Home Blog Page 5136

Sprint Media Tour Day One – Stewart-Haas Racing

By
SM Staff
-
Photo Credit: Brad Keppel

The first day of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Sprint Media Tour involved three teams—Stewart-Haas Racing and a joint media event with JTG Daugherty Racing and Leavine Family Racing. Following the usual presentation by each team where an opening statement was made with questions from those present, all drivers and team principals were available for breakout sessions.

First up was Stewart-Haas Racing. The new four-member team of Tony Stewart, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick, and Kurt Busch was announced to the multitudes present. The first question fielded by Stewart was the obvious one. Will the team be a clash of egos as the season goes along?

“We do have four alpha drivers here, but we understand each other,” Stewart said. “It’s like a support system.”

Stewart went on to say since the drives know each other so well, it will tend to make them stronger rather than weaker.

Stewart was asked about his health after last summer’s injury and if he was cleared to compete in the Daytona 500 in February. His first response was, “Read the internet,” followed by, “I got released a couple of weeks ago. I feel great and I’m ready. It was harder not being in the car than it will be getting in the car. We’ve all had injuries.”

Patrick was asked how she viewed 2014 and what she expected for the new season.

“Kurt and Kevin have been a big help already,” Patrick said. “I have so much to learn from this group since they have all this experience already. I’m growing.” She was upset that the team got better in the middle part of the schedule in 2013, but floundered as the season ended.

Team co-owner Gene Haas also took the stage, which was unusual. He has been taking more of a hands-on approach of late, but insisted no changes were going to be made in the management area.

“I’m the kind of guy who hires great people and lets them do what they do best,” Haas said. “I’m there and I take part in all the big decisions, though.”

Haas also commented on his publicized desire to form a Formula One team. He made it clear that he would not want to buy an existing team, nor would he move the team from North Carolina, but said it was going to be a tough road getting a team.

“Mr. Ecclestone made it clear that he didn’t think I could get a team. I don’t know if that was his way of just showing me how tough it was going to be or what,” Haas said. “I’m interested in that form of racing because it’s the most difficult racing in the world. It would show the world Haas Automotive could compete with the best and it might open markets worldwide for our products.”

Harvick and Busch admitted they were excited to start the season with Stewart-Haas. Harvick, who was fast at Daytona, was beaming.

“I’m really excited to start (2014). This team is what I have been seeking for a long time. I think we can go out and be fast immediately and challenge for a championship. I can’t wait for the season to start.”

The day began with a noon luncheon presented by Charlotte Motor Speedway. Attending were the Governor of North Carolina, Charlotte’s mayor, and the staff at CMS, as well as other Speedway Motorsports facilities. At the luncheon, Governor Pat McCrory admitted he saw his first race at CMS by sneaking in the speedway. He offered SMI’s CEO, Bruton Smith, the price of a ticket since he was honored at the luncheon. Later on, McCrory offered Smith $5 for the ticket—half of the cost of admission because he only saw half the race.

The media met with JTG Daugherty and the Leavine Family Racing principals later on and will be reported on in a separate article.

The Final Word – The only 25 drivers’ names you need to concern yourself with this Cup season

By
Ron Thornton
-
Photo Credit: David Yeazell

When the 2014 Cup season begins, we will have new faces, old faces in new places, along with a cast of characters still where we last saw them. However, when they are done determining who is in and who is out each week, only 25 drivers on ten teams will actually matter. The rest will simply be hamburger helper sprinkled amongst the real meat.

The steak that will sizzle is once again expected to be provided by Team Hendrick, led by 6-time champion Jimmie Johnson. Four-time king Jeff Gordon, fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr, and 16-race winner Kasey Kahne will all be behind the wheel of Chevrolet SS models, but this quartet is all Corvette. 189 career wins and 10 championships between them. Enough said.

After a 13 year absence, Dale Earnhardt’s old slant No.3 returns with his old boss, with the team owner’s grandson in the driver’s seat. All 23-year old Austin Dillon has done to deserve the opportunity was to show Grandpa that he can win championships, as he did last year in the junior series and the year before in the trucks. Okay, he looks rather goofy in a cowboy hat, I admit, but when he pops on a racing helmet the lad is solid gold. Add to the mix Ryan Newman and Paul Menard and this should prove an interesting season for this outfit.

Joe Gibbs has his own trio of note, as Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin all have shown star quality on the track. Kenseth was the chief contender to Johnson last year, Kyle is always in the mix, and Hamlin was the last guy we saw in Victory Lane last year, despite what was for him a season of misfortune.

Jack Roush drivers claimed three wins in 2013, even though 9th was the best season showing from a lineup that boasts Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. None have won a Cup crown, all are hungry to change that, and the pressure will be on to be succeed this season.

2014 brings us Kyle Larson, as the 21-year old joins Jamie McMurray with Chip Ganassi. He won one of two truck races he ran last year, but still is best known for being sent up into the fence and spreading car parts into the stands during Daytona’s junior series opener last year.

Roger Penske has a two car operation, with former champ Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano driving again for him. Richard Petty is back with Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola. Michael Waltrip had himself an annus horribilis, as Queen Elizabeth might say, in 2013. Still, while NAPA may be gone, Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers remain. No sponsor, no Martin Truex Jr, but he wound up with Furniture Row, and along with the rest mentioned here should be more than relevant when they roll off the line.

No, I have not forgotten about Tony Stewart, nor Gene Haas who made himself relevant by hiring his own boy, namely Kurt Busch, for the team. Along with the mending co-owner and the arrival of Kevin Harvick, this should be quite a team to watch, both on and off the track. Call this the good, the bad, and the ugly, but I will leave it to you to determine who is who.

Did I miss anyone? Well, actually, no. I am with Kyle Petty when it comes to 31-year old Danica Patrick. She is a marketing machine but she has yet to prove she can race when there are others out there to compete against. Despite the quality equipment she has, and I am talking about that provided by Stewart-Haas not God Almighty, her results have been pedestrian, at best. A single Top Ten in 46 Cup races, 7 for 60 in the junior league, one win and 7 podiums in 115 IndyCar events does not a legend make. However, until another woman arrives on the scene, and I see none even close just yet, she will remain. At least she will until the novelty runs its course and she faces the same expectations as, say, 24-year old Landon Cassill, 22-year old Cole Whitt, 22- year old Trevor Bayne or 21-year old Ty Dillon.

Ten teams, I say, but what about Tommy Baldwin? If you expect Michael Annett or J.J. Yeley to do something, then maybe. I just do not see it. Swan Racing is running two teams, but will Whitt or Parker Kligerman outlast even start and parker Joe Nemechek? There will be Front Row (with David Ragan and David Gilliland), BK and Daugherty teams attempting to qualify and even making it, but will they add to your race experience? I doubt it, but wouldn’t it be nice if someone made a liar out of me? Anyone?

There will be a lot of story lines this season, such as Johnson’s quest to reach NASCAR immortality, Junior seeking a win, the rookie seasons of Dillon and Larson, Roush veterans seeking a title, the Stewart-Haas potential drama, if Furniture Row can maintain, and so much more. However, just as important will be the answer as to whether Patrick is the real deal or a 3 dressed up as a 9 and if Baldwin, Swan, or Front Row can make the jump to actually matter. We are down to just weeks before the results start trickling in.

In the meantime, enjoy the Super Bowl.

Maurice Petty Created Horsepower That Powered A NASCAR Dynasty

By
SM Archive
-

Roush Fenway and Walgreens drive fan engagement to new heights with ‘Race Around America’

By
SM Archive
-

Tim Hortons partners with Jeff Lapcevich for 25th season

By
SM Staff
-
Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin

Fastline Motorsports announced earlier this week that Tim Hortons will once again sponsor Jeff Lapcevich in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. It marks the 25th season that Tim Hortons has partnered with the Grimsby, Ontario native.

“I can’t express how honored I am to once again have the support of Tim Hortons,” Lapcevich said. “They’ve supported our team for the last 24 seasons, I’m sure our 25th year together is going to be a great one.”

Lapcevich had a solid season in 2013, finishing in the top 10 in six of his seven starts. The season was highlighted by Fastline Motorsports announced earlier this week that Tim Hortons will once again sponsor Jeff Lapcevich in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. It marks the 25th season that Tim Hortons has partnered with the Grimsby, Ontario native.a podium finish in both the season opener at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and the season finale at Kawartha Speedway.

“2013 was an exciting year for us,” Lapcevich expressed. “We had a brand new road course chassis and had performed a bunch of upgrades to our oval chassis over the off-season. In many ways, it was a season of experimenting and finding just how far we could push our equipment to get the results we needed. After all that we’ve learned, I feel as though we have a phenomenal package for our 2014 season and I can’t wait to hit the track and start testing.”

Fastline Motorsports also announced that Castrol, Cathcart Trucking, Springers Meats and Troy Cove Marine will once again sponsor Lapcevich in 2014 as well.

BOURDAIS CONTINUES INDYCAR SERIES WIN STREAK AT ROLEX 24

By
SM Archive
-

Ryan Truex’s New Cup Ride ‘Definitely a Surprise’

By
SM Staff
-

While Ryan Truex was thrilled about landing a full-time Cup ride in the No. 83 Toyota with BK Racing, he was also just plain taken by surprise by the opportunity that developed a month before the start of the 2014 season.

“They had kind of been looking at bringing in younger drivers for a little while now,” Truex said. “Ron Devine (team owner) has always talked to me at the race track.”

“They needed a driver for the off season to go test with them and luckily I was available,” Truex continued. “And it just snowballed from there to where we are now.”

“I’m pinching myself a little bit,” Truex sad. “I don’t think it has fully set in yet.”

“It has definitely been a surprise.”

Prior to receiving the offer from BK Racing, Truex has been working with team Petty to trying to find funding to run some Nationwide races on a part-time basis.

“So, this deal just came out of left field,” Truex said. “That’s usually what happens though and was a nice surprise.”

“Everything worked, the stars all aligned and now we’ve got thirty days to get ready and the season starts.”

Truex is stepping into the already formed 93 team, complete with crew chief Dale Ferguson, who we just recently met at the Daytona test.

“So, I’m just basically stepping in,” Truex said. “Those guys all know each other and they know the system and how everything works.”

“They’re just kind of plugging me in.”

“I just met Dale a few weeks ago before the Daytona test,” Truex continued. “We seemed to get along pretty well and everybody on the team gets along really well.”

“We gelled well and going forward I think it will be a good combination,” Truex said. “Dale knows the ins and outs of the team and the cars so it should be a pretty easy transition.”

Truex is not only looking forward to having a full-time Cup ride but also to working with his teammate Alex Bowman, as well as competing in one of the most competitive rookie classes in recent history.

“I think it will be good because Alex and I know each other a little bit and we’ve raced each other in Nationwide,” Truex said. “We’re both young and we’re both rookies.”

“We’re eager to go out and do the things we need to do to be successful,” Truex continued. “We both have the same mindset.”

“So, we should be able to feed off each other and make each other better.”

“I think it’s the biggest rookie class since 2001,” Truex said. “The best thing about it is that everyone in it is a proven winner.”

“And they’ve all climbed their way to the top, shown that they deserve to be there and they have done a great job in every kind of race car,” Truex continued. “I think it will be a battle until the end.”

“There are some really heavy hitters in there, like Austin Dillon,” Truex said. “I think he will definitely be the point that we’ll all base ourselves off of.”

“I think it will be really competitive.”

While Truex is optimistic about the upcoming year, he is also realistic in his expectations going into the 2014 season.

“BK Racing is still a young team in Sprint Cup,” Truex said. “They’ve gone through the growing pains and they know what they have to do to be successful.”

“They are putting the right people and pieces in place to do it,” Truex continued. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t go out, run all the laps, stay on the lead lap and get a top-25 finish.”

“If we do all that and don’t make any mistakes, there is no reason why we can’t do that.”

While Truex is now experiencing the ‘high’ of a full-time Cup ride, he also has known the struggles of coming up through the ranks, from K&N East Champion to being a brand new rookie again.

“The past few years, even just running part-time and struggling to find funding, it’s been pretty frustrating,” Truex said. “But you can’t let any negative thoughts set in.”

“You’ve got to keep fighting for it and stay optimistic,” Truex continued. “I think it will be the same mindset this year.”

“Every team has ups and downs and it’s the good teams and good drivers that can pull through,” Truex said. “You have to realize your mistakes and improve from them.”

“That will be the biggest thing for me this year,” Truex continued. “You’ve got to have the right mindset and execute.”

So, what will the youngest Truex brother think when he gets the chance to be on the sport’s biggest stage in the first race of the season, the Daytona 500?

“That’s a good question,” Truex said. “I haven’t even thought about it.”

“It still hasn’t set in yet that I’m running full-time,” Truex continued. “Places like Daytona and racing in the Daytona 500 with all that history and with people like Earnhardt and Petty, it’s pretty crazy.”

“And it’s pretty crazy just to think that I’ve made it this far,” Truex said. “Driving in the Sprint Cup Series has been a goal since I started racing, and to start this next chapter with BK Racing makes it extra special.”

“I am very excited for this opportunity.”

The Problem(s) with a 16 car Chase

By
SM Staff
-

So, if you’ve been living under a rock (Bravo, that is a pretty hard thing to do from a logistics side of things), you may not of heard about NASCAR’s new play-off system. Basically, it calls for a 16 car Chase field, wins getting you in, and point resets during the Chase, culminating in a four car Chase at Homestead, where whomever earns the most points at Homestead alone wins the championship.

Now, I think we can all understand why it would be a 16 car Chase field. At the end of the day, money is a huge part of making the Chase. Sponsors love it; it gives your car a huge platform and featured regularly, etc. Overall, a Chase spot is worth I’d estimate at least a million dollars, and who knows how much more if you finish in the top 10 and go to Vegas for a week. This is why Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) did what they did at Richmond, even though the end result was losing the biggest sponsor they had, $300,000 in fines, and losing almost all of their momentum they had picked up over the last two years. So more Chase drivers means more money for the team owners. I really doubt many of the owners or the drivers (Remember, more money for the owners means more money for the drivers) argued against this.

We can also all understand why it’s “win and in”. NASCAR wants drivers to go for victories, the last thing they want is for a Matt Kenseth type to take four tires in every race and finish in the top ten every week rather than contend for most victories. The problem with this is that, unlike the NFL for instance, there is no incentive after you’ve won a race and basically clinched yourself into the play-offs. Just look at the Chase field from last season if this system had happened (Assuming if there are less than 16 winners the remaining field is determined by points, and also without Tony Stewart, as he would have been unable to compete):

1- Jamie McMurray
5- Kasey Kahne
15- Clint Bowyer
16- Greg Biffle
18- Kyle Busch
20- Matt Kenseth
22- Joey Logano
24- Jeff Gordon
29- Kevin Harvick
34- David Ragan
39- Ryan Newman
48- Jimmie Johnson
56- Martin Truex Jr.
78- Kurt Busch
88- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
99- Carl Edwards

Now, doesn’t somebody kinda stick out amongst those 16 drivers? Yes, that’s one David Ragan right there, who finished 28th in points (Yes, worse than Danica Patrick), whose win and his two top-10s of the season happened at one Talladega Superspeedway. If you don’t know, ‘Dega is the biggest crap-shoot in all of racing. Lake Speed even won a race there! So getting a lucky run on the final lap at Talladega will automatically put you in the Chase? Yes, it will.

And because of that, after you win, why try again until the Chase? Imagine if teammates are running 1-2, and the leading one drops back because the leading driver already has a victory and 2nd doesn’t. It would make MWR look like a fat kid smuggling candy out of a candy store.

Now, I’m not going to rag on Ragan very much, because he’s just one of quite a few over the Chase years who had completely unremarkable seasons, save for a fuel mileage, rain, or lucky ‘Dega win in the first 26 races.

2004: Rusty Wallace (Okay this one is a bit tough to put on here, but come on! When you finish 16th in the final point standings with only three top fives, you don’t deserve to be in the Chase)

2005: Kyle Busch (20th in final standings), Kevin Harvick (14th in final standings- but remember the cut-off was 10th back then), Kasey Kahne (23rd in final standings), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (19th in final standings).

2006: Nobody, as all winners actually made the Chase. However, if we take the probable points rule into effect, 15th place Casey Mears and 16th ranked Clint Bowyer get the nod.

2007: Casey Mears (15th in points), Juan Pablo Montoya (20th in points), Jamie McMurray (16th in points)

2008: Kurt Busch (19th in points), Ryan Newman (16th in points). Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne would of gotten in on wins, but Bowyer finished 12th and while Kahne finished 14th he did have two victories.

2009: David Reutimann (16th in points), Joey Logano (20th in points), Brad Keselowski (This was before you could earn points in one series, so he would of been in, even though he drove in 15 total races and finished 38th in points)

2010: David Reutimann (18th in points), Juan Pablo Montoya (17th in points)

2011: Ragan Smith (26th in points), David Ragan (23rd in points), Marcus Ambrose (19th in points), Paul Menard (17th in points)

2012: Marcus Ambrose (18th in points), Joey Logano (17th in points)

There’s also a lot of misleading on the media’s part.

“Only 27.9 percent of NASCAR’s teams make the Chase (12 of 43). Both the NBA and NHL have more than half their teams (16 of 30) make the playoffs. The NFL has 37.5 percent of its teams make the playoffs and 33.3 percent of Major League Baseball’s teams advance to the postseason. Even with putting 16 teams in NASCAR’s Chase, that means 37.8 percent of the teams can contend for the title. That puts NASCAR in line with other major pro sports. Doesn’t mean it’s right, just that NASCAR’s system is not out of whack compared to other sports.” – Dustin Long

The problem with this is that NASCAR is more a business than a sport. Want to debate this? Just look at how little turnaround there is here rather than in other sports. The Kansas City Chiefs went from 2-14 in 2012 to 11-5 and in the play-offs just a year later. The Indianapolis Colts went 2-14 in 2011 and has gone 11-5 in the last two seasons. Sure, the NFL has 32 teams and NASCAR has 43. But the reality is that only 20-25 cars have a legitimate shot at making the Chase as it stands now. I can guarantee you right now that Go FAS Racing (The No. 32 Ford) isn’t making the Chase anytime soon, even if the 16 car Chase goes into effect. BK Racing (The No .23 and No. 83 Toyota’s) had a horrible season last year, so bad they sprung like the Colts and fired the players (Or drivers) and replaced them with new, young guns. They aren’t winning this year. The only two teams to have turned the corner over the past five seasons have been Stewart Haas Racing (Thanks entirely to Stewart becoming involved) and Michael Waltrip Racing.

In fact, if you look over the past ten years, those two teams are the only ones that come to mind. Even in RCR’s worst season, they’ve always had a car finish in the top-15 or 20 in the final points. In Penske’s worst season (2008), they finished 1-2 in the Daytona 500 and had two cars in the top-20 in final standings.

This seems like a poor attempt in order to create excitement. Sure, last season’s points battle wasn’t really exciting at Homestead. But some championships end in Game 3.  Some Super Bowls end 24-7. That makes those Game 7 moments, those gigantic Super Bowl moments that much sweeter.  You cannot force good racing. This is a fact NASCAR hasn’t understood in a while. Stewart versus Edwards would not have been exciting or remembered as fondly if the same battle had happened in 2010 and 2012. Sure, every year it would be nice to have it come down to that, but then you make one race as this mecca of motorsport and short sight every other race on the schedule. What is this, NASCAR or IndyCar?

Then again, at least IndyCar has a championship where a driver can win every race of the season except the last and hoist the title. Oh well.

And the sad thing is no matter what NASCAR does, Homestead and the rest of the Chase will always finish second to the NFL in ratings. Always.

Brian Ickler returns to Camping World Truck Series with Red Horse Racing

By
SM Staff
-
Photo Credit: Motorsport.com

Red Horse Racing announced earlier this week that they’ve signed Brian Ickler to run the full Camping World Truck Series schedule behind the wheel of the No. 7 Bullet Liner Toyota Tundra.

“I am really glad to be back in the Camping World Truck Series and driving for Red Horse Racing,” Ickler said. “The Truck Series is a lot of fun to race in and the competition this year will be great. Thank you to Bullet Liner for coming on board with us. I am anxious to get back on track in the new Toyota Tundra and get them and Bullet Liner to Victory Lane.”

Ickler made 22 starts in the Camping World Truck Series between 2009 and 2011 with Kyle Busch Motorsports, scoring six top fives and 10 top 10 finishes.

Ickler started off-road racing at the age of 14 and by the age of 17, he was named the SCORE Rookie of the Year and Lite champion. The Poway, Calif. native has collectively made 43 starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series (East and West divisions), earning seven wins and five pole awards.

Bullet Liner is a company that produces protective coatings for pickup truck beds, tailgates, wheel wells and other similar products. 

“We are excited to be involved in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series,” Burtin Polymer Laboratories President H.D. “Scooter” DeLaune said. “As with our industry leading products, we have chosen Red Horse Racing and Brian Ickler to help promote our brand. We look forward to getting our newest brand out there. The intent is to bring public awareness to Bullet Liner products as well as the numerous other polyurethane products that we manufacture. Our dealership network is the catalyst for success and hopefully we can get our dealers, as well as prospective customers, excited about Bullet Liner Spray-on bed protection. Our dealers are professionally trained to install Bullet Liner applications. Hopefully we can win a few races as well; that would be an added bonus.”

NASCAR Star Mike Skinner is Coming to the Canadian Motorsports Expo on Sunday, Februrary 9

By
SM Archive
-
1...5,1355,1365,137...6,791Page 5,136 of 6,791