Tag: Bristol Motor Speedway

  • Brad Keselowski: Car is best car I’ve ever had in Cup

    Brad Keselowski: Car is best car I’ve ever had in Cup

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”213″][/media-credit]On Saturday, Brad Keselowski tweeted “Cup car for 2morrow is best car i’ve ever had in cup.” Many questioned Keselowski’s attitude in approaching that, saying it was cocky, or could jinx him.

    “I’m always mindful of jinxing it,” he said after the Bristol race when asked. “I felt it was the best car we ever had.  I just say what I think is real.  If I think it’s the best car I ever had, I’ll tell them.  If I think I have a s*** box, I’ll tell (Crew Chief) Paul (Wolfe), You got to fix this.  Some people appreciate that and respect it.  Other people make a big deal and say, You’re being negative, you’re being cocky.  How about just being truthful?”

    In the end, Keselowski was being truthful as he led 232 laps on his way to winning his second race in a row at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    For Keselowski, it was a really good day at a track that he really likes.

    “I love Bristol and Bristol loves me,” he says. “It’s a great track that really demands a hundred percent out of a driver and out of a team.  Today my team certainly delivered.  You could probably argue whether or not I did (smiling).  But it was good. Great pit stops.  Had a little bit of damage early on in the race, got it fixed.  Nobody panicked.  It’s tough racing that requires so much discipline mixed in with some aggression obviously.”

    The win wasn’t easy for the Penske Racing team as they were involved in a wreck early on lap 24 that was triggered when Kasey Kahne cut across Regan Smith’s bumper.

    “I certainly ran into the back of the 78 car,” Keselowski comments. “Then as Kasey spun down the track, barely nudged him, as well. Just a bit of contact there, enough to certainly do some damage.”

    For the second win in a row, it was with a different car than the car used last season. Crew Chief Paul Wolfe says that’s a key as they don’t rest, always trying to build quicker racecars.

    “There was no way we could bring back the same racecar and setup we won with in the fall and expect the same result,” Wolfe says.

    Keselowski had also come back to Bristol with something to prove. After playing the pit road speeding lines to his advantage last year, critics were saying it was the only reason that he won.

    “I do enjoy the challenge, for sure,” he says of proving people wrong. “That’s what I like about racing in general. I tell this all the time. Racing’s the one thing – Paul (Wolfe) could probably get a pretty good laugh out of this – is the one thing that makes me get up in the morning.  That’s how I know it’s special.  Maybe not on his timeline, but I still get up earlier than noon.  I may get up at 9 a.m.  That’s because it’s special.  I love the challenge, I love the fight that you have to put up, the man versus machine or man with machine, against other machines and men.  It’s cool as hell to me.

    “When somebody challenges me, whether it’s fans, media, other drivers, I think that I have the desire beforehand, but it helps me focus in for sure.  Of course, it means nothing if you don’t have a great team that you’re surrounded by.  I feel very fortunate to have that as well.”

    A win at Bristol means a lot to Keselowski as he says this is a track that only champions seem to win at.

    “I think it speaks volumes for this track and what it means to your career,” he says. “There’s other places that perhaps have a little more prestige, and I said that last year as well, but this place defines a race team.”

    He adds that each aspect of the weekend really tests a team in how they are able to deal with the elements.

    “I think the teams that come out on top, whether it’s driver or whatever, I think they show that they’ve got what it takes to overcome adversity,” he continues. “To win championships, you have to be able to overcome adversity.  I think it’s very much a defining racetrack in that sense.”

    For Keselowski, he attests his experience from running the Nationwide Series as being an important contributor to being successful at the Sprint Cup level.

    “I was very fortunate, and I know I was very fortunate, when I got the ride to drive for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the Nationwide Series,” he says. “I spent two seasons in that series as a partial Cup competitor and full-time Nationwide competitor. During that time span, I was very fortunate to race with some of the best.  I don’t think we’ve seen a system that’s existed like that in decades past.”

    He says that racing against Sprint Cup competitors in the series allowed him to grow as a driver.

    “It obviously frustrates me a little bit when I take some heat, any Cup driver takes some heat from the press, media, fans, whatever, about running the Nationwide Series, because it’s really a character builder,” he continues. “If you can run well over there, you can come here and get the job done. That series helped me build a lot of character.  It helped me learn in a smaller spotlight.  I feel like when I got over here that the learning process was a lot quicker.  It just came down to getting with the right team that I gelled with and that believed in me.”

    Keselowski’s popularity has exploded this year virtue of what he has been able to do with social media. At Daytona International Speedway under the red flag, he tweeted a picture from inside the racecar. After he won at Bristol, he attempted to send a picture from victory lane, that showed up a little late.

    “It’s something I thought would be really cool to do, for sure,” he says. “Certainly in our generation, timeliness is of extreme importance. I’d like to see that process obviously get a little bit faster, and the right people are working on it to make it happen.”

    Moving forward beyond Bristol, Keselowski is looking success this season, hoping his team can deliver more strong cars this season.

    “I’ve said pre-season this year that the goal here at Penske Racing is to win a Sprint Cup championship,” he says. “That’s where we’re all pushing. One win certainly doesn’t achieve that, but it’s a great step. I know I’m committed to it.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Bristol Food City 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Bristol Food City 500

    [media-credit name=”Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”252″][/media-credit]After the morning downpour stopped and the track quickly dried, the green flag flew at Bristol Motor Speedway. Here is what was surprising and not surprising in the 52nd running of the Food City 500.

    Surprising:  With Brian Vickers ride-less as of last season, it was most surprising to see the ‘Sheriff’ back in town, leading 125 laps and finishing fifth in his first race back in the 2012 season.

    Vickers was back, this year behind the wheel of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing. Vickers will share the No. 55 ride for a select number of races with veteran Mark Martin for the remainder of the season.

    “It felt really good when we were out there leading,” Vickers said. “It would have been awesome to hold onto that, but it’s the first time back so I can’t complain.”

    “When it’s your only one, you have to make it count,” Vickers continued. “What an exciting day.”

    Not Surprising:  It was not surprising to see the Blue Deuce, with 28 year old Brad Keselowski behind the wheel, again “close the deal” at Bristol Motor Speedway. This was team owner Roger Penske’s tenth win with the Blue Deuce at BMS.

    This was also Keselowski’s first win of the 2012 season and his fifth victory in 93 Cup Series races. He led a race and career high 232 laps.

    “I’m thrilled to death to be in Victory Lane,” Keselowski said. “I knew this Blue Deuce was fast enough to win.”

    “This car here, a brand new car that Penske built, everybody back in the shop did a phenomenal job,” Keselowski continued. “I knew we had a shot at winning and we closed the deal.”

    Surprising:  It was surprising to see so many good cars collected in a wreck so early in the race, in fact on lap 24. That early melee involved Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Marcos Ambrose, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch on the front stretch going into Turn One.

    The driver of the No. 5 Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet, Kasey Kahne, was the most upset by the incident.

    “My Famer’s Insurance Chevrolet was the fastest car here,” Kahne said. “It’s disappointing to have that good of a car and be out that early. I had an awesome and I have nothing to show for it.”

    While Kyle Busch, the driver of the No. 18 Doublemint Toyota, shared Kahne’s frustration, pounding his fist on the car in the garage, his crew chief Dave Rogers was a bit more philosophical.

    “It’s short track racing,” Rogers said simply. “I think the No. 5 (Kasey Kahne) got messing with the No. 78 (Regan Smith). Or maybe the No. 78 got messing with the No. 5.”

    “However you want to look at it, we got caught up in it,” Rogers continued. “It was just racing.”

    Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Kellogg’s Ford Fusion, was also surprisingly philosophical about the early wreck, taking full advantage of the situation to also put in a plug for his sponsor.

    “I was feeling good this morning and had my Frosted Flakes,” Edwards said. “We all saw it and were on the brakes but Kasey’s (Kahne) car came up across the race track and ruined our day.”

    “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am.”

    Not Surprising:  No one is ever surprised when the calm, mild-mannered Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Ford, has a good run at Bristol. So, not surprisingly, Kenseth, with his methodical approach, scored a runner up finish in the Food City 500.

    This was Kenseth’s 17th top-10 finish in 25 races at Bristol Motor Speedway. It was his second top-10 finish in 2012, putting him third in the point standings.

    “Overall, I was pretty happy with my car,” Kenseth said. “The last 15 laps of the run, we were better than Brad (Keselowski) was.”

    “Then we started that last run and got out in the lead and got air in the nose, plus we picked up something, and I just got too loose,” Kenseth continued. “I knew that I wasn’t going to have enough traction to hold him off.”

    Surprising:  In addition to Brian Vickers having a triumphant return, it was surprising how well the rest of the Michael Waltrip Racing team fared at Bristol. In fact, all three MWR drivers, Martin Truex, Jr., Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers, scored top-five finishes, the first time the team has ever placed so well overall.

    “I’m so proud of the team,” Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, said. “We were all up front all day long and this just says a lot about everything that everybody at MWR has done over the off season.”

    “Heck of a day for MWR.”

    Not Surprising:   While it seemed that A.J. Allmendinger was just about to find his groove, starting on the outside pole in his No. 22 Pennzoil Dodge, and leading laps early in the race, it was not surprising that his luck ran out yet again.

    The ‘Dinger and his team struggled to keep up with the ever-changing Bristol track, finally finishing the race in the 17th position.

    “The car was very good early,” Allmendinger said. “But then it got real loose.”

    “We lost track position,” Allmendinger continued. “We never got it tightened up for the rest of the race. Not the finish we wanted to have after starting out so strong.”

    Surprising:  While the young season has borne witness to teammates tangling on the track, it was surprising to see Hendrick Motrosports teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. get into it in Bristol.

    After a fierce back and forth battle for position, the driver of the No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet nicked the left rear tire of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet with his tail pipe.

    Gordon tire went down and he went for a spin, ending up in the wall. After spending time in the garage for repairs, Gordon finished a miserable 35th, relegating him to 23rd in the point standings.

    “Just hard racing here at Bristol,” Gordon said. “Junior got underneath me and when he got into me, it looked like the tail pipe just caught the left rear tire and cut it down.”

    “I knew it immediately and I tried to keep it off the wall but there was no chance,” Gordon continued. “Hate it for this team.”

    Earnhardt, Jr., on the other hand, salvaged a 15th place finish, even with a pit road speeding penalty toward the race end. Junior dropped two spots in the point standings, currently sitting in sixth.

    “I’m sorry about that,” Junior said after the incident. “Well, at least they won’t have to talk about me and Mark Martin anymore.”

    Not Surprising:  After the craziness of the start of the 2012 season, including the infamous Daytona jet dryer experience for one of the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing pilots Juan Pablo Montoya, it was not surprising to see both EGR teammates finally pull off good finishes.

    Jamie McMurray, driving the No. 1 EGR McDonald’s Chevrolet, scored a seventh place finish, while teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, behind the wheel of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet, came in eighth.

    Both Earnhardt Ganassi Racing drivers had their best runs of the 2012 season to date.

     

  • Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 5 Bristol Motor Speedway – Food City 500 – March 16, 2012

    Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 5 Bristol Motor Speedway – Food City 500 – March 16, 2012

    [media-credit name=”bristolmotorspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”199″][/media-credit]I’m starting my column this week as I sit aboard a 32 foot Columbus Motor Home that has been my chariot to Bristol Motor Speedway 12 times before. For this spring race, we’re traveling a bit lighter than normal, and I have the ability to pull my laptop out and actually get some work done on the 12 hour trip to the hills of Tennessee.  Its time like these that help me to remember why I am a NASCAR fan.

    Swapping stories about times at our local short track, the days of working on a Limited Modified at Oswego Speedway, to my first dirt race at Brewerton Speedway, to the first time I saw the big show at Watkins Glen International with The Intimidator leading the field to the stripe. Its a 12 hour trip that I normally would dread, but each year “Bristol Eve” takes me back to the snowy Christmas Eve’s as a young pup back in Upstate New York.

    Bristol Motor Speedway needs no introduction. It’s The World’s Fastest Half-Mile, is the most covenanted ticket in all of NASCAR, and has been the site of countless historic races and driving moves throughout motorsports history. I made my first trip to BMS in 2002, still wet behind the ears in the NASCAR world, and it was a place I vowed to visit until the day I died. From the moment we made our way down Route 11 and I laid eyes on The Coliseum of NASCAR, to the moment the checkered flag flew on final lap of the 2002 Sharpie 500 , I was hooked.

    This is the first time I’ll visit the high banks of BMS as a member of the media, and just like in 2002, I’m looking forward to sharing some special moments and great times with 165,000 of my closest friends.

    Due to limited resources here at Bristol, I will not be recapping last week’s picks at Las Vegas:

    Bristol Picks

    Its going to be a short column this week because it’s St. Patty’s Day and I’m finishing my column from a picnic table at the Red Barn Campground off Turn 3 here at Bristol Motor Speedway…

    Winner Pick

    There’s no shock here as to who I will pick this week as the winner of the Food City 500…

    Its a guy that has won 5 of the last 6 races here in Thunder Valley and has had a strong car all weekend. Kyle Busch is the man I’m putting my money on this week to make a stand for his championship run in 2012. He’s won a third of the Sprint Cup races he’s started at Bristol Motor Speedway (5 wins in 15 starts). He’s also got an additional 7 top-5 runs, and 10 top-10’s to add to his resume for my pick of the weeks. When he’s not winning, he’s finishing strong with an average finish of 9.1 in his 15 starts at the bull ring.

    He was in the top-3 in both of the final two practice sessions this weekend and will pilot the No. 18 Wrigley Doublemint Toyota from the 13th spot tomorrow. I’m going with history and a dominant runs in each of the last two NASCAR Sprint Cup series practices this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

    Dark Horse Pick

    Starting up front at Bristol can mean the difference between being collected in a mid-race bumper car fiasco, or keeping your nose clean and hanging with the leaders. Joey Logano has the starting spot towards the front that may keep him clear of any traffic in the middle of the Food City 500. Logano laid down a lap time of 15.392 seconds during Friday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, and was able to lead 119 laps during today’s Ford EcoBoost 300 Nationwide Series Race.

    Logano’s practice speeds were less than impressive however, qualifying him as my Dark Horse of the week.

    For the first time all weekend, the forecast is beautiful for the 52nd Annual  Food City 500, and I will spend the day circling the .533-mile short track here in Thunder Valley. I would normally tell you to follow me on Twitter for mid-race cell phone shots and Tweets, but I’ve discovered the issues associated with 165,000 cell phones within a 1/4 mile area.

    Until next time…You stay classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Austin Dillon: Gaining Experience, Going After Rookie of the Year

    Austin Dillon: Gaining Experience, Going After Rookie of the Year

    [media-credit name=”Sal Sigala Jr.” align=”alignleft” width=”301″][/media-credit]As Austin Dillon continues up the racing ladder, this year marked an important year as he made the move from the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. So far this year, he sits fourth in points, 30 points behind teammate Elliott Sadler.

    “I’m very happy to the start of the season,” he told me before Bristol. “We went to all three races running every lap and we just keep gaining on it each week. The experience level is lacking and once we get that figured out and how to adjust these cars, we’ll be fine.”

    In the first four races of the season, the 21-year-old has finished fifth, fourth, seventh and 12th. The success he has had so far has impressed a lot of people, including Denny Hamlin.

    “I feel like they’re both kind of living up to expectations,” Hamlin said of Dillon and Cole Whitt during his media availability at Bristol. “They’re doing kind of exactly what you would hope that they would do, not what you necessarily thought they would do. I think they’re doing a very, very good job. I’ve watched them a little bit and it just seemed like they’ve both got the talent to make it. You can see it right from the beginning. Some drivers have the speed and can go and not tear up equipment right from the beginning and it looks like those two especially have that and that’s what can make you successful not just at that level, but the following one.”

    Coming into Bristol this weekend, Dillon knew it was going to be wild.

    “We run pretty well once we get into the race,” he said. “We’ll work hard tomorrow. It’s going to be a pretty wild race.”

    Dillon started the race in the ninth position and ran just outside the top 10 most of the time, picking up valuable experience.

    In continuing to gain experience, Dillon expects to do well this year.

    “We want to win rookie of the year, that’s our first goal,” he said. “If we have a shot at the championship at homestead, then we want to win it.” He added that the main goal is to keep themselves up there while winning some races.

    Teammate Elliott Sadler has already won two races, including Bristol this weekend, which shows the strength of the organization.

    “Our Nationwide program is very fast right now,” he said. “We’re being able to show speed each week. We’re still pushing hard where we want to be. Everybody wants to be better each and every week.”

    He adds that the Cup side of RCR looks strong also with how Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Paul Menard have been running.

    Dillon says that having teammates with experience like Sadler and Harvick, he’s able to learn from them.

    Dillon, grandson of car owner Richard Childress, has been around racing his entire life. The first time he got in the race car was in a bandolero on a quarter mile behind Charlotte Motor Speedway at the age of 15.

    As the season goes, there are many tracks that the series will be going to, including two of Dillon’s favorites.

    “I’ve won at Iowa and that’s one of my favorite places that I enjoy, and racing at Michigan,” he said. “We’ve been close there.

    Last season, Dillon had a great season as he won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship. Right now though, the focus is on the Nationwide Series.

    “I’m sure there’ll be one day that we’ll be able to look back on our season and really cherish everything that we were able to accomplish last year,” he said.

  • Elliot Sadler Wins 30th Annual FORD EcoBoost 300

    Elliot Sadler Wins 30th Annual FORD EcoBoost 300

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]60% Chance of rain?…No way. On an absolutely beautiful March day here in Bristol, Tennessee, Elliot Sadler has claimed his second victory in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in Thunder Valley.

    It looked like a Joe Gibbs Racing day early but a late-race call by Crew Chief Lucas Lambert that was the call of the day to score the win for the OneMain Financial team. After taking the pole earlier this morning in NASCAR Nationwide Series qualifying, Joey Logano flexed his muscles early in the 300-lap stanza, leading the first 66 laps. His No. 18 Game Stop/Turtle Beach Toyota was lightning fast early, but it was Owner/Driver Kyle Busch that was able to climb through the front-runners to knock off his Sprint Cup teammate for the point position.

    Another 40 laps went by before Logano again set the pace for the Ford EcoBoost 300 when he again found the front for the second time of the day. It was all Logano for 119 laps today…the challengers, Roush Fenway’s Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. that would mix things up late in the race. Bayne found the front on lap 160 and participated in one of the best battles of the day with teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The battle for the lead lasted around 20 laps between the two teammates with Stenhouse coming up victorious for the point position on lap 224.

    It was a late-race caution that left Crew Chiefs with the biggest decisions of the day. It was Luke Lambert that made the right call to stay out with less than 30 laps to go in the Ford EcoBoost300. The majority of the leaders chose to come to Pit Road for fresh tires for the 27 lap dash to the checkered flag.  His driver, Elliott Sadler was able to hold off the likes of Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski following the race’s final restart on lap 273 of 300 to earn his second victory here at the high-banks in Thunder Valley.

    Sadler recalled his win here in 2001 by taking the same strategy today; ” He (Lambert) reminded me that I won a race here in 2001 by doing the same thing,” said Sadler. The driver of the No. 2 OneMain Financial Chevy was joined in victory lane by his parents whom had never been in attendance for one of his NASCAR victories. “Luke made a great call to stay out,” elaborated Sadler.

    Lambert was in attendance here at Bristol for Sadler’s previous win at the .533 mile short track, although he was just a Senior in High School. “I was here, and i watched it, but i was definitely a spectator,” commented Lambert. ” I do study all the history of our driver and what track we’re going to and everything else — but I was here for that one. And I was pretty young.”

    The win marks Sadler’s second of the season, and fourth straight top-10 finish this season.

    Despite having a strong car all day, Kasey Kahne took the runner-up spot to Sadler. Veteran driver and former Bristol race-winner Brad Keselowski took the third spot. Pole-sitter and lap leader Joey Logano ended up fourth with Dale Earnhardt Jr, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Justin Allgaier, Trevor Bayne, Kevin Harvick, and Ryan Truex rounding out the top 10.

    Danica Patrick brought her No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevy home two laps down to the leaders in 19th despite starting 27th here in Thunder Valley.

  • Denny Hamlin: No doubt that winning Bristol would be special

    Denny Hamlin: No doubt that winning Bristol would be special

    [media-credit name=”Ed Coombs” align=”alignright” width=”231″][/media-credit]After finishing ninth in points last year and struggling at some points, Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team knew they needed to make a change.

    As soon as they learned that 2011 Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart had fired crew chief Darian Grubb, JGR jumped at the chance to hire him. The result is Hamlin doing better this year as he is excited to go to the track each week.

    “I’m constantly now going to the track excited about our outlook and instead of counting down the weeks until it’s all over,” he said last weekend. “Obviously, last year not being competitive for most of the year until the very end when we ran some top-10s and top-fives, but it was just kind of go through the motions. Right now, you’re more optimistic about what you’ve got in front of you.”

    So far this season, Hamlin finished fourth at Daytona, won Phoenix and finished 20th last weekend at Las Vegas. This weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway will mark the first short track race of the 2012 season as the Sprint Cup schedule continues. In 12 starts at Bristol, Hamlin has three top fives and six top 10s.

    “Coming so close before has really only made us want to win one of these Bristol races more than ever,” he said in the team preview. “There is no doubt that winning at Bristol would be special and I know I speak for the entire team when I say leaving here with a trophy is something everyone in racing wants to accomplish in their career. We’ve felt like we’ve had the car on a couple of occasions but had some bad luck in terms of parts going bad at the worst possible times.”

    After Bristol, teams head back out west for the 1.5 mile oval in California. Hamlin says he wishes it was organized differently.

    “You kind of wish they had all these three west coast races all in a row,” he said. “Obviously going back to Bristol is a total different mind set then what we’re running this week and then back to a total different mindset when you go to California. I like California, I think the track is aging really well. It’s getting to where that track you can run all over from the bottom to the very top. It takes 10 years to get a surface to do that.”

    He added that with most tracks being repaved, it takes away from the racing as he likes the older surfaces better to run on.

    Hamlin started racing at a young age, winning his first go-kart race at the age of seven. From there, he moved up the ranks before moving into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2005.

    “It’s been such a ride getting to the spot where I am now,” he said. “Sometimes you forget the peaks and the valleys that you go through to get to the point in which you are right now.”

    Hamlin added that he remembers working back at Subway 15 years ago.

    “It’s amazing to me when you look back at it and thinking I was making $4.75 an hour and I was happy,” he continued. “All I did was spend all my money on the truck I had and that’s all I cared about.”

  • Wallace earns his job on and off the track

    Wallace earns his job on and off the track

    [media-credit name=”theautochannel.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Kenny Wallace has had a roller coaster of a career, highlighted by pushing Dale Earhardt Sr. to his final victory at Talladega over a decade ago. The 48 year old from St. Louis, Missouri, is in a fight to keep himself behind the wheel for one final season in the Nationwide Series.

    It is well documented that Wallace doesn’t get paid. He drives for the underfunded RAB Racing with Brack Maggard in the No. 09 Toyota Camry.

    Throughout his time at RAB Racing, Wallace has done it all.

    Performing on the track gave the veteran driver a chance to do it all over again in 2012. Unfortunately, the sponsorship he originally obtained, backed out the last second just before the Nationwide Series race at Phoenix.

    Rumors swirled around as his job was and still is in jeopardy. Reports across numerous media panels believed Wallace had finished his career. But, he did not give up.
    With the use of his widely spread Twitter and Facebook pages, Wallace was on a mission.

    As the past two weeks progressed, so did Wallace’s on-track performance. He qualified third at Phoenix, the best qualifying effort in RAB Racing’s history. Though he was unable to finish the race due to an accident, Wallace raised many eyebrows.

    This past weekend at Las Vegas, Wallace contended for a top ten position throughout the day. Ultimately, he finished 11th, an impressive bounce back for Wallace as he continued to search for a sponsor.

    How does this help Wallace’s case though? Sponsors didn’t want him when he was running in the top ten every week, why would they want him now?
    I’ll tell you why.

    Kenny Wallace is a man like no other. His beyond extraordinary personality is thrilling for races fans. If one was to go onto Twitter and see what Kenny Wallace was up to, you wouldn’t just see what he’s doing, you would see him respond to numerous fans on a daily basis.

    Over the past few seasons, Wallace has become more interactive with the fans. Well, at least more than he already was.

    A fan favorite for years, Wallace can spread the word of a company to thousands of people in the matter of seconds. One company has already taken a pledge to help out Wallace as well as expand their branding.

    MAC Tools, an often used tool supplier throughout the NASCAR garage area, will sponsor Wallace for the Nationwide Series race this weekend at the Bristol Motor Speedway.
    Wallace and team owner Robby Benton collaborated to break the news to fans as they posted it on their respective Twitter accounts.

    “@Mac_Tools:……I am SO Thankful….. @Mac_Tools is proud to be teaming with @Kenny_Wallace and @RobbyBenton at Bristol on Saturday!” tweeted Wallace in an enthusiastic way.

    Wallace got fans involved as well. In a matter of several hours of the announcement, fans across the nation wrote about MAC Tools and how great it is for them to sponsor a driver that doesn’t even get paid.

    Few drivers can be compared to Wallace. His determination to find a sponsor via social media propelled him to achieve his goal.

    A race car driver that advertises himself on Twitter could seem crazy to numerous people, but for Kenny Wallace, a man hunting for victory in his possible final year as a NASCAR driver, it is one more opportunity to show his great talents.

  • Brett Moffitt Heads to Bristol with Former Mentor and New Race Team

    Brett Moffitt Heads to Bristol with Former Mentor and New Race Team

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: hometracks.nascar.com” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Young up and coming racer Brett Moffitt has had an interesting journey, from his racing start under the tutelage of four-time K&N Pro Series champion Andy Santerre to racing for some of the biggest teams in the sport, including Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing.

    But as he kicks off his 2012 K&N Pro Series East season in Bristol, Moffitt is back where he belongs, under the familiar wing of Santerre and with a whole new race team Hattori Racing Enterprises. Moffitt will pilot the No. 11 Toyota Camry and will join teammate Sergio Pena in the Shigeaki Hattori stable.

    “Ever since I drove for Andy (Santerre) in 2009, Andy and my dad have been in constant communication,” Moffitt said. “Andy’s been a big help to my career over the past three years.”

    “So, when this opportunity came up, Andy told Shigeaki Hattori that he knew should drive his second car and luckily that was me.”

    While Moffitt may seem a bit devoted to his old mentor, he knows that Santerre not only has the experience behind him but also has the strength of the new HRE race team with him as well.

    “Working for Andy Santerre is just really great,” Moffitt said. “He’s been there. He’s driven race cars, he’s won races and he’s won championships.”

    “So, he knows what it takes,” Moffitt continued. “Being able to work for him is really great for a driver because he understands everything you say. He’s always looking out for your best interests as a driver.”

    Moffitt has had an eventful three years since debuting as a 16 year old with Andy Santerre in the K&N East Series. Since then, he has had seven wins, four pole positions, 20 top-5 and 25 top-10 finishes and has never finished worse than 3rd in the championship standings.

    “After I left Andy last time, I went to Joe Gibbs Racing for a year,” Moffitt said. “I ran in the K&N East Series for them. We were really competitive for them and ended up second in the points.”

    “After that, I went to Michael Waltrip Racing,” Moffitt continued. “That was a huge step for my career.”

    “MWR made me feel important as a driver,” Moffitt said. “I came in every day and worked on the cars and in the shop.”

    “They put a big emphasis on my physical training and I’m still associated with them,” Moffitt continued. “I still have a trainer with them so I go there every day and still work out. That’s always a good connection to still maintain.”

    With his return to his mentor Andy Santerre, as well as his new assignment with Hattori Racing Enterprises, Moffitt is excited to get his 2012 race season underway. He just recently finished up testing at Bristol, the first race of the season for the K&N Pro Series East.

    “The test went really well,” Moffitt said. “From the first time we unloaded, we had to work on them a little bit but by the end of the day, we were pretty comfortable.”

    “We have a couple things we are working with back at the shop and hopefully when we come back to the track, we will be ready to have a good race,” Moffitt continued. “The car was real fast and I’m really looking forward to the race.”

    Moffitt has been only been guaranteed eight races with HRE Racing. The remainder of the season’s racing will be dependent on sponsorship, as is so often the case.

    “This year Hattori approached me as a driver,” Moffitt said. “They weren’t looking for a driver with a lot of money, just one that they could win races and win championships with.”

    “Right now, I’m only guaranteed eight races, with the first race at Bristol on March 17th,” Moffitt said.” That’s where the sponsorship comes into play.”

    “We’re still out there searching so hopefully we’re able to find something by then,” Moffitt continued. “But we’re just going to take the first eight and try to be the best we can. Hopefully we’ll find a sponsor and be able to finish it out.”

    Moffitt is also looking forward to working with his new teammate at Hattori Racing Enterprises. He will be paired with fellow Santerre protégé Sergio Pena.

    “Me and Sergio have always gotten along real well,” Moffitt said. “So, it’s going to be a really fun year.  We’re both obviously proven race winners so I think it will be a good year for the team this year.”

    In addition to mentor Santerre and teammate Pena, Moffitt is also looking forward to working with Dave McCarty, his new crew chief. McCarty has over 20 years experience in all kinds of racing, from the Nationwide Series to Trucks, ARCA, ASA and the K&N Pro Series East.

    “Me and my new crew chief Dave McCarty have spent time getting to know each other,” Moffitt said. “Dave was Darrell Wallace’s crew chief last year at Revolution Racing. Andy felt like he would be a good match up for me so he brought him over.”

    Moffitt has been working intensely on establishing that all important chemistry with his new crew chief, as well as their bond on and off the track.

    “We’ve just been working together in the shop,” Moffitt said of his new crew chief. “He’s been bossing me around telling me what to do. I say ‘yes sir’ and do it. We have a lot of fun but when it’s time to get things done, we get things done.”

    Owner Shigeaki Hattori, as well as HRE General Manager Andy Santerre are equally as excited about having Moffitt with their team as he is to race with them.

    “People in an organization are the key to the organization’s success,” Hattori said. “If you hire the right people with knowledge and experience, success will follow.”

    “I am excited to have Brett at HRE,” Santerre said. “He is an incredible driving talent and has matured behind the wheel in the last few years. He is more than capable of winning the championship.”

    With the confidence of his owner and manager firmly in his corner, Moffitt simply cannot wait to get back to the race track, beginning at Bristol

    “I feel like I’ve proven myself as being able to win races and be up front,” Moffitt said. “I’m just looking forward to racing. I love racing and being competitive.”

    “That’s what drives me.”

  • Sergio Pena Looks Forward to Freshman Year On and Off the Track

    Sergio Pena Looks Forward to Freshman Year On and Off the Track

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit hometracks.nascar.com” align=”alignright” width=”262″][/media-credit]Sergio Pena, one of the graduates of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program, is looking forward to his freshman year of learning on and off the track. The young up and comer will soon enjoy his freshman run with a new race team on the track, as well as his freshman year off the track as a student at Radford University.

    For his freshman year on the track, Pena will pilot the No. 1 Toyota Camry in the K&N Pro Series East with Hattori Racing Enterprises. The 18 year old from Winchester, Virginia had previously raced in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program with Revolution Racing.

    “I’m really excited for this season,” Pena said. “I actually did not re-sign with Revolution Racing this year, who I was with for two years, but signed with a new team, Hattori Racing Enterprises.”

    “My crew chief and Andy Santerre all left Revolution Racing and merged with Shigeaki Hattori and created a team for me to race in the K&N East Series.”

    Santerre, a four-time champion in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, will manage Pena’s race team. He will be assisted by Matt Goslant, who will continue as crew chief for Pena, having worked with him last season, winning three of 12 races and finishing 5th in the East Series point standings.

    “I am excited to be working with Sergio again this season,” Goslant said. “He has the talent to be a champion and we are a good team together.”

    “He gives me 100% and I could not ask for anything more in a driver.”

    Although a freshman with Hattori Racing Enterprises, Pena actually will be entering his third year in the K&N Series. And with that experience, he has his eyes set on one goal for 2012.

    “My main goal is to win a championship,” Pena said simply. “The first year I struggled learning all the tracks and how to drive the cars because they were a lot different than anything I had ever driven before.”

    “Last year, I learned a lot and I caught on quicker than I thought I would,” Pena continued. “So this year, the way things are looking, I think we have a great chance to win it.”

    “My goal is to win as many races as possible and just learn a lot,” Pena said. “I want to be able to get more comfortable at the bigger tracks like Dover and New Hampshire and Rockingham.”

    “I want to gain experience and learn as much as I can from these guys.”

    Pena, like so many racers, comes by it genetically.  His father, who came to the United States from Bogota, Columbia when he was 19 years old raced go karts and dirt bikes in his home country.

    “He was a two-time champion in national dirt bike racing down there,” Pena said proudly of his father. “So, that’s pretty cool. That’s where I get my racing blood from.”

    Pena himself initially followed in his father’s dirt bike footsteps as he launched his racing career.

    “I actually started racing dirt bikes when I was five years old,” Pena said. “I got into jumping them and one time I hit a jump and my dad said, “No more, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

    “So, he got rid of the bike and got me a go kart instead,” Pena continued. “At the time, I was really upset but now I’m really happy about it.”

    “I did go karts from when I was eight years old until thirteen,” Pena said. “Then I moved to a championship series out west and ran road courses in formula cars.”

    “Then I had to switch to the ovals, where there was more of a future,” Pena continued. “When we heard about the Drive to Diversity Revolution Racing program, we thought that would be a great opportunity. And that’s how we got into this kind of racing.”

    Pena has definitely put his go kart and dirt bike racing behind him, growing fonder for stock cars and oval racing. But the young driver has never forgotten his road racing roots.

    “At this point, I like the ovals more,” Pena said. “But there still are some things I like about the road courses, like out-braking people and downshifting and all the switch-back turns.”

    “The ovals just bring more excitement,” Pena continued. “You can beat and bang and everything’s really close. It’s a lot harder to win on an oval and so that just makes for more competitive and exciting racing.”

    In addition to his on-track career, Pena’s other freshman activity includes starting his college career at Radford University in southern Virginia, where he is majoring in communications. As a freshman, Pena is facing that difficult task of balancing his studies with his new endeavors on the race track.

    “It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be with racing,” Pena said. “Missing classes in high school wasn’t too bad but here it’s a little bit tougher to get them to understand that what I’m doing is not just a hobby anymore.”

    “Some of them understand but some of them don’t,” Pena continued. “It’s the ones that want you to focus on school and nothing else that are a little tricky. But overall I’ve been able to manage it and I’ll continue to do both until it gets too hard.”

    “I really think the communications degree is going to help, like with the media and doing interviews,” Pena said. “I’m also doing media production and I’ve gotten into making videos recently.”

    “We have been making videos of the race weekend for promotions and sponsors,” Pena continued. “But being able to speak to the sponsors and the media fluently and well will help me a lot.”

    Now that he has his first freshman semester under his belt at college, Pena is looking forward to kicking off his freshman year with Hattori Racing at a storied NASCAR track, Bristol Motor Speedway, on March 17th.

    “We actually start off at Bristol this year and that will be pretty cool,” Pena said. “I’ve never even been to Bristol before but I’ve heard a lot of great things about it and watched a lot of races on TV from there.”

    “I’m really excited to get started there,” Pena continued. “I think that will be a pretty cool race.”

    “I know we will definitely be one of the teams to beat this year.”

  • NASCAR in Perspective Thanks to Hurricane Irene

    NASCAR in Perspective Thanks to Hurricane Irene

    This past weekend, while the stars of NASCAR battled in the Coliseum at Bristol, many on the east coast battled the effects of Hurricane Irene.  And for many NASCAR fans, from the Jersey Shore to New England, this weekend’s race was the first one missed in many years because of being in the eye of the storm.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”229″][/media-credit]While NASCAR traditionally is the focal point of every weekend for hardcore fans, this past weekend for many was consumed instead by long lines at the gas station, even longer lines at the grocery store, and securing as much as possible so that it would not become a flying weapon in the howling wind.

    When the storm began in earnest, roaring up the east coast, the race coverage was overpowered instead by hurricane coverage, taking shelter, and hunkering down for safety. The power of Hurricane Irene pre-empted all, putting the real meaning of racing in its proper perspective.

    For so many, the driver introduction song of Cup driver Scott Speed, ‘Power’ by Kayne West, took on a whole new meaning thanks to Hurricane Irene. For those in the storm, the loss of power consumed many, not only during the height of the storm but also in its wake.

    While Second Lieutenant Trint R. Callison from the Tennessee Army National Guard led the Bristol race crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Guard and other law enforcement personnel all along the path of the hurricane gave the command instead to evacuate and seek safety in local shelters.

    The beating and banging that traditionally happens at Bristol was replaced by the beating down of the rain and the banging of the tree limbs and trees themselves as they fell as a result of the hurricane strength wind.

    While the Irwin Tools Night Race at the ‘World’s Fastest Half Mile’ had relatively few cautions, the yellow flag was out all over the east coast for roadways that had eroded, dams that did not hold, and bridges that literally washed away from the force of the storm.

    NASCAR four-time champion Jeff Gordon may have thought he had challenges on pit road during his run at Bristol, but he faced nothing like the challenges that folks who had to ride buses on the congested roads leading out of Atlantic City to seek shelter in schools and arenas further inland in New Jersey.

    And in spite of the many decisions that every crew chief made atop their respective pit boxes, those paled in comparison to the life and death decisions that were made every second on the fly during the storm by the staff of the Office of Emergency Management as they coordinated the critical response to the constantly changing weather conditions.

    At the end of the Bristol race, Brad Keselowski was not the only one turning in another ‘Iron Man’ performance yet again. There were countless men and women throughout the hurricane affected area who turned in courageous efforts, saving lives and pulling people from the rising flood waters and the raging streams and rivers.

    Unlike NASCAR, which is now in the throes of setting the Chase field to run for the coveted Cup championship, the majority of those impacted by Hurricane Irene are in the throes of trying to clean up, shoveling out their basements filled with muck and mud as they try to pick up the pieces of their lives.

    And while the top ten drivers from last year determine if their schedules will allow them to be honored by the President at the White House, those who lived through the storm instead await a visit from the President, in hopes of learning more about the federal assistance from FEMA and help from other entities that may be available to them.

    Thankfully, no NASCAR tracks were severely impacted by Hurricane Irene. Richmond International Raceway did lose power, as well as having some trees down, with leaves and debris littering the track.

    “Our operations guys were so busy, trying to get generators up and running,” Aimee Turner, RIR director of public relations, said. “We fared well compared to what the State has fared.”

    Similar situations occurred at both New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the ‘Monster Mile’ at Dover, however, again the damage was minimal.

    “Unfortunately, many of our fans within the New England area were hit worse and our thoughts are with them,” Kristen Costa, NHMS director of communications said.

    One nearby race track took matters into its own hands, providing hope to many affected by Hurricane Irene. Pocono Raceway, in cooperation with the American Red Cross of the Poconos, raised over $8,000 through their Hurricane Irene Disaster Relief Ride.

    “Hurricane Irene was the latest natural disaster to have taxed the resources of the Red Cross and Pocono Raceway was proud to help in the disaster relief effort,” Brandon Igdalsky, Pocono Raceway President and CEO, said. “Pocono Raceway would like to thank everyone who participated in the ride for their time and generosity, even though some individuals suffered property damage and were still without electricity days after the storm.”

    That perhaps is the best perspective on the Bristol race weekend that was pre-empted for many by Hurricane Irene. For truly it is about NASCAR fans helping fellow fans and neighbors helping neighbors in need.

    And while setting the field for the Chase may seem all-consuming and important, all should remember that helping those recover from this storm warrant their continued attention, prayer and support.