Tag: Monster Mile

Weekend schedule for Dover

This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series and the Xfinity Series travel to the one-mile concrete paved oval of Dover Motor Speedway, aptly nicknamed, the Monster Mile.

Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. lead all active Cup Series drivers with three previous wins at the track. Chase Elliott leads the driver standings by a margin of 21 points but is still searching for his first win of the season.

The Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash program continues at Dover. Noah Gragson, last week’s winner at Talladega Superspeedway, has the best average finish of 9.7 at Dover. He’ll be competing against AJ Allmendinger, Ryan Sieg and Landon Cassill for the $100,000 prize.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is off this weekend but returns to competition at Darlington Raceway on May 6.

Press Pass will be available throughout the weekend.

All times are Eastern.

Friday, April 29

1:15 p.m.: ARCA Menards Series East Practice/Qualifying – No TV
3 p.m.: Xfinity Series Practice – FS1
3:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Qualifying – FS1
5:30 p.m.: ARCA General Tire 125 race – MRN

Saturday, April 30

10:30 a.m.: Cup Series Practice – FS1/MRM/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
11:15 a.m.: Cup Series Qualifying– FS1/MRM/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
1:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series A-GAME 200
200 miles = 200 laps
Stage 1 ends on Lap 45, Stage 2 ends on Lap 90, Final Stage ends on Lap 200
FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
The Purse: $1,419,713
Defending Race Winner: Austin Cindric

Sunday, May 1

3 p.m.: Cup Series DuraMAX Drydene 400 presented by RelaDyne
400 miles = 400 laps
Stage 1 ends on Lap 120, Stage 2 ends on Lap 250, Final Stage ends on Lap 400
FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
The Purse: $7,205,230
Defending Race Winner: Alex Bowman

April 27, 2022
NASCAR BTS: Landon Cassill’s Big Ride

Finishing top-20 in a grueling race at the Monster Mile on Sunday apparently was not enough for Landon Cassill. The driver of the No. 38 MDS Transport Ford for Front Row Motorsports, along with fellow competitors Jimmie Johnson and Josh Wise, took to another track on Monday, participating in a 102.7-mile bike race.

This week’s NASCAR Behind the Scenes focuses on both of Cassill’s big rides, the first at Dover and the second featuring 10,357 feet of climbing to the summit of Mt. Mitchell State Park in North Carolina.

“On Sunday at Dover, we kind of battled with our car all day and had to scratch and claw to keep ourselves in the mix,” Cassill said. “We adjusted on the car almost every pit stop. It wasn’t our best performance of the year but we were fortunate to miss the big wreck and kept going after that. I guess at the end of the day we got the points and the finish and that’s all that matters.”

“Then on Monday, we got up at 4:00 am and flew from Dover to Spartanburg, South Carolina with Jimmie Johnson on his plane,” Cassill continued. “That got us to the starting point of the bike race at the Spartanburg Auditorium in downtown Spartanburg and continued along the Blue Ridge Parkway. And then the race was up the summit of Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina.”

“Jimmie actually was the lead guy for us in terms of logistics and putting things together.”

Cassill was one of about 800 plus cyclists participating in the 41^st Assault on Mt. Mitchell, along with several other NASCAR colleagues competing to the top.

“There were a couple of other NASCAR industry guys, one from the 11 car and one of the engineers from Stewart-Haas Racing, in the competition, Cassill said. “But as far as drivers it was Jimmie, Josh and myself.”

“Josh beat us. He’s a pretty strong cyclist. Jimmie got second and I was the third of the drivers. So, I’ve got some work to do and I need to get back into bicycling shape to hang with them again.”

In fact, Josh Wise finished 55^th with a time of 6 hours, 19 minutes and 22 seconds. Jimmie Johnson was not far behind in 57^th place with a time of 6 hours, 19 minutes and 34 seconds. And Cassill finished 117^th, with a time of 6 hours, 52 minutes and 42 seconds.

“It took almost seven hours to complete,” Cassill said. “You have to carry your fluids, your food, your gels and everything you need to stay fueled up with you on the bike. I think I ingested maybe 2,000 calories during the entire ride.”

“And I probably had 150 ounces of fluid, so there were a few potty breaks and a couple stops to refuel. But I probably stopped no longer than 90 seconds at one time. It was a quick stop, refuel, get back on the bike and get back to biking.”

So, why on earth does Cassill feel compelled to put his body to such demanding tests by racing on Sunday and extreme biking on Monday?

“Well for one, it makes me a better driver,” Cassill said simply. “You know, it’s a good hobby but it’s valuable to my driving career.”
“At the end of the day, what we do in NASCAR is an endurance sport. So any type of endurance training I can do to complement that is important.”

“There is also a lot of training and a lot of work to keep the focus for that long,” Cassill said. “There are a lot of people that took twelve hours to complete the bike ride so that is pretty mentally taxing if you ask me.”

“That is also what makes what we do so special in a race car as well.”

In spite of the incredible stress that he put on himself with his two big rides in just two days, Cassill advised that he was doing well afterwards in spite of it all.

“I don’t feel that bad,” Cassill said. “I think I’ve recovered well.”

“I haven’t been training heavily the last two months and I signed up for this ride just four weeks ago. I hadn’t really trained for it, so I feel like from a fitness standpoint, mostly from my base fitness that I built up for the past few years, I’m really kind of happy that I got it done.”

Not only are these challenges good for his racing, but Cassill also feels that he is living out one of his sponsor’s values, that of Snap Fitness.

“Snap Fitness loves supporting what I do,” Cassill said. “They believe in me and our sport and our fans. Anything I do along these lines, I feel like Snap is all over it. It’s pretty cool to have their support.”

Cassill did indeed reach the mountaintop in his big ride after the Dover race. Yet in spite of that, he has set a new goal and fitness challenge for himself.

“I’m going to do a half iron man in Dublin, Ireland,” Cassill said. “So, that will be a swim, bike and a run, so I’ll add that to the cycle training.”

“This is just a good kick in the pants for me to kick start my new season of training and to set new goals.”

May 17, 2016
NASCAR BTS: Dover Seeking NASCAR’s Next Top Chef

If you’ve ever wandered through the garage or camping areas at a NASCAR race, you know that there are some excellent cooks behind the grills and elaborate spreads on race day.

This week’s NASCAR BTS takes you behind the scenes of a unique contest, sponsored by @MonsterMile , giving fans the opportunity to become NASCAR’s next top chef.

“The contest is for our fans and followers to create and send in recipes for entrée items,” Lynn Sudik, Social Media Coordinator for Dover International Speedway, said. “We have a couple of parameters. It can be a hot or cold item, but it does have to be an entrée.”

There are several other parameters that the next NASCAR top chef must meet, including that their recipe must cost less than $3 per serving to make, as well as it must be able to be mass produced. The latter criteria is because the winning entrée will actually be sold at the concession stands on race weekend.

The final rules are that all entries must include a list of ingredients, a photograph of the dish, and a brief synopsis of the inspiration for the recipe and how it relates to NASCAR racing at the Monster Mile.

“People can submit via our dedicated email account which is monstermilecontest@gmail.com and we are accepting recipes until February 10,” Sudik said. “After all of the submissions come in, we will narrow it down to four finalists who will be notified by February 17.”

“Those finalists will then have their dishes prepared for them at our Daytona 500 Watch Party on February 21. It will be held in Dover Downs Hotel and Casino at Fire and Ice.”

“We will have the dishes prepared by our chefs in the hotel for a panel of judges who will then decide who the winner is for the contest.”

Sudik is hoping that anyone who submits a recipe will plan to attend the Daytona 500 Watch Party. And the Speedway is throwing in a special incentive to entice their fans.

“They will get a free Dover throwback T-shirt if they do, while supplies last of course. So, there is definitely an incentive for entrants to come to the Watch Party for the big reveal of the winner. But the winner does not have to be present in order for their dish to be chosen.”

According to Sudik, so far there has been a steady stream of recipes being submitted since the contest began on January 4. In fact, one fan got so excited that he posted the following to the Monster Mile website.

“I want to be in this contest. My entree is a Red Wine Marinated Black Angus Ribeye with a Mixed Pepper Salsa. This is the same entree I used at the Crew Chef Challenge at Pocono July 30, 2004. And yes, I won the contest. I have also cooked this entree for several teams at the track, including Morgan Shepherd and Carl Long at Dover. So let’s get cooking. I am ready to win.”

Sudik is hoping that kind of excitement continues all the way through the contest deadline and judging.

“We’ve got some good recipes that I actually want to try myself,” Sudik said. “So, we’re really excited about it and we think it’s going to produce some really tasty dishes.”

“We’ve got a wide variety of recipes like sandwiches and burgers but also some chicken dishes. It’s up to your imagination. I don’t want to reveal so much because there are such good recipes coming in.”

“It will be tough for the judges to decide on a winner.”

Not only does the winner have the privilege of being the Monster Mile’s top chef, but they also will get an experience of a lifetime come race day.

“The winner also gets two tickets and two cold passes to the May 15 Sprint Cup race here at the Monster Mile,” Sudik said. “They will also have their meals taken care of that day. We will also have a feature article about the winner on our website, in the spring souvenir program and across our social media platform.”

So, why is Dover Speedway undertaking the search for NASCAR’s next top chef?

“We’re always trying to figure out different ways to engage our fans and followers, especially during the off-season when the NASCAR news is a little slower,” Sudik said. “We thought this would be a good opportunity to generate some buzz and really involve our fans in our property.”

“At the end of the day, it is all about our fans.”

January 27, 2016
Surprising and Not Surprising: Monster Mile AAA 400

The first elimination race, otherwise known as ‘It’s Over in Dover’, produced some very surprising and not surprising moments in the 46th running of the AAA 400 at the Monster Mile.

Surprising: Typically there are a few monstrous wrecks at Dover that collect several drivers at a time. But with the surprising lack of any major crashes and thanks to an unusual parts failure, six-time champion Jimmie Johnson was eliminated from further Chase contention.

The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet finished 41st, with just Jeb Burton, who solo crashed twice, and Brett Moffitt, who solo crashed once, finished behind him.

“I don’t know exactly what happened,” Johnson said. “That’s racing. I’ve lost championships this way and I’ve won championships this way. It’s not the way we wanted to end the season, but it’s racing and there’s not much we can do.”

“It wasn’t meant to be.”

Not Surprising: Promises were made and promises were kept on this race day. Kevin Harvick promised that he would stay the course, keep confident, and believe in his team. And that promise not only led him to Victory Lane but also to fulfill his other promise, to allow son Keelan to keep the Miles the Monster trophy in his room for the night after the race.

“He’s been asking for the Monster trophy for a couple years,” Harvick said. “Before the race started, we got him a little figurine just in case things didn’t work out today so he wasn’t disappointed.”

“I’m just so proud of everyone from Stewart-Haas Racing to do what we’ve done the last three weeks,” the driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Jimmy Johns Chevrolet continued. “We weren’t in a great position coming into today. But that’s what this team is made of and that’s what teamwork is all about.”

“This is what it’s all about, those big-time moments.”

This was Harvick’s first-ever win at Dover International Speedway, which made his promise keeping all the sweeter.

Surprising: Although advancing to the next round of the Chase for his final time ever, Jeff Gordon admitted to a major freak-out moment.

“I wouldn’t call it ‘drama-free’, the driver of the No. 24 AARP Member Advantages Chevrolet said. “I was freaking out there at the end.”

“We’ve gone through a lot and it hasn’t been pretty,” Gordon continued. “That’s kind of the way today was. We knew we needed to be in the top 10 or top 11, or maybe 12th, if we were lucky. We did that.”

“Until the end, when that caution came out and people swapped-up their strategy; we just got ate up on that restart and were falling back and I didn’t know what was going to happen. So, it wasn’t easy.”

“We’ll reset and go see what we can do in the next three (races).”

Not Surprising: It was the best of times and the worst of times for the driver of the No. 15 5-hour Energy Toyota. Clint Bowyer started the race in Dover in the worst of positions due to a significant penalty and then finished 14th, which was not good enough to advance to the next round of the Chase.

“Our 5-hour ENERGY Toyota was good today – I’d say a top-five car,” Bowyer said after the race. “We just had some bad luck with that loose wheel early on. We got two laps down but were able to make those up.”

“Real proud of everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing for all their hard work to get us in the Chase. Just sorry we aren’t able to go to the next round.”

The MWR driver did experience the best of times prior to the race, however, as he secured his future racing prospects. Bowyer announced that he will race for HScott Motorsports in 2016 and then will fill the seat of the retiring Tony Stewart in 2017.

Surprising: Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates had a great Dover race, with Jamie McMurray finishing fourth and Kyle Larson finishing ninth. And even though he missed the Chase due to a tiebreaker with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., McMurray was surprisingly able to celebrate that good finish.

“We were driving so hard those last few laps,” McMurray said. “We haven’t run this well so I’m thrilled with our performance today. We weren’t able to make it to the next round, but it was a good day for this team. We just needed one more point.”

Not Surprising: It was the good, the bad, and the ugly for the driver of the No. 2 Wurth Ford Fusion.

“We survived kind of ugly today, but I’d rather survive ugly than not survive pretty,” Keselowski said after finishing 16^th while still moving on to the next round of the Chase. “We’ll take it and move on and realize that everything we’ve done from this point in the season doesn’t really mean anything.”

“Everything is back to scratch and that’s probably a good thing for us this year.”

Surprising: Aric Almirola, behind the wheel of the No. 43 Nathan’s Famous Ford, was the highest finishing Ford, snatching a fifth place finish from the Monster.

“That was a good run for us,” Almirola said. “I’m really proud of the guys. That’s two top-5s in a row here at Dover. It was a really good job. We just struggled with getting the car in the racetrack most of the day and right there at the end four tires paid off for us. That was some really good adjustments by Trent and the guys and the pit crew did a good job getting me off pit road and just a really solid day for us.”

Not Surprising: There was another weird animal sighting during this race, following squirrels, foxes and other various critters at some of the other tracks. This time, it was a duck that caused a bit of chaos, landing on the track and then flying off to rest on pit road.

Surprising: While every other driver was worrying about the points and where they were running, there was one driver who was taking a devil may care attitude towards it all. Kyle Busch, behind the wheel of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, finished in the runner-up position, which was good enough to move forward with his championship hopes.

“I wasn’t doing any thinking about the points,” Kyle Busch said. “I think when you’re in the position that we were in when we were running second there the whole race, you don’t have to watch it.”

“You just do the best you can and that was the best that we were going to do today. Fortunately, we came out with that finish and second-place was what we needed to do.”

“The points reset so we’re back even with those guys and hopefully we can have a good, solid next three races.”

Not Surprising: In spite of not having a single driver in the Chase, Roush Fenway Racing continues to improve as they look to the 2016 season. Their best finishing driver at Dover was Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., who finished top ten, in fact in the eighth position.

“I’m really proud of my team,” Stenhouse said. “We didn’t get much practice this weekend due to the weather but felt like we had a strong Fastenal Ford during the limited practice we had on Saturday. We’ve been focusing on being consistent and we have finished inside the top-20 the past four races. We will keep building and take the momentum into the off-season as we prepare for the 2016 season.”

Surprising: There was one driver that was still upset in spite of working his way from the rear of the field to finish ninth. Martin Truex Jr. was sent to the back from pit road due to the right rear being bowed out and had to work his way forward in order to move to the next round in the Chase.

“We don’t do anything that any of the other teams don’t do,” Truex Jr. said. “They tried to make an example out of us for some reason today. We just stayed focused. We didn’t have a great car, but we fought it and fought it.”

“We did what we needed to do.”

Not Surprising: Forget the Monster, at least one driver moving forward in the Chase had his eye on the next biggest challenge, Talladega. Joey Logano pulled off a tenth place finish at Dover but was definitely looking ahead to the next round.

“It’s nice to race that way, but we’re back to zero now,” the driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford said. “I think this next round is the most important. It’s really hard to get through it when you look at Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega in particular.”

October 4, 2015
NASCAR BTS: The Woman Behind the Monster

With the Dover, Delaware race weekend up next on the NASCAR schedule, fans are no doubt following Dover International Speedway on Facebook and @MonsterMile on Twitter to catch all the track doings, news and updates.

So just who is responsible for all the social media coming out of the Monster Mile? This week’s NASCAR Behind the Scenes reveals just who is behind that ‘monster’ and some may be surprised that it is actually a very talented young woman, Lynn Sudik.

“I am the Social Media Coordinator – that’s my official title,” Sudik said. “I handle all the social media for the track, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Vine, Reddit, Snap Chat, Periscope and there may be one or two others that I’m missing. But hopefully, I’ve named them all!

“I create all the content on all of those outlets to promote our races. On race weekend, I’m running around taking pictures and encouraging people to stop by the Fan Zone. I’m tracking driver appearances and everything else that we have going on.

“I’m also part of the overall Communications Team. So, I help with things like maintaining our website, creating content for our souvenir program, content for our fan guide, media guide and things like that.”

While Sudik has completed her undergraduate degree and is even pursuing her graduate degree in sports administration from Ohio University, her passion for racing also shone through as she described her background.

“I have wanted to work in motorsports for a very long time,” Sudik said. “I was born in Indianapolis so I got bitten by the racing bug very early on. What I love most about my job is that I get to do what I love. I’ve been coming to races as a fan for a very long time. And to be able to have that be my day-to-day job makes it feel like it’s not work.

“I’ve been here a little over a year, starting in April 2014, and I still have days, especially during race weekend where I have to stop and think ‘Do I really get paid to do this?’ It’s so incredible.”

While Sudik loves her work, she acknowledged some challenges, especially just keeping up with all of the emerging social media.

“With social media, there are always new things coming up and it’s always figuring out what is the best move for us and for our audience,” Sudik said. “You don’t have to be on every social media channel just because it’s out there. But you have to figure out what makes the most sense.

“Periscope is a great example. It really took off, thankfully right around our race. So, we were one of the first tracks to adopt it and now everybody jumped at the band wagon. Trying to keep up with trends and figuring out ways to make them work for us in our promotion is probably the biggest challenge in my work.”

Has anything ever gone viral for Sudik in her Monster role?

“A lot of the things I post about Dale Earnhardt Jr. get a lot of attention,” Sudik said. “I like to show my sense of humor in our posts. So, I found a picture of a squirrel; it was a meme. He had his arms out and it was right before the Daytona 500. And the caption is ‘NASCAR returns this weekend…can I get an Amen?’ And it got a couple thousand likes and a ton of shares and comments on Facebook.

“I always love to post things like that so fans say ‘Hey, Dover’s funny.’”

One of Sudik’s favorite aspects of her role is interacting with the race fans, with whom she closely identifies.

“I plan a Tweetup every race weekend so that’s a cool way to get out there and meet people,” Sudik said. “If I’m walking around and I see a family that has a cool shirt on, I might take a picture of that. We always have our newlyweds at track. At our spring race, we had a couple wearing a bride and a groom hat with a sign that they were on their honeymoon. And so I got a picture of that and posted it.

“Actually Periscope has been a really awesome way to interact with fans just because when you’re live, people can ask you questions in real time. So the questions and comments are scrolling through as you are broadcasting. You can verbally respond in the moment so it’s a really cool way to get that interaction.”

Another fan interaction program that Sudik has helped create and develop is the programming for kids at the track.

“Monster Mile Youth Nation is our brand new kids’ club,” Sudik said. “It’s for race fans ages 14 and other. It’s a great way to introduce that next generation of fans to the track and to NASCAR itself.

“On race weekend, we have a designated Monster Mile Youth Nation area in our Monster Fun Zone. That’s where people go to pick up their welcome gift, which every member receives. It includes a water bottle, a die-cast car, a magnet, and a merchandise coupon. You also get a Fan Vision rental for the weekend, which is a $50 value for your $20 membership.

“This is the first year so we are trying out new things and trying to make it grow. The goal is to have interaction with kids on a regular basis. We are working on a newsletter, a micro-site with games, a NASCAR 101 section, and more information about the Monster Mile. I’d love to have events on non-race weekends as well for the members.”

From Periscoping all over the track to interacting with the kids, Sudik is most looking forward to this upcoming race weekend at Dover International Speedway.

“It’s really cool that we have an elimination race,” Sudik said. “That’s a huge draw and is so significant because there are only three tracks that are elimination races. That’s really, really cool.

“The fall race should be interesting with the Chase and the stakes being really high. How will Kyle Busch do? And will Jeff Gordon get another Monster trophy in his last try at the track?

“This is my dream job so I just love it when NASCAR is in town,” Sudik said passionately. “I can’t wait for everyone to be back and for cars to be on the track. I love the sound. I love the smell.

“It should be a really good show.”

September 28, 2015
Jeremy Clements Teams Up with Delaware Office of Highway Safety at Dover

Jeremy Clements Racing and the Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) are teaming up at Dover International Speedway in the Hisense 200 Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, to remind fans to Drive Sober and Arrive Alive. The OHS is challenging fans to make smart choices and plan ahead when deciding how to get home after a party or happy hour.

Jeremy’s No. 51 Chevrolet Camaro SS Team Clements “Drive Sober” car theme and message will be promoting alternative ways of getting home besides driving after drinking, such as taking a taxi, Uber, Lyft, calling a sober friend or taking public transit. Jeremy has two career Top 10s in 10 career starts at the Monster Mile with the last one coming earlier this year.

Race weekend at Dover Speedway the OHS will be reminding fans that driving under the influence of alcohol is not only dangerous, it’s illegal. The OHS will have an interactive display in the Monster Mile FanZone where race fans can pledge to either always drive sober or be a designated driver. Fans can test and compare their motor skills against Jeremy in various games such as simulated impaired cornhole and the impaired tricycle track. Jeremy Clements will also make guest appearances at the display to meet with fans and sign autographs. Prizes such as Team Clements Drive Sober T-shirts and lanyards will be given away to those fans who participate in weekend activities.

The OHS is now in its 15th year. Checkpoint Strikeforce is a six-month statewide enforcement campaign that features an increased number of DUI checkpoints and patrols every weekend from July 1 through Dec. 31. The goal of Checkpoint Strikeforce is to stop impaired driving throughout Delaware. Any driver who fails a field sobriety test and is found to be over Delaware’s Blood Alcohol Concentration Limit of .08; will face severe legal and financial consequences. There is no leniency for first-time offenders. In fact, just one DUI can change your life. The OHS wants everyone to drive safe and Arrive Alive. Visit www.DUIrealtime.com for public information on the campaign.

Team Clements is scheduled to be on track with the “Drive Sober” No. 51 machine Friday Oct. 2 for final practice from 1:30 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 3 for qualifying at 12:15 a.m. and take the Green Flag at 3:46 p.m. in the Hisense 200.

About Jeremy Clement Racing – Jeremy Clements Racing (www.jeremyclements51.com) is a single car, family owned race team competing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series with Jeremy Clements driving the No. 51 Chevrolet. The team was founded in 2010 and operates its race shop in Spartanburg, SC. Follow Jeremy on Twitter @JClements51 and the Team @JCR_Clements51 for updates and Like on Facebook at Jeremy Clements Racing.

September 23, 2015
Surprising and Not Surprising: Monster Mile FedEx 400

The heat was on both on and off the track at the Monster Mile and here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 46th annual running of the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International speedway.

Surprising: It seemed that for many drivers, Miles the Monster not only bit them on the track but also in the pits. Carl Edwards had a terrible pit stop, with one of his pit crew members face planting after not being able to disengage the wrench from the back of the car. Edwards also suffered a pit road speeding penalty to add salt to the wound.

“We had a couple problems on pit lane, but the biggest problem was my speeding,” Edwards said. “I didn’t realize I couldn’t speed in that segment so I was being a little aggressive and that cost us.”

“I did not want to finish 19th today. I thought we had a top-three car, so just frustrating. But, once we got back there man it’s very hard to get track position.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was also bitten by the Monster on pit road as he too got tagged for speeding. The driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet later tweeted “We worked hard as hell all day. The car was fast. I f’d up and sped on pit road. It happens. Passed a lot of cars and had fun considering.”

Dale Junior ended the race in the 14th position.

Not Surprising: Oops he did it again. In spite of qualifying 14th, Jimmie Johnson won again at Dover, scoring a perfect ten at that race track. And with that he became the only the fifth driver in NASCAR history to win ten races at a single track, joining Richard Petty, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt.

This was also Johnson’s fourth win of the season.

“What a long hard fought day to get to the front,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Pro Services Chevrolet said. We did a great job hanging in there. My pit stops were awesome.”

“It was just an awesome day at the race track.

Surprising: The Monster Mile has often been compared to Bristol on steroids, but the tracks also had something else in common with each other, that of tempers flaring. Martin Truex Jr., who again led the most laps yet finished in the sixth position, had a run in with Kasey Kahne, who finished fourth.

“Martin was back behind me to get a run on me, obviously; the spotter said I was clear, so I just went to the bottom getting into (Turn) 1. I think he was a little upset. He gave me a bump after the race. But I don’t know. I didn’t really know what else to do other than to go there with guys on my outside, and stuff.”

“He ran me down on the apron,” Truex said of Kahne. “So, I either had to let off or wreck all of us.”

Kyle Busch, behind the wheel of the No. 18 Skittles Toyota, also was unhappy with Brian Scott and vice versa after an on-track incident that cost both of them good finishes.

“I guess Brian (Scott) said his spotter didn’t say anything and he just chopped the corner and I was under him already and it just sucked me around,” Busch said. “I hate it. This is a shame. This isn’t what we need, and we weren’t going to win today, but it doesn’t help when you finish 40th.”

The final dust up occurred between Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer, who also exchanged words after the race was over.

“It was a bad day,” Hamlin said. “Bowyer just said he was sorry. He ran into the back of us and wrecked us. That was it.”

Not Surprising: The Monster Mile itself had some issues reminiscent of last year with parts of the track coming up, as well as a patch crumbling in Tony Stewart’s pits.

And in typical Smoke style, he asked this of his team on his in-car audio about his crumbling pit staff, “Is that Andreas fault type s*it?”

Surprising: Trevor Bayne, who has been struggling recently had double trouble at Dover, wrecking as well as getting called to the hauler because he exited his car before safety workers arrived.

“It is really unfortunate,” Bayne said. “I am not sure what else to say about it. I felt we were making progress on our race car. I don’t think we had a great car today by any means, but you never want to tear them up by any means. It really stinks.”

Not Surprising: It seems that when Jimmie Johnson finishes first, there is one driver always right behind him. Kevin Harvick in his No. 4 Ditech Chevrolet took the runner-up spot yet again, pronouncing his run a ‘good solid day.’

“We just struggled at the end of the race on restarts, really all day on the restarts,” Harvick said. “All in all, everybody did a great job, and I think when you look at Dover it’s been a good racetrack for us. We’ve led laps and just haven’t quite finished it yet, but a good, solid day.”

Surprising: Sometimes even champions know that it is better to be lucky than good. And that pretty much described the day of the driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet Jeff Gordon.

“We just aren’t good enough to be further up there,” Gordon said. “We have some work to do. We fought hard today that is for sure. I like the fight, but we have to get better than that.”

Not Surprising: As the drivers battled such a difficult track, it was no wonder that there were plenty of hoods up on pit road, including the cars of Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Austin Dillon.

“Not really sure, we broke something in the suspension and I’m not really sure what,” Kenseth said after his hood went up ending his day in the 39th position.

Surprising: Kyle Larson finally pulled off what he called the ‘first real kind of solid finish of the year’ as he took the checkered flag in the third position in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet.

“Really good run for us, first top three of the year, first real kind of solid finish of the year,” Larson said. “Proud of my guys for the job they did to rebound from last week to bring a better car to the racetrack.”

“That was just a nice solid day.”

Not Surprising: Paul Menard, in his usual quiet style, had a great run at the Monster Mile, finishing 8th in his No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet.

“Good day, we made some really good adjustments,” Menard said. “Overall a good day. We just haven’t been finishing where we have been running. To come away from Dover with a top 10, we should have been top five, but our lane just didn’t go at the end.”

Surprising: A group of drivers and NASCAR met prior to the Dover race to discuss how to improve racing, as well as how to keep those behind the wheel safe.

“We’ve been trying to get all of our drivers together for about a year now, trying to get all of our ideas in one room together,” Denny Hamlin said Sunday morning at Dover. “NASCAR knew we were trying to form a line of communication, so they helped us start a driver council which gives us that forum to allow us to talk about things we want to talk about.”

“I’m glad NASCAR wanted to do it and I think it gives us all a better opportunity to sit down and talk about why they make the decisions they make,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “We can talk about potential ideas to make sport better in a good, controlled atmosphere. It works really nice.

Not Surprising: Aric Almirola, driver of the No. 43 Smithfield Ford scored his first top-five of the season. And though he was pleased with the finish, the Petty driver acknowledged that was one of his hardest fought runs to date.

“I earned my money today that is for sure,” said Almirola. “This Smithfield Ford Fusion was tight early. Trent Owens and the guys made really good adjustments on the car and got it better and better. Finally, we weren’t the lucky dog, we raced and stayed on the lead lap, and when the caution came out, we got a chance to restart with the leaders. That was the big break for us.”

“It was a great day for us, a really good points day for us,” Almirola continued. “I am proud of Trent and all the guys at Richard Petty Motorsports. They have been working their guts out trying to bring better cars to the race track week in and week out.”

“All in all, it was a good day for us, and I am ready to go to Pocono.”

June 1, 2015
Megan Ruger Fulfills National Anthem Dream at Monster Mile

From singing music on the streets of Nashville to participating in The Voice competition, Megan Ruger fulfilled another dream of singing the National Anthem in one of her biggest venues yet, the NASCAR race track at Dover, Delaware.

“It’s the toughest song to sing as everyone knows,” Ruger said. “So, to sing it in front of thousands of people and viewers, it is very nerve-wracking but it is also an accomplishment when you complete it.

“When you hit the high notes and there is the intensity of the crowd, it is so neat. And to sing that song is very emotional because I am so respectful of our troops that serve for us.

“I’ve been singing the National Anthem since I was sixteen years old at Veteran’s memorials, concert venues, before main acts, with honor guards. I’ve always sang it since I was young and that’s just been a part of me.”

Ruger is a fan of motorsports, especially NASCAR, although this is her first time at an actual race at the uppermost level of the sport. She also had the ability to prepare and warm up for her National Anthem performance for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race by singing it at the XFINITY race on Saturday as well.

“I love fast cars and speed and danger,” Ruger said. “But this is my actual first NASCAR race and so I’m really excited. I sang the National Anthem in the XFINITY race so I guess that was sort of a warm up of what race day is.

I’ve always gone to stock car races back home and I have a couple of friends that race but nothing of this magnitude.”

Ruger’s journey to the Monster Mile race track at Dover, Delaware has been an interesting, one that has taken her from street performances all the way to the national stage of the television show The Voice.

“I moved to Nashville seven years ago from Wisconsin,” Ruger said. “I had been having a great time playing on Broadway in Nashville, which is the main strip where many singers get their start in Nashville.

I learned a lot there, but I also learned that making a living there is very tough. There are a lot of great singers in Nashville. So, playing for tips was a very interesting lifestyle. You don’t pay your bills unless you make enough tips.

So, when The Voice came around, I decided to do the show to try to take my career to the next level and to move from Nashville to a more nationwide audience. I wanted to win The Voice but I really wanted a car!

But seriously, I wanted a team behind me so that’s why I did the show. It is difficult being a solo artist and having to do everything yourself, like doing my own booking, my social media, being the boss of the band. But now since the show, I have a manager working with me and a booking agent working with me. But I still do a lot on my own, which helps me as a businesswoman and growing artist and an adult.

It’s definitely not easy. I had to get my band ready to go to Richmond where I’m doing a show after I sing the National Anthem. I’ll drive really fast like a NASCAR driver to get there. I really wanted to go out on that track today!”

Ruger is also hoping that her performance will continue to call attention to the cause featured in the NASCAR race at the Monster Mile, the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks.

“Pretty much ever since I’ve been thirteen years old, I’ve babysat for families and I love kids. There is a family I work with where the child has autism,” Ruger said. “I just love working with him because he is so full of joy. It’s amazing to see how the family works together and I hope there is more awareness that comes from this to help families like them.”

“I love working with kids, especially those with special needs. There is a place in my heart for kids like that.”

Ruger acknowledged that she is as passionate about the strength of young women as she is about those with special needs. And she hopes that by singing the National Anthem in front of such a wide audience that she shows that girls truly can do anything.

“I think it’s really important for a female to be strong,” Ruger said. “It should be more equal and girls should realize that they can do the same job that any guy can if you just put your heart, soul and mind into it.

I think with young females today, they just need to find that passion and just go for it. I try to do that with girls in schools and told them to follow their dreams. Every time I sign my name for a younger fan, I always write ‘Follow your dreams’ and I’m super passionate about that.

You can show the world that you are more than they imagined. That’s one of my original songs actually.”

So, what does singing the National Anthem at the NASCAR race in front of one of the biggest crowds, including her family, mean to Ruger?

“If I could sum up how I feel about singing the anthem it would be blessed and grateful,” Ruger said. “I’m carrying my grandpa’s ashes with me. My grandma is watching me so it will be really cool that she will see that I have him with me.

I’m just truly grateful and blessed that I can do what I do every day. And I’m hoping that I can make a change in the world somehow.

I get kind of emotional singing the anthem. It’s just a very powerful song. I try to not over or under sing it.”

“I hope I make Francis Scott Key happy.”

May 31, 2015

Tyler Reddick Burns Down Monster Mile’s House with Truck Win

Tyler Reddick, driving the No. 19 BBR Music Group Ford for Brad Keselowski Racing, burned down Monster Mile’s house and headed to Victory Lane for the second time this season. Reddick took the lead late in the race and never let go to take the checkered flag in the 16^th annual Lucas Oil 200.

This was also Reddick’s first win at the infamous Monster Mile.

“We worked really hard for this,” Reddick said. “I knew we had a top-five truck at the start of the race. It’s great to get a win for everybody back home and a great way to get the season started for us.”

Owner Brad Keselowski was also very proud of his young driver, especially since he is in contention for the championship just eleven points shy of leader Matt Crafton.

“It certainly was a great day but for us and it was kind of a landmark day,” Keselowski said. “We’ve got a lot to be proud of and we’ve got our focus on the championship. Tyler ran a partial season last year and a full season this year but it’s still his first season. So, it’s nice to see that come together the way it has and it’s going to be an exciting finish from here.”

“There is a lot of racing left to do but I think you saw today that there are so many great competitors out there. The championship battle will come down the end and these wins are going to make the difference.”

Reddick’s win was not without controversy as he had a run in with Jennifer Jo Cobb, who was incredibly annoyed and expressed her anger by staying on the track and sharing a gesture or two before taking the obligatory ambulance ride to the care center.

“We were in lap traffic early on in the race and Jennifer pulled up as I was trying to pass another vehicle,” Reddick said. “She looked like she was going to get me three-wide and then she closed the door.”

“So, I rode up to try to avoid getting in the back of her but she just got loose when I was right behind her and ended up spinning. It’s a real shame and I understand when something like that happens”

“I just feel really bad for her for that happening to them and their team.”

Daniel Suarez, behind the wheel of the No. 51 ARRIS Toyota, finished second in the race. This was his first top-ten finish at Dover and his fifth top-10 finish in 2015.

“Well for sure the whole of 2015 so far has been different from my 2014,” Suarez said. “I’m very lucky. To have fast race cars every weekend is just great.”

“I feel like I’m learning a lot every single weekend. Kyle (Busch) has been helping us as well. We are getting closer and closer.”

The most disappointed driver yet one who finished in the third spot was Erik Jones, whose two-tire strategy simply did not pan out the way he wanted.

“I was in on the call and we just didn’t have the time left. It was a solid day for us but it’s just a shame that we couldn’t bring it home,” Jones said. “It’s definitely frustrating and even more frustrating at this moment.”

“It just really hurts being that close to a win and it’s a bummer for this race team. But we made a call to take two and that was a lot of laps on lefts. And it showed at the end.”

“We’ll take it and move on and just keep getting better.”

Jones was the highest finishing rookie of the race.

Daniel Hemric, Matt Crafton, Ben Kennedy, Ryan Blaney, Brandon Jones, Johnny Sauter and Tyler Young rounded out the top-ten finishers. The complete race results are as follows:

2015 NCWTS Lucas Oil 200 Race Results

.Fin	Str	Trk	Driver	Team	Lap	Pts	BPts	Status	TLd	LLd
1	4	19	Tyler Reddick	BBR Music Group Ford	200	47	4	Running	3	40
2	5	51	Daniel Suarez(i)	ARRIS Toyota	200	0		Running
3	2	4	Erik Jones #	Special Olympics World Games Toyota	200	42	1	Running	1	50
4	19	14	Daniel Hemric #	California Clean Power Chevrolet	200	40		Running
5	3	88	Matt Crafton	Rip It/Menards Toyota	200	40	1	Running	1	3
6	18	11	Ben Kennedy	Local Motors Toyota	200	38		Running
7	1	29	Ryan Blaney(i)	Cooper Standard Ford	200	0		Running	1	33
8	12	33	Brandon Jones #	AGRA Industries Chevrolet	200	36		Running
9	16	98	Johnny Sauter	Smokey Mountain/Curb Records Toyota	200	35		Running
10	25	2	Tyler Young	Randco Industries/Young’s Building Supplies	199	34		Running
11	20	7	Ray Black Jr. #	Scubalife.com Chevrolet	199	34	1	Running	1	1
12	13	23	Spencer Gallagher #	Allegiant Travel Chevrolet	199	32		Running
13	10	0	Cole Custer	Haas Automation Chevrolet	198	33	2	Running	5	67
14	15	86	Brandon Brown	Coastal Carolina University Chevrolet	196	30		Running
15	22	94	Timmy Hill	Testoril Chevrolet	195	29		Running
16	21	82	Austin Hill	Empire Racing Ford	192	28		Running
17	27	8	Korbin Forrister #	Tilted Kilt Chevrolet	190	27		Running
18	17	5	John Wes Townley	Zaxby’s Chevrolet	178	26		Running
19	24	50	Travis Kvapil	BurnieGrill.com Chevrolet	178	25		Running
20	14	17	Timothy Peters	Red Horse Racing Toyota	136	25	1	Accident	3	5
21	7	13	Cameron Hayley #	Carolina Nut Company Toyota	136	24	1	Running	1	1
22	6	8	John H. Nemechek #	MeetBall Chevrolet	136	22		Running
23	31	74	Tim Viens	RacedaySponsor.com Chevrolet	127	21		Rear End
24	28	1	Ryan Ellis	Chevrolet	90	20		Accident
25	8	54	Justin Boston #	ROKMobile.com Toyota	65	19		Accident
26	32	6	Norm Benning	Chevrolet	61	18		Suspension
27	23	45	BJ McLeod	Chevrolet	56	17		Ignition
28	26	63	Justin Jennings	Mittler Bros Machine & Tools/Ski Soda Chevrolet	33	16		Accident
29	11	15	Mason Mingus	811 Call Before You Dig Chevrolet	32	15		Accident
30	9	97	Jesse Little	Carolina Nut Company Toyota	32	14		Accident
31	29	36	Tyler Tanner	Mittler Bros Machine & Tools/Ski Soda Chevrolet	15	13		Vibration
32	30	10	Jennifer Jo Cobb	POW-MIAFamilies.org Chevrolet	12	12		Accident

May 29, 2015

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Doubling Down in Dover

In addition to trying to conquer the Monster Mile, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is doing his own version of the Dover double down by also trying to conquer autism.

The driver of the No. 17 Ford EcoBoost Ford for Roush Fenway Racing took to the links for the Artie Kempner Drive for Autism golf tournament event on Thursday prior to practice and qualifying on Friday at the Dover track.

“It’s really neat,” Stenhouse said. “This was the third or fourth year that I’ve been involved with the Drive for Autism golf tournament. Artie Kempner is a great guy in our garage and very well-respected. He really enjoys us coming and schedules it at a perfect time so we can attend.”

While Stenhouse enjoyed the golfing, for him the Drive for Autism tournament is all about the kids, many of whom are on the autism spectrum, who are there to see their racing heroes.

“We sign in and then we get to meet all the kids,” Stenhouse said. “You see how excited they are for you to be there and to be helping to raise money for autism. All of the kids are sitting at tables and everyone goes around and signs autographs. We do hero cards so they can have those.”

“Then then you see how much everyone raises in that golf tournament alone and how much it is used to help kids with autism, especially for kids who are transitioning out of school and into adulthood and getting jobs.”

“I’m very honored to be a part of it.”

Stenhouse will also be carrying the puzzle piece Autism logo on his No. 17 race car, as are most of the other drivers in the Roush Fenway stable.

“We just play a small part in calling attention to autism,” Stenhouse said. “We don’t think we’re helping that much by putting a sticker on the car but in other people’s eyes, it is a big thing.”

“So we really enjoy helping out.”

While Stenhouse and his team, including fellow driver Danica Patrick, did well in the Drive for Autism golf tournament, he was most proud of his team’s performance during the putting contest.

“The golf game was good,” Stenhouse said. “We shot really well as a team – Danica and three other guys that are very good at golf. We had a lot of fun and ended up shooting sixteen under.”

“We birdied every hold but two and then we got to the putting contest. And Danica won that contest so that was really exciting.”

“She was the only one out of every group that got that putt. It was probably a 40 foot putt to the right. A couple of us got really close; I think mine hit the edge of the cup and kept going past. I had a little too much speed on mine. Hers was dead center.”

“So, the golf was fun, the event was fun. We had to stop one time because of lightning but it never rained. We had a good time.”

After conquering the golf event, Stenhouse Jr. turned his attention to the second part of the Dover double down by taking the track at the Monster Mile. He was fourteenth in the first practice with a speed of 162.104 and a time of 22.208.

“It is a tough track,” Stenhouse said. “We’ve had some decent runs here in the Cup car and in the Xfinity car, with some top-fives. The Cup car we haven’t been real fast but we’ve gotten some solid finishes out of it.”

“So, this week so far I think we’ve got a better race car than what we had here last year. It’s a real fine balance of if you get your car too tight or too loose and where in the corner is your car good. You’d like to be dead on the bottom and run around there. But in the race, that line gets all rubbered up and real slick.”

“So, the first practice went really well and hopefully we can continue from there.”

Stenhouse also acknowledged the importance of qualifying, the difficulty of pit road and the changes in the tires and set up that happens at the Monster Mile.

“I think the toughest thing at Dover is you have to qualify well because it’s hard to pass,” Stenhouse said. “But the biggest thing is getting to pit road under green. It’s really tricky. I’ve seen some crashes right around me coming to pit road. So, I always like to be a little cautious coming to pit road, especially the first few times under green flag conditions.”

“The tires are different,” Stenhouse continued. “But it’s the same for everybody. “When you go out in practice and you see say Jimmie Johnson being at the top of the leaderboard, he’s got the same tires you’ve got. So, you just work on it and try to be the fastest with that set of tires.”

“It’s a challenge every year having different stuff but it’s good for us when we’re changing our cars around. I feel like we’re getting better cars. And a different tire makes everyone change their set ups around. So, maybe we can catch up a little quicker when they do change tires.”

Another factor that will apparently rear its potentially ugly head at the Monster Mile and have an impact on Stenhouse’s double down is the weather.

“It looks like Sunday may not be very good weather but we got cloud coverage now for practice,” Stenhouse said. “Hopefully it will stay like that all weekend. I would say the cloud cover or not is the biggest thing with race tracks. The sun really seems to affect the race track quite a bit.”

“Right now, I think we feel everything will be comparable with the cloud cover that we have.”

In spite of the potential weather and other challenges, Stenhouse Jr. expressed his hope that this is a lucky weekend with good odds for a stellar finish for his Roush Fenway team.

“We were good in practice and we were close,” Stenhouse said. “So, a little bit more and we could be really good but we don’t want to over-adjust it. We’re making small changes and trying to keep us in the game.”

“Greg (Biffle, teammate) has been really good here and Roush Fenway has had some really good runs here as well,” Stenhouse said. “So, we’ve got a lot of good notes.”

“Now that the horsepower is down, similar to the XFINITY cars, we’ve got a lot of laps at these tracks in low horsepower. We feel really good about what I need to feel out on the race track to be fast.”

“We’re a little bit closer this weekend than the last two times here so I’m looking forward to a good run.”

May 29, 2015