Category: Other Series PR

On my past few columns, I have told you all the moments that triggered my career as a driver, so I will now start telling you about my journey to the present. Losing a brother is the hardest thing I´ve had to overcome in life. Since I was young I have always enjoyed movies and so I´m quoting a very bad movie (don´t remember the name) but makes a lot of sense to me after this tragic event in life. “Sometimes people need tragedies to wake up”. Unfortunate yes, but true as well.

[media-credit name=”Martinez” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]This sad moment in life changed everything about me. From being spoiled and careless, to being passionate and conscious. My family took this sad event well, and it was especially hard on mom who was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months later (don´t worry, she´s doing fine and I will get to that story later).

It´s 1995 and life is already hard as it is. I have my shiny new Spider Bug 2000 Kart that my brother built before he passed away. The path looks very clear. I can´t control life, but I can control myself to try and reach perfection on the wheel. As a painter paints to release his feelings, a singer sings to say how he feels and as Forest Gump used to run (love this film), well I drove. Apparently it was working because that year, even though I didn’t reach perfection, I was close. Won 17 heats out of 18 and all poles while being the youngest driver in my class.

It would be a huge lie to tell you I was invincible at that age as I was only racing in Mexico and it would probably have been a much tougher and different story if I was driving a world class karting championship (most drivers would never tell you this part). What is not a lie is that I was on a good path and that being on a race car helped me overcome this difficult part of my life.

Stay tuned for my next column as I will tell you how my career kept getting bigger and stronger.

Annual Championship Awards Banquet

(COVINGTON, Ky.) – Richard Childress Racing’s Ty Dillon finished the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season as the champion 55 days ago, but has since watched brother Austin win and celebrate a title of his own. This evening was Ty’s time to shine, with his brother, parents, grandparents, and a wealth of team members at his side.

Dillon and his No. 41 Chevrolet team were officially crowned ARCA champions at the series’ annual Championship Awards Banquet at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. The 19-year-old from Lewisville, N.C. was among 15 drivers from the top 20 in the final point standings to be honored on stage, and left with more than $100,000 in point fund and special award earnings, as awarded by the numerous series partners at the ceremony.

To honor Dillon’s position as the 29th ARCA Racing Series champion in 59 seasons, ARCA president Ron Drager presented the driver a letter signed by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue, as well as a series championship ring and a leather championship jacket featuring the series logo.

As is the custom, a video tribute featured photographs from the champion’s youth and ascent to championship status; special additions to this season’s video included special messages from Richard Childress Racing drivers Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, as well as a collection of footage showcasing Dillon’s use of the word “awesome” in Victory Lane interviews.

Joining Dillon on stage were his grandfather and team owner, Richard Childress, grandmother Judy Childress, and crew chief Scott “Flash” Naset, who was joined by his wife Stephanie.

“It doesn’t really hit you, how special it is to do something like this, until you’re up on the stage like this and all these people you’ve worked so hard against all year are staring up at you and you’re getting crowned the champion,” said Dillon, who finished the season with seven wins, 13 top-fives, and 16 top-10 finishes. “It hit me pretty hard, and I’m just proud to be with the group of guys I’m with. It’s almost just surreal, to finally take it in. This experience right here has changed me a lot.”

Among the top awards Dillon and his team received were: $10,000 for winning the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell after securing seven poles in 2011; $6,000 from Sunoco Race Fuel; $5,000 for winning the Aaron’s Lap Leader of the Year Award; $5,000 from Messina Wildlife Management; $5,000 from Hoosier for most wins by a car owner; $2,500 from the University of Northwestern Ohio; and the Fast Track High Performance Driving School Award. Jeff Abbott of Menards presented Dillon a check representing his winnings from the series points fund.

Naset also visited the stage on his own to accept the Cometic Crew Chief of the Year Award.

David Ragan, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and ARCA Racing Series race winner, served as the Guest of Honor. SPEED television analyst Phil Parsons acted as the banquet host for the third consecutive year.

Chris Buescher, who drove to second place in the final standings for Roulo Brothers Racing, received the $10,000 ARCA Rookie of the Year Award, as well as $2,500 in cash and product certificates from Print Resources and $500 from JRI. Buescher also accepted the $15,000 Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge Award and the R.E. Lightning Challenge Award, among other prizes.

Buescher won three of the season’s last four races, and the team’s Russell Roulo won the Klotz Engine Mechanic of the Year Award. Gary Roulo joined Buescher on stage when he was introduced for finishing in second place.

The team left with more than $100,000 in point fund and special award earnings after a season in which Buescher drove to three wins, 14 top-fives, and 16 top-10s.

Frank Kimmel was recognized on stage for finishing third in the series standings, as well as for winning the CGS Imaging Hard Charger of the Year Award and the S&S Volvo Laps Completed Award. He was joined for a final time on stage by brother and crew chief Bill Kimmel; the two will separate for the 2012 season with Frank Kimmel moving to ThorSport Racing.

Chad McCumbee, who finished fifth in the final series standings, joined owner Jennifer Belmont on stage to accept the Bill France Four Crown Award for his combined performances at New Jersey, Michigan, Springfield, and Salem.

Fourth-place driver Grant Enfinger and owner Mike Allgaier were introduced, as were fellow pairs from the top 10 in the final standings: Tom Hessert and team owner Ken Schrader (sixth); Tim George Jr. and crew chief Gere Kennon (seventh); Chad Hackenbracht and team owner Greg Hackenbracht (eighth); Sean Corr and team owner John Corr (ninth); and Darrell Basham (10th).

The top-10 honor – Basham’s first since 1976 – turned out to be the second recognition of the night for Basham. Earlier, he was honored with his second Spirit Award, following the same honor in 2003. The Spirit Award is given to a person for dedication and support of ARCA, uplifting spirit by way of example, perseverance, and positive attitude. Despite a late 2010 garage fire that destroyed nearly all his race equipment, Basham displayed all of those characteristics in driving to his best season finish in 35 years.

Nick Ramey accepted the Crane Cams Engine Builder of the Year Award on behalf of Roush Yates Engines, and Ramey himself was presented the H.G. Adcox Sportsman of the Year Award for his consistent willingness to assist any team in the garage.

In addition to stepping to the stage with Hessert, Schrader appeared to accept the Marcum Award, annually presented to an individual or entity whose positive efforts have elevated ARCA’s motorsports stature to the benefit of all associated. Schrader is a 15-time winner in the ARCA Racing Series, and continues to promote the series today as a team owner and television broadcaster.

Cathy Venturini and Nate Thiesse, the fourth and 10th-place owners, respectively, both spoke on stage.

To complete the honoring of the top 20 drivers, James Hylton (11th), Brad Smith (12th), Levi Youster (14th), Will Kimmel (15th), and Maryeve Dufault (16th) visited the stage to receive congratulations.

Jeff Kettman accepted the Manufacturer Championship on behalf of Chevrolet.

Andy O’Neal, dean of the College of Technology of the University of Northwestern Ohio – ARCA’s Official High Performance Education University – awarded a group of ARCA scholarships on behalf of the university.

Likewise, Parsons announced the winners of the Bob Loga Memorial ARCA Scholarships. Brianna Peterson – granddaughter of ARCA competitor Wayne Peterson – won $1,500. Peterson, of Hoover, Ala., holds a 4.23 grade point average as a sophomore veterinary student at Auburn University. Brittany Gaddis of Romulus, Mich. won $500. She is the daughter of ARCA Figure 8 driver Danny Gaddis, attends Romulus High School, and plans to study nursing at Wayne State University in Detroit.

The ceremony concluded just after 10 p.m. with a special video featuring an interview with Mildred Marcum, known widely as an ARCA founder. The interview led into a short mention of ARCA’s 60th Anniversary Season and the surrounding celebrations that will occur throughout 2012. A press conference in the afternoon included major series and team announcements.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards featured 19 events at 16 tracks on its 2011 schedule. The series has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. In 2011, the series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course.

The 2012 ARCA Racing Series schedule is currently available at ARCARacing.com. Testing for ARCA’s 60th Anniversary Season will begin Friday, December 16 at Daytona International Speedway. The season’s first race is scheduled for Saturday, February 18 at Daytona.

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

Genoa, Nevada – November 23rd, 2011 – Davy Jones had a successful run at the 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 last weekend where he finished third in the SCORE Lites/Class 12 category with the Patent It! Race team.  The celebrated driver added this achievement to his long list of successful finishes over his career which include wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and a runner up finish at the Indy 500.

[media-credit name=”Davy Jones” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Considering the difficulties and grueling conditions of the historic off road race, Jones and teammates Steve Lisa, Tony Lisa and Chuck Hemmingson had a reasonably trouble free run and completed the rugged 692.82-mile event in 23h55m45sec.  One of the team’s main complications during their run presented itself early when some of the electronics in the car got wet which caused the drivers to lose communication between themselves and with their chase vehicles, but the Patent It! Race Team carried on to the finish line with Jones and teammate Steve Lisa taking control of their VW powered machine for the first 270 miles of the course.

The race marked the second year in a row that Jones competed at the event in which is quickly becoming a tradition for the experienced driver.  He now heads back to his Genoa, Nevada home as he prepares for another busy racing season in 2012.

Davy Jones “This is just an unbelievable race, it’s so different than anything I’m used to and just an incredible experience.  It’s really hard on your body and it really beats you up, once you get out of the car you can feel the strain but you immediately just get the urge to go back and keep driving, it’s both fun and addictive.

Everybody in the Patent It! Team did a great job, I have to give lots of credit to everybody because we ran a very strong race and stayed away from any major trouble.  I got to co-drive my stint with Steve Lisa, which was a great experience, we had some electronic and communication problems but we worked around them and just kept going. At the end of the day we finished third which is a very strong result, of course we would’ve liked to win but I guess that just means we’ll have to go back next year and try again!

I really want to thank the Patent It! Race Team for the opportunity, and also Edge Eyewear for supporting us with their products which came in very handy out in the desert.  I can’t wait to come back next year.”

Ironically, every time I start a new page on this diary, something historic happens that helps me explain my story a bit better. Unfortunately, one of the most important and loved drivers Indy car has had, passed away a few weeks ago and unfortunately as well, an event like this one, launched my driving career.

[media-credit name=”Martinez” align=”alignright” width=”214″][/media-credit]I already told you about my first approach to racing and how my family was involved. However, I have not yet told you about the day it all started. It was September 1,1994 and my dad´s team had a F-2 race in Aguascalientes, Mexico. I remember the Thursday before race weekend when they were ready to hit the road.  At that point, my only and older brother was 17 years old, and about to turn 18 on Sept 3^rd. He had already climbed through the karting ladder with much success and was already racing in my dad´s open wheel team called MARTIGA.  Dad and my uncle “Capi”, as everyone used to know him, founded MARTIGA in the mid 80´s and had been successful for almost a decade to when this story takes place.

For some strange reason, I couldn´t make that trip or I didn´t feel like going, as I had always wanted to go with them to every race. Dad, Capi, Gerardo (my brother), and Luis (a friend of our family) hit the road on that Thursday afternoon on Capi´s new yellow mustang. I stayed with mom, who had always supported my dad and brother without any complains. We still knew she didn´t loved it and she deeply wished that we would spend more time home and forget about this crazy sport.

It was a bad weekend for MARTIGA at Aguascalientes, as the results were bad and my brother had a big crash on Sunday warm-up.  It was September 3^rd, my brother´s birthday so I talked to him on the phone that night after the race and waited for them next day. They never got back home as they had a huge crash on the highway on their way back when a tire blew up. Dad and Capi made it. My brother and Luis did not.

A couple of days before they left, my brother had built for me a go kart for the upcoming season. This was the last kart he would be able to build and I remember his words perfectly. “This will be the last kart I will build for you, so you better win and learn how to do it yourself”. This words and this tragic event, triggered my heart and desire to go out there and win.

Victory was third in four years for Louisville, Ky. driver

Rockingham, N.C. (November 26, 2011) – Chuck Barnes, Sr. overcame an early-race spin to edge Frank Kimmel II by a nose to take the victory in the Frank Kimmel Street Stock Nationals (FKSSN) Polar Bear 150 at Rockingham Speedway.

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit: Andy Cagle/Rockingham Speedway” align=”alignright” width=”243″][/media-credit]The win is Barnes’ third Polar Bear victory in four years.

“I was prepared to take second,” said Barnes from Rockingham Speedway’s victory lane. “He was a little better than me on those longer runs. He just got loose, and I just got underneath him in (turn) four on that last lap.”

Chuck Barnes Sr. (No. 5) used a turn four pass to edge Frank Kimmel II by .016 seconds in the Polar Bear 150 at Rockingham Speedway. Photo Credit: Andy Cagle/Rockingham Speedway

The .016 seconds margin-of-victory was the closest at Rockingham Speedway since Matt Kenseth edged Kasey Kahne by .010 seconds in the last NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the track in 2004.

“We really got lucky today,” said Barnes about the lap 33 incident that sent his car around in turn one. “It’s tough racing with all these lap cars with some running 50 miles per hour slower than others. But it’s fun passing all those cars on a track like this.”

“It seemed like I was terrible off of (turn) three,” said a dejected Kimmel. “But since it was so loose, the car continued to turn through four, which made it really fast down the front stretch. I could pass him down the front, because we had a little more motor. My game plan was to be second at the white flag, and pass him on the last lap and keep him on my outside. It just didn’t work out that way.”

Kimmel had to overcome troubles of his own to be in position to win.

His No. 72 Chevrolet cut a right rear tire during a caution period on lap 104. When the race resumed Kimmel found himself in 12th place, the last car on the lead lap. But Kimmel only needed 27 laps to work his way back to the front.

That the race came down to a last lap battle between Barnes and Kimmel was fitting as they were the only two to lead laps on the day. They officially swapped the lead 17 times in the 150-lap event.

Cliff Gaumond, running only his third FKSSN race, finished third.

“I didn’t know how much to push it right away because I didn’t want to ball it up in the beginning,” said Gaumond. “Because I don’t have a lot of experience in these cars, I was riding at 90% for most of the race, and when I turned it on I just didn’t have enough to get them.”

Clint Watkins and Tony Conway rounded out the top five in the final running order.

The race was slowed 11 times for 57 laps. Of the 54 cars that started the race, 10 were on the lead lap at the end.

November 21, 2011.  Sun Peaks, British Columbia racer Jason White has been one of the most well liked participants since arriving in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in 2008.  There’s always a crowd looking for autographs from the #21 A & W Dodge driver during each race weekend.  So it’s really not a huge surprise that Jason White to have been voted the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Most Popular Driver for 2011.

All summer race fans were encouraged to vote for their favorite driver in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series by logging onto the NASCAR Home Tracks website.  Following the tabulation of the votes NASCAR informed the winners by tweeting congratulations to all of the Regional Series winners including Jason White, Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

This recognition is very special for Jason White and his #21 A & W Dodge team.  “This is such an honour for me” said White.  “To have thousands of race fans take the time to cast their votes for me means a lot.  Without all the race fans from coast to coast we wouldn’t be able to do this” added White.

This past year White went out of his way to get closer and more involved with the Canadian race fans.  “I always try to spend as much time with people at the race track and sponsor appearances as I can” explained White.  “We made a real concerted effort this season to keep them updated on everything happening with the #21 A & W Dodge team through social media as well and we got some very positive feedback that the fans appreciated that” he stated.

Jason White will be presented with the Most Popular Driver Award for the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series as the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards Gala taking place at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte on Saturday, December 10th.  “I’ll be very proud to be representing all the Canadian race fans that weekend in Charlotte and show how much enthusiasm there is for racing in Canada.

Race fans will be able to watch the Night of Champions Touring Awards gala as the event is streamed live on the NASCAR Home Tracks website.

For the latest off season news about Jason White and the #21 A & W team, check out the all new team website at www.jasonwhiteracing.com and be sure to follow Jason on twitter for the latest updates @racinjasonwhite  The 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule is expected to be announced shortly.  Get more information about the series at www.hometracks.nascar.com

Photo:  #21 A & W Dodge driver Jason White signing autographs for fans

Photo Credit:  Mathew Murnaghan/NASCAR

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