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DOLLAR GENERAL TO SPONSOR THE DOLLAR GENERAL 200 FUELED BY AMERIGAS AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

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NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: The Sprint Cup Class of 2013 – Stewart-Haas Racing

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SM Staff
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Photo Credit: Brad Keppel
Photo Credit: Brad Keppel
Photo Credit: Brad Keppel

Stewart-Haas Racing will be an organization to watch this year for a lot of reasons. First, there’s the boss, Tony Stewart who will be running after his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. Second, there’s driver Ryan Newman a free agent who will be looking for a great season to shore up sponsors so he can sign a new contract for next year. Third, there’s Danica Patrick starting her first full time season in the Cup Series. Let’s face it, everybody will be watching her which is business as usual.

TONY STEWART
#14 CHEVROLET
CREW CHIEF: STEVE ADDINGTON
“Smoke” goes into the 2013 season with that steel eyed look of determination that we’ve seen so many times before. He’s expected to be a major player in the Sprint Cup Chase For The Championship lineup while seeking his fourth NASCAR title. He will be making that title run with the help of veteran crew chief Steve Addington along with technical assistance and equipment from Hendrick Motorsports.
Stewart must be very serious about concentrating on that fourth title. He recently declined a standing offer from team owner Roger Penske to do the NASCAR/Indy Car double. Penske offered him a ride with one of his powerhouse teams in next May’s Indianapolis 500.
There are two Sprint Cup races on this year’s schedule that Stewart will really be paying attention to: Darlington and Kentucky. These are the only two tracks, on the modern day NASCAR schedule, that he’s never won at.
Sponsorship for the new season is somewhat of a concern for Stewart. It appears that his team still has nine open races to fill. Last year the team learned that Office Depot was leaving racing. The good news was Bass Pro Shops immediately came on board with sponsorship for 18 races. Mobil 1 returns to the #14 team as the primary sponsor for 11 races. Regarding the remaining open races, if push comes to shove, there is back up likely available from Haas Automation, a company owned by SHR co-owner Gene Haas.
RYAN NEWMAN
#39 CHEVROLET
CREW CHIEF: MATT BORLAND.
Ryan Newman’s 2013 season will bear a lot of scrutiny this year. His current contract with SHR concludes at the end of this season and that makes him one of the most high profile free agents in the Cup series. SHR is clear that they want Newman to stay if sponsors can be found and Newman is clear that he would love to stay.
Another interesting aspect here is a recent revelation from Roger Penske, Newman’s former team owner, who declared he would love to have Newman  back as the driver of a fourth Cup team if sponsorship could be found. Penske is currently operating two teams but is looking to launch a third team but made it clear that long time company driver Sam Hornish Jr has the first right of occupancy for that ride. Again, if sponsors can be found, a fourth Penske team will be launched and Newman will get first right of refusal.
Looking at Newman’s prospects for 2013, one of the major positives is absolutely his reunion with veteran crew chief Matt Borland. The two men had a five year run together at Penske Racing that led to 12 Cup wins.
Late last year, SHR was informed that the U.S. Army would not be renewing their sponsorship agreement with the #39 team which sent the SHR marketing team scrambling to find replacement revenue. Meanwhile Newman signed a one year contract to remain with the team for the 2013 season. He was reported to have voluntarily taken a salary cut which is a move that has become quite common among drivers these days in view of the national economy impacting sponsorship dollars.
Regarding the team’s sponsor profile for the new season, Quicken Loans stepped up in a very big way by doubling their sponsor commitment from nine to 18 races. Wix Filters and Outback Steakhouse are signed for three races each while Aspen Dental and Code 3 Associates will be the primary sponsors for two races each.
The 2013 mission statement for Ryan Newman is very obvious: win races, make the 12 man lineup for the Chase For The Championship and develop sponsor equity that will allow him to select the program that is the best fit for him next year.
DANICA PATRICK
#10 CHEVROLET
CREW CHIEF: TONY GIBSON
After running 10 Sprint Cup races in 2012, Danica Patrick, one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers, joins the series on a full time basis in 2013. There appears to be two basic missions here for this driver: the first is about seat time and gaining the learning experience that comes with it. That learning curve will be aided by the presence of crew chief Tony Gibson, one of the true veterans in the NASCAR garage area.
The second mission is to win the coveted NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie Of The Year title. That mission may get a little interesting. It seems her main competition for the ROY is fellow Cup driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr the man she is reportedly dating.
Early this year there was speculation that indicated that the owner’s points from Tony Stewart’s #14 would be transferred to Patrick’s team. However, during last month’s annual NASCAR Media Tour, Stewart said he was keeping his owner’s points because he earned everyone of them and he felt Danica would be just fine without them. Stewart was effectively expressing confidence in his driver’s ability to earn a starting berth in a race based on her qualifying ability and not based on an owner’s points provisional.
In past seasons, teams in the top 35 in owner’s points were guaranteed a starting berth in the races no matter what happened during qualifying. However, new for the 2013 season, there has been a NASCAR mandated rule change that removes the long time special guarantee. Positions 1 through 36 for a race will be based solely on qualifying speeds. Positions 37 through 42 will be provisional starting berths based on the owner’s points standings. Position 43 will be reserved for a past champion’s provisional. If that policy isn’t invoked, then the final starting berth could be also based on owner’s points.
As far as the team’s sponsor profile goes Go Daddy (Dot) Com, Patrick’s long time sponsor dating back to her Indy Car days, is on board as the primary for nearly all of her races this year. There are reports that says the team has three unsponsored races on the books but that really shouldn’t be a real strain on the SHR marketing office. After all, it’s Danica Patrick in the car.

Dover International Speedway, Pocono Raceway team up for Daytona 500 Watch Party at XFINITY Live! Philadelphia

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Pinnacle Foods Group & RCR Renew Multi-Team Partnership

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HOLLYWOOD CASINO AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY HOSTING DAYTONA 500 WATCH PARTY

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Martinsville Speedway Memories Perfect Gift For Valentine’s Day

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Hot 20 over the past 10 – The usual suspects, but watch out for them Busch Boys

By
Ron Thornton
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Photo Credit: Matt LaFlair
Photo Credit: Matt LaFlair
Photo Credit: Matt LaFlair

With a ten race dash to decide a champion, it pretty much makes sense that the best over the final ten events will claim the crown. That certainly was the case once again in 2012 as Brad Keselowski left the field behind, thanks to a rough patch or two for his closest competitors late in the season.

Clint Bowyer was keeping his hopes alive until Jeff Gordon decided to end that in Phoenix, leaving Gordon with minus points on the day.  Jimmie Johnson had back-to-back wins in Martinsville and Texas, but he was outside the top-30 in the final two and likely left about 40 points on the table and the championship.

While the Chasers were doing there thing, Kyle Busch was showing what might have been had he been eligible. No wins, but seven top fives gives the impression that the boy-child we call Rowdy has designs on a place at the dinner table come November. Only Keselowski was better. Kurt Busch moved to a new team for the final five races and finished off with three straight top tens. Might the team from Colorado have found their man to put them into contention?

As we countdown to Daytona, here are the Hot 20 over last season’s final 10…

Pos (Official) Driver- Pts – (Wins-Top Fives-Top Tens)
1 (1) Brad Keselowski – 391 pts (2-3-8)
2 (13) Kyle Busch – 359 pts (0-7-8)
3 (2) Clint Bowyer – 355 pts (1-4-8)
4 (3) Jimmie Johnson – 351 pts (2-6-7)
5 (4) Kasey Kahne – 345 pts (0-5-6)
6 (5) Greg Biffle – 326 pts (0-2-6)
7 (7) Matt Kenseth – 321 pts (2-3-3)
8 (8) Kevin Harvick – 321 pts (1-1-3)
9 (6) Denny Hamlin – 317 pts (1-3-4)
10 (14)Ryan Newman – 317 pts (0-3-6)
11 (10) Jeff Gordon – 303 pts (1-4-6)
12 (9) Tony Stewart – 302 pts (0-2-4)
13 (11) Martin Truex Jr – 299 pts (0-1-5)
14 (17) Joey Logano – 287 pts (0-0-4)
15 (15) Carl Edwards – 283 pts (0-1-2)
16 (20) Aric Almirola – 281 pts (0-1-2)
17 (16) Paul Menard – 275 pts (0-0-0)
18 (12) Dale Earnhardt Jr – 242 pts (0-0-3)
19 (25) Kurt Busch – 236 pts (0-0-3)
20 (19) Jeff Burton – 236 pts (0-0-1)
23 (18) Marcos Ambrose – 215 pts (0-0-0)

BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY HOSTS JEFF FOXWORTHY’S GRIT CHIPS 300

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Martinsville Speedway Ticket Office Begins Weekend Hours Feb. 23

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SM Archive
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MartinsvilleMARTINSVILLE, VA. (February 6, 2013) – Martinsville Speedway’s ticket office will be open on weekends beginning Saturday, Feb. 23, giving fans who work all week the opportunity to drop by the track and pick out the seats they would like for the Virginia 500 on April 7.

Beginning Feb. 23, the Speedway ticket office will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. The ticket office will be closed Easter Sunday, March 31.

The Martinsville Speedway ticket office is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We know many fans like to come out, walk through the grandstands and find the exact seats they want. If you work all week, that’s tough to do,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “With the extra hours on weekends, it will give anyone the chance to come out, walk around the grandstands and pick out the seats they want.

Fans have many great deals to choose from for the Virginia 500, including:

The Family Four Pack: There are two great Family Four Pack deals to choose from.

The $90 Family Four Pack includes two adult tickets and two youth 12 and under tickets in the Clay Earles Tower, Rows 6-14. The Clay Earles Tower is located above the second turn.

The $120 Family four Pack includes two adult tickets and two youth 12 and under tickets in the Sprint Tower, rows 6-12. The Sprint Tower is located above the first turn.

Youth And Teen Prices: Martinsville Speedway offers very affordable youth and teen pricing for the Virginia 500.

Tickets for youth 12 and under are just $10 in the Clay Earles Tower, rows 15-52. Teen tickets (ages 13-17) in the same area are $25. Youth and teen ticket prices are good with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Tickets for the Virginia 500 on Sunday, April 7, the Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday, April 6 and NASCAR Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series practice and qualifying on Friday, April 5 are on sale and can be purchased by calling 1.877.RACE.TIX. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com
2013 Schedule:

Friday, April 5 — Martinsville Pole Day
Saturday, April 6 — Kroger 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race
Sunday, April 7 — Virginia 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race
Sunday, October 6 — Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 Late Model Stock race
Friday, October 25 — Martinsville Pole Day
Saturday, October 26 — Kroger 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race
Sunday, October 27 — Goody’s Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race

Follow us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/MartinsvilleSpeedway

Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/MartinsvilleSwy

Gen-6 Speeds at Darlington are……WAY WAY FAST!

By
SM Staff
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Photo Credit: David Yeazell
Photo Credit: David Yeazell
Photo Credit: David Yeazell

If there is one race besides the Daytona 500 that I’m very much looking forward to this upcoming season, it is certainly going to be the Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Several Sprint Cup stars were at the Darlington Raceway as part of a Goodyear tire test for the new Gen-6 race car. The Gen-6 race car will debut in the Sprint Unlimited Saturday, February 16th.

Carl Edwards was one of the drivers that gave two thumbs up in regards to the tire test saying that his digital speedometer on his Ford Fusion hit as high as 193 mph. That is a speed unheard of at this track. Several years ago Michael Waltrip sat down with Jeff Gordon on the program NASCAR Thunder 2004. One of Gordon’s comments was, “We go around here around 180 mph.” The conversation dealt with Gordon, then a 6-time winner at the track, talking about how you survive at Darlington. This will be a brand new monster for Gordon as well, who last won here in 2007.

Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Paul Menard, and Juan Montoya were also on hand for the Goodyear tire test. Edwards is predicting much faster speeds and tighter racing when the Bojangles Southern 500 comes to FOX on May 11th.

I’m expecting every single driver that qualifies at the track later this season to completely shatter the previous qualifying record. Darlington’s fast lap speed was set by Kasey Kahne in 2011. Darlington is known to be tricky. It’s egg-shaped corners will make it very treacherous, so qualifying, pit strategy, and staying out of trouble will be the keys to winning the race.

In other words, expect a lot of crashes and excitement. The new car has also shown to have better grip than the previous models, so we might see a lot of crashes, and we might not.

But there is no denying it, the Gen-6 car has been far much quicker at each place it has been tested thus far. And the fans are anxious to get the 2013 season under way! Are you all ready? Follow me on Twitter at SirRyanTheOHara for more NASCAR updates.

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