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  • NextEra Energy Resources 250 Lap-By-Lap

    NextEra Energy Resources 250 Lap-By-Lap

    [media-credit name=”daytonainternationalspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”274″][/media-credit]At the end of the NextEra Energy Resources 250, it was rookie John King scoring his first ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win.

    Lap 1: Miguel Paludo leads lap 1 with teammate James Buescher in toe.

    Lap 9: Top 8 are single file as Paludo continues to lead Buescher around. From ninth on back, they are side-by-side.

    Lap 17 – Jason Leftler, Paulie Harraka, Dakota Armstrong wreck – Paulie Harraka got sideways and shot up into Leftler with Armstrong wrecking behind them. Pit stops – Paludo the first truck off of pit road

    Restart as Paludo starts on the inside with Joey Coulter to his outside

    Lap 28 – the top four, Paludo, Buescher, Brad Keselowski and Jason White, are single file while the rest of the back runs side-by-side

    Lap 35 – Top 15 are single file as Paludo continues to lead Buescher, Keselowski and White.

    Lap 40 – Top 3 are single file (Paludo, Buescher, Keselowski) while White and Mike Skinner are side-by-side for fourth

    Lap 42 Caution for debris…..pit stops….Paludo leads Buescher, White, Brendan Gaughan, Keselwoski and Hornaday

    Restart on Lap 47 as James Buescher takes the lead after Gaughan gives him a good push on the outside. Buescher drops down in front of his teammate, Paludo.

    Caution on Lap 50 as there is debris on the race track, which fell off of Armstrong’s truck. Some trucks choose to make pit stops and add fuel. Most drivers choosing to stay out as they are not in their fuel window, yet.

    Restart lap 55 – Miguel Paludo now leads Buescher on the bottom as White runs third

    Lp 60 – Top nine are single file, and then the field is double-file from 10th on back as Paludo leads Buescher, White and Justin Lofton

    Caution Lap 62 – Cale Gale, TJ Duke, Matt Crafton, Mike Skinner wreck. John King moves up the race track into Cale Gale, collecting others behind them. J.R. Fitzpatrick also caught some damage as he’s going to need to replace the rad……..Pit stops: James Buescher first off pit road, followed by Miguel Paludo

    Restart 32 to go as Buscher leads the field to green and jumps out in front with help from Brendan Gaughan.

    31 to go Nelson Piquet Jr and Miguel Paludo finds their way back up the outside and slot down infront of Buescher.

    30 to go Top five are single file – Piquet Jr, Paludo, Buescher, Brendan Gaughan and Travis Kvapil. Jason White and Joey Coulter run side-by-side for sixth.

    24 to go Top-three Turner Motorsports trucks are single-file – Piquet Jr., Paludo, Buescher – while White is side-by-side with Gaughan for fourth. The top 10 are Piquet Jr., Paludo, Buescher, Gaughan, Kravil, White, Ron Hornaday, Todd Bodine, Coulter and Johnny Sauter.

    17 to go White has brought that outside line to line-up with leader, Piquet Jr., to battle for the lead

    16 to go Caution as Miguel Paludo makes hard contact with the inside wall coming out of turn 4. Piquet Jr. weaved slightly back and forth, Paludo went to move to not hit him and lost the track. Chris Cockrum hit the debris, putting a big hole in the left front corner. As the incident happened, White took the lead so he is the new leader

    Restart 10 to go as White and Piquet Jr. are side-by-side for the lead

    9 to go White continues to lead as Piquet heads up so its now Buescher and Sauter side-by-side for second

    8 to go White and Buescher are side-by-side for the lead as the whole field is two-by-two

    7 to go White and Sauter lead as Hornaday and Buescher are side-by-side for third

    Caution 7 to go Parker Kligermann got sideways and spun, collecting Bryan Silas, Ross Chastain, David Starr – Dusty Davis came down as Starr slightly moved up, squishing Kligermann in the middle and sending him around. Jason White leads Johnny Sauter, John King, Ron Hornaday, Todd Bodine, Brendan Gaughan, Joey Coulter, Justin Lofton, Travis Kvapil and Timothy Peters.

    Green-White-Checkered will be the name of the game as drivers try to conserve as much fuel as possible.

    Green flag comes out and its Jason White and Johnny Sauter side-by-side for the lead

    In turn 1, Johnny Sauter to the lead after help from Ron Hornaday – Sauter drops down in front of White and takes the lead.

    Caution comes out as Brad Keselowski, Max Gresham, Rick Crawford wreck. Clay Greenfield gets into the back of Keselowski, turning him down the track into Crawford. The field did not take the white flag so there will be another green white checkered.

    Green flag……Sauter and John King pull ahead coming out of turn two

    Caution: John King turns Johnny Sauter into the outside wall, collecting Brendan Gaughan, David Starr, Joey Coulter, Grant Enfinger, Matt Crafton, Nelson Piquet Jr., Chris Fontaine, Ryan Seig. The incident came together in combination when Sauter came up to block while King tried to figure out what to do with the run that he got after being pushed by Todd Bodine. They did not take the white flag so there will be a third and final attempt at a green-white-checkered……..King, Bodine, Peters, Coulter

    Green flag……The top four are single file down the backstraightaway with King leading over Peters.

    Caution comes out as Buescher turns Coulter and sends him up into the catch fence on the final lap, giving John King the win.

  • Race No. 2 – 54th Annual Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway, February 26, 2012

    Race No. 2 – 54th Annual Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway, February 26, 2012

    [media-credit name=”daytonainternationalspeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”288″][/media-credit]Happy Birthday to Me!

    This year’s Great American Race happens to fall on my quarter-century milestone, and what a better way to spend my birthday than with some 200 mph high octane pack racing! My living room will be transformed into a pit of NASCAR fans on Sunday afternoon, but could never rival the ‘stadium-seating’ that was brought in during my brother’s collegiate days in the Delta Sigma Phi house at Clarkson University. This was hands-down the coolest Daytona 500 party I was ever able to (and will probably ever) attend, however I am excited for this year’s racing season to formally kick-off on Sunday.

    In an effort to expand the sport’s following I’ve decided to share my Daytona 500 this Sunday with some non-NASCAR/non-racing fans. My living room will be full on Sunday of half die hard’s and half newbies; the die hard’s pleading their case on why each of their drivers are the best and cheer for. Nonetheless, it will be exciting to watch the action in my living room and exciting to see the pack duke it out for one of the most prestigious crowns in all of motorsports.

    Bud Shootout Recap

    Just like each restrictor plate race, last weekend’s Bud Shootout turned out to be a roll of the dice. It’s either feast of famine with these races, and I (just like most fantasy players) ended up on the short end of the stick when the dust settled last Saturday Night.

    My Dark Horse pick wasn’t really a Dark Horse because he does have 2 wins at Daytona, but like I said last week, the criteria for entrance to the Bud Shootout doesn’t yield many Dark Horses in general. Jamie Mac found the front quickly last week in the first segment, reaching the point just four laps in. He showed that the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet would be a contender all night, leading a total of 5 times for 11 of the 75 laps. My misfortune came on the final lap of the Bud Shootout last week when McMurray was collected in a multi-car incident, which sent the No. 24 of Jeff Gordon for a wild ride on his roof, netting McMurray a 16th-place finish when all was said and done.

    My Winner Pick last week is the guy that can “see the air” on the Superspeedways (despite the fact that he hasn’t won in 3 years). Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a fan of the way the racing has morphed back to the pack at Daytona, “I like it better. The closing rate is a little fast. Guys will go flying backwards and forwards. I think we made a lot of great improvements don’t get me wrong. I think we have really made a lot of great improvements and I have more of my destiny in my hands in this type of racing.” said Jr. following his Bud Shootout efforts.

    Despite being a bit more comfortable behind the wheel on Saturday Night, Dale Jr couldn’t make it through a lap 55 incident that collected his No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet. Jr. finished 20th and I finished the weekend looking like a buffoon.

    Daytona 500 Picks

    With complete disregard for claiming to know what I am talking about, I’ve decided to make my picks a little bit differently this week…
    It is probably not a great idea because of Ford’s complete dominance of Daytona 500 practice and qualifying sessions, but I would like to have a little fun this weekend for my birthday and also bring in some outside help in making my picks.

    Because of my rocky start last week, and the complete craps-shoot it is to choose a driver to win a restrictor plate race, I’ve decided to make my picks based off a total random draw. My picks this week will be based off my girlfriend’s random draw of playing cards (0-9), and I will provide historical data and insight as to why that driver stands a chance to take the Checkered Flag on Sunday Afternoon.

    So using Price is Right rules, I will have my girlfriend Casey select four cards at random, and the closest driver (by car number) to the cards selected (without going over of course) will be the drivers I will pick this week for Matty’s Picks.

    Here’s a photo of the draw:

    [media-credit id=24 align=”aligncenter” width=”169″][/media-credit]

    Dark Horse Pick

    Via random draw (and a pre-determined list of possible Dark Horses and Winners), Casey selected the 10 of Spades (0) and the 6 of Diamonds. So on the nose for the Dark Horse this week is a Roush Fenway Racing driver that everyone can agree on as a Dark Horse, Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    Not much Sprint Cup history here for my Dark Horse pick, as Stenhouse will make just his second start in the Sprint Cup series on Sunday, but based off his practice speeds, it looks like Casey didn’t do too bad picking my Dark Horse this week.

    Last year’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion didn’t stretch his points lead when it came to the three races on Superspeedways in 2011, (8th at Daytona in February, 38th at Talladega in April, and 28th back at Daytona in July), but his practice speeds for this year’s Daytona 500 have been nothing to frown at. He was 12th quick in the first practice session, 14th in the second, his highest mark on the leaderboard came in the third practice session, and his most recent efforts landed him seventh in the sixth session earlier today.

    I’m not emptying my bank account on Stenhouse for Sunday’s race, but with his Roush-Fenway FR9 Ford Fusion looking strong in practice, I will not count him out just yet.

    Winner Pick

    Casey selected the Ace of Clubs and the Deuce of Spades when it came down to my winner pick, and via Price Is Right rules, (with no driver in the No. 12 car) this would bring us to the No.13 of Casey Mears. I’m not sure that Mears is shown on anyone’s list of ‘Winner Picks’, so I will bypass that pick and head for the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet of Tony Stewart.

    Now how can I be mad at the random draw of the No. 14 car this week? Coming off a second-place (closest finish of the Bud Shootout by the way) in last Saturday’s race at Daytona, and a win in the first of the two Dual races Thursday, what is there not to like? Yes, I know he’s not in an FR9, but really, what is there not to like about this pick?

    Smoke will be making his 14th start in the Great American Race on Sunday, a race that has evaded him 13 times before. Despite being winless in the big dance, Smoke has tallied an impressive 16 victories at the World Center of Racing including:
    3 – Sprint Cup wins in the July race
    3 – Bud Shootout Wins
    2 – Gatorade Dual Wins
    2 – International Race of Champions (IROC) Wins
    6 – NASCAR Nationwide Series Wins

    This Stewart-Haas racing team is so confident in their chances that after his win on Thursday, Stewart came across the radio and said “Keep it clean, please“. Spotter Bob Jeffrey added “Don’t put anything on our race car. That’s going to be the Daytona 500 winner.”

    Seriously, what’s not to like about this? He’s starting third on Sunday and has a race record that rivals anyone in history…

    That’s it for this week. I’d like to thank Casey for her help with my picks this week and until next time, you stay classy NASCAR NATION!

  • Danica Patrick wins the DRIVE4COPD 300 Pole Following Duel Crash

    Danica Patrick wins the DRIVE4COPD 300 Pole Following Duel Crash

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photography, Inc.” align=”alignright” width=”229″][/media-credit]Following a nasty crash yesterday during the Gatorade Duels, Danica Patrick came back in full force and won the pole for the Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300, which is set to be run on Saturday afternoon.

    With a speed of 182.741 mph, this marked the first pole of her career in 26 starts. She also became the first women to win a pole in the Nationwide Series since 1994 when Shawna Robinson won the pole at Atlanta.

    For the 29-year-old, she wanted to win the pole not only for herself, but for crew chief Tony Eury Jr.

    “Tony builds really good cars and the guys that helped him do that, did a really good job,” she says “I’m really thrilled for Tony Jr.; this is something that he wanted. So for me to push the pedal and give that to him, it feels really good.”

    This marks the first Daytona Nationwide series pole for Eury Jr., despite the number of wins at Daytona with his cousin Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Just yesterday, Patrick found himself at the tail end of a bad deal as she hit the inside wall hard after contact from Aric Almirola on the last lap. For most of the event, Patrick had done well, keeping herself in the thick of the action, running as high as sixth.

    “I got valuable practice time,” she says. “But it is never a good feeling for me to not be able to drive the car back to the pits and something about me feels guilty when I see that Go Daddy is all broken up along the side.”

    The wrecks are a part of the learning curve, no doubt, and Patrick says that she does have lots to learn. After qualifying, she was continuing to pick up tips from her team owner, Earnhardt Jr., by talking with him about side drafting and running the inside line versus the outside line.

    Patrick has been working hard at learning everything that she can, which has shown on track. Last year near the end of the year, she was capable of consistently running in the top 15. Elliott Sadler says with what she’s learned, she has become the most improved driver in all of the three series.

    “That’s appreciated and I have worked really hard and I’m lucky I drive for a good team that has good resources,” she says. “Tony Jr. is a really, good accomplished crew chief. On the Cup side, we haven’t seen a lot of the great people around me there too, and some really good experience teammates.

    “That’s a nice pat on the back; I appreciated that. I still recognize that I have a lot to learn, but I’ve been able to do this in a nice way. I’ve had the backing from the beginning from Go Daddy and it’s been nice because instead of having to go out and show what I’m made of every week, got the most amount spots possible and be desperate. I’ve never had to feel like that. I’ve been able to sit back and observe, not step outside of my comfort zone, because I’ve had a plan since the beginning and so few drivers get that ability to plan long-term and have someone that’s there for them who will follow them wherever they go.”

    In looking back to her first ever NASCAR start, Patrick recognizes how far she has come, though.

    “I’m pleased with some of the stuff that’s gotten better over the year – I can think of the first race here where I was struggling to keep up,” she says. “Then now you can drop the green flag in a Cup race and I’m just hanging out. I know the rules are different, but the level of comfort and proximity of cars next to each other and front and back, and obviously has been improved.”

    With her winning the pole for the Nationwide race, it show strength in the learning curve, but also marks a confidence boost.

    “Its always good to have something that brings your spirits up,” she says. “I think when you’re fast like this, it also gives someone an incentive to work with you, if I’m in a position without a teammate or without someone who has talked it over with me. Hopefully it will open up some deals.”

    Patrick says that beyond making her feel better, it also gives her some respect and credibility as people will want to work with her. However, she knows that her success tomorrow will all depend on how well she runs.

    “It’s going to come down to bump drafting, and being good at that,” she says. “Good at swapping, good at keeping the engine cool, good at keeping in a pack, good at keeping connected, good at strategy so when you pit, you pit with your partner and you don’t get left alone at any point. There’s a lot of stuff that’s going to happen during the race that we’re going to have to manage, so it doesn’t change our strategy. But we do get the first pit box if we want it, which I like that. Not having to wander through a sea of signs looking for my pit box.”

  • Canadians J.R. Fitzpatrick and Derek White Look To Impress at Daytona

    Canadians J.R. Fitzpatrick and Derek White Look To Impress at Daytona

    [media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”266″][/media-credit]Canadians J.R. Fitzpatrick and Derek White have both have success in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCTS), and are now going south to Daytona International Speedway for the Camping World Truck Series season opener.

    Fitzpatrick announced that he had struck a deal with Turn One Racing to compete with them full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2012. The 2006 CASCAR Super Series Champion will drive the No. 60 Chevrolet, replacing Cole Whitt. Last year, Whitt finished ninth in the series standings and will move up this year to compete with JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series.

    “I am so pumped to be getting this chance to race with Turn One Racing,” Fitzpatrick said. “I love the Truck Series and the guys here seem really cool so it feels like a good place for me to be right now. The fact that I get a chance to put an entire season together in the same series and with the same group is really going to help my NASCAR career.”

    Fitzpatrick has competed in the truck series before, driving for Kevin Harvick Incorporated. At Daytona in 2009, the 23-year-old drove the truck home to a fourth place finish.

    “I have had good runs before,” the Cambridge, Ontario native said. “I actually led the most laps and finished fourth in my first Daytona start and I also have some top-fives in the Nationwide Series, but for me to be able to go to the track every week is going to be huge.”

    Fitzpatrick made seven Nationwide Series starts last season, scoring a fifth place finish on the Montreal road course.

    “We are really looking forward to working with J.R., his management team and sponsors,” team owner Stacey Compton said. “J.R. is a proven talent that has only gotten a few opportunities to race in NASCAR. We are excited to put a program together for him that will allow him to showcase his talents here in the states. Although we are still working to finalize sponsorship for a handful of races, we hope to have those details ironed out in the coming weeks.”

    Meanwhile, White will team up with Hackett Racing to drive the No. 76 Warrior Gaming Associates Ford in the NextEra Energy Resources 250.

    “It’s been great to work with the team and my Crew Chief Kevin Eagle,” White said.  “I got to know everyone at Hackett Racing last year and they’ve all worked really hard to get ready for this race.”

    This will mark the first start at Daytona for the winner of the 2010 NCTS Rookie of the Year award.

    “This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” the Kahnawake, Quebec resident said.  “When I hit the track for practice I’ll be smiling, but I’ll also be 100 percent focused on the job of getting ready for qualifying to make the race.”

    Last season, White ran a limited schedule, scoring a career best of seventh after starting 21st at Trois Rivieres. This season, White is fielding a full-time ride for Steve Cote, while running some races himself.

  • Speedweeks: Important Time For Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick

    Speedweeks: Important Time For Tony Stewart and Danica Patrick

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”194″][/media-credit]Last season, Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) had a dream year as they won their first championship with team co-owner Tony Stewart in a tie-breaker over Carl Edwards.

    Now with Speedweeks 2012 having started, they hope to carry that momentum through this coming week.

    While Stewart may now be a three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion, he has yet to find his way to victory lane in the Great American Race. Stewart does know how to race at Daytona as he has won a list of numerous other races, including three Coke Zero 400s, three Bud Shootouts, two Gatorade Duels and an IROC win. Beyond that, his six DRIVE4COPD 300 Nationwide wins, with the last four coming consecutively, are second only to Dale Earnhardt’s seven. The win have him tied for second on the all-time win list with Bobby Allison with 16 wins; Earnhardt holds the most wins at Daytona with 34.

    With what Stewart has done, it’s almost a mirror image to what Earnhardt did. For 19 years, Earnhardt won almost everything there was at Daytona – except the Daytona 500. Then finally in 1998, he found his way to Daytona victory lane. Could this be the year for Tony Stewart? It’s very easily possible he could do it in his 13th year as he finished second in the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night.

    While vowing for the 500 win, he will also vow for his fifth Nationwide Daytona win in a row, driving the No. 33 Oreo/Ritz car for Delana Harvick, as he has done in years past. The only difference this year being that the car will be prepared by Richard Childress Racing, versus Kevin Harvick Incorporated.

    The Nationwide race will be give him another opportunity to race alongside his employee, Danica Patrick.

    Patrick will make her full transition to NASCAR this year as she plans to compete in the full Nationwide schedule this year for JR Motorsports, while running 10 Sprint Cup races for Stewart-Haas.

    One of the 10 Cup races she has planned for this year is the Daytona 500, which she is locked in virtue of an owners’ points deal that Stewart made with Tommy Baldwin Racing. So when the green flag is dropped on Sunday, she will be in the starting grid making her first Sprint Cup star. She will also become the third woman to start the Daytona 500. Janet Gutherie started the 500 in 1977 and 1980 while Shawna Robinson competed in 2002.

    “I want to be good at Daytona,” she said last Saturday. “I know there’s a lot of tracks on the schedule, but when it comes to choosing this one or another one I’ve been to, I’m coming to Daytona, because I want to be good here.”

    If Patrick can finish in the top 10, she will become the highest finishing female in Daytona 500 history. It may seem like a tall order for her, however she does have some experience on her side.

    Last February, she was criticized for how she drafted with drivers as they stated that she didn’t know the idea of dragging the brake. However, by the summer Nationwide race in July, she learned what she had to do and led the field working with Tony Stewart, and also worked with teammate Aric Almirola.

    She has also continued to improve overall in the races that she has run, getting her highest finish of fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with fuel strategy after running just inside the top 10 all day.

    According to her Nationwide Series crew chief Tony Eury Jr., they were really consistant but “the finishes haven’t shown it. It’s really easy for her to run in the top 15. If we can get everything right, we can run in the top 10 with this girl.”

    When it comes to the Sprint Cup Series, she’ll be working with veteran crew chief Greg Zippidelli. Eury Jr. will continue to work with her on the Nationwide side.

  • ARCA: Will Kimmel Keeps Up The Success of Kimmel Racing at Daytona

    ARCA: Will Kimmel Keeps Up The Success of Kimmel Racing at Daytona

    [media-credit name=”Kimmel Racing PR” align=”alignleft” width=”143″][/media-credit]Being the nephew of nine-time ARCA Racing Series Champion Frank Kimmel is enough pressure in itself. When you’re taking over the seat that he had for over 10 years, that just continues to add to the pressure.

    Will Kimmel lived up to all the pressure as he finished third in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway. The finish marked the third top five finish in his young career.

    “I can’t thank everyone on this Kimmel Racing team for all of their support and dedication,” he said. “We have an all-volunteer crew and we picked up some sponsorship from Enterprise Software Development and man, I’m happy for them. Hopefully this run will help us moving forward and we can acquire some more sponsorship that will keep us in the ARCA championship battle.”

    The driver of the No. 68 Enterprise Software Development/Clarksville Schwinn Ford didn’t have an easy weekend with his Indiana based team as he qualified the car 21st.

    Right when the green flag dropped, the 23 year old began to make his move, for a caution occurred on lap six when Milka Duno went for a spin. His crew chief and father Bill Kimmel elected to use pit strategy and bring his son to pit road.

    This would have him starting back in 29th on lap 13, but he would begin to move up quickly. By the caution for Leilani Munter on lap 17, he was up to 19th. His move to the front would continue and by lap 47, he would be in the top 10.

    On lap 69, a multi-car accident would occur, setting up a restart with five laps to go. The final five laps were crazy and some of the most dramatic in Daytona history.

    On lap 78, Chris Busecher would bring out the caution when was he was hit from behind, beginning the mess of fuel strategy. Some cars had enough fuel while others were cutting it close and some chose to come down pit road. Bill Kimmel kept his son on track, restarting him in the third position.

    On the final lap, while Will Kimmel was trying to make his move, both leaders Brandon McReynolds and Chris Windom ran out of school. Kimmel made the move to avoid both drivers, but in the process, both Bobby Gerhart and Drew Charlson got by. Brett Hudson and Nelson Canache would both also pass Kimmel, but they would have their positions revoked due to passing under the yellow line. This locked in the third place finishing position for the driver who was making his second ever Daytona start.

    “Wow, that was crazy,” he said. “We had a shot at winning the race but when those guys ran out of gas, I had to check-up and I was done. I tried to keep those guys from passing me but it was already then too late. At that point, I was happy to finish fifth, but when they penalized them and moved us back into third, it was even a better feeling.”

    Heading into the next race on March 10th at Mobile International Speedway, Kimmel sits 10 points behind Gerhart. Both Gerhart and Charlson, who are above Kimmel in points, are not entered for Mobile as of right now so Kimmel likely will inherit the points lead upon arrival at Mobile.

    For more on Will Kimmel, please visit willkimmel.com.

  • Dakoda Armstrong Has Sights Fixed on Truck Rookie of the Year Honors

    Dakoda Armstrong Has Sights Fixed on Truck Rookie of the Year Honors

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: dakodaarmstrong.com” align=”alignright” width=”100″][/media-credit]The youngest and newest member of ThorSport Racing, Dakoda Armstrong, has his eye on just one prize. The up and comer plans to take his No. 98 EverFi/Drive for Savings Toyota Tundra ride straight to the Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year honors.

    While some may argue that being ROTY does not really mean all that much, Armstrong definitely takes exception to that notion. For him, it is not only a special honor, but one that lasts a lifetime and cannot be taken away.

    “You only get one shot at it in any series you go in,” Armstrong said. “I try to go for it in any series that I run in.”

    “The names of people that have received that award and the competition that you go against, it’s a really big honor.”

    “This year, the Rookie of the Year title will be one of our goals,” Armstrong said. “Hopefully we can go out there and run well for it.”

    Armstrong is no stranger to Rookie of the Year honors. In fact, he secured that honor in the ARCA Racing Series and definitely felt that has helped move him along in his career.

    “Getting the Rookie of the Year honor has definitely helped propel me forward,” Armstrong said. “It’s the title you have and it is always brought up.”

    “So, it’s definitely a good thing,” Armstrong continued. “And it’s another banner we’d get to put up in the ThorSport shop.”

    While Armstrong acknowledges that there are plenty of drivers that he will be competing with for the ROTY honors, he feels that his biggest competition will be one of the Dillon boys.

    “For Rookie of the Year, my biggest competition is definitely Ty Dillon,” Armstrong said. “I competed against him in the ARCA Series.”

    “He’s got really good equipment and he’s a really good driver,” Armstrong continued. “We will definitely have some good racing and some good competition with him.”

    In addition to the ROTY honors, Armstrong has a few other goals in mind for this 2012 season at ThorSport Racing.

    “The main thing is just consistency,” Armstrong said. “I want to go out and reel off top-tens left and right and start getting top-fives.”

    “If we can get wins, I’m definitely going to try for it,” Armstrong continued. “We just want to get more consistent from where we were qualifying last year and even finishing.”

    “That’s what we want to work on, just getting better each and every week.”

    Armstrong is also most grateful to be on a team like ThorSport Racing, particularly with teammates like Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton.

    “Having those teammates, Crafton and Sauter, is one of the reasons that I went with ThorSport Racing,” Armstrong said. “Starting up this No. 98 team, it’s not like we’re starting up all three teams from scratch. I just keep trying to build off of them.”

    Armstrong advised that, although his mantra will be consistency, he like the rest of his team will be experiencing some change when it comes to their Truck manufacturer, this year switching to Toyota.

    “It’s a change for me as far as in the stock car world,” Armstrong said. “I’ve been with Toyota in the open wheel world where my dad owns a team.”

    “But this will be new for me and for ThorSport,” Armstrong continued. “We’re glad to have them and they’ve been a big help so far.”

    “Hopefully, we can go out and keep getting better with their equipment.”

    While looking forward to an exciting racing season, particularly with the ROTY honors in sight, Armstrong admits that he leads a ‘pretty boring’ life off the track. But he does have one fairly interesting hobby.

    “I’m actually a pretty boring person,” Armstrong said. “But bowling is one of my biggest hobbies right now.”

    “I got out of high school where I used to play basketball and a lot of other sports,” Armstrong continued. “But bowling is something you can go do so that’s been pretty fun.”

    “I think I bowl good enough to be in a league but I haven’t got there yet,” Armstrong said. “I just have fun with it.”

    On reflection, however, Armstrong advised that his new hobby did have some critical factors in common with his racing passion.

    “It’s a really hard sport as far as making sure that you do the same thing over and over again,” Armstrong said. “I guess it’s like hitting the same line over and over each lap.”

    “So, that way it is connected to racing so I feel a whole lot better about going to play it now.”

    While enjoying his off-track hobby, Armstrong remains committed to pursuing his racing passion. The young driver also has progression on his mind when it comes to his career.

    “I definitely do want to be racing on Sundays in the Cup Series eventually,” Armstrong said. “Whether that happens or not, I don’t know.”

    “The main thing is that I have a great opportunity right now in the Truck Series with ThorSport,” Armstrong continued. “So, I just have to make the best of it and go out and try the best I can each and every week.”

    Most of all, Armstrong just cannot wait to get his 2012 season started so that he can begin his quest for the Truck Series Rookie of the Year prize. He will start work early this week as he heads off to Daytona International Speedway.

    “I actually take off Monday and we have a rookie meeting on Tuesday,” Armstrong said. “We have a call on Wednesday and practice on Thursday.”

    “It’s pretty nerve-wracking,” Armstrong continued. “I’ve been there in the ARCA Series so I know pretty much where everything is.”

    “I know the facility but we will actually be racing the same weekend as the Daytona 500 so the atmosphere will be crazy.”

    “But if I could sum up in one word my feelings going into Daytona, it would be excited, especially because this is something new,” Armstrong said. “I am going to be a rookie and the trucks are still really new to me.”

    “So, I’m just looking forward to getting the opportunity to go out and show what the 98 team can do.”

     

  • Carl Edwards Make Statement with Daytona 500 Pole

    Carl Edwards Make Statement with Daytona 500 Pole

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”189″][/media-credit]Since the last lap of the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway last season, the question for Carl Edwards has been what was it like to finish second?

    Now with Daytona 500 qualifying done, Edwards doesn’t have that to answer that question as he won the Coors Light Pole for the biggest race of the season. Instead of talking about last season, the talk will be centered around that pole.

    “It’s an amazing feeling,” Edwards said after winning the pole. “I just cannot thank Jack Roush enough for all the work that he’s put in.  Doug Yates, I feel like he should be sitting up here with us.  Those guys have done an unbelievable job of working through the transition to the EFI.  It’s just amazing.  To know for the next week Bob and all of us are going to be working on the fastest racecar here at Daytona and preparing it for the biggest race of the season is a lot of fun.  It’s great.”

    So does this pole actually mean anything?

    Well, for starters, he will get to lead the field to the green flag to start the season in the biggest race. That’s always good for team confidence.

    He also gets to savor the moment for an entire week, unlike any other pole throughout the season.

    He has locked himself into next year’s Bud Shootout already as it returns back to its original format.

    He doesn’t have to worry in the Gatorade Duels as he can as hard as he wants and as long as he avoids trouble, he’s locked in. Edwards says that he’ll still go out and mix it up because, “If I were to not race and not understand the dynamics that are going to happen during the daytime here at this racetrack with this package, I’d be giving them something.  I have to go out there as a driver and mix it up, race, see how our car handles.

    Beyond that, to win the Daytona 500 pole, it takes a lot of prep from the team with regards to working on the car, testing the car in the wind tunnel and perfecting the engine package during the two-month off-season.

    As team owner Jack Roush said, “It obviously starts in the shop.  Robbie Reiser, he’s under the weather today as well.  But he’s worked really hard all winter.  Great manufacturing program for us.  Chip (Bolin) is behind the scenes leading the engineering group with the simulations, with the predictive things, the wind tunnel, kinematics and suspension.  I tease him as he’s writing up new stuff all the time. There’s a lot to this.  There’s a lot more than driving a car fast and having a fast engine.  You have to coordinate every piece so it’s ready to do its job when it’s time.”

    Edwards adds, “After seeing how hard everybody works all winter, how much pride the guys take in how these cars qualify, it does mean something to me.  It’s a sign of the strength of your team.  It’s not that we just have one car up there.  To have two cars, to have that whole front row, I mean, that says a lot about Roush Fenway Racing, about Ford.”

    By winning the pole, it sets out a statement in some respect that this team is ready to come back strong in 2012 and contend once again. It already has people thinking of Edwards and the No. 99 Fastenal team for the championship. If he doesn’t do well in the Daytona 500, it may take away from that but with finishing off strong last season and the pole, things look good for 2012 early.

    “Feels nice to pick up right where we left off,” Edwards said. “I’ve been telling everybody, it seems like every media question, How great would it have been to have one more point?  How did you deal with that this off-season? I think this is nice to come here and show everyone that, hey, it isn’t just talk.  Everybody at Roush Fenway went back and worked hard and kept their heads down and dug for, just like Chip said, the best racecars we’ve had in a long time.  I thank Jack, Chip, Bob, Robbie Reiser, Doug Yates, everybody who has built these racecars, for not letting the disappointment of not winning that championship, not letting that slow us down, but instead giving us real motivation.”

    In looking back at last season, there is no regrets as Edwards said they had a good season despite some of their luck.

    “Bob said, No, if we started the Chase again, we’d do the same thing, put our efforts in the same places, I wouldn’t change a thing,” Edwards said. “As we sat there and talked about it, there was Martinsville and Kansas in particular where we were truly running somewhere in the high 20s or low 30s, running laps down.  We were able to come back those days and finish, I don’t know what it was, ninth in Martinsville and fifth at Kansas. That doesn’t seem as exciting as a victory.  But those days I was more proud of our ability to gather up those points.  Those two days themselves were probably 40 points that we didn’t really deserve.  So at the end of the championship, when you look at it, we tied a guy who won half of the races.  I venture to say if we would have been able to win half of those races, we would have just dominated that thing

    “So I guess that’s the long version of me saying we did the very best we could and there weren’t any races where I got out of the car and felt like, Oh, man, I could have got another spot.  I got out of the car at seven or eight of those races and thought, Thank you, Lord, for the spots you gave me and we were able to capitalize on it.  In the end it ended up a tie.

    “Another simple way to put it is we didn’t lose it.  We didn’t go out and do anything wrong.  We went out, raced hard, did well, and they came in and beat us.”

  • Science, Skill and Lady Luck Decide Shootout Winner

    Science, Skill and Lady Luck Decide Shootout Winner

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]Last nights Budweiser Shootout was an incredible display of talent and mayhem with the return to pack racing. We all learned something. We learned that packs breed multi-car wrecks. But wait we learned that tandems cause wrecks too. So when we look at it what we really learned is that speed causes wrecks. However, I can’t think of a single fan that I have talked to that would want to see them go to racing 4 cylinders. Not that that would matter they would find a way to make them lightening fast anyways.

    The Shootout was marred by 5 caution flags for a total of 22 laps including one red flag situation for Jeff Gordon’s roll over, 25 cars started the race, 13 cars finished the race, 10 on the lead lap at the end and approximately 6 of those were undamaged.

    Even with those stats in hand, the drivers were happy with the return to pack racing. “I actually had fun racing at Daytona again which I haven’t had for a while, so I’m really, really appreciative to the work that NASCAR has done in the off-season and the test session and even after the test of the changes that they made to try to make it better for us out there,” Tony Stewart said. “I had more fun as a driver tonight than what we’ve had in the past.”

    Dale Earnhardt Jr, whose night ended early when Joey Logano and Marcos Ambrose got together taking out 6 of the top 10, had been a very vocal detractor of the tandem racing echoed Stewart’s sentiments, “I liked (this package) better. At least I know what to expect. I feel like I have a better chance with this style than what I had last year. These cars have massive closing rate. When you get out front your car just bogs down, and they come flying by you. You just really have to be on your toes, because they get to you really quick. There’s really no place to block. When guys would catch up with me, I wouldn’t try to block… we just raced it out. But I feel really happy with all the work NASCAR has done in the off-season. It can get better, and I hope they strive to improve. But they should be excited about what they saw tonight.”

    But perhaps the most tremendous part of the show was the display of talent put on by Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart. Busch made three miraculous saves in the course of the event. Saving cars that most competitors would have lost. “There are a lot of guys that wouldn’t have caught that. He did a fantastic job with that save,” Stewart said of Busch. “I’m sitting there and the green is still out. I’m like, ‘Man, that’s the coolest save I’ve seen in a long time.’ ” “I don’t know how many times I spun out but didn’t spin out,” Busch exclaimed. “Amazing race. I’m glad to be standing in victory lane – starting off the year right, hopefully.”

    Stewart who lead for 7 laps at the end of the race lost the race late off of turn-4 when Busch set up and perfectly executed the old school sling shot move into the tri-oval. Pulling even with Stewart the drag race was on. At the line it would be Kyle Busch by the closest margin in Bud Shootout history .013 seconds.

    When asked what position he would have rather been in Stewart responded, “First, I was just happy that I was in the pairing at the end, to be up there. But I think history shows that you want to be that second guy I think in all reality. Especially here, it just seems like for some reason you can make that move here. Talladega for some reason, it seems like you make the move, the start/finish line being further around the tri-oval, almost seems like it’s too early when you make it. It just seems like that second spot is kind of the one you want to be in.”

    Busch stated he was not concerned with the move out of four, “He knew he was a sitting duck as soon as we got clear of everybody. It was over. He knew who the winner was. I’m trying to think of a better way to explain it. That’s what it was. If I would have been in his spot, I would have known, too. The car behind has the momentum because you’re pushing the car in front. You can use the side draft and get by him. The only thing I could have screwed up on is if I would have gone low, and Stewart forced me below the yellow line, I could have gotten posted for that, so it’s a good thing I went high.”

    But Stewart was not without his show of skill as well. Running back in the pack when the first caution flew, Stewart sliced and diced his way thru the carnage like a skilled surgeon removing a growth from a bundle of nerves. Though he picked up debris and felt that he had tire going down, Stewart’s race car was intact. With the break coming up the minor adjustment needed to improve it to race contender was merely a matter of patiently waiting for that yellow flag to fly.

    The Shootout has always been an exciting test session. It has always been full of wrecks and blown up cars. But the last couple of years it had become dreary and weary. The work that NASCAR has done in the off season restored it’s excitement. No I still don’t like wrecks. But what I did like was the fact that a 4-time champion ended up on his roof and crawled out with a scratched finger. Scratched not cut. What I did like was that Kevin Harvick was able to drive to his garage with out injury even though the Budweiser Chevy was badly damaged and on fire all around him. He was unhurt and climbed from the car amidst a cloud of extinguisher fluid. What I did like was that a tandem of cars pulled away at the end but this time it was to race for the prize not to share it.

    Is the package perfect? No. But NASCAR didn’t say it was. Are there issues with cooling systems and spoilers and bumpers and lots of other factors? Sure there are. But lets be honest here folks there always has been. Too fast they fly. Too slow they can’t get away. Too hot they blow up. Too cool they are too fast. It’s a vicious puzzle of check and balance and sacrificing one thing to ensure another. Frankly, Kudos to John Darby and Robin Pemberton and all the NASCAR engineers that worked their butts off to give the fans and the drivers what they wanted and what they asked for.

    Congratulations and thanks to Kyle Busch on his victory in the Bud Shootout. Incredible display of an incredible amount of talent. Kudos to Tony Stewart on starting his championship reign with honesty and class. Also a big shout out to HMS chassis department and safety engineers absolutely awesome job folks! There was a time when God forbid the 24’s wreck would have had tragic results. Finally, allow me to say it was awesome to see Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte and the 88 National Guard/Diet Mtn Dew team lead the race and being a strong contender!

    That said, to all the competitors in the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give, you are our heroes. Most importantly, thanks to all the families who shared their loved ones with us so we could cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.

  • Bobby Gerhart wins Eighth ARCA Daytona Race in Last Lap Mayhem

    Bobby Gerhart wins Eighth ARCA Daytona Race in Last Lap Mayhem

    [media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]For the eighth time in his career, Bobby Gerhart won the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

    Gerhart came home with the victory after coming from fifth to first off of corner four when both Brandon McReynolds and Chris Windom ran out of fuel.

    “Unreal,” Gerhart said. “That last lap was a dream. I always learned to take what was infront of me. I just went high and all it takes is for the leader to mess up.”

    Gerhart had to start at the back after failing post-qualifying inspection when he had qualified on the pole.

    The race ran clean till seven laps to go when James Hylton spun off the bottom, collecting Sloan Henderson and Rick Clifton. Some drivers pitted while others stayed out.

    The race restarted with five to go, before a last caution with three to go. The caution came out after Nelson Canache spun Chris Buescher in the tri-oval. Once again, some drivers pitted while others stayed out.

    The green would come out for a green-white-checkered, which immediately drivers began running out of gas, including a whole group coming to the checkereds.

    Unofficially, Drew Charlston finished second in his first ARCA start

    “That was awesome,” Charlston said. “I feel like I won the race.”