Jeff Gordon and Chase Set Record in Drive to End Hunger
Not only did Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet, have a record-setting day at the Monster Mile with a third place finish, but he also set a record in his drive to end hunger.
Through his partnerships with Chase Card Services and AARP, Jeff Gordon and the myriad of volunteers who came out to help him packed a record-setting one thousand meal boxes for the Food Bank of Delaware. And they did it in record time, just over one hour.
“We’ve got a great partnership with Chase and Drive to End Hunger,” Gordon said. “They’ve really contributed support, awareness and funding for this program through Chase Credit Card Services and through their AARP Reward card.”
“This program is so rewarding to be able to get people volunteering and to pack food that gets delivered to older Americans that are in need,” Gordon continued. “Yes, it’s pretty cool and it’s a great program.”
Patricia Beebe, President and CEO of the Food Bank of Delaware, was also impressed with the record-setting meal packing event, especially with the numbers of those that will be helped.
“We packed one thousand boxes for seniors in less than an hour and fifteen minutes,” Beebe said. “We had super packers and great volunteers.”
“Last year we did four hundred boxes, so we upped it this year and went to a thousand,” Beebe continued. “These will be distributed to seniors in need throughout the State.”
Beebe also credited the driver of the No. 24 AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet as the reason for the record-setting event.
“Jeff Gordon, I can’t say enough about him,” Beebe said. “He is the nicest person.”
“He came to the Food Bank, helped pack meal boxes,” Beebe continued. “His celebrity status is a draw for the volunteers and we were so impressed with his humility and his ability to understand what this effort means.”
“When you have someone like that help what we are doing, his willingness to get involved directly increases our volunteering,” Beebe said. “We can’t say enough about him.”
“This is an incredible partnership.”
Scott Lammers, Vice President of Operations for Chase Card Services, was also overwhelmed by the record-setting effort of his team, the race fans and Jeff Gordon. He was also surprised by just how many fans turned out to be a part of the event.
“We had a little boy here at 5:30 am asking if he could pack meals with Jeff Gordon,” Lammers said. “Chase is so proud to partner with AARP and the Food Bank to make sure seniors get the food they need.”
Chase Card Services also launched a new effort that will have record-setting impact on the Drive to End Hunger. Their new Chase AARP credit card will also reward the card holders for their participation in the cause.
“We just launched a new card that is three percent back on restaurant and gas station purchases and one percent on everything else,” Sarah Lammers, Senior Marketing Manager for the AARP Visa Card, said. “We think it’s a perfect fit for the NASCAR population.”
The new AARP Credit Card from Chase also provides a ten percent discount when redeeming rewards for travel through Chase, extended warranty protections and dedicated, personalized customer service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The other benefit of the new credit card promotion is that Chase will try to set a record with matching donations to the AARP Foundation up to one million dollars.
“We started partnering with Drive to End Hunger in 2011 and have donated $4 million to the cause, which is two million meals, which is very exciting,” Lammers said. “For this year for Drive to End Hunger, we are going to match up to a million dollars.”
“When you donate to the AARP Foundation, Chase will match up to $1,000 for each donation up to a million dollars in total.”
Even with all of the record-setting efforts, the driver of the No. 24 AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet put it all into perspective as he addressed the fan volunteers who had packed the meals in the fastest time ever.
“You have no idea how far that will go in helping to feed those who are having difficulty,” Gordon said. “This is the greatest program that I’ve ever been a part of in my NASCAR career where I get to talk about a great cause, bring more awareness to it, and get people involved in volunteering and funding.”
“And on race day, the fans get to come out and actually package meals that will get distributed to those who need it,” Gordon continued. “That’s pretty awesome.”
To sign up for the new Chase credit card, visit www.aarpcreditcard.com and to donate to the AARP Foundation, go to their website at www.aarp.org.
Canadian Motor Speedway gets the green light to begin construction
After an appeal made by the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society, the appeal has been denied and plans to build a new speedway in Fort Erie, Ontario are to continue as planned.
“It’s been a long time and a long journey and we’re finally glad the decision has come forward,” Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin told the Fort Erie Times. “Our next step is meeting with Azhar (Mohammad, executive director of the speedway) to get his team together and the documents together to move forward with the project and put shovels in the ground.”
The OMB decision stated the environmental group Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS) “has not made out a convincing and compelling case — or, indeed, any case — that (OMB vice-chair Susan de Avellar) Schiller violated the rules of natural justice and procedural fairness.”
PALS originally made their case in wanting to keep the land for agricultural use and not for a mega $400 million project.
The plans include a one mile oval that is being designed by Jeff Gordon and Paxton Waters. Waters designed Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway just to name a few.
In speaking with Gordon’s father-in-law John Bickford earlier this year, he said that Gordon has wanted a race in Canada since going to Japan for an exhibition race in 1998. Gordon also questioned the trip to Mexico, continuing to ask for that race. When he learned that there was no facility available, that is when the project began.
“Jeff has always wanted to come to Canada,” Bickford said. “He and I were here in 1989/1990. We’ve always been big supporters. Canadian race fans have supported Jeff throughout his entire career. So I think the idea of giving back is an important component. We’re just advocates of giving back to the Canadian race fans and we’re not giving up.”
Canadian fans have proven their dedication in the past, with the attendance at events in the United States being made up of 10-20% Canadians.
A 821-acre property has been purchased just west of the Queen Elizabeth Way. The plan calls for a grandstand could seat up to 100,000 people, a one-mile oval track, 2.5-mile road course and other facilities. One of those facilities is a research and development centre overseen by McMaster University.
Once the track is built though, the plan is to get the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to travel cross the border. Within a year of having it built, they want to get the Nationwide Series up here, and then catterpult that into getting the Cup stars on the one mile oval.
Smooth Sailing For Chevrolet While TRD & Ford Stumble
The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is 13 races old and we now have a fairly clear picture as to which manufacturer has an edge on the competition. There is a great disparity between all three makes which isn’t surprising considering that this is a brand new car. Joe Gibbs Racing is by far the best team winning five races this year and dominating many more. TRD powered cars have won eight poles as well and were under the hood for all those JGR victories. They are fast but maybe a little too fast. They are pushing the limits of their engines which are failing more than any other manufacturer. They had at least three other races this year in the bag until engine issues killed their chances. There is an intense feeling of trepidation throughout the Toyota camp even if they don’t show it because they can’t afford to be giving valuable championship points away like this and they know it.
Part of the reason why Joe Gibbs switched to TRD in 2012 is because their own engines were having reliability problems and they hoped to bolster their program with the addition of TRD power. Well, they are right back to where they were except this time; they are relying on someone else to fix the issues. TRD is plenty capable of fixing this problem though and I believe they will but the clock is ticking and they don’t have very much time. A quick fix that will be implemented immediately is to scale back the horsepower on their cars in an effort to improve reliability. Its common sense really; be easier on the engine components and they are more likely to last the entire event. They won’t be dominating every single race now but a top 10 and a few wins is a lot better than a few wins and a couple 40th’s.
We don’t even know if this will eradicate the issue which has mostly been valve train related; considered the most fragile part of the engine to most. We saw Matt Kenseth not even make it 200 miles before he lost the engine at Dover and TRD’s thinking is that less strain on the parts will help them endure the entire race distance. Cup motors are built to last around 800 miles so for these engines to not even make it a quarter of the way to that amount is a little concerning. If they can get past these issues, then not much will be able to stop their powerful fleet of cars in 2013.
Ford hasn’t had very many engine problems this year, what they are lacking is raw speed. They would like to adjust the front aerodynamics of their cars but I doubt NASCAR will let that happen mid-season. I said it back in Daytona that I felt the 3D “grills” would be a disadvantage to the Ford team but they aren’t pin-pointing that as the main issue so don’t quote me on that. They have just two wins this year compared to Toyota’s five and Chevy’s six. Carl Edwards won Ford their first race in the Gen-6 back in Phoenix while the underdogs at Front-Row Motorsports put their Ford Fusion’s 1-2 at Talladega. The Ford’s seem to run so-so at the 1.5 mile and 2 mile tracks which they have historically dominated in the past.
They are fast at shorter, less aerodynamic dependent venues which is very uncharacteristic for that group. In the manufacturer standings, they trail Toyota by 20pts and Chevy by 28 which is a fairly large margin. Penske Racing and even Germain Racing have shown consistent speed in the cars although they’ve also had a few dismal results. Richard Petty Motorsports and Roush-Fenway are the ones that are really having a tough time. Carl may be 2nd in points but that team as a whole hasn’t taken charge at all this year and really haven’t shown much strength. They’ve just been there for the most part. RPM’s Aric Almirola was really good earlier in the year but now he is beginning to fall off as well. This certainly isn’t Ford’s season and as they struggle to find their footing, Toyota and Chevrolet continue to gap them more and more every weekend.
Now I would talk about Chevy’s issues if they really had any. They came out of the gate winning the Daytona 500 in a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2 and all their teams have been solid this year. Toyota seems to have a little more speed than them but like I said earlier, their reliability is awful. Hendrick Motorsports and ECR have built very durable engines that have only failed twice during the season thus far. Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing have all been very strong. Drivers such as Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray and even Juan-Pablo Montoya who are usually around 15th-20th in points aren’t ruling out the possibility of a chase berth just yet. Stewart-Haas has struggled but that is of their own doing as they are finding it tough to adapt to the Gen-6. They either have ill-handling racecars or find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time. That being said, Tony Stewart just won at Dover so it’s not all doom and gloom for that organization.
Chevrolet takes racing more seriously than most seeing that they put so much time and effort into their program. They were the last to unveil their Gen-6 car and were very secretive when testing last year. Chevy exemplifies what is reachable when you pour your heart and soul into something. The record holding 36-time NASCAR Sprint Cup manufacturer champions are looking to win their 11th straight in 2013 and it’s not just NASCAR where they rise above their competition. They are kicking Honda’s tail for the most part in Indycar, Corvette Racing is the most successful team in the history of Le Mans and Chevrolet Cruze has a stranglehold on World Touring Car. I’ll tell you what; I’d love to see General Motors try their hand at Formula 1 so we can see if they have what it takes against the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
The reason why Chevy always seems to be the ones to beat in any form of racing is because of the passion and time they put into all their programs around the world. Toyota is catching up in NASCAR though and I think they are going to have one heck of a battle in 2013. Toyota has never won a driver or manufacturer title in Cup and it would give much more credence to their title hopes should they resolve their engine woes. You can be assured that if they don’t win it all, the car standing in their way when it’s all said and done will most likely feature a gold bow tie on the grill.
Joe Nemechek Fueled by Herbal Mist Tea Sponsorship
For a small team like the one owned by veteran NASCAR driver Joe Nemechek, sponsorship literally keeps his race car on the track. So for this season Nemechek’s No. 87 Nationwide and Cup cars are being fueled by a new relationship with, of all things, a tea company.
“Getting involved with the Herbal Mist Tea brand has been a neat opportunity for me,” Nemechek said. “I met Greg (Piagesi, one of the founders of Herbal Mist) and the other part of his team about a year ago here in Dover.”
“He’s a former driver and it’s just interesting meeting them,” Nemechek continued. “They said they were working on some teas and doing this and that.”
“Well, I’m a big unsweetened tea drinker,” Nemechek said. “They said they didn’t have any unsweetened teas, instead doing all kind of flavored teas and diet teas and regular sweet teas.”
“I said to them ‘Man you need to get an unsweetened tea because there are a lot of us out there and you can’t find a good unsweetened tea in a convenience store or supermarket,” Nemechek continued. “So, they worked for a long time on formulas, sending samples back and forth to me and finally hit it.”
“Now, they are producing it and selling it,” Nemechek said. “It’s pretty cool.”
“It has my number on it and the checkered flag top.”
Nemechek fancies himself as somewhat of an unsweetened tea connoisseur, especially as he grew up in a tea drinking family.
“I love tea,” Nemechek said. “I grew up as a kid drinking tea.”
“My mom used to brew our own tea and our family is big unsweet tea drinkers.”
Nemechek believes that things happen in life for a reason and he is convinced that this partnership with Herbal Mist tea has been one of those fateful events in his life.
“You meet people and certain things are meant to happen and that’s just one of these deals,” Nemechek said. “Now I’ve got a tea that has my picture and my car on it.”
“I helped develop it, am in the middle of it, and am drinking it every day,” Nemechek continued. “It’s good stuff.”
Nemechek acknowledged that a sponsorship like this means a great deal to a team like his. He also shared that he was proud to bring Herbal Mist to the NASCAR table in order to grow the sport overall.
“In this day and time, getting companies involved in NASCAR is very, very important,” Nemechek said. “This program with the Herbal Mist tea brand is unique.”
“It’s not only a financial thing as far as them helping out team, but it’s developing a product for the future,” Nemechek continued. “It’s something you see some of the top actors involved in that have certain branded products.”
“This is one of the first ones to do that for me, so it’s neat.”
Nemechek speculated a bit about why the folks at Herbal Mist decided to invest in him and in his race team.
“That’s probably a question you need to ask them but if you ask me, just seeing me as I am,” Nemechek said. “What you see is what you get.”
“I’m not a flashy guy,” Nemechek continued. “I’m pretty simple.”
“Man, I’ve been doing this long enough that I don’t get into all the other BS that goes along in this,” Nemechek said. “I always try to be honest and try to tell the truth.”
“I’m always trying to make stuff better, whether it’s the race car, products or whatever,” Nemechek continued. “I think they see a good, honest, hard-working guy that’s just an average Joe that wants to do well and has always been an underdog.”
One of the characteristics that Herbal Mist no doubt admires most about Joe Nemechek, as do his fans, is his perseverance. And Nemechek admitted that, in addition to sponsorship, he can persevere because of his love of the sport.
“It’s got to be the love for it because right now it’s really, really tough trying to keep a Cup team, a Nationwide team and my son racing,” Nemechek said. “There are just so many irons in the fire.”
“It’s really tough trying to make the financial part of it add up,” Nemechek continued. “Some days I wonder because I can tell you my bank account is not going up every week.”
“But we are so pleased with Herbal Mist stepping up because it does matter to our racing each and every week.”
While Nemechek sees some improvement in the economy, he advised that it is still tough out there, especially for a small team. He admitted that it was also hard to have been at the top in the good times and now be struggling during these more challenging times.
“It’s still really tough but we see a little bit of movement and a little bit of light,” Nemechek said. “But until things start happening, a lot of these companies have their marketing budgets locked down right now.”
“If they ever let it go, we’re just trying to persevere and be there for when it does flow,” Nemechek continued. “We’re a small team that offers a huge value for a small price tag.”
“When the recession hit, it hit everybody but as a race team we had to learn to do a lot more with a lot less,” Nemechek said. “And a lot of the other teams did too.”
“But from a guy who has won championships, and 16 or 18 Nationwide races, 4 Cup races, we’ve been on top,” Nemechek continued. “And then to be on the bottom and say how are we going to keep the business going, it’s a whole new learning experience.”
“I think we’ve done that very successfully.”
Nemechek also shared that he has gotten good at juggling, thanks in large part to his wife and family. And he is also the proud papa of son John Hunter, who is launching his own racing career.
“It is a lot to keep track of and I get really stressed sometimes,” Nemechek said. “I’ve got a great wife and family that support me and know this is what I want to do.”
“They if I wasn’t doing this, I would be miserable.”
For Nemechek, survival in the sport of NASCAR has always been thanks to his family, as well as surrounding himself with the best people. And that includes his new sponsor Herbal Mist, who has had the faith to fuel his race team.
“There are certain things you believe in that are right and good,” Nemechek said. “And this is one of those products.”
“I never put my name as long as I’ve been racing on something I didn’t believe in,” Nemechek continued. “This is a product that is good and is good for you.”
“I’m honored to be a part of it.”
Hot 20 over the past 10 – Logano hopes his track of dreams in Iowa helps him repeat at Pocono
Pocono is where those with the big boy (and girl) pants run this Sunday, though Joey Logano got his hands on a plane. He will be flying off seeking his second straight Nationwide win Saturday, this time in Iowa. It is interesting to note that Sam Hornish Jr and Regan Smith are the only full-timers to win on the junior circuit this season. Joining Logano as victors are Tony Stewart, Brad Keselowski, and six-time winner Kyle Busch. Logano is the only Cup driver at Newton, just east of Des Moines, as he prepares to also defend his Cup win at Pocono last June.
Despite having three Top Tens in the past six, he also has finishes of 39th, 35th, and 22nd. That leaves Logano 18th, 34 points out of a Chase spot. Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson swapped positions since last week, with Edwards now having the one point advantage. Clint Bowyer moved into third, with Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne filling out our hottest five.
Jeff Gordon and Stewart were our biggest movers this week. Gordon finished 22 positions better than in Las Vegas by taking third at Dover. Smoke shocked everyone in pulling out all the stops last Sunday, moving 14 points ahead on this chart and jumping up into essentially a three-way tie for 14th.
One of the trio is Jamie McMurray, who dropped down from tenth after finishing 20 spots worse than he was in Nevada. That blown engine moved Matt Kenseth down to sixth. Juan Pablo Montoya was second best at Dover, but that was still not good enough to move him into our Hot 20. He remains 22nd, a dozen points out.
Despite some Top Tens over the run, Brad Keselowski actually dropped one spot out of our top 20, one ahead of Montoya. The penalties hurt, but three times outside the Top Thirty have caused even more pain.
| Name | Points | POS. | LW | W | T5 | T10 |
| Carl Edwards | 345 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 344 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Clint Bowyer | 334 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Kevin Harvick | 331 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Kasey Kahne | 315 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Matt Kenseth | 306 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Kyle Busch | 302 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Paul Menard | 289 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Jeff Gordon | 282 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Kurt Busch | 280 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 279 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 279 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Ryan Newman | 273 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Tony Stewart | 266 | 14 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Aric Almirola | 266 | 15 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Jamie McMurray | 266 | 16 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Greg Biffle | 260 | 17 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Joey Logano | 259 | 18 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Jeff Burton | 257 | 19 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | 256 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
