Category: Other Series PR

National Guard Driver Confident after St. Pete Debut, Additional Barber Test Day  

LEEDS, Alabama – (April 7, 2011) – The National Guard Panther Racing team was forced to leave the IZOD IndyCar Series open test at BarberMotorsports Park a day early due to an on-track incident that caused minor damage to the No. 4 car. But following the St. Petersburg race the team returned to Leeds, Alabama last Tuesday for a private test day to make-up for the day they missed earlier in the month. Driver JR Hildebrand was nearly two seconds quicker during the test, giving both driver and team high expectations as they return to the 17-turn, 2.38-mile permanent road course for Sunday’s Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.  

Hildebrand led all IZOD IndyCar Series rookie drivers at St. Petersburg with an 11th-place finish in his debut with Panther Racing. The 23-year-old Californian was two turns away from a Top Ten finish when he was given the chrome horn* from Danica Patrick in Turn Nine, causing him to spin and lose positions to both Danica and Justin Wilson. IndyCar officials penalized Patrick for avoidable contact and placed Hildebrand in front of the Andretti Autosport driver for his 11th-place finish.  

Sunday will mark Hildebrand’s first start at Barber although he tested at the track last season with Andretti Autosport in addition to the two test days he ran the No. 4 car with Panther in 2011. Last season, in Panther’s only start at the scenic racetrack, then-driver Dan Wheldon overcame a qualification crash and 23rd-place start to finish on the lead lap in 11th place.

  The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will be broadcast live this Sunday on VERSUS at 3 p.m. (ET) with additional coverage provided by the IMS Radio Network, XM Channel 145 and Sirius Channel 121.  

*”Chrome horn” reference is patented and trademarked by Paul Tracy. The reference in this press release was used without permission.  

JR Hildebrand, No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda:  “At the Barber test we did here last week on my fifth hot lap we had gone faster than we had all day during the IndyCar open test. That was refreshing for all of us, especially that we were able to have a super-productive solid one-day test here which has left all of us on the National Guard Panther Racing team feeling really positive moving forward. Since that initial test we found out what some of the glaring issues were and by Sunday of the St. Pete weekend we completely understood why we hadn’t started that weekend on such a high note. The team is quite confident with where we are and I certainly understand there is a learning curve, but I also understand I’m with a strong group of people to help that curve and we’re all really excited.”

Mooresville, NC (April 6, 2011)– 19-year-old Cory Joyce began his racing career eleven years ago racing go karts near his family’s hometown of Gilford, New Hampshire. After moving to North Carolina to continue to live out his racing dream, Joyce has steadily moved up the racing ladder; creating Cory Joyce Racing (CJR), while gaining support and skill along the way. Now, those who support the young driver can show their involvement in a whole new way by joining the Cory Joyce Fan Club.

Recently debuted on Cory’s website, the Cory Joyce Fan Club was created by the team as a way for CJR fans to show their support of the team and help Cory push into the next level of his career. Different levels and corresponding fan club packages are now available for purchase on CoryJoyce.com. Interested fans can log onto the website and find more information under the “Fan Club” tab.

“The new Cory Joyce Fan Club is a unique way for my fans to get involved in our race team,” Cory announced after the unveiling of the club. “My fans will get some recognition for their continued support, CJR apparel, and they’ll help us reach our potential for this season and beyond.” During the creation process of the fan club, CJR decided to involve another major portion of Cory’s personal life in the mix. The team’s goal is to reach 10,000 fan club members, and when they do, they will donate $10,000 to the Humane Society- Cory’s favorite non-profit organization. The young driver has been involved with the Humane Society for several years and is excited to reach his goal to benefit animals in need.

“Animals have always been a big part of my life, and I’ve been involved with the Humane Society and activities they’ve done, so this is just a natural fit for me,” Joyce explained. “It’s a great thing to be able to raise awareness about the welfare of animals and raise funds for the Humane Society.”

For more information and to join the Cory Joyce Fan Club, please visit his website at CoryJoyce.com. Corporate fan club packages are also available for those wishing to support Cory. Please contact Marketing Manager Thom Mendola with any questions or serious inquiries regarding Cory Joyce Racing.

For more information and updates on Cory Joyce, please visit CoryJoyce.com, find the Cory Joyce Fan Page on Facebook and follow him on Twitter, @CoryJoyceRacing.

ALTAMAHAW, North Carolina (April 6, 2011) – – After being forced to sit out the 2011 USARacing Pro Cup Series season-opener at New Smyrna (Fla.) Beach Speedway last month due to mechanical gremlins, A.J. Frank was bounded and determined to make up for it this past weekend at Ace Speedway in the White’s International Trucks 250 presented by Dave’s Discount Furniture.

  Not originally planned to participate in this event with his normal Odle Motorsports organization, a late-minute deal was put together in collaboration with MPM Marketing and Teddy Jones Racing to put Frank in the seat of the No. 56 with support from personal sponsors Speedco and Lucas Oil.

  Knowing that their would have to be some serious last minute preparation on his No. 56 Chevrolet, Frank was prepared to do what ever was necessary in the interest of racing.

  During practice, the team would fiercely work to adequately setup and prepare their Chevrolet bow-tie for competition. With only 25 laps or so fulfilled in practice, the group knew that they had a solid race car beneath them – they just needed luck to stay on their side.

  In qualifying, Frank bolted his machine to the sixth fastest time overall, putting him on the outside of row number three. Not fazed by the time trials performance, Frank was hoping to strut his stuff during the White’s International Trucks 250 presented by Dave’s Discount Furniture.   A quiet but competitive race saw Frank hover in the top-five but flawless pit stops by his Teddy Jones Racing team not to mention devotion on-track by Frank propelled him across the start finish line third, racking up another podium finish to his USAR resume.   “There are a lot of people to thank for this finish,” offered Frank. “Speedco, Lucas Oil, USAR, my family, friends and God. The willingness to do whatever it takes to drive thrived my ambition on and off the track at Ace Speedway. We weren’t 100 percent prepared when we arrived, but I feel the time that we utilized during practice – proved to be a benefit allowing us to cross the “T’s” and dot the “I’s” ensuring that we would have a crystal clean race.”   He continued, “we played it smart, knowing that we had a lot invested and it paid off with a good finish.”

  Round three for the USARacing Pro Cup Series is set for April 16 at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway.

  In 79 USARacing Pro Cup Series starts, A.J. Frank has amassed 26 top-fives, 45 top-10s, 387 laps led and 16,854 laps run during his career. He has five runner-up finishes with his most recent second-place outing occurring at Iowa Speedway in 2010.

  Join A.J. Frank on Facebook by visiting, Facebook.com/ajfmotorsports. Visit the USARacing Pro Cup Series on the web at, USARProCup.com.  For additional input on Speedco Truck Lube & Tire, please click to, Speedco.com.

About Speedco Truck Lube & Tires: Speedco Truck Lube & Tires is the only national network to specialize in quick lube and tire service for heavy-duty trucks. We don’t preach speed. We live and breathe it. Every second of our time, every inch of our stores is dedicated to one simple goal: getting your trucks back on the road faster than anyone else.   We are Speedco. Built for speed. Staffed for Quality. Delivering world class value.

For more information, visit Speedco.com.

GREENVILLE, South Carolina (April 6, 2011) – – An 11th hour agreement between rising star Brandon McReynolds and Spraker Racing Enterprises (SRE) paid off for the duo in the postponed Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway last Saturday night.

McReynolds, 20 made his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut in the No. 37 Spraker Racing Enterprises Chevrolet at the tricky GPS. However, the inexperience of the Mooresville, North Carolina native could not shake his abilities behind the wheel as McReynolds cleverly maneuvered an eighth place finish in his inaugural NKNPSE outing.

The team guided by racing veteran Jeff Spraker unloaded solid off the trailer. McReynolds and Spraker continued to adjust their Chevrolet bowtie between practice and qualifying – hoping to attract a soothing setup for the race.

In qualifying, McReynolds, nicknamed “the franchize” wheeled his No. 37 Spraker Racing Chevrolet Impala to the 15th fastest time overall, a respectable starting berth for his Greenville debut.

During the course of the 150-lap event, McReynolds, the son of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief and current NASCAR analyst battled a tight racecar but continued to steadily and patiently negotiate his black and grey automobile up the ladder. With the limited adjustments prone to the series, McReynolds had to masterfully save his tires for the end of the race, which ultimately changed the handling of his race car to a “looser” feeling.

Despite the change, McReynolds, the multiple UARA Series winner would counteract with his car’s condition but further battled his way past the competition to take the checkered flag in the eighth position, claiming his first top-10 in a NASCAR sanctioned series.

“I am really proud of Brandon,” said Spraker. “He showed maturity years beyond his age and proved to everyone why he is becoming a popular name in the garage. For having never competed at Greenville before in one of these heavier cars, he did spectacular. There was hardly a scratch on our car. Brandon showed patience and aggressiveness at the same time but easily was able to adjust those tactics as he saw fit on the track.”

Spraker continued, “our goal was to go to Greenville and prove that Spraker Racing has equipment that can run competitively in the top-10. Brandon did that and more. We’re talking about working together for some more races and honestly, I’m hoping it can happen, because with a little more time behind the wheel – this kid is going to prove a lot.”   Mike Bliss, Dexter Bean, Drew Brannon, Kerry Earnhardt, Joey Gase, Ron Hornaday Jr., P.J. Jones, Alex Kennedy, Brandon McReynolds, Steve Park, David Ragan, Scott Riggs, David Reutimann, Michelle Theriault, Darrell Waltrip and Smokey Yunick are just some of the drivers that Spraker, who also has starts for himself in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series (NKNPS), NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) and NASCAR Nationwide Series has been affiliated with in one capacity or another through SRE.

For more information on Spraker Racing Enterprises (SRE) and its available programs, please visit sprakerracing.com.

Scotts Valley, California – April 5th, 2011 – When the crew and drivers for A.M. Performance walked into the shop this morning in Scotts Valley, CA, they noticed two things right away. First, there is more parking outside because the big rig has left for Alabama for the Barber 200 where the squad will make their GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge debut. Second, there is a big empty spot in the fabrication area that has been where the #04 NISMO 370Z GS race car has lived since it was put on stands on it’s last day as a street car.

Over the last several months, the employees at A.M. Performance have been working feverishly to make this deadline. Their feat has been made especially impressive by the fact that not only have they had to tear down and race prep a stock 370Z, but all the parts for the car have been designed, engineered, built, and installed in-house. “This has been a huge effort by everyone here, a lot of long nights and personal sacrifices were put in to finish the #04 in time for this, and I couldn’t be more proud of this team” said Brian Lock, who is not only one of A.M. Performances drivers, but also the company’s CEO. “Now comes the fun part where we get to start the process of tuning and developing this beautiful 370Z into a race winning machine!”

Lock’s co-driver, Mike Sweeney, shares his enthusiasm for the project, “I can’t begin to tell you how good this crew is. To see where we started, and all the work that’s happened since then is just crazy, and I think that everyone will agree when they see this car that the work the guys have done is really top notch.” As for the race coming up, Sweeney thinks that the idyllic Barber Motorsports Park will serve as an ideal place to debut the car. “We targeted Barber for a reason. Brian and I have both shown well there in other cars in the past, and the long-duration corners and fast transitions should favor the light, nimble 370Z over the heavier, more powerful BMWs, Mustangs, and Camaros. We also suspect we will be able to keep the tires under the car for longer into the stint, which is a big advantage here.”

The debut of the A.M. Performance #04 Nissan also marks the return to GRAND-AM for Nissan, who have been absent from the series for a number of years. The team has been pleasantly surprised by the amount of support they have seen from fans throughout the build process, and are thrilled by the opportunity to race such a great brand. The successful history of Nissan in North American sports car racing sets a high bar, with over 80 domestic championships, more than 200 wins in major sports car races, and four wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and A.M. Performance as a whole is honored to have the opportunity to add to that great history.

Testing for the Barber 200 begins this wednesday, followed by qualifying on friday and a two and a half hour race on sunday. For more information please visit www.amperformanceracing.com and www.facebook.com/amperformance.

About A.M. Performance:

A.M. Performance is a race car preparation, aftermarket parts, and tuning company based in Scotts Valley, CA. Our 9000 sq ft. facility is staffed with some of the most skilled and passionate race car minds in the country, with all the tools required at their finger tips to build high end race cars for the most competitive series in the country. Our professional fabricators can handle any job, big or small, from Grand Am Rolex GT cars, to your everyday HPDE track car.

Although A.M. Performance is equipped to build a race car from any make, we specialize in Nissan 370Z’s and Nissan GT-R’s. Our experience racing both platforms gives us unique experience to advise our customers on the exact products they need for their street, track day, or full race car Nissan.

Check the A.M. Performance website often for company updates. Our first two years look to be extremely exciting with our mulit-car entry into the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge GS class. We will also be coming to market with multiple hard parts which will be must haves for any track or race car 370Z. An AWD chassis dyno is also in the works to be installed and ready for customer tunes by the end of 2011.

A.M. Performance… because racing is the reason we get out of bed in the morning!

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (April 6, 2011) – -Jeremy Frankoski kicked off his return to NorthEastern Midget Association (NEMA) with a solid performance last Sunday at Waterford Speedbowl in Waterford, Connecticut leaving the former USAC Ford Focus Carolina champion enthusiastic and upbeat about the remainder of the season.  

In a new ride for Adam Cantor Racing (ACR), the duo was optimistic heading into the weekend. However, by the completion of the first practice, Frankoski had every reason to be anxious for the race.

“We unloaded out of the hauler third quickest,” Frankoski said. “I was pretty pleased with that effort with it being a newly organized team and all.”

In his heat race, Frankoski in his No. 7NY IGA / Reichert Group Mopar started fourth and finished fourth thus allowing him to transfer into the feature through an invert.

Starting in the eighth position with two champions Russ Stoehr and Randy Cabral starting directly behind him, Frankoski knew that his charge to the front would be no piece of cake. The Huntersville, North Carolina resident wasn’t prepared to go down without a fight.

  In what only can be described as intense, side-by-side racing, Frankoski would steadily move his way up the leader board. When the white flag flew, Frankoski hovering in the third position – watched his second place competitor spinout bringing out a caution and allowing the No. 7NY IGA / Reichert Group Mopar to start right behind leader on the anticipated final restart of the night.

After a gallant effort to try and take the lead at the drop of the green, Frankoski’s tight machine worked against him – slipping him back to third where he would take the checkered flag.

“I discussed our run with Adam (Cantor, crew chief) after the race and we felt that our car was a little too tight on that final restart to take advantage of the opportunity. We made some adjustments to our No. 7NY IGA / Reichert Group machine Sunday morning after practice and it was a little too extravagant for the track conditions. We’ll learn from this and move on to the next race.”

He added, “I want to thank IGA / Reichert Group, K&N Filters, Lucas Oil, Microwave Circuit Technology and everyone on the Adam Cantor Racing team for their support and the opportunity to drive. After Sunday’s performance, I have good vibes about the season and I cannot wait to get back behind the wheel again.”

In two consecutive years with NEMA, Frankoski has tallied 27 starts, one win, nine top-fives and 18 top-10 finishes.   

For more information on Jeremy Frankoski please visit JeremyFrankoski.com.   For additional input on NEMA, please click over to NEMAracing.com.   To learn more about Racing 2 Cure, please logon to Racing2Cure.org.

JEFFERSON, GA (April 4, 2011) – Reporters and photographers were the first to open the gates at Gresham Motorsports Park this morning as they awaited the arrival of Kimi Raikkonen, former F1 Champion. Raikkonen arrived in America this past weekend to make his first test run at GMP today. He has signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports to run a limited schedule in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series and will make his NCWTS debut at Charlotte on May 20, 2011.

The 2007 Formula One Champion is a native of Finland and currently drives in the World Rally Car Series since leaving Formula One in 2009. Raikkonen will be a familiar face to some of the NASCAR drivers including Juan Pablo Montoya and Nelson Piquet Jr., who were both former F1 drivers.

“Gresham Motorsports Park is proud to have Raikkonen choose this track for his first-ever NASCAR test,” said Gresham Motorsports Park’s General Manager, Dan Elliott. “We know that Kimi will be successful no matter where he competes.”

Raikkonen plans to run a two-day closed test at GMP in preparation for his NCWTS debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Education Lottery 200 on May 20, 2011.

Please visit our website, www.GreshamMotorsportsPark.com, for information and details about the upcoming year at GMP. Also, join the GMP fan page on facebook or follow GMP on Twitter

SLATINGTON, Pennsylvania (March 29, 2011) – – ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards driver Kory Rabenold may not competing full-time in the series in 2011 but the Slatington, Pennsylvania is eagerly preparing for the Pocono ARCA 200 on Saturday, June 11th.

While his Kory Rabenold Racing (KRR) is still attacking partners for the event, his family-owned team is set to utilize the first of two Pocono ARCA races this season just to prove how serious he is about putting his career back on track.

“We recently decided we were going to Pocono in June,” Rabenold said. “Our goal is to go there with our team and prove that despite being outside the circle in Motorsports that we still have the drive and ability to get the job done.”

One particular that will make the seventh of 19 ARCA Racing Series so special is that the KRR consists of a volunteer-crew.

“We’re a really small team with a big dream,” Rabenold offered. “There are a lot of people though that believe in me and want to see that dream come true. My personal goal is to come out of Pocono with a good consistent finish. It will give our team some satisfaction knowing that their hard work equaled good results on the track.”

He continued, “I work everyday at my dad’s body shop. We then come home at night and work on the car for a couple hours before doing it all over the next day. I couldn’t do it without the support and belief of him. One day, I hope I’ll be able to make it up to him.”

Rabenold also stretched out the team’s initial intent for 2011. “Well, our main objective is to put our KRR team back on the map. We have some cars, we have some equipment, we’re just getting everything ready, just in case (a major sponsor comes along). We’re also not ruling out the possibility of doing double duty by running both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA races in one day. Of course, if we can find some dollars to do it. The good thing is we’re talking to some people and at least their listening.”

To learn more about Kory Rabenold and his KRR team, please logon to RabenoldRacing.com.