Category: Other Series PR

NEW CASTLE, Ind. — July 25, 2013— Tracy Hines really isn’t sure what has made him so successful at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis over the years, but he’s not going to argue. The native of New Castle, Ind., has amassed a total of 13 wins across the three USAC National Series at the paved oval located just outside of Indianapolis in Clermont, Ind., making him the winningest driver in USAC competition at the 0.686-mile paved oval.

Hines will have two more chances to add to his win total at the historic track this weekend as the USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series and the Honda USAC National Midget Series compete on Saturday, July 27. The USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series event will open with qualifying, which will determine the starting lineup for the J.D. Byrider 100. The Honda USAC National Midget Series will contest the Rich Vogler Classic, which will be comprised of time trials, a pair of qualifying scrambles and a 30-lap main event.

Hines has made one start at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis this season in the No. 24 Parker Machinery/Powered by Toyota Spike. He finished third with the Honda USAC National Midget Series Pavement Championship in the famed Night Before the 500. He opened that contest as the fastest qualifier and charged from seventh to third in the first 12-lap scramble, which put him on the inside of the second row for the feature event.

“Raceway Park (Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis) has certainly been good to me over the years,” said Hines. “We were fast right out of the box in May in the midget. We had a couple of rain delays as well that night which made things a challenge and really washed a lot of the grip off the track. We know we have a good baseline, so hopefully we can pick up a few more spots this time around.”

The veteran driver was undefeated in a midget last season at the track, winning twice with the Honda USAC National Midget Series. He claimed his first Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis victory back in 1997 in a midget. Hines won at least one race at the track every year from 1997-2001.

Hines was victorious in his most recent Honda USAC National Midget Series pavement event at Pikes Peak International Raceway last month. He took the lead at the one-mile oval with two laps remaining to score the triumph.

“We feel pretty good about our pavement midget program right now,” he shared. “Going back the last few years we’ve been pretty fast and in contention at just about every pavement race on the schedule. When you know you have a good car and set-up, then it’s up to the driver to not make mistakes and bring it home in one piece. It also takes a little luck as well.”

The 2000 Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series champion has made a pair of starts in that series on the pavement in 2013 in the No. 16 Lightfoot Racing Beast. He finished third at Pikes Peak, after leading the first four laps of that 100-lapper. He opened the event by turning the second-fastest lap in time trials. Hines also raced on the asphalt in a Silver Crown car at Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis in early June.

“After having trouble at Gateway (Motorsports Park), it was a relief to be back up front at Pikes Peak (International Raceway) and lead a few laps,” noted Hines. “After this race, we have a handful of dirt Silver Crown races, so hopefully we can have a good showing and gain a few points, before that stretch of races. Everyone is still pretty bunched up since we’ve had some rainouts this year.”

Hines enters the weekend fourth in points with the USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series, just 26 markers out of the lead. In three starts, he has a pair of top-five finishes. He is fourth in the USAC National Midget Series Pavement Championship on the strength of four top-10 finishes in four races and is only four points out of the top spot. Hines raced in the inaugural Mudsummer Classic for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Wednesday, July 24 at the famed Eldora Speedway, finishing 13th.

Tracy Hines Racing would like to thank: Hansen’s Welding Inc., Parker Machinery, Motor City Auto Transport, Turbines, Inc., Afco Racing Products, Daum Crop Insurance, Schoenfeld Headers, Allstar Performance, Kenny’s Components, Race Bumpers and Bell Racing.

For more information on Tracy Hines Racing, visit http://www.tracyhinesracing.com. Follow Tracy on Twitter atwww.Twitter.com/TracyHinesRacin.

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, July 25, 2013) – INDYCAR announced today that all engines supplied to IZOD IndyCar Series teams will utilize only twin turbocharger systems beginning with the 2014 season.

The decision, which was confirmed after consultation in an INDYCAR Engine Committee meeting, will further strengthen engine parity. It also dovetails with the manufacturers’ first homologation update cycle for the 2.2-liter, direct-injected V6 engines supplied by Chevrolet and Honda.

“In an effort for parity throughout the turbocharger range, mandating only a twin turbo system simplifies our efforts to ensure even closer competition,” said Derrick Walker, president, competition and operations, INDYCAR. “Both manufacturers displayed a willingness to use a common turbo spec for 2014, so it made sense to mandate a twin turbocharger that maintains the performance we’ve come to expect while keeping the technology relevant to the automotive industry.”

Engine manufacturer competition returned to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2012. Chevrolet re-entered the series with a twin-turbocharged engine through technical partner Ilmor Engineering. Honda, which was the sole engine supplier from 2006-2011, opted for a single turbocharger for the engine designed and built by Honda Performance Development.

WATERTOWN, Conn.—July 26, 2013— David Gravel vividly remembers the last time he raced in Canada — that’s because he was victorious. The win came last year with the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions at Red River Co-op Speedway in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This season, competing full-time with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series, the 21-year-old will run a total of five nights north of the border at four tracks in three provinces, beginning with a trio of races over a four-day span this weekend.

The three-race stretch opens for Gravel aboard the FMR Racing/JRC Transportation/Musco Fuel/Model Craft J&J on Saturday, July 27 at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec. Action then shifts to Cornwall Motor Speedway in Ontario, on Sunday, July 28. The first Canada Swing of the season wraps up on Tuesday, July 30 with the running of the Arrow Express Cup at Ohsweken Speedway, also in Ontario.

“This year will be the most we have ever raced in Canada and we are really looking forward to it,” said Gravel. “I was fortunate enough last year to win in Canada with the All Stars and we’ve been running pretty good on the smaller tracks this year and that’s what the three this week are. There are a lot of great sprint car fans in Canada and hopefully we put on a good show for them each and every night.”

Autodrome Drummond hosted the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series for the first time in 2010. In three races at the semi-banked, four-tenths-mile three different drivers have been victorious. Gravel has raced a couple of times on tracks that size in 2013. He finished fifth last week in the finale of the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup Twin 30s at Lernerville (Pa.) Speedway. The native of Watertown, Conn., also competed at The Dirt Track Charlotte in Concord, N.C., in May.

“Autodrome Drummond sounds like a momentum-type race track,” said Gravel. “We had a pretty good run in the second race at Lernerville last week, despite having quite a bit of damage to the car from earlier in the night, so we’ll look to use a few of the things that worked there this weekend. We don’t race on too many tracks that size each year, but you always want to learn all that you can, so that you are ready for the World Finals in Charlotte at the end of the year.”

The World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series made their debut at Cornwall Motor Speedway last year. Cornwall is a high-banked, quarter-mile bullring located in the northeast corner of Ontario. Ohsweken Speedway, which is owned by sprint car racer Glenn Styres, hosted the series for the first time in 2007. The series has returned to the three-eighths-mile every year since, with the event getting completely rained out in 2008. Gravel has seven top-10 finishes this season on tracks that size, including a win at I-94 Speedway in Minnesota, back in May.

“We’ve visited a lot of new tracks this year, so adding three more to the list will be nothing new,” Gravel noted. “I’ve heard some great things about the tracks we are headed and am excited to see them for myself. We’ll walk around each track when we get there and then compare it to somewhere we’ve been in the past and look back at some of our notes for a point of reference and to give ourselves a baseline to start the night on.”

Gravel recently wrapped up the second East Coast Swing of the season with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series with three top-10 finishes in five starts. As mentioned, he was fifth in the second Twin 30 at Lernerville and also was in the top-10 at Lebanon Valley (N.Y.) Speedway and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in New York.

Gravel makes the trek to Canada seventh in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series standings. Along with his win, the young driver has 23 top-10 finishes, with seven of those being top-five runs.

Keep up-to-date with David Gravel and DDR Motorsports by visiting www.DavidGravel89.com. Follow David on Twitter @davidgravel89gand like David on Facebook.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—July 26, 2013— One of the great things about the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series is that the series truly embodies the “World” in its name. With a pair of trips to Canada each season, fans north of the border are able to see the best sprint car drivers in the world right in their own backyard. Kraig Kinser had turned in a number of good runs over the years in Canada and always looks forward to heading to the Great White North to race.

Kinser opens the first of two trips to Canada this year on Saturday, July 27 at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec aboard the Mesilla Valley Transportation/Casey’s General Store/King Racing Products Maxim. The series then heads to Cornwall Motor Speedway in Ontario, on Sunday, July 28. The first Canada swing of the season concludes on Tuesday, July 30, with the Arrow Express Cup at Ohsweken Speedway in Ontario.

Kinser has made three starts at Autodrome Drummond in his career, dating back to 2010. He finished a career-best fifth last season at the high-banked four-tenths-mile to earn his second top-10 finish to go along with a seventh-place showing in 2010. Kinser started 13th at Autodrome Drummond last year and earned the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger award for passing eight cars in the 35-lap main event.

“Autodrome Drummond is a unique place,” said Kinser. “You carry a good amount of speed around there. We had a pretty good set-up there last year. We’ve been struggling a bit the last week or so and are looking to get back on track up in Canada. Traditionally, we’ve run pretty decent up there.”

Last season, marked the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series first-ever visit to Cornwall Motor Speedway and Kinser finished seventh in that 40-lap event at the quarter-mile oval. He opened the night by turning the ninth-fastest lap in time trials, which put him on the front row of the third 10-lap heat race. He won that heat to earn a spot in the dash where he finished second.

“Cornwall is another of the smaller tracks that we seem to run well at,” he noted. “We’ve had some good runs on the quarter-miles this year and a lot of that always goes back to those were the types of tracks I grew up on and became very comfortable with early on in my career. We made the dash there last year and that’s what we have to do this year to give ourselves a shot. Track position and starting position for that matter are so important right now with the Outlaws.”

The native of Bloomington, Ind., finished a career-best fourth at Ohsweken Speedway last season. He opened the night by setting fast time at the three-eighths-mile. Kinser finished fourth in the first eight-lap heat race to earn a spot in the dash. The third-generation driver came home fourth in the dash, which put him on the outside of the second row for the 35-lap main event. In his career at Ohsweken Speedway, Kinser has made six starts, recording three top-10 finishes.

“Ohsweken is such a neat place,” Kinser said. “Glenn (Styres) and everyone there do an amazing job and treat us so well, every time we go up there. I haven’t had the best of luck up there, but we’ve been fast and know what it takes. Like everywhere else, you have to put a whole night together and be on it from hot laps till the final checkered flag.”

Heading north to Canada, Kinser is 13th in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship standings. He has won once thus far in 2013 and has 22 top-10 finishes, with seven being top-five performances.

Kraig Kinser Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, Mesilla Valley Transportation, King Racing Products, Maxim, Aerodine Composites, Sander Engineering, Integra Shocks, All Star Performance, FK Rod Ends, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bell, KSE Racing Products, ButlerBuilt, Schoenfeld Headers, Donovan Engineering, Fel-Pro, Brodix, Wilwood, Dyer’s, Barnes Systems, Ringer Gloves, Jakes Custom Golf Carts, and Ben Cook Racing Limited for their continued support.

Kraig Kinser By the Numbers: Autodrome Drummond, Cornwall Motor Speedway & Ohsweken Speedway
0.25- Miles around Cornwall Motor Speedway
0.375- Distance in miles around Ohsweken Speedway
0.4- Miles around Autodrome Drummond
1- Career start at Cornwall Motor Speedway
3- Main event starts at Autodrome Drummond
5- Total nights of racing this season for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series in Canada
6- Careers starts at Ohsweken Speedway with the World of Outlaws
7- Finishing position in last year’s main event at Cornwall Motor Speedway
8.3- Average finish in three main event starts at Autodrome Drummond
9.5- Average finishing position in six career starts at Ohsweken Speedway
10.246- Track record at Cornwall Motor Speedway
12.047- Qualifying record at Ohsweken Speedway
13.128- Track record at Autodrome Drummond
22- Top-10 finishes earned this season
138- Distance in miles from Autodrome Drummond where the World of Outlaws race on July 27 to Cornwall Motor Speedway
332-Miles from Cornwall Motor Speedway where the World of Outlaws compete on July 28 to Ohsweken Speedway
334- Miles from Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y., where the World of Outlaws raced on July 23 to Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada
2009- Year of first start at Ohsweken Speedway
2010- First start at Autodrome Drummond
2012- Year of first start at Cornwall Motor Speedway

Keep up with all the action 
For the latest news on Kraig Kinser, visit http://www.kraigkinser.com, and follow Kraig on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kraigkinser11k and receive live updates from the track each and every race night.

Tune in
Listen live to each and every World of Outlaws event on DIRTVision.com with “The Voice of the Outlaws” Johnny Gibson on the call. Visitwww.DIRTVision.com for live audio of each and every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event.

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

 

1. Bourdais seeks second Brickyard Grand Prix win 

2. Rahal gets new engineer in RLL personnel moves 

 

1. Bourdais seeks second Brickyard Grand Prix win: Sebastien Bourdais already has a winner’s trophy from the Brickyard Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He’s hoping to bring that same success to 8Star Motorsports.

 

The 34-year-old Frenchman, who won last year’s inaugural GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race at the Brickyard, will co-drive the No. 4 Daytona Prototype with Emilio Di Guida in 8Star’s second entry.

 

“There’s a lot of very good and talented people at 8Star and I’m happy to be involved,” Bourdais said. “I’m very much looking forward to racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, obviously, having won last year’s inaugural Grand-Am race there. Indy is a pretty cool event and a cool track.”

 

Bourdais is riding a wave of confidence after returning to an Indy car podium at the IZOD IndyCar Series races July 13-14 at Toronto. He vaulted to 16th in the point standings after finishing second and third in the doubleheader weekend.

 

“I think we’ve got a really workable base to begin with now,” Bourdais said. “We’ve got some work to do and we’ll keep at it. To go from where we were to be challenging for the podium — that’s pretty sweet.”

 

Through 10 races that netted bests of 11th on a road/street circuit and 14th on an oval, the team released race engineer Neil Fife, who had worked with Bourdais since 2011 at Dale Coyne Racing, and added Tom Brown (who most recently had worked at HVM Racing).

 

“At the end of the day it’s a completely different challenge when you have to start from scratch,” said Bourdais, whose last Indy car victory was at Mexico City in 2007. “It’s a challenge to bring people onboard and try to get the right chemistry.

 

“Tom came with kind of an idea and we just went more and more toward that direction. It just clicked for the first qualifying. ‘Oh, OK, now we got grip.  Now I can push.’ It was a pretty big eye-opener.  Then we just kept working at it all weekend. Once you get closer, baby steps.”

 

In 2012, Bourdais had strong qualifying efforts (five top 10s, including a high of third at Sonoma) and posted a season-best fourth-place finish at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The IZOD IndyCar Series returns to the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course Aug. 2-4 for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Five of the final six races are on road/street circuits.

 

“I really thought at the end of last year that we were going to have an awesome (2013) season,” Bourdais said. “We just didn’t adapt very quickly to the new tires. Finally, I think we understood something and it’s the turnaround for our season.”

 

2. Rahal gets new engineer in RLL personnel moves:   Gerry Hughes, who joined Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as race engineer in March 2012, has been named head of development for the IZOD IndyCar Series program for drivers Graham Rahal and James Jakes.

 

Neil Fife, race engineer for the team’s most recent IndyCar win at Watkins Glen in 2008, will take over as Rahal’s engineer for the remainder of the season. Mitch Davis has joined the team as crew chief.

 

“I want to thank Gerry for his hard work and efforts over the past year and a half as race engineer and I’m grateful that he has taken on the new role as head of development to ensure our success in the future,” team co-owner Bobby Rahal said.

 

Hughes, who has a quarter century of trackside engineering experience in Formula One and GP2 among other series, worked with Rahal in the Jaguar Formula One program. He joined the team last year to be the race engineer for Takuma Sato, with whom he had worked with in the Super Aguri F1 team.

 

Most recently, Fife was race engineer for Sebastien Bourdais at Dragon Racing and Davis was team manager for Chip Ganassi Racing’s IndyCar program for Charlie Kimball.

 

“The last IndyCar race we won in 2008 with Ryan Hunter-Reay was with Neil at the helm as race engineer so it’s great to have him back,” Rahal added. “I’m confident that he and Graham will work well together and we can have a successful last third of the season. These changes will be a big plus for us going forward.”

 

Through 13 races in his first season with the team, Rahal has a best finish of second at Long Beach among four top-10 finishes in the No. 15 Midas/Big O Tires car. Following an IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test July 31 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, both drivers will compete in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 4.

 

“Bobby has always been committed to running at the highest levels of racing and you can see that in each of his teams and their competitive efforts,” Fife said.  “It is truly a challenging and competitive time in the IndyCar Series this year and together I think we can elevate the success of Graham and the team.”

***

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be televised live at 3 p.m. (ET) by NBC Sports Network and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211, www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 App for most smartphones and tablets. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Mid-Ohio 100 on Aug. 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 2 p.m. 

JOLIET, Ill. (July 21, 2013) — Frank Kimmel had a frustrating race Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway in his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards’ primary sponsor’s own race — but he tied his career streak for consecutive top-10 finishes and maintained a healthy lead in the championship standings after finishing ninth in the Ansell ActivArmr 150.   Kimmel, the nine-time ARCA champion who came into the day with a 175-point lead in the standings and riding a string of 20 consecutive top-10 finishes stretching back to July 2012, was optimistic after qualifying fifth in Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell earlier Sunday afternoon. But in the end the outcome of the short, 100-lap 150-mile showdown was less than pleasant for the driver of the No. 44 Ansell / Menards Toyota fielded by ThorSport Racing. “I was really disappointed in our finish — really aggravated because I felt like we didn’t finish in the position that I thought we deserved,” Kimmel said. “That happens sometimes and that’s part of racing, but we pride ourselves on our ability to usually finish a little better than maybe we should — that’s the mark of a championship team and we know that’s what we have at ThorSport.   “We always try to improve on what we think we should get, and (Sunday) I thought we had a top-five car — we pretty much proved that all weekend by coming off the truck and going right to the top of the practice sheet, which we don’t usually do.” Kimmel was perplexed by the way the race played out on a steamy in the Chicago suburbs. “We just had some differences in pit strategy versus what some of the other guys did and the car didn’t run well in the middle of the race when we tried two tires and I didn’t discover that the high lane in Turns 1 and 2 was going to be so much better than the bottom,” Kimmel said in summary. “We picked up almost eight-tenths of a second by moving up high on the racetrack in 1 and 2 and if we’d done that earlier in the run maybe we wouldn’t have lost so much track position.”   When that occurred and Kimmel had to pit with about 12 laps to go, he lost a lap that he wasn’t able to recover. Even when leader Justin Boston ran out of fuel with less than two laps remaining — handing the first series win to rookie Corey LaJoie in a racecar he built himself — Kimmel didn’t pick up a spot, ending up ninth.   “So that made it a disappointing finish because I felt like we should have had a top-five car, easy,” said Kimmel, who was third-best in the weekend’s only practice, on Saturday — ironically behind LaJoie. “Jeriod (Prince, crew chief) and all the guys worked really hard all weekend and it’s just disappointing when you don’t get what you deserve.”   The best part of the day was, despite the frustration Kimmel felt at “not being able to out-run the leaders to enable us to stay on the lead lap, there at the end,” Kimmel’s chief championship rival Mason Mingus only finished sixth. Since Kimmel got bonus points for leading a lap while Mingus didn’t, Kimmel unofficially takes a 165-point lead to this weekend’s Sunday race at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Ironically, that’s where Kimmel’s current 21-race string of consecutive top-10 finishes began, on July 1, 2012.

ABOUT MENARDS: With 280 stores in 14 Midwestern states, Menards has the tools, materials and supplies for all your home improvement needs whether just needing a light bulb or can of paint to building a deck or new home.  Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader; it’s no wonder their famous slogan – “SAVE BIG MONEY” – is so widely known and easy to remember.  Menards does things right – the company’s strength and success can be seen in the well-stocked and maintained stores, the lowest prices in town and the way guests are always treated like family in a hometown hardware store atmosphere. ABOUT ANSELL: Ansell is a global leader in protection solutions, with operations in North America, LAC, EMEA and Asia-Pacific.  Ansell designs, develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of surgical, examination, industrial and household gloves, protective clothing and condoms. People in over 100 countries around the world put their trust in Ansell’s innovative, high-quality solutions to offer superior protection, combined with high levels of comfort and performance. Ansell holds its operational headquarters in Iselin, NJ, USA and its parent, Ansell Limited, is registered  in Melbourne, Australia. Worldwide, the group employs over 10,000 people in 33 countries.

ABOUT THORSPORT RACING: ThorSport Racing, based in a state-of-the-art 100,000-square-foot facility in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. Thorsport, which has run full-season Truck Series schedules annually beginning in 1998, in 2013 will run the No. 88 Menards Toyota Tundra driven by Matt Crafton, the No. 98 Carolina Nut Co./Curb Records Toyota Tundra driven by Johnny Sauter and the No. 13 SealMaster Toyota Tundra driven by Tracy Hines in the Truck Series and the No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota Camry driven by Frank Kimmel in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

Joliet, IL (July 22, 2013) – With the potential of his first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards win surprisingly hanging in the balance, Justin Boston took the lead with six laps remaining in the Ansell ActivArmr 150 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Crew chief and team general manager Billy Venturini was all in with the decision, having discussed the math with members of the No. 25 ZLOOP™ Computer & Electronic Recycling Centers Toyota crew approximately 10 laps earlier, when Corey LaJoie pitted from second and other contenders started to follow.

Boston just missed, though, leading all the way to the fourth turn on Lap 99 before slowing down on the apron without enough fuel to finish his 11th start, which was nearly his most memorable. LaJoie won, and Boston ended up seventh to lead a group of five Venturini Motorsports cars at the team’s home track.

Boston captured the lead on Lap 94 when pole winner and race leader Ryan Blaney slowed down and pitted after seemingly being on a similar fuel-saving strategy. Though Boston, in second by that time, was in danger of being lapped by Blaney, he was able to take the lead as Blaney struggled into and out of the pits.

Venturini said gambling on fuel was well worth it after Boston had run in the back of the top 10 for most of the race. With 20 to go, Boston was only in seventh.

Though Venturini’s math atop the box told an unfortunate – and ultimately correct – story, the opportunity at scoring Boston’s first ARCA win was worth the risk.

“The only way we were going to try to win was by staying out there,” Venturini said. “Honestly, I said we were going to run out on Lap 98 and a half, and we ran out on Lap 98 and three quarters, but you’ve got to try.”

After starting fourth, Boston was shuffled back to fifth on the first lap and he fell out of the top 10 in the first 40 laps. He moved to ninth on Lap 52, to eighth on Lap 60, and to seventh by Lap 80, but the day to that point had not reached the rookie’s standard. After last pitting on Lap 25, Boston and his team thought making a 75-lap run at a victory was a chance worth taking on an otherwise sub-standard day.

“We had guys shuffling and stacking up on restarts and I was trying to be cautious, and we got taken advantage of on a couple of restarts so I had to work my way through the field,” Boston said. “I was just biding my time and the way the race played out in the later half, we were in a good position to save fuel and that’s what we tried to do. I just didn’t save enough. Billy was telling me to save fuel, save fuel; I learned my lesson on saving fuel. I needed to start sooner, and we ended up seventh instead of first.”

Caleb Armstrong was the leading Venturini driver for most of the race. He started eighth but pitted earlier than most other drivers, on Lap 16, helping him move to second when Boston and other contenders pitted on Lap 25. Armstrong lost some positions soon after that, but was still sixth at the race’s halfway point, Lap 50. He had moved back to the top five by Lap 80, but ultimately brought the No. 15 XS Power Toyota to pit road to make it to the finish. He finished seventh, his second top-10 with Venturini Motorsports.

A.J. Henriksen (No. 55 Engineered Components Co. Toyota) finished 10th for his second top-10 of the 2013 season with Venturini Motorsports. Milka Duno (No. 35 CanTV/Milka Way Toyota) finished 15th and Tom Berte (No. 20 CGS Premier Chevrolet) was 18th.

Venturini Motorsports will next compete in the Barbera’s Autoland 150 presented by Driven Racing Oil at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The race is the second of two road course events scheduled this year. Practice will begin Saturday morning, with qualifying taking place at 4:30 p.m. ARCARacing.com will present live timing and scoring and live streaming audio from hosts Charlie “Chas” Krall and Tim “Clagger” Clagg for the 67-lap, 150-mile race, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.

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, Miguel Paludo, John Wes Townley, Josh Richards and Johanna Long.

In 2012, VMS and the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano, among others.

After nearly two decades away from NASCAR, 2013 marks VMS’s modern day return to the series with John Wes Townley driving the team’s familiar No.25 in selective NASCAR Nationwide Series events.

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

Steckly Sticks With It After Slow Start

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 22, 2013) – Slow starts can be the death of a championship run, but perseverance can save the day.

After a pair of finishes outside the top 20 to open the 2013 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 campaign, Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge) has rallied with back-to-back victories in his last two starts to pull within just five points of the lead in the championship standings.

The season has a different look for the two-time series champion out of Milverton, Ont. In his two title-winning seasons in 2008 and 2010, Steckly got off to a quick start and established himself at the top of the standings.

“We didn’t have a great start – that’s for sure,” said Steckly. “We weren’t about to quit, though. We just decided that we were going to really dig down and win as many races as we (could).”

The season opened for Steckly with an early accident on the road course at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park near Bowmanville, Ont, that resulted in a 24th-place finish – followed by mechanical problems at Delaware (Ont.) Speedway, which led to a finish in the 21st position after a start from the pole.

“We could have won those first two races. We had good cars,” Steckly said. “Those are just things that happen. It hasn’t been about poor performance. It’s just been bad luck. Hopefully, we’ve gotten all that out of the way for the season.”

 

Despite his superb results out west, Steckly is looking forward to a return to Autodrome St. Eustache (Que.) where he picked up a July 2008 win en route to his first Canadian Tire Series title to go along with a July 2009 triumph.

“We’re definitely looking forward to going back to St. Eustache,” said the 13-time race winner. “We’ve won there in the past and always like going there.”

 

In four starts on the .4-mile Quebec oval Steckly has two other top-five performances in addition to the two victories.

Race: National 250

Place: Autodrome St. Eustache (Que.)

Date: Saturday, July 27

Time: 8:05 p.m. ET

TV Schedule: TSN, Sun., Aug. 4, 11 a.m. ET; RDS2, Sat., Aug. 24, 11 p.m. ET; RDS, Sun., Aug. 25, 10 a.m. ET

Track Layout: .4-mile oval

2012 Winner: Event Not Held

2012 Pole Sitter: Event Not Held

Event Schedule: Practice Noon-12:30 p.m.; Final Practice 1-1:30 p.m.; Qualifying 4:15 p.m.; On-Track Autograph Session 6:45 p.m.; Driver Introductions 7:35 p.m. ET

Track Contact: Jason Labrosse, (450) 472-6222, info@autodrome.ca

Track Twitter: @AutodromeASE

Event Twitter Hashtag: #National250

EVENT SCHEDULE & ENTRY LIST

 

FAST FACTS

The Race: This is the seventh event of the 2013 season for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 and the fifth of eight oval-track events on the schedule. This is the series’ fifth visit to the track and first since July 2010.

 

The Procedure: The starting field is 22 cars, including provisionals. The first 19 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining three spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 250 laps covering 100 miles.

 

The Track: The Autodrome St. Eustache racing complex, located northwest of Montreal, consists of a .4-mile flat oval, a 1.7-kilometer road course and a .125-mile drag strip. There is also a karting track on the premises. The track was founded in 1965 as Fury Speedway de Fabreville, and the current configuration has been hosting various types of racing since 1970. The track was purchased by Alan Labrosse prior to the 2008 race season.

 

The Records: The one-lap qualifying record for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at the track is 17.210 seconds (83.672 mph), set by D.J. Kennington on July 12, 2009. The 250-lap race record was established on July 3, 2010 by Kennington at 1 hour, 37 minutes, 21 seconds for an average speed of 61.633 mph.

 

ST. EUSTACHE NOTES

On The Lookout: D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge) won in the series’ last St. Eustache outing in 2010 and the two-time series and defending series champ is looking for his first trip to Victory Lane in 2013.

 

In A Bunch: Four drivers – Kennington, Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge), Louis-Philippe Dumoulin (No. 47 WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge) and Jason Hathaway (No. 3 Snap-on Tools/Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge) – are separated by just six points atop the championship point standings with six races remaining on the schedule.

 

East Follows West: With the two-race swing through Western Canada in the books, the Canadian Tire Series now turns its attention to the eastern part of the country. The visit to St. Eustache is followed by another Quebec trip to Trois-Rivieres followed by the easternmost event on the docket at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, N.S.

 

LAST TIME OUT: Velocity Prairie Thunder 250 presented by Bayer CropScience

Hanging Around: Jason Hathaway may prove to be the X-factor in this year’s title hunt. With a third-place finish in Saskatoon, the Dutton, Ont., driver, finished on the podium for the second consecutive race. On the season Hathaway has four top-five efforts in six outings.

 

Fitzpatrick Foiled: With two straight starts from the pole J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 84 Equipment Express Chevrolet) would like to have more to show for it than just one top-10 finish. The Ayr, Ontario, driver led a race-high 144 laps at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, but a Lap 226 spin left the championship contender with a finish in seventh.

 

Hayley Homecoming: NASCAR K&N Pro Series West top performer and Calgary, Alberta, native Cameron Hayley made his first NASCAR starts north of the border on the western swing. He followed up a seventh-place effort at Motoplex Speedway with a ninth-place finish in the Velocity Prairie Thunder 250.

NEXT TIME OUT: JuliaWine.com 100

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 returns to Quebec and road-course racing for its eighth event of the season at Circuit de Trois-Rivieres for the JuliaWine.com 100. Quebecer Andrew Ranger has dominated at the 1.530-mile street course by winning four of the six series races held there. Only Kerry Micks (2007) and Robin Buck (2011) have been able to beat the two-time series champion in his home province.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 23, 2013) – The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 makes its second of three trips into Quebec on Saturday, July 27 for the National 250 at Autodrome St. Eustache (Quebec).

Below is a statistical look at the recent performance of selected drivers at St. Eustache, as well as some other statistical trends:

Autodrome St. Eustache Race Setup

·         Scott Steckly has won two of the four ASE events and has finished inside the top five on all four occasions.

·         D.J. Kennington has the best average starting position (2.5) of all active drivers at the track.

·         Kerry Micks won the pole position in the last series event at St. Eustache and has a top-10 finish in all four of his outings there.

·         Four drivers – Kennington, Steckly, L.P. Dumoulin and Jason Hathaway – are within six points of each other atop the season standings.

 

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series At Autodrome St. Eustache

·         This is the series’ fifth time to compete at St. Eustache with the last time on July 3, 2010.

·         The race’s television premier is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. ET on TSN, Saturday, Aug. 24 at 11 p.m. ET on RDS2 and Sunday, Aug. 25 at 10 a.m. ET on RDS.

·         St. Eustache is the only Quebec oval to have hosted a Canadian Tire Series race.

·         In the previous four races at the track, there has been an average of 10.0 caution periods for 58.25 laps with earliest coming at Lap 10 in 2010 and the latest at Lap 247 in the May 2009 event.

·         In four races at St. Eustache, the average finishing position for the pole sitter is 7.25 and the average starting position for the race winner is 6.75.

·         There has been an average of 11.5 lead changes in four Canadian Tire Series races at ASE.

·         Only one event – May 2009 – out of four has been extended past the 250-lap advertised distance.

Autodrome St. Eustache Data

Race: #7 of 12 (7/27/13)

Track Layout: .4-mile oval

Race Length: 250 laps (100 miles)

 

Records

1-Lap Qualifying: D.J. Kennington, Dodge, 17.210 seconds, 83.672 mph, July 12, 2009

250-Lap Race: D.J. Kennington, Dodge, 1 hr., 37 min., 21 sec., 61.633 mph, July 3, 2010

 

Race Winners

Scott Steckly………………………………. 2

D.J. Kennington…………………………… 1

Dave Whitlock……………………………… 1

 

Pole Winners

D.J. Kennington ………………………….. 1

Kerry Micks…………………………………. 1

Scott Steckly………………………………. 1

Don Thomson Jr…………………………… 1

 

Manufacturer Wins

Dodge ………………………………………. 4

 

Laps Led

Scott Steckly……………………………. 327

Andrew Ranger…………………………. 230

Kerry Micks……………………………… 133

 

Selected Driver Information:

Ron Beauchamp Jr. (No. 60 Mopar/Exide/Pennzoil Dodge)

·         Finished fifth in the 2010 ASE event.

·         Has three top-10 finishes in four starts at the Quebec oval.

·         Recorded back-to-back top-10 finishes on western swing.

·         One of four drivers to start all 81 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races.

 

Ray Courtemanche Jr. (No. 29 La Cité de Mirabel Dodge)

·         Making track debut in this year’s National 250.

·         Was voted by fans as the series’ Most Popular Driver in 2012.

 

Louis-Philipe Dumoulin (No. 47 WeatherTech Canada/Bellemare Dodge)

·         Is making his first series start at ASE in the National 250.

·         Registered his first Canadian Tire Series victory in the season opener on May 19 on the road course at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

·         Scored his first career pole win last season at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.

·         Was the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Rookie of the Year.

·         Made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut on Aug. 20, 2012 at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

 

J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 84 Equipment Express Chevrolet)

·         Finished eighth in his last St. Eustache start in 2010.

·         Recorded a fifth-place finish in the series’ inaugural event at the track in 2008.

·         Won consecutive pole positions in last two series starts.

·         Is the series’ all-time leader in poles with 13.

·         Seven of his eight career series wins have come on road courses – CTMP (3), Edmonton (2) and Montreal (2); his oval track win came in July 2007 at Motoplex Speedway.

 

Alex Guenette (No. 39 Motos Illimitées/DLGL Dodge)

·         Making series track debut this season.

·         Trails Ryley Seibert by just two points in rookie-of-the-year standings.

 

Jason Hathaway (No. 3 Snap-on Tools/Rockstar Energy Drink Dodge)

·         Registered a fourth-place finish in last ASE outing in 2010; his best finish in four starts at the track.

·         Has recorded three straight top-10 finishes at the .4-mile oval.

·         Has led 16 laps at St. Eustache.

·         One of four drivers to start all 81 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races.

 

D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge)

·         Won in the series’ last ASE event in 2010.

·         Finished as the runner-up in the 2008 and May 2009 races at the Quebec track.

·         Has an average starting position of 2.5 in four St. Eustache starts.

·         Tops the all-time Canadian Tire Series wins list with 18.

·         Won 2010 and 2012 series championships.

·         Scored a single-season series record of seven wins in 2012.

·         One of four drivers to start all 81 NCATS races.

 

Kerry Micks (No. 02 Leland/Beyond Digital Imaging/Dickies Ford)

·         Finished sixth in 2010 start at ASE after starting from the pole position.

·         Best track finish of second came in the May 2009 event.

·         Has top-10 finishes in all four of his St. Eustache starts.

·         Has led a total of 133 laps at ASE.

 

Martin Roy (No. 90 Batteries Expert/Gamache Dodge)

·         Making his track debut this season.

·         Won 2012 series Rookie-of-the-Year honors.

 

Ryley Seibert (No. 09 Lake Excavating/Emco Waterworks Dodge)

·         Making track debut in this year’s National 250.

·         Scored a season-best finish of eighth on July 20 at his home track – Motoplex Speedway.

·         Leads series Rookie-of-the-Year standings this season.

 

Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge)

·         Finished second to D.J. Kennington in series’ last visit to St. Eustache.

·         Is a two-time winner at ASE having won in 2008 and May 2009.

·         Has led a series-best 327 laps at the Quebec oval.

·         His 13 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victories rank third on the all-time list.

·         Won 2008 and 2011 series championships.

·         One of four drivers to start all 81 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races.

 

Hugo Vannini (No. 97 VTI Motorsports Ford)

·         Finished 20th in last ASE start in 2010.

·         Made series debut at St. Eustache in May 2009 and finished 19th.

Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1. Kanaan aiming to make more history at IMS 

2. Tagliani to ride tricycle around State Fair in beaver costume 

3. Vautier tunes up for Mid-Ohio by racing

 

1. Kanaan aiming to make more history at IMS: The last time Tony Kanaan was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he was celebrating an Indianapolis 500 victory. Kanaan hopes his next trip will be just as productive.

 

Kanaan will have the chance to accomplish something no driver has ever done at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he competes in the Rolex Series Brickyard Grand Prix – win two major events at IMS.

 

“Obviously it would mean a lot,” said Kanaan, who will drive a Daytona Prototype for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. “When I got the phone call from Chip (Ganassi) to do this, I was extremely excited. I’ve been watching obviously Scott (Pruett) and Memo (Rojas) for a long time. But, to be honest, I’ve never driven one of those cars. I’m going to have to learn a lot in the first day. I will do anything I can do to help the team. If we’re in a position to do that, for sure we’ll take it.

 

“It took me 12 years to win the 500. To win two races in Indianapolis, I don’t know what to think yet. I know we have a competitive car. I’m just glad to be part of it.”

 

Ryan Briscoe’s wrist injury opened the door for Kanaan to drive alongside Joey Hand in the three-hour endurance race. Still, Kanaan is treating the race differently than he did to the IZOD IndyCar Series race.

 

“I think I’m going to lean a lot on Scott and Joey to teach me,” he said. “A couple days ago I got an e-mail from Tim (Keene), our team manager at Ganassi, four pages that I had to learn, all the switches and stuff. I think we have a little bit of time on Thursday for me to learn that. Even to learn the racetrack. It’s funny to say that I don’t know the track. The track I know runs the opposite way and only turns left”

 

It also will allow Kanaan to introduce his son Leo to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

 

“I haven’t been to the track since the 500,” Kanaan said. “For sure it will give me a great feeling when I drive through the tunnel for the first time, look at the pagoda, all the things. I got so lucky, my kid is on vacation with me this month from Brazil. This deal came up a week ago. Coincidentally he gets to be here. He wasn’t here at the 500. As you guys all know, I promised him the trophy, he was going to get the Borg-Warner. He’s all excited. He’s never been to Indianapolis. It’s a great fit.”

 

But still, Kanaan wouldn’t mind coming away with another visit to the Yard of Bricks as an Indianapolis winner.

 

“It doesn’t matter what kind of race you do in Indianapolis, any driver wants to win, no doubt about it,” he said. 

 

2. Tagliani to ride tricycle around State Fair in beaver costume: Despite raising nearly $6,000 for charity, Alex Tagliani will have to don a beaver costume and ride around the Indiana State Fair on a tricycle.

 

The stunt is the payoff of a bet with 2008 Indianapolis 500 champion Scott Dixon, who raised $1,130 more than Tagliani during their Power of 2 Challenge. The pair raised nearly $13,000 for their charities through the Power of 2, a fundraising initiative that uses celebrity power for social causes. 

 

Dixon raised $7,036 for two groups that focus on cancer stricken young people, CanTeen and Teens Living with Cancer, during a two-week campaign that ended July 18. Tagliani raised slightly less, $5,906, for his chosen charity, Anaphyaxis Canada, an organization that helps people with life threatening allergies.

 

The end result means Tagliani will ride around the fair on a tricycle in a beaver costume, representative of his native Canada, while stopping to have some State Fair fun along the way. 

 

He will begin his journey at 11 a.m. on Aug. 5 on Main Street in front of the Communications Building and proceed around the fairgrounds to perform the following tasks:

 

 

* Pose for photo with the World’s Largest Male Hog at the Swine Barn

* Chug a delicious milkshake at the Dairy Bar

* Try to ring the bell at the “Strong Man” game at the midway

* Pose for photo with the World’s Largest Popcorn Ball at the Agriculture/Horticulture Building

* Feed the goats at Goat Mountain next to the DNR Building

* Dance with The Fun Bunch line dancers near Gate 12

* Milk a dairy cow in the Livestock Nursery in the Family Fun Park

 

Once he successfully completes the circuit, Tagliani and Dixon will duel it out in go-karts at the fair’s Mini-Indy Speedway, a quarter-mile banked oval track in the fairgrounds’ northeast corner.

 

3. Vautier tunes up for Mid-Ohio by racing: Seat time is Tristan Vautier’s goal as the IZOD IndyCar Series rookie competes in the F1600 Formula F Championship Series at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 27-28.

 

The 23-year-old Frenchman, who will drive the No. 55 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 4, will gain additional experience on the road course in a Quantum Racing Services Van Diemen Honda. He’ll also participate July 31 in an IZOD IndyCar Series Open Test at the venue.

 

“Not knowing the track, it’s a great chance for me to get to learn it before our IndyCar weekend and I can’t thank Quantum Racing Services enough for this opportunity,” said Vautier, the 2012 Firestone Indy Lights champion and 2011 Pro Mazda champion. “It’s going to be exciting to drive a car with no wings again, I’m sure I will have a lot of fun, and knowing the car will be prepared by a team who knows success in the series is amazing.”

***

The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be televised live at 3 p.m. (ET) by NBC Sports Network and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211, www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 App for most smartphones and tablets. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Mid-Ohio 100 on Aug. 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 2 p.m.