Lenox Industrial Tools 301 New Hampshire Preview
Joey Logano Defends his 2009 Victory Photo by Bruce Cameron, The Racing Reporter
Joey Logano, who became the youngest driver ever to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, when he took a spongy checkered flag at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2009. A fine finish, as NHMS is his hometown track.
Joey Logano returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this June, a little older and a little wiser. Since he posted his first win at the track, Logano has scored five career top-five’s, 12 career top-10’s, and was the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year.
Come see if Joey Logano can score his second career win at the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 on Sunday, June 27. Tickets can be purchased online at www.nhms.com.
Check out our awesome photo galleries at www.theracingreporter.com for Logano and other NASCAR pics. Make sure to follow TheRacingReporter on Twitter for the latest updates.
Winstar World Casino 400 / Firestone 550 Race Preview by Bruce Cameron, The Racing Reporter
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For the first time since Texas Motor
Speedway opened and became part of the
IZOD IndyCar Series schedule in 1997,
the annual Firestone 550k in June is
scheduled for the race immediately following
the Indianapolis 500. Will this
boost the popularity and exposure of the
sport with its fans? Indy drivers will have
the opportunity to snag the sport’s most
prestigious race crowns in consecutive
weekends and only three times has a driver
won both in the same season. Arie
Luyendyk was the first in 1997, and Scott
Dixon (2008) and Helio Castroneves
(2009) have done it the past two years.
This year the IndyCar Series has added
the Honda Overtake Assist component
(all cars have Honda engines). This could
play a critical role in enhancing an
already dangerous racing environment.
By pushing the Honda Overtake Assist
button on the steering wheel, a driver will
be able to add and additional 200 rpm for
a set amount of time, allowing the engine
to produce additional power (5 to 20
horsepower) to complete a pass or hold
off a driver. These cars are fast already. To
see how this plays out at TMS will be
interesting. Indy crashes are no fun to see
and I hope we don’t have one this week.
PMS AT TMS
While NASCAR’s top three national
series have struggled to obtain full-time
female racecar drivers in recent years,
open-wheel racing has continued to
develop women drivers and watch them
elevate to the premier level of the IZOD
IndyCar Series. The series has five
female drivers – Danica Patrick, Sarah
Fisher, Milka Duno, Simona de Silvestro
and Ana Beatriz, which totals 20 percent
of the field. No doubt about it, Danica is
the princess of the bunch. Her media
exposure and double-dipping with
NASCAR have put her to the forefront of
the media. TMS is holding a special autograph
session with Danica and certain
radio and print ads, which feature language
like, “The Firestone 550k featuring
Danica Patrick,” give her a certain importance.
Dario Franchitti returns to Texas after
sitting out 2008 to pursue NASCAR.
Dario returned to Indy cars in 2009, winning
at Long Beach and four races, five
poles and 13 top-five finishes in 17 starts
to claim the series title by 11 points over
teammate Scott Dixon. It was the second
series championship of his career, with
his first coming in 2007 when he also won
the Indianapolis 500. This season he will
attempt to join Sam Hornish Jr. (who has
won in Texas) as the only drivers to win
the IZOD IndyCar Series championship
in back-to-back seasons.
The WinStar World Casino 400 will
run Friday evening. This NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series event is
always exciting to see. The trucks run
hard, fast and loud. The truck fans are a
bit more on the rowdy side, giving life to
the infield and other camping areas. And
for the fans of the lady drivers, Jennifer Jo
Cobb and Chrissy Wallace will likely run
Friday. Cobb has been running trucks
since 1991. Wallace is the daughter of
NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace. These
ladies are serious competitors and are fun
to watch.
SOMETHING TO PROVE
Something to prove
Plano native James Buescher will be
racing with extreme focus, as he is a parttime
driver for Turner Motorsports in
NASCAR CWTS. Why the focus?
Buescher made the jump to the
Nationwide Series this season with
Phoenix Racing. Sadly, he got off to a
slow start – 19th in points and one Top 10
finish in 10 starts – and in mid-May
Buescher was informed by the bosses that
they would be parting ways. This guy
hangs like a loose tooth in NASCAR, so
he’ll be extra-motivated to finish well this
Friday.
Another young truck driver, 20-yearold
Austin Dillon is one to watch. Sure,
Ovalo, Texas native Colin Braun is doing
well, but he has had to claw up to the top.
Dillon, however, is the grandson of team
owner Richard Childress (Jeff Burton,
Kevin Harvick). Dillon enters his first
season driving for his granddad, competing
in the No. 3 that Richard Childress
made famous with the late Dale Earnhardt
in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Dillon
already has several Top 10 finishes
already this season. Friday’s race will be a
chance to see how he is adapting to his
first full season in NASCAR.
In April, The IZOD IndyCar Series created
the ICONIC (Innovative,
Competitive, Open-Wheel, New,
Industry-Relevant, Cost-Effective)
Advisory Committee. The task of the
committee is to review, research and recommend
a future IZOD IndyCar Series
chassis and engine platform of the league.
One of the six members headlining the
committee includes Texas Motor
Speedway President Eddie Gossage. It
will be interesting to see how this committee
will help direct the IZOD IndyCar
Series in a new direction and what role a
promoter like Gossage is expected to play
in the process.
Motorcycle daredevil Robbie Knievel
will attempt the “ Above The Law” jump
presented by the IZOD IndyCar Series
during the pre-race festivities for the
Firestone 550K event. Knievel, the 48-
year-old son of the late Evel Knievel, will
attempt to break his personal best by
jumping 200 feet of City of Roanoke
service vehicles. The jump is scheduled
for 6:15 p.m., approximately 90 minutes
prior to the start of the Firestone 550K, on
a specially-constructed ramp system that
will be situated on the speedway’s front
stretch.
RACE WEEK AT TMS
THURSDAY
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Truck series practice
12:45-2 p.m.: Final Truck series practice
6 p.m.: Truck series qualifying
FRIDAY
10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Legends races
12:45-1:45 p.m.: IndyCar practice
3:35 p.m.: IndyCar qualifying
7-7:30 p.m.: Final IndyCar practice
8 p.m.: Camping World Truck Series
WinStar World Casino 400k (167 laps,
250.5 miles. TV: Speed; radio:
KRLD/105.3 FM)
SATURDAY
10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Legends races
12:00 p.m-3p.m Family Fun Day – The
event will include clowns, Disney characters,
rides, bounce house villages, vendors,
and other fun family activities. The
event begins at Noon, and concludes with
a 3:30 p.m. concert by Julianne Hough,
Country Music Artist and Dancing with
the Stars performer. Julianne will be performing
songs from her current CD.
Tickets for Family Fun Day are on sale at
www.texasmotorspeedway.com, and at
the gate on June 5. Tickets are $20 for
adults, $10 for children under twelve, and
free for all children under the age of two.
All proceeds from Family Fun Day will
support FSFMI and Speedway Childrens
Charities. FSFMI funds will be directed
to organizations and initiatives that provide
critically needed support for individuals
and families coping with mental illnesses,
including Active Minds, and
FSFMI’s public awareness campaign,
“Friendship Matters.”
6:15 p.m.: Robbie Knievel’s Above the
Law jump
7:30 p.m.: IZOD IndyCar Series
Firestone 550K (228 laps, 342 miles. TV:
Versus; radio KRLD/105.3 FM)
10 June 4-11, 2010 | The Sports Page Weekly | sportspagedallas.com
Ever Ride in a Pace Car?
NASCAR gave me the opportunity to ride a few laps in the pace car today before the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. NASCAR’s Brett Bodine was at the wheel of the Camaro. I got to do something the real NASCAR drivers don’t – see the track through windshield wipers. It has rained most of the past two days here at TMS, forcing the Nationwide Series race to be postponed and worrying everyone that the same may happen to the Sprint Cup Series race today.
Because the track was wet, Bodine took it easy on me. I had done this ride before on a dry track and know he really likes to give the passenger a thrill. Though I didn’t get to experience the high G-force turns this time, I still found myself gripping the armrest and expecting to hit the wall from sliding out of Turn 2. I shouldn’t have worried though, as Bodine knows exactly what he can and can not do with the car. Did I mention Bodine is a former driver who now works for NASCAR’s Research and Development center?
As we dodged the jet dryers, Bodine explained the nuances of the track at Texas Motor Speedway. From accelerating off pit road, to the way the banking goes away exiting Turn 2, Bodine pointed out the keys to racing here. (I resisted the urge to say I already knew this from iRacing.com) Listening to Bodine was a real treat. Although I’m sure he said the same things the last time I rode, I was way too preoccupied with the speed to listen. We were going at least 40 mph slower this time, and my body thanked him for it. It is hard to describe how it feels to enter the turns at speed and hope you don’t slide out upon exit. It is hard to appreciate the 3-story high banking until you are at the bottom of it, looking straight out the window and seeing the sky. And when it is time to stop, slamming the brakes to make pit road speed at the exit of Turn 4 is enough to make you think you are going through the windshield.
If you ever get the chance to take a ride around Texas Motor Speedway, do it. But I recommend you have a pro at the wheel.
Thanks to George Walker of DFW Sports Online.com
Samsung Mobile 500 Race Preview by Bruce Cameron, The Racing Reporter
Justin, Texas
Another year of racing at Texas Motor Speedway kicks off with the Samsung Mobile 500 this Sunday at 2 p.m. President Eddie Gossage has reported in interviews that ticket sales are “flat” when compared to last year. But flat is good in that is represents a similar revenue stream for the venue, compared to 2009 earnings. Attractive promotions and packages continue in order to fill the track.
With a challenged economy, NASCAR attracts a variety of sponsors at competitive prices. Texas Governor Rick Perry will campaign for re-election in a creative way. Texan Sprint Cup driver Bobby Labonte will have the No. 71 car sporting the “Texans for Rick Perry” logo and slogan “Moving Texas Forward.” The cost – $225,000.
Texas hosted tire testing and spoiler testing this year. More important is the spoiler testing. This is NASCAR’s decision to dump the ugly rear wings in favor of a stylish spoiler. Team engineers are not sure what to expect on Sunday on the fast, 1.5-mile Texas track. Interviews with drivers indicate that with the spoiler, it feels more secure when entering a corner, but the car gets looser when exiting the corner. More importantly, how does the new spoiler help or hinder passing cars? This race will tell. Teams who can make quick adjustments to this change should do well.
No matter where the Sprint Cup Series races are, Jimmie Johnson is a statistical favorite to win. This week is no different with a 9/2 odds to win. Johnson finished second at TMS in 2009 and 2008. He has never won this particular race; he has one victory at TMS. Johnson certainly has a chance to win, particularly if crew chief Chad Knaus and team can quickly adapt to the new rear deck spoiler.
Jeff Gordon is another popular driver with TMS fans. Last April, Jeff Gordon snapped a long winless streak, posting a win here at Texas. He has not won a race since.
Who else looks strong for this year’s race? Matt Kenseth is particularly strong this year. His stats in Texas are impressive, with one win, seven finishes in the Top 5 and 10 in the Top 10, yielding both an Average Running Position and finish of 9.3. His TMS victory in 2002 was quite spectacular in that he started 31st, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started. Currently, he is second in the Chase behind leader Jimmie Johnson.
Another strong contender is Kevin Harvick, who also has done well in Texas. He is overdue for a win. Harvick has run 14 times at TMS, posting three Top 5 and six Top 10 finishes. Richard Childress Racing seems to be gaining momentum this year and an April win would not come as a surprise.
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
The O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 returns to TMS this weekend. This race will be fun to watch if it is anything like last year’s run. Kyle Busch won the race and the pole. Not so easy though. Brad Keselowski chased down Busch with less than 15 laps to go. An accident caused by John Wes Townley set up a seven-lap shootout to the finish. On the final restart, Keselowski spun his tires, falling back to third, while Tony Stewart, who took on four new tires during the final caution, jetted up to second from seventh. Busch managed to win by 1.4 seconds. Some fans believed this race to be more exciting than Gordon’s Sprint Cup win the next day. Texans Colin Braun (Ovalo) and James Buescher (Plano) plan to run in Saturday’s race.
ARCA RACING RETURNS
ARCA Racing Series returns to Texas after an 11-year absence. The Rattle Snake 150 will mark the return of ARCA since the Z-MAX 250 in 1998. Never heard of ARCA? The series was established in 1953 and has developed many current NASCAR drivers, including Tony Stewart, Mark Martin, Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman. The Friday race starts at 6:30 p.m. Nur Ali, Texan since 1983 and graduate of Trinity High School (Euless) along with Tyler native Lance Fenton will race Friday. Among the field of ARCA drivers, 29-year-old Justin Marks and 23-year-old Robb Brent are the ones to watch and show promise of rising higher in the NASCAR ranks.
Missing the trucks? NCWTS driver Ricky Carmichael will be racing Friday, gaining much-needed seat time, perhaps gaining the attention of larger NASCAR teams.
Metal music fans will enjoy the Friday entertainment (Free Reign) for possibly two reasons: 1. Metal fits well with NASCAR and 2. The band is comprised of Dallas Cowboys linemen. Their promo photo has a “Straight-Edge” look to it. The band has links on Myspace for those wanting a sample of their music.
Special Events
Fans can visit the SPEED Network stage for live TV broadcasts and free fan activities all weekend long.
Thursday April 15th 7:30 p.m. – Aaron’s Fandango for season ticket holders following the ARCA race.
Friday April 16th 11:30 a.m. – Driver appearance by Eric McClure 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Brookshire’s Camping Store (TMS Campgrounds)
Sunday April 18th 10:05-10:35 a.m. – Driver appearance by Brian Vickers at the Red Bull merchandise trailer (TMS Midway); also on Sunday is the Chevy Display Lineup Q&A sessions with Jeff Burton @ 9:40 a.m.; Juan Pablo Montoya @ 10:30 a.m.; Jimmie Johnson @ 11:00 a.m.
Peter Frampton will be the pre-race entertainment on Sunday. Frampton, a Grammy Award winning artist headlines the pre-race show. His concert begins at 12:30 p.m. Known for his “talk box” sound, Frampton will play tracks from his 1976 release, “Frampton Comes Alive” and songs from his to be released album April 27, “Thank You Mr. Churchill.”
Denny Wins Martinsville Again!
Hamilin Wins At Martinsville 2010 Photo by Bruce Cameron
After a furious gain in the second half of the race, Hamlin, with seven laps to go, decided to make a pit stop and get four new tires, a strange move that put him restarting ninth with four laps left in the race
With JGR teammate Joey Logano behind him, Hamlin won his first race of the season by .67 seconds.
Jeff Gordon, who was leading at the final restart, finished third, followed by Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr. Jimmie Johnson finished ninth. Johnson, however, did take the overall points lead, 14-points ahead of the nearest competitor, Greg Biffle.
Hamlin led 172 of the 508 total laps, more than any other driver, and before the yellow flag flew on lap 493, he had led 89 laps, many of those with a Jeff Burton on his bumper. (Burton later dropped to 20th).
“No matter what we do at the end of the race — whether we pit or don’t pit — it was going to be a 20 percent chance to win this race,” Hamlin said. “Things were going to have to happen the way that they happened for me to win the race. It all depended on where we were at for the second (and final) restart.”
“There’s just nothing you can do,” he said. “If we didn’t pit, I can assure you that 90 percent of the guys behind us would have pitted. And then we definitely would have lost the race.”
Joe Gibbs Inducted to the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame by Bruce Cameron
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Joe Gibbs, TMS Hall Inductee Photo by Bruce Cameron
NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs is set to become the newest member of the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame.
Gibbs, the former head coach of the Washington Redskins, will be inducted on April 16 during the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Gala to be held in the Speedway Club’s Grand Ballroom at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.
“It’s a great honor to have been selected into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame, and I want to thank everyone with the Speedway and all those that voted for me to receive this recognition,” Gibbs said in a recent press conference.
Gibbs, who owns three NASCAR Sprint Cup championships (2000, ‘02, ‘05) and five victories at TMS, will be the 12th member of the Hall, joining A.J. Foyt (2003), Johnny Rutherford (2003), Terry Labonte (2004), Lee Shepherd (2004), Kenny Bernstein (2005), Jim Hall (2005), Eddie Hill (2006), Mark Martin (2007), Jim McElreath (2007), Bobby Labonte (2008) and Bruton Smith (2008).
Digger’s Revenge Doesn’t Stop McMurray From Winning at Daytona
Jamie McMurray wins 2010 Daytona 500 Photo by Bruce Cameron, The Racing Reporter
So how did he hold off Earnhardt on the final lap?
It’s more like a push he received from the guys behind him. The field behind Jamie was racing so hard that no one really got lined up to give him a good shove.
McMurray got a final push from friend Greg Biffle.
“This was my dream, to win the Daytona 500, that’s what I wanted to do since I was a little kid,” he said. “You don’t know how you’re going to behave when they put a TV camera in front of your face. You can’t control your emotions. I wouldn’t take any of it back, it’s just who I am.” McMurray notes in an AP interview.
McMurray made the rounds of talk shows in New York with his wife, Christy. They planned to fly to San Francisco for more appearances before heading to Sunday’s race in Fontana, Calif.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., second from front, filled Jamie McMurray’s rearview as the checkered flag dropped Sunday at Daytona. He has won Daytona’s July race before. He’s a master at the draft but he appeared out of nowhere at the end of the race, only leading two laps.
Also in the mix at the end were Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. Dale Jr. ought to split his second-place paycheck with David Reutimann for the powerful bump draft he received down the middle of the backstretch on the final lap. Earnhardt qualified second but never really appeared to be a contender in the race.
McMurray was almost considered a wash-out after four unmemorable years with Roush Racing. He joined the Roush program as a dead-solid-lock young driver commanding a big salary. When he left, he had to beg team owners Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates for an opportunity. Now, Ganassi and Sabates look pretty smart for giving McMurray a chance. I wonder why McMurray of .
The win in the Daytona 500 may put McMurray’s team at a disadvantage in the three remaining 2010 restrictor-plate races (two at Talladega and one more in Daytona) as well as the 2011 Daytona 500. The reason: the winning car at the Daytona 500 is rolled out of Victory Lane and into the Daytona 500 Museum for display for the next 12 months. The car, complete with grease marks, tire rubber, sandblasted nose and confetti from Victory Lane, will be seen by fans for the next year. That means that a car good enough to win Daytona is not available to the team for the next four restrictor-plate races. It’s a high price to pay, but nobody seems to mind after winning the race.
What about Digger’s Pothole?
How do you foresee a pothole developing in Turn 2? Daytona International Speedway will be criticized for the problem and the two red flags that forced the fans on hand and millions more at home to sit two-and-a-half hours while repairs were made.
And then the pothole happened.
Thousands upon thousands of miles of practice, qualifying and racing have been run at Daytona in the last month without any problems with the asphalt until the biggest race of the season unfolded. Why it didn’t rear its head until then is unknown. And horribly unfortunate. It was going to happen sooner or later. Daytona hasn’t been paved since 1978. Go figure.
Mark Martin- No Substitute for Experience
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Mark Martin November 2009 Photo by Shane Trammel TheRacingReporter.com
Martin returned to full time competition in 2009 with a two year deal at Hendrick after running partial schedules since 2007, and it was originally expected that 2010 would be another partial schedule for the driver.
Martin has been nothing short of impressive in his return to full-time Sprint Cup racing. He’s not only earned three poles in 2009. He became just the fourth race winner in NASCAR history over age 50 — quite the feat for a sport dominated by young talent.
Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet) were the two fastest drivers this past Saturday on qualifying day for the Daytona 500, earning them guaranteed front-row status for the start of Sunday’s event. They also get the respective pole positions for Thursday’s two 150-mile qualifying races called collectively the Gatorade Duel at Daytona.
Bruce Cameron, The Racing Reporter
Welcome to The Racing Reporter
The Racing Reporter.com is your source for select news and opinion for Nascar racing. This site is dedicated to fans and others who enjoy Nascar. Please feel free to roam the site for articles, news and don’t forget to check out our galleries. Covering the sport from many perspectives, Bruce Cameron, The Racing Reporter, provides a well-rounded look from the track, garage, pits, and inside the oval.
We Bring It To You From the Pits. Photo by George Walker
We Bring It To You From the Garages Photo by Bruce Cameron
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Colin Braun is a Young Driver Whom Rousch Will Develop into a World Class Racer. Photo by George Walker
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Bruce Cameron, Publisher
The Racing Reporter.com
Nascar Sprint Cup 2010 Schedule
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Nascar 2010 Schedule Click this link for your complete NASCAR Racing Schedule for the 2010 season. No worries, this is just a plain schedule for you as a resource. We hope you visit often to check on select news, opionion and always, the best Nascar photos!
Bruce Cameron, The Racing Reporter