Copyright 2010 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com News from Motor Racing Network en-us Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:54:27 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54359 The first off weekend for the Sprint Cup Series includes some down time for the Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series as well and offers a chance to look back on the top stories of the season so far. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:13:00 -0500 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54359
Here are the fast five:

BOYS GONE WILD

NASCAR's decision to let drivers settle things on the track and not govern the sport with such a heavy hand was a major topic of conversation coming into the season. The policy was thrust into the spotlight in a major way after the Carl Edwards-Brad Keselowski incident at Atlanta Motor Speedway. By merely penalizing Edwards with a three-race probation for his retaliation on Keselowski, NASCAR sent the message that a driver would have to go pretty far to go outside the acceptable boundaries of the policy. Whether the two combatants from AMS will put this behind them remains to be seen, but NASCAR seems to want such rivalries and behavior to continue in hopes of generating additional interest in the sport.

DANICA MANIA PART ONE

Danica Patrick's foray into stock car racing turned the sports world's attention to NASCAR, and her participation in the Daytona ARCA race and three opening season Nationwide Series events drew larger television audiences and an uptick in ticket sales. But now Patrick returns to her full-time job with the Indy Racing League beginning on Sunday in Brazil and won't be back to NASCAR until mid-June. It will be interesting to see if the IRL experiences any added viewership or interest from NASCAR fans who follow Patrick to the open wheel world. And how will Patrick make the transition to Indy Cars and then back to stock cars later this summer?

RCR'S COMEBACK

Richard Childress Racing began its resurgence in the second half of last season and it has carried into 2010. All three of the team's drivers - Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick, who leads the point standings after four races - have run extremely well at the start of the campaign. It appears to be only a matter of time before one breaks into victory lane and all have a legitimate chance at making the Chase and ending RCR's nearly two-year drought.

EARNHARDT STILL STRUGGLING

He finished second in the Daytona 500 with a thrilling move to go from 10th to the runner-up spot on the last lap, but after that it's been more of the same old mediocre running for Dale Earnhardt Jr. As his Hendrick Motorsports teammates continue to excel, Junior lags behind suffering from mechanical issues like a broken axle or just plain ill-handling cars. Rick Hendrick vowed to improve the performance of the 88 team in the off-season and there does appear to be some benefits from aligning Earnhardt's squad with the No. 5 stable. But the pressure continues to mount for Earnhardt to live up to the lofty expectations he carried with him in his move to Hendrick.

JOHNSON'S DOMINANCE...AGAIN

Anyone who doubted whether Jimmie Johnson would contend for a fifth straight title was sadly mistaken. Two wins in the season's first four races is evidence there is no reason to believe the 48 team won't again contend for the championship. But the question remains whether that kind of domination is good or bad for the sport? The anti-Jimmie faction seems to grow louder every day and if there is indeed a "Drive for Five" in play come this fall, NASCAR executives have to hope more people will be interested to watch history being made rather than facing a tune-out factor from those bored with seeing the same driver winning again.]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54369 The IZOD IndyCar Series and Formula One Series open their seasons this weekend on two different continents, while the NHRA, World of Outlaws and Supercross Series are in action in the U.S. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:34:00 -0500 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54369
The IndyCar Series starts 2010 with a short visit to a new track. The streets of São Paulo, Brazil will host just two days of racing for the IndyCar season opener.

Two practice sessions will be held Saturday before qualifying begins at 1:30 p.m. (ET). VERSUS will carry coverage of the action as the 23 drivers try to become the first pole winner in Brazil.

The Grand Prix of Brazil caps off the weekend on Sunday. Action begins at 11:30 a.m. (ET).

Across the Atlantic Ocean, the Formula One Series opens its season with the Grand Prix of Bahrain. Michael Schumacher returns to the track for the first time since 2006 alongside Felipe Massa who is back from his extraordinary injury, and will face off with returning champion Jenson Button as he debuts in the No. 1 with McLaren.

They aren't the only drivers taking to the grid, and will be joined by 21 other cars on track. The new regulations for 2010 may prove to be a challenge in the first race as all drivers will be unable to refuel during the race.

The Grand Prix of Bahrain begins with practice Friday. Saturday will feature a final practice session before qualifying at 6 a.m. (ET). The race takes the green flag at 7:30 a.m. (ET) on Sunday with live coverage on SPEED.

Stay with MotorRacingNetwork.com for the latest news from the weekend including late-breaking developments, results, statistics and photos.

Back in the United States, the World of Outlaws makes two stops in Texas. Friday night the series heads to Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas. On Saturday, the series races at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.

Joey Saldana won both races last season and leads the points heading into the weekend.

NHRA is back in action in Florida for the weekend's Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in Gainesville. In a unique move, the Pro Stock class continues its delayed runs from the last race in Arizona, during qualifying for this Sunday's race.

Jeg Coughlin heads into the weekend with a narrow points lead, but a lot of points will be handed out this weekend with the "two" eliminations.

Cory McClenathan leads the Top Fuel standings, while Jack Beckman holds the post in the Funny Car class.

Final eliminations begin on Sunday at 11 a.m. (ET). ESPN2 will televise three hours of eliminations starting at 6 p.m. (ET).

And finally, the Supercross riders are back in action after the big race at Daytona, with a visit to Canada for Saturday's visit to Rogers Center in Toronto. The Supercross Lites East class joins Supercross at the event.

MotorRacingNetwork.com will have complete coverage of all the weekend's events.]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54368 Cam Strader, the front mechanic for the No. 14 Stewart-Haas team, won the 2001 NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series championship before continuing his motorsports career as a crew member in the Sprint Cup Series. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:12:00 -0500 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54368
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet has won 11 titles in his 30-year driving career, including two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships (2002 and 2005). And his crew chief, Darian Grubb, earned a Sprint Cup championship in 2006 as the lead engineer for the No. 48 team of Hendrick Motorsports and driver Jimmie Johnson.

But the championships earned don’t stop at the driver/crew chief level. They continue onto the shop floor at Stewart-Haas Racing, with front mechanic Cam Strader bringing an impressive title in the form of his 2001 NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series championship.

“I feel very fortunate to be with a company that has a lot of racers in it,” said Strader, who grew up in a racing family and as a driver climbed all the way to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. “It’s great. You can still talk and relate. They’ve been through the same struggles.”

Trying to make a career in racing, especially as a driver, is filled with struggle. Success isn’t achieved easily.

“I raced full-time, but I was living above the garage in the crew chief’s house. I didn’t have heat or anything like that. I was struggling the whole time financially, but it was still fun and I didn’t care about that,” Strader said.

The fun began when Strader was 10. The Wilson, N.C.-native raced go-karts on dirt until he was 15 and advanced to the Late Model Stock Truck division at Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly, N.C. After only a year, Strader moved up to the track’s premier Late Model Stock division in 1998. After two years in Late Models with four wins and back-to-back third-place point finishes, Strader made the jump to the Dash Series in 2000.

The entry-level NASCAR touring series operated from 1975 through 2003 and featured sub-compact stock cars with a 100-inch wheelbase and the choice of a 168 cubic-inch, 13:1 compression four-cylinder engine or a 268 cubic-inch, 9:1 compression V-6.

At age 19, Strader became the series’ rookie of the year thanks to one win, two poles and 11 top-five finishes. He followed up that season by winning the Dash Series championship in 2001 with four wins, two poles, 14 top-fives and 16 top-10s. Strader ran the Dash Series for one final full season in 2002, where he picked up another win before running only three events in 2003 as he attempted to make the jump to ARCA and the Nationwide Series. Yet even with just a three-race schedule, Strader scored two victories.

“We would have 30 cars show up to an event and there was a lot of really good competition back when I was racing in the Dash Series,” Strader said. “We had some good years there with the rookie of the year title in 2000 and the championship in 2001. In 2002 and 2003, we were kind of part-time racing and trying to do some bigger events with a few ARCA and Nationwide races here and there.”

Strader drove in three ARCA races with a best finish of third, which came in his first ARCA start in March 2002 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He attempted to qualify for a 2002 Nationwide Series race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for Means Racing, but the underfunded team didn’t make the show.

“Sponsorship was hard to get. The exposure in the Dash Series wasn’t the greatest. We just never could get the finances to continue on.”

The decision to quit driving was a tough one.

“When I first got out of driving, it was really hard,” said Strader, now 30. “Over the years, I’ve kind of come to accept everything. That part of my life led me into a good career, and a great career working for an organization like Stewart-Haas Racing.”

While Strader’s driving career stopped, his motorsports career did not, as he went to work for Hendrick Motorsports in its research and development department in 2004.

“I worked in the R&D department for two years, and then I moved over to the Nationwide Series team on the ‘5’ car as a front mechanic for a year. After that, I assumed the car chief role there for three years working mainly with Kyle Busch and Casey Mears. We always had a lot of different drivers through my time. Then JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports merged, so I continued the car chief role for two years over at JR Motorsports. Even served as the interim crew chief for a bit and won a race with Ron Fellows at Montreal.”

The experience of being a driver has served Strader well in his second motorsports career.

“If I had my choice, I would still be driving, but I always look at my current job as if I was still in the seat and ask, ‘What would make the best change?’ or ‘What would be the best place to make a different change?’ and things like that. It definitely helps.”

That mechanical acumen combined with his experience behind the wheel was on display in Strader’s final appearance in a Dash Series car.

It was the Pabst Blue Ribbon 150 on Aug. 21, 2003 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, and on a whim, Strader decided to enter the 150-lap race on the tight and fast .533-mile bullring.

“We put together a Dash car a week before the race. We had just up and decided to go race it. We got everything together, worked all night through the whole week. We went there and we ended up winning the race. That was always really neat to me. Just spur of the moment, last minute and ended up going to Bristol and getting the win.”

Now Strader gets to enjoy a rare off-weekend on the marathon-like Sprint Cup tour before heading back to Bristol for next weekend’s Food City 500. There, he’ll look to end up back in victory lane with Stewart and the Office Depot/Old Spice team of Stewart-Haas Racing.]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54365 MotorRacingNetwork.com's Kyle Rickey gets you up to speed with the latest news and notes from NASCAR's developmental series including a conversation with Corey LaJoie. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:18:00 -0500 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54365 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54356 MotorRacingNetwork.com's Pete Pistone understands why you might be confused by NASCAR's punishment of Carl Edwards and shares his thoughts on the issue. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:45:00 -0500 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54356 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54339 In celebration of its 55th year, Aaron's, Inc. will sponsor PRISM Motorsports' No. 55 with driver Michael Waltrip in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway April 25. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:43:00 -0500 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54339
Waltrip, a two-time Daytona 500 champion and former winner at Talladega, will return to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing with a long-time sponsor in Aaron’s and a long-time friend in PRISM co-owner Phil Parsons.

“This is cool. I’m ready to race again and Talladega is a place where I know we will be very competitive,” said Waltrip who owns four restrictor plate victories including a Talladega win in the fall of 2003.

Parsons said Waltrip was a natural choice for the Talladega high banks.

“Michael brings a tremendous amount of experience to our race team,” Parsons said. “He knows what he is looking for in our cars, in our race setups and what we need to do to make our team better on these types of tracks. Plus he’s a very dear friend and I’m excited we’re putting him behind the wheel. We’re going to Talladega with every intention of winning the race.”

Waltrip owns 760 Sprint Cup starts and finished 18th in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 14 in his lone 2010 start.

“Phil and (co-owner) Randy Humphrey are getting started at PRISM Motorsports and I hope I can help them move through the learning curve a little bit faster,” Waltrip said. “I think it is going to be a lot of fun. Talladega is some of the best racing in the world and I’m glad I’ll get to be part of it in the Aaron’s 55th Anniversary Toyota.”

“Having Michael Waltrip drive the No. 55 in honor of Aaron’s 55th anniversary celebration is special to everyone at Aaron’s.” stated Robin Loudermilk, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aaron’s, Inc. “There is no better ambassador for our brand than Michael and no better way to celebrate 55 years of offering quality home furnishings to our customers than having the No. 55 Anniversary Dream Machine racing at the front of the pack during the Aaron’s 499.”

Aaron’s Chief Operating Officer Ken Butler continued, “Talladega will mark the first time that Michael has driven for Aaron’s on the Cup side and we are thrilled to have him pilot this commemorative 55th anniversary paint scheme. We have a long history together and are glad we have the opportunity to support him in his second Cup Series start of 2010.”

This season Waltrip has devoted more time to ownership of Michael Waltrip Racing which fields Toyotas for David Reutimann’s No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine and Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 56 NAPA AUTO PARTS entry. In addition, Waltrip’s time is spent as an analyst on Showtime’s “Inside NASCAR” and SPEED’s weekly talent show “Fast Track to Fame” as well as joining Parsons as a television commentator in SPEED’s coverage of truck series races.

The Aaron’s 499 at Talladega is the only race Waltrip has planned in the 2010 season.

PRISM Motorsports will field the No. 55 for Waltrip and the No. 66 for Dave Blaney at Talladega. Since its inception in 2009, PRISM Motorsports has purchased race cars from Michael Waltrip Racing.]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54338 As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads into its first off weekend, MotorRacingNewtork.com takes a look at all the loop data stats through the first four races of the season with our 20-page detailed eBook. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:58:00 -0500 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54338 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54325 Darlington Raceway was the latest site for a Goodyear tire test on Tuesday. A total of five teams were on-hand to test tires at the legendary South Carolina track. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:37:00 -0500 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54325
Clint Bowyer, Marcos Ambrose and Elliott Sadler all tested their respective Sprint Cup Series rides with the new spolier, while Aric Almirola and Timothy Peters tested their Camping World Truck Series vehicles in preparation for the series’ return to Darlington on August 14, 2010.

After a couple of early morning spins, the drivers stopped in the media center to discuss the test session. One thing that remained constant across all of the drivers is how difficult of a track Darlington is to drive.

“This place is like no other, it is as intimidating and challenging as it gets,” said Marcos Ambrose. “You’re winging it around the top with no room for error with a lot of speed and a lot of grip on the track. It will punish you if you don’t drive it the right way, it’s an amazing place. I think anyone who wants to run in NASCAR needs to come here to prove themselves because this is as tough as it gets.”

Richard Childress Racing driver, Clint Bowyer, talked about how being close to the coast creates a slick surface for drivers to contend with.

“This track sits and sand and grit gets down in it and makes it really slick and it takes a while to burn that off,” said Bowyer. “You would think that the jet dryers would blow that off but being this close to the beach it settles overtime. Now we’ve got it burned off and the speeds are doing good.”

Almirola and Peters were both excited to see the track for the first time in a Camping World Truck Series ride and both were predicting an exciting race for race fans on August 14 when the trucks return for the Too Tough To Tame 200.

“This is one of the coolest tracks we go to with a ton of history. Just getting here you drive down a two lane road, most of the racetracks we go to you get off the interstate, go down a six-lane road and pull into the racetrack,” said Almirola. “This place still reminds me of Martinsville and the old school racetracks where it’s out in the middle of nowhere and you’re surrounded by a bunch of diehard NASCAR fans that come to watch the race. I think it’s awesome that the Camping World Truck Series is coming here and it’s going to put on one hell of a race, it’s going to be exciting.”

“I was glad that we were able to come for Goodyear. It helps me out a lot; this is the first time I have been on the racetrack. I have been here to watch several races but I had to work my courage up to make myself get up close to the wall and get up to speed,” said Peters. “I’m looking forward to getting to come here to race. It’s going to be an exciting race for the fans, but it’s going to be a challenge for us. We always run close together week-in and week-out, it’s going to be action packed for sure."]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54333 International Speedway Corporation (“ISC”) today announced it has named Rick Humphrey as Managing Director of Business Operations. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:11:00 -0500 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54333
Humphrey, 41, is a 16-year veteran in the motorsports industry, serving most recently as president of Talladega Superspeedway since July 2007. As president, he worked closely with the facility’s more than 50 employees to secure, maintain and operate the 2.66-mile, 3,000-plus acre complex, and presided over a significant number of upgrades and enhancements to the legendary race track.

In his new role, Humphrey will be primarily responsible for driving operational excellence across all ISC racetracks through benchmarking, innovation and best practice sharing. In addition, he will provide leadership for ISC’s Green initiatives. Humphrey will report to ISC Vice President of Business Operations, Joie Chitwood III.

“Rick brings a wealth of facility management, promotions and operations experience to ISC,” said Chitwood. “We look forward to his contributions across the Company’s entire portfolio of premier racing facilities. We congratulate him on his new position and look forward to his continued success.

“In addition,” Chitwood continued, “Talladega remains in very capable hands as Grant returns to oversee the day-to-day operations. We are fortunate to have executives of such high caliber assume new responsibilities within the organization to help the company continue to grow and succeed well into the future.”]]> http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54316 This week's Power Rankings saw a big shake up in the top 10 after a bunch of new players are starting to flex their muscle early in the season. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:45:00 -0500 http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/article.aspx?artnum=54316