Kwasniewski crashes as qualifying ends for Nationwide race at Bristol
Turner-Scott Motorsports rookie driver, Dylan Kwasniewski, made the final round of qualifying Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway. As the final session drew to a close, however, Kwasniewski, crashed his No. 31 Rockstar Energy Chevrolet.
Kwasniewski, who won the 2012 K&N Pro Series West championship and followed that up with the 2013 K&N Pro Series East championship, is competing for Rookie of the year honors n the NASCAR Nationwide Series this season.
Kwasniewski currently sits eighth in the standings, with one top-10 finish and has an average finish of 15th.
It was also announced earlier this week, that the Las Vegas, Nevada native, has signed with Chip Ganassi Racing as a development driver. Chip Ganassi Racing driver, Kyle Larson, was also signed as a development driver two years ago, and is now competing for Rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
The Turner-Scott Motorsports team decided to not bring out a back-up car, therefore, Kwasniewski will be starting 11th in Saturday’s Drive to Stop Diabetes 300.
Kyle Busch looking for more success at Bristol Motor Speedway
Over his career at Bristol, Kyle Busch has amassed five Sprint Cup Series wins – with the last coming in 2011. Last year, Busch was able to finish second in the spring race, before finishing 11th in the fall race.
“It’s been a real good place for me in years past — not quite as good the last couple years and we would certainly like to change that around a little bit and get back to our old winning ways here with our Skittles Camry,” Busch commented. “Put the rainbow in victory lane. Looking forward to what the race is going to have in store for us here Sunday and if anything has changed from last year, which I doubt, then we’ll all be running up top and trying to figure out the new, old, old, new Bristol.”
With the current configuration, drivers have gotten used to running the top line around Bristol, rather than the bottom. As a result, Busch feels that it has made passing harder.
“ You run into the corner and you try to move a guy out of the way and when you hit him there’s really not room for him to slide up and you’re already going left, you can’t just turn farther left,” he explained. “If we could then we would all be running around here faster. Essentially when you run the bottom, you could go in the corner and hit a guy, he would move out of the way and you would roll on through. You can’t roll in the corner, hit a guy, cut underneath him and pass him.”
Busch says that now Bristol has taken a whole new attitude to how you have to race the event, mostly single-file around the top with slide jobs happening every now and then.
“It’s certainly more challenging or a bigger challenge than what it used to be and it’s just a different form of racing than what it used to be,” Busch continued. “It’s something we’ve all become accustomed to here the last few times especially that the top is the way to go because when they ground the top they tried to ruin the top and they actually helped it more than the bottom because they smoothed it out and once you get rubber developed up there and once you get the rubber laid down up there, it’s actually faster than the bottom.”
If Busch can figure it out come Sunday and lead some laps, it’ll put him closer to having led 10,000 laps in the series. Busch has led 92,809 laps over the course of the past 11 years.
“It’s pretty neat you know anytime we’re able to set records, break records, math — however you want to say it. It’s always fun,” he commented. “It just means you’re accomplishing things in the sport, various things in the sport. There’s a lot of things that I want to accomplish still that I haven’t. Whatever things come along that way that we’re able to accomplish is awesome, it’s fun, it’s great — it means you are a namesake in the sport and that hopefully things continue to go down that path.”
Last weekend, Busch didn’t have the success that he wanted as he finished just outside the top 10. Busch attributes that to the new rules and other teams figuring it out quicker than his Joe Gibbs Racing team.
“I don’t think it’s anything to do with the aero rules, I think it’s just to do with the new ride height rules,” Busch commented. “The box used to be so big and now it’s way bigger. It just allows more opportunity for teams to experiment and to come up with different things that make their cars go fast.”
Like last weekend at Vegas, Busch will once again be running the Nationwide Series race this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch says the motivation behind running in the series is sponsorship dollars as Monster Energy pays a lot of money for him to be in the car.
“If I didn’t have those guys, then I’m not so sure that they would feel confident being in the sport whatsoever,” Busch explained. “At least it’s another team that’s out there that’s running around and is in business. It’s not necessarily just for me, but there’s 16 or 17 guys on that team with the 54 car that have jobs because of that sponsor.”
The biggest star of the Bristol may not be who you think
Bristol, TN – (March 15, 2014) – When the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series travels to the high-bank half-mile oval in beautiful northeast Tennessee, you think of the stars who usually perform well there. Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin quickly come to mind.
For this weekend’s Food City 500, however, there is an unusual star getting the majority of the media attention. No, it’s not a rookie, or a start and park driver. It is a piece of pit equipment. Specifically, the Cool Down Box!
Thanks to NASCAR’s modification to the qualifying format that no longer permits the slow speed cool down laps that teams were using to cool their cars after a hard qualifying run. The new rule permits the use of the Cool Down Box to cool the engine.
What is a Cool Down Box you ask? It is a portable unit with a reservoir that contains water. The teams also add ice to the water. Additionally, attached to the unit is a radiator and fan. When a car comes in after a run, the crew hooks two hoses from the unit to connectors on the car. The cold water is pumped through the car’s cooling system removing the heat from the engine components. Once the engine is cool, it is ready to head back to the track for another run.
The Cool Down Box was definitely the hot topic on Friday at the track. Media members, crew chiefs, and drivers were all talking about how the new rule will affect qualifying. Marcos Ambrose weighed in on the new rule, “This is way better. To even think we did it the other way is crazy. This is the way it should be because it allows the fastest cars to go out there and put on the right show and not confuse the fans. I think it’s a good change for us and I think these qualifying sessions are gonna get more and more exciting as the drivers and teams work out how to do it.”
Before qualifying on Friday, Matt Kenseth talked about having no cool down laps, saying, “With no cool down laps, less chaotic and confusing hopefully. I think it’s going to look more practice somewhat and more like a normal qualifying session except there will be more cars out there.”
2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Brad Keselowski, who, including this weekend at Bristol, has started on the front row three times in a row, was asked if the new rule made his run Friday possible. Brad replied, “Oh, absolutely. I think that rule change has just made qualifying even better.”
When it was all said and done Friday afternoon, everyone seemed to be very complimentary of NASCAR’s changes. Increased safety, less confusion, and much less chaos led to a very exciting qualifying session at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. Though many criticize NASCAR, it seems they have once again made the right call and, as a result, made the “Cool Down Box” the newest star of the Sprint Cup Series.
IndyCar announces Verizon as new series sponsor
INDYCAR announced today that Verizon will be the new title sponsor of the IndyCar Series beginning in 2014. INDYCAR and Verizon have signed a multi-year agreement to re-brand the series as the Verizon IndyCar Series.
INDYCAR CEO Mark Miles says the partnership is a game changer for fans, drivers and the series as a whole.
“In a real sense I think it represents a kind of confirmation of the strategies we’ve put into place and where we intend to take the sport and is the beginning of the next phase of IndyCar’s growth,” Miles added. “You know, as we’ve done some work in the last several months as has probably been done in the past, I think about what is fundamentally IndyCar; speed and the daring of the drivers and the skill of the drivers are, we think, a huge part of what we offer the public. But at the same time, going back to our earliest roots, innovation is part of our brand and part of what we stand for. The more we’ve thought about it, innovation has a role on the track, and we expect to be more innovative, again, over time.
“But innovation also has a lot to do with how we go to the market and how we captivate the fans and present the sport in all its depth and excitement to fans, and I cannot imagine a more perfect partner to be true to those roots and to take us to the next level of leadership in sports for the way we use innovation to put the sport forward.”
Verizon has been a long-time partner with Team Penske, and has been involved in IndyCar sponsorship in the past, sponsoring the Verizon P1 Award for each races’ pole sitter. That will continue this year, as well.
“We’ve had a great relationship just as a partner, and then even with the Penske team,” Verizon Wireless vice‑president of marketing Brian Angiolet said. “When you look at this, it just became the right time for Verizon to step up into this position. Internally, we have been evolving our brand and our position in the marketplace from a mobile‑ and wireless‑centric company into more of this technology company, and when you think about the role that technology plays in IndyCar, it just seemed like a great match.
“And now with this agreement, and when you look at the roadmap that we have both in the agreement and from a product standpoint, I think we feel that we now have a platform really here to demonstrate what all of our technology can bring to the fan base, inside and outside the venue. So it’s a perfect match at a perfect time.”
Verizon will look to put the IndyCar Series in front of the most people possible through marketing with their technical experts that have made their mobile company one of the top companies world-wide. The idea will be to link sports, entertainment and technology together to benefit all parties.
Angiolet said that there will be an increase in the amount of commercials moving forward, recognizing hte lack of national recognition that IndyCar has been missing.
“Yeah, I think you will see ‑‑ we’ve had a commitment to ‑‑ we’ve got cars with the teams, we’ve got drivers, the Indy league itself, the technology position, the spots that we’re creating around that I think are going to be very exciting, kind of visceral, and that’s part of the muscle that we would bring and will bring,” Angiolet commented.
In the coming weeks, Verizon has some projects that they are going to start implementing already – significant network coverage upgrades to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of its Project 100, short- and long-term technology enhancements to INDYCAR Race Control and the addition of pit lane monitors and enhancing connectivity for spectators at each domestic race venue.
“The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500 has long been recognized as a technological proving ground and an association with Verizon positions the racetrack with the global leader in technological innovation and communication,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles commented. “As we work to enhance the fan experience at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway leading up to the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016, we are excited about the new avenues in information delivery and access that Verizon will be able to help us explore for our fans.”
Verizon will also it’s LTE Multicast solution at race tracks, which will go with the Verizon INDYCAR 14 app and indycar.com, the official website of INDYCAR. The idea will be to deliver news and updates at a quicker pace.
Verizon has been the primary sponsor for Will Power’s No. 12 Team Penske car over the past four years and will continue to be in the future. Verizon also will be the primary sponsor of the No. 2 entry driven by Juan Pablo Montoya for at least eight races.
“Verizon Wireless has been a terrific partner for Team Penske and as a global leader in technology and communications the company is a perfect fit as a title sponsor for the Verizon IndyCar Series,” Roger Penske commented. “We have seen how much Verizon cares about advancing technology in racing and how it can help bring the sport closer to the fans. Verizon has tremendous passion for IndyCar racing and their vision, dedication and commitment will be a great benefit to the Verizon IndyCar Series and its future.”
The Verizon IndyCar Series season opens on March 30 (3 p.m. ET, ABC) in St. Petersburg.
Preview and Predictions: Food City 500
After we nearly saw Dale Earnhardt Jr. clinch his first multi-win season since 2004, the series heads over to the first short track race of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway. With zero top-fives in the last 10 races there, Dale Jr. will have his work cut out for him if he wants to maintain his streak of top-two finishes. However, his rival Brad Keselowski could very easily maintain his streak of top-five finishes.
Bristol Motor Speedway is a tough half-mile race track, with racing there being equated to flying jet fighters in a gymnasium. With the current surface, we’ve seen a lack of bump-and-runs that made Bristol so exciting. But with this new points system that puts a large incentive on winning, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a driver put the bumper to another guy in order to win. Almost every driver will tell you they wouldn’t wreck a guy to win a race, but they may consider “rattling their cage.” In any case, here’s a couple drivers to keep an eye on, and one of them might end up in victory lane.
Kyle Busch
In recent memory, when you think of Bristol, you think of Kyle Busch. He’s scored a whopping 160 more points than any other driver in the last 10 races there, and he’s found victory lane in four of those races, the latest being the spring race of 2011. Add that to his impressive average finish of 7.8 over the last 10 starts at Bristol and it becomes easy to see why Rowdy Busch is always the man to beat at Bristol. 
Brad Keselowski
I’m not entirely sure what Team Penske has done to their race cars, but they have been extremely fast all year long. Joey Logano sits fourth in points with two top-fives in three races, but his teammate Brad Keselowski is even better. Keselowski is just one point behind points leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. and has three top-fives in three races. In very recent memory, Brad K. has made Bristol Motor Speedway one of his best tracks, winning two of the last five. His average finish of 13th may not sound so great, but with the success and speed Team Penske have had this year, it would be a surprise to not see the White Deuce run up front. 
Jimmie Johnson
When you think of Jimmie Johnson’s best tracks, Bristol usually doesn’t spring into mind, but after some research, I was surprised by how consistent Johnson has been at the half-mile race track. His five top-fives and seven top-10 finishes in the past 10 races there are equal to Kyle Busch, and he won a Bristol race in 2010. Also keep in mind that Johnson will be driving Chassis 728 this weekend. This chassis completely dominated at Pocono last year, won at Indy in 2012, and finished second at Indy last year. The success of Chassis 728 will continue on Sunday and Johnson will come home solidly inside the top-10. 
Even though six-time has shown great consistency at Bristol over the past few years, I still believe the race will be between Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch, and I actually will give the edge to Mr. Keselowski. With the speed Team Penske has had in 2014, it’s evident that he looks a little better than his Joe Gibbs Racing rival Kyle Busch. As a diehard race fan, I can’t wait to see who conquers Thunder Valley.
All statistics retrieved from Racing-Reference.info.
