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Driver left to find alternate transportation to Michigan

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BROOKLYN, Mich. — Ryan Newman, meet Kevin McCallister, the forgotten child in "Home Alone."

Dale Earnhardt Jr., possibly still on cloud nine after picking up his second victory of the season last Sunday at Pocono Raceway and not thinking clearly, took off for Michigan International Speedway Friday morning to prepare for a busy weekend ahead. He then realized, once the plane was at approximately 40,000 feet, that he forgot one of his carry-ons: Newman.

It was clear from Junior’s Twitter updates he felt bad about the mistake.

When Earnhardt came in for his Friday press conference, it naturally led to questions about Newman’s current location and if he’d heard from the driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet.

"No, I don’t know. Is he here?," Earnhardt asked. "Let me check my phone. Oh, he did (text me). He says, ‘I should’ve texted last night.’ I still don’t know where he’s at."

And now, for the explanation as to how this "Home Alone"-esque situation transpired:

"This is what happened. And this is the honest truth. On Tuesday he asked me if he could take a ride to the race track, which is common for drivers to do that and we were leaving at 8:30 and that’s what it said on my calendar. And then since Tuesday we’ve added some media to this morning and so my PR guy Mike Hoag moved take-off time to 8 o’clock and I didn’t know about it, I didn’t look at my calendar and when I got up this morning, I didn’t look at the clock, I just got in the shower and went downstairs, drove to the airport and got on the plane. I forgot about Ryan. Even if we were taking off at 8:30 and he wasn’t there, I probably would’ve left him. He should’ve texted me last night. I think he got a ride. That was unfortunate for sure, but it happens."

With one of his primary sponsors also serving as the namesake of Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 (1 p.m. ET, TNT), Newman already had a regularly scheduled press conference on Friday afternoon, like it was destined to happen. The questions about the incident didn’t take long to emerge. Luckily, Newman was a great sport about it and everything worked out in the end.

"I talked to Junior, I guess it was Monday night, and asked him if I could bum a ride up here because my wife and kids are coming up tomorrow on my plane," Newman said. "It just made sense if I could just jump a ride instead of sending the plane back and forth. He said, ‘Yeah, no problem.’ I double-checked to make sure that we were 8:30 on Friday morning and everything was good.

"It was pretty much the last ride that I thought was going to go out to come up here and it was convenient and we were flying in the same airport and we were supposed to leave at 8:30 and I showed up before 8:30 and his truck was there and the airplane was gone. I knew I was in trouble at that point."

He could have panicked, but instead jumped back in his truck, drove across the airport and happened to see his saving grace in the plane of a 2014 NASCAR Hall of Famer.

"I just happened to see Dale Jarrett’s plane sitting there and Dale wasn’t there yet, but I talked to his pilots and I said ‘I’m hoping you guys are going to Michigan, right?’ and they said yes, so I bummed a ride. It was extravagantly convenient and lucky at the same time. I got in the car (later) and told Jason (Jarrett, son of Dale and No. 31 spotter) ‘Your old man saved me.’ It was the closest I’ve ever come to missing practice."

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Driver, 21, makes announcement at Michigan

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BROOKLYN, Mich. — A week and a half ago, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie Kyle Larson posted to Twitter a picture of a not-so-small house, saying he just got the keys to his first digs.

Now we know how he’s going to fill it.

Larson announced Friday at Michigan International Speedway that he and girlfriend Katelyn Sweet are expecting their first child, continuing what has already been a memorable 2014 for the Chip Ganassi Racing driver.

"A lot of stuff going on, me and Katelyn (Sweet, girlfriend) just found out we are having a baby so it’s a really exciting time," said Larson, who is 10th in points despite being the youngest driver in the series. "How good the racing has been going, a new house, all that and now that so it’s been a lot of fun."

With Father’s Day just two days away, the timing of the announcement couldn’t have been better. Larson says the baby is due towards late December.

"It was December 29 the first time she went (to the doctor), then it was Christmas, now it is kind of back to December 29. Christmas sounds cool so I will go with Christmas."

As far as how Larson will fare this weekend at the 2-mile track in the rolling Irish Hills of Michigan, it presents the 21-year-old with a golden opportunity to back up his best performance of the season at Auto Club Speedway (also two miles), where he finished runner-up in his home state of California.

"I like Michigan a lot. It’s a 2-mile track — I think I do well on the 1.5-mile to 2-mile race tracks," Larson said. "I wish I would have gotten to race here before they repaved it. We did well here in the Nationwide race last year and looking for some good things again this week. It’s probably a lot of a pit strategy race and track position race, but I feel like our Target team is good at getting me track position. I’m really excited about this weekend."

Larson’s immediate success this season has been impressive. In 2013 at age 20, he competed at a high level in the Nationwide Series, but failed to win a race and finished a slightly disappointing eighth in standings in a Turner Scott Motorsports ride. When he moved up to the Sprint Cup Series to the No. 42 Chevrolet vacated by Juan Pablo Montoya, he surpassed expectations, scoring six top-10s in the 14 races of 2014 so far. Now, with a fast Michigan track ahead of his, Larson has his sights set on becoming the first rookie to win a race since Joey Logano did so in 2009.

"Yeah, I think Michigan is a good track for a first win," Larson said. "It’s the size race track that I like. We have been close a few times. We have been pretty competitive every week so I think just keep knocking on the door and the wins will come. Just have to stay consistent and put yourself in contention each week to try and sneak out a win."

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Chase Elliott is the only Nationwide regular to finish in top five in both sessions

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NATIONWIDE SERIES: PRACTICE 2 RESULTS

Paul Menard topped final practice in for the Nationwide Series Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 250 (Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Michigan International Speedway.

Menard topped the speed chart with a lap of 191.088 mph. The Sprint Cup Series veteran made just four Nationwide starts last season and is making his first Nationwide start of 2014 at Michigan. He topped the opening practice with a fast lap of 190.411 mph.

Practice occurred for the most part without incident, until a brief caution came out with about five minutes left in the session for a spin by Ross Chastain.

Menard’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Ty Dillon (190.396 mph) finished second in the final session. Rookie Chris Buescher finished third in the final session with a lap of 189.984 mph.

JR Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott (189.848 mph) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (189.753 mph) rounded out the top five.

Regan Smith, the current points leader in series, was 16th in final practice. Elliott Sadler, who is second in points in the series, was 18th in final practice.

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NATIONWIDE SERIES: PRACTICE 1 RESULTS

Drivers with earlier laps at Michigan International Speedway topped the leaderboard Saturday, with Paul Menard, Kyle Larson and Joey Logano taking the first three spots on the Nationwide Series leaderboard just after finishing practice in a Cup car.

Menard had the best speed of the run, the only driver to reach a speed of 190.411 mph and clocking a lap of 27.961 seconds. Larson, who has shown strength this season on 2-mile tracks, took the second spot with a lap of 189.514 mph. Logano was just off Larson’s pace with a lap of 189.459 mph.

Nationwide Series rookie Chase Elliott, third in the points standings, kept up with the veterans while speeding to a lap at 189.354 mph. Brian Scott completed the top five. Defending race winner and current points leader Regan Smith finished 18th-fastest in his No. 7 Chevrolet.

Coors Light Pole Qualifying for the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 250 will take place Saturday at 10:40 a.m. ET on ESPN2.

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Kasey Kahne tops leaderboard at Michigan, nears track record

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PRACTICE 1 RESULTS

Speeds in Friday’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice session neared Joey Logano‘s track qualifying record of 203.949 mph at Michigan International Speedway, making a new track record during qualifying look likely.

Kasey Kahne, who was the first driver to top 200 mph in the session, returned to the top of the leaderboard as the practice session winded down. His best speed was 203.332 mph, with a best lap time of 35.410 seconds. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the second spot in his No. 88 National Guard/Superman Chevrolet with a lap at 202.943 mph. Rounding out the top three was Kurt Busch (202.680 mph); Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon completed the top five.

Chevrolet had a strong showing in the session, speeding to the top seven spots in the leaderboard. Brad Keselowski was the first non-Chevy driver on the chart in eighth in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

Defending race-winner Logano finished 26th.

With the low temperatures in Michigan — it was only 63 degrees during the practice session — expect the speed to continue throughout the weekend. The Sprint Cup Series returns to the track at 3:40 p.m. ET for Coors Light Pole qualifying (FOX Sports 1).

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Farmers Insurance to sponsor Kasey Kahne for additional three years

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Hendrick Motorsports and Farmers Insurance have signed a deal extending their partnership through 2017. The current contract for the sponsorship of Kasey Kahne‘s No. 5 was set to run out at the end of 2014.

"We are pleased to announce our continued sponsorship of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 team and are excited to build on the momentum of the last three years," said Mike Linton, chief marketing officer at Farmers Insurance.

Farmers will be the primary sponsor in 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races between 2015 and 2017, including the Daytona 500. Parts of the paint scheme that will run in next year’s races will be decided by fan vote at FarmersRacing.com.

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Lofton — filling in for Gaulding — scored the fastest speed in the second session

Practice 1 (Results)

NTS Racing’s Chase Pistone led the opening practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Pistone, driving the No. 9, was first with a speed of 136.141 mph on his 21st lap around the 1.25-mile track in the St. Louis area.

Justin Lofton, who was driving the No. 20 for NTS Motorsports on standby for Gray Gaulding, was second at 135.497 mph. Gaulding finished fifth in the K&N Pro Series East event in Pensacola, Florida on Friday night before flying overnight to St. Louis.

ThorSport Racing’s Jeb Burton was third at 135.412 mph, and series points leader Matt Crafton was fourth at 135.014 mph.

Erik Jones, driving the No. 51 for Kyle Busch Motorsports, rounded out the top five at 134.831 mph.

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Practice 2 (Results)

Justin Lofton led the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ second practice at Gateway Motorsports Park for the Drivin’ for Linemen 200. 

Lofton, who is driving the No. 20 for NTS Motorsports on standby for Gray Gaulding, topped the leaderboard with a speed of 136.753 mph.

Gaulding was racing in the K&N Pro Series East event in Pensacola, Florida on Friday night before flying overnight to St. Louis. 

Second-fastest was Matt Crafton with a speed of 136.558 mph. Crafton was fourth during the series’ first practice.

Cole Custer (136.397 mph), Joey Coulter (136.108 mph) and Chase Pistone, who was fastest in the opening session, (135.861 mph) rounded out the top five.

Matt Crafton and Ron Hornaday Jr. are the only two drivers in the Drivin’ for Linemen 200 entry list with more than four Gateway starts. Hornaday Jr. being the only one with a win. 

No. 12 Ted Minor brought out a caution when he spun, but fortunately enough made no contact with the wall and was able to drive away clean.

This was the second of three practices scheduled before the inaugural Drivin’ for Linemen 200 (Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1). The final practice is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. ET. 

Keystone Light Pole Qualifying is slated for 5:10 p.m. ET on Saturday (FOX Sports 2). 

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See where your favorite driver will pit on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on TNT

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Kevin Harvick won his third Coors Light Pole Award this season and as a result got his choice of pit stalls for Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway (1 p.m. ET, TNT).

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Harvick chose the stall closest to the pit road exit. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver already has two wins this season and has career win at Michigan.

Harvick is not the only driver with an opening in front of him. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also have that advantage as well. Gordon and Dale Jr. will start second and third, respectively.

Paul Menard, who qualified fifth, chose the stall closest to the entrance of pit road.

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In tight points race, near-perfection is necessary to contend

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BROOKLYN, Mich. — He’s the only driver to finish inside the top 10 in all 12 NASCAR Nationwide Series races this year, but Regan Smith knows his team has to continue to improve if it hopes to contend for the series championship.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

"We know top-10s have been great — a good figure and good stats to have," Smith, driver of the JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet said Friday at Michigan International Speedway. "But that’s not going to win the championship."

Smith, winner of the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, has been consistent, and as a result is the points leader heading into Saturday’s Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 250 at MIS.

Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Elliott Sadler trails by four points while Smith’s teammate Chase Elliott is third, 22 points back. 

Trevor Bayne (Roush Fenway Racing) and Ty Dillon (Richard Childress Racing) round out the top five.

"As good as everybody’s running this year, and as strong as it appears the five or six cars that are going to be in the hunt are, it’s going to take more than top-10s," Smith said. "You’re going to have to get more wins, top-fives consistently."

The Michigan stop holds much promise, wrapped in a bit of apprehension. Smith is the defending race winner here, but he also hasn’t forgotten the back-to-back finishes of 30th or worse that he earned in ’13. 

It’s one reason he says the title battle remains wide open.

"You’ve got Elliott, who’s been running well; Trevor, who’s been running well," he said. "Some guys that maybe stumbled early. Brian Scott, it seems like he’s been really fast here lately. 

"Last year we had a huge points lead leaving here and all of a sudden after two races we’re sitting there and it’s a six-point lead and everything is completely different.

"So I think it’s too early with our (points) system the way it is … but having two cars up there definitely makes you think about it and think our chances are as good as anybody’s at this point."

Smith, Elliott, Sadler and Hornish (running a limited schedule for JGR, are the only Nationwide Series regulars to visit victory lane this season.

Improvement, Smith said, can come in a variety of ways.

"Just little things," he said. "When you have team meetings and discuss things after the race every week, there are little things you can highlight and say, ‘Hey, we did a good job here’ or ‘we didn’t do a good job here,’" he said. "Maybe it’s something as simple as one pit stop halfway through the race, or something a little more exaggerated, (maybe) we just missed it. Like Dover — we just missed it at Dover. For whatever reason, I didn’t like the feel I had in my car and we never got that better all weekend long." 

His 10th-place finish on the Monster Mile was his fourth of the year. His average finishing position through this year’s 12 races is 7.08.

"The 9 car (of Elliott) ran better than us at Dover," Smith said, "So we can look at them and say why did they do better … and how can we improve?

"Do I need to change what I do as a driver to improve or was there something different on paper that we can look at and do?"

Qualifying for Saturday’s race begins at 10:40 a.m. ET with the race scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. 

"I don’t know if you ever have a good handle on any race track," he said. "We qualified 20th (last year) so we obviously did something wrong there and have something to improve. 

"I’m comfortable here; I’ve always enjoyed racing at Michigan. For whatever reason it’s a track I picked up quick… 

"Anytime you win somewhere, you have a (high) confidence level and feel like you understand what you need to do."

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Big, wide ovals could suit Montoya’s style in 2014 return

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BROOKLYN, Mich. — The possibility of what could be isn’t lost on Juan Pablo Montoya.

He’s seen how well Team Penske‘s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams have performed this season. He knows Michigan International Speedway, site of Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400, is a high-speed 2-mile track full of possibilities for a driver such as himself.

But can Montoya, who has been out of Cup competition since the end of the 2013 season, be a contender in what will be his first of only two scheduled starts for Team Penske in the No. 12 Ford?

Montoya prefers to dream big.

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"This is probably one of the best tracks for the Fords," the 38-year-old said Friday prior to opening practice at Michigan, where he placed 37th. "They always excel here and have a car that can win. The way Team Penske is running right now, if it clicks from the beginning and we hope it does, we might have a shot at winning this."

Montoya spent seven full seasons in Sprint Cup before leaving Chip Ganassi Racing at the end of 2013, eventually signing to compete in IndyCar for owner Roger Penske. He won twice for Ganassi, at the series’ road courses of Sonoma (in 2007) and Watkins Glen (2010). His best year came in 2009 when he tallied 18 top-10s en route to an eighth-place points finish.

To prepare for Michigan, Montoya said he and the team tested. Once. In that test, which took place at Nashville Superspeedway, he said it took him only five laps to get comfortable in the car.

Of greater importance, he said, is how well teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski have fared this season. Logano has two wins and sits ninth in points while Keselowski, the 2012 series champion, is fifth and has one win. The Penske cars clearly have speed.

"With the way Team Penske is running here, it’s a hell of a chance," Montoya said. "You see Joey’s comments sometimes and he says it was a terrible day and he finished fifth or sixth, so from my history here I would have killed to have a car that would do that."

In 14 career starts at Michigan, Montoya scored three top-10s. He was 11th in his final start at the track last season.

"If we do a good job here and we have a decent race, we’ll easily get a top-10, and if I’m really comfortable in the car we could even look at a win," he said. "I think this track, with my background in open wheel, coming here is going to play into my hands a little bit because it’s a really fast track. It’s a track (where) you don’t brake … where you’re really controlling the throttle and you do that a lot in IndyCar."

His goal, he said is to "take it as it comes."

"But the way to really look at it is good preparation for the Brickyard (at Indianapolis Motor Speedway).

"Working with Greg Erwin, who is a real experienced crew chief — he’s won races and he knows what it takes to get it done. If we do a good job here understanding what I want out of the car, then going to the Brickyard we might be looking really, really strong. It could be fun."

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Farmers Insurance to sponsor Kasey Kahne for additional three years

Huntersville, NC. (June 13, 2014) – The Joey Logano Foundation and the Checkered Flag Foundation have teamed up by creating a program to coordinate with the industry-wide NASCAR: An American Salute campaign.  An American Salute is a platform that rallies teams, tracks, fans, and partners to collectively honor active and retired service members and military families.  Throughout the seven-week span between May 25th and July 5th, teams, tracks, partners and fans show their thanks through various activities on and off the track. The industry has the opportunity to collectively express our reverence, respect, and gratitude to the millions of members of the United States Armed Forces for the sacrifices they have made in defending our nation.  

Today, the Joey Logano Foundation and the Checkered Flag Foundation launch the Honor Your Military Hero program.  Fans are encouraged to visit: www.JoeyLoganoFoundation.com/HonorYourHero and tell us about someone in their life who has served in the military and is in need of a second chance.    Submissions will be accepted online until Sunday, June 22nd at 6pm. 

“Honoring our nation’s military is a tradition that Brad and I strongly support,” says Logano. “We are proud to have the opportunity to express our gratitude to the U.S. armed forces by giving a military hero who has made a life changing sacrifice defending our nation, a second chance.”

 

The Joey Logano Foundation will announce the military hero who will be granted the $5,000 donation on Monday, June 23rd.  The chosen hero will also receive a VIP trip for themselves and one guest to the conclusion of the NASCAR: An American Salute campaign at Daytona International Speedway’s Coke Zero 400.  Trip includes travel (up to $1,500), hot passes, driver meet and greets, and entry to The Troops Welcome Center Presented by Coca-Cola for all active duty military, veterans and their families.


About the Joey Logano Foundation
The mission of the Joey Logano Foundation is to Inspire and assemble the NASCAR community to assist those across the nation who are in need of a second chance due to natural or human disaster. The Joey Logano Foundation partners with other organizations to provide comfort and relief to those in need after such unforeseen circumstances. For more information visit www.JoeyLoganoFoundation.com and follow us at www.Facebook.com/JoeyLoganoFoundation and Twitter: @JoeyLoganoFDN

About the Checkered Flag Foundation
Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation strives to support those individuals who have sacrificed greatly, to include military members, veterans, first-responders and their families, among others. CFF has hosted or participated in events with the Wounded Warrior Project, the Armed Forces Foundation, The Paralyzed Veterans of America, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Detroit F.I.R.E. benefit team.

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