Category: Other Series Racing

[media-credit name=”Restart Communications” align=”alignright” width=”166″][/media-credit]NEWTON, Iowa, June 20 — Team GDT’s Andrés Méndez is from Columbia.

Not Columbia, Iowa, which is about 40 miles from Iowa Speedway, where Méndez will be racing this weekend, but the country of Columbia.

Bogotá, to be exact.

The 19-year-old is experiencing a completely different world and a completely different type of racing this year as he competes in the StarMazda Championship presented by Goodyear, which is part of theMazda Road to Indy program.

Saturday’s Star Mazda race at Iowa Speedway will be only his second oval-track race ever, but he’s committed to learning as much as possible about oval-track racing in his quest to become an IZOD IndyCar Series driver someday.

The IZOD IndyCar Series races on street courses, road courses and ovals, but Méndez hasn’t forgotten that the star jewel of that series, the Indianapolis 500, is still held on an oval track.

Developing a good set-up and feeling comfortable racing so close to other drivers and to the wall is a tall order for anyone, let alone a rookie to whom English is a second language.

Méndez has never even been to Iowa before this weekend, let alone competed on Iowa Speedway’s seven-eighths-mile, semi-banked oval.

His goal in his first oval-track race last month was simply to finish. He accomplished that by coming in 12th in the Star Mazda portion of the Night Before the 500 May 26 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, which gave both his level of experience and his confidence level a boost.

Now he wants to better those results at Iowa Speedway in the Team GDT No. 53, which is sponsored by DataFile Internacional S.A. and Grupo Kriterion.

Méndez has consistently been one of the drivers who records the most number of laps in practice sessions the Star Mazda series has held this year on an oval track. He knows that nothing beats experience, and experience is what he wants most.

“My goals are to keep learning and getting better and better,” he said. “I want to be running at the finish of the race first, but I also want to try to get a top-eight finish or better this time.

“I will be concentrating on working with my engineer, Eric Purcell, and my coach, Chuck West, to get a good set-up for the race,” he added.

“I really don’t know what to expect because it’s my first time in Iowa,” he added. “All I’ve heard is that it’s a good track with a bump in one of the corners.”

Méndez will try to find that bump — and then avoid it — when the first of two 30-minute practice sessions is held at 12:45 p.m. Friday afternoon. The second practice session is at 3:30 p.m. Friday. The teams will get almost another hour of practice on Saturday at 11 a.m. before time trials are held at 3:10 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The race itself follows at 5:20 p.m. Saturday. All times are Central.

Méndez will tape the Mazda Motorsports Hour on the Velocity Network at noon Eastern time on Saturday to see its coverage of the Night Before the 500 race. The Iowa StarMazda race is scheduled to be broadcast on the same program at noon Eastern on Saturday, July 28. The races are also shown on ESPN International and Rogers SportNet in Canada. Broadcast times are posted on StarMazda.com when they’re available.

In other team news, Team GDT expects to field three cars for Méndez, Ryan Tveter and Corey Lewis at the next Star Mazda event at Honda Indy Toronto July 6-8. RogersTV is partnering with Tveter for a special promotion where fans who live in Ontario, Canada can win a behind-the-scenes experience at that event. See RogersTV.com/indy for more information.

Fans can learn more about Team GDT on its Facebook page or through Twitter @TeamGDT. Méndez also has a Facebook page and a Twitter account as well as a Web site at AndresMéndez.com.

About Team GDT:

Team GDT is a multi-car professional race team headquartered in Dallas that is owned by businessman and racing driver J.W. Roberts. The team focuses on the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, the second step in the IZOD IndyCar Series’ Mazda Road to Indy, and the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge.

In 2011 Team GDT won its second Star Mazda Expert Series championship in a row with Roberts behind the wheel. The Expert Series is a race-within-a-race and a championship-within-a-championship for drivers 30 and older. Roberts won the Expert title driving his Team GDT/General Data Tech Mazda No. 65 with a total of five class victories.

Team GDT is also well known for nurturing rising stars, including Motorsport Ireland “Young Racing Driver of the Year” Patrick McKenna and multi-Star Mazda race winners Alex Ardoin and Richard Kent. This year it is fielding Star Mazda cars for rookies Andrés Méndez and Ryan Tveter. Fans can learn more about Team GDT on its Facebook page or through Twitter @TeamGDT.

[media-credit name=”iowacorn.org” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]If mom is correct, Simon Pagenaud is going to love racing at Iowa Speedway.

Mom always said, “If you like ground beef, if you like bread, if you like ketchup, if you like onions, of course you’ll love meatloaf.” Using mom’s reasoning, Pagenaud will love Iowa Speedway.

The Iowa Corn Indy 250 will be the fourth oval race in Pagenaud’s racing career. His first three oval races have come in the last month. The tracks were the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and The Milwaukee Mile.

The Frenchman has thoroughly enjoyed the ingredients that make each one of these oval tracks a challenge. In Iowa Speedway, he’ll have a little taste of each baked into one.

He’ll taste some of the banking he had at Texas. He should taste a little of the sensation of speed Indy provides, and he’ll taste all this on a short track like Milwaukee, except smaller and faster.

In his first year of IZOD IndyCar Series racing, some thought oval racing might become an acquired taste for Pagenaud that would eventually come with time. However, his results and enthusiasm prove that he can’t get enough of them.

In the first three oval races this year, Pagenaud has driven the No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car back to his pit box after taking the checkered flag each time. He has completed 652 of the 653 laps raced on the ovals so far this year. He’s recorded finishes of 16th (Indy), sixth (Texas) and 12th (Milwaukee), which have kept him floating around the top five in IndyCar points and leading the Rookie of the Year standings.

Now we’re not saying Iowa Speedway is the meatloaf of racing, but the track in Newton, Iowa, will provide Pagenaud a little of everything he has learned to devour in ovals so far this year.

“Ma, meatloaf, now!”

SIMON PAGENAUD (Poitiers, France)

The state of Iowa is an agricultural state with lots of farms. Can you compare it to a similar area in France?

“USA and France have their very own character. It would be wrong to compare one to the other. France is the size one U.S. state. You could say the area around the Magny-Cours F1 race track is similar to the area around Iowa Speedway where there is a lot of farming.”

strong>Coming from France, did you ever think you’d be racing on a small oval surrounded by farms in the middle of Iowa?

“No, I guess you don’t really think about those kind of things. I wanted to be involved in racing because cars fascinate me, and I love the feeling of being in control above the limits of a race car.”

Iowans are very friendly. As a French driver, how well would you say you’ve been received by U.S. motorsports fans?

“I think I have more U.S. fans than French or even European fans. So, that says it all. I enjoy racing and living in the U.S., and I feel like the fans enjoy seeing me coming from a different path and doing well. I try to give them as much as I can, and they give back to me a lot too before and after each race with all their messages.”

Describe the Iowa Speedway?

“It’s a fun place. I’m looking forward to going again after the test we had last week. The racing should be great with IndyCar mandating a certain downforce level giving the drivers control of the racing! I enjoyed Milwaukee and want to go through my next phase of learning at Iowa.”

Sam Schmidt Motorsports Iowa Speedway Notes

• ^ The Iowa Corn Indy 250 will only be Simon Pagenaud’s fourth oval race in his career. The first was the recent Indianapolis 500 where Pagenaud completed all 200 laps and finished 16^th.
• ^ The Iowa Corn Indy 250 will be Simon Pagenaud’s 26^th start in a major open-wheelrace. He has 11 IZOD IndyCar starts and 14 Champ Car races under his belt.
• ^ Pagenaud enters the Iowa Corn Indy 250 sixth in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship with 216 points. However, he is only 27 points out of second place. Pagenaud trails Castroneves in fifth with 231, Ryan Hunter-Reay with 233, Scott Dixon with 239 and James Hinchcliffe in second with 243 points.
• ^ So far in 2012, there have been 1,063 laps of competition. Pagenaud has completed all but two. He and the HP team have completed 1,061 laps of competition to date, which is the most of all IZOD Indy Car Series drivers this year.
• ^ Pagenaud and Ed Carpenter are the only two IZOD IndyCar Series drivers who have been running at the finish of every IZOD IndyCar Series race in 2012. Pagenaud also leads the Sunoco Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year standings.
• ^ The Iowa Corn Indy 250 will be the 68th time a Sam Schmidt-owned car has lined up on an IZOD IndyCar Series grid. Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports co-owner Davey Hamilton was in the cockpit of the No. 99 car when SSM made its first race in March 2001 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Social Media Information

For news and photos in real-time, follow Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports and Simon Pagenaud on Twitter:

Helpful Twitter Handles:        #Hashtags for the Firestone 550:
@SSMIndy                           #Iowa250
@simonpagenaud                #indycar2012
@IndyCar
@DaveyHamilton
@HPMotorsports77
@Matey77
@HondaRacing_HPD
@IowaSpeedway

Broadcast Information:

The Iowa Corn Indy 250, including the three qualifying races, will be broadcast Saturday night on the NBC Sports Network at 9 p.m. ET.  It can also be heard on the IMS Radio Network (check local listing) and XM94/Sirius 121.

Iowa Corn Indy 250
Event Preview

Driver: Simon Pagenaud
Hometown: Poitiers, France
Car: No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone
Event: Iowa Corn Indy 250
Date:  Saturday, June 23, 2012
Series: Round 9 of 16 in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series
Standings: 6^th

Zach Veach Looks To Continue His Successful Results On An Oval In The Last Oval Race Of The Season

[media-credit name=”Chris Jones for IMS” align=”alignright” width=”280″][/media-credit]NEWTON, IA (June 20, 2012) – Andretti Autosport driver Zach Veach heads to Iowa Speedway this week to once again test his skills on an oval in the Star Mazda Championship series. At Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, the first oval of Veach’s career in the Star Mazda series, he was successful at placing his No. 77 K12 Mazda on the podium in the third position. With his love for ovals, besting his result from Indianapolis isn’t out of the question for the teen.

“I’m really excited to be back in the K12 Star Mazda car, especially going to a track like Iowa,” said Veach. “Being that Iowa is full throttle the whole way around, it’s going to be like a super speedway for our cars and coming off of a successful ‘Night Before the 500’ race, I feel it’s going to carry a lot of momentum into this weekend. We’ve made a new seat and I’ve been working hard off the track too. The Andretti Autosport guys have been working extremely hard too and if things come together right, I feel we can give the K12 team their first win of the season!”

While making his first start at Iowa Speedway in 2010 in the USF2000 National Championship Series, Veach qualified third and put in a top-five result. He returns to the 7/8-mile oval prepared to improve on his previous result at the track, which will be just his second stop at the rural Iowa racetrack.

The 17-year-old Ohio native considers this one of his favorite races on the 2012 season schedule because of his love for racing on ovals. With his first appearance on an oval in the Star Mazda car behind him, Veach has experience running the car in this setup.

“I’m maybe even more excited about this race than I was about racing at Lucas Oil Speedway because I now have a feel on how far I can push the Star Mazda car until it bites back,” continued Veach. “At Iowa Speedway the cars run flat the whole way around and there is a lot of banking so the straightaway’s become just as important as the corners. The track isn’t forgiving, and I am looking forward to the challenge and testing my driving skills on the oval.”

Veach has been keeping busing off the track as well, recently completing his junior year of high school at The Ohio Virtual Academy, an online public school that pairs state-certified teachers with the curriculum provided by K12 to individualize education. K12 has partnered with Veach to form a partnership for the remainder of the 2012 season, including a new paint scheme for his racecar. Racing since age 12, Veach has always taken his education and studies very seriously and this program allows him the opportunity to continue as an aspiring athlete while keeping up with his schoolwork. Veach plans to enter his senior year of high school this coming fall.

Per usual, Veach typically hits the ground running upon arriving in each race market and prior to the race this weekend, he will be partaking in the Racing for Kids visit at the Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, IA alongside IZOD IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson and former driver and team owner Robbie Buhl. Before returning to the cockpit of his car, Veach will participate in media interviews and interact with fans via Twitter during his usual pre-race Twitter Chat. This week’s chat is with @IowaSpeedway on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Practice for Veach opens on Fri., June 22 at 1:45 p.m. EDT before Veach races the only other oval on the 2012 calendar Saturday, June 23 at 6:20 p.m. EDT as a lead up to the headlining IZOD IndyCar Series race. Live timing and scoring is available throughout the weekend via www.StarMazda.com/timing or by downloading the Race Monitor app. Further, the race will be prepared for network distribution via tape delay on Discovery’s Velocity Network and globally on ESPN International. In the U.S., the race is set to air on Velocity on July 28 at 12 Noon.

Veach’s 2012 effort in the Star Mazda Championship is primarily supported by K12 with additional backing provided by: the Young Marines youth organization, Zakosi Data Backup, ADS IT Solutions, Replay XD, OMP, and Arai Helmets.

Sanctioned by INDYCAR, the Star Mazda Championship is one of two series part of both the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system and the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver program. Andretti Autosport is currently the only INDYCAR team to compete in each level of the Mazda Road to Indy.

For more information, please visit www.ZachVeach.com or www.AndrettiAutosport.com.

About Zach Veach:

Zach “Ziggy” Veach is a 17-year-old autoracing driver who competes in INDYCAR’s ‘Mazda Road to Indy’ Star Mazda Championship Series, an important open-wheel stepping-stone to a career in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. In 2012, Veach captured the Formula Car Challenge Winter Series Championship and in 2011, he secured the USF2000 Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship and was voted the “Most Popular Driver in USF2000”. Named by ESPN The Magazine as a NEXT athlete in motorsports, Veach keeps an active pace both on and off the race track. In 2010, Michael Andretti signed Veach to his team, Andretti Autosport, while also being named one of CNN’s “Intriguing People” and being nominated for the Sports Illustrated “Sports Kid of the Year” award. In addition to his racing, Veach is an advocate for safer driving as the national spokesperson for FocusDriven, an advocacy group for victims of motor vehicle crashes involving drivers using their cell phones and has campaigned for Oprah Winfrey’s “No Phone Zone.” Veach designed a phone application through his phone-app building company, ZaAPP, releasing urTXT, in the Marketplace for Android to help consumers avoid dangerous text messagingwhile driving. Like most of his peers, Veach was bullied as a kid and works to combat the growing epidemic as part of the Cyber Safety Academy’s “No BULL Challenge” as a key ambassador. Veach has been a guest or profiled on a variety of national platforms including NBC’s The Today Show, CNN’s Headline News, ABCNews.com, Oprah Radio’s The Gayle King Show, The Los Angeles Times, AOL.com and is a blogger for RACER magazine and The Huffington Post. The son of a national truck and tractor-pulling champion, Veach is sponsored by K12, Zakosi Data Backup, the Young Marines youth organization, Replay XD, Arai Helmets, OMP, ADS IT Solutions, and artrotondo.com. He enters his senior year of high school this fall and released his first book, 99 THINGS TEENS WISH THEY KNEW BEFORE TURNING 16, in 2011. For more information, please visitwww.ZachVeach.com.

About Andretti Autosport:

Based in Indianapolis and led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport fields multiple entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Andretti Autosport competes in Firestone Indy Lights, the Star Mazda Championship and in the USF2000 National Championship. The company boasts three IZOD IndyCar Series championships (2004, 2005 and 2007), two Firestone Indy Lights titles (2008 and 2009), one USF2000 championship (2010) and has won the Indianapolis 500 twice (2005 and 2007). For more information, please visit www.AndrettiAutosport.com.

About the Star Mazda Championship Series:

For 2012, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear will again be a major part of the “Mazda Road to Indy”. The 2012 schedule consists of 17 races on 10 weekends, most with IndyCar. Rising stars from around the world will compete on road courses, street circuits and ovals in front of more than a million fans as they battle for prizes valued at $1.5 million, including a scholarship to move up and race in the 2013 Firestone Indy Lights series. Drivers 16 and older are welcome to compete and the Star Mazda Championship also features the Expert Series for drivers 30 and older. The Star Mazda Championship features standing starts, wheel-to-wheel racing at 160 mph and budgets a fraction of other top open-wheel ladder series. For more information on the Star Mazda Championship and its drivers, as well as the Mazda Motorsports ladder system, please visit www.StarMazda.com.

Team Barracuda – BHA Notes & Quotes:

Iowa Corn Indy 250

[media-credit name=”iowacorn.org” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]The Basics

Driver: Alex Tagliani
Car: No. 98 Team Barracuda – BHA
Primary sponsor: Barracuda Networks
Event title: Iowa Corn Indy 250
Location: Iowa Speedway, Newton, IA
Track: 0.875-mile oval track
Practice sessions: Friday, June 22 from 10-10:45 a.m. CST and 2:30-3:15 p.m.
Qualifying: Friday, June 23 from 6:15-7:45 p.m. (Heat race format)
Race: Saturday, June 23 -Estimated green flag drop at 9 p.m. CST

Broadcast Information

Race broadcast (TV): Saturday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. CST – Broadcast to include Friday’s qualifying heat races and pre-race ceremonies, prior to the Iowa Corn Indy 250 (250 laps)
Race broadcast (radio): IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM (XM 94 and Sirius 212)

Driver Quote: Alex Tagliani:

“I think we’ve learned a lot from the past few races. I never approach a race weekend feeling like it’s going to be easy, but I do feel very encouraged. We might be able to apply some things we learned at Milwaukee to Iowa, and unload a bit quicker with a setup that’s in our window. It would give us a little more time to play with the fine tuning and the overall setup of the car.

Iowa is a pretty unique track. Everybody will have to adapt to the new concept of qualifying with heat races. Honestly, I’m not too sure of why we’re doing it. To me, it defies the purpose of going to an oval and showcasing the best flying lap you can put together for position. I’m not sure if there are any other series that do this but we’ll see how it works out. As a team, we have to make sure that we don’t put ourselves in a bad spot because we have to be able to make the race the next day. It’s definitely going to keep the stress level pretty high on Friday.”

Social Media

Team Barracuda – BHA on twitter: @BHA
Alex Tagliani on twitter: @Tagliani
Barracuda Networks: @Barracuda
Bowers & Wilkins: @Bowers_Wilkins
Team Barracuda – BHA on facebook: www.facebook.com/BryanHertaAutosport
Alex Tagliani on facebook: www.facebook.com/ATagliani

Fan Opportunities

IZOD IndyCar Series autograph session with Alex Tagliani – Saturday, June 23 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. CST in the IndyCar Fan Village.

Team Barracuda – BHA Tweetup with Alex Tagliani – Saturday, June 23 from 3:45-4:30 p.m. in the IndyCar Fan Village.

About Bryan Herta Autosport

Founded by veteran driver Bryan Herta and noted race engineer and team manager Steve Newey, Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) has been a race-winning team in Firestone Indy Lights competition since 2009 and recently won the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with driver Dan Wheldon in only its second IZOD IndyCar Series start. The Indianapolis, Ind.-based squad made its IndyCar debut in 2010 contesting the Indianapolis 500. New for 2012, BHA has formed a joint venture with Bowen and Bowers Motorsports, Inc. (BBM) to field a full time entry in the IZOD Indycar Series for Canadian driver Alex Tagliani. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Bowen and Bowers Motorsports, Inc. is the coming together of leading sports and entertainment property development professionals, Chris Bowers and David Bowen, along with the financial management experience of TrapezeAsset Management Inc. For more information, please visit www.bryanhertaautosport.com.

About Barracuda Networks Inc.

Barracuda Networks combines premises-based gateways and software, virtual appliances, cloud services, and sophisticated remote support to deliver comprehensive content and network security, data protection and application delivery solutions. The company’s expansive product portfolio includes offerings for protection against email and Web threats as well as products that improve application delivery and network access, message archiving, backup and data protection. Coca-Cola, FedEx, Harvard University, IBM, L’Oreal, and Europcar are among the more than 150,000 organizations protecting their IT infrastructures with Barracuda Networks’ range of affordable, easy-to-deploy and manage solutions. Barracuda Networks is privately held with its International Headquarters in Campbell, Calif. For more information, please visit www.barracudanetworks.com.

FAST FACTS 

[media-credit name=”iowacorn.org” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]Drivers:  Ryan Briscoe – No. 2 PPG Automotive Refinish Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet

Helio Castroneves – No. 3 Penske Truck Rental Dallara/Chevrolet

Will Power – No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet

Event: Iowa Corn Indy 250

Iowa Speedway (.875 mile oval)

Newton, Iowa

When: Qualifying (heat races) – Friday, June 22 at 7:15 p.m. ET

(Airs 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC Sports Network)

Race (250 laps) – Saturday, June 23 at 10:00 p.m. ET (NBC Sports Network)

TV/Radio: NBC Sports Network/IMS Radio Network and Sirius XM Channel 94

Less Is More: INDYCAR will limit the amount of downforce on the cars by approximately nine percent for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 which Will Phillips, INDYCAR’s VP of Technology, said should “make sure the challenge is in the drivers’ hands.” This is welcome news to Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe who, after coming off a podium finish at the last restricted-downforce race in Texas, commended the new formula that made the cars tougher to drive and more entertaining to watch.

Corn Quest: Since the inaugural Iowa Corn Indy 250 in 2007, Team Penske has won two pole positions (Helio Castroneves in 2009 and Will Power in 2010), earned two podium finishes (Briscoe in 2009 and Castroneves in 2010) and produced four top-five results, but the team has not been able to visit Victory Lane. Briscoe has finished in the top-10 each of his last four races at the short oval. 

Heating Up: INDYCAR is trying a new qualifying format this weekend. Three qualifying heat races will be held Friday evening at Iowa Speedway to determine the starting positions for Saturday’s race. The drivers will be placed into one of three heat races depending on their practice times, with the third race featuring the fastest eight qualifying times to determine the pole and order of the top eight starting positions. The format has created a lot of buzz and differing opinions from drivers as INDYCAR continues to strive to create more excitement for the fans. 

Still Number One: Through the midway point of the IZOD IndyCar Series 2012 schedule, Team Penske’s Power still leads the championship standings with 274 points. Castroneves continues his season-long run in the top five by entering Iowa in fifth place and Indianapolis 500 pole winner Briscoe is ranked ninth. 

Left Turn Expert: Briscoe is currently third in the AJ Foyt Oval Track Championship standings, just 12 points behind leader James Hinchcliffe. Briscoe, a native of Sydney, Australian has one podium and two top-five finishes in three oval races so far this season. Iowa will mark the last scheduled oval event on the calendar until the season’s final race at Auto Club Speedway in California on September 15. 

Two For The Road: With 135 laps led so far in 2012, Power is just two laps shy of surpassing 1,500 laps led in his career. Fellow Team Penske driver Castroneves is the active career laps led leader with 4,576.

Completing and Leading: With an average finishing position of 7.6, Castroneves has completed 1,060 of 1,063 possible laps in 2012, putting him in second place and one lap behind the current leader, Simon Pagenaud. Castroneves’ 108 laps led this season ranks third in the series.

Chevy Showcase: Castroneves’ sixth-place performance last race at Milwaukee sealedChevrolet claiming the top-six finishing positions at Milwaukee. Paced by the performance of Team Penske’s drivers, Chevrolet has earned five wins in 2012 and at least one podium finish in seven of eight races. 

Premier Partners: Team Penske is proud to continue its relationship with existing partners and welcome several new sponsors to its family in 2012. Briscoe will unveil the new No. 2 PPG Automotive Refinish car in Iowa. Penske Truck Rental will return as the primary sponsor of the No. 3 car driven by Castroneves and Power will drive the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car throughout the 2012 season.  Team Penske also features IZOD, Shell and Pennzoil, Hitachi and AAA Insurance as primary sponsors in 2012 along with associate sponsors Coca-Cola, Meijer, PTC and SKF.

Meet Team Penske: All three Team Penske drivers will participate in the IndyCar autograph session at the Fan Village on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. CT at Iowa Speedway.

Legacy of Success: Team Penske continues to set the standard of success in open-wheel racing. Throughout its storied history, the team has posted 163 race wins, 12 National Championships and 208 pole positions. In addition, Penske Racing has won the Indianapolis 500-mile race a record 15 times. Across all of its disciplines, Penske Racing teams have produced 357 major race wins, 418 pole positions and 23 National Championships.

Follow Team Penske On Twitter: @penskeracing, @Ryan_Briscoe, @h3lio, @12WillPower

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT THE IOWA CORN 250

Ryan Briscoe: “I am excited to take the No. 2 PPG Team Penske car to Iowa where it should be some great racing. After testing there I think everyone found that it was pretty wide open and we should have plenty of action like we saw in Texas and Milwaukee. I am still searching for my first win this year and hopefully this is it.” 

Helio Castroneves: “I am really looking forward to seeing how the Penske Truck Rental machine does in the new qualifying format. It should be as exciting for the fans as it is for the drivers. We have had some success before at Iowa and hopefully we can get Team Penske its first win at Iowa Speedway.”

Will Power: “We are working hard for a good result for the Verizon car this weekend. I think it is a great move by INDYCAR to reduce the downforce, hopefully that makes it so you really have to earn the victory. We want to finish strong now that we are in the second half of the season.”

EVENT: Sukup 100
SERIES: Round 7 of 12 in the 2012 Firestone Indy Lights Series
CIRCUIT: Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa (7/8-mile oval)
DATE: Saturday, June 23, 2012
DISTANCE: 100 miles/115 laps
2011 WINNER: Josef Newgarden for Sam Schmidt Motorsports

Team Owner: Sam Schmidt
Team Manager: Dave Higuera
Team Drivers:  
#77 Tristan Vautier – Corenc, France (1^st in points) – @TristanVautier
#11 Esteban Guerrieri – Buenos Aires, Argentina (2^nd in points) – @E_Guerrieri
#3 Victor Carbone – Sao Paulo, Brazil (4^th in points)- @victorcarbone13
#7 Oliver Webb – Manchester, England (7^th in points) – @oliverjameswebb

Starting over in Iowa

Pre-Race Quotes

“VICTOR CARBONE, Driver of the No. 3 MAV TV/Nevoni/SSM Car

[media-credit name=”iowacorn.org” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]This weekend’s race at the state-of-the-art 7/8-mile tri-oval at Iowa Speedway will be the fourth oval of the season for IZOD IndyCar Series rookie Katherine Legge. While similar in length to Milwaukee, its high banks yield racing similar to Indianapolis and Texas. Though the TrueCar Racing driver has tested at the Newton, Iowa track, there are lessons yet to be learned.

“It will still be an education for me,” said Legge. “Indianapolis and Texas were also very new for me having not done ovals like those before, but my Dragon Racing crew are very good at getting me up to speed quickly. I actually like the Iowa circuit and I’m really happy we got to test there. Every time we get on the racetrack for testing or racing we make significant progress. I am very thankful for the support of TrueCar, Virgin, Chevrolet, and everyone else involved in our program and I hope to make them all proud this weekend.”

Since switching to the Chevy INDYCAR V-6 before Indianapolis, Legge’s team has shown significant improvement with only race weekend data to improve her car and learn the new engine. Having now tested at Iowa Speedway, the team is eager to see the results.

“I cannot tell you how thrilled I am about the change to Chevrolet,” said Legge. “It was the right decision and once we have enough time on track to get the package right we are going to give everyone a run for themoney. We are already closing in.”

The UK native and her No. 6 TrueCar Dragon Racing team hit the track for practice and qualifying on Friday, June 22 for the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Legge’s race will be held under the lights on Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. Central Time, live on NBC Sports Network.

Weekend Schedule (all times local):

Friday, June 22

10:00 – 10:45 a.m. – IZOD IndyCar Series practice (all cars)
2:30 – 3:15 p.m. – IZOD IndyCar Series practice (all cars)
6:15 – 7:45 p.m. – IZOD IndyCar Series Qualifying Heat Races (3 Heats/30 Laps)

Saturday, June 25

8 p.m. – Iowa Corn Indy 250 pre-race
9 p.m. – Iowa Corn Indy 250 (250 laps/218.75 miles), NBC Sports Network (Live)

NOTES

Heat races to set field for Iowa race – The field for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 will be set through three heat races held on June 22 at Iowa Speedway. Qualification groups will be determined by lap times recorded by entries on the .875-mile oval in the second (45-minute) practice session (3:30 p.m. ET). Race 1 will consist of the even-numbered positions, starting with the 10th-quickest practice time, and determine the even-numbered positions in the starting field from 10th down. Race 2 will consist of the odd-numbered positions, starting with the ninth fastest practice time, and determine the odd-numbered positions in the starting field from ninth down. Race 3 will consist of drivers ranked one through eight from the practice. Results of Race 3 will determine the first four rows, with the winner taking the pole position.

Based on input from IZOD IndyCar Series drivers and team engineers, INDYCAR has directed a maximum rear flap angle of 37 degrees with no wicker allowed for the Iowa Corn Indy 250. The rule will reduce downforce available by about 8-9 percent.

The Iowa Corn Indy 225 will be the sixth IZOD IndyCar Series event at Iowa Speedway and the first race for Katherine Legge at the venue.

Katherine and her TrueCar-Dragon Racing team participated in INDYCAR testing at Iowa Speedway on June 12 and 13.

About Katherine Legge:

Birthdate: July 12, 1980
Hometown: Guildford, England
Residence: Indianapolis
Marital Status: Engaged
Website: www.katherinelegge.com
Twitter: @katherinelegge (personal) and @KatOnTrack (for on-track updates)
Facebook: katherineracing

Career Highlights

Named to drive for TrueCar-Dragon Racing in 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season … Competed in European-based DTM touring car series as factory Audi driver from 2008-10, driving for Futurecom TME, Abt Lady Power and Team Rosberg … Drove in Rolex 24 at Daytona for Robinson Racing in 2007 … Competed in Champ Car World Series in 2006-07 for PKV Racing, Dale Coyne Racing, becoming first female to lead Champ Car race … Recorded five top-10 finishes in Champ Car in 2006 … First woman to win major open-wheel race in North America, with three victories in Toyota Atlantic in 2005. Finished third in series … Earned Formula One test with Minardi in 2005 … Drove for A1 Team GB in A1 Grand Prix, tested Champ Car in 2005 … Raced limited schedule in British and North American Formula Renault championships and Can-Am championship in 2004 … Competed in limited British Formula 3 schedule in 2003 … Competed in British Formula Renault in 2001-02, wininng pole in 2002 at Oulton Park with track-record lap … Earned British Racing Drivers’ Club “Rising Stars” honor in 2002 … Became first woman to win pole in British Formula FordZetec championship in 2000 … Competed in karting from 1990-99.

About TrueCar, Inc.

TrueCar, Inc. is an online automotive information and communications platform focused on creating a better car buying experience for dealers and consumers. Consumers want a hassle-free car buying experience and dealers want high-quality sales velocity. TrueCar helps achieve these goals by providing unbiased marketinformation on new car transactions and by supplying an online communications platform through which dealers and consumers can communicate with each other. TrueCar’s market-based information provides bothconsumers and dealers with an accurate and comprehensive understanding of what others actually paid recently for similar vehicles, both locally and nationally. TrueCar’s communications platform then allows informed, ready-to-buy consumers to communicate directly with participating dealers. Some of the nation’s largest and most well respected membership and service organizations rely on websites powered by TrueCar to help educate their members and customers who are in the automotive market. TrueCar is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, and has offices in San Francisco, CA, and Austin, TX. After experiencing dramatic growth since 2006, TrueCar is developing a suite of products and services centered on radical clarity through the comprehensive analysis of market data and information. TrueCar’s participating dealer partners have sold over 500,000 new vehicles to TrueCar users nationwide.

You can follow TrueCar on Twitter and become a fan of TrueCar on Facebook.

[media-credit name=”hometracks.nascar.com” align=”alignright” width=”245″][/media-credit]DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will headline the racing action at Waterford (Conn.) Speedbowl on Saturday, June 23 with the Mr. Rooter 161. Below is a statistical look at the performance of selected drivers on the tour:

Selected Driver Highlights:
Eric Beers (No. 45 Horwith Freightliner/John Blewett Inc. Ford)
• Has two wins, nine poles and 73 top 10s in 174 career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts.
• Has a pole and two top 10s in seven starts at Waterford Speedbowl. Best finish was third in 2005.

Eric Berndt (No. 46 North End Auto Parts/Cape Cod Aggts Chevrolet)
• Has a pole and eight top 10s in 60 career NWMT starts.
• Has finishes of 21st and eighth in two previous starts at Waterford.
• Has 15 career NASCAR Whelen All-American Series SK Modified wins at Waterford.

Jimmy Blewett (No. 76 John Blewett Inc./Ling Trucking Chevrolet)
• Has five wins, a pole and 29 top 10s in 89 career NWMT starts.
• Has three top 10s in four races this year. Had three top 10s across 16 races the two previous seasons.
• Finished 28th in his only previous start at Waterford in 2006.

Justin Bonsignore (No. 51 M3 Technology Chevrolet)
• Has a win, three poles and 18 top 10s in 35 career NWMT starts.
• Since gaining his first win last year at Riverhead Raceway, he has finished in the top 10 in 12 of 14 events.
• This will be his first NWMT race at Waterford.

Ted Christopher (No. 36 AL-Lee Installations Chevrolet)
• The 2008 NWMT champion, he has 42 wins and 23 poles and 170 top 10s in 311 career starts. His 42 wins rank third all-time and his 23 poles are eighth. Has at least one win in the 13 previous seasons.
• Has a win, a pole and seven top 10s in 13 starts at Waterford with 227 laps led and an average finish of 11th.
• The 1992 NWAAS track champion at Waterford, where he has 36 overall career victories.

Doug Coby (No. 52 Reynolds Auto Wrecking/Furnace & Duct Supply Chevrolet)
• Has four wins, four poles and 49 top 10s in 120 career starts.
• Took the points lead for the first time with a victory in the previous race at Stafford Motor Speedway on May 25.
• Has three wins and 15 top 10s in 21 starts with the No. 52 team since first racing together in the 2010 finale.
• Has three top 10s in seven starts at Waterford with an average finish of 15th and a best finish of second in 2005.
• Is a three-time NWAAS SK Modified winner at Waterford.

Ed Flemke Jr. (No. 28 Ron Bouchard’s/Raceworks TV Chevrolet)
• Has 17 wins, 16 poles and 158 top 10s in 415 career starts.
• Maintains the NWMT record for consecutive starts with 358.
• Has two wins, a pole and seven top 10s in 13 starts at Waterford with an average finish of 10th and the most laps led among active drivers.

Donny Lia (No. 4 Mystic Missile Racing Dodge)
• The 2007 and 2009 champion, he has 15 wins, 15 poles and 57 top 10s in 117 career starts.
• Has two wins and four top 10s in seven starts at Waterford. His last three finishes there were first, third and first.

Rowan Pennink (No. 93 Monk Mechanics Hand Cleaner Chevrolet)
• Has a win and 37 top 10s in 76 career starts.
• Did not participate in the NWMT race at Monadnock, breaking a streak of 73 straight starts dating to 2007.
• This will be his first NWMT race at Waterford.

Ryan Preece (No. 16 Diversified Metals/R.B. Enterprises Ford)
• Has four wins, nine poles and 36 top 10s in 71 career starts.
• Earned the pole in the first three races of 2012 and won at Monadnock Speedway on May 12.
• This will be his first NWMT start at Waterford.

Keith Rocco (No. 3 Cape Cod Copper/Silver Dollar Const. Chevrolet)
• Has five top-10 finishes in nine career NWMT start, including three in four races this season.
• Ranks sixth in the overall standings and leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points.
• Has 50 career victories at Waterford, including 42 in SK Modifieds, and is the two-time defending NWAAS track champion.
• This will be his first NWMT start at Waterford.

Ron Silk (No. 6 Reynolds Auto Wrecking/Schnitzer Chevrolet)
• The 2011 NWMT champion has eight wins, five poles and 56 top 10s in 101 career starts.
• Is the only driver to finish in the top five in all four races this year.
• Relinquished the points lead last time out for the first time in six races dating back to last year.
• Has five wins and 28 top 10s in 36 starts with TS Haulers Racing since they first joined forces in 2009.
• Has finishes of 24th and 22nd in two previous NWMT starts at Waterford.
• Has two NWAAS SK Modified wins to his credit at Waterford.

Mike Stefanik (No. 66 Town Line Auto/Xtreme Auto Ford)
• The 1989, 1991, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2006 NWMT champion.
• Holds NWMT records for most titles (seven), wins (71), poles (46), top fives (217) and top 10s (287).
• Has an NWMT-best average finish of fourth and a best personal finish of second, twice, in 11 starts at Waterford. He’s finished on the lead lap and in the top 10 in all 11 of those events.
• Has won races at 16 different tracks, but will be looking for his first at Waterford.

Todd Szegedy (No. 2 Dunleavy Repair/A&J Romano Const. Ford)
• The 2003 NWMT champion has 17 wins, nine poles and 99 top 10s in 157 career starts.
• Is coming off of consecutive top-fives after finishes of 27th and 12th to start the season.
• Won at Waterford in 2004 and has six top 10s in eight starts there with an average finish of 10th. In a four-race span at Waterford during the 2003-04 seasons he had finishes of fourth, second, fifth and first.

Ron Yuhas Jr. (No. 64 DreamRide.org/Hughes Motors Chevrolet)
• Has 10 top 10s in 39 career NWMT starts with a best finish of third at Thompson in 2007.
• Finished seventh in his only previous NWMT race at Waterford in 2006.
• Was the 2009 NWAAS track champion at Waterford, where he has 24 career wins in SK Modifieds.

Up to Speed:
• The 2012 season is the 28th for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
• The 2012 schedule features 14 races at seven different tracks across four states.
• Defending NWMT champion Ron Silk won the 2012 season-opener at Thompson International Speedway on April 15. Ryan Preece was the polesitter for the Icebreaker.
• Doug Coby joined a select group of multiple Spring Sizzler winners when he took the checkered flag at Stafford Motor Speedway on April 29. Preece set the track record in qualifying prior to the event.
• Preece made it 3-for-3 in qualifying as he took the pole in track record fashion at Monadnock Speedway on May 12 and made the top starting position stand up as he led every lap en route to the victory.
• Bobby Santos captured the pole and led nearly the entire race before Coby wrestled the lead away in the closing laps to take the checkered flag on May 25 at Stafford.
• Following the Mr. Rooter 161 at Waterford Speedbowl, the NWMT will return to action on July 14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with the Town Fair Tire 100.

At Waterford Speedbowl:
History
• The facility opened to auto racing on April 15, 1951.
• Waterford is a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series-sanctioned track with SK Modifieds as the headline division.
• The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour held 17 races at Waterford from 1985-2006.
• The track has also played host to seven NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races during its history, and the former NASCAR North Tour visited twice.

Notebook
• The previous 17 races produced 13 different race winners and 11 different pole winners.
• Active competitors Ed Flemke Jr. and Donny Lia are two of the four drivers with multiple wins at Waterford.
• Jamie Tomaino is the only driver to compete in all 17 previous NWMT events at the track.
• Current NWMT drivers that have won NWAAS track titles at Waterford include: Ted Christopher (1992), Ron Yuhas Jr. (2009) and Keith Rocco (2010, 2011).
• The Mr. Rooter 161 will be the 224th all-time NWMT race in the state of Connecticut and the 551st overall.

Waterford Speedbowl Data
Race: #5 of 14
Track Layout: .375-mile asphalt oval
• Race Length: 161 laps (60.375 miles)
• Banking–turns: 8 to 12 degrees
• Banking–straights: progressive

Qualifying/Race Data
2011 Pole/Race Winner: New Event
Qualifying Record: Jerry Marquis (13.618 seconds, 99.133 mph – 10/8/06)

Active Leaders at Waterford
Wins
1. Ed Flemke Jr. … 2
Donny Lia … 2
3. Ted Christopher … 1
Toddy Szegedy … 1

Poles
Eric Beers … 1
Ted Christopher … 1
Ed Flemke Jr. … 1

Laps Led
1. Ed Flemke Jr. … 232
2. Ted Christopher … 227
3. Todd Szegedy … 178
4. Donny Lia … 173
5. Mike Stefanik … 71

Starts
1. Jamie Tomaino … 17
2. Ted Christopher … 13
3. Ed Flemke Jr. … 13
4. Mike Stefanik … 11
5. Todd Szegedy … 8

[media-credit name=”delawarespeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”311″][/media-credit]DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series tackles an oval track for the second time in as many weeks at Delaware (Ont.) Speedway. The EMCO 200 presented by Niagara Plumbing Supply and McKeough Supply is set for Saturday, June 23 at 8 p.m. ET. Below is a statistical look at the recent performance of selected drivers at Delaware, as well as some other statistical trends:

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series At Delaware Speedway
• This is the series’ fourth time to compete on the half-mile oval.
• Dodge has earned all three wins and starts from the pole.
• There has been an average of 10 caution periods for an average of 75.33 laps in the three prior races with the earliest coming at Lap 2 in 2010 and the latest at Lap 210 in 2009 during attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.
• The average starting position of the winner is 4.33, while the polesitter has an average finish of 11.33.
• The most laps led by a race winner are 130 by D.J. Kennington in 2010 and the fewest is 46 by Don Thomson Jr. last season.
• Two of the three events have gone beyond the 200-lap advertised distance with last year’s EMCO 200 being the exception.
• Eight drivers – Steve Côté, Ray Courtemanche Jr., Noel Dowler, L.P. Dumoulin, Larry Jackson, Martin Roy, Howie Scannell Jr., Mike Scholz – are making their track debut.
• The race’s television premieres are scheduled for Sunday, July 8 at 3 p.m. ET on TSN and Wednesday, July 25 at 10 p.m. ET on RDS2.

Delaware Speedway Race Setup
• D.J. Kennington is a two-time winner at Delaware and has led 293 laps which accounts for over 47 percent of the series total at the track.
• D.J. Kennington has not yet won on the half-mile oval, but has scored five consecutive top-10 finishes at the track.
• Ron Beauchamp Jr. and Kennington are the only two 2012 EMCO 200 entrants with three top-10 finishes at the track.
• Eight drivers on the entry list will be making their track debut in NASCAR Canadian Tire Series action at the Southern Ontario oval.

EVENT SCHEDULE | ENTRY LIST

Delaware Speedway Data
Race: #4 of 12 (6/23/12)
Track Layout: Half-mile oval
Race Length: 200 laps (100 miles)

Records
1-Lap Qualifying: Mark Dilley, Dodge, 19.133 seconds, 94.078 mph, June 6, 2009
200-Lap Race: Don Thomson Jr., Dodge, 1 hr., 25 min., 12 sec., 70.423 mph, June 11, 2011

Race Winners
D.J. Kennington … 2
Don Thomson Jr. … 1

Pole Winners
Mark Dilley … 1
D.J. Kennington … 1
Pete Shepherd … 1

Manufacturer Wins
Dodge … 3

Laps Led
D.J. Kennington … 293
J.R. Fitzpatrick … 64
Mark Dilley … 61

Select Driver Highlights:
Ron Beauchamp Jr. (No. 60 Mopar/Mobil 1 Dodge)
• Finished ninth last season in the EMCO 200.
• All three starts at Delaware Speedway have resulted in top-10 finishes including a runner-up finish in 2009.
• Has scored back-to-back top 10s in his last two starts.
• One of just four drivers to start all 66 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races.

Mark Dilley (No. 02 PartSource/BDI/Leland Ford)
• Placed 11th a season ago at Delaware, his best series finish at the track.
• Has led 61 laps on the half-mile oval.
• Scored a second-place finish in his 2012 debut last week at the Speedway at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
• Sharing time with Kerry Micks this season behind the wheel of the No. 02 Ford.

Steve Côté (No. 99 White Motorsports Chevrolet)
• Making his track debut in this year’s EMCO 200.
• Recorded a career-best finish of ninth in last week’s Clarington 200 to take over the lead in the Rookie of the Year standings.
• Was the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Quebec provincial champion while competing at Autodrome St. Eustache (Que.).
• Finished second in Modified division last season at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., an annual stop on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule.

Noel Dowler (No. 5 EMCO-Kohler/Rheem Dodge)
• Making his track debut in this year’s EMCO 200.
• Logged his first series-career top-10 finish last week in the Clarington 200 at CTMP.
• Scored a season-best finish of 11th last season at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, N.S.
• Finished third in last year’s Rookie of the Year standings.

L.P. Dumoulin (No. 47 WeatherTech Canada/Bellmare Dodge)
• Making his Delaware Speedway debut.
• Making just his fifth career start on an oval.
• Opened the season with back-to-back top-five finishes.
• Was the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Rookie of the Year.
• Now a teammate of defending series champion Scott Steckly.
• Made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut on Aug. 20, 2012 at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

J.R. Fitzpatrick (No. 84 Equipment Express Chevrolet)
• Finished fifth a season ago at Delaware Speedway.
• Was the runner-up in the 2010 EMCO 200.
• Has led a total of 64 laps on the half-mile Ontario track.
• Leads the 2012 series championship point standings.
• Six of his seven career series wins have come on road courses – CTMP (3), Edmonton (2) and Montreal.
• Has made a pair of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts this season.

Jason Hathaway (No. 3 Snap-on Tools/Rockstar Energy Drink/Vortex Brake Pads Dodge)
• Recorded a series career-best eighth-place finish a year ago in the EMCO 200.
• Has scored consecutive top-10 finishes at Delaware Speedway.
• One of only four drivers to start all 66 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races.

D.J. Kennington (No. 17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge)
• Finished third last season at Delaware after starting from the outside-pole position.
• Won the first two series events on the Southern Ontario half-mile track.
• Has led a total of 293 laps at Delaware which accounts for 47.1 percent of the laps completed by the Canadian Tire Series.
• Has a current streak of five straight top-five finishes and six consecutive top 10s.
• Has 12 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victories – second on the all-time list behind Andrew Ranger (15).
• Won 2010 series championship.
• One of four drivers to start all 66 NCATS races.

Jeff Lapcevich (No. 23 Tim Hortons Dodge)
• Placed 13th a year ago at Delaware Speedway.
• Best finish at the track was third in 2010.
• Has a streak of seven straight top-10 finishes in Canadian Tire Series action.
• In 2012, is competing fulltime in the Canadian Tire Series for the first time.

Steve Mathews (No. 15 Bill Mathews Motors Ford)
• Logged a fourth-place finish last season at Delaware Speedway.
• Finished 19th in his series track debut in 2010.
• Recorded his first career pole win in last season’s finale at Kawartha Speedway.

Andrew Ranger (No. 27 Dodge/GC Motorsport Dodge)
• Has not competed at the track since finishing eighth in the 2009 EMCO 200.
• Has top-10 finishes in his last six Canadian Tire Series starts.
• Has finished inside the top 10 in 25 of his last 26 series starts dating back to the 2008 season.
• Is the series’ all-time leader with 15 victories.
• Tied with Don Thomson Jr. at 11 atop the all-time list for pole wins.
• Won the series championship in 2007 and 2009.

Martin Roy (No. 90 Veloce/Gamache Truck Center Dodge)
• Making his track debut in this year’s EMCO 200 and his second series start on an oval track.
• Is second to Steve Côté in the 2012 Rookie of the Year standings.

Pete Shepherd III (No. 7 National Exhaust Dodge)
• Finished 17th last season at Delaware Speedway after earning his first series start from the pole position.
• Scored a fifth-place finish in 2010 at the track.
• Has led a total of 38 laps in his two starts on the half-mile track.
• Closed 2011 with a pair of top-10 finishes.

Scott Steckly (No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge)
• Finished second to Don Thomson Jr. a year ago in the EMCO 200.
• Has a pair of top-five performances in three starts on the half-mile Southern Ontario oval.
• Has four top-five finishes in his last five starts dating back to last season.
• Has scored a top-10 finish in six of his last eight series starts.
• Has 11 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series victories which ranks third on the all-time list.
• Won 2008 and 2011 series championships.
• One of just four drivers to start all 66 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races.

Jason White (No. 21 A&W/Bowers & Wilkins Dodge)
• Finished 10th last season at Delaware Speedway for his best finish in three tries.
• Was 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Rookie of the Year.

[media-credit name=”hometracks.nascar.com” align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West visits the road course in Sonoma, Calif., on Saturday, June 23.

Sonoma Race Setup
• Dylan Kwasniewski leads the championship standings over his Gene Price Motorsports teammate Greg Pursley, as the series hits the midway point of the 2012 season. Kwasniewski, a 17-year-old from Las Vegas, is in his sophomore season after having a record-setting season as a rookie.
• Drivers entered at Sonoma range in age from 15-year-old series rookie Cameron Hayley to 84-year-old Hershel McGriff, who won the series championship in 1986.
• This race is the third of four road course events on the series schedule this year. Drivers consider Sonoma, with more than 160 feet of elevation change, the “most technical” of the four road courses visited.

Sonoma Data
Race: #8 of 15 (6/23/12)
Track Layout: 1.99-mile road course
Race Length: 64 laps (127.36 miles)

Records
1-lap Qualifying: David Gilliland, 77.887 seconds, 91.979 mph, June 23, 2007
64-lap Race: Andrew Ranger, 1 hour 50 min 30 seconds, 67.595 mph, June 19, 2010

Series Race Winners at Sonoma
Jim Insolo, 3
Hershel McGriff, 3
Bill Schmitt, 3
Jason Bowles, 2
Butch Gilliland, 2
(9 different drivers), 1
Jim Bown, Doug George, David Gilliland, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Andrew Ranger, Jim Robinson, Roy Smith, Brian Vickers.

Series Pole Winners at Sonoma
Hershel McGriff, 3
Jim Bown, 2
Butch Gilliland, 2
Roy Smith, 2
Tim Williamson, 2
(11 different drivers), 1
Bob Bondurant, Jason Bowles, Brandon Davis, Scott Gaylord, David Gilliland, Eric Holmes, Ron Hornaday Jr., Patrick Long, Bill Sedgwick, Glen Steurer, Brian Vickers

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES WEST AT SONOMA
• Sonoma has hosted 22 series races since 1978. In addition, the series participated in nine combination events with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at the Northern California road course between 1989 and 1997.
• The Sonoma track, located in Northern California near the intersection of Highways 37 & 121, opened as Sears Point Raceway in 1968, with its inaugural event on Dec. 1, 1968. The road course was initially a 2.52-mile layout, but reconfigurations in 1998 and 2001 resulted in the current 1.99-mile design.
• The road course features more than 160 feet of elevation change from its highest to lowest points. The highest point at Turn 3a reaches 174 feet, while the lowest point at Turn 10 is just 14 feet.
• The berms on the turns of the road course are painted blue and gold in honor of raceway President and General Manager Steve Page, who attended nearby University of California, Berkeley. The University of California Marching Band (CalBand) will perform the national anthem before this year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday.
• Fourteen different drivers have visited Victory Lane in series action at Sonoma. Three drivers – Hershel McGriff (1983, 1985, 1987), Jim Insolo (1978, 1979, 1980) and Bill Schmitt (1981, 1988, 1989) – lead the list of winners, with three wins each.
• Other multiple winners at Sonoma include Butch Gilliland, who scored back-to-back wins on the historic road course in 1996 and 1997, and Jason Bowles, who had consecutive wins in 2008 and 2009.
• Sixteen drivers have qualified on the pole. While McGriff leads with three poles at Sonoma – Butch Gilliland, Jim Bown, Roy Smith and Tim Williamson each had won two poles there.
• Bill Schmitt also leads in terms of top-five finishes, with eight, and top-10 finishes, with nine.
• Hershel McGriff has led the most laps, meanwhile, running out front for 142 laps.
• McGriff and Jack Sellers have the most series starts at Sonoma, with 13 each. In addition, Sellers also competed in six combination events.
• The age gap between the youngest and oldest drivers attempting to qualify for this year’s race is 69 years. Hershel McGriff is 84 years old, while Cameron Hayley is just 15.
• The event in 2008 was the only series race at Sonoma that was extended for a green-white-checkered finish since the format was introduced.
• Five of the 22 series races were won from the pole position. Seven were won by the driver who started second on the grid. Jim Insolo came from the furthest back, charging from 19th to win in 1978.
• 255 different drivers have raced in series competition at the Sonoma track.

Below is a statistical look at the performance of selected drivers:

Johnny Borneman (No. 61 Red Line Oil Chevrolet)
• One top five, two top 10s in five starts at Sonoma
• Best Sonoma finish of fifth in 2009
• Has led five laps at Sonoma
• Average finish at Sonoma of 15.6
• Only previous series start this season was at Phoenix
• Three career series wins
• One career series pole
• 100 career series starts

David Gilliland (No. 25 Pick-N-Pull Chevrolet)
• One win, two top fives in four Sonoma starts
• Victory was in 2007
• One Coors Light Pole Award at Sonoma, 2007
• Led 92 laps at Sonoma
• Average finish at Sonoma of 15.75
• Only previous series start this season was at Phoenix
• Three career series wins
• Four career series poles
• 47 career series starts

Jonathon Gomez (No. 22 Century Boatland Chevrolet)
• Finished 11th in only previous start at Sonoma, 2011
• In two previous road course events this season; finished 15th at MMP, seventh at Brainerd
• Best career series finish of second
• 34 career series starts

Daryl Harr (No. 71 iWorld Connect Chevrolet)
• Best finish of 18th in six starts at Sonoma
• Average finish at Sonoma of 27.0
• In two previous road course events this season; finished 21st at MMP, 11th at Brainerd
• Best career series finish of fifth on four occasions
• 98 career series starts

Eric Holmes (No. 20 NAPA Toyota)
• Five top fives in six starts at Sonoma
• Best Sonoma finish of second in 2008
• One Coors Light Pole at Sonoma, 2008
• Has led 11 laps at Sonoma
• Average finish at Sonoma of 6.83
• In two previous road course events this season; finished second at MMP, sixth at Brainerd
• 16 career series wins
• 13 career series poles
• 82 career series starts

Jim Inglebright (No. 1 ESEF Apparel Chevrolet)
• One top five and three top 10s in seven starts at Sonoma
• Best finish of third in 2008
• Led one lap at Sonoma
• Average finish of 15.86
• First series start this year
• Three career series wins
• One career series pole
• 66 career series starts

Scott Ivie (No. 74 MSI Development Ford)
• Four starts at Sonoma, with best finish of 12th in 2010
• Average finish at Sonoma of 19.75
• In only previous road course event this season; finished a career-best sixth at MMP
• 11 career series starts

Dylan Kwasniewski (No. 03 Royal Purple/Rockstat Ford)
• Finished 26th in only previous start at Sonoma, 2011
• In two previous road course events this season; finished fourth at MMP, second at Brainerd
• Four career series wins, two this year
• Four career series poles, two this year
• 20 career series starts

David Mayhew (No. 17 MMI Services Chevrolet)
• One top five in four starts at Sonoma
• Best Sonoma finish of second was in 2009
• Average finish at Sonoma of 20.25
• In two previous road course events this season; finished ninth at MMP, fifth at Brainerd
• Four career series wins, one this year
• Eight career series poles, two this year
• 60 career series starts

Hershel McGriff (No. 04 Park Corporation Chevrolet)
• Three wins and six top 10s in 13 starts at Sonoma
• Wins were in 1983, 1985 and 1987
• Led 142 laps at Sonoma
• Average finish at Sonoma of 12.23
• First series start this year
• 35 career series wins
• 37 career series poles

Ryan Philpott (No. 52 Philpott Race Cars Ford)
• Best finish of 19th (2011) in two starts at Sonoma
• In two previous road course events this season; finished 16th at MMP, 14th at Brainerd
• Best career series finish of seventh
• 24 career series starts

Greg Pursley (No. 26 GPM/Star Nursery/Real Water Ford)
• One top five in four starts at Sonoma
• Best Sonoma finish of fourth in 2011
• Average finish at Sonoma of 22.0
• In two previous road course events this season; won at MMP and finished third at Brainerd
• 11 career series wins, two this year
• 12 career series poles, one this year
• 62 career series starts

Michael Self (No. 21 Rockwell/Golden Gate Meat/RCR Chevrolet)
• One top five in two starts at Sonoma
• Best finish at Sonoma of fifth in 2010
• In two previous road course events this season; finished 18th at MMP and scored his first career series win at Brainerd
• 35 career series starts

Jack Sellers (No. 15 Bay Bio Diesel Chevrolet)
• 13 starts at Sonoma, with a best finish of 11th in 1989
• Average finish at Sonoma of 21.85
• Also competed in six combination events at Sonoma with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
• In two previous road course events this season; finished 24th at MMP, 16th at Brainerd
• Best career series finish of seventh, on four occasions
• 259 career series starts

Stan Silva Jr. (No. 65 A&S Metals/Stan Silva Jr Trucking Chevrolet)
• Three top 10s in six starts at Sonoma
• Best Sonoma finish of eighth on two occasions
• Led one lap at Sonoma (2006)
• Average finish of 14.5
• First series start this year
• Best career series finish of seventh on two occasions
• 29 career series starts