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NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A tail gate party in the valley of the sun

By
SM Staff
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NASCAR’s Camping Truck Series will be transporting their tailgate party to Arizona’s valley of the sun at the Phoenix International Raceway. Friday night’s running of the Lucas Oil 150 is expected to be a perfect format for these high energy racing trucks. That’s because this speedway is a virtually flat one mile oval. That means PIR is considered to be a short track by modern day NASCAR standards and everyone, who follows this series, knows that NASCAR’s truck series shines on the short tracks.

THE STORY BREAKDOWN

The Phoenix event is the next to the last race of the season and it appears that Todd Bodine will be presenting Germain Racing with their second championship. Going into Friday night’s race the Toyota Tundra drivers holds a 230 point advantage over Aric Almirola while Johnny Sauter holds down third in the standings 304 points back. By the way that’s the second largest points lead in series history. If Bodine finishes the Phoenix race with at least a 195 points lead then the title is his. That’s very possible because Bodine has some very good stats at this track. He’s a former race winner there and, in six official series starts, he’s only finished outside of the top ten twice.

Still at issue is the coveted Owner’s Points Championship. Bodine also wants to present that trophy to the Germain brothers as well but it’s not going to be easy. Kyle Busch has similar plans for this title and would love to see his motorsports team take the owner’s title during its rookie season. Three weeks ago the Bodine team had a 39 point lead in the standings. But Busch has been on fire lately and now holds a 72 point lead going into Friday night’s race. While the lead is not mathematically insurmountable, it will be tough for Bodine and company to overcome this deficit with only two races left.

Is Indy Racing League superstar Dan Wheldon coming to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series next year? That’s one of the hot garage rumors these days. Sponsorship issues has left some serious question marks regarding Wheldon’s future IRL plans. The rumor mill is now saying that Wheldon has been having exploratory talks with Kyle Busch Motorsports regarding a future NASCAR ride for next year.

Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr may be performing double duty at Phoenix this weekend. Depending on the stork’s delivery schedule, Hornaday may be taking over the wheel of Ryan Newman’s #39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race if Newman has to hurry home on maternity leave. The Newmans are expecting the arrival of their first child literally any day now.

************

THE RACE BREAKDOWN

The Lucas Oil 150 is 150 laps/150 miles around the Phoenix International Raceway’s one mile, practically flat, oval.

The race has 36 entries for a 36 truck event. That means the go or go home teams, those outside of the series’ top 25 in owner’s points, will get a free pass this week and all entries will make the race.

There has been 19 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Phoenix that has sent 11 different winners to victory lane. Ron Hornaday Jr and Mike Skinner leads the PIR win list with two each. Other previous race winners, in the the field Friday night, include Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch and David Starr.

The defending race winner is Kevin Harvick who is not entered in Friday night’s race. Harvick’s Childress Racing, Sprint Cup, team mate Clint Bowyer will be making his first series start since 2007 in Kevin Harvick Inc’s #2 Chevrolet Truck.

Friday night’s Lucas OIl 150 will be broadcast live by the SPEED Channel with the pre race set up show beginning at 730 pm eastern time.

Timothy Peters Carrying Momentum To Phoenix

By
Official Release
-

TIMOTHY PETERS QUICK FACTS

Phoenix International Raceway

Lucas Oil 150

November 12, 2010

.         Peters at Phoenix.The Lucas Oil 150 will mark Timothy Peters’
second career start at Phoenix International Raceway. Last fall Peters
started from the 16th spot and earned a 16th place finish. Despite
struggling in his first PIR start, Peters is determined to turn that around
this season.

.         On The Rebound.After a couple rough weeks at Las Vegas and
Talladega, Peters seems back on track. Accidents at both tracks left him
with 26th and 34th place finishes respectively. In the last two weeks Peters
has been able to turn things around with a seventh place finish at Talladega
Superspeedway and a 12th place finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Peters’ isn’t
slowing down yet. He plans to secure top-10 finishes in both Phoenix and
Miami to firm up his place in the point standings.

.         Every Point Counts.Just two races remain for Peters to work his
way back inside the top-five in Camping World Truck Series driver point
standings. After a 12th place finish at Texas last weekend, Peters moved up
one spot to the sixth position. He is just 46 points behind fifth place.
With the goal of getting back inside the top-five, Peters knows he must earn
as many points as possible before the checkered flag falls at
Homestead-Miami Speedway.

.         Lufkin On Board At Phoenix. The Lufkin logo will adorn the #17
Toyota Tundra as an associate sponsor at Phoenix International Raceway.
Tough LufkinR measuring products have been providing precise measurements
for professionals and guys who just know tools since 1869. Back then, Lufkin
yardsticks and folding rules earned the brand its reputation for quality and
strength. Today, tough “Hi-Viz Orange” Lufkin retractable tapes are
recognized the world over. Whether the job is laying out a foundation or
checking the height of a race vehicle, those who know each for Lufkin. Grab
a Lufkin tape and measure tough.

Timothy Peters on racing at Phoenix International Raceway “I’m looking
forward to getting back to Phoenix. We really struggled there last year and
I came into this season looking at New Hampshire and Phoenix as my “Achilles
Heel.” We had a good run at New Hampshire so I feel confident we can have a
good run at Phoenix. Our goal right now is to earn as many points as we can
and capitalize on the mistakes of others. We were able to do that in Texas
and we will need to keep doing it these last two races to reach the top-five
by Homestead.”

Equipment Information Timothy Peters will compete with chassis #103 in the
Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. This is the same chassis he
last raced at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where he started eighth and
finished sixth.

Timothy Peters Seeks Sponsorship Partner Peters is still seeking sponsorship
for his #17 Toyota Tundra. Red Horse Racing is currently running the #17
without primary sponsorship. For more information on sponsorship
opportunities please contact Tom DeLoach at 704-662-0039.

Smith, Furniture Row Racing Eyeing 2011

By
Official Release
-

DENVER, Colo. (Nov. 10, 2010) — As the 2010 Sprint Cup season is winding
down with the penultimate race scheduled for Sunday (Nov. 14) at Phoenix
International Raceway, Regan Smith is looking at the final two events as an
extension to the 2011 season.

“If you have a bad race during the season you only have to wait four or five
days before you get back into the car,” said Smith. “That’s not much time
for reflecting and feeling down. But it becomes a different scenario at this
time of the year, you want to end the season knowing that you’re gaining and
picking up speed. If you’re on the other end of the performance spectrum you
have nearly three long months to think about it. Ouch!”

The good news for Smith and the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing team is that
they’ve been closing out the year with their best racing of the season  But
with two races remaining, Smith wants to make sure the recent performance
level continues and there’s not a detour.

“We’re so excited about the future of Furniture Row Racing that sometimes we
lose a little patience,” explained Smith. “We want the baby steps to become
giant steps, but we know better that this is not the way the improvement
meter works.”

If you take away the Martinsville race (Oct. 24) where Smith got hit and
shoved into the wall, the team’s performance in the last 10 races is a vivid
sign of improvement. In nine of the last 10 races, Smith has posted three
top 13s and five top 20s, including two 12th-place finishes. Smith’s average
finish during this period is 19.11 compared to an average finish of 26.66
for the first 24 races of the season.

“That’s an increase of seven positions — a nice jump,” said Smith. “Now if
we can improve another seven positions we’ll be looking at Chase material.
But we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, we have a long way to go, but
we’re on the right track with our Furniture Row Chevrolet.”

Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 will be Smith’s fifth start at the one-mile
Phoenix oval. At the Phoenix spring race, he finished 26th.

David Starr Set for Desert Drive

By
Official Release
-

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will head west to the Arizona desert for the second to last race of the 2010 campaign. SS Green Light Racing’s David Starr currently sits ninth in the NCWTS point standings as the truckers make their annual visit to the one-mile track west of Phoenix Arizona for the Lucas Oil 150.

Starr has had fast Toyota Tundras in each of the last three races; finishing a solid seventh at Martinsville, before a fuel issue at Talladega and a blown right front tire at Texas and have given the Texas native disappointing eleventh and fifteenth place finishes. “We’ve had faster trucks than our last couple finishes have shown,” Starr explained. “We just have gone through a few growing pains, but this team does not give up.”

As they did at Las Vegas several weeks back, Indianapolis based building enclosure specialist ASI Limited will back Starr’s No. 81 at Phoenix with support from Zachry.

It’s not hard for David to get excited about traveling to the Phoenix International Raceway, because it is one of four tracks where he has won at in the NCWTS; winning the Chevy Silverado 150 back in 2004 when he drove for Wayne Spears.

 

“I’m glad to be here racing. I love Phoenix. It’s awesome,” David said with his familiar smile. “There is no place I’d rather be than out here racing. I’m just real excited to go to Phoenix; I’m visiting a job site for Zachry out in Northern Arizona before we go to the track. I love to visit with all the hard working people in the field.”

“Jason Miller is a great crew chief and the guys on this team work really hard,” Starr continued. “Our stops have been real good the last few races and I’m glad to have the opportunity to work with them. I think we have an opportunity for a couple good finishes to finish the year.”

SS Green Light General Manager Bobby Dotter knows how important the last two races are for Starr and the No. 81 team. “So much has happened with this team in just two months. When the team David was with ran into trouble just days before Chicago and he jumped into one of our trucks, we weren’t sure what direction it would take us. We quickly built several Toyotas and the result is seven straight top-fifteen finishes. We’ve shown speed and consistency, but we’re hoping for better finishes the next two weeks. There is a big difference in running fast and finishing good, want to get ASI Limited a good finish this week.”

David has ten career NCWTS starts at the Phoenix International Raceway; with four top-ten finishes highlighted his victory in 2004. David’s average start is 20.5 and his average finish is 14.6. He has finished on the lead lap in seven of the ten previous starts.

The Lucas Oil 150 is the 244th consecutive NCWTS start for the SS Green Light Racing team and the 264th career start for Starr in the Truck series.

There are 36 trucks are on the preliminary entry list for the Lucas Oil 150.

Practice for the NCWTS Lucas Oil 150 will be Thursday, November 11th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Qualifying will be Friday, November 12th at 4:30 p.m. The race will be shown live on SPEED TV at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, November 12th. All times Eastern. It will also be broadcast live via radio worldwide on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and on SIRIUS Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 128-XM104.

ASI Limited is a leader in the Building Enclosure and Ornamental Metals industry. Indianapolis based ASI Limited’s ability to take a project from it’s inception to its completion separates them from their competition. In 2003, the Ornamental Division was established as a national supplier of ornate products. Currently the Ornamental Division is supplying materials for many United States Embassies overseas and projects throughout the country. ASI will be partnering with their customers in the NCWTS to continue to build relationship and teamwork.  For more information visit www.asilimted.com.

For more information about SS Green Light Racing visit www.SSRacingonline.com or email pr@ssracingonline.com.

RUSTY WALLACE RACING NEWS AND NOTES: PHOENIX II

By
Official Release
-

–The Top-Ten Points Battle Heads to the Valley of the Sun–

 

 

The Event:  Phoenix 200  (Round 33 of 35 in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series)

 

  • Venue:  Phoenix International Raceway (1.0-mile oval)
  • Date / Time:  November 13, 2010 / 4:30 PM ET
  • Distance:  200 laps / 200 miles
  • TV / Radio:  ESPN2 (Live at 4:00 PM ET) / MRN Radio, Sirius NASCAR Radio

 

 

Steve Wallace, No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry

 

  • Points Race Continues:  Steve Wallace and his 5-Hour Energy team head to the Valley of the Sun this weekend looking to clench their place among the top-ten in the year-end point standings.  Assuming Wallace starts the Homestead event, he can clench tenth-place by leaving Phoenix with a margin of 162 points or greater over his 11th-place teammate, Brendan Gaughan.  Wallace currently leads Gaughan by 145 points.

 

  • Pointing Forward:  Wallace is also in the middle of a ferocious fight for seventh through tenth in the standings.  He currently sits a mere 77 points adrift of seventh-place Trevor Bayne.

 

  • Wallace at Phoenix:  Steve Wallace scored his first Phoenix top-ten in last year’s running of this event.  His tenth-place effort set off a streak of five straight top-ten finishes that ran through this season’s event at Las Vegas.  In this spring’s event at Phoenix, Wallace, sporting a broken foot, ran among the top-ten for the first 110 laps, before a tire failure ended his day.

 

  • Streaking:  Wallace and the 5-Hour Energy squad enter Phoenix with four finishes of 12th or better in their last six races.  They also sport four top-ten starts during that span.  Wallace has been ranked among the top-ten in NNS driver points for 21 straight weeks, the seventh-best such streak in the series; he has been among the top-ten for 47 of the last 55 weeks.

 

  • Flat-Out:  Wallace sports three top-ten finishes (ORP, Iowa, Gateway I) and five finishes of 12th or better (New Hampshire, Gateway II) on flat tracks this season.

 

  • The Machine:  Steve Wallace’s primary car for this weekend is RWR-042.  Car 42 last ran at ORP during the summer, where Wallace’s piloted it to the outside pole, en route to a top-ten finish.

 

 

This Week’s 5-Hour Energy Shot

 

  • Welcome Aboard:  5-Hour Energy Racing is pleased to welcome Circle K Convenience Stores to its family of partners; Circle K branding will appear on the television panel of Steve Wallace’s No. 66 car this weekend at PIR.  For more than 50 years, Circle K has been one of North America’s most popular and successful operators of convenience stores. Today, there are more than 3,300 Circle K stores across the USA and over 4,000 international locations.

 

  • 5-Hour Energy Show Car Appearances in Phoenix:

 

  • �
    • Friday, November 12, 2010, 12:00 PM-2:00 PM:  Safeway 3151, 9090 South Estrella Parkway, Goodyear, AZ 85338
    • Friday, November 12, 2010, Contact Store for Time:  Safeway 1511, 14175 West Indian School Road, Goodyear, AZ 85448
    • Saturday, November 13, 2010, 11:00 AM-2:00 PM:  Circle K 1130, 11502 West Southern, Tolleson, AZ 85353

 

  • Did You Know?:  The key ingredients in 5-Hour Energy are also available in everyday foods – like broccoli, avocados, bananas and apples – or already in you.  5-Hour Energy contains zero sugar, only four calories and as much caffeine as a cup of the leading premium coffee.

 

 

Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 Alliance Parts Toyota Camry

 

  • Trucking Along:  Rusty Wallace Racing is pleased to welcome Alliance Parts as the primary sponsor of Brendan Gaughan’s No. 62 team this weekend.  Alliance Parts is a brand of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America and a leading manufacturer of Class 4-8 vehicles.  The brand offers a range of new and remanufactured reliable parts and accessories at an affordable price to the commercial transportation industry.  For more information, or to locate the nearest Alliance Parts dealer, visit alliancebrandparts.com.

 

  • Double Duty:  Brendan Gaughan will make his first Sprint Cup Series start since 2004 this weekend, as he wheels TRG’s No. 71 South Point Hotel & Casino car in Sunday’s event at PIR.

 

  • Gaughan at Phoenix:  In three career NNS starts at Phoenix, Brendan Gaughan has posted one top-five and two top-ten finishes, including a fourth-place effort this spring.

 

  • Flattening the Competition:  Although he professes not to be a short track expert, Gaughan has shown much prowess on flat tracks this season, with four top-ten finishes (Phoenix I, Richmond I, New Hampshire, ORP).

 

  • The Machine:  Brendan Gaughan will pilot RWR-018 this weekend in Phoenix.  Car 18, a workhorse of the RWR fleet, has made seven 2010 starts, including one with Kenny Wallace at the controls last month in the 5-Hour Energy 250 at Gateway.

 

 

# # #

 

 

About Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC

North Carolina-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary history of its founder, Rusty Wallace—one of NASCAR’s top-ten drivers of all-time.  The team currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys in the prestigious NASCAR Nationwide Series, driven by Steve Wallace and Brendan Gaughan, respectively.  In 2009, RWR stood as the only team with multiple drivers among the top-ten in the final Nationwide Series driver standings.  For more on Rusty Wallace Racing, please visit the award-winning rustywallace.com.

 

 

About 5-Hour Energy

 

Made by Living Essentials, LLC, 5-Hour Energy is the category leader in 2 oz. liquid energy shots.  5 Hour Energy is available nationwide in major retailers in the Grocery, Drug Store, Mass Merchant Warehouse and Convenience Store classes of trade.  Living Essentials sells over 7 million bottles of 5 Hour Energy per week.  For more information, please visit 5hourenergy.com.

 

 

About Alliance Parts

 

Alliance Parts offers a range of new and remanufactured reliable parts and accessories at an affordable price to the commercial transportation industry. Alliance brand parts are available at more than 1,000 retail locations, including Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses dealerships in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, or to locate the nearest Alliance Parts dealer, visit alliancebrandparts.com.

 

Alliance Parts is a brand of Daimler Trucks North America LLC, the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America and a leading manufacturer of Class 4-8 vehicles.  Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses nameplates.  Daimler Trucks North America is a Daimler company.

Hamilton Brings Back Greatness

By
SM Staff
-

For some people the 1996 Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix International Raceway is more than just another race. It’s the day reality came back to NASCAR and Petty Enterprises found victory lane once again.

Petty Enterprises was the Hendrick Motorsports of the first 3 decades of NASCAR. Wait, I take that back. Hendrick Motorsports loses every now and then. Petty Enterprises didn’t.

Richard Petty had 198 of his 200 wins at Petty Enterprises and 7 championships with the organization. Richard’s father Lee Petty won 54 races and 3 championships in his 16 years as a driver.

From 1949-1983 Petty Enterprises had won an unprecedented 265 races, including 10 championships and 9 Daytona 500’s.

Yet after the 1983 season Petty Enterprises and Richard Petty would be together no longer after family dispute opted him to move to Mike Curb’s operation and brought the 43 and STP over with him. Petty would win only two races in the two years with Mike Curb and cooler heads prevailed and Petty and his family run team would reunite before the 1986 season.

Yet the same success would never be found again. Petty would go winless in his final 7 seasons at Petty Enterprises before retiring in 1992.

The Randleman, North Carolina ran business would have three drivers from 1993-1995. First it was Rick Wilson, who ran the No. 44 STP Pontiac to one top ten finish in the 1993 season before being replaced by Wally Dallenbach, Jr for the start of the 1994 season. The familiar No. 43 would be back on the car as well.

Dallenbach wasn’t the answer either. He struggled and after missing six races, Petty Enterprises had seen enough and hired John Andretti to finish out the 1994 season.

In 1995 a driver from Nashville, Tennessee became available. That driver was Bobby Hamilton. Hamilton had had an interesting career until that point. He broke into the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit by driving cars for the movie Days of Thunder. He nearly won the 1988 Autoworks 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, before a blown engine on lap 215 derailed his day to 32nd place finish.

Hamilton had moderate success on the NASCAR circuit. He won a 1989 Busch Series race at Richmond that impressed many people. Everyone thought the man needed a break. When Richard Petty came knocking, Hamliton had finally gotten his break.

Throughout the 1995 season it appeared Hamilton and Petty Enterprises were a good fit. Hamilton was giving Petty Enterprises its best point season since 1987. Hamilton would finish 14th in the standings with 4 top 5’s and ten top tens. All things pointed to a very successful 1996 season.

1996 did get off to a good start for Hamilton. After an 11th place finish at Talladega, Bobby Hamilton was 9th in the standings and had caught everyone’s attention.

Yet a mediocre middle of the season had left Hamilton and Petty Enterprises scratching their heads as to what went wrong.

By the end of the Southern 500 in September, Hamilton had dropped to a dismal 16th in the standings. Bad luck, with a combination of a single car operation may have taken its toll.

Or so we all thought.

However, after the Southern 500, Hamilton went on a tear. In the next four races Hamilton put together four consecutive top ten finishes. By the time we got to Phoenix in late October, Petty Enterprises were feeling pretty good about things.

Yet no one saw this coming. Hamilton had started 17th in the event and no one thought the Petty car would have a chance.

Yet Bobby Hamilton flew. Coming from 17th, he and crew chief Robbie Loomis would fix their racecar and figure out a way to get in front of race leader Dale Jarrett and on lap 153 Hamilton had the lead. The lead would change several times during the event.

Then Geoff Bodine took the lead with 52 laps to go. It looked like it may be Bodine’s day. But slowly creeping closer was Hamilton, who got to Bodine’s bumper with 20 to go, and passed him for the lead.

The fans at Phoenix International Raceway were witnessing something they hadn’t seen in over 13 years. A Petty Enterprise car going to victory lane. Finally the checkered flag fell and Bobby Hamilton added his name to the list of winners in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

Tom Higgins covered his last NASCAR race that day and wrote an article about it. He remembers a shocked Bobby Hamilton.

“I couldn’t believe it. Those last laps I thought I felt tires going down. I heard rattles and even thought the battery was shaking. My mind was running wild the last lap. There were three cars smoking and and I was concerned they would put some oil on the track. I’m so happy for Richard and Dale Inman and Robbie Loomis and the other guys on the team. They’ve worked so hard and have gone a lot of years without a win. To be the first to do it in this Pontiac since Richard means a lot to me,” stated Hamilton.

“The boys did good today,” said Petty, who was mobbed on pit road when the checkered flag fell. “I just sat and watched. Today, we had it all together. I thought Bobby had enough to take care of ’em there at the end, but you never know for sure.”

Higgins recalls tears in Hamilton’s eyes that evening in the press box. According to Higgins, most people in the box that day had tears in their eyes, happy for Hamilton and Richard Petty. Among those, Higgins recalls was the king, who under his glasses, Higgins sensed, his eyes were moist too.

Hamilton and Petty Enterprises would find victory lane just one more time before he and the organization parted ways before the 1998 season.

Petty Enterprises would win only one more race from that point on, in 1999 at Martinsville with John Andretti.

The organization would fold, following the 2008 season, but not before leaving countless memories on the sport, including the unforgettable day at Phoenix International Raceway, where Bobby Hamilton made even the King cry.

Ryan Newman Celebrates Veterans Day With 500 Faces Tribute

By
SM Staff
-

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 US Army Chevrolet for Stewart Haas Racing, will be celebrating Veteran’s Day in a very unique way, displaying the faces of over 500 veterans on his race car at Phoenix this weekend.  This special paint scheme will serve as a reminder of the real faces behind the uniforms that have sacrificed so much for their country.

“This is the first time I’ve ever had anything like that with people on the race car,” Newman said.  “I really think it is an honor to represent the US Army and it’s an honor to represent what they do and have done for us.  On Veteran’s Day weekend to have families of soldiers and to represent the US Army is really cool.”

The Army also appreciates what Newman is doing through this special honor on his race car for the Kobalt Tools 500.  Newman will be making his 17th career start at Phoenix International Raceway in this weekend’s Cup race.

“Every time Ryan Newman drives the No. 39 Chevrolet with the Army colors, he represents the more than one million men and women who proudly serve our nation,” Col. Derik Crotts, Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Outreach, US Army, said.  “For this race, with this paint scheme, we pay tribute to our heroes past and present and their families.  Every picture, each face, is a reminder of the sacrifice and service of the millions who have made our Army strong and our nation free.”

The faces on Newman’s car also represents the various generations of veterans, men and women, who answered their country’s call, from World War I to the present day conflicts.  One veteran in particular, Luis Rodriguez Jr., will be attending the race as a guest of the US Army race team.

Rodriguez, who is 85 years old, is a World War II veteran and a resident of Sahuarita, Arizona, just 15 miles south of Tuscon.  He served in the Army as a member of the 118th GeneralHospital, based in New South Wales, Australia.

Newman advises that in this case, he was not involved in the selection process for the faces on the car, which was all handled by the Army. 

“In this case, I’m just the driver,” Newman said.  “But I sure am honored to represent those people and those families.  It’s special to race on Veteran’s Day weekend and think about all those veterans who have given us this freedom we have through all forms and branches of our military.”

Newman is not only looking forward to racing with this special paint scheme on the car, but is also anxious to get back to Phoenix, which traditionally has been a good track for him.

“It is a good track for us,” Newman said.  “With two races left in the season and knowing that we’re coming back to the track where we won in the spring, there is excitement in that.”

Newman admits that at this time of year, with the season drawing to a close, the other main issue is maintaining the focus.  He also said the race will be different at Phoenix this weekend, which is a day race, compared to the night race he won earlier in the season.

“I’ll look forward to trying to get done what we did in the spring in the day,” Newman said.  “The victory gave us a huge lift when we needed one and hopefully the Phoenix track will give us the same lift again.”

While Newman acknowledges they are still wholly in the 2010 season, they are also looking toward how they will build on their success for 2011.

“It will be extremely important for us to come out of the box strong next season,” Newman said.  “We didn’t do that this season so that is something that is definitely on our minds to accomplish and make improvements on in 2011.”

In addition to racing with all of the veterans’ faces on his car, focusing on a repeat win at Phoenix, and getting ready for next season, Newman also has another important event on his mind.  He and his wife Krissie are expecting their first child, a girl, due Thanksgiving.

“Ron Hornaday is on standby for us,” Newman said.  “We have a lot of things going on.”

Newman plans to celebrate the actual Veteran’s Day by traveling, sans his wife who can no longer fly, to Phoenix for the race.  He will continue the honoring of veterans throughout the race weekend, especially the 500 plus veterans featured on his race car, and is looking forward to that.

“It doesn’t change the way I drive the car,” Newman said.  “What it does change is that, if and when we have that success, it is even more special.”

“I just want to say thank you,” Newman said.  “Thank you to the veterans for the sacrifices you have made in giving us what we love and what our families can appreciate.  We can never thank them enough.  Thank you.”

Can Mike Ford Deliver the Knock Out Punch in the Final Two Rounds of the Chase?

By
SM Staff
-

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase has boiled down to a battle of egos as much as a battle of drivers and teams trying to secure wins and points.

Mike Ford, crew chief for Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 FedEx Toyota, threw down the gauntlet at Texas Motor Speedway when he chose the pit stall in front of the Lowe’s No. 48 team.  It was payback for the same thing Chad Knaus had done to him at the Kansas race.

Ford has shown his ability to produce strong race cars and guide his team to eight wins this season and the lead in the point standings for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase. 

Now head games will play a part in the strategy between he and Jimmie Johnson’s team which is now Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 team.

Ford has had to go head to head with Knaus, who is a man possessed by the goal of winning championships for Hendrick Motorsports.  Knaus has done it four years in a row and intends to see Johnson get his fifth title this year regardless of what it takes.

Ford made the comment that the switching of pit crews during the race at Texas was “an act of desperation.”

Ford said, “I think our race team is better than their race team, and I’m not going to tiptoe around them because of where they’re at.”  He added, “I’m going to do what it’s going to require for us to win a championship–beat them…..I stayed focused on what we needed to do.”

Hamlin’s crew chief spoke about the No. 48 team watching them and said, “That means they are chasing and they made mistakes doing so.”

Hendrick Motorsports General Manager, Marshall Carlson, said, “I’m just surprised Mike Ford is thinking and talking about the 48 team so much.”

The battle of egos is very much on the driver level as well.  Jimmie Johnson has the four consecutive championships to boost his confidence and his prima donna status at Hendrick Motorsports.

Despite comments to the contrary at HMS about everything being about getting a championship for Mr. Hendrick, it is obvious getting Johnson’s fifth consecutive title is priority one. 

Hamlin has been coached by Joe Gibbs, his team owner and neighbor.  Gibbs is a master at coaching life skills just as we was at coaching football.

Hamlin has shown maturity and confidence this season.  He has walked the walk which was not easy with his knee surgery and talked the talk through eight wins this season.  Now the Virginia native has snatched the point lead from Johnson in the Chase.

With two races left, Ford has to continue to give Hamlin strong cars and not make  mistakes.  Perhaps the momentum is in his favor because of the shakeup at HMS with the pit crew swapping.

Knaus equated the change of pit crews to, “changing a spring or changing a shock or something like that.  You have to put the best components together to try to win a championship.”

So with two more rounds in the Chase left, we shall see if Mike Ford and his team can deliver the knockout blow to the No. 48 team and their chance to win the title this year.

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won at Texas, leading 31 laps in the AAA Texas 500 to wrest the points lead in the Sprint Cup standings from four-time defending Cup champ Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin entered with a 14-point deficit and left with a 33-point advantage.

“The No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota was awesome,” Hamlin said. “That’s what you call a five-star, triple-A, one-asterisk performance. My victory completes the season sweep at Texas, proving that I ‘don’t mess in Texas.’

Of course, I’m no longer the ‘hunter;’ now I’m the ‘hunted,’ and the proud owner of two imitation six-shooters. I’m the big gun now, so, among Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, I’m the straight shooter, while Kyle Busch is the loose cannon.”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished ninth at Texas, behind his two closest Chase competitors, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, who finished first and sixth, respectively. Johnson is now second in the point standings, 33 behind Hamlin.

“33 points is by no means an insurmountable lead,” Johnson said. “If asked by a distinguished gentleman if I could overcome such a deficit, I would confidently state, ‘I’m able to mount that, sir.’

But I could stand here and blame it all on my pit crew. They made so many errors, I wanted to go ‘Jeff Gordon’ on them. Which is actually what I did when Chad Knaus dumped the 48 crew for Gordon’s pit team.”

3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick battled to a sixth-place finish in the AAA Texas 500, keeping himself solidly in the hunt for the Sprint Cup championship. Harvick is third in the point standings, 59 behind Hamlin in first, and 26 behind Johnson.

“There’s a dogfight for the Sprint Cup,” Harvick said, “and a ‘catfight’ over Jeff Burton’s driving of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet. Both Burton and Jeff Gordon are well out of contention for the Sprint Cup, so I don’t know why all the fuss. Their conflict is much like the remnants of their cars after their accident last Sunday—a ‘meaningless scrap.’”

4. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth equaled his best finish of the year with a second at Texas, nearly taking the checkered before succumbing to Denny Hamlin’s charge. Kenseth jumped three places in the standings to fourth, 325 out of first.

“I had the lead,” Kenseth said, “but I couldn’t hold it. You could say I ‘lost first,’ while my teammate Greg Biffle lost ‘first and second.’”

5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon, who last won 18 months ago at Texas, came nowhere near winning on Sunday, finishing 37th after being wrecked by Jeff Burton under caution on lap 190. An angry Gordon charged Burton, shoved the driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar, and took a few swings at Burton as officials separated them.

“I’ve finally ended my winless streak,” Gordon said, “but only because I let my emotions ‘get the better’ of me.”

6. Kyle Busch: Busch finished 32nd at Texas, after a spin on lap 159 set off a chain of events that tried the limits of Busch’s emotions. After pitting, Busch was penalized a lap for speeding on the exit. Then, while serving his penalty, Busch gave a NASCAR official a long and hard look at his middle finger. Busch was then penalized another lap for unsportsmanlike conduct, and finished two laps down.

“Say what you will,” Busch said, “but that finger was there to remind me that I needed to be in first gear. If NASCAR officials don’t believe my explanation, then they are full of ‘shift.’”

7. Tony Stewart: Stewart was running sixth when he gambled during a caution on lap 328, opting for four tires while the other front-runners remained on the track. Stewart restarted 16th, and although he made up five places to finish 11th, he would have been better off staying out. He is now eighth in the point standings, 363 out of first.

“You know age and experience has changed me,” Stewart said, “when there’s a race with fisticuffs and a middle finger, and I’m involved in neither.”

8. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 19th at Texas, the low man in a solid day for Roush Fenway Racing. Teammate Matt Kenseth finished second, while Greg Biffle led the most laps, 224, on his way to a fifth.

“I hate losing,” Edwards said, “almost as much as I hate winning, the Nationwide race, that is, and having to shake Brad Keselowski’s hand as series champion.”

9. Greg Biffle: Biffle led 224 of 334 laps in the AAA Texas 500 and finished fifth, his eighth top-5 result of the season. Biffle’s No. 16 Red Cross Ford was easily the class of the field, but he lost first and second gear with about 30 laps to go. He improved two places in the point standings to ninth, 372 out of first.

“Of all the drivers who had a right to be upset,” Biffle said, “I feel I’m the one who should have gone off the deep end. Instead, I showed restraint while Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch unloaded a season’s worth of frustrations.

Busch was particularly volatile last Sunday. I think it runs in the family. His brother Kurt was cursed with too much ‘ear,’ while Kyle was cursed with too much ‘finger.’”

10. Joey Logano: Logano finished fourth at Texas, leading 30 laps on his way to his 15th top-10 result of the year, best among non-Chasers. Logano has top 10’s in his last four races, and has served noticed that he’ll be a contender for the Cup next year.

“It’s hard not to become a better driver,” Logano said, “with the abundance of good examples being set for me by the veteran drivers. Between fights, failed inspections, foul language, and middle fingers, I feel I can finally become the driver I was meant to be.”

Speedway Media News and Bits

By
SM Staff
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Speedway Media News and Bits: For the NSCS

*Jimmie Johnson, to Honor Veterans in Scottsdale:

There will be a private concert and program with Johnson and local bands The Gin Blossoms and The Rembrandts.

*Phyzix Synthetics Signs Exclusive Partnership With NASCAR Performance.

NASCAR announced today that it has reached an exclusive agreement with Phyzix Synthetics, a division of Phyzix Automotive, to manufacture and distribute a line of NASCAR-licensed professional automobile maintenance fluids that will be designated as the No. 1 Professional Maintenance Fluid of NASCAR.

*” The Price Is Right” Welcomes NASCAR Drivers Clint Bowyer and Austin Dillon, Monday November 15.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Clint Bowyer and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie Austin Dillon speed into The Price Is Right for a special NASCAR-themed episode Monday November 15 (11:00 AM-12:00 Noon ET: 10:00-11:00AM PT) on CBS. Bowyer and Dillon will present two NASCAR-themed showcases, featuring a trip to North Caroline to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a trip to Miami to see the season-ending races in all three National Series at the end of November and a Chevy Impala LS.

*Penalties and Appeals for 11/09/2010:

NASCAR Penalizes Kyle Busch for actions at Texas Motor Speedway: NASCAR has fined Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota $25,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until December 31 for his actions during last Sunday’s race at TMS.

Busch, Violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing-inappropriate gesture and verbal abuse to NASCAR Officials). Of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.

The National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel heard and considered the appeal of the No. 46 Whitney Racing NSCS team. The penalties concern: Section 12-1, Section 12-4-J “Any determination by NASCAR Officials that the Race Equipment used in the Event does not conform to NASCAR rules”, and Section 20-2.3A “Unapproved added weight location and unapproved added weight. Lower A-frames were filled with weight pellets.”

This stemmed from the opening day inspection for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway on October 29, 2010.

The Penalties assessed were:

· Loss of 50 NSCS Championship Car Owner points for owner Dusty Whitney.

· Loss of 50 NSCS Championship Driver points for driver, Michael McDowell.

· $50,000 fine and indefinite suspension from NASCAR for crew chief, Thomas Tucker.

· Indefinite suspension from NASCAR for crew members: Tony Furr and Richard Boga.

The appellants requested and were granted a deferral of the suspensions and fine until such time as this hearing could be convened.

*NASCAR News and Notes for Phoenix: Race 35 of 36

*Kobalt Tools 500 from Phoenix International Raceway, Sunday November 14 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The race will be televised on ESPN, with pre-race starting at 2:00 p.m. ET; it will be aired on MRN/Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128. PIR is a 1 mile oval, and the race will consist of 312 laps for 500 mile.

*These are your Points Standings and Race for the Chase Driver Ratings coming Into Phoenix.

Rank Season

Last Driver

Driver Pts Wins Poles Week Rating

1. Denny Hamlin 6,325 8 2 2 95.6

2. Jimmie Johnson 6,292 6 2 1 107.3

3. Kevin Harvick 6,266 3 0 3 97.5

4. Carl Edwards 6,008 0 2 6 88.8

5. Matt Kenseth 6,000 0 0 8 85.1

6. Jeff Gordon 5,994 0 1 4 100.2

7. Kyle Busch 5,986 3 2 5 98.2

8. Tony Stewart 5,962 2 2 7 91.3

9. Greg Biffle 5,953 2 0 11 88.1

10. Clint Bowyer 5,928 2 0 12 92.7

11. Kurt Busch 5,890 2 2 9 91.4

12. Jeff Burton 5,852 0 0 10 97.0

*This week’s Spoiler: Mark Martin:

Martin is coming off a second-place finish at Martinsville, and 11th-place finish at Talladega and a third-place finish at Texas. Martin has made 27 starts at Phoenix International Raceway posting one pole, two wins, 12 top five finishes and 18 top 10’s including starting from the pole and winning the 2009 spring event.

*The Pre-Race will be a Salute to the Military:

To help NASCAR fans celebrate Veterans’ Day, PIR will pay tribute to the generations of men and women who have served or are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Kobalt Tolls 500 NSCS pre-race show beginning at 12:30p.m…

The pre-race show will feature more than 60,000 American Flags waving the grandstands donated by the Paralyzed Veterans of America and will also include the following:

*A “Welcome Home” ceremony for 150 guardsmen from the Arizona National Guard.

*Recognition of Arizona selections for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

*A performance by the U.S. Army Band.

*An aerial entrance to the track by skydivers carrying the American Flag.

*Display of 200-foot American Flag by Arizona Project Challenge.

*National Anthem by acclaimed trumpeter Dr. Jesse McGuire.

*F-16 fly-over by Luke Air Force Base

*Luke Air Force Base Honor Guard.

Thank you to all who have served and continue to serve our country.

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