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  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Samsung Mobile 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Texas Samsung Mobile 500

    [media-credit name=”(c) CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”279″][/media-credit]With the honors of hosting the first night race of the 2011 season, here is what was surprising and not surprising in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

    Surprising:  Although Matt Kenseth was dominant for most of the race, when the checkered flag flew for him, the usually stoic driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford for Roush Fenway Racing was surprisingly emotional.

    “After two years, I didn’t know if I’d be back here,” Kenseth said in Victory Lane. “I’ve been so blessed in my life with a beautiful family, a great team and I do what I love for a living.”

    “I haven’t had something like this for a long, long time,” Kenseth continued. “I have lost a lot of close ones at this track. It feels good to be able to close it out.”

    Kenseth’s win ended a 76-race drought dating back to his win on February 22, 2009 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. This was Kenseth’s 19th career win.

    Not Surprising:  From his 29th starting position, it was not surprising that Kevin Harvick just could not continue his consecutive win streak this weekend at Texas.  The driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet was entangled in a pit road problem early in the race from which he never recovered, finishing 20th.

    “Our first two pits stops pretty much ruined our day,” Harvick said. “The 00 and 20 wrecked in front of us trying to leave pit road, so we had to stop, back up and move around them.”

    Surprising: Speaking of those pit road incidents, it was surprising just how influential pit road problems were during this race. On the first stop with everyone in the pits, it looked more like bumper cars than the usually smoothly choreographed tire changes and refueling.

    Both David Reutimann and Joey Logano sustained damage on pit road due to collisions and Dave Blaney got his No. 36 Accell Construction Chevrolet completely turned in the wrong direction due to a spin into his pit stall.

    One of the costliest pit road problems, however, was the too fast entering speeding penalty that was assessed to Tony Stewart late in the race.

    “Sorry, I knew I did it,” Stewart told his crew after being advised of the penalty on lap 276 of the race. Prior to the penalty, Stewart had overcome a collision in the pits at lap 11 to lead twice in the race for a total of 12 laps.

    “You know, it took almost the whole race to crack the top-10, so to be in the position we were in there at the end, I guess is a good thing,” Stewart said. “But when you’re in that position and you can’t capitalize, it’s pretty frustrating. Speeding on pit road didn’t exactly help the cause either.”

    Not Surprising:  Just as in the Nationwide race, the race was relatively clean and green. The only major crash again involved Martin Truex, Jr., who for the second week in a row hit the wall hard. This time instead of Kasey Kahne buffering his hit as at Martinsville, Truex, Jr. took innocent bystanders Mark Martin and Regan Smith with him for a wild TMS ride.

    “I’m OK,” Mark Martin, driver of the No. GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, said. “I didn’t see the pile up in front of us. Just racing.”

    “Unfortunate deal for the NAPA Toyota,” Truex, Jr. said. “We were struggling but we were running our butts off.  Once you make mistakes and you get desperate, you just get yourself in trouble.  It sucks having this two weeks in a row.”

    Surprising: Texas Motor Speedway may just be the surprising turning point for young Roush Fenway driver David Ragan. After qualifying well and being in position to even win in several of the past races, Ragan, who started the Samsung Mobile 500 from the pole position, finally got a good finish.

    Ragan brought his No. 6 UPS Freight Ford to the checkered flag in the seventh position. His top-ten finish also moved him up to 17th in the point standings.

    Not Surprising:  Just as the Fords were strong all day at Texas Motor Speedway, claiming five of the ten finishing spots, Carl Edwards in his No. 99 Scotts Ford proved his ‘Iron Man’ status yet again.

    Edwards overcame stomach problems to finish in the third position and claim the points lead in the process. The driver blamed his physical ailments on a new rice and bean dish that his mother had cooked for him prior to the race.

    “I’m all hopped up on Pepto Bismol,” Edwards said in the media center after the race. “I hate to throw my mom under the bus but she cooked something last night that I don’t think was too good.”

    Surprising:  Behind the wheel of the No. 9 Stanley Ford, Marcos Ambrose had one of his best oval track efforts in his career, finishing sixth. This was the second top-ten finish on a mile and a half track this season for the Richard Petty Motorsports ace from down under.

    “I’m very proud of the Stanley boys for putting together this result,” Ambrose said. “We’re starting to really click on these intermediate ovals. It’s great to be running out in the front of the pack and it gives us a lot of confidence moving forward,”

    Not Surprising: Dale Jr. had yet another consistent run and finish. The driver of the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet gained the most positions in the race and finished in seventh.

    Most impressive is his continuing climb in the point standings, this time gaining another two positions to claim the sixth spot as a result of his top-ten finish. Junior is no doubt looking forward to next weekend’s race at Talladega Super Speedway, where he is not only wildly popular but also has outstanding plate racing skills.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Martinsville Goody’s Fast Relief 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Martinsville Goody’s Fast Relief 500

    [media-credit name=”Brad Kepel ” align=”alignright” width=”277″][/media-credit]
    Martin Truex Jr. crashes into Kasey Kahne at Martinsville
    At Martinsville’s version of the ‘paper clip’, NASCAR’s elite made their own history at one of the most storied tracks on the circuit.  Greg Biffle and Jamie McMurray both made their 300th starts of their careers and iron man Mark Martin made his 800th start of his career.

    Here is what was surprising and not surprising in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500:

    Surprising:  It’s not often when the duel for the second place finish is one of the most surprising, and exciting, moments of the entire race. But this second place competition just happened to be between NASCAR’s most popular driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and one of the sport’s rowdiest drivers Kyle Busch. Junior prevailed by the slightest of margins, less than 0.020 of a second.

    Both the driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet and the No. 18 Pedigree Toyota had great points days, with Junior climbing four spots to eighth and Busch taking the points lead.

    Not Surprising:  Now officially able to relinquish his former nicknames of ‘Happy’ and the ‘Bakersfield Basher’, Kevin Harvick, this week in his No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet, can most decisively claim the nickname ‘The Closer.’ Harvick is the first repeat winner of the season and has now won back to back races in decisive passes late in the race.

    “Just an awesome day,” Harvick said. “I didn’t think we had the car to do that. I had a lot of fun racing with Dale Jr. and I hate to be the bad guy, but we’re in it to win it.”

    Surprising: The two dominant drivers of past Martinsville races were not the ones battling for the lead this year.  With 34 laps to go, Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet, made an uncharacteristic mistake, entering the pits too fast. He was forced to the tail end of the field, finishing in the 11th position.

    Denny Hamlin, oft the master of Martinsville, was one of the first to get to pit road, which bit him late in the race. The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota had to take a wave around on Lap 473, relegating him to a 12th place finish.

    Not Surprising: To no one’s surprise, four-time Cup champion and seven time Martinsville winner Jeff Gordon had a strong day, finishing fifth in the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet. With his good run, Gordon also surpassed the ‘King’ Richard Petty and took the fourth spot in the all-time laps led category.

    “We did have a great day,” Gordon said. “We weren’t great at the beginning but we worked our way up. It was an awesome day to drive to fifth there at the end.”

    Surprising: The number of changing lanes before reaching the start finish line penalties, affectionately known as the ‘David Ragan faux pas’ after his Daytona mistake cost him the win, was definitely surprising. Penalized were Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, and Tony Stewart.

    It took Kenseth almost half the race to right his wrong. At the end of the day, Kenseth was able to salvage a sixth place finish in his No. 17 Crown Royal Ford.

    Martin was also able to redeem himself, finishing 10th in his No. 5 Quaker State/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. Martin is now officially the eighth driver to reach the level of 800 starts in his racing career.

    The driver who came out on the short end of the changing lanes penalty stick was Tony Stewart. The driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet finished a miserable 34th, several laps down.

    Not Surprising:  Short tracks usually equal short tempers and that was definitely the case at Martinsville.  Several drivers were unhappy with one another for the bumping, beating and grinding that occurred during the hard racing.

    Most notably was Paul Menard, who had been leading the charge for his new Richard Childress Racing team, only to get into it with Robby Gordon.

    Menard said that Gordon brake-checked him “out of apparent retaliation,” putting a hole in the radiator of the No. 27 NIBCO/Menards Chevrolet. Menard finished 38th, falling six spots to 13th in the point standings.

    Another byproduct of the hard racing that had tempers flaring was the usually unflappable Aussie Marcos Ambrose, who was definitely angry with Michael McDowell.

    “I don’t know what McDowell was thinking,” Ambrose said. “I got stuck on the outside and lost 20 positions just trying to get to the bottom and he just jacked me up and put me in the fence around lap 100. It was uncalled for and made for a very long day.”

    Surprising:  At a short track like Martinsville, big wrecks are not the norm. But there was a monster of a hard hit when Martin Truex, Jr. lost his brakes and pummeled himself into the wall, taking innocent bystander Kasey Kahne with him.

    The hit was so intense that the race had to be red flagged while repairs were made to the safer barrier. Thankfully the drivers of both the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota and the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota were able to walk away from the incident.

    “I thought, oh man, this is going to hurt,” Truex said of the wreck. “Thanks to NASCAR and everybody who built the SAFER barriers. Ten years ago, I wouldn’t be standing here.”

    Not Surprising: As loud as the Truex/Kahne wreck was, in contrast the quietest mover in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 was Juan Pablo Montoya. The driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet started in the 27th position and, without fanfare, worked his way towards the front to finish fourth. JPM is also quietly working his way up the leader board, advancing one position to seventh in the point standings.

  • As NASCAR Heads to California…

    As NASCAR Heads to California…

    I’ll be short this time. The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series teams are headed to Fontana, California and Auto Club Speedway, and while the folks who cover NASCAR continue to try to brainwash us into thinking that we’re just going to love the race on Sunday, it’s woefully obvious that we’re going to see a race that disappoints us. Why? Because it’s California, that’s why. Despite the rave reviews I’ve heard this week about how much the fans are just prejudiced against this track, the truth is that they have good reason for their prejudice. It hasn’t been a show to remember ever. Let’s hope that things change this week.

    [media-credit id=22 align=”alignright” width=”253″][/media-credit]And one more thing about Fontana. Who in the wide, wide world of sports decided it was a good thing to go out to Phoenix and Las Vegas, take a week off, run Bristol and head back to California? It boggles my mind. The week off makes more sense if you run at Fontana and come back to Bristol due to weather considerations. The schedule makers get a bye because last weekend was so wonderful and this weekend is going to be cold. Luck, I guess, but the travel costs for teams are not a laughing matter.

    I am amazed at the continuing saga of Rick Russell’s 2nd Chance Motorsports and driver Jennifer Jo Cobb’s disputes. Today, Russell filed a complaint against Cobb saying she was guilty of larceny for stealing parts. If I read the comments right, Cobb says that the parts were moved to a storage building on Russell’s property and the storage facility belonged to Russell. What? Sounds like the way things are going all over America. Everyone wants to sue once there is a disagreement and if a suit is not possible, you either take it to the press or call the law. Even more amazing is that Russell and Cobb had a contract that required her to repair the car if it was damaged in a race, which happened at Las Vegas. Furthermore, she was required to supply engines for the car. I guess Jennifer Jo really wanted to race so much she entered into a really lousy contract. This can be best described as a mess.

    I noted with interest that TRG Motorsports is changing to Ford bodies and power after California. It’s a limited agreement with Roush Fenway Racing to build the cars and with Roush-Yates Engines to supply powerplants. I wonder if this is a trend. We’ve seen Richard Petty Motorsports move from Dodge to a similar agreement with RFR last year. The same thing happened with Front Row Motorsports and now with TRG. Ford has now increased their number of cars from five in 2008 to nine in 2011, and if rumors are to be believed, there could be more. It’s very interesting, to say the least.

    Finally, all I’ve heard this week is how Jimmie Johnson is a lock to win at Auto Club Speedway. And if not him, it has to be Jeff Gordon. I might agree if it weren’t for a couple of guys who have performed much better and have a record at Fontana, namely Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth, not to mention Kevin Harvick. No one promotes “Five-Time” and Gordon more than the fine folks, who cover the sport, but here’s my shocking prediction—it might be Kyle Busch, much to the chagrin of NASCAR Nation. But, then again, who knows? I just know that we’ll know late on Sunday evening. But the constant presumption that the favorite always has to be one of the Hendrick teams is interesting. It ignores recent performances. But what do I know?

  • Johnny Benson Enjoys Coaching Danica But Still Yearns To Race

    Johnny Benson Enjoys Coaching Danica But Still Yearns To Race

    After the 2009 accident in a Super Modified that left him in serious condition, as well as bruised and battered, Johnny Benson has fully recuperated and simply cannot hide how much he is itching to get back behind the wheel of a race car or truck.

    [media-credit name=”Barry Albert” align=”alignright” width=”290″][/media-credit]”Physically I’m feeling great,” Benson said. “We obviously had a little accident a little while awhile ago but I’m really good on that end and enjoying my time at the moment, working in my shop and building and selling race cars, the Outlaw Late Model stuff.”

    “I’m staying busy but not busy enough.”

    While he continues to pursue a ride, the former NASCAR Nationwide and Truck Series champ is keeping busy coaching one of the sport’s most visible up and comers, Danica Patrick. Benson was tapped by Patrick’s crew chief Tony Eury Jr. to assist her in her development in the No. 7 GoDaddy.com Nationwide ride for JR Motorsports.

    “I have been helping Danica a little bit,” Benson said. “Tony Eury Jr. called me and wondered if I’d come give a hand. He was trying to be both coach and crew chief and as we talked he really wanted to focus on the race car.”

    “I’ve always admired the work he’s done and because he called is why I did it,” Benson continued. “That’s why I’m there.”

    “They have a great race team and I’m impressed with how they work and their rapport,” Benson said. “It’s a good group of guys and that on my end is pretty cool to see.”

    “And to work with Danica is a pretty neat deal,” Benson continued. “Hopefully we are giving her the advice and help she needs.”

    “It’s been working out great,” Benson said. “Danica’s doing a great job and we’re just helping her out in the areas she needs for stock car racing.”

    Benson is no stranger to the coaching and mentoring role. Last year, he worked with Trevor Bayne, the 20 year old that this year won NASCAR’s most prestigious event, the Daytona 500.

    What is the secret to Benson’s mentoring success, with both Bayne and now Danica Patrick?

    “I can’t tell you everything I’m telling her,” Benson said playfully. “I think a whole lot of it is just trying to get her acclimated with the stock cars.”

    “They are very different than the Indy cars,” Benson continued. “Some of the things that I see from Indy car drivers coming to the stock cars is that they do not like loose race cars.  And unfortunately you have to be able to do some of that.”

    “Going fast for her is not a huge issue,” Benson said. “But getting the car to go faster in practice and faster yet in the race has been a bit more challenging for her.”

    Benson is working with Patrick to as to the feel of the race car, as well as not being such a perfectionist during practice. He also has been coaching her on different lines around the race track.

    “She’s got a good feel of the car,” Benson said. “I’ve been impressed with that. It’s just a matter of trying to narrow that down from practice to the race.”

    “She wants it perfect for practice and every driver does,” Benson continued. “But I’m trying to show her what’s going to be good for the race.”

    “Practice doesn’t do anything but give her track time,” Benson said. “But when we’re good in practice, we may not be good in the race and she’s understanding that now.”

    “I’m changing her line on the track and where she needs to run,” Benson said. “That’s something that every driver tries to accomplish from practice into the race. It’s just helping her close those gaps.”

    After mentoring Patrick to a fourth place finish at Las Vegas, the highest ever for a female in NASCAR history, Benson set his sights to guiding her around Bristol Motor Speedway this past weekend.

    “She ran a great race,” Benson said, in spite of Patrick’s on-track incident with Ryan Truex leading to a 29th place finish and a totally wrecked race car. “We wanted to run as many laps as possible and stay out of trouble.”

    “She ran good, she was passing cars and she did well there,” Benson continued. “She had an unfortunate incident late in the race but it was just a racing deal.”

    “She was frustrated but it happens so fast there that it’s just one of those scenarios,” Benson said. “You chalk that up to experience and move forward. It’s too bad she’s not racing this weekend rather than waiting a month or two to get back in again.”

    Because of her IndyCar schedule, Benson will also now go on hiatus as far as coaching Ms. Patrick.

    “The three race deal was strictly because she’s going back to do the Indy stuff right now,” Benson said. “She needs to concentrate on it because that’s her main job.”

    “At this time I was just going to help her out until that time comes,” Benson continued. “Hopefully I can help her some more. There’s some areas that we can still work on.”

    “Hopefully, I will get that opportunity…if I’m not doing anything.”

    “I’m still looking for a ride,” Benson said. “I’d love to be able to go run for a championship in the Truck Series but obviously we can’t do that this year. But yeah, I’m still looking for a ride with someone that can run a bunch of races.”

    “It’s obviously going pretty slow, but I’m still hopeful.”

    What Benson misses most is simple. He desperately wants to compete again.

    “I miss the competition,” Benson said. “I’ve always built race cars from the ground up and that’s what I like.”

    “I like building new cars and going out and proving them on the track,” Benson continued. “That’s what I enjoy the most. And of course racing at the NASCAR level, that’s the biggest part of what I enjoy.”

    “I really want to run the Truck Series,” Benson said. “That would be in my mind the best case scenario.”

    “I would run for a Nationwide championship,” Benson continued. “As far as the Cup stuff, I don’t really see many opportunities there and I don’t necessarily believe in the ‘start and park’ deal, so I don’t know that I’d venture down that road.”

    “But if it comes down where I can’t run for a championship in the Truck or Nationwide Series, my next one I’d like to run for a championship is in the Super Modifieds.”

    “I’ve got an Outlaw Late Model Championship, an ASA Championship, a Nationwide Championship and a Truck Series Championship,” Benson said. “So, I’d like to get one in another series. I think that’d be really cool.”

    “I don’t have that many years in the NASCAR side, but I’ve got a lot of racing left in me that’s for sure,” Benson said. “And I’ve got a couple of championships left in me. That’s also for sure.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Jeff Byrd 500 at Bristol

    From remembering one of race fans’ best friends to the beating and banging on the track, racing at Bristol Motor Speedway is always one of the favorite destinations on the NASCAR circuit.  Here is what is surprising and not surprising for this weekend’s Jeff Byrd 500.Barry Albert

    Surprising:  One of the biggest surprises happened before Billy Ray Cyrus sang the National Anthem and Jeff Byrd’s family gave the command to start the engines in his memory. NASCAR and Goodyear had to make a command decision, replacing the tires for the race.

    Unfortunately, the original tires did not rubber up the track and in fact disintegrated instead. So, new tires were quickly ordered up from North Carolina and delivered just in time for practice and the race, necessitating a competition caution at Lap 50.

    Not Surprising:  In spite of the booing from the crowd when his signature song “Rowdy Busch” was played during driver introductions, it was not surprising at all to see the broom in the hand of winner Kyle Busch at race end. This was Busch’s fifth win in a row at Bristol and he swept both the Nationwide and Cup races for the weekend.

    Busch dedicated his 20th victory in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition to Toyota and all affected by the recent earthquake in Japan. The driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota also made history, tying driver Speedy Thompson for 33rd on the career victories list.

    “This M&Ms Camry was awesome today,” Busch said. “Also, our thoughts and prayers go to the Toyota folks and all those in Japan.”

    “You’ve got to be patient and sometimes you’ve got to go for it,” Busch continued. “Our guys won this race in the pits coming out first on that last stop.”

    Surprising: Paul Menard continues to lead the charge for Richard Childress Racing, in spite of being the ‘new kid on the block.’ The driver of the bright yellow No. 27 CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet even took the lead at Bristol at lap 20, positioning himself at the front for the first time in his career at Bristol.

    Menard finished fifth in the race, also advancing his position in the point standings to fifth.

    “I had a fast race car all weekend,” Menard said. “What’s cool is we’ve been to four different race tracks and we’ve had strong runs at all four. We’re just having a lot of fun right now.”

    Not Surprising:  It was not surprising that if Carl Edwards was not celebrating a win with a back flip, he was sitting right there yet again in the runner up position. Behind the wheel of his No. 99 Scotts EZSeed Ford, Edwards admitted that he simply could not catch his Phoenix rival Kyle Busch.

    “It was exciting,” Edwards said. “I thought I could get to him at the end and rough him up a little bit and maybe get by him, but his car took off.”

    “It was a good race at Bristol,” Edwards continued. “Kyle did a good job. Our team did a good job. We’ve got to thank all the fans and we appreciate them coming out and supporting us.”

    Surprising:  Matt Kenseth actually had a great run at Bristol and was even somewhat effusive, particularly for the usually dry driver of the No. 17 Crown Royal Black Ford. Kenseth finished fourth in the race and jumped to 13th in the point standings.

    “We had a lot of fun out there racing today and got lucky and got the right lane on the restarts a few times,” Kenseth said. “It took all day but we finally were able to make some adjustments that had the Crown Royal Black Fusion pretty decent.”

    Not Surprising:  To no one’s amazement, it does indeed seem that five time champ Jimmie Johnson has figured out Bristol Motor Speedway. And it was certainly not surprising to see the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet lead laps and get a great finish out of ‘Thunder Valley’.

    While Johnson first had to overcome the driver introduction song picked out for him by Brian Vickers, the “Thong Song” of all things, the reigning champion recovered his dignity with a third place finish. Johnson also jumped five spots in the points, currently sitting in the seventh spot.

    “Oddly enough, clean air is important here and that was kind of it,” Johnson said. “It came down to that last pit stop and we didn’t get out of the pits first. So, it was the rest of us racing for second, third and fourth.”

    Surprising:  It was a bit surprising to see two drivers, Trevor Bayne and Jeff Gordon, both winners in the young 2011 season, struggle so mightily at Bristol Motor Speedway. After starting in the seventh spot, Gordon just could not get comfortable in his No. 24 Pepsi Max Chevrolet, finally bringing it home in the 14th spot.

    Trevor Bayne, one of Gordon’s biggest fans and the Daytona 500 winner, had a miserable day at his home track. Bayne was involved in the wreck that brought out the first caution flag of the day and never recovered, finishing 34th in his Wood Brothers Chevrolet.

    Not Surprising: NASCAR’s favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. just keeps rolling along. In spite of a speeding penalty and with the encouragement of his ever optimistic crew chief Steve Letarte, Junior bounced back to finish 11th, just missing out on his third top-10 finish in a row.

    The NASCAR circuit will now trek back across the country to Fontana, California. Drivers will compete in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, March 27th, with the broadcasts set for  3:00 PM ET on FOX and MRN.

  • Mark Martin Lucky in Vegas While Danica Patrick Makes History

    Mark Martin Lucky in Vegas While Danica Patrick Makes History

    Mark Martin, driving the No. 32 Dollar General for Turner Motorsports for the first time, not only was lucky with his fuel mileage but also took advantage of the bad luck of Brad Keselowski to win the 15th Annual Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    [media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”239″][/media-credit]This was Martin’s 49th Nationwide win Series win, making him the seventh oldest driver to win a Nationwide race.

    “We only had one chance to win the race and that was to win it on fuel,” Martin said in the media center after celebrating his win in Victory Lane. “When I caught Brad, I realized that it was going to take all the gas I had to get past him.”

    “Trent (Owens) gave me great information,” Martin said of his crew chief, who scored his first win ever. “I managed to back off the throttle and wait to see if Brad (Keselowski) would make it or not.”

    “It worked out for us today,” Martin continued. “It was a great team effort. Turner Motorsports is doing such good work and I wanted to get in there and be a part of it.”

    “It was a real special win for us,” Martin said. “We got us another trophy and that’s all I care about.”

    Martin’s Turner Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier also had good luck in Vegas, scoring a second place win in the No. 31. This was Allgaier’s third top-10 finish in three races at Las Vegas and his second top-10 finish in 2011.

    “This was a really good finish for us because we battled through a lot of adversity,” Allgaier said. “To be able to come out of here one, two and to be able to be beat by Mark Martin, as much as I wanted to win the race there is only one person in the garage that I’d rather have beat me and it would be Mark.”

    “Mark is really cool.”

    While luck was on the side of Martin and Allgaier, Brad Keselowski had some of the worst luck of the Vegas Nationwide race weekend. According to Keselowski, the weekend started bad and ended even worse.

    “We started off this weekend and we were atrociously bad,” Keselowski said. “My team worked all weekend long and found speed in my car.”

    “From there we used great strategy and smarts to get in position to win the race,” Keselowski said. “I was trying to conserve my stuff and felt we had it, but obviously didn’t.”

    “I just ran over something because it went down pretty quick,” Keselowski said of his blown tire. “It was just one of those days where you do everything right and don’t win. That’s why they call it racing.”

    “I just feel bad for my guys,” Keselowski continued. “We’ve had three great cars in the last three races and something has happened. It just has to come back around. We’re on the down side of the roller coaster and I’m ready for it to come back up.”

    While Martin took the checkered flag, Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy.com for JR Motorsports crossed the finish line in the fourth position, making her own brand of history as the highest finishing female ever in a NASCAR national series. With Patrick’s fourth place finish, she topped the record of Sara Christian, who finished fifth in 1949.

    “I guess that’s something I don’t think about,” Patrick said when asked about her history-making run. “I don’t think about trying to be the highest finishing female. I just think about trying to win the race.”

    “It was a good day,” Patrick, running in just her 16th race, said. “We just had a good car. I knew it from the beginning of the race.”

    “We worked so hard on the car this weekend and we did have a lot of practice time, which was good,” Patrick said. “I missed those lucky dogs like three more times and we finally got it.”

    “It allowed me to be consistent at the end, cautious and not over drive,” Patrick said. “It was a good day for GoDaddy and JR Motorsports.”

    Trevor Bayne, the Daytona 500 winner, rounded out the top five for the Sam’s Town 300. After a fairly chaotic run last weekend at Phoenix, Bayne felt most fortunate to have been so close to the front of the field.

    “It was cool to get a top-five out of that,” Bayne said. “You take them how you get them.”

    “It is awesome for these guys to get a top-five and we probably didn’t deserve it,” Bayne continued. “But we saved gas and put ourselves in that position. I can’t wait to watch the tape on this one.”

    Carl Edwards, who had been so dominant in the early part of the race, finished in the sixth position. Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Jason Leffler and Kenny Wallace rounded out the top ten.

    Reed Sorenson maintains the Nationwide Series points lead, with Ricky Stenhouse and Jason Leffler following closely behind in second and third respectively. Danica Patrick and Justin Allgaier round out the top five in the point standings.

    Unofficial Race Results
    Sam’s Town 300, Las Vegas Motor Speedway
    March 5, 2011 – Race 3 of 34

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status

    1 – 32 Mark Martin Chevrolet 0 0 200 Running

    2 – 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 42 0 200 Running

    3 – 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0 0 200 Running

    4 – 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 40 0 200 Running

    5 – 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 39 0 200 Running

    6 – 60 Carl Edwards Ford 0 0 200 Running

    7 – 20 Denny Hamlin Toyota 0 0 200 Running

    8 – 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 36 0 200 Running

    9 – 38 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 35 0 200 Running

    10 – 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 34 0 200 Running

    11 – 30 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 33 0 200 Running

    12 – 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 32 0 200 Running

    13 – 62 Michael Annett Toyota 31 0 200 Running

    14 – 11 Brian Scott Toyota 30 0 200 Running

    15 – 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 29 0 198 Running

    16 – 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 28 0 198 Running

    17 – 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 27 0 197 Running

    18 – 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 26 0 196 Running

    19 – 99 Ryan Truex * Toyota 25 0 195 Running

    20 – 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 24 0 194 Running

    21 – 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 23 0 193 Running

    22 – 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 22 0 193 Running

    23 – 97 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 21 0 193 Running

    24 – 15 Timmy Hill * Ford 20 0 193 Running

    25 – 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 19 0 190 Running

    26 – 81 Donnie Neuenberger Dodge 18 0 189 Running

    27 – 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 17 0 181 In Pit

    28 – 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0 0 168 Running

    29 – 70 Shelby Howard Chevrolet 15 0 165 Running

    30 – 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 0 0 130 In Pit

    31 – 79 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 13 0 127 Running

    32 – 141 Carl Long Ford 12 0 83 In Pit

    33 – 40 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 11 0 72 Out

    34 – 27 J.J. Yeley Ford 0 0 25 Out

    35 – 25 Kelly Bires Ford 9 0 14 In Pit

    36 – 55 Brett Rowe Chevrolet 8 0 12 In Pit

    37 – 24 Kevin Lepage Ford 7 0 11 In Pit

    38 – 39 Josh Wise Ford 6 0 10 In Pit

    39 – 52 Daryl Harr Chevrolet 0 0 8 In Pit

    40 – 103 Charles Lewandoski * Dodge 4 0 6 In Pit

    41 – 168 Tim Andrews Ford 0 0 4 In Pit

    42 – 44 Jeff Green Chevrolet 2 0 2 In Pit

    43 – 87 Kevin Conway Chevrolet 0 0 2 In Pit

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: PIR Subway Fresh Fit 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: PIR Subway Fresh Fit 500

    After one of the most exciting Daytona 500 finishes, the Cup Series promptly headed west to Phoenix International Raceway. Although it actually rained a bit in the Valley of the Sun, the second race of the NASCAR season, the Subway Fresh Fit 500, was filled with its own share of surprises.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”292″][/media-credit]Surprising:  In contrast to the youngest winner, 20 year old Trevor Bayne, celebrating in Victory Lane after his Daytona 500 win last week, a 39 year old veteran driver was finally able to celebrate a victory, ending a 66 race winless streak.  After receiving a big bear hug from team owner Rick Hendrick, the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, Jeff Gordon, stood relieved and overwhelmed with emotion in Victory Lane.

    What seemed to mean the most to Gordon, in addition to beating Kyle Busch of course, was how the fans embraced his win.

    “Man, we just beat Kyle Busch!” Gordon said after getting out of his race car. “Are you kidding me? Pinch me, pinch me.”

    “I don’t really care how we do it because we just wanted to get to Victory Lane,” Gordon said. “But to do it that way, leading the most laps, and to see the fans’ reaction. What an awesome feeling it is.”

    “God, it feels so amazing,” Gordon said. “I’ve got to say thanks to the fans.”

    With the win at PIR, his 83rd, Gordon officially tied Cale Yarborough for fifth in NASCAR’s all-time win list. Gordon also catapulted up 21 spots in the points, now in the fifth position.

    Not Surprising:  It was not surprising that Kyle Busch, who had won both the Truck and Nationwide Series races at PIR, was right there nipping at Gordon’s heels in the final laps. Busch battled back from an early incident to give Gordon a run for his money, just coming short of the sweep by finishing as the runner up.

    After paying homage to Gordon, Busch then apologized for getting into Carl Edwards, whose pole sitting race car was totally wrecked as a result of the contact.

    “It was unintentional,” Busch said. “All that aside, we came through a lot of adversity and kept battling through everything that was thrown at us. There at the end, Jeff just had a better car than us and flat out passed me.”

    Surprising: In a flashback moment to Daytona, there was actually a ‘big one’ at Phoenix International Raceway.  Thirteen cars were involved, including the likes of Brian Vickers, Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, David Ragan, Regan Smith and David Reutimann to name a few.  The race actually had to be red-flagged in order to allow for the extensive clean up needed.

    Clint Bowyer summed up his take on the ‘big one’ up best. “I’m pretty disgusted with the whole thing,” Bowyer said. “Our day is done.”

    Not Surprising:  Whether as a result of the big one or smaller skirmishes on the track, there were several drivers who were unhappy with one another, sparking the first rivalries of the season. One of the biggest differences of opinion occurred between Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, who clashed in an early incident.

    “In my opinion, this was the car to win,” Edwards said after his tussle with Busch. “That’s too bold a move to make early in the race.  We had been in the running for the race win.”

    Other cross words were exchanged between Brian Vickers and Matt Kenseth after getting into one another.

    “Matt wrecked us,” Vickers said simply. “It’s coming back to him.”

    Surprising: One of the most surprising finishes was for NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. After receiving a penalty for entering too fast into his pit, sliding through his pit stall, and breaking a wheel off the jack, Junior rallied back for a top ten finish.

    Not Surprising: Rick Hendrick’s wisdom in making his giant crew chief swap amongst the Hendrick drivers, sans Jimmie Johnson, certainly became evident at this race. Thanks to his pairing of Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., the new duo was able to rally back from adversity, with Letarte serving as head cheerleader. And of course, the driver in Victory Lane, Jeff Gordon, credited his new crew chief pairing with Alan Gustafson, with getting him back to winning ways.

    Surprising and Not Surprising: It was surprising, yet not surprising, that last week’s winner Trevor Bayne had such a difficult time at Phoenix. He wrecked his primary car in practice and had the same experience in his back up car in the race. Bayne hit the wall hard, bringing out the third caution in the race and totally destroying the rear end of his No. 21 Wood Brothers race car.

    “I don’t know what happened,” Bayne said after the wreck. “That’s tough coming off of our high at Daytona to come to this, but we’ve got a great race team behind us.”

    “We’ll be back at Vegas,” Bayne continued. “I hate it ended this way this weekend, but we’ll be back.”

    Indeed all of the Sprint Cup drivers will be back and this time they will try their luck on the track in Sin City. The Kobalt Tools 400 will run at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 6th at 3:00 PM and will be broadcast on FOX and PRN.

  • Fairy Tales Do Come True, Just Ask Trevor Bayne, Daytona 500 Winner

    Fairy Tales Do Come True, Just Ask Trevor Bayne, Daytona 500 Winner

    For Trevor Bayne, fresh off his 20th birthday and in only his second race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, dreams really do come true.  Bayne became the youngest winner of “The Great American Race”, the Daytona 500.

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”281″][/media-credit]”I keep thinking I’m dreaming, I really do,” Bayne said in Victory Lane. “We said a prayer before the race and this just shows how powerful God is and the good job these guys did on this race car. This is just incredible.”

    “I drove down here in my F150 and I was planning to drive back, but I think someone else will have to drive it back for me,” Bayne said, acknowledging that he must now do his Daytona 500 duties in New York City as the race winner. “I guess I will have to call someone to get some clothes down here.”

    “This is so crazy,” Bayne continued. “I felt a little undeserving, but I’m just glad that I got to be the guy behind the wheel to get the win.”

    Bayne’s team owners Eddie and Len Wood were beside themselves after the win. It was so emotional that they both, particularly Eddie Wood, had to stop talking several times to get their tears in check.

    “It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” owner Eddie Wood said, with a hitch in his voice. “We’ve struggled just to make the Daytona 500.”

    “It’s unbelievable we are sitting here,” Wood continued. “Trevor Bayne did such a good job. Now he is a Daytona 500 winner.”

    Donnie Wingo, Bayne’s crew chief, was also elated at his driver and team’s success.

    “I couldn’t be happier and the job the kid done today, you couldn’t ask for anything else,” Donnie Wingo, crew chief, said. “At the end, he did what he needed to do.”

    “He just might be the next big deal.”

    The race not only left Trevor Bayne and his car owners and crew chief shaking in disbelief, but many of the other drivers as well. There were a record 74 lead changes, a record 22 different race leaders, and a record 16 cautions in the event.

    “I’ve never run one like that,” veteran Terry Labonte, driver of the No. 32 U.S. Chrome Ford Fusion, said. “It’s a good thing the race wasn’t much longer because we were about done.” Labonte finished the race in the 15th position.

    Just as in the Bud Shootout and the Gatorade Duels, this running of the Daytona 500 necessitated a dance partner, with all cars running in the now familiar duo pack. The tandem racing put even more pressure on the spotters, who were not only having to guide their drivers around the track but strategize on the spotter stand as to who to partner up with next.

    “It was a pretty crazy day overall,” Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota, said. “Everything was just all over the place and pretty nuts.”

    Busch had his own set of challenges, spinning early in the race on lap 4 after getting tagged by his pusher, who was at the time Michael Waltrip.  Busch managed to recover and snag a top-ten finish, scoring in the eighth spot.

    Another major factor in the race was engine failure, especially given the hotter ambient temperature at Daytona. Both Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton lost their engines, an anomaly for sure for ECR engines.

    Harvick denied any forewarning of his engine failure, saying “No, it just let loose.”

    “I just blew water out of the bottom of the thing,” Harvick continued. “I hadn’t done anything different.”

    Burton echoed his teammate’s sentiments about the engine failure.

    “We are asking a lot out of the engines here for sure,” Burton said. “These are tough situations. I thought we were well within our limits but maybe not.”

    It would not be a Daytona 500 without the “big one” and this was delivered at lap 29 of the race.  Fourteen cars were involved, including three of the Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin, taking them for the most part out of race contention.

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr., in the spotlight due to the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of his father’s death at Daytona, also had a good run, at least until the final laps of the race when a crash took him out of contention. Earnhardt came in 24th, after claiming the pole, wrecking in practice, and starting from the rear of the field.

    “We run good,” Earnhardt, Jr. said. “I had as much fun as I could under the circumstances. It was wild.”

    Carl Edwards took the runner up spot to Bayne’s fairy tale ending.

    “Trevor, he did a good job of blocking the bottom,” Edwards said. “All day we waited and waited, trying not to tear up the race car.”

    “There at the end, it almost worked out perfectly,” Edwards continued. “We didn’t have a chance to be able to mount up a real charge on him.”

    “I think that I can tell you that second place in the Daytona 500 feels way worse than any other position I’ve ever finished in the Daytona 500,” Edwards said. “But that is made better by listening to Trevor and how excited he is. He is really a nice young man, a great guy to represent this sport with this win.”

    David Gilliland, veteran Bobby Labonte, and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five in “The Great American Race.” The rest of the top ten included Juan Pablo Montoya in sixth, Regan Smith in seventh, Kyle Busch in eighth, Paul Menard in ninth, and Mark Martin, who rebounded from the big one to finish tenth.

    Unofficial Race Results

    Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway

    February 20, 2011 – Race 1 of 36

    Pos. St. No. Driver Make Pts. Bon. Laps Status
    1 31 21 Trevor Bayne Ford 0 0 208 Running
    2 12 99 Carl Edwards Ford 42 0 208 Running
    3 5 34 David Gilliland Ford 41 0 208 Running
    4 6 47 Bobby Labonte Toyota 41 1 208 Running
    5 25 22 Kurt Busch Dodge 40 1 208 Running
    6 4 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 39 1 208 Running
    7 27 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 38 1 208 Running
    8 39 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 37 1 208 Running
    9 1 27 Paul Menard Chevrolet 36 1 208 Running
    10 34 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 34 0 208 Running
    11 35 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 34 1 208 Running
    12 42 9 Bill Elliott Chevrolet 32 0 208 Running
    13 3 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 31 0 208 Running
    14 18 6 David Ragan Ford 31 1 208 Running
    15 37 32 Terry Labonte Ford 30 1 208 Running
    16 16 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 29 1 208 Running
    17 15 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 28 1 208 Running
    18 2 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 27 1 208 Running
    19 29 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 26 1 208 Running
    20 36 77 Steve Wallace Toyota 0 0 208 Running
    21 38 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 24 1 208 Running
    22 20 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 24 2 206 Running
    23 11 20 Joey Logano Toyota 21 0 206 Running
    24 13 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 21 1 202 Running
    25 17 4 Kasey Kahne Toyota 19 0 199 Running
    26 21 36 Dave Blaney Chevrolet 19 1 198 In Pit
    27 24 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 17 0 189 Running
    28 23 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 17 1 173 Running
    29 8 2 Brad Keselowski Dodge 16 1 166 Running
    30 10 0 David Reutimann Toyota 14 0 164 Running
    31 30 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 13 0 160 Running
    32 7 38 Travis Kvapil Ford 0 0 153 In Pit
    33 33 71 Andy Lally * Chevrolet 11 0 149 Running
    34 26 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 10 0 133 Running
    35 14 16 Greg Biffle Ford 9 10 126 Running
    36 32 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 9 1 92 Out
    37 19 9 Marcos Ambrose Ford 7 0 82 Running
    38 40 37 Robert Richardson Jr. Ford 0 0 45 Running
    39 22 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 0 0 29 In Pit
    40 9 115 Michael Waltrip Toyota 4 0 28 In Pit
    41 41 192 Brian Keselowski* Dodge 3 0 28 Running
    42 28 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 3 1 22 Out
    43 43 46 J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 1 0 10 Out
  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Daytona 500

    The kickoff race for NASCAR, the Daytona 500, is always one of the biggest and most prestigious races of the season. Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 53rd running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500:

    [media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]Surprising:  In a race that set the record for lead changes, different leaders, and cautions, the biggest surprise to all, including himself, was Trevor Bayne, channeling his inner David Pearson in the famed Wood Brothers No. 21 car, to take the checkered flag.  Bayne is the second youngest race winner, accomplishing the feat on the second green, white, checkered, even while running low on gas.

    Bayne is the tenth different Ford driver to win the Daytona 500.  This was the youngster’s first win in only his second Cup Series start.

    Not Surprising:  Carl Edwards, exhibiting great patience, came in the second spot. Edwards, however, took solace in “how nice a guy Trevor is” as he savored his runner up status.

    “I don’t know if you guys noticed, but it was pretty wild out there today,” Edwards said. “But I was there at the end and that’s what I had to do.”

    Surprising: It was indeed surprising that there were no Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, or Richard Childress Racing representatives in the top five finishing order. The story instead was one of the underdog teams, with the Wood Brothers, Front Row Motorsports and JTG Daugherty instead in the top five.

    Not Surprising:   Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a great day, leading laps and staying competitive.  Unfortunately, as has happened to Junior all too often, he was caught up in a tussle on the final laps, pushing him back to a 24th place finish.

    Surprising:   Incredibly surprising was the amount of deal making prior to the race, as well as throughout the race itself. Crew chiefs and spotters were exchanging frequency numbers, and probably cell phone numbers, in the garage area so that they could communicate and work together during the race.  Even on the spotter’s stand, it was “like the New York Stock Exchange,” according to Darrell Waltrip, with deals aplenty being made.

    Not Surprising:  All of this deal-making seemed to wreak some degree of havoc on the track, including some tandem drivers causing each other to wreck. Some of the drivers, crew chiefs, and spotters seemed almost lax on their primary responsibilities as they focused instead on coordinating with other drivers and teams.

    The best example of this confusion was a radio exchange between Kyle Busch and defending Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray, who thought they would be working together until McMurray remembered that he had a deal with his teammate Juan Pablo Montoya.

    Surprising:  One of the biggest surprises was the expiration of Team Childress engines. Kevin Harvick was the first to lose his engine, early in the race on lap 22. At about lap 96, teammate Jeff Burton lost his engine.

    “We had just a 10 to 15 more degree oil temp that what we have been running,” Harvick said. “We never blow motors. Everybody at ECR does a great job.”

    “We are asking a lot out of the engines here for sure,” Burton said. “I am disappointed. Exceptionally disappointed. But I am really proud of everybody.”

    Not Surprising:  Daytona, infamous for the big one, had one of course.  Early in the race on lap 29, Michael Waltrip, former Daytona 500 winner, got into the back of his teammate David Reutimann and the big one was on.  Fourteen cars were involved in the crash, including the three Hendrick cars of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Mark Martin. Other drivers involved were Joe Nemechek, Andy Lally, Brian Vickers, Marcos Ambrose, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, A J Allmendinger, and David Gilliland.

    “Our chances to win the Daytona 500 are over,” Jeff Gordon said after the wreck. “It is such a bummer. We had such a fast race car, such a great race team.”

    Surprising:  While it is the Daytona 500 and this is the first race of the season, the crowd on hand was healthy and the excitement in the air was palpable.  Hopefully the start is a harbinger for what is in store for NASCAR for the rest of the season.

    Not Surprising:  Probably the most moving moment of the race occurred on lap 3, when the track went silent, except for the roar of the engines. The crowd stood as one, holding up three fingers in memory of the Intimidator.  There is no doubt Dale Earnhardt would have like that.

  • NASCAR Drivers and Teams Guardian Angels for Paralyzed Veterans of America

    NASCAR Drivers and Teams Guardian Angels for Paralyzed Veterans of America

    NASCAR Kurt Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., A J Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski and team owners Richard Petty and Roger Penske are used to competing out on the race track.  But this weekend they were deemed guardian angels instead to the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

    “Honestly, these NASCAR drives and owners are guardian angels,” Randy Pleva, a paralyzed veteran from West Virginia and a volunteer leader with the PVA, said. “We know we can count on them and I know that they just won’t wash their hands of us ever.”

    [media-credit id=11 align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]The new Paralyzed Veterans of America initiative, supported by NASCAR, is called ‘Mission Able’.  This effort will focus on bringing awareness to the needs of veterans who have served their country but have returned home with some sort of disability due to a war injury.

    Kurt Busch, who has participating in a karting race, The King’s Cup, to benefit PVA shared why he was involved with the organization.

    “I’ve been working with some military groups this year,” Busch said. “It’s a mind blowing experience to see what these men and women have been through. To have Penske Racing teamed up with PVA means so much.”

    “This is my first year with PVA,” Martin Truex, Jr., driver of the No. 56 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing, said. “The things the military does for us, it goes unsaid how much we appreciate it.”

    “They make the ultimate sacrifice for us to do the things we love,” Truex, Jr. continued. “We wouldn’t be here racing in the greatest country in the world. This is just a small thing that we can do that, when they come back from battle, there is someone battling to take care of them.”

    One of the longest partners on the PVA team, at least on the NASCAR driver’s side, A J Allmendinger, was glad to have some new teammates in assisting the organization. Allmendinger donated space for the PVA logo on his Rolex car when he raced at Daytona to call attention to the new PVA program ‘Mission Able.’

    “For me, it’s just an honor to be a part of the PVA,” Allmendinger said. “Every year I’ve gotten to run the PVA paint scheme during the Fourth of July.  That is a big honor.”

    “The PVA has been a big part of the King and I’ve been honored to work with the great people of the PVA,” Allmendinger continued. “What they do for this country, you can’t even put into words. When they come back, we’ve got to take care of them.”

    Brad Keselowski is also in tune with the needs of paralyzed veterans.  His new foundation has focused on wounded warriors and those who have sacrificed.

    “If you look back to the history of NASCAR, a lot of it was started by folks that had served,” Keselowski said. “So NASCAR has a long, storied tradition of being involved with the military. Today this announcement is their next evolution and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

    Keselowski also shared a personal story of a friend who was wounded by and IED.

    “You see how real it is,” Keselowski said. “And you wonder who will be taking care of him. It’s very special what the PVA does.”

    “It’s a pleasure for me to be here today,” Roger Penske, team owner and new PVA partner, said. “The men and women who serve our country are a big family as is the NASCAR family.”

    Fellow team owner, Richard Petty, a long time supporter of PVA also weighed in on why he feels so passionately about this organization and ‘Mission Able.’

    “It is the right thing to do,” Petty said. “We need to help however we can to raise money and awareness so that our military and veterans can live the lives they deserve.”

    For PVA, they again reiterated how much the NASCAR partnership has meant to their organization.

    “We are pleased to have these NASCAR drivers supporting our mission,” Bill Lawson, National President of PVA, said. “With their help, we will be able to continue changing the lives of our wounded heroes.”