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Daytona Rising project means off-track changes July 4 weekend

On-going construction at Daytona International Speedway for the track’s Daytona Rising project will mean a few off-track changes for NASCAR teams next weekend.

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Among the moves are the locations of the spotters stand and race control for the XFINITY Series and Sprint Cup Series events at the 2.5-mile track.

Frontstretch spotters will now be located in a dedicated seating area in section 458, the first section on the Turn 1 side of the new suite tower. Previously, spotters were located atop the Sprint Tower on the frontstretch.

Race control, the area from which NASCAR officials “call” the race, will now be located inside a temporary structure on the Turn 1 side of the track’s new stadium tower.

Daytona Rising, the $400 million project renovation project, officially broke ground in July of 2013 and is scheduled to be completed prior to the start of the 2016 season.

Part of the renovation required the removal of the Sprint Tower and the remaining original grandstand seats located on the frontstretch.

Construction in that area necessitated the need to re-locate race control and spotter areas for next week’s events.

The Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is scheduled for Sunday, July 5 (7:45 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR). The Subway Firecracker 250 XFINITY Series event is slated for Saturday, July 4 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR).


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Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch round out top three in final session

RELATED: Practice 2 results

Kyle Busch topped the leaderboard at Sonoma Raceway for the Sprint Cup Series final practice session on Friday evening. The No. 18 Joe Gibsb Racing Toyota recorded a high speed of 96.175 mph around the road course.

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Last year’s Sonoma winner, Carl Edwards, took the second position in the final practice with a high speed of 96.030 mph on the road course. Edwards’ 2014 first-place finish at Sonoma earned him his first Sprint Cup Series road-victory of his career.

Kurt Busch rounded out the top three with a fastest speed of 95.992 mph. 

The winner of today’s first practice, Clint Bowyer took the fourth position (95.942 mph) while Pocono winner, Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top five with a 95.839 mph fastest lap around the California road course. 

The undisputed King of Sonoma, Jeff Gordon, finished the final practice session in the sixth spot (95.750 mph) as he gets ready for one last race here as a full time Sprint Cup Series driver. 

Some notable names outside the leaders were Dale Jr., who finished third last year, in the 21st position and AJ Allmendinger who took the 23rd spot in tonight’s race. Allmendinger is NASCAR’s second most succesful road course driver, falling only behind the No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

With 10 minutes left Michael Annett stalled on the track, bringing out the caution.

The Sprint Cup Series is back on track at 6:30 p.m. ET for the final practice of the day at Sonoma Raceway (FOX Sports 2).

Practice 1 recap

RELATED: Practice 1 results

Having shown speed early in practice, Clint Bowyer topped the leaderboard late in Friday’s opening Sprint Cup Series session at Sonoma Raceway. The 2012 winner at Sonoma, Bowyer recorded a high speed of 95.547 mph in his No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota.

AJ Allemendinger improved his position on the leaderboard in the final minutes as well, posting a high speed of 95.318 mph in his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet. Allmendinger is the reigning winner at Watkins Glen, the other road course on the Sprint Cup circuit.

Richard Petty Racing’s Sam Hornish Jr. recorded the third-fastest speed (95.091 mph), while Danica Patrick‘s final run in her No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet awarded her the fourth spot on the charts (95.012 mph). Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates’ Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five, whirling around tight turns of the California road course at 95.012 mph.

After topping the charts, reigning Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick settled for eighth-fastest, maneuvering his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing machine around the road course at 94.713 mph.

Last year’s Sonoma winner Carl Edwards found momentum early in practice, propelling his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota at 94.497 mph for the 10th-fastest speed.

Jeff Gordon, the all-time winner at Sonoma with five wins, posted the 15th-fastest time in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

With less than 30 minutes remaining in the opening practice, Germain Racing‘s Casey Mears stalled on track, bringing out the caution.

The twists and turns synonymous with road course racing briefly disrupted the runs of a few cars today, including Aric Almirola, Casey Mears and Alex Kennedy.

The Sprint Cup Series is back on track at 6:30 p.m. ET for the final practice of the day at Sonoma Raceway (FOX Sports 2).

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Navy Achievement Medal winner Jeff Kyle surprised at Texas Rangers game

BUY: Indianapolis race tickets

When tens of thousands of race fans visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for one of NASCAR’s biggest races of the summer, one name will stick out among the rest. Come Race Day, not only will fans recognize the name within the Crown Royal Presents the "Your Hero’s Name Here" 400 race title, but they will also understand the reason why Jeff Kyle is being honored as an American hero.

Today in his home state, during a special reveal event at the Texas Rangers game, Kyle was announced as the winner of Crown Royal Canadian Whisky’s annual "Your Hero’s Name Here" program, which awards naming rights to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to a deserving hero. As the program winner, Kyle’s name will be incorporated into the official race title, the Crown Royal Presents the Jeff Kyle 400 at the Brickyard.
 
Kyle, of Lorena, Texas, was deployed multiple times to Iraq and Africa while serving in the military for eight years. During his time with the 3rd Marine Division, Kyle received the Navy Achievement Medal for leading the first Marine detachment to transport a nuclear submarine through hostile waters.

After leaving the military, Sergeant Kyle has dedicated his life to helping his fellow servicemen and women through his tireless efforts to bring awareness to veterans’ needs. Kyle advocates for veterans across the nation and provides support through his involvement with a handful of organizations.

A board member of the Guardian For Heroes Foundation, Kyle oversees the stewardship of the charity which provides free, in-home fitness equipment, health club memberships, personal training, life coaching and support for the disabled. He also plays a large role with American Valor, the foundation which runs the memorial benefit to honor his brother, CPO and U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle. In addition, Kyle is one of the founders of Texas Elite Tactical Academy and trains individuals about firearms safety through his passion to educate those in a safe environment.

"Honestly, I don’t feel like I’m deserving of this recognition," said Kyle of being named the winner of the 2015 "Your Hero’s Name Here" program. "My true service to this country didn’t begin until I got out of the military and I’m proud to be in the position I am."

Thursday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers, over 29,000 fans witnessed the announcement of Kyle as the 2015 "Your Hero’s Name Here" winner as the official race logo incorporating his name was unveiled during the pregame festivities. As Kyle made his way to the mound to throw the honorary first pitch, the logo was displayed across every screen within the stadium.

After the monumental moment, Kyle was greeted off the field by his closest family and friends who surprised him in celebration of the honor, alongside representatives from Crown Royal and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kyle’s wife and parents were in attendance, as well as Kyle’s personal hero and nominator for the program, 2014 "Your Hero’s Name Here" race namesake and Green Beret John Wayne Walding.

"Jeff has made his sacrifice time and time again, whether he’s serving his country overseas, locally or nationally," Walding said. "After everything he has done living his life for others, having something that is just for him will be really special."

This will mark the ninth time the Crown Royal brand has awarded NASCAR race naming rights to an adult fan. After receiving hundreds of entries during the nomination period, five heroes were chosen as finalists and adult fans had the opportunity to cast their votes for the person they felt was most deserving of the honor. In addition to Kyle, program finalists included: Benjamin Parker, retired Army Staff Sergeant from Cincinnati, Ohio; Hector Manley, community leader from Bonita Springs, Florida; Brendan Marrocco, retired Army Sergeant from Staten Island, New York; and Margy Bons, founder of the Military Assistance Mission from Phoenix, Arizona.

"Jeff Kyle’s dedication to helping veterans in Texas and across the country is a testament to his selfless nature," said Matt Pechman, Brand Director for Crown Royal Canadian Whisky. "The race on July 26 will mark a special event for Kyle as he’ll experience his first NASCAR race in an incredibly unique way – as the namesake!"

As the "Your Hero’s Name Here" winner, Kyle will receive the ultimate VIP race weekend, including garage tours and pace car rides before delivering the trophy bearing his name to the race winner in Victory Lane.

While raising a glass to the heroes in your life, Crown Royal reminds consumers to please drink responsibly.

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‘The Intimidator’ holds off friend, rival Mark Martin at Sonoma in 1995

It was at Sonoma Raceway where NASCAR Hall of Famer and legend of the sport Dale Earnhardt earned his first and only road course win. "The Intimidator" started the 1995 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 fourth in the field and only saw the lead on two laps — but they were the only laps that mattered to Earnhardt. 

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It was in Turn 6 that "The Intimidator" got around the inside of close friend and rival Mark Martin to snag the lead from the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing driver who had led 66 laps of the 74 lap-race. 

RELATED: Dale Jr. takes on The Autobahn

In Earnhardt’s 27-year-long Sprint Cup Series career, his 1995 Sonoma win stands as his one and only road course win. The No. 3 driver’s victory at the California track put Earnhardt in the lead of the championship standings, which gave him popularity at Sonoma. 

Earnhardt’s son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. still seeks a road course win. In 15 starts at Sonoma, Junior’s best finish came last season when he finished third, just behind winner Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon in second. 

RELATED: Ives: ‘Drink the wine in Victory Lane’ at Sonoma

Recap Earnhardt’s 1995 Sonoma win and celebration below. 

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Refresher as Sprint Cup’s first road course of 2015 approaches

This Sunday Sprint Cup Series drivers head to Sonoma Raceway for The Toyota-Save Mart 350, the first of two road-course events on the 2015 schedule. 

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NASCAR has had many changes in terms of qualifying rules over the past year, but group qualifying remains in effect this week at Sonoma, a 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course.

Qualifying will consist of two elimination rounds to determine the starting lineup. The first round will last 25 minutes with all cars then the 12 fastest cars will advance to the final round.

RELATED: New qualifying rules

The final round will last for 10 minutes in which drivers will start based off of their time from the first round.  The fastest single lap will determine P1 through P12 in descending order for Sunday’s race. The fastest driver wins the coveted pole position.

Last year marked many firsts at Sonoma. Jamie McMurray completed the qualifying round with the fastest qualifying lap in Sonoma history, coming in at 96.350 mph. Carl Edwards won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series road-course victory and Dale Jr. finished third, his best finish at the raceway.

RELATED: NASCAR tweaks qualiyfing process

This year, too, will make history, as it will be the last time that Jeff Gordon races as a full-time Sprint Cup Series driver at Sonoma. Gordon is the most successful driver at the racetrack with five wins, five pole positions, 14 top-five finishes and 457 laps led.

This Sunday’s Toyota-Save Mart 350 (110 laps, 218.9 miles) starts at 3 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

 

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Bruce: ‘NASCAR exists today because of them’

Quietly, they slip through the cracks of NASCAR like some long-forgotten track, unnoticed by many of today’s fans, with names that fail to stir memories of fantastic finishes or incredible accomplishments.

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You probably won’t find them on highlight reels, unless it’s in the background. The Hall of Fame hasn’t come calling.

But the contributions of drivers such as Jabe Thomas and Jim Vandiver, small as they may seem to some, were just as important to NASCAR during their time in the sport as the contributions of the better known, more successful drivers they competed against.

For every Petty or Allison, Yarborough, Baker or Pearson, there was a Thomas and Vandiver, an Arrington and a McDuffie. Through the years, generations have come and gone. Success in NASCAR followed some while turning a cold shoulder to others. But still they came.

Thomas, father of former Rookie of the Year Ronnie Thomas, passed away June 4. His career as a driver in NASCAR’s premier series lasted 14 years, and while it produced no wins, Thomas, a Christiansburg, Virginia, native, did finish eighth or better in the points standings for four consecutive years.

RELATED: Jabe Thomas passes away at 85

Vandiver, who called Huntersville, North Carolina, home, passed away last week at the age of 75. He, too, competed for 14 seasons, but never on a full-time basis. His record shows only 85 career starts during his time in NASCAR. In 1972, Vandiver started a career best 16 races; there were 31 on that season’s schedule.

But in 1969, he led 102 laps en route to a runnerup finish at Talladega Superspeedway, back when it was known as Alabama International Motor Speedway.

Turns out it was one of the most pivotal races ever contested by the sanctioning body.

When the series’ top stars of the day deemed the new 2.66-mile track unsafe for competition, they withdrew. It’s been the only time in the history of NASCAR that drivers have boycotted an event en masse.

Vandiver chose to stick around. He piloted a 1969 Dodge fielded by owner Ray Fox and in his first Grand National start on a superspeedway, he finished second to Richard Brickhouse.

But it wasn’t just the Talladega result that etched Vandiver’s name in that often-overlooked segment of NASCAR lore. Nor the top-10 points finishes for Thomas, impressive as they were.

It was because of the efforts and appearances of such fiercely independent drivers that the sport was able to keep churning forward. NASCAR needed traction, and they were there to help supply it.

They were drivers who relished the opportunity to compete against the bigger, often factory-backed teams of the day. They raced against them at Daytona and Talladega, Charlotte and Atlanta. And they raced against them at lesser-known stops as well — places like Macon and Montgomery, Hillsville and Islip, too.

Thomas and Vandiver were just two of many who could be counted on to show up, maybe under-funded and over-matched, but they showed up just the same. There would be a race, and whenever possible, they would be there, lined up and hoping for the best.

Of the 184 drivers who have posted at least one victory in NASCAR’s premier series, 60 never won more than once. It’s likely that hundreds of others had careers that never saw a single trip to the winner’s circle.

That didn’t make them any less worthy of recognition then and it doesn’t make them any less worthy now. Drivers such as Richard Petty and Bobby Allison and David Pearson went on to become legends in the sport, but they did so with the help of guys like Thomas, Vandiver and a host of others.

NASCAR’s history is filled with them. And lest we forget, NASCAR exists today because of them.

They weren’t household names. They were racers. And thank goodness for that.

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NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola and Jessica Ruffin debate the proposal

NASCAR makes its annual trip out west to California wine country this weekend when the Sprint Cup Series hits up Sonoma Raceway for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350. As such, with so much focus and excitement surrounding last season’s revamped Chase for the Sprint Cup, it’s time to ask if the excitement can be elevated once more — by adding a road course such as Sonoma to the Chase.

In the latest Head-to-Head, Pat DeCola and Jessica Ruffin offer their views on this controversial matter, and thankfully they keep things civil. Mostly. Read their opinions, then duke it out for yourself in the comments section below.

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DeCola: Hey Jessica, I want to apologize in advance for disproving all of your points. You gave it a good effort, but it’s pretty clear — there should absolutely, positively, without a doubt be a road course race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Otherwise, what would be the point of having two during the regular season? It’s not like Major League Baseball plays 162 regular-season games on a big-league field, then decides to play the World Series at Williamsport when the Little Leaguers are done with it.

Ruffin: Tell me how you really feel, Pat! You make a valid point in that there are two road courses in the regular season, so putting one in the Chase is a fair suggestion. But I’m going to have to disagree. First of all, the 10 tracks in the Chase aren’t Little League-caliber, so I don’t believe it’s fair to say that the Sprint Cup Series downgrades by not throwing a road course into the championship mix — you’ve got tracks like Talladega, Martinsville and Dover and none of those are for the faint of heart. To add to that, which track would you take out to make room for a road course? Because to me, that would be the biggest problem. Unless you plan on adding another race to the championship schedule — or moving either Watkins Glen or Sonoma regular-season events to the championship run, I can’t imagine any of the Chase tracks would be happy about giving up their coveted slot on the schedule to another venue.

DeCola: Oh, no they definitely wouldn’t be happy. But you know who would be? Kyle Busch, if say, his annual postseason spoiler Kansas Speedway was magically removed from the Chase and replaced with Watkins Glen, where he has two wins and is among his best tracks. Eight out of the 10 races in the Chase are at venues that already held a Cup event earlier in the year (nine if you want to count Chicagoland’s XFINITY Series standalone). Meanwhile, Sonoma comes while people are gearing up for their big Fourth of July getaways and Watkins Glen lands in early August when people are either vacationing or spending their weekends going back-to-school shopping. (Suggestion for fans: Watch the race while you shop at the NASCAR Superstore!) Giving the added wrinkle of road course racing during the stretch of the season when more eyes are focused on NASCAR just seems like a smart move.

Ruffin: Don’t get me wrong — I would love an excuse to travel to the wine country of Sonoma in the fall! Having a road course race during the Chase would yield higher audiences than its regular-season slots, no doubt. But if we’re going to get specific with drivers, let’s talk the fan favorite: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Junior is well-known for having a dislike of road courses and would likely be unhappy with that Chase addition. Lucky for the No. 88, road courses only make up less than 10 percent of the of the 26-race regular season. This entails that road course races don’t really represent the Sprint Cup season as a whole, making their addition to the Chase questionable. In the past 50 races at road course tracks, there have only been seven instances where the future champion that year has taken the checkered. That’s because these events sometimes reward the best open-wheel racer — rather than the most skilled stock car wheelman — in Victory Lane.

DeCola: While I agree with you that in the past, adding a road course to the Chase — which is still only a decade old, mind you — may not have made the most sense given that they lent themselves to being more geared toward drivers with open-wheel backgrounds, that’s no longer the case. Drivers are becoming more well-rounded overall — including Earnhardt, who finished third at Sonoma last year — and it’d be cool to see every track configuration NASCAR races at represented in the Chase. Not only that, we’re no longer seeing the large amount of ‘ringers’ brought in for road course races because of the emphasis put on winning to get into the Chase, giving smaller teams a shot. What’s the point of having a driver like AJ Allmendinger race his heart out to get in with a win at Watkins Glen — arguably one of the top moments of the 2014 season — just to give him no shot at a title because the type of course he excels at isn’t included? One of the biggest appeals of the new Chase format is that any driver in the top 30 in points can get in with a win. It creates excitement and builds names. If they’re given a fighting chance in the postseason, it’s good for the sport.

Ruffin: Road courses are exciting — they’re tough and make for interesting playgrounds for the drivers during the regular season. But that’s where they need to stay. We already have one wild-card, crapshoot-style track with Talladega in the Chase and the nature of a road course has the potential to go that route. With the championship being divided into playoff-style rounds, a win for any eligible driver during that time solidifies their advancement to the next round. You’re right — AJ Allmendinger gave an impressive performance at Watkins Glen last season, gaining his first career Cup win in 242 starts and a Chase spot. But he fell out the first round because he couldn’t keep up with the rest of the championship contenders in the non-road-course races. Putting one in the Chase increases the odds that someone who primarily excels at road courses sneaks in — and takes the spot of someone who has proven they can race at a variety of tracks. Drivers like Jeff Gordon — the all-time road course leader — are able to perform at all types of venues and can win a championship with or without a Chase road course. A true Sprint Cup champion should be well-rounded and versatile enough that they don’t need a road course in the Chase to be given a fighting chance — they’ve got 10 chances on 10 other tracks to get it done. That being said, if NASCAR does put a road course in the Chase, I admit I’ll be tuning in — exciting nature of road courses, plus the Chase, equals plenty of racing thrills!

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Changes to take effect immediately for both teams

Ty Dillon, currently second in the NASCAR XFINITY Series points standings, will have a new crew chief calling the shots for his team when the series returns to action next week at Daytona International Speedway.

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Nick Harrison, previously crew chief for the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet, will now be heading up Dillon’s No. 3 team. Harrison replaces Danny Stockman, who will move over to RCR’s No. 33 entry that has featured Austin Dillon, Paul Menard and Brandon Jones behind the wheel this season.

"Like many teams this time of year, we are making some mid-season personnel changes to improve the overall performance of our teams this season," Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing, said in a statement issued by the organization.

"This will also give us an opportunity to get an early look at what our personnel lineup might look like for the 2016 season."

Ty Dillon trails Chris Buescher (Roush Fenway Racing) by 29 points through this season’s first 14 races. A one-time winner in the XFINITY Series, Dillon has 10 top-10 finishes but has yet to score a victory this year.

Older brother Austin Dillon has made 10 starts in the No. 33 with Harrison at the helm, and has won twice – at Las Vegas and Charlotte.

He currently competes for RCR in the Sprint Cup Series on a full-time basis and thus earns no driver points in the XFINITY Series.

Ty Dillon, 23, is hoping to make the move up to a full-time Cup ride as early as next season. He has made four starts in the series this year and six overall.

RCR also fields the No. 2 for driver Brian Scott and the No. 62 for Brendan Gaughan in the XFINITY Series as well as its three-team Sprint Cup effort with Dillon, Menard and Ryan Newman.

Wednesday’s move comes little more than a week after RCR officials named Richard "Slugger" Labbe crew chief for Austin Dillon‘s Sprint Cup team. Labbe, who had headed up the group’s research and development effort, replaced Gil Martin. Martin was expected to fill Labbe’s R&D role.

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O’Donnell discusses pit road protocol, plus a look at Sonoma strategy

You go by what you see and not what you hear. That’s the message NASCAR officials relay to drivers and crew chiefs each week during pre-race driver’s meetings, and it arose during this past weekend’s XFINITY Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.

When the caution flag was displayed following an incident involving Dylan Lupton on lap 151 of the 200-lap race, 19 teams were subsequently penalized for pitting before pit road was officially open, including eventual race winner Erik Jones.

Most teams made the decision to pit based on information coming from officials in the scoring tower, and the message from the tower was that pit road was open. However, the official stationed at the pit road opening was displaying a red flag and the indicator light at the entrance was still red, both of which signified that pit road was still officially closed.

The penalty for pitting too soon under caution is restarting the race at the tail end of the field. Had the race been under green, drivers would have been required to serve a pass-through penalty by returning to pit road a second time.

"When you looked at it, the tower did come over the radio and say pit road was open," Steve O’Donnell, Vice President of Competition and Racing Development for NASCAR, told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Monday. "But if you go back to the driver’s meeting, what we say in every driver’s meeting is that the light and the flag are what dictates whether it’s open or not.

"The person at the opening did not hear the radio communication so the red flag and the light were still on. And in that case if anyone comes down pit road, when it’s technically closed via the light or the flag, they’ll receive a penalty for pitting too soon."

Although Jones fell out of the lead when he and the others dropped to the rear for the following restart, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver eventually made his way back to the front by lap 190 and led the final 11 laps of the race to score the win.

"It’s certainly something we’ll continue to look at," O’Donnell said. "We’ve always put it ultimately in the driver’s hands. They’re the last person that can see (if the light is red). They know or should know that if it’s red, it’s closed. That’s something we like to see completely line up over the radio and match up with the technology."

Running the Race Backwards?

Teams often use a somewhat different pit-stop strategy when competing on road courses, as will be the case this weekend. It’s known as running the race backwards.

What does it mean?

On a course where passing opportunities are limited, track position and fuel mileage are crucial factors.

For those that hope to complete the race on only two pit stops, after calculating fuel mileage they subtract that number (typically between 37 and 42 laps) from the total number of laps in the race.

So under normal circumstances, a driver who can run approximately 37 laps on a full tank of fuel would have to make his final stop in the 110-lap race at lap 73. That means his first stop, under green-flag conditions, would come at lap 36.

But should better mileage, or mileage management, allow a driver to run as many as 42 laps, his final stop would fall at lap 68 while his first would come on lap 26.

In that instance, the track position a driver would gain after pitting as others eventually made their way to pit road later in the run could prove to be the difference between contending for the win or having to work his or her way back through traffic.

RELATED: Greg Ives predicts Junior will win at Sonoma

New Tire for Sonoma

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams will be competing with a new tire code for this weekend’s Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

According to Goodyear, the code (D-4638) is being used for the first time and it features an increase in tread thickness for better wear.

Goodyear will also have wet weather tires on hand in case of inclement weather. However, the forecast calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the high 70s to mid-80s through the weekend for the area with no mention of rain.