Aric Almirola Leads Field in Rain-Shortened Testing
Ford Sprint Cup Drivers To Parade 2013 NASCAR Fusions Through Uptown Charlotte
2013 Sprint Cup Team Preview: Stewart-Haas Racing
Our 2013 Sprint Cup team previews continue today as we profile Stewart-Haas Racing, which will field three full time teams in 2013 for drivers Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, and Danica Patrick.
Tony Stewart
After winning the championship in 2011, Tony Stewart came out of the gate on fire in 2012, winning two of the first five races of the season at Las Vegas and Auto Club Speedway, but only found Victory Lane once more at Daytona in July. The 2012 season would be considered a disappointment for Stewart as the first year teaming with crew chief Steve Addington was a roller-coaster of a year.
Stewart will team up with Addington once again in 2013 and his #14 Chevrolet will be sponsored by Mobil 1 and Bass Pro Shops, who moves over to SHR from Jamie McMurray and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Look for Stewart to find Victory Lane and qualify for the Chase once again in 2013.
Ryan Newman
In 2012, Ryan Newman was able to take his #39 Chevrolet to Victory Lane just once, winning at Martinsville in the spring. Besides that highlight, Newman was able to finish in the top 10 in less than half of the remaining races. Tony Gibson was the crew chief for Newman for the majority of the season before giving way to Matt Borland, who will be crew chief for Newman in 2013 as well. If you will remember, Borland was crew chief for Newman during his days at Penske Racing and the two won many races together. The hope is that they can restore the previous magic they had and get back in winning form. Newman will have a change on the sponsorship side of things for 2013, with the US Army stepping down and Quicken Loans picking up more races to go along with Outback Steakhouse and Haas Automation.
Danica Patrick
After a part time Sprint Cup campaign in 2012, Danica Patrick will race full time in 2013 in the #10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. After crew chiefing for Patrick in the last 5 races of the 2012 season, Tony Gibson will once again be crew chief for Patrick in 2013. Patrick will be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors in 2013, but this year will be a learning year as she gets accustomed to the intricacies of the new Gen6 Sprint Cup car.
Two-time Daytona 500 Champion Michael Waltrip to appear at the Canadian Motorsports Expo
The Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track Motorsports News is known for being the place that Canadian fans truly begin their racing season, connecting with drivers, tracks and different companies. For 2013, the fans will be in for a treat as two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip will appear at the event on Saturday February 9th to sign autographs and participate in an on-stage Q&A session.
“In addition to being a two-time winner of the Daytona 500, Michael Waltrip is one of the most popular and recognizable personalities in all of racing, Canadian Motorsports Expo Show co-promoter Rob Morton said. “He’s involved in all aspects of the sport, which gives him a unique perspective. We’re very excited that he’s coming to the CME.”
Waltrip, a veteran behind the wheel, has taken part in 770 Sprint Cup Series events during his 28 years of racing as a driver. He has now moved up to an ownership role, having both drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup last year.
Beyond that, he has become a well known television personality for helping in SPEED’s Camping World Truck Series broadcast. He published a book called In The Blink of an Eye, which talks about how things changed with the death of Dale Earnhardt.
The three day event takes place from February 8-10 at Toronto’s International Centre. For the past six years, drivers have been able to connect with track representatives and companies while fans have connected with tracks, drivers and special celebrities.
At the event, Waltrip will be there to talk about these things, among other things.
“With the racing season less than a month away, it’s a very busy and exciting time,” Waltrip said. “MWR had its most successful season ever, in 2012, and we’re really looking forward to 2013. Add into the mix that I’ll be racing in the Rolex 24 and the Daytona 500, and I suspect I’ll have plenty to talk about with the fans at the Canadian Motorsports Expo. I look forward to meeting as many of them as possible and signing a lot of autographs.”
Just a week prior to the CME, he will compete in the Rolex 24 hour road race at Daytona International Speedway. After making his debut in the event last year, Waltrip will return to the race, once again driving a Ferrari 458 Italia. Waltrip will be joined by co-team owner Rob Kauffman, MWR NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer and Portuguese Endurance veteran Rui Aguas.
Then a week after the CME, he will be back in Daytona in the hunt for his third Daytona 500 victory. Waltrip recently announced he will drive for Brandon Davis’ Swan Racing team with Tony Eury Jr. as the crew chief and Steve Hmiel as competition director. Eury Jr. was Waltrip’s crew chief during the 2005 Sprint Cup Series, while Steve Hmiel crew chiefed for Waltrip in 2001 when he won the Daytona 500 for the first time.
“We’re looking forward to Daytona,” Waltrip said. “It’s my favorite time of the year every year, to come down here and get to participate in the greatest race in the world, in my opinion. To have won it before just makes coming back that much more special.”
Waltrip has secured an engine for Daytona from Toyota Racing Development (TRD) through MWR’s alliance with the manufacture.
Details surrounding Michael Waltrip’s appearance on Saturday, February 9 at the CME will be announced in the coming weeks. For updates on this and other CME news, visit the website at www.CanadianMotorsportsExpo.com.
