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Angie’s Excellent Adventure at Darlington Raceway

By
Angie Campbell
-
(c) Getty Images for NASCAR

I recently had the opportunity to cover the NASCAR races at Darlington Raceway as a member of the media. Below is a summary of my experience, slightly skewed for entertainment purposes.

My journey began with a trip to Darlington to pick up my media credentials to cover the upcoming Nationwide and Cup Series races. While I was there, I just had to stop by the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum.

As I stepped out of my car and looked at the faces adorning the front of the museum, I knew that I was in for a treat. Everywhere I looked, I saw a different piece of stock car racing history. Some things were immediately familiar like the number 43, trademark blue, 1967 Plymouth of Richard Petty.

And then there were the surprises.

Over to one side was a 1956 Ford convertible. This particular car won 22 races in a single year racing in the convertible series. One of my favorite parts of the museum was a glass case with an array of confiscated items taken off the competitors cars. I just had to laugh at the ingenuity of these drivers who used every advantage they could find to win…at least until they got caught. It seems like some things never change.

I also got to see the Dodge Hemi engine that powered Buck Baker’s car when he won the 1964 Southern 500. This same engine was outlawed for the 1965 season. The museum also houses Darrell Waltrip’s 1991 Chevy Lumina, which rolled eight times in the 1991 Pepsi 400. It’s still considered one of the worst crashes in stock car history.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. It may not be the biggest or fanciest racing museum out there, but it is well worth the $5.00 price of admission. Besides, bigger is not always better.  This wonderful slice of NASCAR is a perfect complement to the Darlington Raceway.

Now that I’d had a little preview of Darlington, I could hardly wait for the racing to begin.

On Friday morning, I was at the racetrack by 9 a.m. and Nationwide Series practice had already begun. I found my seat at the media center and settled in for what would prove to be a wild ride. Press conferences were set to begin about 10:15 am so I took a little walk outside to take a look at the action out on the track while I waited.

As I stood there watching, I realized that I had a big grin on my face.  I just couldn’t help myself. The pungent smell of exhaust fumes was like the sweet aroma of roses and the roar of the engines was music to my ears. Or maybe the gas fumes were making me delirious. All I know is that I couldn’t stop smiling.

The driver interviews soon began and I had to keep reminding myself that I was there as part of the media. I had to conduct myself with professionalism at all times. Today I was not a fan; I was a journalist.

Although I’d seen these drivers interviewed countless times, it gave me an entirely new perspective to see them in person. Their charisma and personalities came through so much more clearly. Everything was going smoothly until Jimmie Johnson’s press conference. He was patiently explaining how the entire Hendrick Motorsports organization was working to perfect their programs.

Perhaps he should have put more thought into the phrasing of his explanation as he summed it all up by saying, “So we are all kind of massaging our packages.” At this point, I’m biting my tongue to keep from laughing and berating myself for being childish. But then, I look around the room and see the same pained expressions on everyone’s faces as we’re all trying not to laugh out loud.

I’m not ashamed to admit that it was my favorite quote of the weekend.

Another highlight of the day was watching the qualifying runs. The media center was situated right in front of pit road and I was able to stand within a few feet of the cars as they waited their turn to qualify.

Earlier in the week, I had arranged to interview Trevor Bayne after he finished qualifying. I decided I’d walk over to pit road to watch him and was almost side swiped by someone driving a golf cart. Imagine my surprise when Kyle Busch jumped off the cart and ran over to climb into his race car.

It was time for my interview so I headed to Bayne’s hauler. I’d talked to him a couple of times over the phone but this would be my first time in person. We walked into his hauler and there were about six other guys in there, including a couple who were lying on the floor.  They all continued to talk and go about their business as if I wasn’t there. Not the best setting for an interview, but interesting, to say the least.

I’m guessing they weren’t too impressed by this journalist but Bayne was completely focused and gave me his full attention as I asked my questions. I headed back to the media center just in time for the next press conference and then it was time for Cup qualifying.

Did I forget to mention, there’s a race tonight?

I won’t go into every detail. Just think of yourself as an insignificant piece of debris in the eye of a hurricane. You’re standing still while there’s a whirlwind of activity around you. You just have to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

After a great Nationwide Series race, I submitted my race review, finally headed home and climbed into bed about 2:00 am.

Saturday got off to a little slower start and I arrived at the media center around 1:00 pm. I   took a few notes in preparation for the Cup race and caught up on what I’d missed. I was amazed to learn that while I’d been sleeping, painters had been working all night re-painting the walls of the track.

I’d like to take a moment and say thanks to the folks at the media center. They kept us constantly updated with transcripts of all the press conferences, race results, points standings and more. If you had a question, chances are you already had the answer at your fingertips.

By this time, I was almost giddy with excitement. Thanks to a colleague from SpeedwayMedia.com, I was going to take a ride in the pace car. With Brett Bodine at the wheel, we took off in a Camaro for a couple of laps around the track. We only got up to about 122 mph on the straightaway, but what a thrill.

This was probably the highlight of my weekend and I was ready for more. My shouts of, “Do it again, do it again,” however, fell on deaf ears. Of course, I didn’t really shout out loud but the phrase was certainly bouncing around in my brain.

Still full of adrenalin, I decided to take a walk and do some more exploring before it was time for another press conference. It was another day full of everything NASCAR and I loved every minute of it.

It was getting close to race time and I decided to head for the Press Box located in the Sprint Tower. Overlooking the track above turn three, we had a panoramic view of the entire facility. After watching another exciting win by Denny Hamlin, it was time to file my last story. I caught a ride back to the media center where my car was parked and headed home.

I was exhausted. “The Lady in Black” had welcomed me with open arms and it was an experience that I will never forget.

In closing, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my “sponsors,” SpeedwayMedia.com, NASCAR, the staff of Darlington Raceway, Showtime and the city of Darlington.

Hamlin wins at Texas

By
Barry Albert
-

FORT WORTH, TX: Denny Hamlin was able to hold off Jimmie Johnson for the win in the closing laps of a 12-lap shootout on Monday at Texas Motor Speedway. This was Hamlin’s second win of the season and the 10th of his career.

Just three weeks ago Hamlin had surgery on his torn ACL in his left knee and was slow getting out of the car. “I’m trying to get it straight right now. I did it for the long run. Even though it was going to take some sacrifice, I knew once I came back I was going to be stronger.” Hamlin said.
 
“I never doubt this race team and Mike Ford (crew chief) did a great job there at the end. I have to thank the whole 11 team, everyone at FedEx, all the employees, Sprint and the fans. I’ve never seen so many fans on a Monday race like this. I can’t thank them enough. It’s just a great day for us.” Hamlin said.
 
“There at the end, the car was just dragging the nose too bad for the first couple of laps. I think we sat too long and the front tire pressures dropped. I lost a few spots. I almost hit the wall down in one and two trying to work the top. Once those front tire pressures came in and the splitter got off the ground, I started coming but it was like a lap too late.” Johnson said.
 
The race was restarted with 12 laps to go after a nine-car crash that was started by Jeff Gordon, who had led 124 laps, and Tony Stewart, who started from the pole. During the caution period before the restart, many drivers including Stewart only took two tires while Gordon took four.
 
When the race was restarted with 18 laps to go, Gordon, Stewart, and Johnson ended up three-wide coming out of Turn 4. Gordon was in the middle and Stewart got loose and both drivers spun. Both drivers suffered heady damage and were out of the race. Johnson made it through without any damage.
 
“When you get a late caution like that, you are going to have guys take two and guys take four. We chose to take four. Every second, every position counts on those restarts with that few of laps to go. I saw Tony backing up and then he got loose. I was trying not to get in to him. I ended up getting underneath him and we were three wide. Then I saw the 48 out on my left corner sneak in there as well. Just saw a lot of guys racing hard and we ran out of room. I got clipped in the right rear and turned me in the wall.” Gordon said.
 
Stewart too blame for the wreck. “I came off of four there and bounced off of Jeff’s right rear. It was just a pendulum and I lost it and got into his right rear and then I got us to where neither one of us could get away from it. Somebody put me three wide in one and two and that got me up to where I got a lot of crap on my tires and that started it. It was my fault. Feel bad about it, about doing something stupid like that. I didn’t plan on getting loose, but it is 100% my fault.” Stewart said.
 
Early on, Gordon and teammate Johnson had some hard racing that ended up with contact between the two. “He was real loose and I got to him and he got real loose. I got underneath me and he raced me hard. I slid up in front of him a little bit, maybe that was it. He ran in to the back of me for no reason.” Gordon said.
 
“I am pretty disappointed in how he was racing me today, but we will get to the bottom of it and sort it out. No need to play it out in the press and we’ll get it taken care of at the shop and during the week and come back to the next race and do it again. I think we are both pretty frustrated with how we have been racing each other. There was some things today I wasn’t real pleased with so when I had a chance to express myself, I kinda did. We’ll get it all sorted out. We don’t need to drag it out and make too much out of it. We will get it sorted out during the week.”
 
“I am disappointed. But, I’ll get over it and so will he. We’ll talk about it. We are good enough friends, good enough teammates. It is more just the competitors in us coming out there and the aggressiveness of wanting to win. Not anything against one another.” Gordon said.
 
Kyle Busch finished third, Kurt Busch fourth and Kasey Kahne finished fifth.
 
Unofficial Race Results
Pos.
St.
No.
Driver
Make
Pts./Bon.
Laps
Status
1
29
11
Denny Hamlin
Toyota
190/5
334
Running
2
4
48
Jimmie Johnson
Chevrolet
175/5
334
Running
3
7
18
Kyle Busch
Toyota
165/0
334
Running
4
11
2
Kurt Busch
Dodge
165/5
334
Running
5
5
9
Kasey Kahne
Ford
155/0
334
Running
6
30
5
Mark Martin
Chevrolet
150/0
334
Running
7
19
29
Kevin Harvick
Chevrolet
146/0
334
Running
8
9
88
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Chevrolet
147/5
334
Running
9
14
56
Martin Truex Jr.
Toyota
138/0
334
Running
10
3
16
Greg Biffle
Ford
139/5
334
Running
11
10
39
Ryan Newman
Chevrolet
130/0
334
Running
12
6
31
Jeff Burton
Chevrolet
132/5
334
Running
13
17
43
A.J. Allmendinger
Ford
124/0
334
Running
14
37
12
Brad Keselowski
Dodge
121/0
333
Running
15
13
6
David Ragan
Ford
118/0
333
Running
16
23
82
Scott Speed
Toyota
115/0
333
Running
17
32
47
Marcos Ambrose
Toyota
112/0
333
Running
18
39
19
Elliott Sadler
Ford
109/0
333
Running
19
2
77
Sam Hornish Jr.
Dodge
106/0
333
Running
20
28
17
Matt Kenseth
Ford
103/0
332
Running
21
26
78
Regan Smith
Chevrolet
100/0
332
Running
22
27
13
Max Papis
Toyota
97/0
332
Running
23
41
71
Bobby Labonte
Chevrolet
94/0
332
Running
24
35
34
Travis Kvapil
Ford
96/5
331
Running
25
36
21
Bill Elliott
Ford
88/0
331
Running
26
38
7
Robby Gordon
Toyota
85/0
329
Running
27
40
38
Kevin Conway *
Ford
82/0
329
Running
28
18
20
Joey Logano
Toyota
79/0
329
Running
29
31
37
David Gilliland
Ford
76/0
328
Running
30
15
1
Jamie McMurray
Chevrolet
78/5
319
Accident
31
12
24
Jeff Gordon
Chevrolet
80/10
317
Accident
32
1
14
Tony Stewart
Chevrolet
72/5
317
Accident
33
20
99
Carl Edwards
Ford
64/0
317
Accident
34
21
42
Juan Montoya
Chevrolet
66/5
317
Accident
35
25
98
Paul Menard
Ford
58/0
317
Accident
36
8
33
Clint Bowyer
Chevrolet
55/0
316
Accident
37
16
0
David Reutimann
Toyota
52/0
310
Engine
38
42
83
Brian Vickers
Toyota
49/0
192
Accident
39
43
132
Reed Sorenson
Toyota
46/0
121
Electrical
40
22
87
Joe Nemechek
Toyota
43/0
75
Transmission
41
33
66
Michael McDowell
Toyota
45/5
60
Transmission
42
34
9
Mike Bliss
Chevrolet
37/0
50
Vibration
43
24
55
Dave Blaney
Toyota
34/0
20
Susp.

Kahne to Hendrick

By
SM Staff
-

Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) has confirmed that Kasey Kahne, who has been with the team since 2004, will be leaving No. 9 Ford at the end of this season.

Kahne will be joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2012, possibly in the team’s No. 5 car in 2012 since Mark Martin’s contract ends in 2011.

2011 is unknown for Kahne at this point. But Hendrick’s satellite team, Stewart-Haas racing could be an option.

“Kasey is a very talented driver, and I have enjoyed watching him race. We all wish him nothing but the best and hope he succeeds in anything he chooses to do.” team co-owner Richard Petty said in a statement released by RPM.

Busch wins the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200

By
Barry Albert
-

Kyle Busch won Friday night’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, but it was not won the easy way. 

On lap 137, while restarting with the lead on the outside lane, Brad Keselowski was ahead of Busch before the start/finish line. This caused the cars behind of Busch to back up and then pile up behind him. A 10 car crash brought out the red flag and stopped the race for about 10 minutes.
 
NASCAR rules the Busch failed to restart the race in the designated area and gave Keselowski the lead. “When you get to the first line, you have to maintain your speed. Once you get to the second line, it’s free game.” Keselowski said. “I maintained my speed and he did not. When I got to the second line, I just went. That’s the rule, and the interpretation I have of it.”
 
Then on the restart on lap 145, Busch “jumped the restart” and NASCAR made Busch do a pass-through penalty. All of this placed Busch in 19th position with only 38 laps remaining.
 
A caution flag on lap 188 helped Busch catch back up to the front of the field.
 
Busch restarted 10th on Lap 193 and was passed then leader Keselowski for the lead on lap 196 of 200. This was Busch’s second Nationwide Series win of the season and the 32nd of his career.
 
“All I know is I paid NASCAR back by winning.” Busch said. “This is an issue. It will be a discussion (with NASCAR). It’s not done yet.” Busch added.
 
To add to his misery, Busch also made contact with his teammate, Joey Logano on the final pit stop of the night. “It’s pretty awesome to be here. First I have to say sorry to Joey on pit road there. I hate it that we made contact. I hurt his car with the right front fender and everything. We restarted 10th there and I said, ‘Here we go, going for broke.” Busch said.
 
“There was action everywhere. This was an awesome show. This is cool. I had a lot of fun. I had a shot at winning the race. I kind of had Kyle (Busch) upset in the car it looked like and he started making mistakes on restarts and was able to take advantage of that. Our Discount Tire Dodge was awesome.” Keselowski said.
 
Keselowski finished third, Brendan Gaughan fourth and Greg Biffle finished fifth.
 
Carl Edwards finished sixth and now trails series points leader Keselowski by four points.
 
Unofficial Results
2010 Unofficial Race Results
Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 | April 9, 2010 | Race 6 of 35
Pos.
St.
No.
Driver
Make
Pts.
Bon.
Laps
Status
1
2
18
Kyle Busch
Toyota
195
10
200
Running
2
10
33
Kevin Harvick
Chevrolet
170
0
200
Running
3
3
22
Brad Keselowski
Dodge
170
5
200
Running
4
20
62
Brendan Gaughan
Toyota
160
0
200
Running
5
4
27
Greg Biffle
Ford
155
0
200
Running
6
1
60
Carl Edwards
Ford
150
0
200
Running
7
5
98
Paul Menard
Ford
146
0
200
Running
8
9
43
Scott Lagasse Jr.
Ford
142
0
200
Running
9
14
6
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. *
Ford
138
0
200
Running
10
6
20
Joey Logano
Toyota
139
5
200
Running
11
21
21
Clint Bowyer
Chevrolet
130
0
200
Running
12
13
32
Reed Sorenson
Toyota
127
0
200
Running
13
7
12
Justin Allgaier
Dodge
124
0
200
Running
14
18
34
Tony Raines
Chevrolet
121
0
200
Running
15
31
23
Johnny Sauter
Chevrolet
118
0
200
Running
16
17
11
Brian Scott *
Toyota
115
0
200
Running
17
16
88
Kelly Bires
Chevrolet
112
0
200
Running
18
11
81
Michael McDowell
Dodge
109
0
200
Running
19
22
38
Jason Leffler
Toyota
106
0
200
Running
20
23
26
Brian Keselowski
Dodge
103
0
199
Running
21
40
28
Kenny Wallace
Chevrolet
100
0
199
Running
22
35
35
Jason Keller
Chevrolet
97
0
198
Running
23
38
1
Mike Wallace
Chevrolet
94
0
198
Running
24
36
61
Josh Wise
Ford
91
0
198
Running
25
29
9
Jason Bowles
Ford
88
0
198
Running
26
15
87
Joe Nemechek
Chevrolet
85
0
197
Running
27
42
24
Eric McClure
Ford
82
0
197
Running
28
27
1
James Buescher *
Chevrolet
79
0
197
Running
29
41
5
Victor Gonzalez Jr.
Chevrolet
76
0
195
Running
30
12
66
Steve Wallace
Toyota
73
0
194
Running
31
19
10
Casey Mears
Toyota
70
0
180
Running
32
24
99
Trevor Bayne
Toyota
67
0
176
Running
33
33
15
Michael Annett
Toyota
64
0
160
Running
34
8
16
Colin Braun *
Ford
61
0
137
Accident
35
26
7
Landon Cassill
Chevrolet
58
0
136
Accident
36
43
183
John Borneman III
Ford
55
0
134
Accident
37
25
73
Derrike Cope
Dodge
52
0
134
Accident
38
39
40
Mike Bliss
Chevrolet
49
0
127
Accident
39
30
89
Morgan Shepherd
Chevrolet
46
0
56
Brakes
40
34
156
Kevin Lepage
Chevrolet
43
0
36
Vibration
41
28
91
David Gilliland
Chevrolet
40
0
19
Brakes
42
37
90
Danny O’Quinn Jr.
Chevrolet
37
0
18
Brakes
43
32
92
Dennis Setzer
Dodge
34
0
9
Oil Pump

Q & A with Martinsville Speedway

By
SM Staff
-

Speedway Media, is quickly becoming a “one stop shop” for NASCAR fans to find news and stories about NASCAR, NASCAR teams and drivers as well as the facilities that they race at. In order to promote our “Track News” area the editors of the site decided to ask a series of questions about the tracks and programs that they have this season.

Below are the answers to our questions. If you, the fans, would like to see items added to these track pages please feel free to note these in the comments below…

1. Can you tell us about the events planned around your race weekends this season both at the track and in the community?

We have announced plans for an old-school weekend for the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 weekend. We will have about a dozen legendary drivers around the entire weekend and will feature them Saturday night in a group discussion and question and answer session on the Speed Stage. They will also be signing autographs throughout the weekend.   Though it’s early in plans for the fall race, we will be doing the green flag program with the fans again.  

2. With the economy and unemployment issues in many areas of the US how has the track responded with special programs geared towards saving fans money?   We rolled back all of our ticket prices in 2009 and have continued that trend in 2010 with several ticket packages like the Family Four Pack, which includes four Cup tickets, hot dogs and Pepsi products.  

3. NASCAR announced that races would start at standard times in 2010. How will this effect the way that your facility plans events leading to race time?   We have generally had some of the earlier starting times, so we don’t think we will change anything because of the new times.  

4. There has also been talk about condensing the race weekend schedules. How does the track feel about this?   We don’t think we will see that here. We have three full days on track as it is now and it would be too difficult to condense to two days.  

 5. Families often travel long distances and incur significant costs just getting to the race. What plans or events are specifically geared towards children and their families?   Children 12 and under are admitted free to qualifying and the Kroger 250 truck race. We also have areas in the grandstands for the Cup races where children 12 and under are admitted for $10.   We also have a Kids Zone in our display area where everything is geared to younger folks. We also have some games and rides in that area.  

6. What makes your event a better choice for a sports fan compared to other sports?   One word: excitement. There’s nothing like watching a race at Martinsville Speedway. You are on top of the action all day long; you can’t escape the action.   And then of course there’s another word: value. Fans get more bang for their buck here than anywhere they could go in any sport.   And a couple more words: fan friendly. For more than 60 years, that’s been the mantra here and we’re working harder than ever on it today.   

7. Where can fans find up to date race weekend schedules and special deals for your race(s)?   www.martinsvillespeedway.com

Daytona 500 Winner Jamie McMurray Enjoys Victory Tour Through San Francisco

By
SM Staff
-

Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray celebrated his victory with a true taste of Northern California in San Francisco on Wednesday, complete with Dungeness crab, world-class chocolates and a bottle of Sonoma Valley wine.

McMurray (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet) took the checkered flag in the Great American Race on Sunday, and arrived in the Bay Area just three days later for a San Francisco Victory Tour onboard a motorized cable car led by a California Highway Patrol escort.

The appearance also marked the Official Countdown to the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at Infineon Raceway, June 18-20 (Father’s Day weekend). Race day is just 123 days away.

McMurray and his wife, Christy, enjoyed a one-of-a-kind tour of San Francisco, crossing the historic Golden Gate Bridge and visiting Grotto #9 at Fisherman’s Wharf. McMurray learned how to crack a Dungeness crab under the guidance of co-owner Anthony Geraldi.

The tour continued to Ghirardelli Square where the McMurrays received a basket of gourmet chocolates and were treated to ice cream sundaes.

The cable car ride culminated at Willie Mays Plaza, at the home of the San Francisco Giants, where McMurray greeted race fans and the Northern California media.

Giants Vice President Russ Stanley presented McMurray with an official team jersey, complete with his name and car number on the back.

“I have to say, New York was cool, but San Francisco has been awesome,” said McMurray after the tour. “The weather is beautiful and it’s so great to see the fans come out here. As a driver, you can’t imagine what this means to me. It’s been wonderful.”

Raceway President Steve Page also presented McMurray with a commemorative magnum of Sonoma Valley wine.

“What great representatives Jamie and Christy are for the sport,” said Page. “It’s terrific to have someone who is a great road racer and has a good history at our track win the Daytona 500. We’re really excited to see him back in Sonoma in June.”

Fans joined the Victory Tour onboard a fan-only cable car, which followed McMurray’s lead cable car on its celebratory route. The fans purchased seats on the tour as part of a special ticket package offered by the raceway, which included a weekend ticket to the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

“We’ve been to every race at Infineon Raceway, and my husband loves it,” said Angelina Valdez, from San Francisco. “This is the second year we’ve attended the fan rally at Willie Mays Plaza, and it’s just so cool to see NASCAR in the city.”

Q & A with Atlanta Motor Speedway (Race 4 & 25)

By
SM Staff
-

Speedway Media, is quickly becoming a “one stop shop” for NASCAR fans to find news and stories about NASCAR, NASCAR teams and drivers as well as the facilities that they race at. In order to promote our “Track News” area the editors of the site decided to ask a series of questions about the tracks and programs that they have this season.

Below are the answers to our questions. If you, the fans, would like to see items added to these track pages please feel free to note these in the comments below…

1. Can you tell us about the events planned around your race weekends this season both at the track and in the community?

Our race weekends center on our Sprint Cup races, the upcoming Kobalt Tools 500 on March 7 and our Labor Day weekend night race on Sept. 5., but each weekend also features an associate race on Saturday – a Camping World Truck Series race in March and a Nationwide Series race on Labor Day weekend – and Georgia Power Qualifying Night this March. In addition we have added a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race to Friday’s schedule this March.   Off the track, our in-house charitable organization, Speedway Children’s Charities, plans a number of events surrounding each race weekend. This March’s events include a Clay Shoot with David Ragan, the Fast Talk in Club One, and a Track Walk prior to the Kobalt Tools 500 on Sunday, March 7.  

2. With the economy and unemployment issues in many areas of the US how has the track responded with special programs geared towards saving fans money?   In addition to offering a number of fan- and family-friendly ticket packages, Atlanta Motor Speedway is working with a number of area hotels to provide affordable room rates that do not require a multi-night stay. The complete list can be found here: http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/fans/hotels/  

3. NASCAR announced that races would start at standard times in 2010. How will this effect the way that your facility plans events leading to race time?   While the standard start times might help facilities in planning events, the fans are best served by this change as they no longer have to check their local listings or favorite website to find the scheduled start time.  

 4. There has also been talk about condensing the race weekend schedules. How does the track feel about this?   You earlier inquired about saving fans money, and one way this can be accomplished is through condensing race schedules. With the success of our first Labor Day weekend night race and from hearing fan comments and reactions, our two-day race weekend was met very positively by fans. By hosting a two-day show, that’s one less ticket and one less night at a hotel fans will be spending their hard-earned money on.  

5. Families often travel long distances and incur significant costs just getting to the race. What plans or events are specifically geared towards children and their families?   Many of the aforementioned Speedy Children’s Charities events are family friendly, in addition to a number of activities that occur in our Display Lot. Atlanta Motor Speedway also provides a family-friendly, no alcohol and no smoking grandstand during many of our events. In addition, we have also made attending a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway more affordable for families by offering $19 student tickets to our Sprint Cup Series races and kid’s 12 and under will be admitted free of charge on Friday and Saturday with a paid adult.  

6. What makes your event a better choice for a sports fan compared to other sports? When compared to other sports, a NASCAR race is truly an extravaganza – an event that can span more than a week for the most passionate of fans. The culture and enthusiasm for the sport makes NASCAR more appealing, fun and captivating to many casual fans and the action – high speed on the high banks and a penchant for photo finishes – makes NASCAR racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway unlike any other sport.  

7. Why should a race fan pick your facility over any other track?   Fans should choose a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway because Atlanta often provides the best, fastest racing our sport has to offer on what is many drivers’ most-popular track. With drivers barreling three, four and occasionally five wide down Atlanta’s frontstretch approaching 200 mph, Atlanta Motor Speedway often features the best of NASCAR’s best drivers.  

8. Where can fans find up to date race weekend schedules and special deals for your race(s)?   Fans can find information on Atlanta Motor Speedway at www.atlantamotorspeedway.com http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com or they call the Ticket Office at (877) 9-AMS-TIX or (770) 946-4211. In addition, fans can follow Atlanta Motor Speedway on Facebook or Twitter (AMSUpdates).     Information provided by Matthew Simmons, Marketing & Promotion Coordinator of Atlanta Motor Speedway.

All about Hendrick?

By
Barry Albert
-

Daytona, Fla. – Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have secured the front row for the Daytona 500 held next week with lap speeds of 191.188 mph and 190.913 mph. “We hope to both raise our game this year, the No. 5 and the No. 88” said Martin.

Martin was the only driver to top 191 mph (47.074 secs) during qualifying and is looking for more speed. “That would be really cool to get in the 46.00’s. I’d like to thank Alan Gustafson, the GoDady.com team, and Hendrick Motorsports; I was just out there riding really fast. It sure is fun. It’s quite an opportunity to get to drive their stuff here.”
This is Martin’s 26th Daytona 500 and he has a good chance to win it. “It’s time; it’s time. You know we haven’t done it yet, so this is the best shot I’ve had, or as good. I had some really good shots and didn’t get it done, but think we have our best chance now.”
Earnhardt Jr. is trying to rebound from a horrible 2009 season and a second place qualifying result is a good start for the new season. “Man, it is fun to drive a car that performs like that. We have a little bit different wind situation but we were able to put down a pretty good lap. It was hitting the ground a little bit yesterday and that is slowing it down some.” Earnhardt Jr. said.
“This is nice, we just need to keep going; you know what I mean. We just need to keep going. We did a lot to get this, but you can never have enough good things happen to you.”
The Hendrick motorsports domination continues in the sport for at least the beginning of the Daytona 500. Hendrick drivers Jimmie Johnson qualified 7th (190.359 mph) and Jeff Gordon qualified 10th (190.050 mph), but starting positions will be set in Thursday’s 150-mile qualifying races.
“Those guys (No, 5 crew) have been working hard on their stuff. We expected them to be faster than us based on what they have done with their cars.” Johnson said of Martin’s qualifying result.
“I’m really proud of Hendrick Motorsports and the effort that’s been put out to come down here and be strong. And we were hoping for a little bit more than that. But we’ll take it and get ready to go race with the DuPont Chevrolet.” Gordon said.
Qualifying Results
Pos. No. Driver Make Speed Time Behind
1 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 191.188 47.074
2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 190.913 47.142 -0.068
3 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 190.577 47.225 -0.151
4 21 Bill Elliott Ford 190.573 47.226 -0.152
5 42 Juan Montoya Chevrolet 190.408 47.267 -0.193
6 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 190.359 47.279 -0.205
7 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 190.359 47.279 -0.205
8 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 190.118 47.339 -0.265
9 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 190.054 47.355 -0.281
10 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 190.05 47.356 -0.282
11 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 190.05 47.356 -0.282
12 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge 190.05 47.356 -0.282
13 82 Scott Speed Toyota 189.958 47.379 -0.305
14 47 Marcos Ambrose Toyota 189.757 47.429 -0.355
15 12 Brad Keselowski Dodge 189.737 47.434 -0.36
16 87 Joe Nemechek Toyota 189.709 47.441 -0.367
17 20 Joey Logano Toyota 189.693 47.445 -0.371
18 71 Bobby Labonte Chevrolet 189.665 47.452 -0.378
19 1 Jamie McMurray Chevrolet 189.593 47.47 -0.396
20 151 Michael Waltrip Toyota 189.454 47.505 -0.431
21 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 189.374 47.525 -0.451
22 0 David Reutimann Toyota 189.314 47.54 -0.466
23 98 Paul Menard Ford 189.294 47.545 -0.471
24 6 David Ragan Ford 189.282 47.548 -0.474
25 43 A.J. Allmendinger Ford 189.255 47.555 -0.481
26 99 Carl Edwards Ford 189.195 47.57 -0.496
27 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 189.072 47.601 -0.527
28 9 Kasey Kahne Ford 189.056 47.605 -0.531
29 36 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 189.052 47.606 -0.532
30 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 188.996 47.62 -0.546
31 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 188.865 47.653 -0.579
32 7 Robby Gordon Toyota 188.735 47.686 -0.612
33 56 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota 188.727 47.688 -0.614
34 78 Regan Smith Chevrolet 188.699 47.695 -0.621
35 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 188.628 47.713 -0.639
36 19 Elliott Sadler Ford 188.533 47.737 -0.663
37 16 Greg Biffle Ford 188.411 47.768 -0.694
38 132 Reed Sorenson Toyota 188.391 47.773 -0.699
39 190 Casey Mears Chevrolet 188.3 47.796 -0.722
40 13 Max Papis Toyota 188.198 47.822 -0.748
41 49 David Gilliland Toyota 187.766 47.932 -0.858
42 34 John Andretti Ford 187.512 47.997 -0.923
43 197 Jeff Fuller Toyota 187.363 48.035 -0.961
44 38 Robert Richardson Jr. Ford 187.289 48.054 -0.98
45 37 Travis Kvapil Ford 187.285 48.055 -0.981
46 9 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 187.278 48.057 -0.983
47 46 Terry Cook* Dodge 187.056 48.114 -1.04
48 26 Boris Said Ford 186.908 48.152 -1.078
49 66 Dave Blaney Toyota 186.254 48.321 -1.247
50 55 Michael McDowell Toyota 185.923 48.407 -1.333
51 175 Derrike Cope Dodge 185.04 48.638 -1.564
52 127 Kirk Shelmerdine Toyota 184.407 48.805 -1.731
53 192 Mike Wallace Dodge 182.678 49.267 -2.193
54 157 Norm Benning Chevrolet 180.607 49.832 -2.758

Harvick wins Bud Shootout for second consecutive season

By
SM Staff
-

Daytona, Fla. – Despite not having any practice laps due to illness, Kevin Harvick made the pass for the lead with two laps remaining in Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout and went on to win for the second consecutive season.

Heading into the final lap of the race, Jeff Gordon got into the back of Greg Biffle, setting off a huge crash that ended the race under caution.
“You don’t expect it because you know that you can wreck anytime at a plate race, but you don’t really expect it. When you’re behind Jeff Gordon, who is one of the sport’s best, and the 16 was on old tires. I don’t know, one of them got into each other and lost it or something.” Kenseth said.
Kasey Kahne finished second, Jamie McMurray third, Kyle Busch fourth and Denny Hamlin finished fifth.
Kurt Busch took a wide ride after contact was made with Mark Martin. Busch went through the grass and his hood came up onto the windshield. Unable to see where his was going, he slid back across the track and hit the outside wall.
“Tough night for our Miller Lite Dodge. I’m not sure what really happened. I’m just making more laps in the ambulance than I am on the track (chuckles). We still have two good bullets. I thought that I was in the outside lane, crossed into the middle; I was just trying to figure out the draft with the big restrictor plate. Man, I’m making a bunch of mistakes I guess.” Busch said. Martin immediately apologized for the contact.

Race Results

POS ST NO DRIVER MAKE LAPS STATUS
1 27 29 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 78 Running
2 15 26 Jamie McMurray Ford 78 Running
3 6 14 Tony Stewart Chevrolet 78 Running
4 28 24 Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 78 Running
5 18 44 A.J. Allmendinger Dodge 78 Running
6 14 9 Kasey Kahne Dodge 78 Running
7 11 99 Carl Edwards Ford 78 Running
8 25 17 Matt Kenseth Ford 78 Running
9 12 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 78 Running
10 10 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 78 Running
11 7 83 Brian Vickers Toyota 78 Running
12 1 98 Paul Menard Ford 78 Running
13 5 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 78 Running
14 21 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 77 Accident
15 24 7 Casey Mears Chevrolet 77 Accident
16 20 12 David Stremme Dodge 73 Accident
17 26 16 Greg Biffle Ford 72 Accident
18 9 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 64 Accident
19 8 96 Bobby Labonte Ford 63 Accident
20 22 0 David Reutimann Toyota 56 Accident
21 2 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge 54 Accident
22 17 55 Michael Waltrip Toyota 43 Accident
23 3 43 Reed Sorenson Dodge 36 Engine
24 23 31 Jeff Burton Chevrolet 32 Accident
25 4 82 Scott Speed * Toyota 4 Accident
26 16 6 David Ragan Ford 3 Accident
27 13 7 Robby Gordon Dodge 3 Accident
28 19 20 Joey Logano * Toyota 3 Accident

Trevor Bayne: One Step Closer to his Dream

By
Angie Campbell
-
(C)NASCAR

Trevor Bayne was born in Knoxville, TN and like many young boys played all kinds of sports including t-ball and football. His life took a different direction at the age of five when he began racing go-karts and discovered his true passion.

Since then, this talented eighteen-year old has accumulated 22 championships.

He spent eight years on the go-kart circuit and achieved three World Championships, 300 feature wins and 18 State and Track Championships combined.

The next stop was the Allison Legacy Race Series where at 13 years of age, Bayne became the youngest to win the Top Rookie award. In 2005, he became the series National Champion.

It was while racing in the Legacy Series that Trevor met Donnie Allison who would become one of his biggest supporters. Allison influenced Bayne both on and off the track.

“Donnie’s a great guy,” says Trevor. “He taught me a lot about momentum and really about how to treat people.”

Bayne’s first big break came in 2008 when Dale Earnhardt Inc. signed him to their driver development program. While there, he competed in the Camping World East Series, finishing fourth in the points standings at season’s end.

2009 started off with a bang as Trevor finished second in the Toyota All Star Showdown and won the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award. His season, however, came to an abrupt end when DEI experienced economic setbacks and Bayne lost his ride.

Just when things looked darkest, a chance encounter would bring Bayne, his second big break.

In February of this year, Trevor Bayne was introduced to Gary Bechtel and began a friendship that would change his life.

“We both share a passion for racing and became friends right from the start,” Bayne said.

Bechtel, former owner of Diamond Ridge Motorsports, worked with Michael Waltrip Racing and put together a deal for Trevor to race in the Nationwide Series in 2009. Trevor took full advantage of the opportunity.

“We put together a deal between MWR and Gary Bechtel to put me in the seat for 8 races. Well those 8 turned into 4 more races so we had 12 total.“

His Nationwide Series accomplishments include one pole, two top-10 and six top-15 finishes.

Trevor looks at 2009 as a success, saying, “We were able to prove ourselves in that amount of time.”

Obviously Gary Bechtel and Michael Waltrip agree with that assessment.

This month Bechtel and MWR announced the formation of Diamond- Waltrip Racing which will enter a full time Nationwide Series team in 2010 with Trevor Bayne as their driver.

“We had all the pieces, it was just a matter of putting all the pieces of the puzzle together,” Trevor said.

So far DWR has sponsorship for only nine races but Bechtel is committed to running a full schedule and giving Bayne the opportunity to compete for the championship.

“We expect him to be one of the frontrunners next year.”

However, Bechtel’s belief in Trevor doesn’t stop with the Nationwide Series. Bayne is also slated to run a minimum of seven Cup races in 2011 and an eventual full time Cup schedule by 2012.

Trevor is grateful for all the opportunities he’s been given and the promise that lies ahead.

But for now, he’s taking the advice of four time Sprint Cup Champ Jimmie Johnson who told him to “take it one step at a time, keep his head down and work hard.”

Trevor Bayne is living his dream and is passionate about his future.

“I can’t wait to get to Daytona next year to begin a race for the championship.”

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