Home Blog Page 6599

Steve Arpin Looks to 2011 After Successful 2010 Season

By
SM Staff
-

This past 2010 season, Steve Arpin had his breakout year as it saw him having success on a magnitude of scales. It welcomed a solid year in the ARCA Series with multiple visits to victory lane and a chance to move up and run some Nationwide Series races for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Arpin was honored for his success at the 2011 Canadian Motorsports Expo as the 2010 Inside Track Reader’s Choice Awards Canadian Racer of the Year at the Highest Levels of International Competition.

[media-credit name=”stevearpin.net” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]“It was a complete success for us,” Arpin said of the season. “Everything about 2010 was a definite success. There was definitely some learning curves throughout the year. We accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish. We wanted to go out there and run strong, run strong consistently and run upfront consistently. We wanted to open eyes and get an opportunity at a higher level, and we did that with JR Motorsports. We won the most races in the ARCA series. Unfortunately with the timing of the deal with JR Motorsports, we weren’t able to compete for the championship in the ARCA series. But everything I learned, the progression I made was all a true success.”

The season started off solid for the Fort Frances, Ontario native as he finished 10th and fifth in the first two ARCA races of the season. Though following a win in the third race of the season at Salem, the season took a whole new course in a 24-hour period.

“I would say the coolest part of my career is a 24 hour span,” Arpin said of the moment. “Last year, when we won Salem on Sunday night and Monday morning, we signed Mike’s Hard Lemonade to sponsor the ARCA program and then Monday afternoon, Dale Jr. called me to drive his racecars. I say that has to be the biggest memory of my life.”

Arpin drove seven races for JR Motorsports in 2010, including a 10th place finish at Daytona last July. Arpin says that lessons learned there led to the ARCA Series success that he would have in winning three races, seven top fives and 10 top 10s. Arpin comes from a dirt background so he has worked at taking advantage of all the seat time to learn more.

“The biggest thing for me is that in my career, I’ve only got 47 asphalt races to this day and there’s a lot to learn,” he told me. “These are a whole different type of racecar so we’ve been really working hard at a developing myself, developing me to the point where I’m comfortable in every situation. Its not so much being comfortable, but making the right decisions and there’s a lots of things you got to learn the hard way and do wrong before you know what’s right, and we went through a lot of that. I shouldn’t say we went that a lot this year – we made a lot of wrong decisions in 2009 and I was able to go back and be put in those same situations this year and come out ahead of the game making the right decisions.”

For 2011, Arpin is working at continuing to run more NASCAR races to continue moving up the ladder and growing as a driver.

“I’ve got all my plans – I’ve just got to convince all the teams owners to go along with it,” he said. “We’ve been working feverishly on it and we actually had a lot of big meetings this past week. I’m not at liberty to say exactly what the plans are, but we’re hoping in the next two or three weeks that we have an announcement.”

Arpin has already been behind the wheel in 2011 season as he tested at Daytona for Venturini Motorsports during the ARCA test.

“The new surface is awesome,” he said. “It’s going to make for awesome racing. I tested twice there since the new surface has been down – the tire test for Hoosier and the ARCA test for Venturini Motorsports. Venturini had a whole fleet of fast racecars there; it’d be cool to go back there and drive one, but the new race track is going to make for awesome racing. I think you’re going to see the whole bunched up, nose-to-tail, a lot tighter, more so like you do at Talladega. But then in token with the transitions so much more aggressive at Daytona, it’s going to make for a lot of interesting scenarios throughout the race.”

Arpin would like to run the Daytona race, though is still working at locking down a deal to do it. He originally just went down to just coach Venturini Motorsports young drivers Hal Martin and Kyle Fowler, though ended up also testing a car for them.

“Billy brought me down as he knows I work well with the young guys and Kyle and Hal are doing absolutely great,” he said. “Hal has done a couple speedway races before so he knows a little bit more of what’s going on and Hal is really going to come on strong and fit in real good.”

With having a diverse background, Arpin has hit a lot of tracks throughout his career, whether dirt and asphalt, so it equals no wonder that he has a diverse list of favorites.

“Every time we go to a racetrack and at the end of the race, I say ‘God, that’s my favorite track’ and so, I couldn’t honestly tell you what my favorite track would be,” he said. “As far as dirt tracks, my favorite track by far is Deer Creek Speedway up in Rochester, MN. Asphalt so far – asphalt racing, every track is completely different. A short track – my favorite one would be Salem, just because it’s high-banked, its rough and you’re just up on the wheel every lap. And then you go to the intermediate tracks and that’s more of a mental focus. It’s more of a mental chess game as you have to figure how to use the air and do things like that right. So intermediate tracks, I’d have to say Texas for sure and Daytona is just Daytona – it’s the coolest place ever, just the history there.”

Florida United Promoters Late Model Series

By
SM Staff
-

Late model pavement racing in the state of Florida over the past few years has at best, been “iffy”.  Everyone involved in the sport were left scratching their heads trying to figure out why the premier division in short track racing was in such decline. It seems that the tracks outside of the sunshine state were doing very well with their late model programs, and promoters were anxious to run their next scheduled event, so, what was the problem in Florida?

[media-credit name=”Cg Photography” align=”alignright” width=”187″][/media-credit]First, lets’ look at short track racing in general. No matter how you shake it out, short track racing falls into the category of “entertainment” meaning the people that buy the tickets for the show expect to be entertained, to enjoy the experience, not to be left wanting more. Now how does this relate to late model racing you ask? Simple, you can’t put on a show with eight, or ten race cars, and expect the fans to flock back for the next scheduled show. This unfortunately seemed to be the root of decline in Florida.

Race promotion is a vicious circle, to get more race cars, you need to raise the purse, in order to up the purse you need more race cars, are you starting to see how this works? With this in mind, any promoter will tell you the Late Model Division is the premier class to schedule at your track; the Late Models will always draw a crowd. So, in Florida, it is not unusual to see two or three late model races scheduled on the same night at different tracks as promoters struggled to get their fair share of the market. Of course this strategy would fail. Low car counts would bring smaller crowds than expected, and leave the promoters to bite the bullet and ultimately go in the hole to cover the purse for the night. This left the promoters with a sour taste concerning the validity of the late models to draw a crowd, and the fans would express their displeasure that they paid good hard earned money to watch eight late models race.

As the 2010 race season was winding down, promoters throughout the state all knew something had to happen, not to just to keep the doors open at their facility, but for the betterment of short track racing in general. With this goal in mind, six promoters from six different tracks came together to resolve the differences, and work together. Thus the foundation of the Florida United Promoters Late Model Series.

[media-credit name=”Cg Photography” align=”alignleft” width=”210″][/media-credit]First they worked out a twelve race series, with each track hosting two races, this will allow a touring series within the state, and will be the only late model race on any given week end throughout the state. Care was taken to come up with a unified rules package that will allow the teams to compete without making major, costly changes to their cars, a simple tire rule, all six tracks run Hoosier tires, so all teams will race on Hoosiers. Hoosier has also signed on as primary sponsor for the series and will fund the points fund. Promoters also hired a race and technical director to take charge of the operation, and no promoter will have anything to do with the everyday nuts, and bolts of this series.  The purses will remain constant, and entry fees will be the same one hundred dollars for every race. Hoosier Tire will also be giving away two tires at each race. Additional sponsors are said to be in negotiations with the series, but there have been no formal announcements at this point.

Will the formation of this series bring the late models back to the forefront of Florida short track racing? Will it accomplish bringing the crowds back? Only time will tell, whatever the results,  this is a positive step forward, not only for the promoters, and late model teams, but for the race fan that supports  their local short tracks.  For more information on this new series visit www.auburndaleracing.com.

Positive Coverage From Day 1 of the Media Tour

By
SM Staff
-

With Charlotte Motor Speedway hosting over 200 journalists from all over the world for the 2011 edition of the “media tour” you were thinking that it might just be another tour were everything is great in the sport and here’s our new sponsors and uniforms.  In many cases that is exactly what it was as Earnhardt – Ganassi  Racing and Stewart – Haas Racing made quite a few announcements but nothing new (new sponsor for Stewart with Mobil 1, and the  annoying but lovable Energizer Bunny at EGR).

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]At EGR is where things took a bit of a surprising tour when emcee, Larry McReynolds decided to remind everyone there that we needed to be more positive when we cover the sport. He also said many of us make our living in the sport.  McReynolds said, “You all know that no matter what role you play, we’ve got to roll our sleeves up and we’ve got a lot of work to do in 2011 to get this sport back where it was at one time. I know it’s easy to write about all the bad things and I know it can’t all be about the good things, but … he continued, “If it’s television ratings, we know the ratings are down. How about also promoting that we’re second only to the NFL? If there’s 25,000 empty seats at Michigan, how about making sure you document there’s still over 100,000 people in those grandstands?

Really? I will tell you it was not well received by my peers in attendance. I have long thought that there’s freedom of the press but not in sports reporting. Many of us know how it works, we’re there to promote the sport and what is going on, not tear it up week in and week out about how bad everything stinks.

We made a stop  Stewart- Haas Racing where Tony Stewart said, “The first year was a learning year and a building year but, this past year, I think we all started the season a lot more comfortable in knowing what to expect. It’s definitely not easy, for sure.”  One thing that I noticed right away was that Stewart looked refreshed.

Stewart said that he did not think that things were going to be any easier with sponsorships. He said, “I don’t think that we’ve turned the corner on the economy side, yet. It’s very competitive. The work off the racetrack, between the car owners and sponsors right now, it’s probably more competitive than I ever imagined it would be. And, especially nowadays, I think it’s probably harder than it’s been in the past 15 or 20 years. The good thing is, you don’t see a lot of sponsors really leaving the sport. They just have been moving around a little bit.” Speaking about his own team’s sponsors, “I really feel fortunate to have somebody like Office Depot, that was here from day one, and that was when the economy started turning. They were one of the first people who wanted to be on board with us. And we had a great run with Old Spice, but having Mobil 1 on board now and having them come over in this economy is something we are really proud of.”

But speaking of feeling refreshed someone asked him if he lost weight. “I’m definitely not the guy to be adding a lot to the fitness comments,” he said to the laughter of the media and guests gathered. “I can tell you that my left hand controls the volume and the right hand controls the channel. That’s about the best workout regimen I’ve got. But I did start working out a little bit before the end of the year and changing how I eat a little bit.”

At EGR we had a great lunch (with some commentary) and it was confirmed that defending Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray and defending Watkins Glen race winner Juan Pablo Montoya were returning to their race teams in 2011. McMurray will have sponsors Bass Pro and McDonalds returning to the car but also added two new ones as well, WIDIA and LiftMaster.  

Montoya also looked refreshed (did he too lose weight?) He discussed how bad last season started with many wrecks and his hopes in making the Chase again this year after missing the 2010 edition.  The one thing that I was surprised about with Montoya was his position on racing in the Indianapolis 500 again regardless of any bonus for winning the Coca-Cola 600 and the 500. “It would be a nightmare,” Montoya said. “I race 39 weekends a year with Cup and the 24 Hours (at Daytona).  Add another month for Indy and I’d be looking for a new family. I don’t have to prove myself there. I’m happy where I am.”

Although Teresa Earnhardt was nowhere to be found both Felix Sabates and Chip Ganassi were present and seemed excited 2011. They should be. The team won 4 races in 2010 including two of the crown jewels of NASCAR by the No. 1 team of McMurray (Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400). They feel both teams will be in the chase and will be a factor in determining a champion. I tend to agree.

More photos by Brad Keppel of Day 1 can be found here.

Kurt Busch announces NHRA debut

By
SM Staff
-

After spending much of his off-season testing NHRA drag racing cars, Kurt Busch will make his first NHRA Full Throttle Series start at the 42ndt annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornational on March 11-13 at the Gainsville Raceway in Florida.

[media-credit name=”Courtesy NHRA Media” align=”alignleft” width=”250″][/media-credit]The stock-car champion will compete for one of 16 spots in the Pro-Stock class in his Shell Dodge Avenger for Allen Johnson and J&J Racing.

“Pro Stock is the tightest pro category as far as the elapsed time is concerned and it’s not going to be an easy task,’ Busch said. “I feel me teaming up with Allen Johnson and the Mopar folks, we’ve given ourselves the best opportunity to make the show.”

During one of his off-season tests, Busch earned his NHRA Pro Stock license with a speed of 210.43 mph at Bradenton, Fla. Last year’s top qualifier at the Gatornationals in the Pro Stock class was Mike Edwards with a time of 6.537-seconds and a top speed of 211.53 mph. Rickie Jones was the 16th driver with a time of 6.601-seconds at 209.10 mph. Under those circumstances and conditions, Busch would have qualified 11th with his off-season test time.

Busch competed in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series during the 2010 Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in a rebuilt 1970 Dodge Charger for Johnson. His time was limited due to weather and he finished with a first round loss.

“The 2010 event was an experience of a lifetime, the camaraderie with the sportsman guys was a truly fun experience,” Busch said. “Although it was tough to watch it rain for four days, the grassroots effort of the sportsman guys is what makes the true heart of NHRA racing.”

Tickets for the 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals are available by visiting www.NHRAtix.com or calling 800-884-NHRA (6472).

Penske Racing announces sponsorship for Busch, Hornish and Keselowski

By
SM Staff
-

Kurt Busch joins Coca-Cola Racing Family

Kurt Busch, the 2004 Sprint Cup Series champion, will join the Coca-Cola Racing family of drivers for the 2011 Sprint Cup Series campaign, Coca-Cola and Penske Racing announced Monday evening. Busch will be featured in many Coca-Cola in-store promotions this year as well as make promotional appearances for the brand.

[media-credit name=”Motorsports Images and Archives” align=”alignleft” width=”250″][/media-credit]“I am honored to represent Coca-Cola during 2011 racing season,” said Busch, who scored two wins and two poles in 2010, finishing 11th in the final Cup Series standings. “We’re looking forward to a great season as we transition to the No. 22 car and it’s awesome to have Coca-Cola on board for the ride.”
Busch finished 11th in last year’s Sprint Cup Series driver standings. He posted two wins last season.

The Las Vegas, Nevada native switched rides within the Penske Racing organization and will race the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger.

Alliance Truck Parts to sponsor Hornish in Nationwide Series

Alliance Truck Parts will be Sam Hornish Jr.’s primary sponsor for his NASCAR Nationwide Series efforts this season, Penske Racing confirmed today. Hornish’s ride in last year’s Nationwide Series finale was also sponsored by Alliance Truck Parts.

According to the press release, the sponsorship will be for at least eight races. Hornish is expected to race in at least ten events this season in the Nationwide Series. Specific events to be announced at a later date.

“It’s exciting to be able to return to the car and get a chance to represent the Alliance Truck Parts brand again this season. I know everyone at Penske Racing will be working hard to get the best results possible this year in the Nationwide Series.”

Hornish is moving from a full-time Sprint Cup Series ride to a full-time Nationwide Series ride in the Nationwide Series.

Ruby Tuesday to move to Brad Keselowski’s Cup ride

After sponsoring Brad Keselowski’s run to a Nationwide Series driver championship last season, Ruby Tuesday has expanded it’s sponsorship to the Cup Series for this season.

In addition to sponsoring Keselowski in nine Nationwide Series races, Ruby Tuesday will also have their logo on the rear deck lid of Keselowski’s No. 2 Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series.

“I am very excited to represent Ruby Tuesday again in 2011,” said Keselowski. “They were an integral part of our championship season in 2010, and I look forward to winning more races with them in the future. The fact that they have grown their relationship to include the ‘Blue Deuce’ is something in which we take great pride at Penske Racing.”

Keselowski posted two top-ten finishes last season, earning an average finish of 22.4. The 2011 season will be his second full-time season after making his debut in 2008.

Trevor Bayne – The Best of Both Worlds

By
Angie Campbell
-

Trevor Bayne has a knack for turning adversity into opportunity.

Lack of sponsorship led to an abrupt release from Diamond Waltrip Racing in September of 2010. But just as quickly, Bayne found a new home with Roush Fenway Racing and his future has never looked brighter.

On Friday, January 20th, Wood Brothers Racing announced that Trevor Bayne will drive the legendary No. 21 car during the 2011 season for a limited number of races in the Sprint Cup series.  He’s currently scheduled to run the first five Cup races of the season and then selected races during the remainder of the season. The goal is at least 17 starts with the possibility of more.

[media-credit id=9 align=”alignleft” width=”100″][/media-credit]
C)NASCAR
I’ve had the opportunity to speak with Bayne a few times over the last couple of years and there are certain things I’ve come to expect. He’s always well-spoken and passionate; the perfect interview subject.

But this time was a little different.

This was Trevor Bayne in overdrive and the joy in his voice was unmistakable.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this,” he told me. “I’ve had to keep it bottled up for the last month or so while we’ve been working on it. I’ve been really pumped up and now I finally get to let it all out.

“I ran my first Cup race with them and now I’m going to get to continue with them this year. I think its awesome news.”

“They’re one of the longest standing NASCAR teams and then here I am, their youngest driver ever, so you get a little bit of both worlds.”

We talked about his first full season in the Nationwide Series and the experiences he’ll take with him as he begins the next stage in his career.

“I learned you have to be consistent. It doesn’t matter if you win every race or finish fifth or tenth. You have to be around at the end of every race. There’s no way you’re going to win a championship if you put your car in situations it shouldn’t be in.”

Another thing that sets Bayne apart from other young drivers is his ability to learn from not only the good, but the bad experiences, as well.

His unanticipated release from Diamond Waltrip Racing taught him a valuable lesson.

“Every time it seems like things are falling apart, another door opens and that’s the way it happened for me. I’m really fortunate to have these kinds of opportunities. It would be easy to point fingers or be upset about things and sometimes I feel like that. But for the most part, I try to look for that next opportunity and keep moving forward.”

Bayne is thrilled to be part of the Roush Fenway Racing team and his new alliance with Wood Brothers Racing is the icing on the cake.

His enthusiasm is infectious as he talks about his latest opportunity with the legendary team.

“You can go into their shop and almost see a piece of every bit of NASCAR since it started. It’s really cool to see that within one team. They’ve been around for everything and you can’t buy that kind of experience.”

While Bayne has been testing the No. 21 car, he’s spent his down time soaking up the atmosphere and listening to tales of the “good old days.”

“Since we’ve been down here in Daytona they’ve been telling me stories about what people used to do, just all kinds of crazy things that no one would even think about doing now or they’d be in NASCAR jail,” he joked. “It’s been really cool to hear the history.”

Bayne isn’t worried that he might be over-extending himself by running in both the Nationwide and Cup series. Instead he looks at it as opportunity for growth.

“I’m 19 years old, I’ve got all the energy in the world and I need to use it and get as much experience as I can. Obviously this is a much higher tension, more pressure situation than I’ve had in the past but I think it’s going to help me grow a lot faster, being in the seat that much.”

I asked Bayne about his plans for the future but for right now he’s happy living his dream and savoring each moment.

“I’m going to take things one step at a time. No matter how far you plan ahead, no matter how long a contract you have, no matter what anyone says, everything can change in the matter of a month or a week.  I’ve learned to make the most of what I have while I have it. I think if we do that other opportunities will come and we’ll take those when they get here.”

Trevor Bayne is bursting with energy and loving every minute of his life. Add talent and determination to the equation and you have a recipe for success.

As we ended the interview, something Bayne said, struck a chord.

“When you look around the shop you can just tell there are a lot more stories to be written.”

I can’t help but picture future generations of drivers listening to stories of Trevor Bayne and how he wrote a new chapter in the legacy of Wood Brothers Racing.

Hard Cards Available at NASCAR Hall of Fame

By
SM Staff
-

Every race fan dreams of having a NASCAR hard card, which provides full access to the garage area, the drivers, and all of the behind-the-scenes action at every NASCAR race. While limited only to those involved full-time at the top levels of the sport, every fan can now get a hard card just by visiting the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Indeed, upon entry to the HOF, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, I received my very own hard card personalized. I used it throughout the building, from the opening film about the history of the sport to participating in the myriad of interactive exhibits throughout the Hall.

After hard carding my way into the Belk High Octane Theatre for a massive screen NASCAR movie adventure, I used my card to wind my way onto Glory Road. Here, poised on a race track with several degrees of banking, were actual race cars, from the Hudson Hornet to Jimmie Johnson’s most recent championship No. 48.

My hard card gave me access to go up onto the track and snap a picture of those race cars coming right at me, as well as access to try out the banking at Daytona, which I admit that I would have tumbled down without the hand rails to which I was holding on for dear life.

With my hard card in tow, I entered the Hall of Honor, which featured the five inaugural inductees: Junior Johnson, Richard Petty, Bill France, Sr., Bill France, Jr., and Dale Earnhardt. As we entered the room and paid tribute to these jewels of the sport, almost a hush fell upon us.

I also did indeed get misty-eyed when I saw that famed black No. 3 car, complete with many mementos from the Intimidator’s days gone by and glory lost just ten years ago.

After leaving the solemnity of the Hall of Honors, I took myself and my card and headed to the interactive exhibit area. This was where the fun began, as my hard card was my access to accumulating points, fueling the competition with others in everything from hoisting a gas can to removing those pesky lug nuts during a pit stop.

One of the most interactive areas in the Hall was solely designed for children, focusing on educating the next generation of NASCAR fans. The best part of that section was seeing the memorabilia from the childhoods of the likes of Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Jimmie Johnson. They were so cute as little boys and just a bit geeky, too.

Another interactive exhibit in this section allows the hard card holder to actually call a race. Donning the headsets and microphone, I suddenly discovered how difficult that actually was and have renewed respect and regard for the MRN, PRN, ESPN, and all of those broadcast professionals who call the races for us each and every weekend.

My favorite interactive exhibit was the race simulators, whereby you could race other fans sitting in actual race cars, driving like you stole it. Yes, I do realize that this is all simulated, but after five minutes, I was definitely working up a bit of a sweat trying to keep my car on the track and out of the way of all the others who were intent on either passing or wrecking me.

I am pleased to report that, after a rather difficult start, during which I did indeed pass the pace car, resulting in a trip to pit road to serve my penalty, I got the hang of it and actually stayed out of harm’s way. In fact, I finished first and then promptly ran over the official on my way to Victory Lane, a first, or so they tell me at this exhibit.

Waving my hard card, I admit that I immediately hurried over to get my picture taken with the Sprint Cup. And yes, I did hold up my index finger, strike the No. 1 pose, and yell woo. Unfortunately, thanks to my hard card and my debit card, I have the pictures to prove it.

My NASCAR Hall of Fame hard card took me inside a race team hauler, inside a race shop of days gone by, and right past the exhibit filled with various race trophies, from the Martinsville Grandfather’s clock to Dover’s Miles the Monster.

I was again moved to tears by the room honoring those lost in racing, including most recently NASCAR PR executive Jim Hunter, and moved to laughter by the staff person waving the yellow flag vociferously in the race flag display.

My final hard card stop was to purchase my souvenir pictures from my visit and shop in the Hall of Fame gift store. Unfortunately, the big-screen television there showed the NFL playoff game, but I am sure that will change in just a few short weeks when the cars return to Daytona’s track.

So, you’ve got to get your own hard card for a once-in-a-lifetime NASCAR experience. I will keep my card in a safe place in my wallet for the next time I make the trek to Charlotte, and I can’t wait to see what’s next at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick Will Be Sentimental Favorites on Tenth Anniversary of Earnhardt Sr.’s Passing

By
SM Staff
-

One of them is his son. The other drives his car.

The 53rd running of the Daytona 500 will see both men attempting to win the Great American Race for the second time. And now more so than ever they’ll be the sentimental favorites.

Not as if they normally aren’t with the fan base each possess, but this year with the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt’s death those fans are looking for an emotional victory.

[media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”240″][/media-credit]When Earnhardt died on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 it forever linked Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick. It forever made them two drivers fans would always cling to when thinking about Earnhardt Sr.

As the son, Earnhardt Jr. has been cursed with unnecessary expectations. As the man picked to drive his car, Harvick was given big shoes to fill. They both have honored the Intimidator in their own ways while creating a legacy of their own.

The passing of his father brought Earnhardt Jr. more fans and attention than he already had. Greatness once expected with time became greatness expected now, become his father.

Success he enjoyed in his rookie year, winning his first race at Texas and becoming the first rookie to win the All-Star race, was shared with dad in victory lane. A family sport had one its greatest families stealing the headlines.

Then, dad was gone and ‘Little E’ was on his own and forced to become the man of the household.

As a new season begins and another Daytona 500 approaches, along with another anniversary, Earnhardt Jr. will be bombarded with questions about his father. It may even be blessing in disguise from talking about another disappointing year, 2010, and the changes at Hendrick Motorsports over the offseason.

“You know, you think about your parents all the time,” Earnhardt Jr. said last week during preseason testing. “I think about him and my mother all the time, especially getting back to racing.”

Getting back to racing seems quite different when having to start the season off at the same track that took his fathers life. Except, Earnhardt Jr. not only enjoys racing at Daytona but enjoys being able to carry on the success of the Earnhardt name at the track.

In 2004 when he won his first Daytona 500 it came five years to the day that his father has won his first. Last July Earnhardt Jr. drove a blue and yellow No. 3 to victory lane at Daytona in a Nationwide Series race and the sport went into a frenzy.

Big headlines accompanied a big celebration. There were beer baths in the grandstands. Three fingers were raised high above their heads. It was a great night to honor a man that will always be a champion of the people and great night for Earnhardt Jr. to make dad proud.

“He was intimidating like they say,” said Earnhardt Jr.

“He was like that as a father when he was at home. You wanted to please him all the time, make him happy and you wanted to – whatever you did – you wanted it to somehow get a response from him,” he continued.

“My dad was there to guide me in a lot of good directions that helped me out a lot. I tried to have some of the same good qualities that he had. The qualities that I enjoyed about him, I tried to emulate those as best I could and keep those qualities as well because I felt like it made him a good person.”

Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t seen victory lane at Daytona in the Cup Series since 2004. While he’s picked up where dad left off in plate dominance, the last few years have been tough to swallow. Hope is not lost, however, Earnhardt Jr. has been magic in emotional races in the past.

Long live the 2001 Pepsi 400.

Just like long live the 2007 Daytona 500. Richard Childress had not been to victory lane at Daytona since 1998 and after the last lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001 he thought about giving it all up.

Six years to the day and on the last lap again, Harvick reminded Childress why he had made the right decision. A pass on Mark Martin put RCR back on top and put Harvick in the history books.

It was a long journey not just for Childress but for NASCAR, the fans and for Harvick himself.

“I was very uncomfortable with it in the beginning, didn’t like it, didn’t want to be a part of it,” Harvick said of the emotions of being the successor to Earnhardt.

“You know as the last three or four years have come, I’ve learned to become more comfortable. And I think the biggest reason is we’ve been able to accomplish a lot of things on our own. So that for me is something that makes me a little bit more comfortable with it. And the hardest part for me to learn was just the fact that a lot of times it wasn’t somebody trying to make you do something like he did, it was just somebody complimenting on things that he did and things that we’ve been able to do.”

His feelings are understandable. Harvick was still trying to make a name for himself in 2000 in the Nationwide Series before being handpicked by Childress to replace Earnhardt. In the wake of losing a hero, friend and boss and having never made a start in the Cup Series, it was a tall order for Harvick.

Every eye was on him. An emotional win in Atlanta three weeks after the ill-fated Daytona 500 helped relive the pain. Then there were times when it felt like Earnhardt wasn’t gone because of the actions Harvick found himself in.

A Truck Series altercation at Martinsville led NASCAR to benching him for the Cup race a day later. After being wrecked at Bristol by Greg Biffle he ran down pit road, jumped over the car and grabbed the driver, exchanging heated words.

Harvick has never been one to shy away from speaking what at times has been the truth or what he’s feeling. Losing Earnhardt made it become a bigger story and happen quicker than most anticipated.

“I think everything we did was backwards,” said Harvick.

“I went into 2000 and we never had anything. We had always beat my own path as we went along. Same thing happened in 2000 with starting the Nationwide program, get to 2001 and you’re planning on racing for a championship in the Nationwide Series and running a few Cup races – just signed a new sponsor for Cup the year – and then it all changed.”

Harvick was practically thrown to the wolves.

“Instantly it’s like everybody knows your name, everybody knows what you’re doing,” he said.

“You start from the wrong end of the spectrum and you don’t have time to learn. You have time to learn what you’re supposed to say, when you’re supposed to do things, how you’re supposed to do it.”

As time has gone on Harvick has learned to do a lot of things. Last season he was the best through the first 26 races and almost gave Childress his first championship since 1994. Again fans flocked to him, those looking for someone to beat Jimmie Johnson and others who wanted to see RCR again the best in the business.

Harvick has also become one of the best restrictor plate racers of his time. In 2010 he won two of the four plate races and will roll into Daytona this season again a favorite. And again he’ll roll into Daytona thinking about how where he once was and where he is today.

“I think as we went into that situation you start off with the biggest press conference that you’ll ever have in your whole career,” he said of 2001.

“You have more fans than you’ll ever have and you don’t know how to manage your time, you don’t know how to manage your money, you don’t know what to say, and all of a sudden you have all that stuff at once. So instantly I just put up my defense and it was easier just not to talk about it. I was 25 and didn’t really know exactly what direction that life was going to go, and instantly you had everything that you wanted but you didn’t have to do anything for it. So it just didn’t all make sense to me.”

What would make sense? Seeing either Earnhardt Jr. or Harvick back in victory lane at a track that changed both their lives 10 years ago.

Dale Jarrett, Tom Higgins, Waddell Wilson Receive Honors

By
SM Staff
-

Dale Jarrett, 1999 Cup Champion and three-time Daytona 500 winner, Waddell Wilson, engine builder and crew chief, and Tom Higgins, noted NASCAR journalist, were inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in a grand style in Charlotte this weekend.

[media-credit id=11 align=”alignright” width=”237″][/media-credit]The three inductees joined other NMPA Hall of Fame notables including Bobby and Davey Allison, Neil Bonnett, Dale Earnhardt, A.J. Foyt, Barney Hall, Harry Hyde, and Junior Johnson just to name a few.

Father Ned Jarrett gave the induction speech for his son Dale.  He noted how proud he was that his son had followed in his footsteps not only in his racing career but now in his broadcasting career as well.

“We truly have been blessed in our careers, both Dale and I, to have been able to share a lot of good things together along the way,” Jarrett said.  “For him to follow in my footsteps as a driver and now as a broadcaster is very, very special.  Those of you who have children know what that means.”

Ned Jarrett also noted how important 2011 has been and will be for the Jarrett family.

“A number of good things are happening in 2011,” Jarrett said.  “First is Dale being inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.  It was announced last week that he was also elected to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.”

“And it has been documented that I will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year,” Jarrett continued.  “So, 2011 is a very special time for us and our family.”

Jarrett noted that there have been many opportunities for he and his son Dale to share in the sport of NASCAR.   The most special of all, however, was being able to broadcast the Daytona 500, pronouncing his son Dale as the winner.

“To do the things that we’ve been able to do together, like him winning the 1993 Daytona 500,” Jarrett said. “I was working with CBS in the booth.  That was a very, very special moment for us and it turned out it was a very good moment for the sport of auto racing too because that moment has been shown a lot over the years.”

Jarrett noted that his son was also an all-around “sports nut”.  He, as did many others in their tributes to Dale Jarrett, noted his prowess not only on the race track but also on the golf course.

After accepting the presentation by his father and donning the grey NMPA Hall of Fame jacket, Dale Jarrett took a moment to pay tribute to his fellow honorees, as well as the many other honorees in the room.

Jarrett thanked Tom Higgins for “always being a great friend, treating me fairly from the press, and having fun on the golf course” and recognized all of the support he had been given by Waddell Wilson, especially as he struggled with his own Busch Grand National team.

“Whether it be a gear that I needed that he loaned me and never charged me anything to sharing a closed test at Daytona,” Jarrett said.  “These are the things that most people don’t know about that are so important.”

While Jarrett thanked and recognized many in the room who had helped him in his racing career, as well as his current broadcasting career, the most powerful moment of his remarks came when he was recognizing his family, his parents, his wife, his two sons Zach and Jason, his sister and brother-in-law, who were with him for the celebration.

“It’s a tough business we’re in,” Jarrett said.  “When you’re on the road all the time, it makes it pretty difficult.  I was fortunate that throughout a lot of my career, I had my family there. That helped ease things.”

Another famous NASCAR family  member, Kyle Petty, made the induction remarks for engine builder and crew chief Waddell Wilson.  He noted how Wilson’s career as an engine builder at Holman Moody launched his success including winning 109 races, 123 poles and three championships, two with David Pearson in 1968 and 1969, and one with Benny Parsons in 1973.

Petty also noted that the Daytona 500 was a special race for Wilson, just as it had been for Dale Jarrett. Wilson won three Daytona 500s, as crew chief to  Buddy Baker in 1980 and with Cale Yarborough in 1983 and 1984.

“I’m here for Waddell,” Petty said.  “I talked to Waddell the other day and I asked Waddell why am I introducing you.  And he said ‘Because the Pettys have always been a pain in my ass.’

When Wilson took the stage to don his NMPA Hall of Fame jacket, he did indeed reminisce about many aspects of his career, especially chasing after the “Petty blue” cars.  He not only drove in his career, but became one of the sport’s most noted engine builders and crew chiefs.

Steve Waid, himself a noted journalist, introduced the final inductee and his best friend Tom Higgins. Chronicling many of their exploits together, Waid paid tribute to a man that chronicled some of NASCAR’s most interesting times, especially its years of growth and expansion.

Higgins started his career at the Asheville Times in 1958, eventually writing for the noted Charlotte Observer. He was one of the first reporters to cover the sport on a full-time basis and did so until his retirement in 1997.

When Higgins took the stage for his induction, he told story after story about the special people that he had met in the sport.  He was especially emotional telling some of the tales of his favorite drivers who he counted as friends, from Cotton Owens to Dale Earnhart, Sr.

Kyle Petty summed up the honors best for Higgins and all three inductees.

“This is a big deal,” Petty said.  “I grew up in the sport when there wasn’t a lot of media.  Higgins and Steve (Waid) were two of the first.  The group that we had looked after the sport and protected the sport.”

“The sport has gone on to higher heights but the foundation that these inductees laid, we’re not here in this room,” Petty continued.  “It’s important to touch base with that and to continue to educate the new fans.”

NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: 500 to 400 miles is a very good idea

By
SM Staff
-

A few years ago former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Bobby Labonte was asked about his thoughts about increasing the excitement level during Cup races. Without a seconds hesitation Labonte replied “shorten the races.” As I read his thoughts on this matter I quickly realized that Labonte was right with this assessment. Chopping 100 miles off of many of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup races is actually a very good idea.

This point was proven this past October when the Auto Club Speedway decided to roll the experimental dice and delete 100 miles from their annual signature event: the Auto Club 500. The result was simply astounding and the event concluded with Tony Stewart taking the checkers over Clint Bowyer by a mere margin of 0.466 seconds. It was one of the closest finishes in the track’s history.

Now bear in mind that this massive two mile, D shaped oval, located in Fontana-California has endured a great deal of motorsports themed criticism over the years. The press often called the racing there “tedious” and then often picked apart the track, its races and even its special promotional efforts.

I have to concede that there were times over the years that the top ten leaders were a little strung out during these races especially during the middle portions of the events. That’s when I started casting my eyes towards the middle of the pack around positions 20 through 30. This racing often featured teams with limited sponsorship programs. These teams were racing hard because every position gained meant a slight financial bump in the pay check for their owners. These teams were often racing to maintain their status in NASCAR’s top 35 in owner’s points to insure a guaranteed starting berth for next Sunday’s event. I recalled often flinching as I watched these cars race four, sometimes even five, wide heading towards the turns and wondering if they were going to make it without crashing. I never again allowed anyone to tell me there wasn’t good racing at this track.

I also recall reading critical reports regarding this speedway that were often unfair and sometimes totally ridiculous. I vividly recall a racing column; published back in 2007 that spent two paragraphs ripping the speedway apart because they had ran out of asparagus tips in the media lounge. The speedway invited this writer to their event, gave him unfettered access free of charge, fed him, spent the better part of three days practically kissing his backside and then he rips them up over asparagus? As ridiculous as that sounds, criticisms of this track at this level were more often the norm as the exception.

Isn’t it amazing how all of that changed during a late Sunday afternoon last October? By the conclusion of last year’s Auto Club 400 the very same critics, who were looking for something negative all weekend long, were now saying it was the best Fontana race since the track’s inaugural event back in 1997. Everyone was raving about the intensity of the Auto Club 400. Driver Clint Bowyer probably stated it best when he said “they say you’re only as good as your last race. Well, for this place, that was one hell of a race.” Isn’t it amazing that all of this new found respectability stemmed from the simple decision of shortening the event 100 miles?

With that decision, came a new level of intensity in the Auto Club race. The drivers knew they would have to mount a charge to the front earlier than usual. Crew chiefs were acutely aware that they now had one less pit stop to massage the handling of their cars. Pit crews were aware that one less stop meant every second spent on pit road was now more important than ever.

Fans can now expect more of the same in 2011. Knowing a great situation when she sees one, speedway President Gillian Zucker recently announced that this year’s Auto Club sponsored race will also be 400 miles. NASCAR’s only stop in southern California is set for the weekend of March 27th and there’s already talk regarding the anticipated excitement level of this event.

The Auto Club Speedway staff has a long reputation for their willingness to think and work outside of the box. The result has often been some rather unusual, but fun, themed ticket promotions. They have already launched some of those promotions for the race in March and many of them are extremely affordable and fan friendly. They can all be found at www.autoclubspeedway.com.

Whether you’re sitting in the speedway grandstands March 27th or at home watching the race on Fox Sports, don’t be too surprised if you get treated to an intensely exciting Auto Club 400.

Then ask yourselves why the other tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule aren’t shortening their race distance as well.

1...6,5986,5996,600...6,648Page 6,599 of 6,648