Category: Other Series Racing

CHEVY QUICK FACTS GRAND-AM ROAD RACING GRAND PRIX OF MIAMI – ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES KIA 200 – CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE HOMESTEAD MIAMI SPEEDWAY March 4-5, 2011   F

ROM TEAM CHEVY INSIDE THE GRAND-AM GARAGE: JIM LUTZ, GM RACING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR GRAND-AM ROADRACING:“Our Chevrolet teams in GS, GT and DP have taken lessons learned from Daytona and have prepped themselves very well for our next race event at Homestead this weekend, the second event of the 2011 season.

“The Homestead Miami track poses unique challenges to our teams in all three classes.  Because of the time on the oval portion of the course, horsepower is critical. In addition, the Homestead track’s banking puts quite a load into the suspension of the race cars in all classes. Striking a balance in suspension setup between the infield road course and the oval is an area where GM Racing engineers have worked closely with the teams’ engineers. There is a delicate balance which must be achieved to ensure success when the checkered flag falls.   “We are ready!”  

TEAM CHEVY IN ROLEX SERIES DAYTONA PROTOTYPE (DP) GRAND PRIX OF MIAMI:

·        No. 10 SunTrust Racing Chevrolet/Dallara – 5th in team points o   Drivers: §  Max Angelelli  – 5th In driver standings §  Ricky Taylor –  5th in driver standings

·        No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet/Riley – 12th in team points o   Drivers: §  Jon Fogarty – 12th in driver standings §  Alex gurney – 12th in driver standings

·        No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Chevrolet/Coyote – 14th in team points o   Drivers: §  Paul Edwards – 14th in driver standings §  Antonio Garcia – 14th in driver standings  

TEAM CHEVY IN ROLEX SERIES GRAND TOURING (GT) GRAND PRIX OF MIAMI:

·        No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R – 12th in team points o   Drivers: §  Robin Liddell – 12th In driver standings §  Jan Magnussen – 12th in driver standings

·        No. 88 Autohaus Motorsports Camaro GT.R – 14th in team points o   Drivers: §  Bill Lester – 14th in driver standings §  Jordan Taylor – 14th in driver standings

·        No. 07 Banner Racing Camaro GT.R – 15th in team points o   Drivers: §  Oliver Gavin – 15th in driver standings §  Gunter Schaldach – 15th in driver standings  

TEAM CHEVY IN CONTINENTAL TIRE CHALLENGE GRAND SPORT (GS) KIA 200:

·        No. 62 Mitchum Motorsports Camaro GS.R – 6th in team points o   Drivers: §  Lawson Aschenbach – 6th in driver standings §  Joey Atterbury – 6th in driver standings

·        No. 6 Mitchum Motorsports Camaro GS.R – 10th in team points o  Drivers: §  Jeff Bucknum – 10th in driver standings §  Robert Stout – 10th in driver standings

·        No. 00 CKS Autosport Camaro GS.R – 14th in team points o   Drivers: §  Eric Curran – 13th in driver standings §  Ashley McCalmont – 13th in driver standings

·        No. 01 CKS Autosport Camaro GS.R – 20th in team points o   Drivers: §  Dave Mundy – 19th in driver standings §  Tony Rivera – 19th in driver standings

·        No, 9 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GS.R – 28th in team points o   Drivers: §  Matt Bell – 27th in driver standings §  John Edwards – 27th in driver standings   E

VENT DETAILS: §  Grand Prix of Miami o   Qualifying: Mar 4 – DP: 3:45 – 4:00 PM ET; GT: 4:10 – 4:25 PM ET o   Race: Mar 5, 12:00 PM ET o   Duration: 2:45 o   Live coverage on SPEED TV; MRN Radio and Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128 §  Kia 200 o   Qualifying: Mar 4 – GS: 4:35 – 4:50 PM ET o   Race: Mar 5, 4:15 PM ET o   Duration: 2:30 o   Tape delay TV broadcast on SPEED TV – air date: Mar 19, 2:00 PM ET Note: Team Chevy press releases, high-resolution images, and media kit can be downloaded from the Team Chevy media website:  About Chevrolet:Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 140 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free” solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

JEFFERSON, GA (March 1, 2011)– Gresham Motorsports Park is excited to announce that Budweiser will be an official partner with the track for the 2011 race season. 

“We are excited about the long standing tradition of racing and excited about partnering with an organization that is doing such a great job of providing that in the community,” said Brian Roth, Leon Farmer Company’s Senior Vice President, Director of New Brands and Marketing.  

The Leon Farmer Company is a family-owned beer distribution company that operates two Georgia facilities, Athens and Gainesville, and services 27 counties in Northeast Georgia.  The Leon Farmer company is a proud distributor of  Budweiser, as well as many other premium beers, and they are proud to back the Budweiser partnership with GMP.  

“We are proud to be involved with the park itself and we are looking forward to a great season and exciting race nights at Gresham Motorsports Park,” said Roth.  

With the partnership of Budweiser and GMP, the 2011 race season is off to a great start!  

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.

“Ryan Wilson Signs Intent With Win-Tron Racing For Five ARCA Events In ‘11”

RANDLEMAN, North Carolina (February 25, 2011) – – Ryan Wilson Motorsports (RWM) and Randolph Bank jointly announced Thursday night at the annual Ryan Wilson Motorsports racing kick-off party in Randleman, North Carolina that Randolph Bank will continue it’s primary marketing partnership role with RWM in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) with Wilson the “top winner” of last year’s Richard Petty’s Driver Search II as the pilot of the No. 12 Randolph Bank Toyota Camry.

Randolph Bank is a community bank that has been in existence since 1978. Known as the “Home of Extra Mile Banking”, Randolph Bank has seven branches that are in Asheboro, Burlington, Mebane, and Randleman. There is also a mortgage office in Cary and a loan production office in Greenville. Randolph Investment Services is a subsidiary of Randolph Bank and has investment officers located in Asheboro and Burlington. Randolph Bank has been voted Randolph County’s Favorite Bank three years in a row.

“We are excited to continue our partnership with Ryan Wilson Motorsports and the Wilson Family,” stated Mike Whitehead, President of Randolph Bank. “This will be our third year with Ryan (Wilson) and Randolph Bank could not be more pleased with the visibility and success of the partnership. We look forward to an exciting and successful 2011 season.”

“It’s a great feeling to have Randolph Bank back on board for the year,” said 19-year old Ryan Wilson. “They have been a great marketing partner for our team over the past two seasons and we definitely plan to kick it up a notch in 2011 on and off the track.”

It was also announced on Thursday night that Ryan Wilson will continue his climb up the racing ladder and has signed a letter of intent with the potent Win-Tron Racing based in Lakeville, Minnesota to compete in five ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. Wilson is scheduled to take the wheel of the No. 32 Southern Pharmacy Services Toyota Camry beginning at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway on June 11, 2011.

“We welcome Ryan Wilson to our Win-Tron Racing family,” said Win-Tron Racing co-owner Nate Thiesse. “When we met Ryan and his family earlier this year, we could see the passion and drive in Ryan’s eyes and we knew if he did come to our stable, the combination of Ryan and our team has the potential to leave our competition in the dust. We’re looking forward to the five races and building towards an even stronger schedule in 2012.”

“We looked at a number of ARCA teams and I’m thankful to each and everyone of them for taking time out of their busy schedule to meet with me,” added Wilson. “We elected to go with Win-Tron Racing as we feel their platform and results speak for themselves. We’re looking to make a statement in the five races and build on something for next year too.”

Additionally, RWM announced that Southern Pharmacy Services has joined the team for their late model and ARCA Racing Series programs in 2011. The SPS logo will be displayed on the television panel on the No. 12 Randolph Bank Toyota Camry while moving to the hood for the first ARCA Racing Series event at the 2.5-mile Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

Wilson kicks off his 2011 late model season at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway on Sunday, March 13th.

“We’re gunning for the championship this year at Caraway,” sounded Wilson. “We’ve stepped up our program all the way around and I know that with the changes we made, we can go out on a weekly basis and have a shot at winning.”

In addition to racing at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway and a limited ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule, Wilson will also compete in Late Model stock car events at Ace (N.C.) Speedway and other selected Late Model contests.

Visit the newly re-designed Ryan Wilson Motorsports website at RyanWilsonMotorsports.com.

Visit Randolph Bank, the home of extra-mile banking online at Randolphbank.com. http://www.randolphbank.com/

POMONA, Calif. – Persistent rain showers forced NHRA officials to cancel Friday’s racing at the Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Qualifying will resume Saturday, weather permitting, for the season-opening NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event with two sessions scheduled. Sunday’s eliminations start at 11 a.m.

The qualifying leaders after Thursday’s first session include Antron Brown in Top Fuel, Johnny Gray in Funny Car and Erica Enders in Pro Stock.

3 Amigos Organic Blanco 100 kicks of 2011 NASCAR season at PIR  

(PHOENIX, Ariz.) – Greg Pursley pulled away to victory in the 3 Amigos Organic Blanco 100 in the 58th season opener of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series-West this evening at Phoenix International Raceway. It was Pursley’s second straight victory at Zoomtown, U.S.A. Yet, Pursley and his team chose to shuffle themselves back into the middle of the pack fairly early in the race, and it worked out well when the checkered flag flew after sunset.

Series rules require all competitors to split their tires changes and fueling into separate pit stops, it forced all teams to roll the dice when it came to making stops. The two fastest drivers in the early part of the race, pole-sitter Brennan Newberry and Pursley, made their two stops early, on laps 27 and 28 of 100 laps. It dealt them back in the middle of the pack, and that strategy burned Newberry.   Trying to race his way back to the front, Newberry went spinning multiple times in turn four on lap 64 in a wreck that destroyed the car of Alex Kennedy.   On the other hand, David Mayhew, the leader for much of the middle portion of the race, adopted a late-race pit strategy. His team called him to pit road on laps 80 and 81, and he was never able to climb higher than his final finishing spot of ninth.

Third place finisher Derek Thorn gave Pursley plenty to think about as they battled for the lead over much of the last 20 laps. But, on a lap 94 restart, Thorn dropped back when he failed to keep pace as the green flag waved. Pursley built a big lead, and Jonathan Gomez snatched second place from Thorn.   Ty Dillon, grandson of NASCAR Sprint Cup multiple-time championship owner Richard Childress, finished fourth, and Brett Thompson, making his 100th series start, was fifth.   Tickets to the exciting Feb. 24-27 SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ NASCAR event weekend are available with prices starting at just $25. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.PhoenixRaceway.com/ticketsor call 866-408-RACE (7223).   About Phoenix International Raceway Since 1964, Phoenix International Raceway has served race fans as the premier motorsports venue in the Southwest. Watch the brightest stars in NASCAR take on PIR’s famed one-mile oval – including five-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Tony Stewart and many more – on February 27, 2011 in the Subway Fresh Fit 500.

Tickets for the entire Subway Fresh Fit 500 weekend at Phoenix International Raceway can be purchased online at PhoenixRaceway.com/Ticketsor by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223). For more, visit PhoenixRaceway.com, Facebook.com/PhoenixRacewayand Twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway.

CONCORD, North Carolina (February 24, 2011) – – For ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards car owner Andy Hillenburg, the chance to breed the next-up and comer is a no-brainier.

Hillenburg is a true definition of a hardcore racer. Having raced competitively for over four decades, the Indiana native, now residing in Rockingham, North Carolina is today, still one of the most respected individuals in the garage.

Throughout his racing career, Hillenburg has competed in ARCA, in all three divisions of NASCAR (Camping World Truck, Nationwide, and Sprint Cup) and even the IZOD IndyCar Series partaking in the prestigious Indianapolis 500. With the newly announced Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Blue Collar Hero Driver Challenge presented by National Speed Sport News, Hillenburg will now offer an individual a chance at a similar career path through his latest project.

Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Blue Collar Hero Driver Challenge presented by Speed Sport News is the newest creation in an effort to find racing’s next future star. Set to begin in March and conclude in June at the track known as “The Little Rock” on the premises of Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina, the challenge is out to breed the next up-and-comers, who will have one shot during the three month contest (25 days of competition will be held during the three month run) and advance from a Fast Track High Performance Driving School car to a full-executed ARCA Racing Series stock car against one of racing’s finest stars all in one day.

The students pay for a day of learning under the Fast Track High Performance Driving School, which is the official driving school of the ARCA Racing Series for the past 13 seasons. The challenge portion of the day is free as it’s included as a bonus to the driving school section.

The overall winner of the challenge will be approved to compete in ARCA’s return to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis for the running of the Ansell Protective Gloves 200 on Thursday, July 28, 2011 live on SPEED. The best part is, it’s affordable! 

“This is a neat opportunity to allow racers to race at a national level, live on television and most importantly at an affordable cost,” said Hillenburg, the 1995 ARCA Racing Series champion. “There are some similar types of challenges out there, but ours is different.”

He continued, “Our mission is to develop a new young and rising star at an extremely affordable cost; yet allow them to test and participate in nearly the identical race car that they will be competing in. Lucas Oil Raceway is a driver’s track. It takes a lot of finesse to conquer, similar to “Little Rock.” There’s no doubt in my mind that whoever that next star will be can and will adapt to the track and find themselves in contention for a good run live on SPEED.” For additional information on Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Blue Collar Hero Driver Challenge presented by Speed Sport News, please visit FastTrackRacing.com or call 704.455.1700. Hurry fast, because space is limited for this opportunity of a lifetime!

Be sure to get in the groove with NSSN and click online at NationalSpeedSportNews.com.

Mooresville, N.C. (February 24, 2011) – Cody Cambensy of Tucson, Arizona is happy to announce his partnership with Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing (JJCR) in 2011. Cambensy who made his first career NASCAR start in the Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) last October at Martinsville went on to compete at his home track, Phoenix International Raceway, in the K&N Pro Series, in November.

The 21-year old promising west coast talent is making his way to a dream on his own terms. Cambensy, who made cold calls last season to earn the funding to run in the NCWTS will use his same determination to race in 2011. With his wide knowledge of marketing Cody will look to take to the track in many racing series across the United States in 2011.

Cambensy will be piloting a Ford F-150 for JJCR in select Camping World Truck series events adding to his impressive resume. Cambensy is pleased to announce his continued partnership with Motor Whiskey, MasterCraft Safety, and Crime Guard Security Screens.

The young driver will focus on gaining respect from veteran drivers in the truck series and his main focus is to gain experience and needed approvals from NASCAR for the bigger tracks. In order to further his racing knowledge, he will be attending NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series races with JJCR when he is not in the driver’s seat. “It is impressive that, at such a young age, Cody works so hard to cultivate his racing dream,” said Jennifer Jo Cobb, NASCAR driver and owner of JJCR. “He gets it. He understands that in order to race in the big leagues he needs to be a great driver as well as a great spokesperson for his sponsors. I am honored to be a part of his growing career.”

Cambensy also has a business venture with a local business in Tucson, and an inspirational clothing line called Unbroken Industries. He is expected to announce his first race event of 2011 soon.

Bob Tasca III Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers Ford Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car category NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series

51st annual Kragen O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals Auto Club Raceway at Pomona February 24 – 27, 2011 Race 1 of 22

BOB TASCA AND MOTORCRAFT / QUICK LANE MUSTANG PRIMED FOR CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE AS 2011 FUNNY CAR SEASON OPENS  

DEARBORN, MI – February 24, 2011– At some point, every driver faces one in their career. A defining moment – a moment where the competitor becomes a champion and a quest becomes a championship. Bob Tasca, driver of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers Ford Shelby Mustang Funny Car faced what he feels was a defining moment at Pomona at the season finale last season.

  Tasca faced a first-round match-up with Matt Hagan, the NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car points leader. John Force, another Ford driver, needed Hagan to be defeated in the early rounds to stake his claim to the championship title. In the spirit of One Ford, Tasca delivered and shortly thereafter Force hoisted a record 15th championship trophy.   “What a feeling,” said Tasca, who broke into a grin months after the actual run. “To win that race is one of the greatest moments I have had behind the wheel, even higher than winning races.  You knew what was on the line and you knew that there was a championship in play and we fired off as Force calls it the ‘big shot heard around the world.’   “All the credit has to go to John, because at the end of the day, he still had to win two rounds. His team did a tremendous job the whole year and John just defies the test of time as a driver. He has unbelievable experience, he is just tremendous behind the wheel, and he won the championship, so hats off to their program. It was a defining moment for the One Ford concept coming together. It was also a defining moment for our team. When our backs were against the wall, the world was watching, and we had to step up and deliver that victory to deliver a Ford championship. The One Ford approach paid off in 2010 and if you are a betting man I think it is going to pay off in 2011 too.”   The question now becomes how Tasca will translate that moment into success throughout the 2011 season.

  “I think it’s just picking up where we left off,” Tasca said. “This is the first time we ended a season with the tune-up that we’ll start a season with. Over the last three years we’ve gone through a lot of transitions with different set-ups and combinations and we made that One Ford announcement last year, and it was a huge momentum boost for our program. Just for Marc (Denner, Co-Crew Chief), Chris (Cunningham, Crew Chief) and the guys to roll into Pomona with basically the same set-up we left with, with some minor changes…we are running the all-new JFR (John Force Racing) Ford chassis. We did a lot of testing at Palm Beach (International Raceway) and had some of the quickest 330 times of my career, so we’re real happy with how that car’s reacting, and really, truthfully just can’t wait until Pomona.”   Tasca isn’t far from the top. He enters the 2011 season fresh off a fifth-place finish in the standings last year with three career wins under his belt.   “We have gone through so many evolutions of our program,” Tasca said. “Literally, we started from scratch (in 2008) where we did not own a race car and didn’t have any motors heading into the first year. Then we evolved the tune-up and last year we spent all off-season testing a combination, which we were excited about, but then we made the One Ford announcement where we put the BOSS 500 engine in our car, which I couldn’t be happier about.   “Therefore, this off-season we were able to test the motor that we are going to run the whole year. The off-season is the time to collect that critical data and to work on our big speed and big ET tune-ups and put that in our back pocket for the end of the season when the championship rolls around.”

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing on the Web Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/MQLRacing Flickr – http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorcraftquicklaneracing

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Notes – 2011 marks the fourth year Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD) brands Motorcraft and Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers are a sponsor of Bob Tasca III and Tasca Racing. – Motorcraft continues its relationship with NHRA, having sponsored Hall of Fame NHRA driver Bob Glidden and drag racing legend Kenny Bernstein, among others, in the late 80s and early 90s. – Motorcraft products strike the perfect balance of precision, quality and pricing. – Manufactured to strict specifications, they install quickly and give the confidence of doing a job right the first time. Motorcraft is the preferred choice of Ford Motor Company. – Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers provide the services your car or truck needs most, performed by factory-trained experts and on your schedule.  You will never need an appointment and you will get service while you wait, even on evenings and weekends.  They will take care of any make, or model using quality Motorcraft parts.    – Quick Lane offers routine maintenance and light repair services, such as oil and filter changes, brake repairs and tire replacement for all makes and models. – Quick Lane’s nationwide network will surpass 600 facilities in 2011.  Visit www.quicklane.com to find one of the Quick Lanes in Southern California.

Television Saturday, Feb. 26 ESPN2 will televise qualifying highlights at 11:00 PM – 1:00 AM ET Sunday,   Feb. 27 ESPN2 will televise three hours of eliminations from 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM ET

  Satellite Friday, Feb. 25, 8 – 8:30 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 / Transponder 20C Saturday, Feb.26, 10 – 10:30p.m. (ET), AMC 3 / Transponder 20C Sunday, Feb. 27, 10:30 – 11 p.m. (ET), AMC 3 / Transponder 20C   (Downlink: 4100MHz, vertical; Transmission: MPG2; HD: 720p; Data Rate: 40.461470554 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 29.27 Ms; FEC: ¾; Bandwidth: 36 Mhz)   This is a Digital HD Feed. Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners’ interviews on Sunday.

About Motorcraft Motorcraft® offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln dealers, independent distributors, and automotive parts retailers and are backed by Ford Motor Company’s Service Parts Limited Warranty. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com. 

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers Quick Lane® provides automotive quick services for all makes and models.  Quick Lane’s nationwide network of 600 facilities, each providing the convenience of an aftermarket company (no appointment necessary, service while you wait, evening and weekend hours, competitive prices) with the confidence of a major automotive manufacturer (quality parts, factory-trained technicians).  Quick Lane® is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.quicklane.com.

About FordParts.com FordParts.com allows repair shops, body shops, fleets and do-it-yourselfers to purchase online over 280,000 Genuine Ford and Motorcraft parts quickly and easily.  As well as the convenience of ordering parts online 24/7, FordParts.com provides full line catalogs with VIN look-up, parts pricing, inventory availability, FedEx over-night shipping, and technical illustrations of over 22,000 parts and assemblies.  For more information, visit www.fordparts.com.

About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents.   With about 163,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s brands include Ford and Lincoln.  The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.  For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.