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Tristan Vautier Leads Final Firestone Indy Lights Practice for Toronto 100

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[media-credit name=”IndyCar.com” align=”alignright” width=”333″][/media-credit]Rookie Tristan Vautier continued to show his strength, despite his lack of experience, by leading the second practice for the Firestone Indy Lights at the Exhibition Grounds in Toronto. He would lead with a lap of 1:04.7297 minutes.

“The track is very bumper and very tricky, a lot of different kinds of corners, so it’s tricky to set the car up, it’s tricky to go from corner to corner changing your approach because some corners have a concrete patch, some of them are good, some braking zones are rough, some are smooth, so it’s very interesting,” he says. “Definitely interesting to work with the engineer on the car because there’s a lot to do and from a driving standpoint it was very challenging because of the heat, the bumps and everything, so very exciting, it’s very competitive, very tight at the front, so I think tomorrow is going to be very exciting.”

He says the only concern on his mind is they don’t know what the weather will be like due to an expected rain shower in the morning.

Sebastian Saavedra was second, a tenth off of Vautier.

“It’s an amazing track,” he says. “I always have a lot of fun to come back. The pavement is very smooth through the backstretch going into the first hard braking point, it’s actually a big benefit in a way that we can go a lot later and brake even harder than we used to.”

Saavedra says that should make both the Firestone Indy Lights and IZOD IndyCar Series races exciting as it will be a great passing zone. He added that turn nine is another tricky spot and why this track is hard to be “perfect” on.

“It’s one of those places that you’ll never have a perfect car and that’s what makes it so fun, as you cannot set up a car specifically for one corner,” he says. “It’s like half of a car for the complete track. So it’s fun, challenging, physical, and it’s a perfect combination for a good weekend.”

Another rookie cracked the top five as Carlo Munoz was third, five tenths off of Vautier.

Last race’s winner Esteban Guerrieri was fourth while Oliver Webb rounded out the top five.

Fresh off his announcement about his new full-time ride, Peter Dempsey was sixth, followed by Gustavo Yacaman, Victor Carbone, David Ostella and Juan Pablo Garcia.

Dario Franchitti Leads Final Practice at Honda Indy Toronto

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SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”Johnathan Ferrey/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”304″][/media-credit]Three-time IZOD IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti would lead the final practice for the Honda Indy Toronto at Toronto’s Exhibition Grounds. He would run a total of 11 laps for the session, leading with a lap of 1:00.2786 and an average speed of 104.813. The lap was six tenths quicker than the lap he ran to lead the opening session.

Rookie Simon Pagenaud would run second, a tenth off of Franchitti’s time. Franchitti’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon would be third, two tenths of a second off.

Following his practice one problems in turn eight followed by pit lane issues, Justin Wilson would bounce back to finish the second session fourth. However, the practice didn’t go without problems as he would make contact with the tire barrier in turn eight.

Penske Racing’s Ryan Briscoe rounded out the top five, followed by teammates Helio Castroneves and Will Power.  Mike Conway was eighth, followed by Ryan Hunter-Reay and Takumo Sato.

Josef Newgarden would run into more problems this practice to go along with his first practice problems as the car would stop in turn four. Newgarden says that the team suffered a fuel issue problem, the same problem as experienced in the opening practice.

“Conditions should be quite a bit different for the rest of the race weekend though so hopefully we haven’t lost much,” he adds. “The team’s going to find the problem tonight and we’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

Graham Rahal would also find trouble as he would spin in turn six.

“Overall, I would say, it’s been a tough day,” he says. “We’re struggling to find a balance in the car. This is a place we always run well, and I think we will get stronger tomorrow. I feel we just have a lot to improve on. We didn’t quite get a new tire-run in there at the end after we spun. It just kind of hurt the tires and we had to go from there.”

Hometown hero James Hinchcliffe would miss the second session following problems in the first session as he would have an engine failure. As a result, the team was forced to change motors and he will now suffer a 10-grid spot penalty come qualifying on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, today is a day to forget really,” Hinchcliffe says. “It’s too bad what happened in the second session because with the first session not going smoothly, we were really looking to make some gains.”

He added that he will look towards teammates Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay’s notes to get ready for qualifying tomorrow. Despite the disappointment on the day, there is a positive thought….

“Last time we got an engine penalty we were able to come back and finished on the podium,” he comments. “So we may be down but we’re certainly not out.”

Also suffering a 10-grid spot penalty for unapproved motor changes are Simona De Silvestro and Tagliani.

Dario Franchitti Leads Opening Practice at Honda Indy Toronto

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SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”Johnathan Ferrey/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”304″][/media-credit]Defending race winner Dario Franchitti would lead the opening practice for the Honda Indy Toronto at Toronto’s Exhibition Grounds. He would run a total of 14 laps for the session, leading with a lap of 1:00.8972 and an average speed of 103.749.

His Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon would be second, four hundreths of a second off of Franchitti’s time.

Rookie Simon Pagenaud continued to shine with the third quickest lap, a tenth off of Franchitti. Tony Kanaan and Will Power would round out the top five.

EJ Viso was sixth, followed by Ryan Briscoe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Helio Castroneves and Takumo Sato.

Rookie Josef Newgarden would run into problems as he would stall on the course during the opening minutes of practice. It was reported after practice that he suffered a fuel issue.

Viso would also have problems during practice as he got off the course in turn three while Graham Rahal spun in turn six. Rahal was 11th in practice.

During the practice, there’d also be an incident on pit lane involving the car of Justin Wilson and the pit crew for Sebastian Bourdais.

“I came down pit lane and the car refused to go into neutral,” Wilson says. “So I was stuck in first, I couldn’t get neutral, and on top of that, these carbon brakes don’t work when they’re cold, so was hard on the brakes and I couldn’t stop. At the last second, I tried to dive into the wall to take speed off, but those guys were there and had no idea I was coming and even diving to the wall I still hit them. I really hope they’re okay.”

Dr. Michael Olinger, INDYCAR Medical Director, released that Chuck Homan of Dragon Racing was treated and released from St. Michael’s Hospital after his leg was evaluated. Michael Cole of Dale Coyne Racing and David Martin of Dragon Racing were treated and released from infield care center. Raffi Aroyan was transported to St. Michaels for further evaluation of his ankle.

Wilson’s car sustained the damage following contact with the wall in turn eight.

“I turned the corner and saw that the track was blocked and that Tag (Alex Tagliani) was in the wall,” he adds. “I couldn’t stop, so rather than hit him head-on, I just turned back and hit the wall. It was just a horrible session. We’ll just have to regroup and hopefully get back out for the next session.”

Wilson would end practice with the slowest time while Tagliani was 13th with Bourdais 17th.

Hometown hero James Hinchcliffe would also suffer problems during practice as he would have an engine failure. As a result, the team was forced to change motors and he will now suffer a 10-grid spot penalty come qualifying on Saturday.

Toyota NNS Daytona Post-Race Notes & Quotes

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SM Archive
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Kurt Busch wins wild Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona

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SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”Credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]Before the green flag even flew in the Subway Jalapeno 250 on Friday night at the Daytona International Speedway there had already been fireworks.

Danica Patrick in a way called her shot. Saying she wasn’t going to bet against herself while her team said it was the night that she broke through. Unfortunately her night ended like her others at Daytona, wrecked.

Then in qualifying last weekend’s winner, Austin Dillon, went out and won the pole. His celebration was short lived. Dillon failed post-qualifying inspection because of an open cooling hose in his Chevrolet. He failed under section 20A-2.1J and had his time disallowed and moved to the rear of the field. Any further penalties will be announced early next week.

When the race went green it didn’t take long for the action to get exciting even though drivers quickly made their way into the tandem style drafting. Pairing after pairing took their turn at the front, seeing only two cautions and 12 drivers having led by halfway.

During much of the second half of the event the Busch brothers, Kyle and Kurt, often found themselves the leaders with Kurt leading on six different occasions for a race high 23 of 101 laps. But fan favorite Patrick soon arrived and began to flex her muscle, making moves without any drafting help at times.

Then came the Big One on lap 65, which would change the complexion of the race. As Mike Wallace slowed in turn two the hard charging pack behind him had nowhere to go. When the smoked cleared 16 cars involved including Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Mike Wallace, Clint Bowyer and other favorites.

Kurt Busch came out with damage as well but it wasn’t enough to keep him out of contention. The James Finch team taped up their No. 1 Chevrolet and watched Busch fight back through the field. Whether his car was spewing water or losing its drafting help, Busch continued to fight and found himself near the front when it mattered most.

A debris caution three laps to go set up the races finish. A green-white-checkered finish that saw Stenhouse push Busch past the tandem of Dillon and Annett. Then as Busch crossed the finish line Dillon spun behind him, collecting Kyle Busch, Johanna Long and Jason Bowles.

It was the second win for Busch in 2012 but his first for Phoenix. In April he delivered Kyle Busch Motorsports their first career NNS win. It was also the first time Busch had won at Daytona and the 23rd win of his career. But, Friday night in Daytona it was all about the little team who could.

“We just won at Daytona!” shouted Busch in Victory lane. “I got these guys at Phoenix, this is unbelievable. Passion and heart, that’s all I can give. That’s all I can do right now. And to do this for James Finch, this is awesome. To be an underfunded team, to come out only four times a year – we’ll be at Indy in a few weeks – it’s amazing to do what we can with a little team and to preserve.

“And Ricky Stenhouse, in a Ford, thanks to him, this Chevrolet is in Victory Lane. Thanks to Nationwide and these fans. Running this series gives me a lot of confidence but it’s just passion and heart. That’s all I can give right now.”

There was no shortage of emotion from Busch or the Phoenix team.

“I’m a racer. I don’t know much about anything else. There’s time when you get caught up in marketing or PR and everything else that goes along with it, but you’ve got to do all the steps in this day and age.

“I keep saying I grew up 30 years too late, I still haven’t grown up, even though I’m 33. But back in the 80s, that’s what this team reminds me of. It’s family. And you go hard or you go home.”

Stenhouse finished second and Annett third, earning his best career NNS finish. They were also two of the four drivers who became eligible for the Dash4Cash program along with Dillon and Sadler. They’ll race for $100,000 bonus next weekend in New Hampshire.

Going into New Hampshire, Sadler remains the point leader over Dillon. Stenhouse still sits third.

The Subway Jalapeno 250 also set a record for lead changes and leaders. There were 42 lead changes and 16 leaders, the previous record had been 38 lead changes among 16 drivers back in February.

Unofficial Race Results
Subway Jalapeno 250, Daytona Int’l Speedway
http://www.speedwaymedia.com/n2s/race.php?race=16
=========================================
Pos. St. No. Driver Make Points
=========================================
1 – 1 Kurt Busch Chevrolet 0
2 – 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 42
3 – 43 Michael Annett Ford 41
4 – 3 Austin Dillon * Chevrolet 41
5 – 18 Joey Logano Toyota 0
6 – 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 39
7 – 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 38
8 – 44 Mike Bliss Toyota 36
9 – 41 Timmy Hill Chevrolet 0
10 – 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 35
11 – 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 34
12 – 70 Johanna Long * Chevrolet 32
13 – 4 Danny Efland Chevrolet 31
14 – 81 Jason Bowles * Toyota 31
15 – 19 Tayler Malsam Toyota 29
16 – 39 Josh Richards Ford 28
17 – 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Chevrolet 27
18 – 14 Eric McClure Toyota 26
19 – 82 Blake Koch Dodge 25
20 – 108 Bryan Silas Ford 0
21 – 40 Erik Darnell Chevrolet 23
22 – 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 23
23 – 54 Kyle Busch Toyota 0
24 – 38 Brad Sweet * Chevrolet 20
25 – 199 John Wes Townley Toyota 0
26 – 20 Clint Bowyer Toyota 0
27 – 124 Casey Roderick * Toyota 17
28 – 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 0
29 – 88 Cole Whitt * Chevrolet 16
30 – 15 Jeffrey Earnhardt Ford 14
31 – 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 14
32 – 11 Brian Scott Toyota 12
33 – 136 Bobby Santos Chevrolet 11
34 – 30 James Buescher Chevrolet 0
35 – 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 0
36 – 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 9
37 – 52 Joey Gase * Chevrolet 7
38 – 174 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 6
39 – 50 T.J. Bell Chevrolet 5
40 – 46 Chase Miller Chevrolet 4
41 – 42 Josh Wise Chevrolet 0
42 – 47 Stephen Leicht Chevrolet 0
43 – 10 Jeff Green Toyota 1

SRT Motorsports – Dodge NASCAR Nationwide Series Final Race Quotes – Daytona

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SM Archive
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Ford Daytona Nationwide Post-Race Quotes

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SM Archive
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CHEVY NSCS AT DAYTONA TWO: Ryan Newman Leads Chevy in Qualfiying, Press Conf. Transcript

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CHEVY NSCS AT DAYTONA TWO: Qualifying Notes & Quotes

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Matty’s Picks 2012 – Vol. 18 Daytona International Speedway – Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola – July 7, 2012

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SM Staff
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The 2012 Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola marks the traditional halfway point in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, and this season is shaping up to be nothing less than exciting. Thirteen different drivers have visited Victory Lane in the first 17 points races (Tony Stewart, Brad Kesolowski, Jimmie Johnson, and Denny Hamlin being the repeat winners thus far) making this season a complete craps shoot in picking winners. I’ve had a blast watching the drama each week, and am looking forward to what the second half of this 2012 season will bring. It will be a mad dash to The Chase, and an even bigger fiasco to claim the Champion’s trophy.

The site for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola needs no introduction. It’s the same 2.5 mile superspeedway we’ve grown so accustomed to, but it’s the racing style which has changed the face of Daytona International Speedway (or Juan Montoya if you remember February’s Daytona 500). Sorry but I had to throw a jet-dryer comment in here. The thing that shocks me still about the whole jet-dryer incident in February is Tide received 2-3 hours of free advertising from the jet fuel cleanup, and still they do not show up as a primary sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series. Come on Tide! Get back into NASCAR!

That’s my rant for this week, on to Kentucky’s Recap…

Kentucky Recap

It was another so so weekend in the Bluegrass State last week, as has been the story of my season here with Matty’s Picks. I guess the only thing to do is keep on trucking towards the top, and eventually I will end up with the 1-2 punch I’ve been searching for all season.

My Winner Pick was the defending champion of the Quaker State 400, and Kyle Busch looked like he would make it back-to-back wins in Sparta early on. Rowdy wasted no time in showing he was the guy to beat in the No. 18 M&M’s Red, White & Blue Toyota by taking the point position on the opening lap. He was the alpha male for 116 laps in the first half of the race, but minor contact with the wall on lap 130 would cause the No. 18 to slip out of the top 5. The contact was the first of a slew of issues that fell upon the M&M’s camp throughout the remaining 80 laps. During the final third of the Quaker State 400, Kyle Busch would experience a broken rear shock, an empty fuel tank, and a flat tire, but still managed to climb from 18th on the final green flag run to finish 10th.

A tough night it was for my Dark Horse last week in Kentucky… From the start of the race, Kurt Bush fought a car that was at its worse for the entire weekend. Making the connection from practice to race conditions has been a struggle for the No. 51 Chevrolet all season and this disconnect was violently apparent last week in Kentucky. Busch’s car was so bad in the early stages of the Quaker State 400, he slipped from his 14th-place starting spot to 22nd in just the first 15 laps. The crew continued to throw adjustments to the Phoenix Racing Chevy all night, until the straw that broke the camel’s back fell on lap 206 when Ryan Newman lost an engine and covered the racing surface in oil. Busch fell victim to the oil and slapped the outside wall, successfully ending my hopes of a 1-2 punch by the Busch Brothers. Kurt Busch managed to limp his damaged chariot home in 19th.

Daytona Picks

As I glance over practice speeds for the 54th Annual Coke Zero 400, I see one thing… I HAVE NO IDEA WHO TO PICK THIS WEEK! The cars look to be so evenly matched this week, it’s tough to pinpoint two guys who appear to be on the road to victory.

Winner Pick

It’s Jamie McMurray that I am rolling the dice with this week. He’s got some history behind him this week in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/NRA Museum Chevrolet, and some solid practice speeds to boot. In the first of two practice sessions at Daytona yesterday, McMurray had the best 10 Consecutive Lap Average at a speed of 196.909mph. He’s also claimed victory 4-times in his career at Daytona or Talladega, but has had a rather ‘lumpy’ start to his 2012 campaign.

McMurray hasn’t finished better than 7th this year, and you’ve got to look all the way back to March’s Food City 500 to pick up that stat. McMurray sits just inside the top 20 in points and desperately needs a win to have an shot at one of the two ‘Wild Card’ bids for the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Being fastest in final practice will certainly turn some heads around the garage area this weekend.

Dark Horse Pick

There aren’t too many dark horses when it comes to racing on Superspeedways because quite honestly, anything can happen. I like the way Chevy’s engines have performed thus far this year, and with temperatures expected to hover around 90 degrees around race time Saturday night, performing well under the heat is pivotal to claiming victory. Having help from teammates is also an important part of taking the checkered at Daytona.

A guy that has both of these this weekend in Florida is Paul Menard. Looking at his last 3 races at Daytona, he’s finished 6th, 9th, and 8th respectively. Last year’s racing at Daytona and Talladega gave fans the two-car tango, and Menard rode the coat tails of teammate Kevin Harvick to his solid top-10 finishes. This February’s Daytona 500 was a hybrid of the two-car tango and pack racing, and Menard managed to work his way from 37th to finish in the top-10 following ‘the fire heard round the world’. Keep an eye on Menard on Saturday night as he might just have a shot at taking home is second career victory.

That’s all for this week, so until we hit New England… You Stay Classy NASCAR NATION!

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