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Ty Dillon and Kyle Fowler Make Up Front Row for ARCA Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignleft” width=”258″][/media-credit]When the green flag drops tomorrow for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, two 18 year old drivers will lead the field to the green flag.

Richard Childress’ grandson Ty Dillon (No. 41 University of Northwestern Ohio/Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet) won the pole with a lap of 48.509 seconds (185.533mph) to win the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell. This is the fastest lap that has been run at Daytona since Kirk Shelmerdine in 2001 with a pole speed of 187.352mph. 

“It was really special to me. I’ve been coming here for a long time since I was a little kid to see my grandfather, watching races, watching qualifying, and this being my first time at a superspeedway and to have this car get the pole is really special to me,” Dillon said. “I’m glad we could do it with UNOH.

“Our team has definitely worked hard enough so that we have one of the best cars in the garage. I believe we can definitely win this race tomorrow. I just have to be patient; we have the car to do it.”

This marks the start of a solid weekend for Dillon, who is trying to go for his third consecutive win in a row after winning the final two races last year – Kansas & Rockingham. Dillon has also been running a dirt modified at Volusia Speedway Park each night to get more experience.

“I think it just helps me with my experience, getting as much seat time as possible,” he said. “It’s been hard every night getting back to the hotel at 1 in the morning and getting up at 6 to come here to be with the guys, but I love racing. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

Starting second will be Venturini Motorsports rookie Kyle Fowler, who drove a lap of 48.65 seconds (184.995mph) in his No. 15 Chevrolet.

“Venturini definitely has an awesome piece there with the 15 car, and I’m just the lucky guy that gets to hold the steering wheel,” Fowler said.

Fowler has made just five prior starts in the ARCA Racing Series, but none on a track larger than a mile-and-a-half.

“It was absolutely incredible to make those first few laps around here,” he said. “Heck, I got goosebumps just walking on the premises. It’s every driver’s dream to race here. It’s racing’s biggest stage, and I just want to be there at the end.”  

Following the rookies will be Venturini Motorsports veteran Steve Arpin (No. 25 Mike’s Hard Lemonade Chevrolet), with a lap of 48.762 seconds (184.57 mph).

“We were really focused (in practice) yesterday on qualifying stuff,” said Arpin, who led the series with three victories last year. “It’s really hard at Daytona, because you’ve got to try to qualify the best you can because track position’s really important, but at the same time you’ve got to make the car drive as good as it can.

“We tried to find that happy medium and balance the car the best we could. The best thing I’m excited about is that our car drives awesome in the draft and that’s all that’s important – to get that trophy at the end of the day tomorrow.”

Matt Merrell, who is making his first start since 2009, will start fourth, in his No. 32 Red Line Oil Toyota. Six-time Daytona ARCA winner Bobby Gerhart completed the top five in fifth with his No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet.

Practice leader Hal Martin, motocross superstar Ricky Carmichael, Mark Thompson, Tim George Jr., and Tom Hessert will fill out the rest of the first five rows.

Other notables include IndyCar star Milka Duno who will start 23rd in his first ARCA start while nine-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel will start 26th in his 20th ARCA Daytona start.

The 80-lap, 200-mile Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 airs live on SPEED at 4:30 p.m. Eastern tomorrow, with live timing and scoring and live audio presented by ARCA Nation and News 1150 WNDB at ARCARacing.com. Bobby Gerhart (No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet) is the defending and all-time leading winner at the track, with wins in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2010. Gerhart also won four consecutive poles between 2003 and 2006. The race is scheduled as the first of 19 this season.

The ARCA Racing Series will host a final, 45-minute practice at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Live timing and scoring will be presented by ARCA Nation at ARCARacing.com.

Starting Grid

2011 Event #1, ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards    
Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona Beach FL, 2-12-11    
Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200      
           
February 11, 2011 / 3:49 PM      
           
POS NO DRIVER/HOMETOWN TEAM & CAR TIME SPEED
1 41 Ty Dillon/Lewisville NC UNOH Chevrolet 48.509 185.533
2 15 Kyle Fowler/Smyrna GA Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet 48.650 184.995
3 25 Steve Arpin/Fort Frances ON Mike’s Hard Lemonade-Trent’s Tire Toyota 48.762 184.570
4 32 Matt Merrell/Portland TX Red Line Oil Toyota 48.881 184.121
5 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet 48.961 183.820
6 55 Hal Martin/Galliano LA NOLA Motorsports Park Toyota 48.977 183.760
7 4 Ricky Carmichael/Tallahassee FL Monster Energy Chevrolet 48.981 183.745
8 66 Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA Phoenix Air Toyota 49.083 183.363
9 31 Tim George Jr./New York NY RCR Development Chevrolet 49.112 183.255
10 52 Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ Federated Auto Parts Toyota 49.249 182.745
11 28 Miguel Paludo/Nova Prata Brazil STEMCO-Duroline Toyota 49.276 182.645
12 98 Kevin Swindell/Goodlettsville TN Curb Records-Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota 49.291 182.589
13 16 Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL Rip It Energy Fuel-Darrell Gwynn Foundation Chevrolet 49.314 182.504
14 22 Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle IN Ferrellgas-Syngenta Dodge 49.355 182.352
15 19 Brian Rose/Louisville KY Harris Trucking-ASE Toyota 49.358 182.341
16 6 Jason Bowles/Ontario CA Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota 49.368 182.304
17 14 John Ferrier/Middletown NY CGS Imaging Ford 49.386 182.238
18 30 Terry Jones/Amherstburg Ontario Jones Group Dodge 49.388 182.230
19 17 Chris Buescher/Prosper TX Roulo Brothers Racing Ford 49.408 182.157
20 09 Benny Gordon/DuBois PA VSI Ford 49.537 181.682
21 94 Brett Hudson/Owensboro KY Hudson Performance Drivelines Dodge 49.583 181.514
22 11 Bryan Silas/Stuart FL National Speed Sport News-Fast Track Ford 49.584 181.510
23 63 Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela Citgo Lubricants Dodge 49.604 181.437
24 12 Maryeve Dufault/Sorel Quebec TMR Dodge 49.726 180.992
25 77 Joey Licata/Van Nuys CA Wrong Inc. Dodge 49.727 180.988
26 44 Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN Ansell-Menards Ford 49.775 180.814
27 82 Sean Corr/Goshen NY Empire Racing Ford 49.782 180.788
28 1 Chad McCumbee/Supply NC ModSpace Ford 49.791 180.756
29 18 Chris Lawson/Troutman NC Ideal Steel Custom Flame Cutting Dodge 49.801 180.719
30 00 Ed Kennedy/Coppell TX Thunder 2 Lubricants-Daytona Lagoon Chevrolet 49.811 180.683
31 36 Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL BeasleyAllen.com-Excaliber Coach Dodge 49.846 180.556
32 26 Tommy Joe Martins/Como MS Martins Motorsports Dodge 49.924 180.274
33 23 Nick Igdalsky/Long Pond PA Fox Realty Chevrolet Provisional
34 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN IndustrialDepot.com Ford Provisional
35 48 James Hylton/Inman SC Radon.com Ford Provisional
36 10 Ed Pompa/Ballston Spa NY Rifenburg Construction-Double H Ranch Chevrolet Provisional
37 06 Barry Fitzgerald/Sykesville MD CanadianHeroes.com Chevrolet Provisional
38 68 Steve Blackburn/Prestonsburg KY Honda of Prestonburg-Harley of Pikeville Dodge Provisional
39 7 Brent Cross/Cortland NY Cummings Auto Machine-Quadraflex Chevrolet Provisional
40 58 Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OH Tastee Apple Chevrolet Provisional
41 75 Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL Drive To End Hunger AARP Toyota Provisional
42 3 Brent Brevak/Eau Claire WI Red’s Auto Ford Provisional
43 42 Scott Stenzel/Orlando FL Yellow Stripes Making The Driver Ford Provisional

To see more articles by Ashley McCubbin and live updates from the weekend, check out http://newsfromthepits.blogspot.com/

Track construction underway in St. Pete.

By
SM Staff
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Construction crews have installed the first barrier along the cities’ waterfront at Bayshore Blvd, and 1St Avenue in what is the start of track construction for the 7th annual Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Crews will install over 20,000 linear feet of reinforced concrete barriers, and over 44,000 feet of chain link catch fencing throughout the streets of downtown St. Pete, and along the primary east west runway of the Albert Whited Airport, The airport runway will again serve as the main straight for the 14 turn 1.8 mile temporary street course, the adjacent taxiway will function as pit road for this event. Construction is expected to take 44 days to complete.

The season opening 7Th edition of The Honda Grand Prix of St. Pete is scheduled for the week-end of Mar.25Th through Mar.27Th. The stars, and cars of Indy Car will be the main attraction along with the USF2000 Series, the Star Mazda Series, The Indy Lights, and the SCCA World Challenge scheduled to run as the support series.

Tickets are available by visiting the website www.gpstpete.com

Not for the Points: Budweiser Shootout Could Set the Tone for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Season

By
SM Staff
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There must be a sense of déjà vu for Dale Earnhardt Jr. as he enters Speedweeks 2011 at the Daytona International Speedway.

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”180″][/media-credit]Much like he did in 2008, Earnhardt Jr.  will be racing with a new team and new cars for the upcoming season. This time, however, it won’t be at a new organization just a new shop at Hendrick Motorsports.

He moves from a shop with the No. 5 of Mark Martin to the shop that holds defending five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Earnhardt Jr. now inherits cars and team from Jeff Gordon as well as his crew chief, Steve Letarte.

The success of Earnhardt Jr.’s season will be measured by his performance in the 36 Sprint Cup Series events but no race may be more important than this Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout. Coming out of the gate strong with Letarte and setting the tone will be critical for momentum heading into Phoenix, Las Vegas and the first half of the schedule.

Think of Kevin Harvick, who won last year’s shootout and continued to ride the wave through the season, nearly winning the championship. Or even back to Earnhardt Jr. when he won it in 2008, he went on to have one of his best seasons, regardless of the win count, where he stood second or third in points the first half of the year.

He stumbled in the Chase however, and finished 12th. Now, three years later he gets to start fresh again.

The driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet knows what’s in front of him; he’s had to sit home since two days after Homestead when the changes were announced and wait. And wait.

When asked Earnhardt Jr. said he felt like a kid again, knowing what he was going to get for Christmas but having to wait until Christmas day to play with it.

The same could be said about 2008 when he left Dale Earnhardt Inc. for HMS. And much like then, Earnhardt Jr. needs to win soon and Junior Nation desperately needs something to hold onto. They too want wins and results and they want them now.

Saturday is the first and one of the greatest opportunities for Earnhardt Jr.

His second Shootout win in 2008 led many to believe that Earnhardt Jr. was finally going to cash in at HMS. So much so that during his burnout at the start/finish line, Mike Joy stated, “I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship.”

Darrell Waltrip chimed in and said it was the start of something big.

It’s been anything but. Since that 2008 season NASCAR’s Most Popular driver has been off the map: winless, Chase-less and finishing 25th and 21st in points.

Things though, have a way of coming back to you and Earnhardt Jr.’s back on the map with the changes have been made. You can’t escape the déjà vu.

Letarte is in the same boat. When he became a crew chief in late 2005, he was expected to be the man that led Jeff Gordon to his fifth championship. It never happened and like any crew chief, he became the scapegoat by the Gordon fans.

Now he inherits a driver that is also expected to do great things, but listening to Letarte, he isn’t thinking about his goals or legacy. He’s more concerned about his drivers.

This past offseason he made the comment that his motivation was “to show everybody in the world how talented Dale Earnhardt Jr. is … “

That time has arrived, as has the 2011 NASCAR season. The talking and predicting is over and all the work that has gone in over the past two and three months will be hitting the racetrack.

Have Letarte and Earnhardt Jr. hit a winning setup?

The 33rd annual Budweiser Shootout will be the first race run on Daytona’s new pavement. The excitement and intensity won’t have changed from last season no matter how crazy it gets.

For Earnhardt Jr. he’ll be looking for another win at a restrictor plate track. The hope is that the first race on this new pavement doesn’t end the way the last track who was repaved did … where he was spinning through the grass down the backstretch on the last lap at Talladega.

Daytona’s Magical Aura: Kevin Harvick’s 2007 Daytona 500

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Daytona has always had this magical aura with stories surrounding the Daytona 500 that everybody loves to tell over and over. As we near closer to the Daytona 500, here is a look back through some of the highlighted moments in Daytona 500 history.

February 18th, 2001 marked the death of the NASCAR’s biggest star and Richard Childress Racing’s lead driver Dale Earnhardt.

Six years later, the Daytona 500 fell on February 18th. Coming into the event, emotions were high considering what had happened six years earlier and everybody’s thoughts. For Richard Childress Racing, there was one way that they could make the pain easier – win the race.

With 20 to go, Harvick made his charge as he went from 29th to second. The final lap marked a battle between Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin. As they raced off of turn four, a wreck happened behind them and had NASCAR called a caution, the winner would’ve been Martin. Though NASCAR let them race to the finish line and instead, Harvick won the race, 0.2 seconds over Martin.

“I knew when I got out of the car I wasn’t going to be the good guy (after passing Mark Martin),” Harvick said. ” But that’s just the way it works. Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. And fortunately today was our day to win. I got so excited at the end of the race, and I knew we had won. I just didn’t realize how excited I was, and I punched the dang mirror out of the car. Just overexcited, I guess. Knocked the mirror right out.”

“I didn’t ask for a win in the Daytona 500, I asked for a chance and I let it slip through my fingers…No one wants to see a grown man cry and I’m not going to cry,” Martin said afterwards.

With the win, Harvick dealt the medicine that was needed for Richard Childress Racing. It was also fitting with Harvick winning as after Earnhardt’s death, it was Harvick that Childress chose to fill the team’s third car, changing the No. 3 to the No. 29. It marked an impressive moment for Harvick as one of his biggest wins, though let him come out of the shadow to become his own man.

Emotions were seen across the board as everybody was crying, excited and angry with the finish. Even Harvick’s wife Delana was overcome to her emotions as she cried.

With the dramatics of the race and how it played out with Harvick winning, its no question that this Daytona 500 is yet another example of Daytona’s Magical Aura.

Hal Martin, Ty Dillon and Kyle Fowler Lead ARCA Practice No. 1

By
SM Staff
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[media-credit name=”ARCA Racing Network” align=”alignleft” width=”287″][/media-credit]The ARCA Series Presented by Menards opened up their first day of on-track action today with a four hour practice this afternoon.

Like in testing last month, Hal Martin drove his No. 55 NOLA Motorsports Park Toyota to the top of the practice chart as his team, Venturini Motorsports, took three of the top four positions.

“What a successful day, all in all,” Martin said. “We’ve spent a lot of long hours at the shop, and I’ve put in a lot of long hours of mental prep for this day. There were some things in practice we wanted to try, and the car just ran fast. That’s all I can say. It’s driving really well, and dicing in and out of traffic. We did a lot of drafting this afternoon and ran well in every situation.”

Martin’s best lap was 48.092 seconds, hitting an average speed of 187.141mph. Martin’s teammates Kyle Fowler (No. 15 Chevrolet) and Steve Arpin (No. 25 Mike’s Hard Lemonade/Trent’s Tire Toyota) were third and fourth.

Sandwiched in second was Richard Childress Racing driver and Childress’ grandson Ty Dillon (No. 41 University of Northwestern Ohio Chevrolet), with his teammate Tim George Jr. (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet) in fifth to complete the top five. Contributing to a top-five sweep by Venturini and RCR was the drafting that was done during practice as Martin cited all his two teammates and the RCR teammates as “dancing partners”.

Though Martin notes that he spent the beginning during mock qualifying runs as this is the only practice they’ll get before qualifying.

“We started out the day with mock qualifying runs, just to see where we stood basically,” he said. “Hopefully, we get the pole, but you never know what will happen out there. I hope we can get a solid top-five start and go win it from there on Saturday. If we can start up front, we hope to stay out front.”

Steve Blackburn, Matt Merrell, Bryan Silas, Brian Rose, and Tom Hessert comprised the remainder of the top 10.

Other notables include six-time and defending Daytona ARCA Bobby Gerhart, who drove his No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet to the 20th position on the chart, one spot ahead of nine-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel.

Some people were concerned what the rain earlier in the day would do to the track, however Martin said it had no effect.

“The grip level’s still there,” Martin said. “You know, it’s not like a track where it’s been worn in and you get a little rain and the track gets green and there’s no grip. That didn’t happen. I know we had a good bit of rain this morning – it woke me up in the motor home at 5 or 6 a.m. – but the track is just like it was at the test. The tires aren’t wearing.”

Fowler says as a whole, the track hasn’t actually changed that much from before the paving.

“We talked about the old and the new, as far as whatever he was doing and what it was like to run around this place, and where I’m running around this place, and the similarities,” Fowler said. “Over time, it hasn’t really changed as much as people think even through different pavements. The core of it is still the same.”

Though Fowler says he is ready for whatever happens.

“I’ve been mentally preparing,” Fowler said. “Preparing, preparing, preparing. I’ve been doing a little bit of the iRacing (computer simulation) stuff, because I’ve got to get familiar with this place more. I’ve been watching tapes of races and (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver) David Ragan’s been giving me advice.”

With three of the five drivers at Venturini Motorsports in the top five, its no wonder Venturini Motorsports General Manager Billy Venturini is happy.

“All the cars seemed really good,” Venturini said. “The Nos. 15, 25, and 55 seemed to be the best three cars during single-car runs. So, I think we will have a very solid performance in qualifying. No. 28 (Miguel Paludo) and No. 66 (Mark Thompson), we expect to put them in the top 10 also. (In) drafting practice, all the cars seemed extremely strong. I think that we should be tough to beat. All the hard work seems to be paying off. I expect to qualify very well and make sure we can back that up on Saturday with a victory.”

All 47 entered drivers took laps; 43 will start in Saturday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, scheduled to air at 4:30 p.m. on SPEED. The starting field will be set in Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell, tomorrow at 2 p.m.

2011 Event #1, ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards
Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona Beach FL, 2-12-11  
Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200    
         
         
POS NO DRIVER/HOMETOWN TIME SPEED
1 55 Hal Martin/Galliano LA 48.092 187.141
2 41 Ty Dillon/Lewisville NC 48.133 186.982
3 15 Kyle Fowler/Smyrna GA 48.378 186.035
4 25 Steve Arpin/Fort Frances ON 48.415 185.893
5 31 Tim George Jr./New York NY 48.421 185.870
6 68 Steve Blackburn/Prestonsburg KY 48.493 185.594
7 32 Matt Merrell/Portland TX 48.837 184.286
8 11 Bryan Silas/Stuart FL 48.863 184.188
9 19 Brian Rose/Louisville KY 48.970 183.786
10 52 Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ 48.970 183.786
11 16 Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL 48.983 183.737
12 36 Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL 48.999 183.677
13 14 John Ferrier/Middletown NY 49.002 183.666
14 26 Tommy Joe Martins/Como MS 49.003 183.662
15 09 Benny Gordon/DuBois PA 49.019 183.602
16 4 Ricky Carmichael/Tallahassee FL 49.053 183.475
17 1 Chad McCumbee/Supply NC 49.085 183.355
18 98 Kevin Swindell/Goodlettsville TN 49.095 183.318
19 77 Joey Licata/Van Nuys CA 49.100 183.299
20 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA 49.104 183.284
21 44 Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN 49.104 183.284
22 6 Jason Bowles/Ontario CA 49.245 182.760
23 30 Terry Jones/Amherstburg Ontario 49.266 182.682
24 63 Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela 49.339 182.411
25 66 Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA 49.358 182.341
26 28 Miguel Paludo/Nova Prata Brazil 49.440 182.039
27 97 Matt Lofton/Mooresville NC 49.570 181.561
28 22 Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle IN 49.729 180.981
29 17 Chris Buescher/Prosper TX 49.778 180.803
30 00 Ed Kennedy/Coppell TX 49.804 180.708
31 82 Sean Corr/Goshen NY 49.862 180.498
32 94 Brett Hudson/Owensboro KY 49.869 180.473
33 75 Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL 50.045 179.838
34 42 Scott Stenzel/Orlando FL 50.096 179.655
35 59 Drew Charlson/New Bremen OH 50.182 179.347
36 12 Maryeve Dufault/Sorel Quebec 50.189 179.322
37 48 James Hylton/Inman SC 50.198 179.290
38 3 Brent Brevak/Eau Claire WI 50.562 177.999
39 54 Will Vaught/Crane MO 50.649 177.694
40 18 Chris Lawson/Troutman NC 50.767 177.281
41 24 Ricky Byers/Birmingham AL 50.796 177.179
42 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN 51.127 176.032
43 23 Nick Igdalsky/Long Pond PA 51.258 175.582
44 58 Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OH 51.529 174.659
45 10 Ed Pompa/Ballston Spa NY 51.932 173.304
46 7 Brent Cross/Cortland NY 51.991 173.107
47 06 Barry Fitzgerald/Sykesville MD 54.744 164.402

Credit to the ARCA Racing Network for Picture and Quotes

SM Pick’Em: Bud Shootout

By
SM Staff
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Editor’s Note: Ed Coombs’ pick was wrongfully omitted. It is shown below.

New for 2011 is the SpeedwayMedia.com Pick ‘Em game! Each week, our panel of writers will make their picks for Sprint Cup Series races, picking a driver they really think will win, a darkhorse driver and tell us why they picked the way they did.

Throughout the season, we’ll collect, tally and tabulate the points. They’ll get five points if their “Who I Really Think Will Win” pick wins, three points for a top-five finish, one point if the pick finished 6th through tenth, and no points if they finish outside of the top-ten. The same points apply for darkhorse picks, except points are doubled. So, if the driver the writer thinks will actually win does win and the writer’s darkhorse pick finishes second, they will earn 11 points.

Every Thursday, the Pick ‘Em column will be posted along with updated points standings.

RACE: Budwesier Shootout
DATE: February 12

Ed Coombs

Who I Really Think Will Win: Tony Stewart
Dark Horse Pick: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

I think that Stewart, whose record at Daytona is pretty good will be a major factor in this race. He typically drafts well with his good friend, Earnhardt which is why I have him as the dark horse. As sad as it is, Earnhardt is a dark horse just based on recent history. He runs well then has a mishap on pit road, on the track or in his head. However, he’s got a great new team that has served Jeff Gordon well for years.

Matt LaFlair

Who I Really Think Will Win: Kyle Busch

Dark Horse Pick: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Well its my first picks and I’d like to make it clear that I like to stir up NASCAR Fans whenever possible. Lets face it, Dale Jr is really a dark horse pick after the past two seasons of riding around in 30th. And as for Kyle, lets face it 85-percent of the NASCAR community hates Kyle Busch. I think that JGR has their restrictor plate package dialed in for 2011 and look for the 11, 18, and 20 to mix it up this year at Daytona and Talledaga. Let the games begin!!!

Roberta Cowan

Who I Really Think Will Win: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dark Horse Pick: Tony Stewart

I think you will see Dale Jr. and Steve Letarte come out with guns blazing. I think they will make a fast and definite statement that will carry over into the Daytona 500.

Kyle Brandt

Who I Really Think Will Win: Kevin Harvick
Dark Horse Pick: Tony Stewart

Kevin domianted the restrictor plate races in 2010 and has ECR engines, which are arguably the best engines in the Sprint Cup Series. Being the winner of the last two shootout isn’t too shabby either. Although Tony typically doesn’t fit into the dark horse category, restrict plate races have been feast or famine for him. Tony was fast in testing at Daytona last month and has three career shootout wins, with the last being in 2007.

Mark Odor

Who I Really Think Will Win: Kevin Harvick
Dark Horse Pick: Regan Smith

Ben Gunby

Who I Really Think Will Win: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dark Horse Pick: Juan Pablo Montoya

If there’s anywhere Junior can win, we know it’s Daytona. This new crew chief/driver combination desperately wants to get off to a good start and build some momentum, and winning the Shootout again would do just that. We know the Hendrick cars will be fast, and few can get to the front at a plate track with a good car like Junior can. The plate racing program at Ganassi is among the best in the sport at this point in time. We know Jamie McMurray will be strong, but don’t count out Montoya. The short, sprint style race fits his driving style perfectly, and Montoya really wants to got to victory lane at a track that doesn’t require right hand turns.

Ahsley McCubbin

Who I Really Think Will Win: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dark Horse Pick: Michael Waltrip

Known as one of the best restrictor plate racers, Earnhardt is always up from and in contention. With the need to start the year on a good foot with new crew chief Steve Letarte, a win will do all that justice and atleast quiet the critics for a little bit. Waltrip has been known as a good restrictor plate driver as well. He has won the Daytona 500 twice and with bringing back the NAPA Paint Scheme driven then, it may bring him the luck he needs to win the Great American Race again.

Barry Albert

Who I Really Think Will Win: Tony Stewart
Dark Horse Pick: Mark Martin

Kyle Ocker

Who I Really Think Will Win: Jeff Gordon
Dark Horse Pick: AJ Allmendinger

Jeffrey Boswell

Who I Really Think Will Win: Jeff Gordon
Dark Horse Pick: Sterling Marlin

Fittingly, the hard-luck Gordon will end his losing streak with a win that, in fact, won’t end his losing streak.

Daytona’s Magical Aura: Hendrick Motorsports’ 1997 Daytona 500

By
SM Staff
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Daytona has always had this magical aura with stories surrounding the Daytona 500 that everybody loves to tell over and over. As we near closer to the Daytona 500, here is a look back through some of the highlighted moments in Daytona 500 history.

While the boss was going through his fight with cancer, his drivers were trying to keep having success on track. With Rick Hendrick’s brother John leading operations, they headed to Daytona in 1997 with one goal.

Late in 1996, Hendrick was diagnosed with leukemia and had to undergo treatment. He was also given 12-month house rest sentence by the courts for mail fraud with his dealerships while undergoing the treatment. As a result of the sentence and sickness, Hendrick put his brother John in charge and the three-car team headed down to Daytona.

As they ran up front near the end of the race, Gordon took the attitude on the radio with the words, “We’re doing this thing. Never die. Never quit.”  Those words not only symbolized the attitude of the race, but yet the attitude they wanted their boss to keep. The attitude that they wanted him to recover.

Gordon knew with the win that he could help in making Rick feel a little better so he took the attitude to go out and do it no matter what. When it came to the pass on Bill Elliott, he made the bold move of going under him, partly on the flat part of the track, knowing he had to make the move.

Following behind Hendrick, Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven passed Elliott to make it a Hendrick 1-2-3.

“Congratulations,” crew chief Ray Evernham came on the radio as the caution came out late in the going. “This is a great gift for Rick.”

“You won’t believe it buddy,” Gordon said back. “Let’s come across here one-two-three.”

On the last lap, they crossed the finish line three wide, doing it all for Rick. As Gordon said on the radio, “This is for you, Rick.”

Their emotions gave them reason to push further and led to them to victory and classic Daytona style. It was the perfect type of medicine that they could have given their boss.

Gordon added an extra dose of medicine at the end of the year when he won the championship, capping off a great season for Hendrick Motorsports.

As the story goes, Hendrick fought through his cancer and made it through, pushing forward to continue his team to a whole new level. Hendrick fought through more emotional battles, though still reigns as one of the top owners in racing.

Looking back even today at the finish, tears still come to the eyes as the emotions are brought forth of that exact race.

NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: It’s b-a-c-k and it starts Saturday

By
SM Staff
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After what seems like an eternity of waiting for the fans, NASCAR will officially drop the green flag on its 2011 season this Saturday, February 12th, with the 33d annual running of the Budweiser Shootout on the high banks of the Daytona International Speedway. Waiting at the end of this traditional non-points event will be a winner’s check worth in excess of $200,000 for a 75 lap sprint to the checkers. Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout will be broadcast live by Fox Sports with the pre-race show beginning at 8 pm eastern time.

[media-credit name=”David Yeazell” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]This race has a rather storied history that dates back to 1979. It began, as “The Busch Clash” and was an invitational only race for those drivers who won the Busch pole on qualifying day for races held the prior year.

This inaugural event was a 20 lap shoot out with $500,000 winner take all on the line. Needless to say that was astounding money for winning a race back then and the intensity level of this event went through the roof. NASCAR veteran Buddy Baker won that first race and crossed the line just a mere car length ahead of runner up driver Darrell Waltrip.

Over the years there has been some fine tuning to the race format as well as the driver eligibility requirements. In 1981 the race only had seven entries. That was because qualifying day, from the 1980 season, was completely dominated by only seven drivers. That led NASCAR to consider some fine tuning for the eligibility requirements for the Shootout.

The format for the 2011 Budweiser Shootout will be 75 laps, 187.5 miles, around the Daytona International Speedway’s 2.5 mile oval. Yellow flag caution laps will count towards the 75 lap total. The race will be conducted in two segments of 25 and 50 laps with a ten minute break between segments to allow teams to make adjustments and repairs

The eligibility changes that evolved over the years led to a possible 30 entries for this year’s race. As of last Monday, it now appears that 25 of those teams will take the green flag Saturday night. The eligibility criteria for the 2011 Budweiser Shootout is:

All 12 drivers who participated in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase For The Championship

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions.

Former Budweiser Shootout winners.

Past winners of the two Daytona Speedway points races: the Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400.

Former NASCAR Rookie of the Year winners from the 2001 through the 2010 racing seasons.

The 2011 Budweiser Shootout will also contain a variety of rather interesting story lines. Chief among them is Daytona’s brand new track surface which will be raced on for the very first time. Following last year’s pot hole debacle, it was decided to completely repave the track. That led to last month’s pre season testing where the new surface received extremely high marks from the drivers.

That new surface has also led to a new tire compound from Goodyear. The new Daytona tire, reported to be very similar to the one used last year at Talladega, also received high marks from the teams during last month’s testing sessions. But, like the new surface, the Goodyear tires will be under first ever bonafide racing conditions so tire wear will be closely monitored by everyone Saturday night.

Also taking the green flag for the first time ever Saturday night will be the newly designed front end of NASCAR’s stock cars. The new nose, now minus the front end splitters and fasteners from last year, also received high marks during the January test sessions especially in the areas of bump drafting. But it’s also an area that will be heavily monitored by crew chiefs.

Also making its debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be the new self venting Sunoco Race Fuel can. This newly designed fuel can is largely a cost cutting measure for the teams because it eliminates the need of the catch can man standing behind the car during pit stops. This new can was tried and tested last year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and received some good reports. But, still. it’s still a major change for the Sprint Cup teams that will warrant the attention of the crew chiefs.

On the topic of fuel the Budweiser Shootout’s second segment of 50 laps could present a challenge for crew chiefs. They could find themselves making a decision relative to fuel mileage including the possibility of a gas and go only stop.

Pre race set ups and subsequent adjustments in Saturday night’s race will also become a key point of focus for crew chiefs. That’s because the car set ups for the Budweiser Shootout and the upcoming Daytona 500 are virtually identical.

The starting line up for the Budweiser Shootout will be determined by a Friday night blind draw ceremony. By the way, this drawing in the past has often been the source of some very funny entertainment. The blind draw ceremony will be presented live by the SPEED Channel Friday night beginning at 8 pm eastern time.

Weather could also become a factor leading up to the Budweiser Shootout weekend. The Friday forecast, for the Daytona Beach area, calls for showers and a daytime high of 59 degrees. That forecast could curtail, or even cancel, a scheduled practice session for the Shootout teams. Saturday’s forecast calls for a return to sunny skies with a daytime high of 60 degrees.

If there’s any driver that warrants a great deal of attention Saturday night it’s Kevin Harvick. He won the Budweiser Shootout for the first time in 2009 and then won last year’s race. No one in the history of this event has ever won this race three consecutive and Harvick would like to be the first to accomplish that extremely difficult feat. Harvick would also love to deliver a win for his brand new primary sponsor. He will be driving his first race with Budweiser on the hood of his Richard Childress Chevrolet. Anytime a primary sponsor is also the race sponsor then that team has a tendency to dig a little harder to pull off the win.

Interestingly enough, the numbers from Las Vegas has a totally different opinion regarding the outcome of the Budweiser Shootout. Micah Roberts, from “Las Vegas Insider Dot Com”, recently released his top five finish list for the race. That list is topped by Clint Bowyer, from Richard Childress Racing, who is favored to win the Budweiser Shootout at 14 to 1 odds. Speculated to finish second is Joey Logano, from Joe Gibbs Racing, at 25 to 1. The remainder of the “Las Vegas Insider” top five includes Juan Pablo Montoya at 20 to 1, Kevin Harvick at 5 to 1 and Jeff Gordon in fifth at 8 to 1.

The 2011 Budweiser Shootout entry list, presented in order by car number along with eligibility status, is as follows:

#09. Bill Elliott. Phoenix Racing Chevrolet. Past series champion, past Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 winner, 1987 Shootout winner.

#1. Jamie McMurray. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, presented by Felix Sabates, Chevrolet. Past Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 winner, past Rookie of the Year winner.

#4. Kasey Kahne. Red Bull Racing Toyota. Past Rookie of the Year winner.

#5. Mark Martin. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. 1999 Shootout winner.

#11. Denny Hamlin. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 2006 Shootout winner.

#14. Tony Stewart. Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. 2010 Chase contender, two time series champion, past Coke Zero 400 winner, 2002 and 2007 Shootout winner.

#15. Michael Waltrip. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota. Past Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 winner.

#16. Greg Biffle. Roush Fenway Racing Ford. 2010 Chase contender, past Coke Zero 400 winner.

#17. Matt Kenseth. Roush Fenway Racing Ford. 2010 Chase contender, past series champion, past Daytona 500 winner.

#18. Kyle Busch. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. 2010 Chase contender, past Coke Zero 400 winner.

#20. Joey Logano. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Past Rookie of the Year winner.

#22. Kurt Busch. Penske Racing Dodge. 2010 Chase contender, past series champion.

#24. Jeff Gordon. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. 2010 Chase contender, past four time series champion, past four time Daytona 500, past Coke Zero winner, 1994 and 1997 Shootout winner.

#29. Kevin Harvick. Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. 2010 Chase contender. past Daytona 500 winner, 2009 and 2010 Shootout winner.

#31. Jeff Burton. Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. 2010 Chase contender, past Coke Zero 400 winner.

#33. Clint Bowyer. Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. 2010 Chase contender.

#39. Ryan Newman. Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. Past Daytona 500 winner, past Rookie of the Year winner.

#42. Juan Pablo Montoya. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, presented by Felix Sabates, Chevrolet. Past Rookie of the Year winner.

#47. Bobby Labonte. JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota. Past series champion.

#48. Jimmie Johnson. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. 2010 Chase contender. five time series champion, past Daytona 500 winner, 2005 Shootout winner.

#64. Derricke Cope. Max Q Motorsports Toyota. Past Daytona 500 winner.

#78. Regan Smith. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet. Past Rookie of the Year winner.

#88. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. past Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400 winner. 2003 and 2008 Shootout winner.

#97. Kevin Conway. Nemco Motorsports Toyota. Past Rookie of the Year winner.

#99. Carl Edwards. Roush Fenway Racing Ford. 2010 Chase contender.

NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: Rusty Wallace deserves phrase for his quick response to the Michael Annett situation

By
SM Staff
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It’s a very safe bet to assume that Rusty Wallace had planned to spend last Sunday afternoon watching the Super Bowl along with the rest of his fellow Americans. Instead the former NASCAR champion, turned team owner and auto racing television broadcaster, found himself having to deal with some rather shocking news. That would be official notification regarding Michael Annett, his recently hired NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, who had been arrested for a quartet of charges including DWI, driving while intoxicated.

[media-credit name=”FMCM” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]According to reports from the Mooresville-North Carolina Police Department, as well as follow up reports from WCNC Channel 36 News in Charlotte, Annett was arrested following an auto accident that occurred sometime between 1:30 and 2 am last Sunday morning. An officer on the scene noticed Annett filling his mouth with a significant amount of breath mints and ordered a field sobriety test. The results of that tested turned up a blood alcohol count, (BAC), of .32 approximately four times the legal limit. The BAC limit for intoxication in North Carolina, like many other states, is .08.

According to the reports, Annett was alleged to have explained that the accident was caused while he was sending a text message on his cell phone. That resulted in additional citations for driving while texting as well as failure to reduce speed. The final charge was resisting arrest which allegedly stemmed from Annett’s initial refusal to be handcuffed by officers at the scene. He has been scheduled to appear in court sometime next month.

But one has to speculate that appearing before a judge pales in comparison to facing an angry Rusty Wallace. In a prepared team statement he said “Rusty Wallace Racing, (RWR), does not condone, nor tolerate, substance abuse by any of its employees.”

In fact, Wallace deserves high praise for his quick response by levying team sanctions on his new driver. Those sanctions include the successful completion of a comprehensive alcohol awareness program, a zero tolerance policy by Annett towards alcohol use and a mandatory participation in a year long community service program. Wallace also indicated that there was going to be additional “internal sanctions” against the errant driver but did not specify what those sanctions were going to be.

Wallace also noted that he was glad to see that Annett was not taking this incident lightly and truly believed that the public embarrassment that followed his arrest was a personal wake up call. Those sentiments were echoed in a prepared statement from the driver issued by RWR last Monday.

That statement said “I am deeply remorseful for my actions and my extreme lack of judgment. I let down my team, my sponsors, my fans and my family. I sincerely apologize to everyone that I hurt. This was truly a life changing moment for me. Despite all of the negativity that will undoubtedly arise from it, I am going to strive to use this incident as the impetus to make a lot of changes in my life.”

Whether or not Annett is going to face sanctions from NASCAR remains to be seen at this point in time. From a statement, issued last Monday, they said “NASCAR is in contact with Michael Annett’s owners at Rusty Wallace Racing to determine the facts of what happened. NASCAR will address the issue accordingly once we have a clear understanding of all the facts.”

Actually this incident is not the first time Annett found himself publicly apologizing for a moment of bad personal judgment while driving. Last Monday WCNC Channel 36 news produced a document, from the Charlotte area Department of Motor Vehicles, that indicated Annett triggered a three car accident, in July of last year that resulted in major damage to the vehicles as well as physical injury to one of the drivers. While this accident absolutely had nothing to do with alcohol, it was caused by Annett sending a text message while driving.

Last November 19th Michael Annett was practically jumping out of his driver’s uniform with joy. He had just been named to take over the wheel of RWR’s #62 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Making the deal even sweeter was the fact that his long time sponsor, Pilot Travel Centers, was only too happy to make the move with their young driver.

The true shame of this matter is the fact that it somewhat negates Annett’s hard work over the past three years towards developing his racing career. The 24 year old Des Moines-Iowa native moved to the southeast where he joined the ARCA Racing Series in 2008. He made quick work there by winning two races including ARCA’s annual signature event at Daytona. The 2009 and 2010 seasons found Annett driving for Germain Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series where he finished 10th and 13th in the points standings.

It was very easy to see how a young, up and coming, driver with his own sponsorship contract would attract the attention of a team owner like Rusty Wallace. Despite the team embarrassment, resulting from last Sunday morning, Wallace announced that he was going to allow Annett to drive his car in the February 19th NASCAR Nationwide season opener at Daytona.

Annett’s forward progress in this race will be most interesting to watch. If there ever was a time for a young driver to run the race of a lifetime this is it.

Joey Coulter and Rip It Energy Fuel Ready for ARCA Series Opener at Daytona

By
SM Staff
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Earlier this month, Joey Coulter and Coulter Motorsports announced the continuation of their sponsorship with Rip It Energy Fuel in 2011. They will kick off the season together on February 12th with the ARCA season-opening Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Coulter will be driving the No. 16 Chevrolet again, sponsored by Rip It Energy Fuel and the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. 

[media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignleft” width=”233″][/media-credit]”I am thrilled at the chance to go out and represent Rip It Energy Fuel again in select races during the 2011 ARCA Racing Series season,” Coulter said in a press release. “They have become an integral partner in not only my career but Coulter Motorsports as a whole. Daytona is one of those tracks everyone wants to win at, and showcasing our sponsorship with Rip It makes it that much more special.” 

Last year, Coulter earned one win, seven top fives and 10 top-10 finishes, along with the Bill France Four Crown Championship. 

This year, Coulter is schedule to race five races during the 2011 ARCA Season – Daytona, Talladega, Michigan, Lucas Oil Raceway and Kansas. In preparation for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, Coulter piloted the car to the 10th-fastest position on the chart at 49.543 seconds. 

“The (Daytona ARCA) test proved to be very beneficial, allowing me to adapt to the new, smoother pavement, and my Coulter Motorsports team to work on our cars,” Coulter said. “My guys did a great job and I want to especially thank Randy (Renfrow) for stepping in for me when I was gone. He really got the cars dialed in and setup for drafting. Michael (Chapman) did a good job setting the cars up identically, and I know he will make sure we bring back a rocket ship. I am excited to be back racing in 2011 and can’t wait for Daytona!” 

Also this season, Coulter also will be competing for Rookie of the Year in the Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 22 Silverado for Richard Childress Racing. Rip It Energy Fuel also announced they’d serve as an associate sponsor on his truck. 

“It just all fell together so fast,” Coulter said. “It was unbelievable. For me, it’s like a dream come true. Best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten. It’s a wonderful opportunity.” 

Coulter got a phone call from Richard Childress following the final race of  the season at Rockingham, where the opportunity was offered. The season opener at Daytona next week for the Camping World Truck Series will be his first truck race. 

“We’ve gotten to test twice,” Coulter said. “We went down to Disney World Speedway in Orlando and tested for a good, solid day and a half. Then just last week, I was in Gresham for a day, doing a short-track test. 

“Man, what a piece of equipment. It’s unbelievable the caliber of equipment that comes out of these shops. Compared to an ARCA car, they’re different but they weren’t as different as I thought they were going to be. I really expected it to be something I hadn’t ever really felt before but it was pretty close.” 

Coulter has already got the chance to work with teammate Austin Dillon at Disney World Speedway. 

“Yeah, he gave me lots of advice,” Coulter said. “It helped out a ton. After talking and testing it at Disney World for that day and a half, we kind of figured out that our driving styles are pretty close. We’re able to share information and our crew chiefs can communicate real well, so we’re really going to be able to learn a lot off each other. 

“They learned a lot already off our short-track test. They weren’t able to make it down there, but they were able to learn off the notes we brought back. Being able to use all their notes from last year should be able to give us a baseline for the places I’ve never been before.” 

About Rip It Energy Fuel:  

Rip It Energy Fuel by National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: FIZZ) is available in fifteen exhilarating flavors, including three sugar-free varieties. Great-tasting and power-packed, Rip It provides REAL energy for REAL people at a REAL value. In an office, on the job, on a mountain, riding waves, doin’ flips, doin’ tricks, jammin’ all night, crammin’ all night, whatever your life calls for, Rip It is there to fuel you.  Crack open an ice-cold Rip It Power and Feel the REAL Taste of BOLD energy surge through your body. Or maybe you prefer the sweet taste of Sugar FREE Citrus X to slap your tongue back to life. Rip It Energy Fuel has the complete line of Regular and Sugar FREE flavors in both 16 oz. cans and 20 oz. resealable bottles to make Rip It a REAL part of your everyday life.

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