Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Hornaday Wins NCTS O'Reilly 200
By Tim Tuttle, Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (June 28, 2008) -- Ron Hornaday Jr. led the final 129 laps and survived a green-white-checkered finish to win the O'Reilly 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Saturday night at Memphis Motorsports Park.
Hornaday's victory in the Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet was his third of the season and boosted him into the points lead, 27 in front of Matt Crafton. It was Hornaday's 36th career victory in the series, tops all-time.
Erik Darnell was second in a Roush Fenway Racing Ford and Crafton third in his ThorSport Racing Chevrolet.
Hornaday led 139 of the 204 laps, four over the scheduled distance on the .75-mile track. He pulled away from Darnell on the overtime restart, leading by two truck lengths into the first corner, and was never threatened. Hornaday's margin of victory was .269 seconds.
Each Memphis race winner is presented with a statuette of Elvis Presley, a copy of the full-size statue on Memphis' famous Beale Street.
"That Elvis (Presley) Trophy is the coolest in the world," Hornaday said. "I really wanted that trophy."
Hornaday started third and passed polesitter Johnny Benson for the lead on the inside in Turn 1 on the 44th lap. He tapped Benson's Bill Davis Racing Toyota in the rear in Turn 4 to set up the pass.
"Benson got loose and I got into the back of him," Hornaday said. "I'll take the blame. I didn't want to pass him that way, and Johnny knows that."
Hornaday was seventh and Benson eighth for a restart on Lap 58 following their first pit stops, trailing trucks that had either not pitted or pitted earlier.
The two blasted in tandem to the front, passing Stacy Compton on the inside of Turn 1 on Lap 76.
On the next restart on Lap 83, Benson's truck didn't accelerate. He limped around the track with an engine that didn't have any power and dropped out, finishing 33rd. Benson, who led 43 laps, fell from first to fourth in the points, 56 behind Hornaday.
"Benson had the truck to beat," Hornaday said. "He needed to break for us to win. I don't know if we want to be in the points lead. Everybody who gets in it seems to have problems."
Darnell's second-place run was his third straight top-five and fifth of the season.
"It was a really good night," Darnell said. "We qualified well and kept it up front most of the night. We were good on long runs. Ron (Hornaday) was better on restarts all night."
Darnell was 10th for the restart on Lap 83 and steadily worked his way forward. He passed Rick Crawford for second on the inside in Turn 1 on Lap 139 and stayed there to the checkered flag.
Crafton started 16th and charged to third, passing Crawford for the position on Lap 181 and holding it to the end. Crawford was fourth and David Starr finished fifth.
Stewart bags fifth Nationwide win at Loudon
By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
LOUDON, N.H. (June 28, 2008) -- Aside from Tony Stewart becoming the 22nd different winner in 22 Nationwide Series races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the outcome of Saturday's Camping World RV Sales 200 was more of the same for NASCAR's Triple-A division.
Stewart's victory was the eighth of the season for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, which has carried four different drivers to victory lane this year -- Stewart on five occasions and Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and rookie phenom Joey Logano once each.
Hamlin and Busch, in fact, chased Stewart for the final 64 laps, after Stewart took the lead for good on Lap 136. Hamlin, driving Braun Racing's No. 32 Toyota, was within a half-second of the leader when Greg Biffle crashed on Lap 200, the final circuit. The race ended under caution with Stewart, Hamlin and Busch in the top three spots, followed by Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards.
Stewart credited crew chief Dave Rogers, a native of the neighboring state of Vermont, with the consistently excellent performance of the No. 20 Camry.
"There've been four drivers (to) win in this car, so it's not the drivers -- that's for sure," Stewart said. "We're the fortunate ones to be able to drive this thing."
A two-tire call on Stewart's final pit stop in Lap 129 got the No. 20 Toyota out in third place for a restart on Lap 133. Three laps later, Stewart took the lead from Edwards, who had taken fuel only on the pit stop, with a smooth pass entering Turn 1.
On Lap 138, Hamlin passed Edwards for second, and Busch followed into third position three laps after that, but neither could overtake the leader.
"We didn't know it would come down to a track position race," said Busch, who took four tires on his final pit stop, restarted eighth and had to work his way through traffic. "We got out-strategized there at the end."
Notes: Todd Braun's No. 32 and No. 38 Toyotas were painted black, with no sponsor decals on either car. The cars were a symbol of mourning for the team owner's mother, Linda Braun, who died Wednesday. . . The race marked the first 1-2-3 Nationwide Series finish for Toyota. . . Stewart led 75 laps and Busch 63, as the Gibbs cars dominated. . . Series points leader Clint Bowyer finished ninth. . . Polesitter Landon Cassill had to start from the rear of the field because of an engine change. He gained 28 positions before a tap from Bobby Hamilton Jr. sent his No. 5 Chevy into the wall and out of the race on Lap 47. He finished 34th.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
MacDonald Takes NCWS East Checkered Flag at New Hampshire
LOUDON, N.H. (June 27, 2008) - Eddie MacDonald reached Victory Lane for the first time in 16 NASCAR Camping World Series East career starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Friday evening in the Heluva Good! Summer 125.
MacDonald (No. 71 Grimm Construction/NEMO Chevrolet) and Trevor Bayne (No. 1 Dale Earnhadt Chevrolet) traded the lead several times down the stretch before the final caution came out on lap 122. On the ensuing restart MacDonald got the jump on Bayne to pull away for the win by half a second.
"This is just awesome," MacDonald said. "The one goal we had this year was to win Loudon, and we got it."
The victory for MacDonald was the fourth of his NASCAR Camping World Series East career. A native of Rowley, Mass., his previous best career finish at New Hampshire was seventh in 2004. His last trip to Victory Lane was on June 18, 2007 at Stafford (Conn.) Motor Speedway.
"We've led a lot of laps here," MacDonald said, "but never seemed to be able to finish it off."
Bayne, a rookie, wound up as the runner-up, followed by Matt Kobyluck. It was the best career finish for Bayne, who had been third twice. Kobyluck tied his best New Hampshire finish in his 25th start at the 1.058-mile oval.
Rookies Austin Dillon and Ricky Carmichael registered top-five finishes in their first race at New Hampshire.
Marc Davis, Mike Olsen, John Salemi, Brad Leighton and Brian Ickler rounded out the top 10.
The NASCAR Camping World Series East will return to New England for the sixth race of the 2008 season on Saturday, July 12 at Thompson (Conn.) International Speedway.
NASCAR Camping World Series East-Heluva Good! 125 ResultsAt New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Loudon, N.H.
Lap length: 1.058 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (10) Eddie MacDonald, Rowley, Mass., Chevrolet, 127 laps, 81.011 mph, $13,900.
2. (6) Trevor Bayne, Knoxville, Tenn., Chevrolet, 127, $10,215.
3. (4) Matt Kobyluck, Uncasville, Conn., Chevrolet, 127, $8,450.
4. (1) Austin Dillon, Lewisville, N.C., Chevrolet, 127, $7,400.
5. (12) Ricky Carmichael, Clearwater, Fla., Chevrolet, 127, $6,500.
6. (7) Marc Davis, Mitchelville, MD., Toyota, 127, $5,900.
7. (21) Mike Olsen, North Haverhill, N.H., Chevrolet, 127, $5,100.
8. (24) John Salemi, Nashua, N.H., Chevrolet, 127, $4,600.
9. (22) Brad Leighton, Center Harbor, N.H., Chevrolet, 127, $4,100.
10. (2) Brian Ickler, San Diego, Calif., Chevrolet, 127, $4,200.
11. (18) Dustin Delaney, Mayfield, N.Y., Chevrolet, 127, $3,550.
12. (8) Jesus Hernandez, Fresno, Calif., Chevrolet, 127, $4,000.
13. (11) Jody Lavender, Hartsville, S.C., Chevrolet, 127, $3,900.
14. (33) Mike Johnson, Salisbury, Mass., Ford, 127, $4,800.
15. (16) Jeff Anton, Russell, Mass., Chevrolet, 127, $3,200.
16. (19) Max Dumarey, Gent, Belgium, Chevrolet, 127, $3,068.
17. (23) Jonathan Smith, Beacon Falls, Conn., Chevrolet, 127, $3,000.
18. (31) Charles Lewandoski, Stafford Springs, Conn., Toyota, 127, $2,950.
19. (15) Jamie Hayes, Norlina, N.C., Chevrolet, 127, $3,400.
20. (32) Joe Masessa, Franklin Lakes, N.J., Chevrolet, 127, $2,850.
21. (28) Alan Tardiff, Lyman, Me., Chevrolet, 127, $2,800.
22. (17) Craig Goess, Greenville, N.C., Toyota, 127, $2,750.
23. (13) Bryon Chew, Mattituck, N.Y., Chevrolet, 127, $3,200.
24. (26) Derek Thorn, Lakeport, Calif., Ford, 126, $2,675.
25. (36) Chase Mattioli, Long Pond, Pa., Ford, 125, $2,650.
26. (35) Antonio Perez, Mexico City, Mex., Dodge, 120, accident, $2,625.
27. (29) Scott Bouley, Wolcott, Conn., Chevrolet, 120, $2,600.
28. (3) Steve Park, East Northport, N.Y., Chevrolet, 118, $3,100.
29. (14) Peyton Sellers, Danville, VA., Chevrolet, 118, $3,100.
30. (20) Ryan Duff, Hazard, Ky., Chevrolet, 108, accident, $2,600.
31. (34) Patrick Dupree, Saranac Lake, N.Y., Dodge, 108, accident, $2,600.
32. (9) Rogelio Lopez, Aquascalientes, Mexico, Chevrolet, 102, $3,100.
33. (30) Todd Peck, Glenville, PA., Chevrolet, 81, accident, $2,600.
34. (5) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Mooresville, N.C., Chevrolet, 34, accident, $3,100.
35. (25) Bobby Hamilton, Jr., Nashville, Tenn, Dodge, 23, accident, $2,600.
36. (27) James Pritchard, Wharton, N.J., Dodge, 0, engine, $2,600.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 1 hour 39 minutes 31 seconds
Margin of Victory: .515 secs
Fastest Qualifier: Field set as per rulebook, rain.
Caution Flags: 7 for 44 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: M.Kobyluck 1-35; R.Lopez 36-41; E.MacDonald 42-70; B.Ickler 71-104; J.Hernandez 105-106; M.Kobyluck 107-118; T.Bayne 119-120; E.MacDonald 121-124; T.Bayne 125; E.MacDonald 126-127.
Standings: 1. A.Dillon, 807; 2. M.Kobyluck, 759; 3. B.Ickler, 731; 4. T.Bayne, 731; 5. M.Davis, 702; 6. E.MacDonald, 690; 7. J.Hernandez, 677; 8. S.Park, 669; 9. R.Carmichael, 654; 10. J.Earnhardt, 631.
Friday, June 27, 2008
‘In The Loop’ At New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Matt Kenseth have combined for seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships.
They’ve also combined for zero wins in 2008. According to the statistics, the “slump” will be busted sooner than later.
All three are either strong at this weekend’s track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, or over the 10-race Race to the Chase. Below is a rundown of the three drivers, and their chances of victory:
Tony Stewart
Of the three, Stewart has the least to worry about. He is a notorious late bloomer. In seven of his nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series seasons, it took Stewart until after race No. 10 for his first victory (2002 and 2006).
Last season, it took him until race No. 19 at Chicagoland to capture his first win. His stats suggest this season’s first victory may come two races earlier – this weekend at New Hampshire, race No. 17.
His statistics there are phenomenal. Over the past six races, Stewart has a win, two runner-up finishes and a third-place finish. Below is Stewart’s race-by-race log over the last six races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the site of Sunday’s LENOX Industrial Tools 301 (all driver race logs can be seen at NASCARMedia.com):
Stewart at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
7/05 1 2.2 80 100% 149.2
9/05 2 2.9 71 97.7% 143
7/06 37 29.2 8 29.2% 89.9
9/06 2 9.2 9 85.3% 109.5
7/07 12 10.4 5 87.0% 92.9
9/07 3 3.7 16 99.3% 122.8
Total 9.5 9.6 189 82.9% 117.9
ARP: Average Running Position
FLR: Fastest Laps Run
LT15: Percentage of Laps in the Top 15
DR: Driver Rating
But if a victory doesn’t happen this weekend for Stewart, it very well could happen before the Chase begins.
At the upcoming 10 tracks in the Race to the Chase – the 10 races prior to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – Stewart has 18 career wins, 59 top fives and 91 top 10s. And over the last three seasons, Stewart has series-best numbers in Driver Rating (107.2), Average Running Position (10.5) and Laps in the Top 15 percentage (76.2%).
Jeff Gordon
Like Stewart, Gordon excels at New Hampshire and has strong numbers at the Race to the Chase tracks.
Over the last three races at NHMS, Gordon has done just about everything but win. He finished second in both 2007 NHMS races, and third in the second race of 2006. Check out his numbers during that span:
Gordon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Date Finish ARP FLR LT15% DR
9/06 3 3.5 49 98.7% 125.1
7/07 2 4.1 38 97.3% 125
9/07 2 5.5 40 93.0% 119.8
Total 2.3 4.4 127 96.3% 123.3
Over the next 10 tracks, Gordon has a Driver Rating of 96.3 and an Average Running Position of 11.8 since 2005.
Matt Kenseth
Even without a Victory Lane trip, Kenseth is the hottest driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series right now. Over the last six races – all top-10 finishes – he has tallied more points than any other driver (934). And over the next 10 tracks, only Stewart boasts better numbers.
Over the last three seasons, Kenseth has a Driver Rating of 98.2 and Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 73.8% during the Race to the Chase. Both figures are second-best in the series.
"Smoke" Runs To HASS
Tony Stewart has been very tight lipped about his future in racing, and the rumors have been soaring. Maybe the question is finally answered.... Sources are saying that Tony Stewart is going to HASS CNC Racing, as a part or full time owner, and is getting a buy-out of the last year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing by manufacture Chevy. Stewart has a long relationship with Chevy, as Stewart's racing teams outside of NASCAR all have Chevy chassis's and are sponsored by Chevy.
Another twist to this news is the fact that Ryan Newman, driver of the #12 Penske Dodge, is reportedly going with Stewart to HASS Racing. Newman has made it very clear that in the last few weeks that if improvements were not seen at the #12 team then he would go elsewhere.
Reported sponsors for the drivers are to be Burger King, and Office Depot, which recently announced they would not be with Roush/Fenway Racing after this season.
So who will be in the #20 and the #12? Well it is mostly likely Rookie Joey Lagono will take the place of Stewart in the #20. Lagono has had a great start to his NASCAR career with a win in his 2nd Nationwide race and a couple of front row starts, for JGR.
No driver yet has been named to the #12 if Newman leaves.
Tony Stewart leaving JGR.... done deal?
I was told by a source that Tony is gone at the end of this year and that Chevy is buying out his contract. He is going to the same place that has been reported on, HASS Racing, and that Ryan Newman is going too. With sponsors Burger King and Office Depot. No news on who will be replacing Stewart in the #20 but word is that Rookie driver Joey Logano who has been very strong in his early runs in the Nationwide series.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
More on Stewart and Haas CNC
Tony Stewart is shopping for car sponsorships in anticipation of a potential partnership with Haas CNC Racing, multiple sources told ESPN.com. Although Stewart has a year left on his contract at Joe Gibbs Racing and JGR officials insist he hasn't asked for a release, the two-time Sprint Cup champion appears prepared to share ownership of Haas Racing's two-car team in 2009. One source close to the situation said there have been discussions with Ryan Newman as the second driver. Newman has said he will not return to Penske Racing if the performance of that team doesn't improve quickly. Newman's name definitely would help draw sponsorship to Haas. "He's talking to every major sponsor that is available out there for this Haas deal," one source said of Stewart and his representatives. "I don't know if it's done, but it sounds like it's very close." Office Depot and Old Spice have emerged as the favorites for at least one of the cars. Office Depot lost its bid to remain with Carl Edwards of Roush Fenway Racing when Aflac was chosen as the primary sponsor of the #99. Sources said there have been discussions with Stewart's representatives that would make Office Depot and Old Spice co-primaries with Office Depot as the lead sponsor. Old Spice already has a relationship with Stewart in the Cup and Nationwide Series. Stewart would not address his future following Sunday's race at Infineon Raceway. JGR president J.D. Gibbs insisted Stewart had not closed the door on signing a long-term deal with the company that brought him to Cup racing in 1999 and helped him win titles in 2002 and 2005. But there is widespread speculation that the reason JGR has rushed Joey Logano into the Nationwide Series is to prepare him to take Stewart's place should Stewart leave. Stewart admitted two months ago there had been inquiries from other teams. He acknowledged there had been talks with Haas CNC that included ownership.(ESPN.com)
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
With Haas partnership possible, Stewart has eye on sponsorship
By David Newton
ESPN.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tony Stewart is shopping for car sponsorships in anticipation of a potential partnership with Haas CNC Racing, multiple sources told ESPN.com.
Although Stewart has a year left on his contract at Joe Gibbs Racing and JGR officials insist he hasn't asked for a release, the two-time Sprint Cup champion appears prepared to share ownership of Haas Racing's two-car team in 2009.
One source close to the situation said there have been discussions with Ryan Newman as the second driver. Newman has said he will not return to Penske Racing if the performance of that team doesn't improve quickly.
Newman's name definitely would help draw sponsorship to Haas.
"He's talking to every major sponsor that is available out there for this Haas deal," one source said of Stewart and his representatives. "I don't know if it's done, but it sounds like it's very close."
Office Depot and Old Spice have emerged as the favorites for at least one of the cars. Office Depot lost its bid to remain with Carl Edwards of Roush Fenway Racing when Aflac was chosen as the primary sponsor of the No. 99.
Sources said there have been discussions with Stewart's representatives that would make Office Depot and Old Spice co-primaries with Office Depot as the lead sponsor. Old Spice already has a relationship with Stewart in the Cup and Nationwide Series.
Stewart would not address his future following Sunday's race at Infineon Raceway.
JGR president J.D. Gibbs insisted Stewart had not closed the door on signing a long-term deal with the company that brought him to Cup racing in 1999 and helped him win titles in 2002 and 2005.
But there is widespread speculation that the reason JGR has rushed Joey Logano into the Nationwide Series is to prepare him to take Stewart's place should Stewart leave.
Stewart admitted two months ago there had been inquiries from other teams. He acknowledged there had been talks with Haas CNC that included ownership.
Joe Custer, who is running Haas CNC while owner Gene Haas serves jail time for tax evasion, would not comment on where things stood.
"Nothing can happen until they let him out of his contract," he said of JGR. "They hold all the cards. Go figure out what they are going to do. When he becomes available we want to talk to him."
Custer said it was not appealing to have Stewart as a co-owner while still driving for JGR next season if the company holds him to his deal.
Both Haas cars, the No. 66 of Scott Riggs and the No. 70 that has been driven by multiple drivers, are outside the top 35 guaranteed a spot in the field each week. Riggs is 36th in owner points and the 70 is 44th.
Haas admitted a partner like Stewart could turn things around for a program that already has support from Hendrick Motorsports.
"It would be extremely helpful to have Tony Stewart or a franchise type player," Custer said. "Those folks have an enormous impact on a team. Would it help us? Yes. It would help us significantly."
Truck Series Driver Buys Montgomery Speedway
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Rick Crawford has reached an agreement in principal to buy the half-mile track, according to Doug Carwyle, a local businessman who helped broker the deal. The only stipulation to the sale is that the city of Montgomery grant a license allowing the track to hold races. Kevin Radvany, who handles public relations for Crawford's race team, said track representatives will make the request with the city licensing board July 17. "Outside of that one thing, it's a done deal," said Carwyle, who is expected to help manage the track once Crawford takes ownership. "Rick and (current owner) Bill Manfull have agreed on the price. Rick sent the retainer -- $50,000 -- to the auction company. All that's left is getting that license. If that happens, we go back racing." Carwyle said Crawford, a Mobile native who is currently fifth in the Craftsman Truck Series points standings, has been involved in the sale of MMS since the auction a month ago. Radvany said Crawford's purchase of the track would have no effect on his participation in the Truck Series. "This is no different than Tony Stewart owning Eldora Speedway (a small dirt track in Ohio)," Radvany said. "This is something Rick has always said he wanted to do."(Montgomery Advertiser)
Monday, June 23, 2008
Infineon Post Race Report
The twists and turns of Infineon Raceway was not going to get in the way of Kyle Busch on Sunday as he took his #18 Toyota to his 5th victory of the year, giving him 50 bonus point so far going into the chase, for the final 10 races of the year. Anyone who is doubting this kids ability needs to look back at the different types of tracks he has won at this year. Atlanta (1.5 Mile Oval) Talladega (restrictor-plate track) Dover, (high banked concrete oval) Darlington (toughest track) and Infineon ( roadie).
This kid is the real deal. What Hendrick's Motorsports must be thinking? We kept Mears and got rid of Busch? All the na-sayers were talking about how bad Kyle would do at Gibbs, with a new car in Toyota and everyone saying that Gibbs would not be able to handle 3 hot-headed drivers. Well right now Joe Gibbs Racing look like the smartest team in the garage.
Race Results:
1st Kyle Busch - 5 wins in 16 races this year...... ummmm WOW!
2nd David Gililland - Why is it such a shocked that he got 2nd, this guy has more laps around this track then most Cup drivers. Its called the Nascar West Series.
3rd Jeff Gordon - Nice Improvement, but all expected more from him at a roadie
4th Clint Bowyer - Wait, wait.... Bowyer can turn right too?
5th Casey Mears - Great top 5, but too little, too late. Gone after this season?
6th Juan Montoya - Great run most of the race, bad luck, and he is mad at Marcos Ambrose for spinning him out.
7th Ryan Newman - Nice solid run for the Daytona 500 winner
8th Matt Kenseth - Great finish for a bad start, still in the top 12 in points, but only 2 ahead of Harvick
9th Carl Edwards - No backflip here, but he won the Nationwide Race, oh and no backflip there too.
10th Tony Stewart - Can we expect a phone call from Kevin Harvick? Tony had a solid top 3 or 5 until the #29 changed that.
Other Notables:
12th Dale Earnhardt Jr - Glad to be anyway from a road course for a while.
18th Jamie McMurray - You gotta feel for him, last year at Infineon he was almost there, and this year Harvick takes him out.
19th Elliott Sadler - If you feel bad for McMurray then you have to cry for Sadler, flat right rear tire does him in after the red flag
33rd Kasey Kahne - went from first to...... well 33rd
Sunday, June 22, 2008
NASCAR CAMP WORLD WEST SERIES
Jason Bowles won a spirited three-way battle around the twisting 1.99-mile road course of Infineon Raceway to take the victory in the Bennett Lane Winery 200 presented by Supercuts on Saturday.
Bowles held off fierce challenges from Eric Holmes and Jim Inglebright in the closing laps to score his first win of the year in NASCAR Camping World Series West competition.
Bowles opted to pit early for fuel and not change tires. That strategy helped him get out front by lap 31 and avoid much of the rough and tumble action that eliminated some of his competition, who were trying to work their way to the front of the record 41-car field after making pits stops. Holmes and Inglebright used a similar plan of taking on fuel, but not stopping for tires.
Their early pit stops became a concern later, when the race distance was extended for a green-white-checkered finish due to a late-race caution. Bowles, who had shut off his engine and coasted around portions of the track during cautions to conserve fuel, was able to make it to the finish despite his fuel pressure gauge dropping to zero in the final lap.
Tom Hubert followed the trio across the finish line in third, followed by Ken Schrader.
The win gave Bowles a victory on the only road course where he did not win in 2007, having encountered mechanical problems in last year’s race at Infineon Raceway. The win also secured him a spot in the prestigious post-season NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.)
Holmes’ second-place finish, meanwhile, gave him a slight lead in the championship standings over Mike David, who battled back to ninth after being spun by another car. Holmes, who won the 2006 championship, leads defending champion David – 971 to 969. Bowles moved to third in the standings, with 905.
Most insane crash of the day
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Scott Kalitta, Drag Racer, Dies in Crash
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 22, 2008
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (AP) — The drag racer Scott Kalitta died Saturday when his funny car burst into flames, crashed and exploded during qualifying for the N.H.R.A. SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.
The National Hot Rod Association said the 46-year-old Kalitta, who had 18 career victories and was the 1994 and 1995 top fuel season champion, was taken to the Old Bridge division of Raritan Bay Medical Center, where he died a short time later.
Witnesses told The Star-Ledger of Newark that Kalitta’s Toyota Solara was traveling an estimated 300 miles per hour.
Kalitta of Palmetto, Fla., started his career at Old Bridge in 1982. His father, Connie Kalitta, was a longtime driver and team owner known as the Bounty Hunter. His cousin, Doug Kalitta, also races.
“We are deeply saddened and want to pass along our sincere condolences to the entire Kalitta family,” the N.H.R.A. said in a statement. “Scott shared the same passion for drag racing as his legendary father, Connie.”
Kalitta retired in 1997, sitting out most of two seasons before returning for 10 races in 1999. He sat out three seasons, then returned in 2003, joining his cousin on the family’s racing team.
He is survived by his father; his wife, Kathy; and sons Corey, 14, and Colin, 8.
The Nascar Nationwide driver Brad Keselowski, a native of Rochester Hills, Mich., about 20 miles away from Kalitta’s hometown, Mount Clemens, said he learned the news from a television report.
“That really hits close to home,” Keselowski said. “I send my thoughts and prayers out to him. That’s tough to hear.”
Last year, the funny-car driver Eric Medlen died after an accident at a testing session in Gainesville, Fla.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Infineon Raceway and Milwaukee Mile
Earnhardt In Victory Lane, In Pursuit Of Series Point Lead
Kyle Busch is hearing the footsteps. Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke a 76-race winless streak this past Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, and as a result closed the gap between himself and Busch, the NASCAR Sprint Cup points leader. Earnhardt, third in the standings, trails Busch by only 84 points.
The last time Earnhardt led the series points: after race 27 at New Hampshire in 2004.
Earnhardt has yet to win a road race in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. In eight career starts at Infineon, he has yet to post a top-10 finish. The track likely also posts some other, inner challenges to Earnhardt. In 2004, during a sports car practice session for another racing series, a Chevrolet Corvette he was driving crashed and burst into flames. Earnhardt escaped serious injury.
Emphasis On Winning: Earnhardt Win Boosts His Potential Chase 'Seeding'
Earnhardt's win at Michigan had ramifications both immediate and down the road: He earned 10 bonus points that will be applied toward his "seeding" if he makes the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR's "playoffs" contested over the final 10 races.
The Michigan victory places Earnhardt fifth in the current seeding lineup. Kyle Busch, with four victories, is the prospective top seed.
Prior to the Chase, all drivers who qualify have their point totals re-set to 5,000. Bonus points for victories are then applied, meaning that right now, Busch has a potential starting total of 5,040, with Earnhardt at 5,010.
Gordon Always a Favorite
At this point last season, Jeff Gordon had four wins and was first in the points standings. This year, he's still in the top 12, but has yet to visit Victory Lane. That could all change this weekend. Gordon is the all-time leader in road course wins with nine – five of which have come at Infineon Raceway. He last won there in 2006 and won three straight from 1998-2000.
Montoya Returns To Site Of Historic Win
Juan Pablo Montoya's struggles this season are well-documented; he's 22nd in series points. Chances are he welcomes this week's stop; Montoya notched his NASCAR Sprint Cup win – and his only one, to date – last year at Infineon Raceway.
Seeing Red (Bull): Teammates Vickers, Allmendinger On The Upswing
Team Red Bull's drivers – Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger – are looking better all the time in their respective Toyotas. Vickers has posted consecutive top-five finishes at Pocono (second) and Michigan (fourth); Allmendinger had consecutive top-20 runs (12th and 19th).
Allmendinger -- from Los Gatos, Calif. -- has had past success on road courses; in the 2006 Champ Car season he won four road-course events.
Vickers is closing in on the top 12 in points – and a potential berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. He's 16th in points, 97 out of 12th.
Road Course Ringers Time to Shine?
Races at the Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen International road courses add a wrinkle to the event, and another challenge to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regulars – the road course ringers.
This season is no different. This Sunday’s field will include road course aces Boris Said, Brandon Ash, Max Papis, Ron Fellows, Brian Simo and Marcos Ambrose, who his also a regular in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Said is the most successful of the bunch, with four top-10 finishes in eight starts at Infineon Raceway.
But the surprising statistic to this storyline: A road course ace hasn’t won a road course event in over 30 years. The last to do so was Mark Donohue at Riverside International Raceway in 1973.
Ken Clapp Central To Track's 40 Years, 20 NASCAR Events
Infineon Raceway will be hosting its 20th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday – the highlight of the track's 40th anniversary season.
The person responsible for bringing NASCAR to Northern California back in 1989, Ken Clapp, will be on-hand all weekend and will be inducted into the raceway's Wall of Fame on Friday.
Clapp, who has spent nearly 60 years in auto racing, was also instrumental in the creation of Infineon Raceway.
Clapp, from Danville, Calif., worked for NASCAR in a variety of capacities for more than 20 years and was a personal mentor of Chairman/CEO Brian France.
Clapp's resume spans many different areas in racing:
• From 1966-2006, he promoted 4,150 single-day NASCAR-affiliated racing events in Calif., Washington and Oregon.
• From 1967-1970, he was a VP at Infineon Raceway, where he promoted NASCAR late model races, IndyCar Series events, Trans Am sports car racing, NHRA drag racing and motorcycle events.
• He promoted more than 40 "World of Outlaw" Sprint Car events in Oregon and Calif.
• From 1977-99, Ken served as a Commissioner on the NASCAR National Commission.
• Other key roles at NASCAR: 1970 - 1983: Director of PR and Marketing for Western US, Japan, Australian and Mexico; 1983-1995: NASCAR VP of Western Operations; 1995-1999: NASCAR VP of Marketing Development; 1999 – present: Sr. Consultant to NASCAR Digital Entertainment.
• From 1990-2002, he made 17 trips to Japan to plan the NASCAR Japan exhibition effort.
• In 2002, he was inducted into the West Coast Hall of Fame and in 2006 inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame (Calif.).
Kenseth Comeback: Former Champion ‘Chasing the Chase'
Matt Kenseth has proven it before – never, ever, count him out.
After making the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in each of the four seasons since its 2004 inception, earlier this season it looked as if Kenseth might not make it five-for-five in 2008.
After race No. 10 (Richmond), Kenseth was in 22nd place, 204 points out of the Chase cut-off of 12th place.
Unbelievably, he has made up all but 14 points of that deficit thanks to five consecutive finishes in the top-seven, including a third-place finish at Michigan this past Sunday.
This improbable launch up the standings isn't a new practice for Kenseth. In 2005, Kenseth was in 24th place after race No. 14 (Pocono). It took him only until race 25 (Fontana) to climb back into the top 10. (In 2005, the top 10 drivers made the Chase.)
Tight Races Throughout The Standings
Though NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Kyle Busch picked up 11 points on second-place Jeff Burton this past weekend, he finds another driver in hot pursuit – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt, 145 points out of first going into Michigan, closed the gap considerably with his dramatic win. Earnhardt slashed the deficit by 61, and is now only 84 points behind Busch.
And it gets tighter as you go down the standings – especially at the all-important 12th-place position.
Clint Bowyer failed to crack the top 20 for his fourth consecutive race, and has fallen from fourth after his win at Richmond all the way to 12th. There's more bad news. That 12th-place cushion couldn't be much smaller. Bowyer is only 10 points ahead of 13th place David Ragan, and 14 points ahead of 14th place Matt Kenseth.
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
Milestone Marker: Kenny Wallace To Join Exclusive Club
Kenny Wallace has over 750 starts in NASCAR's national series and No. 400 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series is slated for Milwaukee. A start Saturday will put Wallace in select company – only two other drivers have 400 starts in the series. Tommy Houston was the first and ended his career with 418 before Jason Keller (whose last win was at Milwaukee in 2003) passed Houston last fall and holds the current mark at 438 – and counting.
Wallace's first series start came at Martinsville in 1988. He's accumulated nine wins and 10 poles. He'll be sharing his monumental start with brother, Mike, and nephew Steve who are also entered at Milwaukee.
Logano An Immediate Hit
His crew chief, Dave Rogers, said it best. "Three races, two poles, one win. He's okay." "He" is Joey Logano, an 18-year-old talent who is living up to plenty of hype. He'll make his fourth start for Joe Gibbs Racing Saturday at The Milwaukee Mile and goes in as one of the favorites. Logano became the youngest driver in series history to win when he did so from the pole at Kentucky last Saturday eclipsing the mark set by Casey Atwood at Milwaukee in 1999 (18 years, 10 months, 9 days). Logano was 21 days past his 18th birthday. The No. 20 car won the race and pole at Milwaukee last year and this year has won a series-best seven races with four different drivers. But the one constant has been Rogers at the helm.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Caterpillar to take over for AT&T at RCR
Burton has 20 career victories, including one this season at Bristol Motor Speedway. He is currently second in the Cup series standings.
Based on an agreement reached by AT&T and NASCAR last year, the telecommunications giant had to give up their sponsorship deal at the end of this season. The agreement came after a protracted legal battle between AT&T and Sprint after Sprint phased out the Cingular brand — one of two brands which were grandfathered in when Sprint (formerly Nextel) took over sponsor rights for the Cup Series.
Currently, Caterpillar sponsors Bill Davis Racing's No. 22 Toyota Camry driven by Dave Blaney. The manufacturer of industrial equipment has been involved in NASCAR since 1993, when it was an associate sponsor for Kyle Petty's No. 42 Pontiac. They joined Bill Davis Racing in 1999 and have sponsored the No. 22 Sprint Cup entry since.
CAT has five Sprint Cup wins to its record, including the 2002 Daytona 500 when Jeff's brother Ward drove them to Victory Lane.
Statistical Advance: Analyzing The Toyota/Save Mart 350 At Infineon Raceway
Montoya Returns To Defend First NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Win
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to wine country this weekend — Sonoma, California for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.
While all the drivers are preparing for the first of two road-course races on the schedule, Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge) and new crew chief Brian Pattie will be intently focused on defending Montoya’s only series win.
Montoya ended his rookie season with one win, at Infineon, three top-five and six top-10 finishes putting him 20th in the final series driver standings in 2007.
This season hasn’t gone quite as he had planned only with one top-five finish (Talladega). He currently is 22nd in the standings and has had to deal with two crew chief changes thus far. The team started the season with Donnie Wingo, then Jimmy Elledge, before settling with Pattie.
This weekend though, look for Montoya to be up front. NASCAR Pre-Race Loop Data Statistics for Infineon Raceway has Montoya near the top of several key categories: Driver Rating (115.3) is ranked first in the series, Average Running Position (10.588). “Last year I felt a ton of pressure heading into Infineon because everyone expected to me to run well and win because of my background,” Montoya said. “This year I don’t feel any pressure. Our goal is to run well, and if we have a shot at the win obviously we are going to take it.”
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Race Recap: Logano Becomes Youngest Winner In NASCAR Nationwide Series History
By Amanda Brahler
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
SPARTA, KY. (June 14, 2008) -- Everybody knew Joey Logano would win in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. It was just a matter of how quickly he could get it done.
In only his third career start, Logano answered that question Saturday night in the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway, becoming the youngest driver to win in NASCAR Nationwide Series history at 18 years and 21 days.
"It's definitely awesome," Logano said. "We didn't unload this morning the way we wanted to. (Crew chief) Dave (Rogers) and the guys never gave up. They worked hard on it and changed everything. That last pit stop we got it about right. Overall, it was a pretty good night."
Kentucky has now produced three straight first-time winners and eight different race winners in as many races.
Logano won the pole for the 300-miler, his second in as many weeks, and led 76 of the 200 laps, second only to Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Busch led a race-high 85 laps.
Logano took the lead from Busch on Lap 147, passing him on the outside of Turn 4. On Lap 164, Busch's charge to reclaim the position ended after he lost control of his Toyota on the backstretch, spinning and slamming the outside retaining wall.
Busch started the event 43rd after flying into Kentucky following the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Michigan. He slid into the lead for the first time on Lap 40.
Following Busch's wreck, the race was Logano's to lose. With the race running green flag to the finish thereafter, Logano crossed the finish line 2.259 seconds over second place Scott Wimmer.
"It was unfortunate to see Kyle hit the fence there," Logano said. "The whole last 20 laps I was praying it would go green."
The win was the 10th overall on the season for Joe Gibbs Racing and the seventh for the No. 20 team, with four different drivers, led by Rogers.
"When you are in good equipment, you are going to run well," Wimmer said. "Joey is a great driver. The 20 car has been the class of the Nationwide Series all year long. We need to do our homework."
"Three starts, two poles, one win. He's okay," Rogers said of young Logano with a smile.
Mike Wallace picked up a position to finish third at the finish after Jason Leffler lost a tire on the last lap. Leffler finished 16th.
Nashville winner Brad Keselowski and rookie Bryan Clauson finished fourth and fifth. Clauson who turns 19 on Sunday, notched his career-best finish. Keselowski is now second in the point standings behind leader Clint Bowyer.
Marcos Ambrose, David Ragan, Mike Bliss, Bowyer and Jason Keller rounded out the top 10.
Race attendance was a track-record 73,195. It was the eighth straight sellout at the facility in which Speedway Motorsports Inc. agreed to purchase earlier this year.
Race Recap: Darnell Nips Benson For Win At Michigan
By Tim Tuttle Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 14, 2008) Erik Darnell surged past Johnny Benson in the final 50 yards to win by inches Saturday in the Cool City Customs 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
Benson drove his Bill Davis Racing Toyota inside Darnell's Roush Fenway Racing Ford in Turns 3 and 4 on the 100th and final lap and had a half-truck length lead coming onto the frontstretch.
Darnell dove down to run alongside Benson, who was on the apron beneath the white line, and they ran side-by-side to the finish.
"The way these trucks draft, the way you can side-draft with them, especially in the air at a bigger place like Michigan, I knew he was going to be able to suck up to the side of me and pull off and get a run, so I had to do the same thing to him," Darnell said. "And, fortunately for me, I got it right at the start-finish line and we were able to beat him by just a little bit."
Darnell wasn't sure that he'd won.
"It's so hard to tell from inside the truck," Darnell said. "I thought I may have had him by a little bit, but if we did, it wasn't by much. It was close and then you get done and you don't really know whether to come back around and try to grab that checkered flag. You're just kind of in a state of confusion there for a little bit, but once you get it figured out, it's alright."
Benson lost by .005 seconds, the closest margin of victory in the truck series since NASCAR began electronic timing a decade ago.
"I thought I'd try on the last lap way down low," Benson said. "I timed it perfectly. I was able to get alongside him, got ahead of him. I just couldn't stay ahead of him. I don't know what I'd do differently if I had to do it again."
Darnell's victory was the second of his NASCAR career and the first this season for both Roush Fenway Racing and Ford in the series. Roush Fenway has won the past two years and four of the nine NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races at Michigan. It was the 17th Michigan win for Roush, whose Roush Industries headquarters are in nearby Livonia, Mich.
"This is my favorite place," team owner Jack Roush said. "This is home for me."
Scott Speed was third in a Bill Davis Racing Toyota, followed by Todd Bodine's Germain Racing Toyota and Brendan Gaughan's Circle Bar Racing Ford.
Ron Hornaday Jr. and team owner Kevin Harvick had an angry confrontation with Kyle Busch in the garage after Busch's contact spun out Hornaday on the final lap in Turn 1.
Hornaday, the points leader going into the race, was running fourth. Busch's Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota tapped him in the left rear. Hornaday finished 23rd, the last truck on the lead lap, and fell to third in the points, 21 behind Benson, the new leader.
Darnell led the final 25 laps and was in control until a late caution forced a restart with three circuits to go on the two-mile track. Darnell pulled away on the restart, but Benson closed on the final lap.
"I think the finish was a little more exciting than I wanted it to be," Darnell said.
NEWS AND NOTES
NASCAR Calls mandatory meeting for all Cup drivers Friday: NASCAR called a mandatory meeting for Sprint Cup drivers and owners before Friday's practice at Michigan International Speedway in which president Mike Helton encouraged everyone to keep the fans first. NASCAR officials and drivers both agreed this simply was a reminder that during these tough economic times when fans are paying $4 a gallon for gas to travel to tracks that drivers should be more positive about the sport. In other words stop complaining about the new car that has become a target for everything that is wrong in NASCAR's premier series, from creating boring races to being so hot that the drivers are at risk. "My interpretation was that the drivers should be thankful for the position they're in and should be more positive in where this car is going to be in a year or two," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. Jeff Burton agreed. "In today's conversation you could have heard whatever you wanted to hear," he said. "I bet if you asked every driver what they heard they would have said something different. What I heard was things aren't bad. Let's don't forget we can make things better."
NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter said this so-called "Come to Jesus" was a reminder of chairman Brian France's preseason back-to-basics message. That the timing was a few days after the lawsuit, he added, was merely coincidental and that the lawsuit wasn't discussed. "We remind them if it weren't for the fans we wouldn't be here," he said. "The fans are paying over $4 a gallon for gasoline. [We told them] to keep the fans in mind when you're talking, to show your appreciation to the fans. Without them this wouldn't be like it is." The criticism reached an all-time high last weekend at Pocono. Denny Hamlin and several others implied the car was much hotter than the older car and possibly put drivers at risk. Series director John Darby understands. He said there are a lot of things available to keep the cars cooler "that's not being used." He reiterated that NASCAR has no plan to change the car until it's been through an entire season.(in part from ESPN.com)
Two officials named in a $225 million racial discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit against NASCAR have been placed on administrative leave for violating company policy, The Associated Press has learned. The officials, who were not immediately identified, were sent home from Kentucky Speedway on Friday evening, a person familiar with the NASCAR investigation told the AP. The person requested anonymity because NASCAR's investigation is ongoing. NASCAR sent a team of investigators from its human resources and legal offices to Kentucky this weekend to interview those named in the suit. Of 27 interviews conducted away from the track Thursday and Friday, two officials were found to have engaged in behavior that violated NASCAR policy. Their leave is indefinite. In addition, investigators failed to uncover a single instance where Grant complained to her supervisors or other NASCAR employees about the way she was treated, the person familiar with the investigation told AP. Grant has said she followed the chain of command all the way to Nationwide Series director Joe Balash, but stopped short of telling human resources because she was reprimanded by that department for a separate incident two weeks after lodging her complaint. She said she viewed the reprimand, which included a threat of termination, as retaliation for complaining to Balash. Balash was not one of the officials placed on leave Friday. Grant's lawyer, Benedict P. Morelli of Morelli Ratner PC, was not immediately available for comment.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Brian France says NO WAY in Discrimination Suit
NASCAR big cheese Brian France says the suit filed by former official, Mauricia Grant, is a no no. He is saying that she never reported any type of racial discrimination, sexual harassment to her supervisors.
Grant filed a $225 million suit against NASCAR on Tuesday, alleging racial discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliatory termination.
France said Wednesday the detailed filing was the first NASCAR learned of her claims.
France also said:
"The disappointing thing is, she makes a lot of claims,'' France said. "None of them are reported. It's inconsistent with anything of our policies and how we operate the company and the sport and so the fact that it went on as she stated ... for many months I guess but never bothered to tell anyone in management what was going on, which is what our policy says, is very disappointing because we would like, if those type of things were in fact going on, we would have loved to have been able to do an investigation and review of such an allegation and we'll still do that because now that she has made these claims, we'll do like what we always do which is a very clear review. She didn't do that and that's what every employee at NASCAR is instructed to do if they think they're in a situation of discrimination or harassment or whatever it might be. She just didn't do that. Then in fact has filed a lawsuit as a remedy to this problem. We'll deal with that as well. That's really where we are.''
Q: Did you have any indication that this was coming?
"No. I knew about it this week when the suit was file. Again, our policy is such that it's very clear. We talk to employees all the time making sure that their work environment is a good one. If it's not, if there's any problems, they have a very clear path to get it solved. It's just inconsistent with anything that we would tolerate at NASCAR.''
THE LAWSUIT CAN BE SEEN HERE: NASCAR LAWSUIT
New Investor For Petty Enterprises
In a press conference today at Lowes Motor Speedway, Kyle Petty, along with NASCAR's Brian France, #43 driver Bobby Labonte, Richard Petty, new CEO David Zucker and Andrew C. Davis, Managing Director of Boston Ventures, announced a partnership between Boston Ventures and Petty Enterprises. Zucker becomes the first non Petty to be in chargeof Petty Enterprises, and he said that he plans to expand to more cars in the future. No announcement was made about sponsorships past 2009. General Mills/Cheerios will leave the #43 after 2008 season. The portfolio of businesses that Boston Ventures has include American Media Inc. (The National Enquirer), Billboard Publications, Continental Cablevision, Marshall & Swift, Motown Records, River City Broadcasting, Six Flags Entertainment, Survey Sampling, Inc., and Vue Entertainment.
Also announced was a 4 year extension for driver Bobby LaBonte, which will keep LaBonte in the #43 until 2012. “I have known all along this is where I want to finish my racing career,” said Labonte.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
NASCAR SUED BY FORMER OFFICIAL
AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer is reporting that a former NASCAR Official has filed a lawsuit against NASCAR for $250 million, alleging racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination.
Mauricia Gant, who is black, was a technical inspector,her job was to certify cars in the NASCAR Nationwide Series from January 2005 until October 2007 when she was fired.
Grant stated that she was subjected to sexual advances from male co-workers, two of which she says allegedly exposed themselves to her and made graphic and lewd jokes.
"NASCAR perpetuated, condoned and actively participated in perverted and disgusting sexual conduct designed to demean and diminish (Grant) and the handful of other women employed by NASCAR as officials," according to the suit.
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston issued this statement:
"As an equal opportunity employer, NASCAR is fully committed to the spirit and letter of affirmative action law," Poston said. "NASCAR provides equal opportunity employment to job candidates and employees without regard to race, religion, creed, age, gender, or any other characteristic protected by law. Personnel decisions are made based on factors such as performance and adherence to corporate policy."
Grant says that she told her supervisors many times about how she had been treated, but nothing was done. She stated that she was told to "deal with it" by her immediate supervisor.
The lawsuit details a series of alleged incidents:
• Grant was forced to work outside more often than the white male officials because her supervisors believed she couldn't sunburn because she was black.
• While riding in the backseat of her carpool at Talladega Superspeedway, co-workers told her to duck as they passed race fans. "I don't want to start a riot when these fans see a black woman in my car," she claims one official said.
• When packing up a dark garage at Texas Motor Speedway an official told Grant: "Keep smiling and pop your eyes out 'cause we can't see you."
• When she ignored advances from co-workers, Grant was accused of being gay. She also claimed co-workers questioned the sexual orientation of two other female officials.
Grant said that she was warned a few weeks after a her last complaint that she had engaged in "conduct unbecoming of a NASCAR representative", and that she would be dismissed unless she changed her actions.
About 2 months later Grant was fired, NASCAR said due to her poor work performance. The lawsuit states that she had never been disciplined for her job performance, other than a warning for using "street" language, and that she received positive reviews
My take on this lawsuit is why did she wait so long to file? This is something that could have come out back in October when she was fired. Also why wait until you are fired to hire a lawyer? NASCAR says they have not received the lawsuit yet, so some more detils may come forward.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Pocono gets Kahne'd
Kasey Kahne wins his 3rd race out of the last 4 starts (including All-Star Race), as bad luck hits Tony Stewart and points leader Kyle Busch. Busch now leads by only 21 points as contact with Jamie McMurray ends his day with a 43rd place finish. Busch was trying to clear McMurray and had a mis-cue with his spotter, as Busch went to go high, he was not clear of the #26 and hit the wall with the front of his car.
Kahne and Kyle Busch have combined to win the last five races. Busch won at Darlington, Kahne in the all-star race and the 600 and then Kyle at Dover and now Kahne at Pocono. Busch nearly won at Richmond, finishing second, which came a week after his Talladega win. So, if Kyle had won at Richmond, this streak would be even longer. This matches a streak of wins by two drivers from last year when Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch combined to be the only winners in a five-race stretch last summer from Chicago to Michigan.
Stewart once again gets bit by pit road, with 28 laps to go NASCAR deemed Tony too fast exiting pit road which put him 1 lap down after getting a pass-through penalty. Stewart finished 35th. Stewart falls to 12th in the points the last transfer spot for the Chase. He leads 13th-place David Ragan by seven points, 14th-place Ryan Newman by 10 points and 15th-place Matt Kenseth by 38 points.
His season of bad luck started at the Daytona 500 as he lost the lead a mile from the finish of the Daytona 500 and placed third.
He crashed at Las Vegas, finishing last and bruising his foot. Hits wall after blowing right front tire.
Two laps from the finish at Bristol, Harvick and Stewart race for second. Harvick goes under Stewart, wiggles and hits Stewart, sending him spinning. Stewart finishes 14th.
Leads a race-high 61 laps at Talladega but is involved in late-race crash and finishes 38th.
Elliott Sadler crashes into Stewart on lap 2 at Darlington. Stewart, who started fourth, finishes 21st
Stewart has a right front tire go flat while leading with three laps to go in the Coca-Cola 600. He finishes 18th.
Sadler spins in front of Stewart, who has nowhere to go, on lap 18 at Dover. Stewart crashes into Sadler. Stewart finishes 41st.
Then on the other side of lady luck there is Kasey Kahne, and the upswing improvement of his team.
"We've been running good all year,'' team director Kenny Francis, noting problems at Texas, Phoenix and Talladega that kept the team out of the 20 in those races. "I've felt like and the whole company has been on a ... we're going to take this slow and steady and build it back up from where we were at and that's what we've done. We've still got a long way to go. We keep learning every week and trying to get better.
Results:
1. Kasey Kahne ... has pit road problems, comes back and gets win #9
2. Brian Vickers ... been drinking his Red Bull!
3. Denny Hamlin ... Great rebound after Dover mess, climbs 4 spots to 5th in points.
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ... records 10th top-10 this season, tying Kyle Busch for series best.
5. Jeff Burton ... huge boast in points, old guys still can get it done, 21 behind Busch
6. Jimmie Johnson ... was having his own race, and tried some off sequence pit stops
7. Matt Kenseth ... has finished 7th, 4th, 7th, and 6th in last 4 points races.
8. Kurt Busch ... recovers from early spin, and is the "Fastest Busch today"
9. Carl Edwards ... flat left rear forces extra pit stop late and goes from 33rd to 9th.
10. Mark Martin ... not bad for a retired guy, says he will win Indy next month
11. Bobby Labonte ... solid run all day, just short of a top 10
12. AJ Allmendinger ... earns career-best finish.
13. Kevin Harvick ... effort keeps him 10th in points.
14. Jeff Gordon ... worst finish since placing 19th at Talladega in late April
15. Greg Biffle ... SPEEDER!!! victim of pit road speeding penalty late in the race
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Keselowski Gets First Series Win In Nashville
By Amanda Brahler
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
LEBANON, Tenn. (June 7, 2008) After narrowly missing victories on multiple occasions this season, Brad Keselowski claimed his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series win on Saturday night at Nashville Superspeedway, taking the lead from points leader Clint Bowyer with five laps remaining in the Federated Auto Parts 300.
Keselowski led early in the event, staying on track on Lap 79 when then-leader Joey Logano led other lead-lap cars down pit road. That set the stage for the evening, putting Keselowski on a different pit strategy than most of the leaders. With his counterparts opting to make their final stop of the night with 77 laps remaining, Keselowski, under the guidance of crew chief Tony Eury Sr., made his final stop of the night 41 laps from the finish.
It initially appeared that David Reutimann would run away with the race (though he was pushing it on fuel mileage), but a caution flag fell with just 10 laps remaining after Brad Teague spun off of Turn 2. That bunched the field back up behind Reutimann for a restart on Lap 217 of 225.
On that restart, Reutimann was ambushed by Bowyer and Kyle Busch. Bowyer took the lead after contact with Reutimann but only temporarily, as Keselowski dropped his No. 88 Chevrolet to the inside of Bowyer's No. 2, taking the position.
"That's what we needed to catch back up to the 99 (Reutimann)," Keselowski said. "For some reason, David didn't go. I got behind him, took the air off of him and the next thing I knew I got by David and next was taking on Clint," Keselowski said.
"I feel like I paid some dues," he added after hoisting his first NASCAR Nationwide Series trophy, which came in the form of a Gibson Guitar.
"To catch that break like I did with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. and this Navy Chevrolet, it vindicates it. I've got a team that just keeps getting better every week, and I keep getting better every week. I felt like this was just a matter of time."
As Keselowski drove towards the checkered flag, things got dicey behind him. Reutimann continued to get pushed around, as he dropped back to third as David Stremme slid into the second position.
Bowyer also had contact with Stremme, dropping him to fourth at the finish.
David Ragan closed out the top five finishers.
Reutimann, Bowyer, Ragan, Busch, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Jason Leffler all flew to Nashville to compete in Saturday's race after taking part in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. Busch finished the second leg of his historic attempt at a triple, competing in his second national series race in as many days. Pocono represents the third and final segment.
Polesitter Logano led 64 laps in what marked his second series event. The early favorite to win, the 18-year-old was the victim of a four-wide race through Turn 4 on Lap 89. His No. 20 Toyota got clipped by Greg Biffle's Ford, sending him sideways into Busch's machine before shooting up track and into the outside wall. He ended the event 31st.
Kyle Busch crashes in Cup practice
Kyle Busch has gone to a backup car and will start at the rear of the field Sunday at Pocono after crashing on pit road in practice Saturday.
Busch got loose off turn 3 and collected his sliding car. He then headed to pit road but lost the car entering the pits and it slammed against the inside pit wall near the pit entrance. Busch's car suffered heavy right front damage. Speed Channel reported that Busch radioed his crew and said that he "lost it.''
Busch was third quickest in that car in that practice session. That leaves him with the final practice session to make adjustments.
What this means is that Busch will start all three NASCAR races at the back of the field. He started at the rear in Friday's truck race since someone else qualified the truck for him there. He bounced back to finish second to Ron Hornaday Jr. Busch also will start at the rear in Saturday's Nationwide race at Nashville because someone else qualified the car. Now he'll start at the rear of the field for the Cup race.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Ron Hornaday Win at Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas (June 6, 2008) -- Ron Hornaday Jr. made one of his trademark masterful restarts on a green-white-checkered flag restart and kept Kyle Busch in his mirrors for the final two laps to win the Sam's Town 400 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Friday at Texas Motor Speedway.
Busch started at the back of the 35-truck field after missing Thursday's qualifying and practice sessions. He flew to Fort Worth after qualifying Friday for the Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
For the next-to-last restart on Lap 157, Busch was fourth, the highest he'd been to that point in the race. He darted to the inside to pass Jack Sprague's Chevrolet in Turn 1 and went past Johnny Benson's Toyota on the backstretch to move up to second.
Hornaday had a comfortable lead over Busch, but an accident involving Scott Speed and Marc Mitchell sent the race, scheduled for 167 laps on the 1.5-mile track, into overtime.
"I wanted to win this race so bad and Kyle got up there," Hornaday said.
On the final restart, Hornaday's Chevrolet hugged the inside, as the driver of the No. 33 put his left-front wheel next to the grass exiting Turn 4, to take away the move Busch had used to overtake Sprague.
"I think maybe he (Busch) spun the tires," Hornaday said. "We were having some problems in Turn 2 and we got the truck up on the high side to get through there."
Busch's Toyota closed up on Hornaday's bumper on the backstretch, but never was able to get alongside.
Hornaday won by .283 seconds, about two truck lengths.
"I drove my heart out", Hornaday said. "I wanted to win this race bad. I won Texas, woo-hoo! But it was a team victory."
It was Hornaday's first win at Texas in 11 starts, his second of the season and the 35th of his CTS career. Hornaday moved into the points lead by 45 over Matt Crafton, who finished seventh.
Hornaday led 140 of 172 laps, including the last 57.
Busch climbed into the top 10 in 70 laps, but needed another 50 to get into the top five.
"The truck was terrible at the beginning," Busch said. "It was absolute junk. We had about an 11th place truck at the start and got it to about an eighth-place truck."
J.R. Norris practiced and qualified Busch's Toyota.
"J.R. and the guys did what they could do, but nobody drives like I do," Busch said. "It's hard to find a guy to set it up how I like it. We finished second for (owner) Billy Ballew. That's what matters most."
Benson finished third, followed by Sprague and Todd Bodine. Hornaday reclaimed the points lead by 45 over Matt Crafton, who finished seventh.
Staying, Going, and Gone
Staying is Clint Bowyer, RCR has used an option to keep Bowyer for the 2009 season and "we are just working on a long-term deal right now,'' Boywer said.
Bowyer was asked if RCR is where he wants to be long term and he responsed:
"Yes, absolutely. Nobody wants to shuffle around year to year, you want to know where you are at and know you that your team is underneath you and every thing’s put in place for long term. Nobody wants to be bouncing back and forth and see the guys in the silly season year after year, that has to be torture. Not knowing where you are going to be and worrying about that all the time and trying to stay focused on the task at hand at the same time; I think that would be pretty tough.”
Going, well not according to him, is Jamie McMurray. When asked about leaving Roush/Fenway Racing he said:
THERE IS PLENTY OF SILLY SEASON SPECULATION GOING ON. ARE YOU PUTTING OUT ANY FEELERS?
“No, I have not.”
HAVE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES?
“Not that I am aware of.”
HAVE OTHER TEAMS INQUIRED ABOUT YOU?
“Not that I'm aware of. It’s hard to answer questions because anything I answer will lead to the next question, and there’s not really anything to talk about. I don’t know where Utter got his story, and so it’s certainly drawn attention to something that – it’s, I don’t know how you can say it, it’s like whenever there’s not anything to talk about, and you tell the truth, you feel like you need to add to the story so you can make people believe you. But, there’s not anything to talk about.”
DO YOU WANT TO BE THERE NEXT YEAR?
“Yes.”
DO YOU WORRY ABOUT IT?
“No.”
ARE YOU HAPPY?
“Yes. Certainly, we want to run better. I’m at an incredible organization, and we have all the cars and people that are capable of running to win every weekend. So, the move from Ganassi to here I really hoped was going to be able to put me in the chase every year, and that we’d contend to win races on a regular basis, and our performance hasn’t been as good what’s expected – whether it’s from me, the race team or the sponsor. So, you want to continue to get better, and the car of tomorrow has brought some new challenges. The first four or five races we didn’t run bad, but we just seemed to have bad luck or freaky things would happen to us, and it just put us in a really bad position. But the last four or five weeks have been pretty good, and you just try to continue and build on that. The thing about racing is that if you run well for four weeks everything’s great, and if you run bad for two it seems like you need to go find somewhere else to drive, they say. Everything is fine here. I don’t really know what the basis of Utter’s story was.”
HAVE YOU TALKED TO JACK ROUSH OR GEOFF SMITH ABOUT IT?
“Well, when all of it came up, we just all talked and I never asked to get out of my contract and they never said that they were going to release me from my contract. There was never any discussion of any of that. So, we just were all trying to figure out where it came from.”
and who is gone....
Matt Martin, who? The son of veteran driver Mark Martin, is no longer racing. Matt Martin Matt's career began in Quarter Midgets when he just was seven years old, and his racing experience also includes Bandoleros, Legend cars, the Fastruck Series, and the FASCAR Pro Truck Series.
In 2005, he won two races while competing against drivers 10 to 20 years his senior in the FASCAR league. He raced the No. 66 Ford F-150 Truck. In the game NASCAR 06 which takes place in the year 2005, Matt Martin can be noticed as a fantasy driver for the Whelen Modified Tour.
In 2006, at 14 years of age, he ran a limited schedule in the ASA Late Model Southern Series, as well as running in the FASCAR Pro Truck and Sportsman Series. He won a late model race at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida.
During the 2007 season; young Matt has been moved over from the Ford Motor Company development program to Ginn Racing's development program; headed up by Mark Martin. Matt plans on running a late model schedule very similar to teammate Ricky Carmichael. Mark and Matt plan on working together throughout Mark's limited NEXTEL Cup schedule.
During a March 8th, 2008 airing of Speed Channel's Trackside, Mark Martin (Matt's father) announced that his son Matt ended his racing career. Mark Martin stated his son wants to concentrate on his education but didn't rule out a possible return to racing.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Can You Hear Me Now?
Well it is official, Verizon Wireless said Thursday it would buy rural mobile phone service provider Alltel Corp for $28.1 billion, including debt, which would vault it to first place in the U.S. market ahead of AT&T Inc.
There is no word yet on how this is going to effect the sponsorship of the #12 Alltel Dodge, driven by Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, but when Sprint started the sponsorship deal with NASCAR to headline the top series, the deal was that Alltel would be "grandfathered" in. Just as Cingular Wireless was on the #31 car, but after a buyout of Cingular by AT&T the deal was off, and AT&T is gone after 2010
NASCAR's comment about this was:
"When Nextel became the title sponsor, we notified all teams that existing competing sponsorships could stay in the series indefinitely so long as there was no change in branding," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Thursday in a statement. "This is the case with the Alltel brand – it can stay on the car indefinitely but if it transitions to Verizon or any competing company then it can no longer run a different sponsor on any car in the [Cup Series]."
POCONO RACE PREVIEW
This weekend the stars of the NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES head to the tricky triangle known as Pocono Raceway, a very different track then any other on the schedule, its has 3 different banked turn and the longest straightaway the driver will be on all year, here are some stats and what some drivers say about how they will do this weekend:
Press Release NASCAR:
Momentum Means All: Expect Gordon In The Mix At Pocono
While the first four months of the 2007 and 2008 season may be known The Tale Of Two Starts for Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet), Sunday’s Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway could find the four-time series champion in the same place — Victory Lane.
A year ago, Gordon arrived at Pocono having led the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings for nine consecutive weeks. He departed with his fourth victory of 2007, still firmly out front.
This year has been anything except a continuation.
Gordon began 2008 with a 39th-place finish in the Daytona 500 and has yet to win, clawing through the standings toward Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup eligibility (the top 12 in series points).
But recent performances may portend big things.
Gordon has jumped from 14th to sixth in the last four weeks. He returns to Pocono as the defending race champion and with momentum after last week’s fifth-place finish at Dover International Speedway.
Gordon has four wins, two poles, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes in 30 career starts at Pocono. He also ranks third in NASCAR Loop Data’s pre-race Driver Rating for Pocono (97.5) behind Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) at 133.1 and Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) at 103.2.
Three tracks. Three states. Three national series.
In three days. With three different teams.
That’s Kyle Busch’s (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) assignment as he prepares to compete in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide event at Nashville Superspeedway and Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup event at Pocono
Raceway. CLICK IMAGE TO SEE KYLE BUSCH'S RACE WEEKEND
Assuming no travel or weather gremlins, Busch will become the first driver to compete in all three NASCAR national series on the same weekend at different tracks.
And that’s after participating in Wednesday’s fourth annual Old Spice Prelude to the Dream at Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora
Speedway — a Victory Junction Gang Camp fundraiser hosted by track owner and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Tony Stewart.
And a Thursday sponsor appearance.
At Nashville, Busch will drive the No. 32 Toyota for Braun Racing. At Texas, he’ll drive the No. 51 Toyota for Billy Ballew Motorsports. Due to travel, he’ll participate in only one qualifying session, Friday at Pocono. Tennessee native Willie Allen will sub for him at Nashville and J.R. Norris will step in at Texas, both taking Busch’s seat during qualifying and practices for those series’ events.
In The Loop: Hamlin The One To Catch At Pocono
Denny Hamlin loves Pocono Raceway.
Right off the bat, he had the track figured out – not an easy accomplishment, considering Pocono’s degree of difficulty and the unique layout.
In Hamlin’s rookie year of 2006, he won the pole and the race in each of his visits to the 2.5-mile track. In his second race there, he scored a near-perfect Driver Rating of 149.0 (a perfect rating is 150.0).
In his four races, Hamlin holds series-highs in a number of statistical categories: Driver Rating (133.1), Average Running Position (4.6) and Laps in the Top 15 percentage (93.9%). He also ranks second in Fastest Laps Run with 172.
But lately, if it hasn’t been Hamlin at Pocono, it’s been Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge).
Busch has two wins and two second-place finishes over his last five Pocono races. In both his wins, Busch scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0.
In his previous six Pocono races, Busch has notched a Driver Rating of 116.6 (second-best), an Average Running Position of 7.4 (second), a series-high 207 Fastest Laps Run and has spent 82.9% of the Laps in the Top 15.
Also watch for Tony Stewart’s luck to change.
His chances of victory were destroyed early at Dover, but Pocono has treated him kinder in recent years. Over the past six races there, Stewart has a Driver Rating of 103.2 (third-best), an Average Running Position of 10.5 (fourth), 36 Fastest Laps Run (tied for sixth), a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 79.2% (fourth) and a series-high 266 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green).
One wild card this weekend is also a driver who is aiming to get back into the top 12.
Ryan Newman (No. 12 Kodak Dodge), currently in 14th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, could charge into the top 12 with a win at Pocono – a feat that’s not out of the question.
Since 2005 at Pocono, Newman has a Driver Rating of 101.9 (fourth) and an Average Running Position of 8.6 (third).
What They Are Saying:
