad

    Matt Crafton: NASCAR Champ, Texas Race Winner and Elladee’s Dad

    Matt Crafton may be a NASCAR Camping World Truck Champion and the most recent race winner in Texas this past weekend, but his most important role in life to date is that of being dad to daughter Elladee.

    “It’s been a dream come true,” Crafton, driver of the No. 88 Menards Toyota for ThorSport Racing, said. “I had never expected it to be as cool as it’s been to be a dad without a doubt.”

    Crafton credits Elladee Ann, who is now a little over a year old, to being part of the reason for his recent success, winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship last year and winning two races so far in the 2014 season, at Texas this past weekend and Martinsville in March.

    With his Texas win, Crafton also assumed the points lead in the championship standings, moving eleven points ahead of Johnny Sauter, his ThorSport Racing teammate.

    “She is my lucky charm without a doubt,” Crafton said. “She came into our lives and has changed it for sure.”

    “She’s definitely been my little good luck charm.”

    Given that she has brought so much good luck to her daddy, Elladee has not missed a single race yet in her young life. She does, however, hang back with her mother Ashley in Victory Lane until all the Gatorade is sprayed and the confetti has flown.

    “She’s been in every Victory Lane and she hasn’t missed a race,” Crafton said. “It is so special to have her at the track and to be able to spend time with the family. To travel with me is the only way I would want it for sure.”

    “She loves the camera and she loves people,” Crafton continued. “That’s what is so cool. Before the race, when everyone is around, she is just so happy and energetic to be there. And when she is in Victory Lane, it’s the same thing. When we won at Martinsville, she was in the middle of a nap. They woke her up to bring her to Victory Lane and she was tired but she was still hanging in there.”

    Unlike other public figures that sometimes shield their children, Crafton, as do so many parents in the NASCAR garage, thinks it is very important to have Elladee not only with him but with other people to learn life lessons and grow socially.

    “I know that some people hide their kids and don’t want them in the spotlight but most race car drivers have them out and about among everybody,” Crafton said. “I think that is going to be very key later in her life to be able to be around people and be able to talk and communicate instead of being sheltered.”

    “I was always involved with my dad,” Crafton continued. “He raced and I can remember being at the race track from as long as I can remember. I was too young back then to even go into the pits so I would sit in the stands with my grandparents throughout practice and all that. I can remember sneaking into the pits too.”

    “I’ve learned the lesson of just being involved,” Crafton said. “It’s so cool to have her and be able to do the same things with her sitting with me. To have her a part of my life the same way I was with my parents is special.”

    Crafton admitted he is an involved dad, however, there are a few things that give him pause about parenthood.

    “I had her this morning on my own and of course as soon as mom left, she goes ‘number two’ and I’ve got to change the diaper,” Crafton said. “I do it, but if mom’s here, I definitely try to hand her off as much as I can because I’m not going to lie, I have a weak stomach and some of that is bad.”

    While her dad acknowledged that he is open to her pursuing whatever passion, whether racing or not, Elladee has already shown some proclivity toward speed even at her tender young age.

    “Putting her on my quad or in my side-by-side is my favorite thing to do,” Crafton said. “That’s what we were doing this morning before my wife showed up. We were driving down the street and did about ten laps down and back.”

    “She just loves, loves riding around,” Crafton continued. “It doesn’t matter what she’s in. When she was three months old, I would ride her on the golf cart at the race track and if she was fussy, she would immediately stop.”

    “We have ridden for hours on that golf cart to make her happy.”

    While Crafton has no specific plans for the upcoming Father’s Day weekend, he knows there is one thing that he absolutely will do and that is to spend that precious time with his daughter.

    “Hopefully I’ll get to hang out with family which will be the best thing,” Crafton said. “I haven’t thought much about being a father for Father’s Day. It’s just been too hectic to think about it I guess.”

    “I guess when it gets here, it will be a little bit different for sure now that I’m a dad,” Crafton said. “It’s definitely going to be awesome.”

     

  • INDYCAR TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY POST-EVENT INFRACTIONS

    INDYCAR TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY POST-EVENT INFRACTIONS

    INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday June 11, 2014) – INDYCAR announced today post-event infractions from the Firestone 600, which was held June 7 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    • INDYCAR officials have fined KVSH Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais $10,000 and placed him on probation for the remainder of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season. The member was found to have violated Rule 9.3.1 (Improper Conduct On-Track) of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook during an incident with Justin Wilson on Lap 121 of the event at Texas Motor Speedway.

    • INDYCAR officials have fined Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing $5,000 for a technical violation on its No. 67 Verizon IndyCar Series entry driven by Josef Newgarden. The entrant was found to have violated Rule 14.6.5.2.1a (Rear wing angle).

    • INDYCAR officials have penalized Honda a total of 30 Engine Manufacturer Championship points for violation of Rule 16.5.1 (engine change under mileage). Honda engines were changed out in the Nos. 14, 25 and 28 entries. Each occurrence is a 10-point penalty incurred by the manufacturer.

    The member may contest the imposition of the penalty pursuant to the procedures and timelines detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook.

  • Erica Thiering to make her NASCAR Canadian Tire Series debut at Autodrome Chaudiere

    Erica Thiering to make her NASCAR Canadian Tire Series debut at Autodrome Chaudiere

    Erica Thiering will be racing in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Budweiser 300 at Autodrome Chaudiere on June 14, in a car sponsored by Alberta Has Energy 300 and Edmonton International Raceway in Wetaskiwin.

    This will be the Canadian Tire Series debut appearance for the Sherwood Park, AB driver.

    Erica has captured the Edmonton Int’l Raceway Track Champion and Alberta NASCAR Provincial Title five Times. She took her NASCAR Late Model to New Smyrna Speedway to race in Speedweeks in February this year and finished eighth out of 40 competitors, the best finish ever for a Canadian racer!

    Erica will also compete in the Alberta Has Energy 300 NASCAR Canadian Tire Event at Edmonton Int’l Raceway in Wetaskiwin on July 11th!

  • Franklin Fastener Partners with Team BCR and Grant Enfinger

    Franklin Fastener Partners with Team BCR and Grant Enfinger

    (Mooresville, NC – June 8, 2014)  Team BCR and driver of the No. 90 Ford Fusion, Grant Enfinger, welcome Franklin Fastener as a Primary Associate Marketing Partner beginning at the Michigan ARCA 200 on June 13, 2014.

    “We’re very grateful to have Franklin Fastener on board starting at the Michigan race,” says Grant Enfinger. “Franklin Fastener’s VP Andrew Hayes came to the Toledo race and I think he saw how dedicated this team is and the exposure the team receives. This will be a good race for him since Michigan Int’l Speedway is right in his backyard. We’re proud to represent Franklin Fastener as this partnership expands and progresses throughout the year.”

    As a Michigan based company with over 61 years of experience in metal forming, Franklin Fastener thrives on superior customer service, constant innovation and exceptional quality. Franklin Fastener serves a vast amount of industries including automotive, off-road equipment, military/aerospace, heavy truck, and engine manufacturers.  Their products include cushioned and coated clamps, custom metal stampings and patented grommet clamps.

    Hayes said, “Franklin Fastener is excited to be a part of Team BCR and the ARCA Racing Series.  As first time sponsors in the ARCA Racing Series, we feel that we could not have partnered with a better organization, or a more talented driver, Grant Enfinger.   This is a fantastic opportunity for our company to become involved in motorsports and we could not be happier to be a part of Team BCR.”

    Howard Bixman, Team Manager and Crew Chief commented, “Team BCR is proud and truly grateful for the opportunity to represent a company with such rich history and a leader in the metal forming industry like Franklin Fastener. Their innovative solutions are second to none in the industry. We’re looking forward to making this a successful partnership throughout the rest of the season on the No. 90 Ford Fusion.”

  • NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie Kyle Larson Wins the Pocono ARCA 200

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie Kyle Larson Wins the Pocono ARCA 200

    Today was time for the ARCA Racing Series to tackle the tricky Pocono Raceway and it was time for Kyle Larson, one of NASCAR’s newest young guns, to show us what he has and he did not disappoint. Larson brought home the win in only his third start in the series. He became the 34th different driver to win at Pocono and the 17th different driver to win in the last 17 races. He is also the fifth different winner in the ARCA series this season.

    “I was nervous for a while there,” Larson said after the race. “He was real aggressive and got the lead, then started to pull away.”

    He continued saying, “We had a good car, a dominating car,” Larson said. “We definitely wanted to win. I was glad that we had to work for it there in the end. I learned something in all of this. In the end, it was a lot of fun.”

    The race started with Larson leading the field to the green flag after winning the pole in only his third ARCA start. The first caution flew on lap seven when Tim Means gets loose and barely kept it off the wall.  After that it was the Kyle show and not Kyle Busch but a driver just as dominant. The top three cars of Larson, Mason Mitchell, and Justin Allison stayed that way.

    Another great battle for sixth spot ensued between Will and Frank Kimmel. Green flag stops went underway around the halfway mark. Kyle Larson pit did not stay under the yellow line on his way out of his pit earning himself a drive-through penalty but because he had a large lead on the field was still the leader after serving the penalty. The biggest loser during pit stops was Austin Wayne Self who was penalized for speeding. On his drive through for speeding, he was caught speeding again.

    It still was the same show after the caution, with the top three drivers staying in their spots. Not many noticed that John Wes Townley, who started in the rear, was creeping up closer to the front.

    With 21 laps to go the caution flew for debris but Justin Allison didn’t pit as he was stuck in 4th gear which would prove to be a complication on the restart. The caution came back out with 16 laps to go as everyone was trying to get around Allison who was trying to get up to speed which resulted in an accident sending Matt Tifft and Justin Boston into the wall.

    Things got interesting when, with less than 10 laps to go, Larson had a bad re-start and Mitchell took the lead. For a while he appeared to be leaving everyone behind but with three laps to go Larson caught up. The battle for first was short as Larson reclaimed the lead and would be the victor today at Pocono.

    The biggest mover of the day was John Wes Townley who had a solid third place finish after starting at the rear of the field due to missing practice and qualifying on Friday.

    The top-five at the finish were:

    1)  Kyle Larson                  No. 4

    2)  Mason Mitchell               No. 98

    3)  John Wes Townley         No. 15

    4)  Will Kimmel                   No. 69

    5)  Justin Allison                 No. 88

     

  • CARPENTER CLAIMS FIRESTONE 600 VICTORY AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    CARPENTER CLAIMS FIRESTONE 600 VICTORY AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    FORT WORTH, Texas (Saturday, June 7, 2014) – Ed Carpenter held off Will Power and three other drivers during a restart shootout in the final three laps to win the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway by 0.5247 of a second.

    It was the third career victory for the owner/driver and second for Ed Carpenter Racing this season. There have been six different winners, including Carpenter’s teammate Mike Conway, in eight races.

    “I just felt like we left some on the table in qualifying, but it made me extra motivated,” said Carpenter, who qualified fifth in the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet. “I think we were for sure the car to beat at the end. I have loved this race track for a long time and had a lot of bad luck here. I have really always wanted to win here, so I’m super excited.”

    Carpenter, who led only a single lap in his previous 12 starts on the 1.455-mile, high-banked oval with a previous best finish of fourth, led 90 laps.

    Juan Pablo Montoya finished a season-high third place in the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske car and Simon Pagenaud was fourth in the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports car. Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon placed fifth in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, followed by teammate Tony Kanaan.

    Power, the Verizon P1 Award winner in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, led more than half of the 248-lap race, but was issued a drive-through penalty because of a pit lane speed violation with 35 laps left.

    He was sixth when the final yellow flag was shown on Lap 242, and race strategist Tim Cindric called in Power to pit two laps later for fresh tires. Following the restart, he overtook three cars to gain back most of the points he would have lost because of the penalty. Power has a 39-point lead over teammate Helio Castroneves in the championship heading to the doubleheader in Houston.

    “I was really disappointed by (speeding) again, but what an awesome call by my team. It would have been a good battle there at the end, but to get the Verizon car second was just an awesome last lap,” said Power, who has three runner-up finishes to complement his two victories this season. “One more lap and the guy with the tires is going to win.”

    Following the conclusion of the race, Verizon IndyCar Series officials reviewed the results and penalized #8 Briscoe, #17 Saavedra, #67 Newgarden and #83 Kimball 30 seconds for failing to follow the direction of Race Control (Rule 9.3.1.7). Per Verizon IndyCar Series rules, lapped cars must fall to the rear of the field for restarts within the final 15 laps and all lapped cars were instructed to drive through the pits on Lap 244. #8 Briscoe and #67 Newgarden failed to drive through the pits and #17 Saavedra and #83 Kimball drove to the pits, but took service.

  • Will Power hopes to find victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway

    Will Power hopes to find victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway

    Known for being from Australia, Will Power considers Texas his second home as wife Elizabeth is from around the area. So going into this weekend’s race, it’s no secret that a win at Texas could be special for the Powers.

    Power carries a lot of momentum into Texas Motor Speedway this weekend following a successful weekend in Detroit that saw him pick up a win and now sit atop the IndyCar point standings for the first time since 2012. He has also been quick so far this season with podium finishes the majority of the weekends.

    The only snag in this perfect scenario – Power isn’t known for being great on ovals.

    When you look at Will Power’s statistics in the IndyCar Series, they show that the bulk of his success has come on the road and street courses. It is on those courses where Power can dominate for laps on end and find speed that leave you baffled compared to his competitors.

    However, when it comes to ovals, Power is known for being inside the top 10 on most cases – but not race contending material. Texas is one of the tracks where the trend is a little different for Power, though, as he won the race in 2011 and won the pole for last year’s event. What makes it different? Perhaps he has found his groove on the high banks with the high speeds versus some of the smaller ovals that Indy goes to.

    Either way, heading into this weekend with four straight top eight finishes in his last four starts lead many to believe that despite the previous trends, Power may surprise this weekend. One thing is certian, the driver of the No. 12 Verizon Dallara-Chevrolet wants to improve upon the eighth place finish from last year.

    “My teammate absolutely destroyed the field last year,” Power said, speaking of teammate Helio Castroneves. “No excuses on the car front.  That is just confidence on ovals.  It’s a very light downforce we run now, and you’re lifting.  Yeah, we just got to turn up there, see what we got, try to have a good weekend.”

  • Road America’s Top-3 Finishers Speak Out Against Racing in Downpour

    Road America’s Top-3 Finishers Speak Out Against Racing in Downpour

    No celebrations followed Sunday’s Pro Superbike Race Two at Road America. Instead, the podium finishers used the unconventional indoor trophy presentation and press conference to express their disapproval of the AMA’s decision to keep bikes racing during a downpour.

    The press room, crowded with race teams, journalists and some apparently apprehensive AMA officials, also served as the substitute winner’s circle. Unlike the usual outdoor celebratory vibe, the room held a silent tension that wasn’t broken until race winner Josh Hayes opened his mouth to criticize the race officials’ disregard for rider safety.

    “When I came up the front straightaway and saw the white flag, it kind of set on me,” Hayes said. “‘My god, they’re really going to make me ride this thing around another lap. Are they not watching this? Are they not seeing what’s happening right now?’”

    “It was pretty sketchy,” third place Yoshimura Suzuki rider Roger Hayden said. “I don’t know who was making the calls there at the end, but they definitely didn’t have rider safety first.”

    “They want to fly us all over the country and look at tracks for track safety,” Hayden continued, “but they want to make us run in a downpour on slicks.”

    Hayden also questioned why AMA declared a wet race but did not allow the mandatory practice laps to riders. He received no answer.

    Hayes won the race by a considerable margin, but that didn’t make the final laps any easier for him. In first gear, he navigated the wet uphills, downhills and corners while frequently looking back to check that his gap to second place was still safe. While Hayes successfully steered around the course, several other riders didn’t fare so well, losing their bikes in the wet patches.

    Hayes commented that at one point as he approached his lapped teammate Cameron Beaubier, he watched the rookie hit a wet patch and crash. Had Beaubier not been there, Hayes said, it would have been himself hitting that same patch and going down.

    SIC/Motul/Fly Racing’s owner/rider and second place finisher David Anthony spoke less on the subject than Hayes and Hayden, but his opinion was clear. “Bad decision by AMA,” Anthony said. “They really need to step up their game.”

    When trophies were presented to the top finishers, they each briefly smiled for mandatory photos, and then retook their seats in a matter of seconds.

    Despite the onslaught of questions and comments, the riders received few clear answers to their questions regarding the rulebook.

    The controversial call came in the same weekend that two riders, Bob Price and Karl Harris, died in crashes in normal racing conditions in the 2014 TT Isle of Man races.

  • INDYCAR DUAL IN DETROIT POST-EVENT INFRACTIONS

    INDYCAR DUAL IN DETROIT POST-EVENT INFRACTIONS

    INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, June 4, 2014) – INDYCAR announced today post-event infractions from the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit, which was held May 31 and June 1 at The Raceway at Belle Isle Park in Detroit.

    • INDYCAR officials have fined Team Penske $5,000 for a technical violation on its No. 2 Verizon IndyCar Series entry driven by Juan Pablo Montoya. The entrant was found to have violated Rule 14.3.1.1.1 (Car weight) of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook following qualifications for Dual 1.
    • INDYCAR officials have placed Don Oldenburg, a crew member from Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, on probation until Aug. 1 2014, for violating Rule 9.3.8 (Social Media Policy violation).

    The member may contest the imposition of the penalty pursuant to the procedures and timelines detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook.

  • INDYCAR ISSUES PENALTY FOR UNAPPROVED ENGINE CHANGE AT DETROIT

    INDYCAR ISSUES PENALTY FOR UNAPPROVED ENGINE CHANGE AT DETROIT

    INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, June 3, 2014) – INDYCAR announced today that Chevrolet has been penalized 10 Engine Manufacturer Championship points per Verizon IndyCar Series rules for violation of Rule 16.5.1 (engine change under mileage).

    The Chevrolet engine was changed out in the No. 2 Penske Motorsports entry.

    Members may contest the imposition of the penalty pursuant to the procedures and timelines detailed in the review and appeal procedures of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook.