Veach To Make His First Start On The Streets of St. Petersburg
Andretti Autosport’s Zach Veach Enters The Race Weekend Second In Series Points
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (Mar. 23, 2011) One year ago this weekend Zach Veach was announced as the newest driver for Andretti Autosport at a press conference alongside his idol, Michael Andretti. While Veach was announced as the team’s latest find in the pool of hundreds of thousands of aspiring racecar drivers across the globe, he would have to watch from the sidelines as his teammate, eventual USF2000 Points Champion, Sage Karam, took the green flag, as the team’s sole entry in the weekend’s USF2000 race event.
“In 2010, I was preparing to compete in the Atlantic Championship Series before it folded at the last minute,” said Veach, now teamed with Spencer Pigot in USF2000. “We then got together with Andretti Autosport and because the deal was done so late in the game, my car wasn’t ready to take the green flag for St. Pete that year.”
While sitting on the sidelines on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Veach missed out on two rounds of race points yet still managed to stay in the top-five in the driver championship point standings that year. He secured eight top-five finishes throughout the season, helping Andretti Autosport clinch the team championship title at season’s end.
Veach, who celebrated the release of his first book with an appearance on NBC’s The Today Show earlier this month, opened the 2011-year with the Cooper Tires USF2000 Winterfest Points Championship, secured from two race wins and three pole positions giving one of CNN’s “Intriguing People” his first career championship in the “Mazda Road to Indy” developmental ladder system.
The 16-year-old student turned athlete then opened the 2011 USF2000 National Championship season at Sebring International Raceway last week running flag-to-flag from the Pole Position to take the checkered flag in the Series’ first event of the season. In Race #2, Veach again started from the Pole Position but due to contact with another driver midway through the race, damaging his front wing, finished eighth.
The driver of the No. 7 Zakosi Data Backup Mazda will make his first start on the Streets of St. Petersburg as part of a full weekend of open-wheel racing, when the entire “Mazda Road to Indy” developmental ladder system will be in full effect in support of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg featuring the IZOD IndyCar Series drivers.
“After winning the first race of the 2011 season, I’m really looking forward to and working hard for St. Pete,” said Veach. “With it being my first street course race, it’s definitely going to be a learning experience but a lot of fun at the same time!”
Veach sits in a three-way tie for second place in Series’ points (three points out of first) heading into the third and fourth rounds of the USF2000 National Championship season.
“Being in a three-way tie for second in the championship and only three points away from first, St. Pete is going to be really important for us,” continued Veach. “The team was really quick their last year, so I’m excited to see what happens.”
To follow Veach’s progress on the 1.8-mile street course in St. Petersburg, live timing and scoring is available on www.usf2000.com.
Sanctioned by INDYCAR, the USF2000 National Championship, presented by Cooper Racing Tires and powered by Mazda, is one of three series part of both INDYCAR’s “Mazda Road to Indy” ladder system and the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development driver program.
Follow along in Veach’s journey as he documents his 2011 season for RACER Magazine at www.racer.com. For more information, please visit www.zachveach.com, www.AndrettiAutosport.com or www.USF2000.com.
About Zach Veach
Zach “Ziggy” Veach is a 16-year-old autoracing driver who competes in INDYCAR’s ‘Mazda Road to Indy’ USF2000 National Championship Series, an important open-wheel stepping-stone to a career in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. In 2011, Veach captured the USF2000 Cooper Tires Winterfest Championship, on the heels of placing fifth in the 2010 season, despite missing two race events. In 2010, Michael Andretti signed Veach to his team, Andretti Autosport, while also being named one of CNN’s “Intriguing People” and was also nominated for Sports Illustrated “Sports Kid of the Year” award. In addition to his racing, Veach is an advocate for safer driving in conjunction with Oprah Winfrey’s “No Phone Zone,” and is the national spokesperson for FocusDriven, an advocacy group for victims of motor vehicle crashes involving drivers using their cell phones, and the group endorsed by Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and the DOT. In 2010, Veach released his first published Android application through his phone-app building company, ZaAPP, releasing urTXT, in the Marketplace for Android to help consumers avoid dangerous text messaging while driving and helms his own safe driving program, Ziggy’s Safe Driving, which hits 25 markets across the country each year. Veach has been a guest or profiled on a variety of national platforms including NBC’s The Today Show, CNN’s Headline News, ABCNews.com, Oprah Radio’s The Gayle King Show, The Los Angeles Times, AOL.com and is a blogger for RACER magazine. The son of a national truck and tractor-pulling champion, Veach entered his sophomore year of high school this past fall and released his first book, 99 THINGS TEENS WISH THEY KNEW BEFORE TURNING 16, on March 2, 2011. For more information, please visit www.zachveach.com.
Economy Is Not The Reason For Bristol Shortfall
I think anyone who has any clue about the economies of Florida, Arizona, Las Vegas, or Tennessee is getting sick and tired of hearing the non-stop whining and complaining that it is the economy, and only the economy, that caused the Jeff Byrd 500 to not be a sellout. I had a lot of emails pointing the finger at the enormous gas prices that Tennessee supposedly has. Well, let’s be original and start researching for ourselves.
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[/media-credit]Before I start, I will say I enjoyed the race, but I honestly like the old Bristol surface better. I think that the bumping and banging style that Bristol used to offer was much more exciting. Still an exciting race, but not what it used to be. Is that why the numbers were so low? No. It’s a combination of many things as I will show you.
If any of you guys have ever been down to Daytona and I’m not just talking about the track, what do you see? This town isn’t very classy. There are plenty of trailer parks to be seen and unfortunately many people consider the place to be a slum, with the exception of the race track. Daytona International Speedway is the only source for any economic boom in that city. Daytona’s unemployment rate comes dangerously close to 13% and as a state, Florida is about 12%. The Daytona 500 this year did sell out, so for some people that was surprising, but it is a new year and it’s always good to start off on the right track. There were no delays to fix a pot hole this time around. The average price for a gallon of gasoline in Florida is actually higher than the average for the entire country at $3.55 per gallon. Daytona track President Joie Chitwood III realizes this and says, Well hey…we need to lower the ticket prices. Done. More fans come.
Ok, so we arrive in Phoenix. Unemployment in Avondale is about 10% and relatively the same for the state. Gas prices are about $3.54 per gallon on average, so Arizona and Florida are kinda in that same area. Hotel prices are relatively the same, but it really depends where you stay. If you stay at a resort, you will pay higher prices. That is obvious. This race also sold out! Woah…we are really on a roll this year. Now, we go to Las Vegas a city that really needs a boost.
Welcome to Las Vegas and holy…gas prices are through the roof compared to Florida and Arizona. On average it costs about $3.67 per gallon and the unemployment rate has jumped to a record 15%! Las Vegas had an unemployment rate of just 3% in 2004. I got a lot of emails saying for example things like this, “There is no way they are going to sell out! HAHA NO Way!!” And guess what? The race sold out.
Obviously the economy isn’t having much of an effect on the fans and the sport they love. In case you didn’t know, all three of these race tracks cut the prices to the races and look at the difference!
And after a two week break we are now in Thunder Valley for the Jeff Byrd 500. Bristol has an unemployment rate of about 10% and some guys said, “Oh man. This is cake. They will sell out again.” Uh oh. We have run into a problem…this race fell way short of expectations. Is it the economy? No. If you haven’t taken a good look at Las Vegas’s economic problems, then take another look. What did Bristol Motor Speedway not do that the other tracks mentioned did? They lowered the prices of the tickets. This is a continuing problem in other sports for example, the NFL. Tom Brady makes $25,000 an hour + endorsements. Fans are no longer willing to pay arm and leg to see a football game. The players are making and demanding so much money, the prices are getting higher and higher.
The Green Bay Packers for example have announced that they will raise ticket prices by at least $5.00 for the 2011 season, but they are in a lockout, so obviously that won’t happen. NHL had the same problem. The league lost money and the players wanted more. That’s a problem and the NHL has never really recovered from that lockout.
Bristol didn’t prepare for the race and they got bit right in the arse because of it. Don’t blame the economy. Blame yourselves. Like I said before, the fans want to pay a reasonable price for the race and when they feel that the prices are too steep, well they stay home and watch Darrell Waltrip yap the entire race, or Larry McReynolds say, “We are about to take the green flag.” It’s much more exciting.
Opinions anyone? Good. Let it rip.
Jeff Gordon Is Ready For His Close Up
After a fourteenth place finish at Bristol and a slight disagreement with fellow competitor Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon is ready to move on to the next race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
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[/media-credit]Not only will Gordon head for the Hollywood hills to race but the driver of the No. Pepsi Max 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motor Sports is also preparing for another important close up, his upcoming role on the big screen.
Gordon announced during the pre-race festivities at ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile’ that he would be appearing this summer in Pixar’s movie Cars 2. The driver will make his close up as ‘Jeff Gorvette’, an up and coming racer that is “turning hoods wherever he competes”.
The Pixar release states that “Jeff Gorvette is one of the greatest American race cars alive today.” Gordon’s character in Cars 2 closely mirrors his real life, including his animated character hailing from Vallejo, California who travels to Indiana to pursue a racing career, just as Gordon has done.
Another similarity is that Gorvette’s car number in the movie will be the same as Gordon’s car number in real life, the infamous No. 24. In Cars 2, the No. 24 Corvette C6.R will, however, race on tracks in the Grand Touring Sports circuits, competing for the World Grand Prix, while Gordon makes his rounds on the familiar NASCAR tracks on which he has garnered four Cup championships.
Gordon stated that he was most excited about his close up in Cars 2 as he could not wait to take his children, daughter Ella and son Leo, to see the animated feature. He will be talking about his role more fully this week as he is scheduled to appear on The Ellen Degeneres Show on Friday.
Gordon is also preparing for his upcoming close up at Auto Club Speedway. The driver has three wins, ten top-fives, eleven top-10 finishes and two poles at the Fontana, California track.
“It’s big and fast,” Gordon said of Auto Club Speedway. “You got to have the power down the straightaways, you got to have the grip in the corners, same as all the other big tracks.”
“Certainly a track I love, look forward to going to, one we’ve had success at,” Gordon continued. “Especially when I think of this team, I think of Alan and his group, they’ve run well there.”
Gordon has the fifth best driver rating at Fontana, a 99.6. He has an average finish of 10.9, with an average running position of 9.3, the third best at that track.
While Gordon is looking forward to his California close up, he acknowledges that Auto Club Speedway can be a bit challenging.
“When you get to a track like California, it can get tricky,” Gordon said. “There’s a lot of different combinations of setups that you can put underneath the car to make it go faster.”
“You plan ahead,” Gordon continued. “You spend so much time in the off-season trying to create new bump-stops, shock packages, springs, sway bars, you hope the direction you were working in is the right one.”
“We learned a lot about that at Vegas, but we’ll learn even more when we go to California,” Gordon continued. “That’s what I’m most anxious to see, where we stand as well as where our competitors are at.”
“To me, I look forward to going to every racetrack every weekend because it’s kind of like starting over and doing some new things that I look at their past performance and I look at their current performance,” Gordon said. “It’s got me really excited to go to the racetrack and see what we have for the weekend.”
Whether on or off the track, Gordon has already proved the value of his close ups, particularly in the area of brand exposure. According to Joyce Julius & Associates, Gordon has generated more on-screen time for his sponsors during the television coverage of the 2011 season than any other driver to date.
Gordon leads the pack with one hour, 50 minutes, 16 seconds of exposure for his sponsors in the first three Cup races for the season. This totals to approximately $7.6 million of in-broadcast exposure value.
Gordon will no doubt strive to continue his on and off track marketability. His Auto Club Speedway close up is scheduled for this Sunday, March 27th at 3:00 PM ET, where he will compete in the Auto Club 400. And Jeff Gorvette’s Pixar Cars 2 close up will come to the theaters throughout the country later this summer.
Jennifer Jo Cobb, 2nd Chance Racing Saga About More Then Driver Walking Away
As the Jennifer Jo Cobb vs. Rick Russell saga approaches midweek, the mudslinging continues.
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[/media-credit]What started as pure confusion Saturday afternoon when it was reported that Cobb was getting out of the No. 79 before the start of the Scotts EZ Seed 300 has turned into flat out drama. Both sides are alleging wrong doings and battle lines are being formed.
There won’t be any winners in this fight.
Of course the court the public opinion is always rendering verdicts. And there are plenty of opinions to go around, in this sport that’s nothing new. As soon as both sides had their say on Saturday, the responses started coming. Many drivers, owners, fans and media members told Cobb “kudos” for taking the action that she did.
Case closed for the court of public opinion, Cobb has already been declared the winner. But it’s just not the simple.
The reason is that while she will be racing this upcoming at the Auto Club Speedway for Rick Ware Racing, last week won’t be put behind her. This is far from over, unfortunately for her and for everyone involved in the sport.
For 2nd Chance Racing they are now looking for a driver and fielding the backlash from their decision in Bristol. An owner having to defend his action is abnormal; the driver is usually the one with some explaining to do.
At this point ladies and gentlemen it’s just sad.
Everyone loves a good drama and NASCAR is certainly no stranger to such events. But this drama is between a driver and team that do not need to be in the spotlight. Both are still trying to get their big break and make headlines for accomplishments.
Now they’ve taken center stage, become storyline A for not playing nice.
It was Kyle Busch who asked the fans before the start of the Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, “Can’t we all be friends?”
The answer is an astounding no. When saying that 2nd Chance Racing has been dealing with the backlash it may have been putting it lightly. They’ve been getting burned and burned badly.
Before sunset on Saturday they had to take down their Facebook account because of all the messages they were receiving. Since then their Twitter page has also been taken down.
Social networking at its best, it’s great when it’s there and provides and inside look for fans of the sport as well as a great communication tool for teams and drivers. Yet, when something goes wrong it helps deliver blows.
After the incident on Saturday the voice behind the Twitter page for 2nd Chance Racing did their best to explain the situation to fans. But every one of their messages came off in a negative way and weren’t well received. In a way, they just added fuel to the fire.
Messages like: “For anyone that disagrees with any decisions we make, no one is making you ‘follow’ us.” Or, “It is not my place to give the details. All I will say is wait for the official word if you want to know the true story.”
There was also, “Owner unable to hear reporter track-side due to hearing loss from fighting in Vietnam. Want to blame him for that too?”
It’s hard to find anyone, at least those who will admit it, that agree with them.
Then again, if the allegations from Cobb are true, such as Russell refusing to return her driver’s seat, it becomes hard. By not returning a driver’s seat, it is as Cobb said, a safety issue. It is also pure childish.
Such behavior from a team owner is appalling but it should be remembered that at this point it is just an accusation. Accusations that are making Russell and company come off as the villains and let Cobb walk with her head held high.
From Russell’s standpoint, Cobb went behind his back to try and race on Saturday. She and crew chief Steve Kuykendall were putting a pit crew together when they knew beforehand that they were not going to be racing.
According to Russell, everyone understood they were starting and parking.
He also claims team members attempted to remove parts from the car. And as of Tuesday night he had filed police reports for larceny charges against Cobb. Claiming that $16,000 worth of car parts was stolen from him.
There is no end in sight for these two. If NASCAR fans thought the ongoing battle between NASCAR and Jeremy Mayfield was getting out of hand, Cobb and Russell could be headed down the same path.
Yet, what is made this become news and become big news has nothing to do with a driver walking away from their team. For instance, Kasey Kahne did the same thing last year to his Budweiser team after crashing out of an event.
He refused to get back in the car. Even Kyle Busch has done the same thing. Back in 2007 at Texas when Busch wrecked he walked away and headed home as his team repaired the car.
Those incidents were dropped within a day.
The real root of Cobb vs. Russell saga is the fact that it had to do with what has become a necessary evil in NASCAR: starting and parking.
Nowhere in the NASCAR rulebook does it say that a team cannot start and park. But again, in the court of public opinion you better think otherwise. By Russell deciding his team needed to do so in order to race in California it got everyone’s attention and it got attention fast.
He and 2nd Chance Racing immediately became the bad guys. How dare they start and park?
Cobb immediately won the fans over and never took a lap on the racetrack. Hooray for her for refusing to do such a ridiculous thing anyway.
Starting and parking will never, ever go over well with anyone in the sport. Except maybe those who are being forced to do so just to be able to race. It’s something that is never going to fly under the radar either, not with ESPN broadcaster Marty Reid being sure to point out which drivers have pulled behind the wall.
Now when Cobb and Russell going at it, starting and parking has been given a whole new platform. Who would have ever thought it with all the other great action and storylines out there?
Drivers who are never a factor are mentioned every weekend.
That’s why people are so up in arms about the whole incident. Most of the time no one would care if an owner and driver were going at it or arguing about a contract. But when Cobb stated on national television that she was told to start and park and she refused, the ears perked up and the gloves came off.
If no one liked starting and parking before, they certainly aren’t going to like it now that drivers are starting to fight back. The only thing that can be agreed on is that this needs to resolved soon because it’s making everyone look bad, from both sides fighting to bringing more attention to the unwanted and unpopular starting and parking.
