The second day of NASCAR’s Acceleration Weekend kicked off with the 2013 NASCAR Preview at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center on Saturday morning. Ticket holders had access to the Hall of Fame as well as the Preview where they could get autographs from their favorite drivers, visit vendor booths, and ask questions during the numerous Q&A sessions.
Drivers from the Camping World Truck series, the Nationwide series, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series were on hand to sign autographs at different times throughout the day, and while the lines were long, everyone got what they came for. Fans brought car hoods, tires, and memorabilia of just about every kind to be autographed.
By far the most popular drivers seemed to be Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, rookie driver Danica Patrick, and the current Sprint Cup Champion, Brad Keselowski; or at least they had the longest waiting lines.
Along with the autograph sessions, the Gen 6 cars were on display for fans to see up close as well as the trophies from each series. And of course, no event would be complete without Miss Sprint Cup, who was there to answer any questions the fans might have. A lot of great stories and memories of seasons past came out of the Q&A sessions, as well as a lot of great information from drivers and teams about the direction they are going this season.
NASCAR is ringing in 2013 with a bang, as we get ready to roll into Daytona in another week. This weekend’s festivities were a sure-fire way to get everyone in the spirit, and I am sure we are all looking forward to seeing what this season and the new car design brings for all of the NASCAR teams.
There is more talent than ever ready to take to the track at Daytona to kick off the Nationwide Series season. 2013 will be a huge season for the Nationwide Series since there are so many drivers that are in great rides that will be competing for the championship. The Nationwide Series is stacked up in 2013 and the battle on track will be insane in each and every race.
Who’s Back
Many drivers return to the Nationwide Series this season that have been here awhile and they all look to prove experience matters and take the championship opportunity away from the new drivers. Most notable, Elliot Sadler returns to the Nationwide Series after two straight seasons of finishing second in the points standings to Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Sadler has failed to beat Stenhouse Jr over the past few seasons but, with Stenhouse Jr now out, Sadler has a better shot at winning the championship. The only difference between 2013 and the last few seasons for Sadler is that he will compete for Joe Gibbs Racing and not Richard Childress Racing. Sadler will look to win the championship with a JGR car this season and beat the new talents that have entered the series.
Other drivers back include Austin Dillon, Sam Hornish Jr, Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett and Brian Scott (Who is now with RCR instead of JGR). These drivers have been around the Nationwide Series for a year or two and they will look to take their experience from the past few seasons and put it towards a championship run.
Who’s Moved Around
A few drivers have switched rides heading into the 2013 season and they hope their new ride brings them more success. Like I said earlier, Elliot Sadler will be with JGR this year instead of with RCR and Sadler hopes the move will bring him more success. Sadler will be behind the wheel of the No.11 One Main Financial Toyota Camry. One Main Financial followed Sadler over from RCR and they hope Sadler keeps up his winning ways in 2013.
The other notable driver move involved Brian Scott who did the opposite of Sadler and went to RCR from JGR. Scott has a family sponsor so he can just essentially switch to any team he wants and race, even if he isn’t that good because a sponsor is everything in NASCAR these days. Scott hopes this ride at RCR in the No.2 car will bring him better times than his time at JGR did. Scott hasn’t been all the competitive in the Nationwide Series during the past couple of years and he looks to change that as we head into 2013.
Who’s New
2013 will feature the best Nationwide Series field in years and that is all thanks to the new group of drivers who have came to the Nationwide Series for the upcoming season. Brian Vickers is likely the most notable new guy in the Nationwide garage this season due to the fact that he’s a former Nationwide Series champion (won the Bush Series, Now Nationwide, championship in 2003) and because he’s a great talent. 2012 was an odd year for Vickers because he didn’t have an exact home but, JGR is his home for 2013.
Other new faces competing full-time for the Nationwide Series championship this season include Kyle Larson, Parker Kligerman, Travis Pastrana, Trevor Bayne, Regan Smith and Nelson Piquet Jr. Kyle Larson had tremendous success in the K&N East Series last season, which included a championship. In the few times Larson raced in one of the top NASCAR series’, he’s fared well and he’ll be competing for the Nationwide championship this season with Earnhardt-Ganassi-Racing. Parker Kligerman is another new name in the Nationwide Series this year and he’ll be racing for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the No.77 car. Kligerman had a strong year in the Trucks last season and he made the jump to the Nationwide Series for 2013.
Travis Pastrana and Trevor Bayne are going to be the two drivers competing out of the Roush-Fenway stable this season and they will both be looking for enough success to win the championship. Both Pastrana and Bayne have raced in the Nationwide Series before but, 2013 will be their first full-time season. Regan Smith is another new face in the Nationwide Series this season and he’ll be competing for the championship in the No.7 car for JR Motorsports. Smith was essentially kicked out of his No.78 Cup ride in the middle of the Chase last season so he went looking for a new ride and ended up at JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series for 2013.
Nelson Piquet Jr is the final new guy in the Nationwide Series this season that will be looking for the championship. Piquet Jr is coming off a good year in the Trucks where he won two races but, Piquet Jr thought the Nationwide Series was calling for him in 2013. Piquet Jr won at Road America last season in his only Nationwide Series start prior to 2013 but, Piquet Jr wants more success in the Nationwide Series this season.
Who’s Gone
A few drivers departed from the Nationwide Series after 2012 and both are headed up to the Cup Series. Defending champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr is headed to the Cup Series in 2013 after having a boat load of success in the Nationwide Series over the past few seasons. Stenhouse Jr will be competing for the Cup championship in the No.17 car for RFR.
The other driver who is leaving the Nationwide Series for the Cup Series is Danica Patrick. Patrick finished tenth in the Nationwide Series standings last season and followed her NASCAR plan to move up to the Cup Series in 2013 and race for Stewart-Hass Racing. Patrick and Stenhouse Jr are dating, yes, but they will both be competing for the rookie of the year honors in the Cup Series this season.
What New Tracks Have Been Added to the Schedule
One new track will be on the Nationwide Series schedule this season and that track replaced one that was taken off the schedule after 2012. Mid-Ohio will feature a Nationwide Series event this season after Montreal was taken off the schedule following the 2012 season. This will be Mid-Ohio’s first NASCAR event after they have hosted the Indy Car Series for the past few seasons. Montreal was a very popular stop on the schedule but, some wild demands from the track forced the race off the schedule. The Mid-Ohio race will take place on August 17th.
Predictions
All the new talent in the Nationwide Series this season will create much more excitement in each and every race. The Cup drivers will become less of factors in the Nationwide Series due to the stacked Nationwide regular field and that will be much more exciting. Below, I give my guess at the top ten in points for once the season concludes.
Austin Dillon
Elliot Sadler
Brian Vickers
Regan Smith
Sam Hornish Jr
Trevor Bayne
Justin Allgaier
Michael Annett
Parker Kligerman
Nelson Piquet Jr
Talent. That’s basically what we have found in the Nationwide Series over the past few years and in 2013, even more talent will be found within the series. The Nationwide Series features many drivers and all have a different goal. Some driver’s goal is to revive their career while others have a goal of making their name known in the NASCAR world. 2013 will be super exciting for the Nationwide Series and each lap of every race should bring excitement. It is so hard to predict who will do well in the Nationwide Series this season because almost every driver could do well. Going into 2013, we can all agree on one thing, the Nationwide Series competition this season will be better than ever.
I have never been a really popular guy and I don’t mean to start now. I’m a controversial character. I speak my mind and I enjoy doing that. I was actually a very popular guy in high school in a surprising twist, but not amongst the politically correct bunch of the school. This article goes right into the deep controversial matter which is the NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program.
NASCAR is too politically correct. I say that with a completely straight face and I ain’t budging anytime soon. I honestly take offense to the message of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program. What this program does is basically “help” minorities and women advance through the rankings. In other words, you won’t do any better without our help (or it appears that way). To reference one driver, Darrell Wallace Jr. I am sure that Wallace Jr. is a great guy, but he has to realize that NASCAR is only trying to advance him through the ranks to create a better public image for the sport. With that said, NASCAR does not need a diversity program.
What NASCAR’s needs is the best drivers to move up to the higher rankings. It doesn’t matter what race he or she is. If you want a promotion, you’ll have to prove that you have adequate skills to be considered for the promotion. I could care less about race. If I had a Native American driver that was doing well enough to be promoted to the next series, I would sure as hell would. If he is racing terribly, then I’m not moving him up just because he is a minority. That is not how it works. If the economy were to improve and Juan Montoya were to start winning some races (a season similar to 2009), I am sure he would be offered a better ride than he currently has at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. Am I right?
Did Floyd Mayweather Jr. become the pound-for-pound boxing king of the world because the World Boxing Council helped him move up through the ranks because he is a minority? Absolutely not. Floyd Mayweather worked his butt off and beat the best fighters in the world. Manny Pacquiao did as well for the exact same reason. Hard work. Why do you think we have such an unequal distribution of wealth in this country. 35.8% of people in our country right now pay taxes. We have huge unemployment, and we have a lot of people on welfare. Minorities should be treated just like any other person. No free money in my country. You work for that money. Our economy is going to hell for this concept. The same can be said about the start and park teams in NASCAR. No free money. Attempt to race the entire race, or you get nothing. That is unfair to all the teams that have worked tremendously hard to make it in the sport. If you can’t do that, then just don’t show up. It’s that simple.
People might ask, well why don’t a lot of minorities compete in NASCAR? They just don’t. That’s the reality. There are more African-American NBA players than there are Caucasians. So, where is the Drive for Diversity Program for the NBA? Where is the Drive for Diversity Program for the NFL? There are none. A majority of Hispanic athletes are more inclined to play soccer. I grew up watching NASCAR, so I like NASCAR. But guess what? I’m Cambodian! The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program doesn’t incline to me to race in NASCAR. Because like any honest guy, I want someone to recognize me for my talents, not for the color of my skin. I’m a brown guy. Who cares? Just like the Hispanic athlete used in the example, he or she probably grew up around soccer, and would more than likely play soccer than drive a race car.
I commend Kyle Busch an incredible amount for taking the young Wallace Jr. into his hands this season in the Camping World Truck Series. I wish Wallace Jr. the best and would love to see him race in the Sprint Cup Series someday if and when he is ready. But he shouldn’t be moved up until then. I’m optimistic to see how he does.
Two NASCAR stars, Brian Vickers and Trevor Bayne, were sidelined due to serious illness just a few years ago. Now both drivers are looking to heal their careers in the Nationwide Series this season.
In May of 2010, Cup driver Brian Vickers was visiting Washington, DC when he began to experience chest pains and trouble breathing. Initially, Vickers downplayed his symptoms, especially since he was young and in great shape.
But when the pain persisted and even intensified, the driver of the then No. 83 Red Bull Racing Toyota sought emergency medical treatment. It was then determined that Vickers was suffering from blood clots in both lungs and also in his leg.
Vickers knew almost immediately that this would impact his racing career. In fact, he almost delayed seeking treatment because he was fearful of losing his Cup ride.
“I didn’t want to go to the doctor because they were going to take me out of the car,” Vickers said at the time. “Going through the CT scans, they found the blood clots in both lungs and my left leg.”
Because Vickers was put on Coumadin, a blood thinner, to treat the clots, it was determined by his medical team that he indeed did have to step out of the race car and focus on his physical healing. Vickers ended up being out for the remainder of the season, watching only as a supporter of his beloved race team.
But Vickers health challenges continued after a clot was discovered in a finger in his left hand. At that time, the driver underwent further testing to be diagnosed with May-Thurner Syndrome, a rare condition causing clots, as well as having a hole between the right and left atrium in his heart.
Vickers then decided to undergo heart surgery to fix the hole, as well as have a stent placed in his left leg to assist with his circulation. Vickers made the difficult decisions about the surgeries after learning that he was at high risk for stroke without it.
“I would rather die than have a stroke,” Vickers said at the time. “I don’t want to run the risk of living like a vegetable.”
This additional surgery ensured that Vickers would not be ready to get back on the race track until the 2011 season. Unfortunately, Vickers dreams of returning in triumph were not to be, starting with involvement in the ‘big one’ at Daytona and then having issues and run-ins with several drivers, most notably Matt Kenseth.
Vickers finished the 2011 season in the 25th position in points, with just seven top-10 finishes. The year ended even more dismally when his team, Red Bull Racing, folded up their NASCAR tent and left the sport.
For the 2012 season, although Vickers started without a ride, Michael Waltrip snatched him up and put him in the No. 55 MWR Toyota for several races. Vickers showed his talent in the shared ride with Mark Martin, with three top-5 and five top-10 finishes in eight races.
With redemption and career healing in mind, Vickers will be back behind the wheel of a race car full-time for the 2013 Nationwide season for Joe Gibbs Racing. He will also return to MWR for nine Cup races in the car shared again with Mark Martin.
“I’m looking forward to being back in the Nationwide Series and in NASCAR,” Vickers said. “I learned a lot over the last three or four years, from being taken out of the car being sick to not being full-time this past year with everything that happened leading up to the season.”
“My perspective on life changed through all these events,” Vickers continued. “There are no guarantees in life.”
“I’ve learned that the hard way,” Vickers said. “My focus is on 2013 and I think the success this year will lead to great opportunities next year.”
Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America
Like Vickers, Trevor Bayne is also looking to heal and rejuvenate his racing career by competing in the Nationwide Series full-time in 2013. But Bayne, like Vickers, went from being on the top of the world in 2011 as the Daytona 500’s youngest race winner to being hospitalized with double vision a few short months later.
Bayne’s medical drama began just as suddenly as Vickers’ issues when he complained of numbness in his arms while competing in the Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. Bayne initially thought his problems were due to an insect bite but he continued to experience nausea, fatigue and vision issues and was hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic for further testing.
Although his doctors never officially confirmed it, the young Roush Fenway driver said that Lyme disease had been causing all of his problems.
“They wouldn’t confirm it because it’s such a hard thing to define,” Bayne said. “Lyme is something that hides in your bloodstream.”
“It is hard to diagnose,” Bayne continued. “But if they treat it and it goes away, to me that seems like a pretty good answer.”
Sadly for Bayne, however, his illness caused him to be sidelined just enough so that others were behind the wheel of his race car. And he had to stand by and helplessly watch while his rival and teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. catapulted to fame after clinching the Nationwide title.
Bayne’s 2012 season was not much better as the youngster had just six Nationwide starts, all because of lack of sponsorship. With no funding, Bayne had just one more start before the season ended, again with his teammate Stenhouse Jr. holding the 2012 championship trophy.
“If you would have told me it would look like this, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Bayne said. “It’s been a little bit of a roller coaster.”
Bayne is especially ready to start the 2013 season, knowing that he can not only compete full-time with sponsorship but that he now has a chance at the Series championship himself.
“I still want to make it in this sport,” Bayne said. “And I want to be a top name that is contending for championships.”
“This is my opportunity to do that.”
Bayne will be working with Stenhouse’s former crew chief Mike Kelley, as well as one of his sponsors, Cargill. The youngster will also be running a part-time Cup schedule for the Wood Brothers, with whom he won that unforgettable Daytona 500.
After both drivers’ medical battles, there is no doubt that both Bayne and Vickers are beside themselves with hope for their 2013 healing season prospects.
“I think as a person, you grow and evolve through life experiences,” Vickers said. “Every day is an audition.”
“I think we’ve got a lot to show here,” Bayne said. “I’m competitive and I want to be a part of the championship at the end of the year.”
Truck Yeah! The Camping World Truck Series will be back in action this season with the chance of even more excitement. 2012 was one of the best Truck Series Seasons in years and more of the same is expected in 2013. 2012 champion James Buescher will be back to defend his title but, he’ll need to hold off other drivers who are back in the truck this season including Ty Dillon and Timothy Peters. The Trucks will roll into Daytona in just under two weeks and the wheels will be up for the 2013 Truck Series season.
Who’s Back
Many drivers will be back in action this season including defending champion James Buescher. Timothy Peters, Ty Dillon and Joey Coulter all finished within the top five in the points last season and they will be looking to take down Buescher in the championship hunt this season. Timothy Peters came the closest to taking down Buescher last season with a second place finish in the standings but, it was the month of September that took Peters out of the championship hunt. After dominating the race at Bristol by leading all 200 laps, Peters never returned to victory lane in the season and the championship slipped away from him. If anyone can contend with Buescher this season, it’s Timothy Peters.
Other drivers returning to the Truck Series this season include Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, Miguel Paludo, Ron Hornaday Jr, John Wes Townley and Ryan Blaney. All have a shot at the championship while most of them try to avenge a not-so-great 2012. This will be the first full-time season in the Trucks for Ryan Blaney and he hopes to put the No.29 Brad Keselowski Racing truck up front as much as possible. Blaney became the youngest winner in the Truck Series last season when he scored victory at Iowa and he’ll look for more of that success in 2013.
Who’s Moved Around
With the youth movement in the Truck Series last season, many owners saw a future with these new young guns and they added them to their team for 2013. Most notably, Kyle Busch Motorsports signed Joey Coulter to drive full-time in the No.18 truck this season after Coulter ended up third in the standings last season with Richard Childress Racing. Ross Chastain found a new home for 2013 after a successful 2012 and he’ll be running the majority of the schedule in the No.19 truck for Brad Keselowski Racing. Chastain will share the ride with many drivers throughout the season but, Chastain will run the majority of the races.
Who’s New
A few new drivers have found a home in the Truck Series for 2013 and will be competing for the championship. Brendan Gaughan is the most notable new driver in the Truck Series this season. Gaughan has competed in the Truck Series before but, he’s back and reloaded for a successful season with Richard Childress Racing in the No.62 South Point Casino Chevy in 2013. Another new driver in the Truck Series this year will be Darrell Wallace Jr who will drive the No.54 Toyota/Coca Cola truck for KBM. Wallace Jr will be looking to take home the championship in his first season in a truck. One final new driver has entered the Truck Series for 2013 and that is Jeb Burton. Burton is son of Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton and Jeb Burton will be looking to bring Turner-Scott Motorsports some success this season. Burton will compete for rookie honors in the No.4 truck for Turner-Scott.
Who’s Gone
The Truck Series is usually a stepping stone series for getting up to the higher levels of NASCAR and after last season, a few drivers got the call up to the Nationwide Series. After a very successful 2012 with Brad Keselowski Racing and Red Horse Racing which resulted in a fifth place finish in the standings, Parker Kligerman will be racing for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Nationwide Series this season. The final driver out of the Truck Series for this season is Nelson Piquet Jr who will drive in the Nationwide Series this season. Piquet Jr will be racing for Turner-Scott Motorsports in the Nationwide Series this season.
What New Tracks Have Been Added to the Schedule
The only way that you haven’t heard about the new venues on the Truck Series schedule for 2013 is if you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months. Possibly the most talked about thing in the off-season was the addition of Eldora Speedway to the Truck Series schedule. Eldora is a dirt track in Ohio, owned by Tony Stewart and now has a truck race on their schedule for this season. Racing on dirt is a huge step for NASCAR and so far, they have handled everything to the best of their ability. Racing at Eldora will be incredible and the Trucks’ debut at Eldora is less than seven months away.
The other track added to the Truck Series schedule this season is Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Ontario, Canada. This will be the Truck Series’ first road course race since 2000 when they ran at Portland International Raceway when Andy Houston won. NASCAR has never run a race at MoSport in its top three series and when the trucks roll into Canada on September 1, it will be a historical moment. Both of the new tracks that have been added to the Truck Series schedule for this season will create unique and exciting racing which fans are eager to witness.
Predictions
It will be hard to match the season 2012 was for the Trucks but, that’s what fans will be looking for to happen this season. More great things are in-store for the Trucks this season and the excitement level will be on an all-time high. Below are my predictions for the top ten in the standings once the season ends.
Timothy Peters
James Buescher
Ty Dillon
Ryan Blaney
Johnny Sauter
Joey Coulter
Miguel Paludo
Brendan Gaughan
Darrell Wallace Jr
Jeb Burton
Overall, I predict 2013 to feature some more great Truck Series action. More excitement will lead to a phenomenal championship hunt once the season winds down. The Trucks will be strutting their stuff all season long.
Over the past few season, the Truck Series has taken a new-look. The Series went from having the veterans dominate and win all the races to a young-gun driven league. The new look Truck Series that has developed over the past season features many young drivers who are trying to make their name in NASCAR. 2013 has the ability to be as exciting as ever for the Trucks and only time will tell where the excitement level will be set this season. The Trucks will hit the high banks at Daytona very soon and everyone should take a seat as the 2013 Truck Series season is about to take off.
The 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction ceremony is a veritable who’s who of accomplishments, record-breaking careers, and drivers who helped to shape the NASCAR we know and love today. With the lights shining bright and an audience full of fans, stars, and family members, five more racing legends now take their place in history.
The first member inducted was introduced by Carl Edwards, was Herb Thomas. With the highest winning percentage in NASCAR history and the first ever owner-driver-champion in the sport, Herb made his mark on the sport and found a home in the record books. Joel Thomas accepted this honor in his memory as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Ned Jarrett.
Everett “Cotton” Owens was the second driver inducted in the Class of 2013 after an introduction by Mark Martin. As a driver-turned-owner, Owens made his mark on the sport like no other. In his time driving modified, Cotton was credited with 100 career wins. After recording nine wins as a Cup series driver, he saw 38 additional wins by his drivers as a car owner. Cotton was inducted tonight by his friend David Pearson. Accepting in his memory was his grandson, Kyle Davis.
Leonard Wood joined his brother Glen in the NASCAR Hall of Fame after an induction by his nephew, Eddie. As part of the iconic Wood Brothers, Leonard was the brains behind many of the mechanical achievements in the garage. His engine tuning and design was incomparable, and helped to elevate Wood Brothers to a position of success. Leonard accepted the induction tonight with poise after being introduced by Wood Brothers driver, Trevor Bayne.
In an induction eloquently accepted by his widow, Buck Baker became the fourth inductee to the 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame. After an introduction by Jeff Gordon, Buck’s son Buddy formally inducted his father into the Hall of Fame. Buck’s career included 46 recorded victories and two back-to-back championships in 1956 and 1957. He was part of the memorable first Southern 500 at Darlington in 1950, and ran his final NASCAR Cup race at Darlington in 1976.
The final inductee was introduced by Brad Keselowski, was Rusty Wallace. After running his first NASCAR race in 1980, Rusty started over 700 races in his Cup series career, with over 50 wins to his name. He was named as the NASCAR Rookie of the Year in 1984. Rusty’s son honored him tonight by presenting his father with his Hall of Fame ring.
This is the fourth class of inductees to the Hall of Fame, and the ranks are growing with more talent, skill, and record-breaking drivers. Before the ceremony, some of the previous Hall of Fame inductees were on hand to sign autographs for fans.
Baldwin Racing, Inc. is proud to announce a new partnership with Woman 2 Woman Breast Cancer Foundation in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour at the Inaugural UNOH Battle at the Beach during Budweiser Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.
After being told two years ago that he would never be able to race again, Type 1 diabetic Ryan Reed announced that he will run at least five races for Roush Fenway Racing driving the No. 16 American Diabetes Association Mustang. His first race is scheduled for Richmond International Raceway in May.
“Roush Fenway Racing has always been in the business of helping to facilitate the career of young drivers,” Eric Peterson, Operations Manager at Roush Fenway Racing said. “We have a robust driver development program and have identified Ryan as a potential young talent and we are looking forward to seeing how he performs on the track. If you look back over the past couple of years, we have been fortunate to have the opportunity to evaluate quite a few drivers behind the wheel of our cars and we are anxious to see what Ryan can do with this opportunity.”
Reed raced last year full-time in the ARCA Racing Series for Venturini Motorsports, before making his NASCAR debut late in the season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
“I see this as an opportunity to show my ability,” Ryan Reed stated. “Obviously my goal is to follow in the progression of many drivers that have started inside the Nationwide Series ranks and worked their way up to contend for the Sprint Cup. It will be a great opportunity and I intend to make the most of it.”
Reed got started at a young age in racing, racing go-karts at the age of four. He continued moving his way up the racing ladder, winning the Legends Division Track Championship at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in 2009. The following season, he became the Super Late Model Division Rookie of the Year while becoming the youngest winner in the division when he scored one win. In 2011, Reed raced a variety of cars, including the Pro Allstars Series, NASCAR Whelen All American and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
However, a pause was brought in the process up the ranks as two years ago at the age of 17, Reed was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and was told that he would never be able to race again.
“When I was diagnosed, I was really humbled, especially when they told me I wasn’t going to be able to race again,” he told me last March. “I was devastated and really just, I thought I was invincible and then to learn that my dream was going to be taken away.”
Reed added it was heartbreaking at the time and caused him to grow up quickly.
“I thought I could sit there, pout and throw a tantrum till I got my way,” he continues. “Then I realized that’s not going to beat this. I need to – I got to take a step back and think about it. I just decided that if there was anything I could do to put myself back behind the wheel of a race car, then that’s what I was going to do.”
However after getting in contact with Dr. Ann Peters, Reed was told that it was possible, just some hard work was required along the way.
Last year, Reed made his ARCA Racing Series debut at Daytona International Speedway and never looked back. Through the course of his rookie season, he wrapped up one top five and six top 10s, delivering him the chance of a lifetime with Roush Fenway.
While continuing to grow his racing program, Reed created Ryan’s Mission as a way to promote diabetes awareness and educating people while racing. As a National Spokesperson for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Reed’s story has touched the hearts of many.
“The American Diabetes Association is thrilled to collaborate with Roush Fenway Racing and Ryan’s Mission on the Drive to Stop Diabetes awareness campaign,” said Larry Hausner, Chief Executive Officer, American Diabetes Association. “As one of the nearly 26 million people living in the U.S. with diabetes, Ryan Reed is an inspiring individual and his voice is critical to spreading awareness and educating communities across the country about this disease.”
Fundly will be an associate sponsor on the No. 16 Drive to Stop Diabetes Ford Mustang and will fully support the crowd-funding mission.
“Fundly is proud to partner with Ryan Reed on the Drive to Stop Diabetes campaign,” Tom Kramer, CMO, Fundly explained. “This man and this campaign are emblematic of everything Fundly stands for: coming together and unleashing our individual power to do good in our world. Go Ryan! The entire Fundly team is with you all the way to the finish! Ryan is another example of inspiring individuals using Fundly for Social Good. Ryan turned his diabetes diagnosis into an opportunity to raise awareness and raise money for a cure. As far as we know, he is one of the first NASCAR drivers to embrace crowdfunding for a cause. That puts him miles ahead in our book!”
“I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to not only be able to drive for the most winning NASCAR team as a development driver for Roush Fenway Racing,” Ryan said. “But I also have the opportunity to help other people by educating them and letting them know – life has no limits!”
Right now the schedule is set to at least five races. However, if more funding can be acquired, they are looking to run more.
“A perfect world would be about 10-15, well, a perfect world would be a full schedule but we’re optimistic for about 10-15 races and we’re going really hard for a full schedule in 2014,” Reed said.
With the new Gen 6 car in 2013, anything can happen on the race track. We could see things happen that we haven’t seen happen in years. We may also see new and never before seen things occur. That’s what makes predicting the upcoming season so fun. Anything could happen, right? So why not throw out the possibility of my three bold predictions coming true? These three bold predictions for this year could create some interesting racing if they were to come true. Anything and everything will occur this season and maybe even the guesses I take now will come true by November.
Bold Prediction 1: Jeff Burton makes the Chase
After disappointing year after disappointing year, Jeff Burton seems ready to go all out this season and potentially compete for the championship. The new car has been working in Burton’s favor and he is one of the most optimistic drivers regarding the Gen 6 car. Being optimistic has its advantages and Burton’s advantage may be getting into the Chase.
I believe Burton will have a great season and find himself in the Chase once September comes. Consistency will be on Burton’s side this season and the No.31 team will start out the year consistent and never look back. Burton will be in the top twelve in points for most of the season and wins will help his cause to stay in the Chase. However, I don’t believe Burton will fare well in the Chase but, I see him getting in. Bold prediction, right? Well it has the same chance that everything else does of coming true.
Bold Prediction 2: JGR wins at least 8 races as an organization.
A second power-team has emerged in NASCAR for 2013 and that team is Joe Gibbs Racing. With the signing of Matt Kenseth, JGR’s talent level shot up to the level of Hendrick Motorsports. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth make for a deadly combo and they have a great chance of visiting victory lane on multiple occasions. All three drivers know how to win multiple races in a season and 2013 could be the year where they put all their success together to make for a deadly combo on the track.
Take 2008 as an example. It was Kyle Busch’s first year at JGR and it was the first year with the COT car running a majority of the schedule. That made for a successful combo for Busch and he won eight races that season. He can easily do that again with a new car this season and prove my bold prediction right without any help from his teammates. JGR has done this before in 2008 when as a team, they won ten races. The only difference between now and then is, driver wise, they have Matt Kenseth instead of Tony Stewart. Kenseth has been known to be a little more successful than Stewart though which is another bonus. Eight wins will come for JGR this season and they will have lots of reasons to celebrate once the season concludes.
Bold Prediction 3: The Daytona 500 will feature the most cautions in a single race this season.
Daytona, restrictor-plate racing and a new car with very little time on the track will make the yellow-flag be displayed numerous times throughout the Daytona 500. All of those factors will create an exciting race but, cautions will fly frequently due to the fact that drivers aren’t used to these cars yet. Drivers basically wiped clean their knowledge of the Sprint Cup car after last season because the new car is almost completely different. With Daytona being the first race of the season and with the new car, the drivers will be making lots of rookie mistakes which will result in the most amount of cautions in a single race in the upcoming season.
Bold predictions mean a lot, especially since they can come true in a matter of time and make the once crazy predictions, become realistic. Out of all years, 2013 is the one when we really don’t know what the season will bring. The new cars have created so many questions that we just have to wait and watch the races to find the answer. Anything could happen this season which means any prediction can come true. Everyone will re-visit their predictions once the checkered flag falls at Homestead but, the only way to find out if their true or not is just to take a swing at it and make some crazy and wild predictions.
