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Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma’am – Travis Pastrana comes to NASCAR

By
Angie Campbell
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Michael Waltrip Racing along with Gary and Blake Bechtel has teamed up with Travis Pastrana to form Pastrana-Waltrip Racing. Pastrana, the star of MTV’s “Nitro Circus,” will compete in seven Nationwide races in 2011 and plan on running in 20 races in 2012.

Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images for NASCAR
Photo Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images for NASCAR

“I’ve been following NASCAR closely for years as a fan of the sport with competing in the sport a life-long dream,” Pastrana said. “I decided it was time to try and turn that dream into reality and with the help of the Bechtel family, Michael Waltrip Racing and Wasserman media group I’m now one step closer!”

This has been the most exciting Chase in recent memory but the news of Travis Pastrana coming to NASCAR in the Nationwide Series next season has me even more fired up.

Combine the adrenaline-fueled atmosphere of NASCAR with the no fear, anything goes approach of Travis Pastrana and anything is possible. It could be a crashing disaster or an electrifying roller coaster ride of success.

Wham!

One thing is certain; you won’t want to miss a minute.

Pastrana has been a star since the first ever MotoX Freestyle event at X Games in 1999 where he won a gold medal. He followed this up with two more gold medals in 2000 and 2001.

His passion and willingness to risk everything has made him a fan favorite. The excitement that Pastrana brings to any event is infectious. You never know what he will do. You do know that you want to be there to see it.

Bam!

Pastrana is perhaps most well-known for the first double backflip in the Best Trick competition at the MotoX Games in 2006. But his talents and the need to challenge himself always have him searching for the next adventure.

Recently, Pastrana has been focused on the rally racing scene. He’s the youngest ever U.S. Rally Champion and has to his credit over 150 wins, 22 event victories, and four straight Rally America National Championship titles. He has also been dominant at ESPN X Games Rally Car Racing events where he has earned two gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal.

Pastrana’s entry into NASCAR will surely bring a much-needed antidote to the vanilla interchangeable driver parade that has grown stale.

With a charisma that matches Dale Earnhardt Jr and a built-in X Games fan base, Pastrana could be the fuel to reignite NASCAR.

Thank you, Ma’am!

Matt Poole Waiting to go Green

By
Angie Campbell
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For most of us, life is all about change.

We start out with the hope and exuberance of youth but childhood fantasies fade away and are soon forgotten.

Matt Poole is the rare exception.

“From the very first time I saw and heard a race car, I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” he told me.

I first spoke with Matt about nine months ago and was inspired by his unique story.

His dream of becoming a racecar driver laid dormant most of his life but it was never far away from his heart.

When tragedy struck, he found the courage to pursue his heart’s desire.

Poole lost his mother suddenly to a heart attack in 2003 and he never viewed the world in the same way again. He decided to pay tribute to the one person who had always believed in him by pursuing a career as a racer.

What makes his story unusual is that his journey didn’t begin until the age of forty.

Some of his friends tried to discourage him and a few even called him crazy.  Matt just smiled and forged ahead with a determination that would not be shaken.

In 2005, he suffered another loss when close friend, Tonya Schultz, was murdered.

The tragic incident further strengthened his resolve.

His first big break came in 2007 when Chris Lafferty of Lafferty Motorsports signed Poole as a development driver. Finally, on July 21, 2007, he ran his first race at Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina.

Poole finished in 12th position. As a way to honor his mother and friend, he donated his winnings to one of his favorite charities, The Victory Junction Gang.

“I’m not doing this to become rich or famous,” Matt says, “I just want to race.”

In May 2008, Poole ran his second race at Hickory Motor Speedway, finishing in seventh place.

Poole stays close to the racing community at his day job at NASCAR Racing Experience as an instructor but every spare moment is spent chasing his dream.

I talked to Matt recently to get an update on his progress and to discover what he’s doing to accomplish his goal.

“I do all of my own PR and marketing, though I do have a dear friend who has been helping me by contacting potential sponsors as well as car owners in an all out effort to get me back in a race car.”

Poole also spends a lot of time networking on social websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

“I am constantly making phone calls, sending emails, talking to companies and team owners, and handing out business cards. I have been on motorsports radio shows, such as “Next Time By” hosted by Summer Dreyer on Blog Talk Radio, and in the near future I will be a guest on the “Speed Freaks” radio show. Articles about my story have also been featured on numerous motorsports websites and in a few newspapers.”

I asked Matt if all of his hard work paid had paid off.

“I had a potential sponsor that was very impressed with my story, my drive and determination. They expressed an interest in sponsoring me for a full season, but at the last minute they backed out.”

This sort of experience might make some people lose faith but Poole says that it only fuels his desire.

“Almost everyone I speak to about my dream has encouraged me,” he says.

For inspiration, Matt looks to drivers like Mark Martin and a childhood favorite, Morgan Shepherd. He recently had the opportunity to speak with Shepherd in the driver’s meeting at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“When he heard my story,” Matt remembers fondly, “He told me to ‘keep it up, to go for it.’”

Poole is doing just that.

“I won’t be happy until I get to Victory Lane.  I’m determined to get there, even against all odds.”

Potential sponsors and interested fans can learn more about Matt Poole by visiting his website at .

NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase Tracker: Hamlin, Johnson and Harvick With 2 To Go

By
SM Staff
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The AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday saw some twists and turns surrounding the Chase that will lead us into this weekend.

Denny Hamlin took the win with a pass for the lead with 29 laps to go to take over the point standings.

“What a run!” Hamlin said in victory lane. “Just can’t say enough for this whole FedEx team. I told everyone that I’d wait for three to go, and I felt that was the most aggressive I’ve been on a restart all year.”

With the win, Hamlin went from 14 points back to 33 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson, who finished ninth.

“It was just a long day,” Johnson said afterwards. “We just gave away so much track position at the beginning and it was tough to get back to where we needed to.”

The pit stop issues during the race that lost them that track position promoted an in-race pit crew swap between the No. 24 of Jeff Gordon and Johnson.

“It’s a professional sport, and you see it all the time,” Knaus said after the Texas race, as according to NASCAR.com. “If somebody’s out or somebody’s not getting it done, say in football, you get a different receiver in the game or a different quarterback, or whatever it is.

“Unfortunately, our guys weren’t hitting on all eight cylinders [Sunday], and we had an opportunity with the 24 crashing to bring those guys in. They did a good job. They came in and played relief, and I thought they did a good job [Sunday]. It’s unfortunate. I don’t like doing that stuff, nobody does. But it’s kind of your job.”

“I’m okay with it,” front tire changer Mike Lingerfelt said. “We’re all team players.”

This is a swap that is set to stay in place for the rest of the year as Knaus feels that the No. 24 team is a solid team that will allow him to win the championship for Hendrick Motorsports. It is something that many thought should’ve come sooner via the fact that the No. 48 crew had been struggling all year, specifically in the front tire area.

The last championship contender, Kevin Harvick, finished sixth after battling an ill-handling car and even tapping the wall.

“We had a good car,” Harvick said in the team’s post race report. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t think we’d be anywhere in the hunt after practice, and Gil (Martin) and all the guys did a great job getting the car ready. When it got dark, our Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet just went really loose, and we hit the wall. The pit crew was awesome today. We gained a ton of positions on pit road. We are still in this thing, and we are definitely looking forward to Phoenix.”

Harvick now went from 38 points behind to 59 points behind the lead.

The Sprint Cup Series now heads to Phoenix International Raceway for the second last event of the schedule.

Out of the three drivers left in the hunt, Johnson has the best average finish of 4.9 in 14 starts. In his 14 starts, he has four wins, nine top fives and 12 top 10s. Johnson has also won the past three fall races. The No. 48 team is also known for coming back from adversity and dominating so a win would not be a surprise.

Hamlin has an second best average finish at 11.6 in 10 starts. In his 10 starts, he has no wins, five top fives and six top 10s. In the past two fall races there, he has finished third and fifth. Despite this, Hamlin is slightly worried as he feels he didn’t get a good test at it in the spring due to his surgery. Also, despite finishing third last fall, he feels they didn’t have the car to earn that finish.

Harvick has the worst average finish of three at 15th in 15 starts. In his 15 starts, he has two wins, three top fives and six top 10s. Harvick has had mixed results at Phoenix in the past as they’ve been all over the place and in his past three starts there, his best finish is 13th.

Based upon this, Johnson should either close up on Hamlin or take back the points lead while Harvick slowly drifts further out of the hunt. Though we all know that anything and everything is possible (Texas proved that) so that’s why these races are run and sometimes, things don’t play out as we expect. These final two races look to be interesting.

NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: A tail gate party in the valley of the sun

By
SM Staff
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NASCAR’s Camping Truck Series will be transporting their tailgate party to Arizona’s valley of the sun at the Phoenix International Raceway. Friday night’s running of the Lucas Oil 150 is expected to be a perfect format for these high energy racing trucks. That’s because this speedway is a virtually flat one mile oval. That means PIR is considered to be a short track by modern day NASCAR standards and everyone, who follows this series, knows that NASCAR’s truck series shines on the short tracks.

THE STORY BREAKDOWN

The Phoenix event is the next to the last race of the season and it appears that Todd Bodine will be presenting Germain Racing with their second championship. Going into Friday night’s race the Toyota Tundra drivers holds a 230 point advantage over Aric Almirola while Johnny Sauter holds down third in the standings 304 points back. By the way that’s the second largest points lead in series history. If Bodine finishes the Phoenix race with at least a 195 points lead then the title is his. That’s very possible because Bodine has some very good stats at this track. He’s a former race winner there and, in six official series starts, he’s only finished outside of the top ten twice.

Still at issue is the coveted Owner’s Points Championship. Bodine also wants to present that trophy to the Germain brothers as well but it’s not going to be easy. Kyle Busch has similar plans for this title and would love to see his motorsports team take the owner’s title during its rookie season. Three weeks ago the Bodine team had a 39 point lead in the standings. But Busch has been on fire lately and now holds a 72 point lead going into Friday night’s race. While the lead is not mathematically insurmountable, it will be tough for Bodine and company to overcome this deficit with only two races left.

Is Indy Racing League superstar Dan Wheldon coming to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series next year? That’s one of the hot garage rumors these days. Sponsorship issues has left some serious question marks regarding Wheldon’s future IRL plans. The rumor mill is now saying that Wheldon has been having exploratory talks with Kyle Busch Motorsports regarding a future NASCAR ride for next year.

Series champion Ron Hornaday Jr may be performing double duty at Phoenix this weekend. Depending on the stork’s delivery schedule, Hornaday may be taking over the wheel of Ryan Newman’s #39 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race if Newman has to hurry home on maternity leave. The Newmans are expecting the arrival of their first child literally any day now.

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

THE RACE BREAKDOWN

The Lucas Oil 150 is 150 laps/150 miles around the Phoenix International Raceway’s one mile, practically flat, oval.

The race has 36 entries for a 36 truck event. That means the go or go home teams, those outside of the series’ top 25 in owner’s points, will get a free pass this week and all entries will make the race.

There has been 19 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Phoenix that has sent 11 different winners to victory lane. Ron Hornaday Jr and Mike Skinner leads the PIR win list with two each. Other previous race winners, in the the field Friday night, include Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch and David Starr.

The defending race winner is Kevin Harvick who is not entered in Friday night’s race. Harvick’s Childress Racing, Sprint Cup, team mate Clint Bowyer will be making his first series start since 2007 in Kevin Harvick Inc’s #2 Chevrolet Truck.

Friday night’s Lucas OIl 150 will be broadcast live by the SPEED Channel with the pre race set up show beginning at 730 pm eastern time.

Hamilton Brings Back Greatness

By
SM Staff
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For some people the 1996 Dura Lube 500 at Phoenix International Raceway is more than just another race. It’s the day reality came back to NASCAR and Petty Enterprises found victory lane once again.

Petty Enterprises was the Hendrick Motorsports of the first 3 decades of NASCAR. Wait, I take that back. Hendrick Motorsports loses every now and then. Petty Enterprises didn’t.

Richard Petty had 198 of his 200 wins at Petty Enterprises and 7 championships with the organization. Richard’s father Lee Petty won 54 races and 3 championships in his 16 years as a driver.

From 1949-1983 Petty Enterprises had won an unprecedented 265 races, including 10 championships and 9 Daytona 500’s.

Yet after the 1983 season Petty Enterprises and Richard Petty would be together no longer after family dispute opted him to move to Mike Curb’s operation and brought the 43 and STP over with him. Petty would win only two races in the two years with Mike Curb and cooler heads prevailed and Petty and his family run team would reunite before the 1986 season.

Yet the same success would never be found again. Petty would go winless in his final 7 seasons at Petty Enterprises before retiring in 1992.

The Randleman, North Carolina ran business would have three drivers from 1993-1995. First it was Rick Wilson, who ran the No. 44 STP Pontiac to one top ten finish in the 1993 season before being replaced by Wally Dallenbach, Jr for the start of the 1994 season. The familiar No. 43 would be back on the car as well.

Dallenbach wasn’t the answer either. He struggled and after missing six races, Petty Enterprises had seen enough and hired John Andretti to finish out the 1994 season.

In 1995 a driver from Nashville, Tennessee became available. That driver was Bobby Hamilton. Hamilton had had an interesting career until that point. He broke into the NASCAR Winston Cup Circuit by driving cars for the movie Days of Thunder. He nearly won the 1988 Autoworks 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, before a blown engine on lap 215 derailed his day to 32nd place finish.

Hamilton had moderate success on the NASCAR circuit. He won a 1989 Busch Series race at Richmond that impressed many people. Everyone thought the man needed a break. When Richard Petty came knocking, Hamliton had finally gotten his break.

Throughout the 1995 season it appeared Hamilton and Petty Enterprises were a good fit. Hamilton was giving Petty Enterprises its best point season since 1987. Hamilton would finish 14th in the standings with 4 top 5’s and ten top tens. All things pointed to a very successful 1996 season.

1996 did get off to a good start for Hamilton. After an 11th place finish at Talladega, Bobby Hamilton was 9th in the standings and had caught everyone’s attention.

Yet a mediocre middle of the season had left Hamilton and Petty Enterprises scratching their heads as to what went wrong.

By the end of the Southern 500 in September, Hamilton had dropped to a dismal 16th in the standings. Bad luck, with a combination of a single car operation may have taken its toll.

Or so we all thought.

However, after the Southern 500, Hamilton went on a tear. In the next four races Hamilton put together four consecutive top ten finishes. By the time we got to Phoenix in late October, Petty Enterprises were feeling pretty good about things.

Yet no one saw this coming. Hamilton had started 17th in the event and no one thought the Petty car would have a chance.

Yet Bobby Hamilton flew. Coming from 17th, he and crew chief Robbie Loomis would fix their racecar and figure out a way to get in front of race leader Dale Jarrett and on lap 153 Hamilton had the lead. The lead would change several times during the event.

Then Geoff Bodine took the lead with 52 laps to go. It looked like it may be Bodine’s day. But slowly creeping closer was Hamilton, who got to Bodine’s bumper with 20 to go, and passed him for the lead.

The fans at Phoenix International Raceway were witnessing something they hadn’t seen in over 13 years. A Petty Enterprise car going to victory lane. Finally the checkered flag fell and Bobby Hamilton added his name to the list of winners in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

Tom Higgins covered his last NASCAR race that day and wrote an article about it. He remembers a shocked Bobby Hamilton.

“I couldn’t believe it. Those last laps I thought I felt tires going down. I heard rattles and even thought the battery was shaking. My mind was running wild the last lap. There were three cars smoking and and I was concerned they would put some oil on the track. I’m so happy for Richard and Dale Inman and Robbie Loomis and the other guys on the team. They’ve worked so hard and have gone a lot of years without a win. To be the first to do it in this Pontiac since Richard means a lot to me,” stated Hamilton.

“The boys did good today,” said Petty, who was mobbed on pit road when the checkered flag fell. “I just sat and watched. Today, we had it all together. I thought Bobby had enough to take care of ’em there at the end, but you never know for sure.”

Higgins recalls tears in Hamilton’s eyes that evening in the press box. According to Higgins, most people in the box that day had tears in their eyes, happy for Hamilton and Richard Petty. Among those, Higgins recalls was the king, who under his glasses, Higgins sensed, his eyes were moist too.

Hamilton and Petty Enterprises would find victory lane just one more time before he and the organization parted ways before the 1998 season.

Petty Enterprises would win only one more race from that point on, in 1999 at Martinsville with John Andretti.

The organization would fold, following the 2008 season, but not before leaving countless memories on the sport, including the unforgettable day at Phoenix International Raceway, where Bobby Hamilton made even the King cry.

Ryan Newman Celebrates Veterans Day With 500 Faces Tribute

By
SM Staff
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Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 US Army Chevrolet for Stewart Haas Racing, will be celebrating Veteran’s Day in a very unique way, displaying the faces of over 500 veterans on his race car at Phoenix this weekend.  This special paint scheme will serve as a reminder of the real faces behind the uniforms that have sacrificed so much for their country.

“This is the first time I’ve ever had anything like that with people on the race car,” Newman said.  “I really think it is an honor to represent the US Army and it’s an honor to represent what they do and have done for us.  On Veteran’s Day weekend to have families of soldiers and to represent the US Army is really cool.”

The Army also appreciates what Newman is doing through this special honor on his race car for the Kobalt Tools 500.  Newman will be making his 17th career start at Phoenix International Raceway in this weekend’s Cup race.

“Every time Ryan Newman drives the No. 39 Chevrolet with the Army colors, he represents the more than one million men and women who proudly serve our nation,” Col. Derik Crotts, Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Outreach, US Army, said.  “For this race, with this paint scheme, we pay tribute to our heroes past and present and their families.  Every picture, each face, is a reminder of the sacrifice and service of the millions who have made our Army strong and our nation free.”

The faces on Newman’s car also represents the various generations of veterans, men and women, who answered their country’s call, from World War I to the present day conflicts.  One veteran in particular, Luis Rodriguez Jr., will be attending the race as a guest of the US Army race team.

Rodriguez, who is 85 years old, is a World War II veteran and a resident of Sahuarita, Arizona, just 15 miles south of Tuscon.  He served in the Army as a member of the 118th GeneralHospital, based in New South Wales, Australia.

Newman advises that in this case, he was not involved in the selection process for the faces on the car, which was all handled by the Army. 

“In this case, I’m just the driver,” Newman said.  “But I sure am honored to represent those people and those families.  It’s special to race on Veteran’s Day weekend and think about all those veterans who have given us this freedom we have through all forms and branches of our military.”

Newman is not only looking forward to racing with this special paint scheme on the car, but is also anxious to get back to Phoenix, which traditionally has been a good track for him.

“It is a good track for us,” Newman said.  “With two races left in the season and knowing that we’re coming back to the track where we won in the spring, there is excitement in that.”

Newman admits that at this time of year, with the season drawing to a close, the other main issue is maintaining the focus.  He also said the race will be different at Phoenix this weekend, which is a day race, compared to the night race he won earlier in the season.

“I’ll look forward to trying to get done what we did in the spring in the day,” Newman said.  “The victory gave us a huge lift when we needed one and hopefully the Phoenix track will give us the same lift again.”

While Newman acknowledges they are still wholly in the 2010 season, they are also looking toward how they will build on their success for 2011.

“It will be extremely important for us to come out of the box strong next season,” Newman said.  “We didn’t do that this season so that is something that is definitely on our minds to accomplish and make improvements on in 2011.”

In addition to racing with all of the veterans’ faces on his car, focusing on a repeat win at Phoenix, and getting ready for next season, Newman also has another important event on his mind.  He and his wife Krissie are expecting their first child, a girl, due Thanksgiving.

“Ron Hornaday is on standby for us,” Newman said.  “We have a lot of things going on.”

Newman plans to celebrate the actual Veteran’s Day by traveling, sans his wife who can no longer fly, to Phoenix for the race.  He will continue the honoring of veterans throughout the race weekend, especially the 500 plus veterans featured on his race car, and is looking forward to that.

“It doesn’t change the way I drive the car,” Newman said.  “What it does change is that, if and when we have that success, it is even more special.”

“I just want to say thank you,” Newman said.  “Thank you to the veterans for the sacrifices you have made in giving us what we love and what our families can appreciate.  We can never thank them enough.  Thank you.”

Can Mike Ford Deliver the Knock Out Punch in the Final Two Rounds of the Chase?

By
SM Staff
-

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase has boiled down to a battle of egos as much as a battle of drivers and teams trying to secure wins and points.

Mike Ford, crew chief for Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 FedEx Toyota, threw down the gauntlet at Texas Motor Speedway when he chose the pit stall in front of the Lowe’s No. 48 team.  It was payback for the same thing Chad Knaus had done to him at the Kansas race.

Ford has shown his ability to produce strong race cars and guide his team to eight wins this season and the lead in the point standings for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase. 

Now head games will play a part in the strategy between he and Jimmie Johnson’s team which is now Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 team.

Ford has had to go head to head with Knaus, who is a man possessed by the goal of winning championships for Hendrick Motorsports.  Knaus has done it four years in a row and intends to see Johnson get his fifth title this year regardless of what it takes.

Ford made the comment that the switching of pit crews during the race at Texas was “an act of desperation.”

Ford said, “I think our race team is better than their race team, and I’m not going to tiptoe around them because of where they’re at.”  He added, “I’m going to do what it’s going to require for us to win a championship–beat them…..I stayed focused on what we needed to do.”

Hamlin’s crew chief spoke about the No. 48 team watching them and said, “That means they are chasing and they made mistakes doing so.”

Hendrick Motorsports General Manager, Marshall Carlson, said, “I’m just surprised Mike Ford is thinking and talking about the 48 team so much.”

The battle of egos is very much on the driver level as well.  Jimmie Johnson has the four consecutive championships to boost his confidence and his prima donna status at Hendrick Motorsports.

Despite comments to the contrary at HMS about everything being about getting a championship for Mr. Hendrick, it is obvious getting Johnson’s fifth consecutive title is priority one. 

Hamlin has been coached by Joe Gibbs, his team owner and neighbor.  Gibbs is a master at coaching life skills just as we was at coaching football.

Hamlin has shown maturity and confidence this season.  He has walked the walk which was not easy with his knee surgery and talked the talk through eight wins this season.  Now the Virginia native has snatched the point lead from Johnson in the Chase.

With two races left, Ford has to continue to give Hamlin strong cars and not make  mistakes.  Perhaps the momentum is in his favor because of the shakeup at HMS with the pit crew swapping.

Knaus equated the change of pit crews to, “changing a spring or changing a shock or something like that.  You have to put the best components together to try to win a championship.”

So with two more rounds in the Chase left, we shall see if Mike Ford and his team can deliver the knockout blow to the No. 48 team and their chance to win the title this year.

NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Texas

By
Jeffrey Boswell
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Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

1. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin won at Texas, leading 31 laps in the AAA Texas 500 to wrest the points lead in the Sprint Cup standings from four-time defending Cup champ Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin entered with a 14-point deficit and left with a 33-point advantage.

“The No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota was awesome,” Hamlin said. “That’s what you call a five-star, triple-A, one-asterisk performance. My victory completes the season sweep at Texas, proving that I ‘don’t mess in Texas.’

Of course, I’m no longer the ‘hunter;’ now I’m the ‘hunted,’ and the proud owner of two imitation six-shooters. I’m the big gun now, so, among Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, I’m the straight shooter, while Kyle Busch is the loose cannon.”

2. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished ninth at Texas, behind his two closest Chase competitors, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick, who finished first and sixth, respectively. Johnson is now second in the point standings, 33 behind Hamlin.

“33 points is by no means an insurmountable lead,” Johnson said. “If asked by a distinguished gentleman if I could overcome such a deficit, I would confidently state, ‘I’m able to mount that, sir.’

But I could stand here and blame it all on my pit crew. They made so many errors, I wanted to go ‘Jeff Gordon’ on them. Which is actually what I did when Chad Knaus dumped the 48 crew for Gordon’s pit team.”

3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick battled to a sixth-place finish in the AAA Texas 500, keeping himself solidly in the hunt for the Sprint Cup championship. Harvick is third in the point standings, 59 behind Hamlin in first, and 26 behind Johnson.

“There’s a dogfight for the Sprint Cup,” Harvick said, “and a ‘catfight’ over Jeff Burton’s driving of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet. Both Burton and Jeff Gordon are well out of contention for the Sprint Cup, so I don’t know why all the fuss. Their conflict is much like the remnants of their cars after their accident last Sunday—a ‘meaningless scrap.’”

4. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth equaled his best finish of the year with a second at Texas, nearly taking the checkered before succumbing to Denny Hamlin’s charge. Kenseth jumped three places in the standings to fourth, 325 out of first.

“I had the lead,” Kenseth said, “but I couldn’t hold it. You could say I ‘lost first,’ while my teammate Greg Biffle lost ‘first and second.’”

5. Jeff Gordon: Gordon, who last won 18 months ago at Texas, came nowhere near winning on Sunday, finishing 37th after being wrecked by Jeff Burton under caution on lap 190. An angry Gordon charged Burton, shoved the driver of the No. 31 Caterpillar, and took a few swings at Burton as officials separated them.

“I’ve finally ended my winless streak,” Gordon said, “but only because I let my emotions ‘get the better’ of me.”

6. Kyle Busch: Busch finished 32nd at Texas, after a spin on lap 159 set off a chain of events that tried the limits of Busch’s emotions. After pitting, Busch was penalized a lap for speeding on the exit. Then, while serving his penalty, Busch gave a NASCAR official a long and hard look at his middle finger. Busch was then penalized another lap for unsportsmanlike conduct, and finished two laps down.

“Say what you will,” Busch said, “but that finger was there to remind me that I needed to be in first gear. If NASCAR officials don’t believe my explanation, then they are full of ‘shift.’”

7. Tony Stewart: Stewart was running sixth when he gambled during a caution on lap 328, opting for four tires while the other front-runners remained on the track. Stewart restarted 16th, and although he made up five places to finish 11th, he would have been better off staying out. He is now eighth in the point standings, 363 out of first.

“You know age and experience has changed me,” Stewart said, “when there’s a race with fisticuffs and a middle finger, and I’m involved in neither.”

8. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished 19th at Texas, the low man in a solid day for Roush Fenway Racing. Teammate Matt Kenseth finished second, while Greg Biffle led the most laps, 224, on his way to a fifth.

“I hate losing,” Edwards said, “almost as much as I hate winning, the Nationwide race, that is, and having to shake Brad Keselowski’s hand as series champion.”

9. Greg Biffle: Biffle led 224 of 334 laps in the AAA Texas 500 and finished fifth, his eighth top-5 result of the season. Biffle’s No. 16 Red Cross Ford was easily the class of the field, but he lost first and second gear with about 30 laps to go. He improved two places in the point standings to ninth, 372 out of first.

“Of all the drivers who had a right to be upset,” Biffle said, “I feel I’m the one who should have gone off the deep end. Instead, I showed restraint while Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch unloaded a season’s worth of frustrations.

Busch was particularly volatile last Sunday. I think it runs in the family. His brother Kurt was cursed with too much ‘ear,’ while Kyle was cursed with too much ‘finger.’”

10. Joey Logano: Logano finished fourth at Texas, leading 30 laps on his way to his 15th top-10 result of the year, best among non-Chasers. Logano has top 10’s in his last four races, and has served noticed that he’ll be a contender for the Cup next year.

“It’s hard not to become a better driver,” Logano said, “with the abundance of good examples being set for me by the veteran drivers. Between fights, failed inspections, foul language, and middle fingers, I feel I can finally become the driver I was meant to be.”

Speedway Media News and Bits

By
SM Staff
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Speedway Media News and Bits: For the NSCS

*Jimmie Johnson, to Honor Veterans in Scottsdale:

There will be a private concert and program with Johnson and local bands The Gin Blossoms and The Rembrandts.

*Phyzix Synthetics Signs Exclusive Partnership With NASCAR Performance.

NASCAR announced today that it has reached an exclusive agreement with Phyzix Synthetics, a division of Phyzix Automotive, to manufacture and distribute a line of NASCAR-licensed professional automobile maintenance fluids that will be designated as the No. 1 Professional Maintenance Fluid of NASCAR.

*” The Price Is Right” Welcomes NASCAR Drivers Clint Bowyer and Austin Dillon, Monday November 15.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star Clint Bowyer and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie Austin Dillon speed into The Price Is Right for a special NASCAR-themed episode Monday November 15 (11:00 AM-12:00 Noon ET: 10:00-11:00AM PT) on CBS. Bowyer and Dillon will present two NASCAR-themed showcases, featuring a trip to North Caroline to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, a trip to Miami to see the season-ending races in all three National Series at the end of November and a Chevy Impala LS.

*Penalties and Appeals for 11/09/2010:

NASCAR Penalizes Kyle Busch for actions at Texas Motor Speedway: NASCAR has fined Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota $25,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until December 31 for his actions during last Sunday’s race at TMS.

Busch, Violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing-inappropriate gesture and verbal abuse to NASCAR Officials). Of the 2010 NASCAR Rule Book.

The National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel heard and considered the appeal of the No. 46 Whitney Racing NSCS team. The penalties concern: Section 12-1, Section 12-4-J “Any determination by NASCAR Officials that the Race Equipment used in the Event does not conform to NASCAR rules”, and Section 20-2.3A “Unapproved added weight location and unapproved added weight. Lower A-frames were filled with weight pellets.”

This stemmed from the opening day inspection for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway on October 29, 2010.

The Penalties assessed were:

· Loss of 50 NSCS Championship Car Owner points for owner Dusty Whitney.

· Loss of 50 NSCS Championship Driver points for driver, Michael McDowell.

· $50,000 fine and indefinite suspension from NASCAR for crew chief, Thomas Tucker.

· Indefinite suspension from NASCAR for crew members: Tony Furr and Richard Boga.

The appellants requested and were granted a deferral of the suspensions and fine until such time as this hearing could be convened.

*NASCAR News and Notes for Phoenix: Race 35 of 36

*Kobalt Tools 500 from Phoenix International Raceway, Sunday November 14 at 3:00 p.m. ET. The race will be televised on ESPN, with pre-race starting at 2:00 p.m. ET; it will be aired on MRN/Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128. PIR is a 1 mile oval, and the race will consist of 312 laps for 500 mile.

*These are your Points Standings and Race for the Chase Driver Ratings coming Into Phoenix.

Rank Season

Last Driver

Driver Pts Wins Poles Week Rating

1. Denny Hamlin 6,325 8 2 2 95.6

2. Jimmie Johnson 6,292 6 2 1 107.3

3. Kevin Harvick 6,266 3 0 3 97.5

4. Carl Edwards 6,008 0 2 6 88.8

5. Matt Kenseth 6,000 0 0 8 85.1

6. Jeff Gordon 5,994 0 1 4 100.2

7. Kyle Busch 5,986 3 2 5 98.2

8. Tony Stewart 5,962 2 2 7 91.3

9. Greg Biffle 5,953 2 0 11 88.1

10. Clint Bowyer 5,928 2 0 12 92.7

11. Kurt Busch 5,890 2 2 9 91.4

12. Jeff Burton 5,852 0 0 10 97.0

*This week’s Spoiler: Mark Martin:

Martin is coming off a second-place finish at Martinsville, and 11th-place finish at Talladega and a third-place finish at Texas. Martin has made 27 starts at Phoenix International Raceway posting one pole, two wins, 12 top five finishes and 18 top 10’s including starting from the pole and winning the 2009 spring event.

*The Pre-Race will be a Salute to the Military:

To help NASCAR fans celebrate Veterans’ Day, PIR will pay tribute to the generations of men and women who have served or are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Kobalt Tolls 500 NSCS pre-race show beginning at 12:30p.m…

The pre-race show will feature more than 60,000 American Flags waving the grandstands donated by the Paralyzed Veterans of America and will also include the following:

*A “Welcome Home” ceremony for 150 guardsmen from the Arizona National Guard.

*Recognition of Arizona selections for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

*A performance by the U.S. Army Band.

*An aerial entrance to the track by skydivers carrying the American Flag.

*Display of 200-foot American Flag by Arizona Project Challenge.

*National Anthem by acclaimed trumpeter Dr. Jesse McGuire.

*F-16 fly-over by Luke Air Force Base

*Luke Air Force Base Honor Guard.

Thank you to all who have served and continue to serve our country.

Tom Hessert Set To Make Camping World Truck Series Debut

By
SM Staff
-

It was announced yesterday that Tom Hessert will be making his Camping World Truck Series debut.

This weekend at Phoenix Internationational Raceway in the Lucas Oil 150 and in next week’s Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Hessert will be driving the No. 9 Germain Racing Toyota.

Hessert got his start in racing through his father.

“My dad raced in sports car for a long time in the late 80s/90s and I grew up going to the races,” he told me earlier this year. “I went to my first race when I was two weeks old and fell in love with it then.”

His father has been such an influence on him that he calls him one of his idols.

“My dad was a big influence in my career and my life in general,” he said. “He was a good racecar driver and I learned a lot from him.”

This past year, the Cherry Hill, N.J. native finished second in the ARCA Series points standings this past season with one win, 10 top-fives and 15 top 10s, driving the No. 77 Cherry Hill Classic Cars entry for Cunningham Motorsports.

This past year included a lot of highs for Hessert as he won his first race at Iowa Speedway.

“It’s incredible,” he told me of the experience earlier this year. “It’s my first win in a quite awhile and to win it in that fashion and leading all those laps at Iowa Speedway in front of a great crowd and with the Camping World Truck Series teams being on hand and all those people in the garage area and on Speed, it couldn’t have been a better day.”

Down the road, Hessert hopes to be racing in the NASCAR ranks.

“Well, I hope and wish and dream that I’ll be in NASCAR, whether in a truck or Nationwide car or my goal obviously in a Cup car,” he said. “I know that’s a long way but nights like Saturday night go a long way in shortening that distance.”

To others out there who aspire to drive racecars and move up the ranks, Hessert’s advice is to learn as much as you can.

“Learn every time you get on the race track,” he said. “I know it’s cliché but don’t make the same mistake twice. You got to learn in this sport and you got take your knocks and keep plugging at it and put your head down and stay focused and do what you need to do, set up for the races and do what you got to do.”

Away from the track, Hessert likes to play lots of sports, work out and watch movies.

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