Category: Other Series PR

Veteran Driver Hopes For Reversal Of Fortune In NASCAR Canadian Tire Series

By Travis Barrett, Special to NASCAR Home Tracks

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 10, 2013) – If you only took J.R. Fitzpatrick’s side of the story, you’d think he hadn’t had a good result in five years in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. You’d walk away believing that he had either wrecked, broken or blown an engine in each and every one of his 66 career starts in the series.

“People are going to start calling me ‘Black Cloud.’ That’s how I feel things keep going for me, like there’s this black cloud hanging over me,” Fitzpatrick said. “Ever since NASCAR’s taken over (the old CASCAR Super Series), it seems like we’ve never been able to get the monkey off our back.

“It seems like a little bit of bad luck keeps hitting us. Near the end of races, the car falls off or something happens. We’ve been working hard on keeping that from happening.”

The statistics, however, paint a slightly different – and more positive – picture.

The 25-year-old from Cambridge, Ontario, has eight career victories, 11 poles, and he’s finished in the Top-3 in the final point standings in each of the last three seasons. Fitzpatrick has an amazing 30 Top-10 finishes in 37 races from 2010-2012.

“Fitzy’s probably one of the most talented drivers in the series,” said two-time Canadian Tire Series champion D.J. Kennington. “Every race he goes to, he’s a factor.”

 

Kennington won his Canadian Tire Series championships in 2010 and 2012. Ironically, it was Fitzpatrick who finished second to him each time, and there’s likely nobody better than Kennington to diagnose precisely what it will take for Fitzpatrick to unseat him as champion.

 

But Kennington hasn’t won multiple titles by being dumb.

 

“I know exactly what it is he’s missing,” Kennington said with a laugh. “But I’m not telling you.”

 

No matter. Fitzpatrick will point to a number of near misses on the race track – like a dominating performance at Kawartha Speedway, where he led 236 of 250 laps and failed to win, or being spun out of the lead while en route to certain victory at Barrie Speedway, or breaking in the second-to-last race of the 2010 season to cost him the title that Kennington eventually won – as examples of championship aspirations gone awry.

 

But nothing stings worse, or likely sums up, Fitzpatrick’s hard-luck status, better than the race at Delaware Speedway in June of last season. With 20 laps to go, he’s stretching out his already comfortable lead on the rest of the field, when a freak occurrence intervenes. The lights at the track shut off mid-race, and the red flag comes out.

 

While sitting there stopped in the darkness under the red, a leak in the brake line of the No. 84 Equipment Express Chevrolet bleeds out. And Fitzpatrick’s chances at victory are gone.

 

“When people talk about (NASCAR Canadian Tire Series), they say the 84 team is good – good driver, good team – and we put on a good show with exciting finishes,” Fitzpatrick said. “But they’ve also said the one thing missing is little things.

 

“It’s frustrating to even talk about. Shoulda, coulda, woulda. There’s no question we’re a championship-winning team, but there’s just always that little bug that bites us.”

 

Fitzpatrick has the presence of Don Thomson Jr. as his crew chief. Thomson is one of Canada’s most decorated short-trackers, having won multiple CASCAR championships – including five in a row from 2001-2005. His last full season behind the wheel came in 2011, when he finished fifth in the final NASCAR Canadian Tire Series standings.

 

He moved atop the pit box for Fitzpatrick last season, but not for the first time. Thomson built and crew chiefed a late model program for Fitzpatrick earlier in Fitzpatrick’s career.

 

“Really the place is built around him. He really created this whole empire at Fitzpatrick Motorsports,” Fitzpatrick said of Thomson, whom he likens to an older brother. “He’s by far the most experienced guy in the pits, and he’s a great crew chief. I think being a crew chief for first time last year while not driving was a learning curve for him, but he’s been doing his work and the whole program is getting better.”

 

Fitzpatrick sees the leadership role that Thomson has embraced, and he realizes that he may need to do more of that himself, too.

 

“The car’s always been fast everywhere we’ve gone, but so many things that keep happening are out of your control,” Fitzpatrick said. “Sometimes I come home and I want to kick anything that’s in my way. Every time we’re winning and we’re fast, it seems something stupid happens. It comes to a point where you go, ‘Why me?’

 

“I think me not getting so worked up and emotional in the car, that would be perfect start for us. I’ll admit, I’m pretty bad for that. Look at that race at Delaware – we stop (for the red flag) and the brakes start leaking. Who do I get upset at? I can’t get out and start kicking the calipers, can I?”

 

“I’ve got to let my emotions turn into a positive influence on the team. I’ve gotten (mad) in the past, and I think that’s what hurt us.”

 

It took Kennington 18 years to learn how to manage races well enough to win his first championship in 2010.

 

“It’s patience. I honestly think that’s the only thing holding him back,” Kennington said. “You don’t have to push Fitzy to go fast. You’ve got to pull him back. He’s got one speed, and that’s wide open.

 

“It’s hard to learn that. You’re a racer. It’s like I always say, you want to go as fast as you can for as long as you can. It’s hard to mentally tell yourself you need to save some stuff, and it’s even harder when you see guys driving away from you that you know you can catch.”

 

Fitzpatrick appears ready to take that next step toward a championship. Perhaps he’s even beginning to see the sun start peeking through those “black clouds.”

 

“I think the biggest thing that keeps me going is I want a NASCAR championship,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think part of the big blowups I’ve had in the past is frustration over the whole season. We’re winning, we get dumped or something else happens. I’m probably not as mad as the guy I’m yelling at as it seems.

“Hey, we’re a racing family. I’ve been around it my whole life. My dad raced, and he had a real passion for it. I’m the same way.”

NEW CASTLE, Ind.— May 9, 2013— April and the first weekend of May were not the most friendly when it came to weather conditions for Tracy Hines and his fellow USAC competitors. Rain, cold and even snow led to the postponement or cancellation of a total of seven races across the three USAC National Series. With the calendar now fully turned to May, a stop at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., for a USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series event awaits.

Hines is set to compete in the Spring Showdown at Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, May 11 aboard his own Hansen’s Welding Inc. DRC with a Stanton Mopar under the hood. The event will again be co-sanctioned this year by the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series and the Midwest Sprint Car Series.

“With all of the rainouts over the last four or five weeks, we’ve spent more than enough time in the shop and are ready to get to the track,” said Hines. “Haubstadt usually draws a pretty good field of cars and with it being a MSCS race as well, that will certainly add to the car count. Knock on wood, the weather looks great, so it should be a pretty good weekend.”

Last season Hines made three starts in a sprint car at Tri-State Speedway, which is a quarter-mile bullring in Southern Indiana. Two of those races were USAC/MSCS co-sanctioned events. In the spring race, Hines finished 20th, while during Indiana Sprint Week, he came home 19th. The 2002 USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series champion crossed the line 17th in the Haubstadt Hustler in the fall. He also made one start in a midget at Tri-State Speedway in 2012, with that coming during Indiana Midget Week with the USAC National Midget Series.

“We didn’t have the best of luck or results at Haubstadt last year and certainly want to make up for that this year,” he noted. “Haubstadt can be a pretty challenging place and you have to be on your toes, especially during the feature when you have a whole field of cars out there on that tight of a track. We have only raced a couple of times on small tracks this year, so we’ll see how our short track program stacks up this weekend.”

Hines was victorious with the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series at Tri-State Speedway in 2002. This season, he has made one start on a quarter-mile in a sprint car, with that coming at Gas City I-69 Speedway where he finished eighth on April 26.

The veteran driver raced last weekend at Fremont Speedway in Ohio, with the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series (BOSS). Hines won the second eight-lap heat race to earn a spot in the 30-lap main event. After an inversion of six was draw, he lined up on the inside of the third row in the fifth spot for the A-Feature. Just two laps into that contest, Hines retired to the pit area with a mechanical problem.

Hines enters this weekend’s race at Tri-State Speedway fifth in the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series standings, following the first five races of the season. He is just 20 markers out of the top spot as he chases his second-career USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series title. The native of New Castle, Ind., has two wins to go along with three top-10 finishes this season.

“May really starts to get us into the heart of the season and that’s the time of the year we have been gearing up for,” Hines stated. “As long as Mother Nature cooperates we’ll get to run each of the three cars in the next few weeks and have races on both the dirt and pavement. It will be good to race more than once a week or once every couple of weeks as has been the case lately and hopefully we can get into a rhythm and stay in a rhythm.”

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.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—May 8, 2013— Normally, Elko Speedway in Minnesota, and the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, are polar opposites, as one is paved and the other one of the most historic dirt tracks in all of racing. This weekend, the pair of tracks in the Upper Midwest will have two things in common as Elko Speedway will be covered in dirt and both tracks will host the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series. Kraig Kinser will compete at both as he makes his first trip of the season to Minnesota and Iowa, in the Casey’s General Store/Mesilla Valley Transportation Maxim.

The FVP Outlaws at Elko event on Friday, May 10 will serve as the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series debut at Elko Speedway, which is about a half-hour south of Minneapolis. The series then heads south to Iowa, on Saturday, May 11 for the Mediacom Shootout, which is the series first of three visits in 2013 to the legendary oval located at the Marion County Fairgrounds.

“We’re getting closer to that time of the year where we start racing three and four times a week and that’s the part of the schedule I am always anxious for,” said Kinser. “The last few weeks have been challenging with the weather and then we had a tough weekend at Eldora last week, so we’re looking to get back on track this weekend.”

Kinser has one win in the state of Minnesota in his career with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series, with that coming in 2008 at North Central Speedway in Brainerd. Elko Speedway will mark the third new track that Kinser has competed in 2013. He has a total of three wins in his career with the series when making his debut at a venue. Elko Speedway will be the fourth track in the state of Minnesota, that Kinser has competed at in his career. Last year, the third-generation driver came home sixth last fall at Deer Creek Speedway.

“I’ve had some good runs over the years in Minnesota, including the win at Brainerd (North Central Speedway),” he said. “We were pretty good at Deer Creek (Speedway) last year and from the sounds of it, we may be able to use a little bit of what worked there at Elko this weekend. This year we race a few more time than normal up there and they usually have pretty good crowds and some loyal fans in Minnesota, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Kinser, who won the 2005 Knoxville Nationals, earned a pair of top-five finishes last season at the half-mile in sprint car racing’s biggest event. He finished third on the second qualifying night and was fourth in the 50-lap finale. The native of Bloomington, Ind., made a total of four starts at Knoxville last season in his family-owned No. 11K.

“We had a strong car at the Nationals last year, so hopefully we can carry some of that momentum into this weekend,” Kinser stated. “Knoxville is definitely a challenging track and it sounds like there is going to be a very good car count, so that puts a premium on qualifying. Right now with how things are, starting up front in a heat race and getting into the dash is very, very important. We’ll do our best to put ourselves in a position for that.”

In his career with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series at Knoxville, Kinser has made a total of 28 main event starts, including preliminary features. He has a pair of wins to go along with 11 top-10 finishes, of which six are top-five showings. Kinser made his debut at the half-mile with the World of Outlaws in 2001.

Last weekend at the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio, Kinser finished 18th in the finale of the two-night Outlaw Thunder weekend, after starting the feature in the 24th spot as the first alternate. He just missed transferring to the main event in the opener, finishing seventh in the B-main.

Kinser heads into this weekend 12th in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship standings. He has eight top-10 finishes in 2013, including a season-best third-place showing at Volusia Speedway Park in Florida.

Kraig Kinser Racing would like to thank Casey’s General Stores, Mesilla Valley Transportation, 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: Elko Speedway & Knoxville Raceway 
0.375- Miles around Elko Speedway
0.5- Distance around Knoxville Raceway in miles
1- Win in the state of Minnesota in his career- North Central Speedway- 2008
2– Career main event wins at Knoxville
4- Nights of racing in Minnesota this season for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
6- Total nights of racing for the series at Knoxville this season, including the Knoxville Nationals
8- Top-10 finishes thus far in 2013
13- Average finishing position in 28 career main event with the World of Outlaws at Knoxville
28- Career feature events starts at Knoxville with the series, including preliminary features
253- Miles from Elko Speedway in Minnesota, where the World of Outlaws race on May 10 to Knoxville Raceway in Iowa
659- Miles from Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, where the World of Outlaws competed on May 3–4 to Elko Speedway in Minnesota
2001- Year of first start at Knoxville Raceway with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
2005- Year of win in the Knoxville Nationals
2246- Points earned this season through May 4
24,930- Dollars earned this season

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 ofeach and every World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event.

WATERTOWN, Conn.—May 5, 2013— It’s hard to believe it had been since last July that David Gravel had taken to the high banks of the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio. After Mother Nature halted a couple of scheduled trips to the half-mile last fall, the native of Watertown, Conn., made his first two starts of 2013 at the historic oval this past weekend. He finished seventh in the opener of the two-night Outlaw Thunder weekend to earn his third-career top-10 finish with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series at Eldora.

The Outlaw Thunder weekend was the first of three separate trips the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series will make to Eldora Speedway this season. Gravel plans to race in all of those events, which equate to five total nights of racing for the series at the track, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

In the opener on Friday, May 3 at Eldora, Gravel lined up eighth for the main event aboard the Wright Process Systems/Firetext Response/JRC Transportation Maxim for Bill Rose Racing and ran among the top-10 for the duration of the 30-lap contest. The first stoppage of the night occurred just before the halfway point, when the red flag flew on lap-14. Gravel restarted eighth following that and was in the same position as the laps wound down. A pair of yellow flags would come out on the 21st circuit, and the East Coast racer found himself in seventh at that point and would cross the finish line in that same spot.

“We wanted to come away with a top-10 finish and were able to do that on the first night,” said Gravel. “Qualifying and track position is so important at Eldora and we were able to time in among the top-five and got a little help getting in the dash. Right now, with how tough the competition is, you definitely have to make the most of a top-10 starting spot and we did that against a very strong field on Friday night.”

The 20-year-old opened the Outlaw Thunder weekend at Eldora by recording the fifth-fastest lap in time trials, with a stout 39-car field in attendance. He both started and finished third in the first eight-lap heat race, which earned him a spot in the dash. With an inversion of eight for the dash, Gravel lined up fourth and would come home eighth, which put him on the outside of the fourth row for the A-Feature.

On Saturday, May 4 in the finale of the Outlaw Thunder weekend, Gravel finished 14th, after taking the green flag for the 30-lapper in the 18th spot. He began the night by timing in 18th-fastest of the 34 cars in attendance. Gravel finished sixth in the second eight-lap heat race, coming up just one position short of transferring to the main event, which put him in the B-main, where he finished second to earn a spot in the main event.

“We were just a little bit off,” he shared. “We gained a few spots in the feature, but weren’t quite where we needed to be with the car. We learned a few things and should be better when we go back to Eldora in July for the Kings Royal. That’s a place where if you are just a little off, you are really battling and that’s what we were up against.”

Gravel, who is currently sixth in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship standings on the strength of 10 top-10 and four top-five finishes, returns to action next weekend at Elko Speedway in Minnesota and the legendary Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.

“It sounds like it’s going to be a pretty neat event at Elko, with them covering the track with dirt,” he said. “We were hoping to race at Knoxville a couple of weeks ago and were delayed a day at Salina (Oklahoma) due to rain, so it will be good to get some laps there next weekend with the Outlaws. Any laps we get can at Knoxville prior to the Nationals will help us come August.”

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

By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia) – Veteran Ontario short-track racer and NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) star J.R. Fitzpatrick will drive an OSCAAR Super Late Model on a regular basis throughout the 2013 season. Fitzpatrick is expected to pilot the Roy Passer-owned #27 in as many as 10 races throughout the upcoming campaign.

“My heart and soul seems like it belongs in a Super Late,” said Fitzpatrick of his decision to join the tour on a more permanent basis.

As of right now, the 2006 CASCAR Super Series champion is expecting to miss only three dates on the 2013 OSCAAR schedule (June 15 – Barrie, July 27 – Sunset, August 11 – Kawartha).

“I hope it rains every race I’m not there,” joked Fitzpatrick, who says he is most looking forward to races at Flamboro Speedway and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) Speedway.

Fitzpatrick’s involvement doesn’t stop there. The Ayr, Ont. driver also purchased his own car, a near-new Outlaw from Len Couvillon over the off-season, which he may drive on a couple of occasions, but the primary focus remains on the Passer Racing #27.

As a result, the two drivers may only race door-to-door on one occasion, at the 2013 Don Biederman Memorial, since both drivers are eager to be a part of the event.

“I would race Roy just as hard as anyone else,” said Fitzpatrick, who is dating Passer’s daughter, Alaura. “But think about how awkward the situation would be if one of us wrecked one another.”

Fitzpatrick’s personally-owned left-hander chassis is guaranteed to see the racetrack at least one other time. It will be piloted by five-time CASCAR Super Series champion Don Thomson Jr. on June 1^st at CTMP Speedway and will sport his familiar #4.

“For me, growing up I always wanted to run Super Late Models,” said Thomson. “When I went to Flamboro every weekend and ran my street stock or late model, the Super Late Model class was pretty healthy. I’ve always loved the series. My path changed and I decided to go CASCAR, but I always kind of liked Super Late Models.”

Fitzpatrick and Passer have logged extensive hours over the winter to completely refresh the #27 Chevrolet. After a couple of mid-season incidents last year, the pair decided to dissect the car to the bare frame.

“The car was weird. When he wrecked it at Delaware, we decided something was wrong,” explained Fitzpatrick. “Basically, the suspension was binding up so bad it would lock the steering.”

“That thing is brand new now. There isn’t one old piece on that car anymore. Roy has been really supportive in making his car better.”

In comparing his Super Late Model to his NCATS #84, Ftizpatrick found the weight variance to be among the biggest differences in the two cars.

“The Super Lates are a lot lighter so you can really maneuver them,” explained Ftizpatrick. “Compared to the NCATS car, they feel like a really fast go-kart. You don’t have to muscle them as hard. They’re really fun to drive.”

One of the biggest adjustments for Fitzpatrick in his move to OSCAAR is a much shorter race distance. NCATS races typically run at least 200 laps on ovals, and as long as 300, while each OSCAAR feature is a short 50 laps in comparison.

“Fifty laps, that drives me crazy! I’m just getting warmed-up by lap 50,” said Fitzpatrick. “In some NCATS races, I do 100 laps of practice.”

Fitzpatrick will be in attendance in the OSCAAR Season Opener on May 19, but will face unique circumstances. Fitzpatrick will be at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park for an afternoon race in his NCATS #84. He will then make a mad dash from the Bowmanville, Ont. facility to Sunset Speedway for a 6pm start.

“Somebody, probably Roy, is going to take the (Super Late) to the track and have it warmed up for me,” he said.

Fitzpatrick finished fifth at Sunset at the Velocity event last September, but said he was battling conditions besides the competition around him through the race.

“I’m quite a bit bigger than Roy and I was sitting in a seat designed for a baby,” joked Fitzpatrick. “The head rest was actually in to my neck.”

“By lap 40, my neck was about to fall off. I was too worried about getting my neck off the seat than actually racing. I think I’ve picked up two-tenths (of a second) just getting comfortable.”

The 24 year-old driver is hoping to compete for an OSCAAR championship in 2014, but will continue to focus on his NCATS program for the remainder of 2013. Fitzpatrick says his interest in the series has grown considerably with President Dave Gainforth at the helm.

“Dave has been great. He really represents the series well,” said Fitzpatrick. “Obviously the whole series is growing. There’s going to be 40 Super Lates this year.”

Catch J.R. Fitzpatrick and the entire cast of OSCAAR Super Late Models when the season opens at Sunset Speedway on May 19.

By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia) – Five-time CASCAR Super Series champion Don Thomson Jr. has announced he will be competing with the OSCAAR Super Late Model tour on a part-time basis in 2013.

The Hamilton, Ont. native will drive a Fitzpatrick Motorsports-prepared chassis purchased from Len Couvillon, of which he is part owner. Thomson will drive his traditional car #4 for the first time at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) Speedway on June 1. He is hoping to make at least two more appearances later in the season, with a possibility of running both events at the Don Biederman Memorial on June 29 and June 30.

“Nothing is set in stone, it’s pending. At this point, I’m thinking (CTMP) oval, Flamboro, and Sunset,” said Thomson. As far as Autumn Colours, if we’re still in good shape, and I’m still in good shape, maybe I can sneak that one in too.”

Thomson retired from the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) at the end of the 2011 season, choosing to take a position as the crew chief for J.R. Fitzpatrick instead. The short-track expert said he would like to compete in more events, but conflicts with the NCATS schedule prevent it.

Thomson’s only other OSCAAR appearance was in 2005 at Peterborough Speedway’s Autumn Colours Classic where he won in a car previously owned by Bill Zardo. He has not set foot in a Super Late Model since October 9, 2005.

“When I ran that OSCAAR race years ago, I always liked the way they treated me,” said Thomson. “I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend. Whether I won or not, it didn’t matter. I liked the group of guys.”

The opportunity to get back in to a Super Late Model will fulfill a life-long desire and allow Thomson to stroke another item from his bucket list.

“For me, growing up I always wanted to run Super Late Models,” said Thomson. “When I went to Flamboro every weekend and ran my street stock or late model, the Super Late Model class was pretty healthy. I’ve always loved the series. My path changed and I decided to go to CASCAR, but I always kind of liked Super Late Models.”

Thomson has considerable experience at CTMP Speedway (previously Mosport) throughout his CASCAR/NCATS career, but isn’t sure he’ll have a leg up on the competition.

“I don’t think it’ll be an advantage. Where I’m behind is the racecars themselves,” explained Thomson. “They’re evolved a lot since I last ran. Last time I ran OSCAAR we were on a pretty conventional setup and the car worked decent. Now, with guys on bump stops, I have no experience yet with stuff like that.”

Thomson will be teammates with J.R. Fitzpatrick for each event the two compete in, but he isn’t sure what to expect of the first time the two have battled as teammates since 2010.

“We’re both pretty competitive guys,” said Thomson. “I know when we raced against each other in the CASCAR/NCATS series, we used to give J.R.’s dad (John Fitzpatrick) fits.”

Thomson did, however, reassure the two have always raced one another clean.

“We always give each other lots of room out there. We’ll race each other like we always have. There won’t be any shenanigans between us two.”

While Thomson dominated his only OSCAAR start back in 2005, he is well aware of the competition he will face in the ultra-competitive series this year.

“It’s not going to be a cake walk. I’m not a spring chicken anymore,” joked Thomson. “I turned 50 last year. Like anything, you’ve got some new and young and exciting kids with a ton of talent. They’re the future of our sport.

“Us 50-year-olds, we’re kind of winding down. I don’t think I have as much piss and vinegar as some of these young guys like J.R. He’s a pretty good driver. When I was 25, I was pretty good too, I think.”

Thomson has yet to secure sponsorship for his OSCAAR endeavours in 2013, but is still welcoming marketing opportunities. For more information, please email tooscaar.media@gmail.com.

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

1. Power hopes to maintain dominance in Sao Paulo

2. Sato logs miles to get to Sao Paulo
3. Of note

1. Power hopes to maintain dominance in Sao Paulo: Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay joked that Will Power has at least two trophies bigger than the two he’s earned for finishing second in the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300.

“Actually, I have all of them,” Power quipped.

The Team Penske driver is the only IZOD IndyCar Series competitor to win on the streets of Sao Paulo, after winning the races in 2010-12.  He enters this year’s race eighth in the championship with a best finish of fifth at Barber Motorsports Park last month.

“The first three races have been interesting,” Power said in the event’s pre-race press conference. “We’ve had the pace this year, but haven’t been able to put it together. I’ve had some success here at this track, but the competition will be tight. It will be tough to get a good result this weekend.”

Power’s success at Sao Paulo may make him the odds-on favorite according to the other drivers – in fact Team Penske teammate and IZOD IndyCar Series point leader Helio Castroneves called him the favorite – but the Australian knows that he can’t change the way he approaches the race due to his past results.

“My mindset for this race is the same as I have every weekend,” Power said. “I need a good weekend to score points for the championship and get the most out of everything. I’ll do my absolute best this weekend.”

2. Sato logs miles to get to Sao Paulo: A.J. Foyt Racing’s Takuma Sato flew 12,900 air miles (20,760km) this week to get to Brazil from Tokyo, where he went following his win at Long Beach. He won’t return to Japan until summer.

Sato attended a victory press conference in his home country and said becoming the first Japanese driver to win an Indy car race has raised the profile of the series in Japan.

But now, Sato has a new goal:

“The championship is my target now that I have won a race,” he said. “The series is so competitive and consistency is the key. Every weekend you need to be best of the best.”

3. Of note: Former IZOD IndyCar Series driver and current BAND Sports commentator Felipe Giaffone was one of the drivers of the INDYCAR Experience 2-seater in Sao Paulo…Among the visitors to the IZOD IndyCar Series paddock on May 3 were Rubens Barrichello and Roberto Moreno.

***

The 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues with the Itaipava Sao Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle on Sunday, May 5, on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The race will be televised live at 11 a.m. (ET) by the NBC Sports Network (Verizon FiOS 90/590, DirecTV 220, DISH 159 and AT&T UVerse 640) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211 and www.indycar.com. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Firestone Freedom 100 on Friday, May 24, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be broadcast by NBC Sports Network live, during the network’s coverage of Carb Day.

TALLADEGA, Ala. (May 2, 2013) — Frank Kimmel will line up 14th for Friday’s International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 — right in front of rookie Sean Corr, who worked well with Kimmel in the Daytona season-opener in which the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards point leader and former nine-time series champion Kimmel finished fourth.

Both men, despite their polar-opposite levels of experience, know it’s where they finish rather than where they start that’ll be key in the fourth of 21 races this season — and the second of two restrictor-plate events in which drafting partners are critical.

And that’s why Corr made a commitment to Kimmel at the back of the ARCA office trailer Thursday evening as a group of competitors waited for their starting lineups right after qualifying.

“I can tell you I won’t be getting out of line, that’s for sure,” Corr said of his 16th starting position, on the outside of the row directly behind Kimmel’s.

Kimmel, who won the 2006 ARCA race at Talladega, when ARCA raced during Talladega’s fall weekend, didn’t have much to say about his qualifying run.

But Kimmel did say the seven-lap fuel mileage check he made at the end of the three-hour pre-qualifying practice, when his No. 44 Ansell / Menards Toyota totaled 40 laps, might serve as his ThorSport Racing team’s sole “race practice.”

“We just did single-car runs in practice, trying to help the car for qualifying,” Kimmel said of the team’s plan for Friday morning’s 55-minute ‘Happy Hour’ practice, scheduled from 11-11:55 a.m. ET. “I don’t even know if we’re planning to go out in that practice.”

Kimmel has a tentative “meet-and-greet” informal Q&A and autograph session set for Friday morning after the final practice with a group of about 50 guests of his primary sponsor, Ansell Gloves. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 is set for the green flag at about 5:15 p.m. ET., with live television coverage on SPEED Channel and Live time & scoring and audio coverage available online at ARCARacing.com.

Kimmel enters Friday’s race 30 points in front of third starter Mason Mingus’ No. 32 Win-Tron Racing Toyota.

Thursday Venturini Motorsports’ John Wes Townley won his second career ARCA restrictor-plate pole.
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ABOUT THORSPORT RACING:
ThorSport Racing, based in a state-of-the-art 100,000-square-foot facility in Sandusky, Ohio, is the longest-tenured active 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 Todd Bodine in the Truck Series and the No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota Camry driven by Frank Kimmel in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.