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On Pit Road: NASCAR Tracks react to stop the bleeding

By
SM Staff
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When the nations economy tanked in 2008, the ticket renewals for 2009 suddenly slumped. Track operators scrambled for a way to keep the fans coming back. Some did media blitzes touting lower concession prices (usually lowered by a few pennies) and their overstated special fan activities. Needless to say, all these new fan activities were coming at higher prices. Some tracks that in the past had demanded that season ticket holders pay in advance, sometimes nearly a year in advance for their tickets, suddenly began payment plans. These plans of course, did not involve any kind of price reductions.

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Although ticket sales did fall in 2009, it wasn’t enough for NASCAR or the track operators to take it all that seriously. When the 2010 season arrived it was obvious by the empty seats for the Daytona 500 that the lack of response was noticed by the fans. When the series moved on to California Speedway, it was all but impossible for the TV cameras to avoid showing the thousands of empty seats. In fairness of course, the left coast track has always had a dismal attendance record. If these facts didn’t get their attention, it was in March when the series headed to Bristol Motor Speedway, a track that held the record of 55 straight sellouts for NASCAR’s top series events. The cameras panned and attempted to miss the empty seats, but it was a lost cause. The fans at home could clearly see the empty seats on the front stretch. Despite NASCAR and BMS claiming that the sellout only missed by about 22,000 seats, it was evident that the number was much higher, estimated to be 45,000 empty seats.

I did a story that week http://www.onpitroad.com/2010/03/bristol-sellout-is-no-more.html about the wake up call evolving from that race, and how BMS had made attempts to stop the bleeding. In addition to the failure of the tracks to address the situation, I made an observation that the surrounding service industry refused to make any concessions on their part. BMS has begun taking steps to address that and I will cover that in a later column.

Ten years ago NASCAR was experiencing a robust economy, it was the fastest growing fan sport in America. Ticket sales were so brisk that many of the established tracks were quickly gearing up to add more seats. The TV networks were battling each other over the right to broadcast races. NASCAR and the largest track owners, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) were recording record profits. They had a product so popular folks were begging them to take their money.

Two new tracks were opened in 2001 by ISC, Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway. Not to abandon the thoughts of increased profits both tracks prohibited fans from bringing coolers into the grandstand. There was a specific prohibition against bringing any food or beverages into the grandstands. This ensured the increased sales of highly overpriced food and beverages and a guarantee to maximum profits.

The older tracks allowed the long tradition of fans being able to bring coolers into the stands and the fear that race fan protest could effect ticket sales kept those policies in place. When the Twin Towers were attacked on September 11, 2001 the whole nation reeled in shock and horror that such an attack could have happened. NASCAR quickly cancelled the race scheduled for that weekend as the government had grounded air traffic in a knee jerk reaction. That pause gave NASCAR and the track owners time to consider a more permanent response. They responded by using the fear instilled in Americans to finally take a swipe at those dreaded coolers. “In the interest of security” the tracks had developed a new marketing plan. Knowing that the fans would protest outright bans on coolers, the plan was to downsize the coolers allowed. From a 14”x14”x14” cooler allowed at most tracks, the new 6”x6”x 12” cooler rule was implemented. This size of course was not an industry standard size, but lucky for the fans, each track would have just such coolers available for sale. The new rule did draw some protest, but ISC quickly waved the American flag and proclaimed the Patriotic nature of the change.

As the policy continued over the years, most tracks continued the upward spiral of ticket and concession prices, showing no mercy on the fans. However at Kansas Speedway the expected sellouts did not occur and as ticket sales continued to lag it forced the track in 2006 to join most of the other tracks with the 6x6x12 cooler policy. Of course at Chicagoland Speedway the ban continued, although they did allow fans to bring ONE factory sealed plastic bottle of water in with them.

Back to 2011, the wake up call has finally arrived at ISC headquarters and some new changes are coming in 2011. The NORMAL size coolers are back! Yep, you read that correctly. The NEW Daytona international Speedway gate admission policy now allows the old familiar 14”x14”x14” soft sided coolers. In addition, the 18” clear plastic bag rule has made way to allow one school sized backpack. That’s a pretty good start, but I wonder if it has come too late.

OK, that takes care of Daytona, let’s see what’s happening at the other ISC tracks:

Phoenix International Raceway – Larger cooler, still 18×18 plastic bag
California Speedway- Small coolers, backpacks
Martinsville Speedway- Large cooler, backpack
Talladega Superspeedway- Large cooler-backpack
Richmond International Raceway – Large cooler, backpack
Darlington Raceway – Large cooler, 18×18 bags
Kansas Speedway – Larger cooler, backpack
Michigan International Speedway – Large cooler, backpack
Watkins Glen International – Large cooler, backpack
Chicagoland Speedway – Small cooler, no backpack
Homestead-Miami Speedway – Large cooler, backpack

NASCAR 2011 Predictions

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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*In response to NASCAR’s requirement that drivers can only compete for the title in a single series, Jimmie Johnson quickly proclaims his intentions for the Sprint Cup championship. In a related development, Sam Hornish, Jr. declares that although he will be racing, he won’t be competing for titles in any series.

*Jeff Gordon slips past Clint Bowyer on the final turn to win at Phoenix on February 27th, snapping his 65-race losing streak. Riding a wave of momentum not felt in nearly three years, a jubilant Gordon vows to “finish what he started,” and does exactly that, finishing 34th the following week at Las Vegas, ending his one-race winning streak.

*Dale Earnhardt, Jr. wins the Daytona 500 by .33 seconds over the No. 33 car of Clint Bowyer, leading 33 laps.   

 *NASCAR’s new points system, which logically awards 43 points to the race winner down to one point for 43rd place, is a big hit, particularly among math-challenged racing fans. However, midway through the season, NASCAR’s dimwitted CEO Brian France inexplicably orders a return to the old format, deeming the month of July “Throwback Month” in NASCAR. Then, just as suddenly, he demands a change back to the 43-point system. Subsequently, Brad Daugherty creates a firestorm when, on Showtime’s “Inside NASCAR” program, he says that the points system “has seen more ‘tweaking’ than the Mayfield family.”

 *Tony Stewart is involved in his second altercation with an Australian in less than three months when he slugs a kangaroo at a roadside petting zoo in rural Tennessee. Stewart is charged with assault and is ordered to undergo counseling under the conditions of a plea deal. As an extra measure of good will towards Australians, Stewart finances a new racing team, called Gibb Racing, and presents it to the Bee Gees. In addition, at Stewart’s Prelude To A Dream charity race at Eldora Speedway, Stewart has participants draw qualifying numbers from the pouch of his new pet wallaby, “Mojo-ey.”

 *After a solid 13th-place finish in the Daytona 500, Kevin Conway’s Nemco Motorsports No. 97 ExtenZe Toyota fails a post-race inspection due to a rear spoiler that measures 3/16 of an inch too high. The No. 97 team proclaims innocence, and cunningly claims that the increase in length must be due to ExtenZe sponsorship. This leads to a huge marketing push for the brand in ads featuring the catchy slogan, “ExtenZe: For Those Times When You (Or She) Can’t Take It No Longer.”

 *After Jimmie Johnson opens up a sizable lead four races into the season after a controversial win at Bristol on April 3rd, a radical group of conspiracy theorists coin Johnson’s quest for six straight Sprint Cup titles as “The Fix For Six.” However, an injunction filed by twice-dead Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx, who had previously copyrighted “The Fix For Sixx” as the title of the sequel to his 2007 autobiography The Heroin Diaries, puts an end to the use of the title.

 The conspiracy theories live on, to such a degree that Jesse Ventura is seen lurking around the Lowe’s hauler at Daytona in July.   

 *Kurt Busch, in the No. 22 car sporting the Shell/Pennzoil paint scheme made famous by Kevin Harvick, revels in his newfound ability to “get under Harvick’s skin.” Busch and Harvick tangle at Bristol on March 20th as Busch sends Harvick’s No. 29 Budweiser car spinning. Harvick exacts revenge later, jumping Busch in the garage area, where he backhands the Penske driver, who falls and bumps his head on his car. Busch loses all memory of his time in the Miller Lite car, and Harvick boasts of his ability to slap the “tastes great” out of Busch’s mouth.  

 *Denny Hamlin sweeps the 2011 season’s two Martinsville races, outdueling Jimmie Johnson on both occasions. After winning the Tums Fast Relief 500 in October, Hamlin takes the Chase lead by a 21-point margin. Crew chief Mike Ford unwisely questions the ability of the No. 48 team, and all but guarantees Hamlin will end Johnson’s five-year reign.

 Later, at the NASCAR awards banquet in December at the Wynn Las Vegas, Johnson is feted as champion, while Ford amazes those in attendance, including magician Criss Angel and illusionists Penn and Teller, by eating crow with a foot in his mouth.

 *After a sparse crowd of 45,000 attends March 27th’s Auto Club 400 in Fontana, heated arguments ensue, not only among those debating whether or not California should remain on the Sprint Cup schedule, but also between pessimists and optimists, who can’t decide if the stands were half-empty or half-full.

 *Pop diva Christina Aguilera returns to Texas after botching the national anthem at February’s Super Bowl in Dallas, this time to perform the song before the Samsung Mobil 500 on April 9th in Fort Worth. Bolstered by a throng of over 90,000 appreciative fans, all holding placards that, when raised, spell out the words to the “Star Spangled Banner,” Aguilera nails the lyrics. Aguilera then jams with Texas icons ZZ Top on “Got Me Under Pressure” during an after-race concert, where she fails to see the irony of the song.

 Kasey Kahne wins the race, giving Red Bull Racing its first and only win of the year.   

 *After Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski crash at Kansas on June 5th in the Kansas Speedway 400, tensions flare in the garage area as Edwards stalks his nemesis, while Keselowski angrily does the same. The two finally meet near the NASCAR hauler, where the two rivals feverishly engage, surprisingly in a passionate embrace, as both later cite the need to “keep their friends close, and their enemies closer.”

 Keselowski’s father, Bob, is moved to tears, of disgust, and disowns his son.

 *Matt Kenseth takes a stroll through the Talladega infield on April 16th, the day before the Aaron’s 499, and goes unnoticed. He then takes the same walk wearing his drivers suit, yet still goes unrecognized. He finally experiences a moderate level of acknowledgement when he dons a Dale Earnhart, Jr. baseball cap, and is mobbed by adoring fans, of Earnhardt’s.

 In Sunday’s race, Kenseth survives three big crashes that take out a total of 21 cars, including the rest of the Roush Fenway stable, and holds on for the win after two attempts at a green-white-checkered finish.

 *Danica Patrick wins the Nationwide NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when leader Marcos Ambrose stalls his car on lap 73 under caution, causing a 13 car pileup behind him. Patrick, running 14th, takes the checkered flag under caution.

 A wild celebration in Victory Lane ensues, as the No. 7 GoDaddy.com team pops the tops on a case of champagne, dousing Patrick, who then invites viewers to log on to GoDaddy.com, where, for a nominal fee of $9.95, they can view the unrated remainder of the celebration, as well as receive a four-pack of ShamWows and a t-shirt that reads “Sucker” across the front.    

 *Jimmie Johnson heads into the 2011 season finale at Homestead with a 19-point lead over Kevin Harvick, and secures his sixth consecutive Sprint Cup championship with a fourth-place finish. Johnson, only one title shy of the 7 achieved by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, sports a t-shirt that reads “I Am Legend.” Meanwhile, Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon, finding his legacy of 4 Cups diminishing with every Johnson triumph, dons a similar t-shirt, with a design that asks “Am I Legend?”

*A rejuvenated Kyle Busch, buoyed by a new, calmer demeanor resulting from a Far Eastern-flavored regimen of hypnosis and acupuncture, adopts the nickname “Rowdy Doody,” and enjoys the support of a new, appreciative fan base, dubbed the “M&M Peanut Gallery.”

*Busch wins 7 races and heads into the Chase with the top seed, but falters at New Hampshire after winning the previous week at Chicago. Busch prematurely declares his Cup hopes dashed, then whines incessantly about his bad luck, leading to an ESPN.com headline of “Over And (P)out.”

*After a broken drive shaft on lap 153 knocks Mark Martin out of the race at Dover on May 15th, Martin takes to Twitter via his mobile phone to report the situation. Martin draws comparisons to Brett Favre after texting a photo of the damaged equipment, a picture he unfortunately tags with the caption, “Take a good look at my shaft.”

 Martin misses the Chase and finishes 18th in the standings, then announces his retirement in an echo chamber. 

 *Clint Bowyer wins the One Last Race To Make The Chase 400 at Richmond on September 10, and thanks his teammates, and Dr. Seuss, for making the win possible. Bowyer earns the sixth seed in the Chase For The Cup. The Chase field is set as follows (in order): Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Bowyer, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, and Juan Montoya.

 *Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith gets the 2011 Chase For The Cup underway, waving the green flag at Chicagoland Speedway on September 18th under threatening skies. With Kyle Busch leading after 200 laps, the skies open up, and thunderstorms drench the track. Fittingly, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler mans the red flag, signaling the field that the race is over at the halfway point.

J.R. Fitzpatrick To Run For Baker Curb Racing in Nationwide Series at Daytona

By
SM Staff
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J.R. Fitzpatrick announced that he’d begin his 2011 season with the Saturday’s DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona, which is the opening race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series season.

[media-credit name=” JRFitzpatrick” align=”alignright” width=”141″][/media-credit]The 22-year-old, Cambridge, Ontario native will race the No. 27 Shick Hydro/Energizer Ford Mustang for Baker Curb Racing. This marks a continued partnership with Fitzpatrick and Shick Hydro as they sponsored him during the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season and the three Nationwide Series races he ran last year for JR Motorsports. Though this marks the first time that Fitzpatrick has come together with Energizer Canada Inc.

“I can’t think of a better race to start the new season with,” Fitzpatrick commented in a press release.  “Daytona boasts an atmosphere like no other and to be in a race with the opportunity to compete against guys like Dale Earnhardt Jr and Tony Stewart is fantastic.  I’ve raced at Daytona before, a couple of years ago in the Truck Series, and ran well leading the most laps in that event before taking fourth.”

“I’m sure that experience and knowledge will help combined with my time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series last season.  This is definitely where I want to be competing on a regular basis so I’m looking to make a strong start to the year on Saturday.  I’m obviously grateful to Schick Canada and Energizer Canada for their support this week and I look forward to flying the maple leaf flag for Canadian fans!”

Fitzpatrick finished fourth a couple years ago when he ran the truck series opener at Daytona for Kevin Harvick Incorporated, and last year finished in the top 10 at both Montreal and Road Atlanta in the Nationwide Series.

“We’re really looking forward to teaming up with J.R.,” commented Baker Curb Racing’s Team President, Matt Crews.  “I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with him this off season and get to know him.  His attitude and dedication to his sport is certainly very impressive and his potential is limitless!”

This past year, Fitzpatrick took on running the entire NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule, with his goals set on winning the championship. He was in the thick of the battle all year long, though after a bad finish at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and a broken clutch at Riverside Speedway, he ended up second, 40 points behind champion D.J. Kennington.

“It’s good,” Fitzpatrick told me. “I took all of last year off as I was racing stuff in the States. But after taking a year off, the series has definitely grown quite a bit. It does need more cars but competitive wise, it is doing very well. To finish second in the championship after taking a year off, I am pretty pleased about that.”

Fitzpatrick got started in the series when it was named CASCAR and became the youngest champion at the age of 18 in 2006.

The following year, NASCAR took over rights to the series and it has been debated as to whether that was a positive move or not for the series. Fitzpatrick said he’s seen the influence, though thinks it’ll still take time.

“It’s helped in a way,” he said. “But I think it’s going to take some time to get some more people in the series because it does cost a lot to run that deal. The series is slowly going and it’s going to take a few years for it to grow to its full potential.”

On top of running the Canadian Tire Series and the Nationwide Series when time allows, Fitzpatrick hits the local tracks and races at the grass roots level where it started.

“I support it 100 percent anyway I can,” he said of grass roots racing. “At the end of the day, that’s where we all started and guys that don’t feel like coming back, I don’t get it. I wish I had a late model as that’s where I started but super stocks are a lot of fun.”

For this year, he put a Super Stock race car together with some friends.

“Its fun,” he said of running the car. “It’s definitely a different kind of car for me. Me and my friend built this car and it’s been working fairly well. We’re starting ninth out of 45 cars so we’re pretty happy about that.”

Fitzpatrick had a successful year with that as he got his first feature  Super Stock win at Flamboro Speedway during FrostFest.

Fitzpatrick got started in racing at the age of six running a Jr. Late Model.

“I got started through Jr. Late Models when I was six years old at Sauble Beach,” he said. “Then I moved on to Delaware (Speedway) and when I was 13 years old, I got a late model and then from there, I just stayed in heavy stock cars.”

Fitzpatrick then moved up to the CASCAR Super Series, where he finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings in 2004 at the age of 16.

At the age of 17, he scored his first win and got three top-fives and five top-10 finishes.

Then in 2006, he became the youngest Canadian Tire Series National Champion with a win, five podium finishes and two pole awards at the age of 18.

Over the next three years in the Canadian Tire Series, Fitzpatrick would earn a total of four wins, 10 top-fives, 14 top-10s and five pole awards.

Fitzpatrick made his first in the NASCAR Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) at the Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, where he finished 33rd due to an ill-handling car.

Fitzpatrick’s last race at Daytona was when he made his first start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2009 where he finished fourth, driving the No. 7 Mammoet Chevrolet Silverado at Daytona International Speedway for TRG Motorsports.

Fitzpatrick will be on-track on Wednesday and Thursday of this week with four NASCAR Nationwide Series practice sessions scheduled before Friday hosts qualifying at 4:10pm EST.  The ‘DRIVE4COPD 300’ starts on Saturday 19th February at 1:15pm EST.  Race fans in Canada can watch the ‘DRIVE4COPD 300’ live on TSN2 with broadcast coverage starting at Noon EST on Saturday.

Team Lowe’s Racing – Team 48 Daytona International Speedway

By
SM Staff
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Team 48 Daytona International Speedway

TEAM ROSTERS WILL BE POSTED ON MEDIA.LOWESRACING.COM WHEN AVAILABLE
RACE NOTES
Daytona International Speedway

• Johnson has made 18 Sprint Cup Series starts at Daytona International Speedway, where he has earned one win, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
• Johnson has completed 97.7% (3053 of 3125) of competition laps at the 2.5-mile track and has led 60.
• He has an average start and finish of 8.7 and 16.3.

Chassis

• Johnson will pilot brand new chassis No. 628 in Sunday’s season-opening Sprint Cup Series race.
• He last drove backup chassis No. 482 at Talladega in 2009, finishing sixth.

JIMMIE JOHNSON QUOTES
WITH YOUR STYLE OF NEVER SEEMING TO MIND SLIDING THE CAR AROUND IF YOU HAVE TO… NEARER THE OFF-ROAD THE BETTER ALMOST, HOW DOES THIS REPAVING JOB AFFECT YOU AND YOUR STYLE? IS IT A PLUS FOR YOU OR A MINUS?
“Our track record doesn’t show that the old surface was really a plus. Maybe this is a plus. You know our finishes here especially in the 500 we’ve been caught up in a lot of late-race stuff and we haven’t been the dominant car by any means, but we’ve had top-fives, top-tens in our hands and had some situations that plagued us. The July race has been much better to us where it is more slick so maybe there is an argument with that. I feel though as race teams with the new surface we only have a few areas to adjust the car and with the track being so forgiving everybody is going to be set on kill and handling is not going to be an option or an obstacle like we all like Talladega. From our standpoint we have less to separate ourselves with on the track during the race but I think it will be in perspective and for the Daytona 500 we’re going to have the best circumstances and the best race we’ve seen. The only thing that can screw that up is all getting too out of control early and cause a big pile up and there’s 15 cars left on the track. That’s the one thing that can screw this all up but I think for the Daytona 500 we have the best circumstances building.”

SPRINT CUP SERIES CAREER NOTES
Career Wins

• Johnson has 53 wins in his Sprint Cup Series career, his most recent coming at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 26, 2010.
• The El Cajon, Calif.-native is currently 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, one victory behind Lee Petty.
• He is second in total wins among active drivers, behind Jeff Gordon (82).
• Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).
• Johnson has won at least three Cup races a season since he posted his first victory in 2002. He is the only driver in the modern era to win at least three races in each of his first eight full-time seasons.
• Johnson has won Sprint Cup Series races at all but four (Michigan, Chicago, Watkins Glen, Homestead) of the 22 tracks on which the series competes.
• Johnson’s 10 wins in 2007 was the highest number recorded in a single season since Jeff Gordon posted 13 victories in 1998.
• The four-consecutive wins scored by the No. 48 team in the 2007 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup ties a modern-era NASCAR record.

Career Poles

• Johnson has collected 25 poles in his Sprint Cup career.
• The championship driver has earned at least one pole a year since his first full-time season in 2002.
• He had a career-high six poles in 2008.
• Johnson’s most recent pole position was at Dover International Speedway on Sept. 24, 2010.

Career Starts

• Johnson has finished in the top five in the Sprint Cup Series point standings each year since his first full season in 2002.
• Johnson is the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup every year since the format was adopted in 2004.
• In 327 Sprint Cup Series starts, Johnson has posted 134 top-five and 203 top-10 finishes.
• He has a top-five finish at every track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit.
• Johnson has led a total of 10,996 laps (of 94,228) in his Sprint Cup career, covering over 126,257 miles.
• He has finished on the lead lap 253 times.

Daytona: Changes, Domination, and a New Star

By
SM Staff
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As the NASCAR Sprint Cup season begins, there has been change after change. The new surface of Daytona International Speedway has given the teams a smoother track with more grip than ever before. It also created the new popular custom of pairing up with another car to gain speed. In practice, the two-car drafts achieved speed in excess of 200 mph, and in the Bud Shootout exhibition race, speeds were recorded as high at 207 mph. You just knew something had to be changed before the Daytona 500.

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Sunday evening, NASCAR introduced what they called two technical changes. Frontal openings that cool the engine were reduced in size and the pressure release valve on the water system is to be set at 33 pounds per square inch. The intent is to make it impossible for cars to stay in prolonged, close drafting. Thus, the high speeds seen in the two-car drafting will be lowered.

Many fans found the racing in the Budweiser Shootout to be exciting, but it had its drawbacks. It made it nearly impossible for one car to pull out and slingshot past even its drafting partner and it created the necessity for a “dancing partner” to be competitive. That has always been the case, but the practice favored multi-car teams and made the field less competitive from first to last place. Regardless of the praise from the media covering the race, it was less than what people expect from the Daytona experience. Practice and the Gatorade Duels will be the first indication of whether or not the rules change will accomplish what NASCAR is trying to do…

***

I’ve been watching this whole Dale Earnhardt love fest signifying the 10th anniversary of his death at the speedway, and I have to admit I’m a bit perplexed. There is no doubt that Earnhardt was special and I loved to watch him race, but it seems that concentrating on his death a decade later is a little much. I found it interesting that his son is finding it hard to deal with now. On an ESPN interview shown today, he admits that he doesn’t dwell on that sad Sunday in 2001, and that he was sure that his father would have a problem with it. It’s almost like NASCAR, in hard times, is reaching for anything that will create interest in today’s less than attractive product. If you have to use a tragic event to do it, well, why not?

It was also announced that there will be a “silent lap,” which will be Lap 3 and have asked fans to hold up three fingers during that lap. That’s almost the same scenario we saw ten years ago. Judging by the number of Earnhardt flags and stickers on campers at the tracks today, it will be a popular thing to do, but it cannot take away from what we saw today in qualifying—complete domination from one organization and once manufacturer. If NASCAR wants to boost interest, that’s where to start, but I realize that they can’t do anything about a team being better than everyone else. It’s up to the other teams to catch up.

***

The most pleasant surprise of qualifying today was the performance of Trevor Bayne in the Wood Brothers Ford. Bayne flirted with the pole on his run and initially wound up third before he was bumped back to fourth at the end of the day. Some forget that Bayne is a 19-year old rookie and the Woods have been struggling the last few years. Who knows how he’ll race, but if his performance at Texas last season is any indication, he’s going to only get better. It’s good to see a team that has the longevity of the Wood family perform like this. It’s enough to make me forget that Hendrick and RCR Chevrolets have dominated Speedweeks so far, and anyone in a Toyota is out to lunch in speed.

***

Another driver to watch in the Gatorade Duels is Chevrolet driver Bill Elliott in the No. 09 Phoenix Racing entry. Although he only qualified 17th, he has Hendrick power under the hood and engineering help from the front row owner. Match that with Elliott’s experience at this track, and Awesome Bill might have a really good day. That would be special for everyone.

Delana Harvick: Gaining Respect, One Win at a Time

By
SM Staff
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On Valentine’s Day, everybody thinks about the one that they love. NASCAR drivers are no different as most of them have that significant other that means a lot to them. Each week, us fans see them holding hands together on pit road before a race, sharing a moment before the driver goes to battle. However, there are some wives that find themselves in the spotlight more than others – such as Delana Harvick.

[media-credit name=”SM.com” align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]While most wives can be seen at the track looking fancy, dressed up, she shows up for ready for the day of racing. Wearing a firesuit that looks her husband’s, she can be seen on racedays taking down Kevin’s lap times on Sundays. She has mentioned on many occasions that she wears the firesuit for safety reasons as you never know what can happen on pit road.

On Saturdays, she can be seen running around, helping with keeping all things to do with Kevin Harvick Incorporated (KHI) in line at he track.

She has found her way to the spotlight moreso than most wives through partly owning Kevin Harvick Incorporated and running daily operations, though also found herself in the middle of a feud last year.

At Pocono after Kevin Harvick spun Joey Logano and they had a scuffle on pit road, Logano released a quote that became the quote of the season in many people’s eyes.

“It’s probably not (Harvick’s fault),” Logano said. “His wife wears the firesuit in the family, tells him what to do, so it’s probably not his fault.”

Delana Harvick turned the quote on its tails as she raised money for the Kevin Harvick Foundation by selling t-shirts for $15 each that said, “I wear the t-shirt in the family.”

Delana Harvick knew racing way before her and Kevin got together as her father, John Paul Linville, was a driver in the Nationwide Series until 1995 and she’d be seen with him at the track. She used this time to learn more about the sport and in 1997, became a public relations representative for two-time Nationwide Series champion Randy LaJoie, among others. During that time, she met Kevin Harvick and they married on February 28th, 2001.

“Kevin and I are not only husband and wife, but we’re best friends and we’re business partners,” Delana is quoted on Answer This… “I look back at some of my boyfriends and I think ‘what would have happened if, what if?’ I don’t think I could have been as truly happy professionally and personally as I am. I think you’re just destined to meet that person and for me that was Kevin.”

The show NASCAR 360 in 2004 showed that type of love that they share between each other and how close it is. They are also known as a pair of pranksters, who are always trying to prank each other. On top of that, they are also business partners.

“He and I balance each other,” she says. “The racer in him says if something new comes available you’ve got to have it. But I’m the most frugal person you’ll meet. It’s like being married. What we do wouldn’t work for everybody. We’re together 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When people say you can’t bring work home with you, that’s never going to happen for us.”

With her professional background knowledge of racing and Kevin’s knowledge of the racing side, she helped Kevin build Kevin Harvick Incorporated and grow it to what it is today. 

“There’s no handbook on how to run your own race team,” she told the USA Today on the owning experience in late 2010. “It’s somewhat trial by fire. I think we’ve done a good job with it. We’ve definitely made mistakes. The good thing about the Nationwide and truck series is those mistakes aren’t multimillion-dollar mistakes. And we knew we were going to make mistakes. But we were willing to learn and take it slow. That’s the one thing I’m really proud of is that we didn’t try to burst on the scene and do all these things. We were really methodical about how we built KHI.”

Some of the mistakes she admits to making are how to correctly manage people.

“Learning the business side of the sport and trying to manage a sponsor’s needs,” she said. “Because if they’re not happy, it’s not enough to put the decal on their car. If they’re not happy overall, they’re not going to stay with you. Early on, we had some sponsors come in, and I don’t think we did the best job in helping them figure out that motor sports was a good fit for them. But I’m actually proud that a lot of the sponsors we’ve had for a couple of years stayed with us. I think we’ve learned how to be really serviceable when it comes to that side of the business. That doesn’t come with a manual. That comes with learning and making mistakes.”

Since it’s humble beginnings in 2001, they have built it to be one of the top organizations in both the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series. They have won two truck series championships with Ron Hornaday and over 30 wins between the two divisions.

This year marks another key year for KHI as they have Elliott Sadler lined up to drive their Nationwide Series car all year, along with Hornaday and new driver Nelson Piquet Jr. in the Camping World Truck Series. Add in some one-off races that they have planned for  Tony Stewart, Harvick, and Austin Dillon, this year could easily equal to be a multi-championship, multi-win season. Is the Sprint Cup Series coming in the future though?

“People ultimately think Cup racing is in our future,” she said. “We’ll never say never. It could be. I think we’ve really laid the foundation. I think we could do it. It would have to be right time, right place, right sponsor. Ultimately we don’t have to be Sprint Cup team owners to be successful in the sport. Ultimately that’s probably to our benefit. That may not always get us in trouble. People come in and automatically think we’ve got to be in the Sprint Cup Series. We don’t. We want to be successful in what we do and contribute to the sport.

“If the time comes that we can do that in the Sprint Cup Series, we’ll look at it. The only thing we’ve ever wanted from KHI is to be able to sustain itself. I think anybody that goes into business for themselves and thinks they won’t have to invest a lot of their own money is probably kidding themselves. KHI can sustain itself at this point. I’m proud we’ve gotten to that point. For us, it’s not something we look at to generate income. It’d be great if it did. But we’re happy just being involved and being a part of it.”

With the success of KHI, Delana Harvick has gained a lot of respect in the garage that has many followers of NASCAR respecting her for what she’s been able to accomplish.

HOORAHS AND WAZZUPS: The Shootout was a two car race all over the place

By
SM Staff
-

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”246″][/media-credit]The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series officially kicked off their 2011 season with the 33d annual invitational race known as the Budweiser Shootout. The 75 lap event brought some radically new changes to restrictor plate racing at Daytona. We also got introduced to some new racing terms such as “two car lockups”, “team mate for a day” and even “dancing with the stars.” With those thoughts in mind let’s begin this week with:

HOORAH to Kurt Busch for winning the Budweiser Shootout following a stunning finish that saw the race conclusion unveil itself during the final few feet to the checkers. The Las Vegas driver led three of the race’s 75 laps for his first ever Budweiser Shootout win, and a paycheck worth $203,000, in his Roger Penske Racing Dodge. The event was also the first Shootout win for Dodge.

One of the more interesting aspects of this event was the multiple use of the two car drafting technique instead of the long draft lines we’ve seen in the past at Daytona. This was often referred to as “two car lockups.” It was a game of drivers finding out who they could line up and bump draft the best with. It was also a little hairy at times because the second driver had trouble seeing the track in front of the first car. That led to the driver’s spotters working together in order to quickly convey on track information.

It was Jaime McMurray’s Chevrolet that actually pushed Busch into the lead during the final few feet of the race. In victory lane a very appreciative Busch called him his “team mate of the day.” That’s a term you’re likely going to hear a lot during the course of Thursday’s Gatorade Duel qualifying events as well as Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Busch deserves another HOORAH for coining that new racing term as well as a second one when he said “someone call Helio Castro Neves because this is “Dancing With The Stars.” He was of course referring to the IZOD Indy Car champion who surprised us all when he appeared on the popular ABC television show and then danced his way to the winner’s trophy.

But it was the conclusion of the Budweiser Shootout that everyone is still talking about. On that final quarter lap Ryan Newman was the race leader with Denny Hamlin right on his bumper. Newman’s Chevrolet inched up just a bit in the tri-oval and that’s when Hamlin dropped to the extreme bottom of the track to attempt a winning pass. Unfortunately Hamlin’s tires went below the two yellow safety lines which is an automatic disqualification. NASCAR officials dropped Hamlin from first to 12th in the final finishing order.

One would think that a mistake like that would automatically generate a WAZZUP. But I’m going to make an exception here and give Hamlin a HOORAH for his mature attitude and the decision he felt he had to make when his car drifted below the yellow lines. After the race Hamlin said he had no problem with NASCAR’s decision and added “the yellow lines are there to protect us and for the fans in the stand’s safety. I just chose to take the route. Winning a Shootout is not worth sending Newman through the grandstands. And for me, as fast as we were running, if I got into his left rear that car would have went airborne.”

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

Having said that, Hamlin absolutely gets a WAZZUP regarding that bizarre incident that occurred with his steering wheel during Sunday’s qualifying session for the Daytona 500. Due to space restraints, the steering wheels of Sprint Cup race cars are removed so a driver can get in and out. When Hamlin crawled into his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, he attached the steering wheel onto the column but apparently didn’t give it a tug to insure that it was properly secured.

After exiting pit road Hamlin pulled out onto the track only to have the car make a sharp left turn all by itself. That’s because the steering wheel came off in the driver’s hands. Fortunately he was only doing approximately 70 MPH at the time, but the car veered into the infield grass and there was some minor damage to the front end. Hamlin did an obligatory slow lap to officially qualify for the race and then brought the car back to the garage for repairs.

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

HOORAH to the Junior Nation, the official fan club of Dale Earnhardt Jr, who have found their smiles again. Okay, I’m well aware that Earnhardt crashed out of Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout after being caught up in a WAZZUP moment triggered by drivers Regan Smith and Carl Edwards. But prior to that, the car and the driver looked really strong.

His primary car for the Daytona 500 looked even stronger after Earnhardt locked up the pole position for the 500 following Sunday’s qualifying. He accomplished that by turning in a lap of 186.089 MPH. His team mate, Jeff Gordon, posted the second fastest speed marking the third time a Daytona 500 will start with a front row from Hendrick Motorsports.

Meanwhile the girl friend, still a T shirt wearing card carrying member of the Junior Nation, spent Sunday evening strutting her stuff, in her Junior Nation official clothing, while grinning like the proverbial cat who ate the canary. I, on the other hand, had to sit there and take it because I’m old enough and smart enough to know not to make wise cracks the day before Valentines.

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

HOORAH to young rookie driver Trevor Bayne who guaranteed himself a start in the 500 by qualifying his Wood Brothers Ford third on the speed chart. After the run, the happy young driver said “I didn’t know I could hold my breath for a minute and a half.”

But the Wood Brothers had a back up plan to make the Daytona 500 via the NASCAR Stock Exchange. In other words they made a deal to acquire owner’s points which would place them in the top 35 of the owner’s points standings. As we all know, any team within the top 35 is guaranteed a start in Sunday’s race. It also guarantees them a WAZZUP from yours truly.

This arrangement was made with Richard Petty Motorsports who had 2010 owner’s point available from their now defunct #19 team. The details called for the creation of a new racing organization that was named Wood Brothers 2 LLC with Richard Petty being named as the official owner of record of the #21 Ford Fusion. This move, approved by NASCAR, is being referred to as an equity partnership.

Seriously? Equity partnership? I call it buying your way into the Daytona 500.

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

The final WAZZUP of the week involves a bizarre incident from a jet dryer belonging to the Daytona Speedway. Following a crash, suffered by driver Jamie McMurray during Friday’s practice session, the speedway clean up crew came out onto the track. All of a sudden the engine of this very expensive jet powered dryer burst into flames. It was a sight we may never see again.

We have two final HOORAHS for you. The first goes to SPEED Channel analyst Kyle Petty who was participating in a lively panel discussion regarding NASCAR’s very popular have at it boys, police yourselves, policy initiated last year. During the course of the topic there was a video overlay of last year’s alleged fight between drivers Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon. I refer to that moment as alleged because I still say I’ve seen girls in cocktail lounges fight better than that.

Apparently Kyle Petty has a similar opinion because he said “I’m still not sure if that fight was Ali versus Frazier or Laverne and Shirley. That’s just one more reason why everyone loves Kyle Petty.

The final HOORAH of the week goes to Fox Sports for their very limited appearances from their animated mascot “Digger.” I honestly can’t tell you exactly why that cartoon fat rat bothers me. Perhaps I should seek professional help and deal with this issue once and for all. Then again, I could spend the money on Budweiser at which point, following a certain point in time and libation, “Digger” simply won’t matter anymore.

Legends Teams Descend on Auburndale

By
SM Staff
-

With the start of the 2011 INEX Winternationals just on the horizon, Legend, and Bandolero teams from across the United States, and as far away as Norway, have all made their way to the small town of Auburndale, Florida. Auburndale is located in central Florida about halfway between Tampa, and Orlando, and just a little outside of Lakeland. About three miles south of a quaint, old Florida downtown area is the destination for these traveling teams, Auburndale Speedway.

[media-credit name=”Cg Photography” align=”alignright” width=”187″][/media-credit]Auburndale Speedway is a true example of short track Americana, this quarter mile, moderately banked paved oval hosts shows every Saturday night from February through November, and is not unlike the hundreds of other such facilities across this nation, the back bones of motorsports. This facility is family owned, and operated. The Guy family promotes a friendly family atmosphere, which helps make this the perfect venue for the INEX Winternationals. Rex Guy, Owner, and promoter of the speedway said, “We are very pleased to host this national event here at Auburndale, The Legends are one of the most popular classes we run here during our weekly shows.” Everyone here has really worked hard, dedicated a lot of hours, and effort to make sure we would be ready for this event, and now we are ready to drop the green and get started. Guy Added.

The Legends cars, and INEX 600 Racing, have fast become the grassroots of motorsports almost worldwide. With over 3500 members Inex sanctions over 2000 events at 200 race tracks. This makes INEX the 3Rd largest sanctioning body, behind Nascar, and IMCA.  Formed in 1995 The INEX mission statement is a simple one, provide a fun and affordable racing opportunity in which any one can compete. In order to accomplish these legends cars are all “spec” racers, meaning they are virtually the same, same chassis, same engines; the biggest difference is the driver. Drivers range from eight years old up to sixty plus.

With over 150 teams expected to take part in this event it will be one of the largest legend car events to take place in 2011, Teams from across the United States, and Canada have been arriving at the speedway as soon as Friday morning in anticipation of the event, One team made the pull from Alaska, that’s dedication to your sport.

Action starts valentine’s day Feb. 14th and continues through Saturday Feb. 19th. For additional details visit www.auburndaleracing.com.

ARCA: Milka Duno Caught Up In Crash, Finishes 31st

By
SM Staff
-

Milka Duno had worked her way up to the top 10, to only be taken out in a wreck with 16 laps remaining in a nine-car accident in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona.

“We had a really good race going,” said Duno. “I really appreciate the car that the team gave me.  It was a really good car.  It was a great team effort.  We ran close to the top-10 for much of the night.  We were running some of the fastest laps of the race.  I am just really sorry for what happened and very disappointed for my guys.  They gave me such a great car and Jon (Wolfe) had a great strategy.  The No. 25 just made a bad move, and we got caught in a wreck.”

Duno started the race from the 23rd position and by lap two, she was already up to the 16th position. She continued to move up through the field, before making a fuel-only pit stop under the second caution on lap 18. However, she got blocked in, causing her to fall back to the 25th position. Once the green came back out, Duno once again worked her way through the field, all the way back up to 16th at lap 40 and then into the top 10. Unfortunately, Duno didn’t get to finish her charge to the front as when Hal Martin suffered a blow tire, Steve Arpin went to avoid him and caught Duno, sending both of them into the wall. In total, nine cars ended up being collected.

“Milka ran a great race today,” said Crew Chief Jon Wolfe. “She did exactly what we asked her to do.  We were close to our goal of a top-10 finish, we just got taken out.”

“Milka did a real good job,” said team owner and 2010 ARCA Champion Patrick Sheltra. “She stayed out of trouble and drove a clean race. It’s unfortunate that (Steve) Arpin got in to her. I was very impressed with her.  She learned a lot during the race and showed a lot of potential for the future.”

The next race for the ARCA Series is on April 15th at Talladega Superspeedway and will be shown live on SPEED.

The Key to Speedweeks 2011 at Daytona May Be ‘Push, Push, Push’

By
SM Staff
-

The NASCAR season must be underway because there was no shortage of opinions following Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout.

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]After hitting speeds past the 200 mph mark in practice, NASCAR officials made a change for the race. Instead of messing with the restrictor plates as was expected, they decided to change the water-cooling system on the cars so that in the two-car drafts it wouldn’t take long before a car overheats.

It didn’t help; speeds still hit over 200 with Michael Waltrip being clocked as the top speed of the night at 208.29 mph.

Yet, it wasn’t the speeds that were the problem. It was the drafting.

Much like has been seen in the past, the two-car tag teams became the top story. There was no large pack; there was no side-by-side, inches away from each other for eight, nine, ten rows deep that have made Daytona and Talladega the chess matches they are.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said the racing was ridiculous. Fun, he said, but ridiculous. Matt Kenseth called it “stupid racing.” And Jeff Gordon summed it by saying that it was like playing chess on the edge of a cliff as the wind blew at 50 mph.

As Speedweeks have now begun it appears that the two-car drafts are going to be key. Find a good dancing partner and don’t upset them for the race and you’ll be in good shape. Being in a two-car draft is almost four mile per hour faster than being out there all alone and with no help.

That’s how Kurt Busch ended up winning the Budweiser Shootout. Jamie McMurray was stuck like glue to his back bumper and they rode to the front and a one-two finish.

Mike Calinoff the spotter for Kenseth, put it, “Green flag. Push, push, push!”

Are the days of, “Green flag, inside, inside. Two-by-two behind you …” going away? Will it become about pushing and pulling and having spotters play dealmakers of when to the driver pushing wants to be the one pushed?

Have no fear; strategy will still be in effect when it comes to restrictor plate racing. Just that the biggest strategy is when the driver whose pushing deciding when he wants to make his move for the win.

Unfortunately that’s not what everyone would prefer, drivers or fans. Both of those groups are never at a shortage of opinions.

Both Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch said they would prefer the 30-pack of cars screaming around the track then two-car breakaways.

Said Busch, “I think it would be a better race to see us all grouped up rather than the two-car deals.”

Many fans agreed. Some didn’t.

And then there were others who were just confused.

That included Mark Martin. Going into turn three Martin got into the back of Kyle Busch and sent them both spinning. He was completely confused as to why that occurred. According to Martin he had done nothing different with Busch than with anyone else.

Ryan Newman, who finished third, told the media afterwards, “That was the most unexpected race I’ve ever been a part of.”

Unexpected but record breaking. Heading into the night the record for lead changes was 23 and at the checkered flag there was 28 lead changes. There was also the big wreck, reminding everyone that it was still restrictor plate racing.

Winner Kurt Busch said come this Thursday in the Gatorade Duels and Sunday in the Daytona 500, it will be all about two-car packs. Instead of having a 40-car pack, there will be 22 car packs consisting of two-cars each he said.

Welcome to the new NASCAR – at least for now. Vice president of competition, Robin Pemberton said that NASCAR has until Wednesday to decide if they want to make any changes heading into the Daytona 500.

Until then, everyone can digest this new form of racing that has changed the perception of restrictor plate racing.

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