Race No. 8 of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Season: GP3R 100 at Trois-Rivieres
Ashley McCubbin | SpeedwayMedia.comFor race no. 8 of the 12 race schedule, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be heading to Circuit de Trois-Rivieres for the CP3R 100. This marks the fourth road course for the Canadian Tire Series drivers this year and fifth time they’ve been to this particular track in series history.In three of the past four races on the 1.530-mile temporary road course, Andrew Ranger has come out victorious. The 24-year old has led 47 laps in route to those three wins, along with a second place in 2007 to Kerry Micks. Ranger is one of the best road course racers as in 17 series career starts, he has only finished outside the top three just twice. The two-time series champion has also won nine of the last 12 road course races he has entered, including Toronto this year.
The one driver looking to knock him off the top who has struggled this year is part-time NASCAR Nationwide Series driver J.R. Fitzpatrick.
Back at Toronto last month, Fitzpatrick was set to restart second to Ranger on the restart when he had to pit due to a flat tire.
“That’s how it has been – completely frustrating,” the 23-year old said. “Those two laps would have been completely wild. I don’t know how it would have turned out, but it would have been fun for everybody.”
No matter where Fitzpatrick seems to go run this year, there seems to be struggles as this past weekend while the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series was off, he competed at Sunset Speedway on Sunday where he was forced to pit in the 50 lap feature with a flat tire.
“I definitely want to beat him and end his winning streak at Trois-Rivieres,” Fitzpatrick said. “I need to get our season turned around and that would be a great place to start.”
The two drivers have butt heads on many times, always putting on a show for the fans, but Fitzpatrick says he’s not ready to share a win this weekend.
“We push each other – no doubt,” Fitzpatrick said. “It seems like we are always near each other on the race track which causes each of us to go that much harder. There is no give from either of us.”
The other driver who could possibly knock Ranger off of his throne is Kerry Micks, who won the first race at Trios-Rivieres. Last year, he finished second to Ranger while finishing ninth and sixth the previous two years.
While the focus will be on who can take the win, some people will be watching the championship chase closely.
After finishing 20th at Saskatoon, Scott Steckly now only sits 20 points ahead of defending champion D.J. Kennington.
Steckly’s best finish at Trois-Rivieres is a second that came in 2008, to go with the eighth and sixth place finishes from 2007 and 2010. However, in 2009, he finished 27th. Steckly is going for his second series championship after picking up two wins this year already – Motoplex Speedway and Mosport Speedway.
Meanwhile, Kennington has had a lot of success at Trois-Rivieres as he has inished in the top five in his last three starts there.
WGI’s President Michael Printup Says There’s Lots Going on in 2011
Earlier this spring Watkins Glen International Speedway President Michael Printup fed the rumor mill about things that might happen at the track in 2011. Two of those things were very unique events, a car swap between a Formula One and a NASCAR driver and a concert / festival by a “jam” band with a fanatical following. Printup, a user of social media took to Twitter to announce on March 18th, “I think I am going Phishing this weekend!”, then said shortly afterwards, again via Twitter, “hopefully we will have some big racing news soon coming from The Glen!!! and there is one more surprise out there as well!!! Stayed tuned!!!”
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[/media-credit]Although many don’t remember the track had hosted Summer Jam in 1973 headlined by the Grateful Dead and it drew more people than Woodstock a few years earlier. Subsequent laws were passed restricting this type of event there but those were reversed in the fall of 2010. So the rumors about Phish going there started in the fall and continued into the spring of 2011. The rumors about the car swap also circulated for some time and Printup just fed fans and media little morsels of information about both events. He played it perfectly as both events came to fruition and were successful.
The track and area has a storied past but there was a time back in the early 1980’s that saw the track fall into disrepair after Formula One stopped racing there. Eventually it was saved by a partnership between Corning Enterprises (a division of Corning Inc.) and International Speedway Corporation (ISC), the company that owns Daytona International Speedway and many other race tracks. A lot has changed at Watkins Glen International Speedway since then and it’s near demise, one change was the addition of the Glen Club, a facility that hosts V.I.P.’s. On March 6, 2007 the club burned down. Since then the track had used temporary facilities to replace the structure that hosted V.I.P. for track events and private parties. For this season that facility has been replaced with a permanent building. It’s just one of the many projects that the track’s president, Printup, has initiated and completed under his short tenure.
Printup, a native of Hamburg N.Y., was named president of the track in June of 2009. According to his profile available from ISC, Printup has a long history of working in professional sports. From 2005 through mid 2007 Printup was vice president of 380 Development LLC where he was the project manager for the development and implementation of a racetrack in Staten Island, N.Y. The company later abandoned the project after reported difficulties with local government representatives being just one of the problems.
From there Printup went to the Michigan International Speedway where he was the senior director of facility management. In that position he headed up all business and facility development. He also headed up new business initiatives at the track and managed almost $30 million in projects.
Speedway Media caught up with Printup on one of the hottest days of 2011 and he spoke about both of those rumored events mentioned earlier. “It’s been a fantastic year,” Printup said. “I know it’s been the busiest our track management has ever been. Between the ‘car swap’, planning for the Phish show, something really outside of the box that we just did, it’s been busy. We have the track rented almost every single day from the middle of April until November 1 so there’s not much peace that can be had up at Watkins Glen. We all love it and we’re having a very busy and now hot summer.” Printup then explained that although it was very hot the elevation of the track still allowed for nice breezes.
When asked about new things for 2011 at the track he said, “It’s been another busy year on our capital improvement program. I got here in 2009 and we took a totally different review of what we were doing from a capital improvement project list. We’re fortunate because the company has really been supportive of the changes that we made and of our strategic plan and our master plan.” For this year he said, “We have put in camping amenities, about $500,000 worth. We added a bunch of stuff over at Gate 1 (camping area), new lights, additional water, and better parking. We added showers. The Crown Royal Club is now a permanent structure. We put up 4 new grandstands in areas that we used to rent grandstands. So it’s providing a much, much, better experience. In the last 7 or 8 years we’ve put almost $28 million into the place. This year alone we’ve put in about $3.3 million. And I’m very proud to say all with New York State construction companies and vendors as well.”
Printup’s position is that the fans need to be catered to and notice how hard the track works to get things right for them, “The whole goal is to take care of the fans. I wish I could fix everything in a year. I lobby and we end up with a strong strategic plan. The goal for me and my team is for the fans to recognize a change every single time they come back to the track.” One thing he mentioned was making it better all around the track. “We bought $100,000 worth of picnic tables alone just to spread throughout the grandstands instead of people camping on the grass and laying there,” he said. He also wants to finish adding more permanent grandstand seats a project that fans will see is half-way completed when they get there.
Obviously the premier NASCAR series stop at the track is a highlight of the year but 2011 saw a really special event when NASCAR’s Tony Stewart and F-1’s Lewis Hamilton swapped their rides at the track. “My short term dream event was that car swap,” Printup said of the event in early June. “That was literally one of the first phone calls I made when I became track president. The vice president of Mobil is a very good friend of mine and I’ve known him for over a decade. I said, ‘you know where I’m at?’ He said, ‘Yes’ and I said ‘first I need Mobil 1 as the official oil’, he told me to ‘go to hell’. He said, ‘not a chance; I’m not spending money at race tracks.’ Number two I said, ‘let’s copy what Indianapolis did with Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya and let’s do a car swap.’ He said, ‘That we might be able to do.’ I did that in July of 2009. It took two years to get done. In the last year we worked really, really hard on it.”
One thing that did come from that swap was the idea of racing the “boot” section of the track during the NASCAR race. Tony Stewart and according to Printup, Juan Pablo Montoya are on board with NASCAR racing on that section of the track.
“I would like to see it and I will lobby, heck I already have lobbied, with NASCAR but we’re going to take it one step at a time,” he said about seeking permission to use the infamous boot section. “I met with a few of the NASCAR executives the week after the car swap. I sat down with them and said, ‘I know it’s premature to be barking up a storm about racing the boot but let me take a look at a few capital things first.’ Then he explained why he couldn’t do it right away. “You don’t want to just open up the boot and not have a plan. I would have to pave the sand trap in turn 8. I wouldn’t want to do it before then. I would want to consider, do we want to add any seats? Even if it’s limited bleachers. Camping. There are just so many things to go through. So I told NASCAR, ‘give me at least a year to think about this and maybe in 2012 I’ll come back and lobby you and maybe we run Nationwide on the boot.’ We could start there and just how it goes.”
Printup has great plans for the infamous track in the finger lakes of central N.Y. and wants to makes fans want to come back. But one thing he did say was that the possibility of a Formula One race at Watkins Glen was remote. “You’re picking my dream event,” he said when asked about F-1 racing there. “To have a NASCAR and Formula One facility would be unbelievable. But Bernie Ecclestone (Formula One Management CEO and President) is a tough cracker. I’ve been involved in this for a long time. I am a Formula One and NASCAR freak and fan. I just know of anyone that is paying Bernie, $25 million a year in a sanctioning fee here. We couldn’t sustain that business. We would be selling tickets at 1,000 bucks apiece. Then you’d just out price all the fans that truly, truly love the Glen for its road course, technical abilities, it’s a drivers course. It just wouldn’t make sense.” He said, “They want to be in New York City, Chicago, L.A., now they’re going to be in Austin Tx. Which is fantastic. That would be my dream event. That’s a long way away.”
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: THE TRICKY TRIANGLE TO THE SECOND POWER
The tricky triangle to the second power simply means that NASCAR’s Sprint Cup teams will be making their second visit of the year to one of the most challenging tracks on their schedule: the Pocono Raceway and Sunday’s running of the Good Sam RV Insurance 500.
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[/media-credit]Located in Long Pond-Pennsylvania, this 2.5 mile three turn, triangular shaped, speedway can easily tax the patience of both the drivers and the crew chiefs. For the drivers, 500 miles around this track is physically demanding. Over the years there has been well versed opinions among the Sprint Cup drivers that said the distance of the two annual Pocono events should be shortened to 400 miles. The other element the drivers will have to deal with on Sunday is the unique shape of the track. It has one extremely long straightaway with two shorter straights in between the nearly flat three turns.
The Pocono Raceway is equally tough on crew chiefs because the track’s massive size and unique shape will be extremely demanding on their car’s engines and transmissions. A proper gear selection is a must for these crew chiefs because they’re only going to have one shot getting it right. The crew chiefs will also have to deal with handling issues all day long because it’s virtually impossible to get a car’s set up perfect for the entire track. They will have to decide which part of the track where their drivers will need superior handling and where handling sacrifices may have to be made.
Track position is always going to be important at any NASCAR Sprint Cup venue. On a massive 2.5 mile track this element is going to be crucial. Drivers will have to push their cars to the edge during qualifying to gain the best starting position and best pit stall selection possible. During the race there will be additional pressure on the pit crews to get their driver out as quickly as possible in order to gain track position.
Any one of the drivers and teams who can master all of these elements, and get them as close to perfect as the track will allow, will develop “Pocono Power” and will have a genuine shot at parking in victory lane. For the teams who struggle with these elements it could turn out to be a long day in Long Pond.
THE LAS VEGAS BREAKDOWN
This week we turn to the professionals from “The Las Vegas Insider”, (LVI), to take a look at their numbers so we can determine who may have “Pocono Power” and who may have that unfortunate long day in Long Pond.
To no real surprise Jimmie Johnson, and the #48 Hendrick Motorsports team, tops the LVI list this week at 4 to 1 odds. Johnson is second in the current championship standings only 11 points away from first and is also a previous race winner. With only six races remaining, before the cut off date that determines the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship, his starting berth in the Chase seems to be assured and his determination to win a sixth, consecutive, championship also appears to be on track. This is also a racing organization that will arriving in Pennsylvania this week with “Pocono Power.” Johnson’s numbers there are very strong and includes two wins, seven top five finishes, 13 top ten finishes and a very healthy average finish ratio, (AFR), of 9.3.
Second on the LVI list this week is another Hendrick Motorsports driver. Jeff Gordon, at 5 to 1 odds, is literally loaded with “Pocono Power.” He’s a five time winner at the tricky triangle and, over the years, has collected 17 top fives, 26 top tens along with an AFR of 10.3. His Chase status also appears to be locked in. He’s a two time race winner this year and is currently seventh in the championship standings. Like his team mate, Johnson, he’s a rock solid wager consideration.
Denny Hamlin is ranked third by the LVI this week and backed with 6 to 1 odds. Despite a surprisingly rough start to the 2011 season, Hamlin worked his way to tenth in the points standings only to fall back to 11th following a disappointing outing at Indianapolis last Sunday. He’s a previous race winner this year and if he can find a second win it could possibly lock him into the top ten and a Chase berth or at least guarantee him one of the two wild card berths. That could happen this Sunday because Hamlin also has “Pocono Power.” He’s a four time winner there with seven top fives, eight top tens and a healthy AFR 9.2.
At 7 to 1 odds you will find Tony Stewart. A top ten last Sunday moved him to ninth in the points standings but he needs that elusive first win of the season to make a Chase berth a little more secure. That could happen at Pocono because he’s a two time winner there and has nine top fives, 18 top tens and his AFR is 11.9. Stewart is a very solid wager consideration this Sunday.
At 8 to 1 odds is current points leader Carl Edwards who is another previous race winner this year who also has “Pocono Power.” His driver stats there includes two wins, five top fives, six top tens and a 14.3 AFR. One might think that Edwards may be somewhat distracted by the drama of his contract status and what team he’s going to drive for in 2012. But it appears that whenever he puts his racing helmet on the distraction goes away. At 8 to 1 he’s a solid wager consideration.
In the LVI’s 10 to 1 group you will find the tandem of Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick both, of whom, are three time race winners this year and certainly are bound for the Chase line up. Kyle Busch’s numbers at Pocono are not that strong. He’s still looking for his first win there, only has three top five finishes and a marginal AFR of 18.6. The difference maker here is this driver’s talent and that’s why he’s ranked at 10 to 1. Harvick is also seeking his first Pocono win. In the past he’s logged five top five finishes and has an AFR of 14.0. Both of these drivers are very good long shot wager considerations.
The LVI has Kurt Busch ranked at 12 to 1 odds for the Pocono race and he could also become a good long shot wager. At sixth in the points standings, with a win, his Chase standings appear to be solid and he’s free to concentrate on collecting more wins. His “Pocono Power” includes two wins, eight top fives, 11 top tens and a 16.1 AFR.
The LVI’s middle tier is led by Matt Kenseth at 15 to 1. He’s fifth in the points with two wins meaning he’s also virtually free to pursue victory lane without worrying about his Chase status. Kenseth is still seeking his first Pocono win but he does have three top fives there and a 14.1 AFR.
Listed at 18 to 1 odds are drivers Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer who are 13th and 12th respectively in the points. Biffle is the defending race champion. However, he’s still win less this year and if he’s going to make the Chase he needs a win right now. In fact two wins over the next six races would be a big help. The same scenario applies to Bowyer.
At 25 to 1 you will find the trio of Dale Earnhardt Jr, Ryan Newman and Jamie McMurray. Earnhardt’s free fall from third to tenth in the points has been well documented. He badly needs a win, or at least a very strong finish, to insure he doesn’t fall out of the top ten and hamper his Chase position. Unfortunately Pocono may not be the track for him. He’s win less there but does have five top finishes. His Pocono AFR is 17.4. Newman is in much better shape in terms of the Chase. He’s eighth in the standings with a previous win. He also has good Pocono numbers that includes a win, six top fives, eight top tens and a 13.1 AFR
In the next LVI group is Joey Logano at 30 to 1. At 35 to 1 are a quarter of drivers featuring Mark Martin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Burton and Kasey Kahne who is a former Pocono winner. From this group Mark Martin stands out as being the most interesting. He’s never won at Pocono but he has finished second there six times. He also holds the series records for most top five finishes at 19 and most top tens at 33. This is backed with a healthy 11.2 AFR. If you have a tendency to stretch your wager budget to include a legitimate long shot then Martin is your driver.
In the bottom tier of this week’s LVI rankings you will find drivers David Reutimann, Brian Vickers, Martin Truex Jr, David Ragan and A J Allmendinger at 40 to 1. All by himself, at 50 to 1, is Brad Keselowski who will be playing hurt on Sunday. Keselowski was at Road Atlanta on Wednesday for a test session when he slammed nose first into a retaining wall, without a SAFER barrier, at approximately 100 MPH. Penske Racing engineers said an apparent brake failure was responsible for the incident. He was airlifted to an area hospital with abrasions and a badly swollen right foot. The X-rays on the foot foot were negative. Keselowski said he will be in the car at Pocono on Sunday.
Closing out the list this week is Paul Menard, last Sunday’s first time winner, at 60 to 1 followed by Marcos Ambrose at 80 to 1, Bobby Labonte at 100 to 1 and Regan Smith at 150 to 1. If you don’t see the name of your favorite driver on this listing that means the LVI has placed them in their all others category at 50 to 1 odds.
Now for the disclaimer: NASCAR wants to remind you that these posted numbers are for informational and entertainment purposes. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their events. But if you’re going to do it anyway, and many of you are, then you at least have the opinions of the professionals from the “Las Vegas Insider” to help you make an informed opinion.
If you do change your mind about placing a wager, then you might want to consider sending a contribution to NASCAR Nationwide Series veteran Morgan Shepherd and his Faith Motorsports team. The word from the garage says that, unless something turns around within the next two races, Shepherd may have to put his team up for sale. This 69 year old inspirational man should leave NASCAR racing because he decided to retire and not because he was forced to quit.
THE RACE BREAKDOWN
The Good Sam RV Insurance 500 is 200 laps/500 miles around the Pocono Raceway’s mammoth 2.5 mile triangle shaped track.
The race has 47 entries. 12 of those entries are on the go or go home list meaning they are not guaranteed a start in the race because they are currently outside of NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points. These teams will have to rely on qualifying speed to earn a berth in the starting line up.
Believe it or not, the Pocono Raceway opened in 1968 as a three quarter mile oval. The mammoth facility we now today ran its first race in 1971.
The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held there in 1974 and was won by Richard Petty. Since that time there has been 66 Cup races at Pocono that has sent 29 different winners to victory lane. Bill Elliot holds the track record for most wins at five. Hendrick Motorsports holds the track record for most team wins at 11.
Track position is extremely important while racing on a facility of this size. The track qualifying record, 172.533 MPH, was set by Kasey Kahne back in June of 2004. Of the 66 Sprint Cup races held at Pocono, 13 of them have been won from the pole position while 47 of 66 has been won from staring positions within the top ten. Only four races has been won from starting positions outside of the top 20.
The Pocono Raceway is known as the tricky triangle but, if you look at an aerial photo of the track, it actually resembles a giant coat hanger. It’s basically a three turn flat track. There’s 14 degrees of banking in turn one, eight degrees in turn 2 also known as the tunnel turn and six degrees in turn three. The track’s primary straightaway measures 3,740 feet. The Long Pond straight, between turns one and two, is 3,055 feet long while the North straight, between turns two and three, only measures 1,780.
The pit road speed is 55 MPH. The estimated pit window is 32 to 34 laps. The speedway presently has seating for 100,000 fans.
The weather could become an obstacle during the NASCAR weekend at Pocono. The Long Pond-Pennsylvania forecast calls for a 30 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms on Saturday evening and a 40 percent chance of precipitation on race day Sunday. The Pocono Raceway has a fleet of ten jet dryers that can completely dry the track in about two hours.
The Good Sam RV Insurance 500 will be broadcast live by ESPN beginning at 1 pm eastern time. The re air will be Wednesday, August 10th, at 12 pm eastern on the SPEED Channel.
NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A NATIONWIDE SERIES SHOWDOWN IN IOWA
The teams from the NASCAR Nationwide Series are now on the way to Newton-Iowa for Saturday night’s running of the U.S. Cellular 250 at the Iowa Speedway. This beautiful seven-eighths of a mile oval, designed by Rusty Wallace and Associates, has been the scene of some outstanding racing in front of sell out crowds and the same is expected for the Nationwide Series race Saturday night. In fact, don’t be too surprised if the Iowa race turns out to be one of the better events during the upcoming motorsports weekend.
THE STORY BREAKDOWN
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[/media-credit]The Iowa Speedway event is the second race in the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash, a bonus program designed to reward NASCAR Nationwide Series championship contenders. Drivers Justin Allgaier, Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson and Michael Annett are eligible for a $100,000 bonus to be paid to the highest finisher of the four in the race. Sorenson, who won the first Dash 4 Cash bonus at Daytona, has the possibility of winning $1 million over the course of the four select races.
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Speaking of the four drivers in the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash program, they will be busy on Friday participating in a very special competition for charity. Allgaier, Leffler, Sorenson and Annett will be visiting the Living History Farms, located in Urbandale-Iowa, to take part in a series of Iowa style contests that includes a horse drawn carriage showdown, cow milking and corn shelling. The winner will receive a $4,000 gift to be donated to the charity of his choice.
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The Nationwide Series will be bringing a very tight championship points race to Iowa this weekend. Following a strong run at the Lucas Oil Raceway last weekend, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr reclaimed the series’ points lead. However, it’s only a three point advantage over Turner Motorsport’s Reed Sorenson. Stenhouse became the third different points leader in the last three races.
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With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing in Pocono-Pennsylvania on Sunday there will not be a huge influx of double duty Cup drivers on the entry list of the Iowa race. In fact, there’s only two of them: Carl Edwards and Joe Nemechek. The schedule of racing on both sides of the country during the same weekend is going to be very tight for these drivers. However the concept of rented helicopters, private jets and the difference in time zones should get them through that process.
Edwards will be a major part of the weekend story lines for a completely different reason. After literally weeks of rumors, regarding which Sprint Cup team he will be driving for in 2012, the official announcement came on Thursday morning that he has signed a new multi-year contract to remain with Roush Fenway Racing and the Ford Motor Company.
Brad Keselowski, like Edwards, has also been racing the full time Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series schedules this year. However he will not be in Iowa on Saturday due to injuries sustained in a crash during a Wednesday test session at Road Atlanta. The Roger Penske Racing driver hit the one retaining wall at the track that does not have a SAFER barrier attached to it at approximately 100 MPH following an apparent brake failure. He was airlifted to a nearby Atlanta hospital where he was treated for abrasions and extreme swelling in his right foot. Thankfully, the X-rays on the foot injury turned out to be negative.
While he fully plans to drive in Sunday’s Cup race at Pocono, Penske Racing decided that double duty in Iowa was out of the question. Driver Parker Kligerman, who drives for Penske in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, will be sent to Iowa to practice the Nationwide Series car on Friday. Sam Hornish Jr will be taking care of the qualifying and racing duties on Saturday.
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The entry list for Saturday’s race includes three up and coming drivers. Joe Gibbs Racing will again have development driver Drew Herring in their #20 Sport Clips Toyota and, for the second race in a row, Michael McDowell will be behind the wheel of Gibbs’ #18 Pizza Ranch Toyota.
Kevin Harvick Inc is sending west coast driver David Mayhew to Iowa to drive their #33 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Rheem and Menards. For those of you who are not familiar with that name, Mayhew is a very talented driver who has been doing very well this year in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. Racing fans who dwell out here on the “left coast” has watched the progress of this young driver since he began driving late models while still in high school. We are all very proud of him.
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You will also hear a lot about “Danica Mania” this weekend. It now appears that Danica Patrick is very close to signing a contract that will bring her to NASCAR’s Nationwide Series full time in 2012 driving a Dale Earnhardt Jr owned Chevrolet campaigned by J R Motorsports. Patrick will also be making her Sprint Cup debut next year and will drive in some selected races in a car owned by Stewart Haas Racing. Part of the final negotiations reportedly involves a ways and mean to compete in the Indianapolis 500, an event near and dear to this driver’s heart. It’s also been reported that an official announcement is pending the securing of an official release from Andretti Autosport, her current Indy Racing League team.
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It’s sad to note that severe financial restraints may curtail, and possibly conclude, the illustrious NASCAR Nationwide Series career of Morgan Shepherd and his Victory In Jesus team. The 69 year old ageless wonder, truly one of the most inspirational people in NASCAR racing, will be at the Iowa race and plans to race the following two events after that. Sadly, the August 20th road course race in Montreal could be his last ever run. The problem is the high cost and tires and especially the even higher cost of racing engines. Shepherd said this week if they could find a sponsor to help with the engine expenses then they would be handle the rest. Unless someone steps up with some financial help soon the team will likely shut down operations and be sold. Here’s hoping something turns up for this very popular driver. Morgan Shepherd should leave NASCAR racing because he decided to retire and not because he was forced out by finances.
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THE RACE BREAKDOWN
The U.S. Cellular 250 is 250 laps/218.75 miles around the Iowa Speedway’s seven-eighths of a mile oval.
The race has 43 entries vying for 43 starting spots. That means all entries will get to race and the go or go home qualifying procedure will not apply for Saturday night’s race.
This will be the fourth NASCAR sanctioned event at the Iowa Speedway this year. The previous events were complete sell outs and Saturday night’s race is expected to do the same.
The U.S. Cellular 250 will be broadcast live by the ESPN2 Network, beginning with the “Countdown” show, at 7 pm eastern time.
