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Kenny Francis, Kahne’s crew chief, fined for rules infraction at Talladega

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief Kenny Francis has been fined $25,000 as a result of rules violations committed during qualifying for Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.
 
Francis is the crew chief for driver Kasey Kahne and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet.

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Kahne, who qualified 17th in the 43-car field, saw his qualifying time disallowed when his car failed to meet the minimum weight requirement in post-qualifying inspection on May 3, one day before the race. As a result, he started Sunday’s race from the rear of the field, and was officially listed as 42nd in the starting order.
 
According to NASCAR, the weight infraction is a P3 level penalty. It violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 12-4.3(A) 1-c (unapproved added weight and/or weight affixed improperly) of the 2014 rulebook.
 
Kahne finished eighth in the race; it was his third eighth-place finish and third top-10 this season.
 
Martin Truex Jr., driver of the Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Chevrolet, also had his qualifying time disallowed and was sent to the rear for a post-qualifying inspection issue. The car of Truex failed to meet the minimum height requirement. There were no further penalties for the No. 78 team, however, as the loss of qualifying position served as the penalty.

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Company will have prominent positioning on No. 47 Chevy for Atlanta, Homestead

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JTG Daugherty Racing announced the addition of a new sponsor on Tuesday.

Hungry Jack, the J.M. Smucker Company that makes pancake mixes and breakfast syrups, will have prominent positioning on the No. 47 Chevrolet SS during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Atlanta Motor Speedway (Aug. 31) and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Nov. 16).

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In addition, Hungry Jack will also serve as an associate partner for the remainder of the 2014 season.

"We are excited about our new partnership with Hungry Jack," JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Brad Daugherty said in a release. "JTG Daugherty Racing is known for being affililated with some of the best sponsors in the business and we are proud to add Hungry Jack to the mix."

AJ Allmendinger drives the No. 47 Chevy for JTG Daugherty Racing and he is coming off his best finish of the 2014 season, a fifth-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in the Aaron’s 499. For the season, Allmendinger is 15th in the point standings with three top-10 finishes.

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Tagliani’s first Nationwide appearance this season will be June 21 at Road America

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Talented road racer Alex Tagliani will be piloting the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang for Team Penske in two Nationwide Series road course races this season.

Tagliani’s first NASCAR Nationwide Series event of the season will be June 21 at Road America and will follow that up on August 16 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Sprint Cup Series regular AJ Allmendinger drove the No. 22 to Victory Lane last year at both Road America and Mid-Ohio.

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"This is a great opportunity to get back in a NASCAR Nationwide Series car and to do it for one of the best teams in the series and one of the greatest owners the sport has ever seen — Roger Penske," Tagliani said. 

A native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Tagliani has made a total of four Nationwide Series starts over the course of his racing career. Two came in 2009 and he also competed in one series race in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, Tagliani drove the No. 12 car for Team Penske at his home track in Montreal, where he started and finished second after leading for 11 laps.

"I’ve been able to run for ‘The Captain’ one other time in my career in a stock car and we were so close to winning the race. This gives me two great chances to get my first Nationwide Series win. And with the team winning both of these races last year, I guess you could say the pressure is on me to get the job done this season."

Tagliani also won the pole at the Indianapolis 500 in 2011. In 2004, he took the checkered at Road America in the CART Series and has also won in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. 

The No. 22 team has seen much success this season with one win (Brad Keselowski at Las Vegas) and six top-five and eight top-10 finishes in the nine races so far this season with three different drivers behind the wheel (Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney). 

"Whenever we can add someone with the racing resume of Alex to our long list of Discount Tire drivers, we are more than excited," Michael Zuieback, president of Discount Tire said. “We look forward to watching Team Penske drivers race the Discount Tire Ford and to getting to know Alex even better during the season. If Roger picks a driver to be in our car, we know he’s going to be a top contender."

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Ryan Blaney in mix for Sprint Cup Series debut alongside father Dave

Ryan Blaney, the 20-year-old son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dave Blaney, will attempt to make his Sprint Cup debut this weekend when the series travels to Kansas Speedway for Saturday’s 5-hour Energy 400 Benefiting Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

Blaney is entered in the Team Penske No. 12 Ford, with Greg Erwin listed as the crew chief. It is the same group that will field the entry for Juan Pablo Montoya later this year at Michigan and Indianapolis in a two-race effort with the organization.

Team Penske fields two full-time teams in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series –- the No. 2 of 2012 champion Brad Keselowski and the No. 22 of Joey Logano. Logano has a pair of victories this year while Keselowski has one win.

Should both Blaneys qualify for the race, it would be the first time a father and son have competed in the same Cup race since Bobby Hamilton and Bobby Hamilton Jr. started the 2005 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Ryan Blaney has made four NASCAR Nationwide Series starts for Team Penske this year in the No. 22 Ford, earning three top-10s and a best finish of fourth at Bristol Motor Speedway.

He is scheduled to run the full season for Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR) in the Camping World Truck Series, where he captured Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors a year ago. With sixth- and fifth-place finishes in this year’s two Truck events, Blaney enters this weekend’s stop, the SFP 250 scheduled for Friday night at Kansas, third in points.

Dave Blaney, a former World of Outlaws champion, has qualified for two races this season while driving for team owner Randy Humphrey in the No. 77 Ford. The team has missed making the 43-car field for six races while withdrawing from two others.

With only 44 Sprint Cup teams on the entry list for Kansas, if the younger Blaney should qualify for the race, it could be at the expense of his father and the No. 77 team, which is 47th in owner points.

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Charity ride gives former Cup driver chance to discuss dynasty’s early days

(Photo courtesy of Kyle Petty Charity Ride)

TUCSON, Ariz. — The helmet Geoffrey Bodine wears these days is as an owner of a Honda motorcycle dealership in Melbourne, Florida and as a rider on the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America — not as a Sprint Cup driver and winner.

At 65, Bodine has been there and done that — raced on practically every track of note (and some not of note) in the United States and won at most of them, including the biggest of all, the Daytona 500. He ended his Sprint Cup career with 18 victories.

One of Bodine’s biggest claims to fame, however, is the fact that he scored the first Cup victory in the history of what would become one of stock car racing’s all-time most successful operations — Hendrick Motorsports. The team began competition in 1984 as All-Star Racing, although, as team owner Rick Hendrick is quick to admit, it wasn’t exactly overloaded with all-stars. There were five employees in an outfit that now has 500 on the payroll.

Day 3 recap
 
Started: Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Finished: Midland, Texas.
Miles traveled: 356.1.

Hendrick Motorsports is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

"I would have liked to have been about his eighth driver instead of his first," Bodine said. "The first driver always blows a lot of engines and has some trouble. But we blazed a trail. I’m proud of it. We cheer for those guys. We feel a little responsibility when we see those cars go around."

Bodine scored the team’s first win at Martinsville that first season, starting a line of success that would lead to 11 Sprint Cup championships and some of the sport’s most indelible moments.

Why did this happen?

"Why? It’s Rick Hendrick," Bodine said. "Even back in the day when I joined up, one of his key attributes is that he knows how to deal with people. He actually brought in people to give us tests to see what kind of personalities we had, then he matched people together.

"It’s a people world. If you don’t have the right people, you’re in trouble. If you put the right people together, you can be successful, and that’s what he’s done."

It’s difficult to imagine legendary and irascible mechanic Harry Hyde, Hendrick’s first crew chief, submitting to a personality test, a fact Bodine supports. "I bet he said, ‘Rick, I ain’t taking no test. I don’t have a personality. Well, I do, but it’s not going to change.’ "

Bodine participated in the first two Kyle Petty Rides and has been a sporadic visitor since.

"This thing is for such a great cause," he said. "In life, you try to make something good out of something bad, and that’s what Kyle and his family have done with this and the Victory Junction Gang Camp."
 
Day 3 recap
 
Started: Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Finished: Midland, Texas.
Miles traveled: 356.1.

Notes: Monday’s ride brought more sunshine and high temperatures, although more moderate than Saturday’s opening-day scorcher. … Final stop on Monday’s route was in Texas oil country in Midland, where a brand-new Homewood Suites, in a move typical of the generosity that parallels the ride, donated all its rooms to the group. … The ride will spend three days in Texas, with overnight stops in Midland, Austin and Beaumont. … Richard Petty is scheduled to join the festivities Tuesday in Texas.

Tuesday’s route: Midland, Texas to San Angelo, Texas; to Mason, Texas; to Austin, Texas.

Donate: The Kyle Petty Charity Ride raises money for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a summer camp for chronically ill children. To donate, victoryjunction.org.

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Posted on by NASCAR Wire Service

All the television listings for this week’s NASCAR programming

Monday, May 5
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
2:30 a.m. (Tue.), NASCAR Now, ESPN2

Tuesday, May 6
4 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
2:30 a.m. (Wed.), NASCAR Now, ESPN2
3 a.m. (Wed.), TUDOR United SportsCar Championship at Laguna Seca (re-air), FOX Sports 1

Wednesday, May 7
4 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
6 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub (re-air), FOX Sports 2
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FOX Sports 2
2:30 a.m. (Thu.), NASCAR Now, ESPN2

Thursday, May 8
Noon, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at Richmond (re-air), FOX Sports 2
4 p.m., NASCAR Race Hub, FOX Sports 1
5 p.m., NASCAR America, NBC Sports Network
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FOX Sports 1
1 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR’s The List: Legendary Drivers, NBC Sports Network
1:30 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR’s The List: Memorable Moments, NBC Sports Network
2:30 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR’s The List: Fights & Feuds, NBC Sports Network
3 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Talladega Superspeedway (re-air), FOX Sports 1
 
Friday, May 9                                                 
Noon, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice, FOX Sports 1
1:30 p.m., NASCAR K&N Pro Series Race at Stockton,
FOX Sports 1
2:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, FOX Sports 1
3:30 p.m., NASCAR Live, FOX Sports 1
4:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Qualifying, FOX Sports 1
6 p.m., NASCAR Live, FOX Sports 1
6:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying, FOX Sports 1              
8 p.m., NCWTS SetUp, FOX Sports 1
8:30 p.m., NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race at Kansas, FOX Sports 1
2 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR’s The List: Greatest Finishes, NBC Sports Network
2:30 a.m. (Fri.), NASCAR’s The List: Legendary Drivers, NBC Sports Network
 
Saturday, May 10
6 p.m., NASCAR RaceDay, FOX Sports 2
7 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Pre-Race Show, FOX
7:30 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Kansas, FOX
2 a.m. (Sun.), NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Kansas, FOX Deportes
3 a.m. (Sun.), NASCAR Victory Lane, FOX Sports 1
 
Sunday, May 11
10 a.m., Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, FOX Sports 1
Noon, NASCAR K&N Pro Series (re-air), FOX Sports 1

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Company’s success in NASCAR mirrors its own growth

NASCAR announced today it has reached a seven-year agreement with Camping World to remain the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series through 2022. The new deal ensures that Camping World will own exclusive rights as title sponsor for a total of 14-consecutive years, equaling the longest entitlement sponsorship in the history of the national series, which is celebrating its 20th season.     

The renewed partnership aligns two brands in the midst of significant growth. Since originally becoming series entitlement sponsor in 2009, Camping World has expanded its number of stores by 35 percent, resulting in the company eclipsing $3 billion in annual revenue.

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"The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has one of the most consistent and durable audiences in all of sports, averaging approximately 800,000 or more television viewers per event over the past six years," said Steve Phelps, NASCAR chief marketing officer. "Camping World’s seven-year continued commitment to our sport demonstrates its confidence in our on-track product and strength of our brand loyal fan base."

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series features some of the toughest and most competitive racing in the sport. The series has helped catapult the careers of many of the sport’s most popular and successful drivers, such as Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski. Currently, the series houses a young crop of stars that are talented, dynamic and diverse, including Ben Kennedy, German Quiroga Jr. and Darrell Wallace Jr.

"Camping World and NASCAR are mutually invested in the growth of a national series that is celebrated for its exciting brand of racing and the most loyal fan base in the country," said Camping World and Good Sam Enterprises Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis. "Six years ago we felt strongly that the sponsorship would dramatically increase our customer base and it’s delivered. We expect to see continued success in the coming years."

NASCAR fans are outdoors enthusiasts who enjoy a variety of activities. According to Experian Consumer Research, NASCAR fans are 40 percent more likely than non-fans to go camping. When it comes to camping gear, NASCAR fans are at least 50 percent more likely than non-fans to have tents, lanterns, and other camping equipment.

The new deal provides Camping World exclusive rights to market its Good Sam Roadside Assistance program as the Official Roadside Assistance of NASCAR. With a network that includes 40,000 tow and service providers in North America, Good Sam Roadside Assistance has provided roadside services to more than two million stranded motorists in the past 30 years.

Additionally, the new agreement provides official NASCAR status to two growing automobile companies; CarCash as the Official Auto Buying Service of NASCAR, and AutoMatch USA, as the Official Pre-owned Automobile Retailer of NASCAR. CarCash, featured on Season 1 of CNBC’s The Profit, purchases used cars from individuals in return for immediate cash. AutoMatch USA, featured on Season 2 of CNBC’s The Profit, specializes in the sale of foreign and domestic pre-owned cars of all makes and models.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will make its return to Kansas Speedway with the running of the SFP 250 on May 9 and will air on FOX Sports 1.

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Hendrick Motorsports driver paces field with fastest lap

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Sprint Cup Series Practice | Results

Faster than a speeding bullet, indeed.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. lived up to the standards set by the paint scheme adorned on his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports ride this weekend — which is Superman inspired — by pulling the fastest lap by a wide margin in opening practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday.

Earnhardt, who is looking for his first Charlotte victory in his 29th attempt, had a best speed of 193.264 mph on his first of seven laps around the 1.5-mile track. It was enough to beat Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick’s 192.164 mph. Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson pulled in the garage with a best speed of 192.014 mph, good for third, followed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (191.782 mph) and Martin Truex Jr. (191.775 mph) to round out the top five. Harvick is the defending race-winner.

Kurt Busch, who plans to run both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, was eighth at 191.042 mph. Parker Kligerman is on standby if Busch should need a fill-in driver.

Danica Patrick, fresh off the best Sprint Cup finish of her career (seventh) at Kansas Speedway two weeks ago, placed ninth with a speed of 190.799 mph.

Brad Keselowski, who won at Charlotte last fall, finished 21st on the board at 189.500.

Saturday’s Sprint All-Star Race winner Jamie McMurray was 24th with a speed of 189.221 mph.

There was one caution for debris in an otherwise clean practice session.

Sprint Cup practice gets back underway on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET (FOX Sports 1).

Nationwide Series Practice 1 | Results

A week after ceding his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a race-winning Sam Hornish Jr. at Iowa Speedway, everything started off well for Kyle Busch as he got back behind the wheel of his Nationwide Series ride in opening practice for the History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday.

Busch’s speed of 178.524 mph was leading the charts halfway through the session before Richard Childress Racing’s Brian Scott topped him at 178.684 mph — and then matters got worse, as Busch got loose and wrecked along the inside wall, taking heavy front and rear damage. He is the defending race-winner, sweeping both events at Charlotte in 2013.

The wreck brought out the practice’s first caution and the veteran driver may be forced to a backup car, meaning that he could start at the back of the pack in Saturday’s History 300 (2:45 p.m. ET, ABC). FOX Sports 1 later reported that Busch was not going to a backup car, but that Joe Gibbs Racing would take the primary back to the shop and fix it there.

Scott managed to hold onto the top spot, while Busch’s teammate Matt Kenseth was third on the leaderboard at 178.241 mph, followed by Brad Keselowski (178.183 mph) and Kevin Harvick (177.725 mph).

Series points leader Chase Elliott (177.526 mph) and his JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith (177.160 mph) were seventh and eighth, respectively.

A second caution was thrown late in the session for debris in Turn 2.

Final practice gets underway at 5:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

Nationwide Series Practice 2 | 5:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1 | Results

Chase Elliott led the final Nationwide Series practice at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday, posting a high speed of 178.330 mph on his first lap.

The recent high school grad was seventh-fastest in the first practice session. 

Second-fastest was Brian Scott with a speed of 178.183 mph. Scott stole the lead position in the first practice after Kyle Busch spun and crashed. 

Following Scott was Regan Smith (177.346 mph), Dylan Kwasniewski (177.322 mph) and Kevin Harvick (177.247 mph), putting all three JR Motorsports drivers in the top five. 

John Wes Townley spun on the front stretch and brought out the only caution of the final session. 

Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying will take place Saturday at 10:40 a.m. ET with coverage on ESPN2. 

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Crew chief Brian Pattie, 5-hour Energy also get extensions with team

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Clint Bowyer will be staying a while longer at Michael Waltrip Racing, which on Monday announced a multi-year contract extension for the Sprint Cup Series driver.

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MWR also signed No. 15 team crew chief Brian Pattie and primary sponsor 5-hour Energy to multi-year extensions, the team announced. The 5-hour Energy brand will appear on Bowyer’s car for 24 races each year beginning with the 2015 season.

"This is big news for all of us,” said Bowyer, an eight-time winner in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. “It creates great stability and excitement about what the next few years can bring. MWR is my racing home and continuing this relationship with 5-hour Energy was a high priority. It’s time to put the paperwork in a drawer and focus on winning.”

Bowyer, Pattie and 5-Hour Energy all joined MWR in 2012, and have since scored three race victories and earned two berths in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Bowyer finished as runner-up in final points in 2012. He is currently 18th in the standings after Sunday’s third-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. This weekend his 300th career Sprint Cup start comes at his home track, Kansas Speedway, in a race also backed by the 5-hour Energy brand.
 
“Since the first day 5-hour Energy, Clint and Brian showed up at MWR, we have been a contender for wins and championships. I am so thankful that we get to continue and add to what we have built,” team co-owner Michael Waltrip said. “I am most happy for the employees of MWR who are the foundation of everything we do.”

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Posted on by Zack Albert

Agreement extends RV/camping firm’s run as entitlement sponsor to 14 years

RELATED: NASCAR official release

In racing terms, it might have qualified as a jumped start when Camping World Chairman and CEO Marcus Lemonis let slip in March that a long-term extension of his company’s entitlement sponsorship with NASCAR’s truck series was in the works. His explanation now makes it hard to knock his eagerness.
 
"Why not tell someone you want to renew your vows if the marriage is good?" Lemonis said.
 
The renewal, a seven-year extension of the company’s sponsorship, was officially announced Monday morning, meaning the tailgate tour will remain the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series through 2022. The extension affirms the RV and camping company’s commitment, continuing a relationship as title sponsor that dates back to 2009.
 
"(It) is a long time, but as I told somebody earlier, I don’t want to be one of those companies that is a fly-by-night advertiser," Lemonis told NASCAR.com. "You see a lot of people show up on a car or sponsor a race, and they’re in for a year or two and then they’re gone. They make a huge splash, and then they’re gone. I want the fans to know, and I want NASCAR to know, that’s just not us. We’ve paid our dues and now we’re here to stay."

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The dues Lemonis mentions pre-date the truck series’ entitlement. By his count, Camping World has sponsored 19 NASCAR drivers, most notably four-time truck series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., and has participated as a race entitlement sponsor 14 times across all three NASCAR national series.
 
In the time since Camping World increased its buy-in to the sport, Lemonis’ company has enjoyed significant growth. Camping World has opened 35 new stores to bring its total to 100 and has expanded its reach to a younger demographic, widening the low end of its average customer age from 45 to 35 years old.
 
"For me, it really just comes down to economics and I always tell people that the numbers don’t lie," Lemonis said. "When I look at the return on investment that I’ve gotten over the last five, six, seven years, with my association with NASCAR, I don’t want to call it a no-brainer, but it was a very easy decision."
 
Lemonis gave an early indication of his decision in March before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series‘ second race of the season, sponsored by the CNBC show he hosts — "The Profit." The 40-year-old businessman said later that he merely wanted to curb fruitless speculation about the partnership’s direction.
 
"I felt like we needed to put an early rubber stamp of commitment and endorsement on a business," Lemonis said. "I wanted people to know that we fully support it, and I didn’t need to create some sort of unneeded drama or an uneasiness."
 
The deal comes with added incentive for Lemonis’ other business interests. Good Sam Roadside Assistance and two of Lemonis’ newer acquisitions — CarCash and AutoMatch USA — will be among official NASCAR partners.
 
While the renewal comes as a strong show of stability, Lemonis is fully aware of NASCAR’s recent wave of change. From last season’s introduction of the Gen-6 car to this offseason’s switches to a revamped Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup postseason and multi-car qualifying, the sport’s top series has undergone dramatic changes. But the Camping World Truck Series has seen its share of freshening, too, from this season’s new body styles to the infusion of new driver talent.
 
The openness to try new company strategies, Lemonis said, was another persuading factor in reaching Monday’s agreement.
 
"I always worry when I do business with anybody or partner with them if they believe in the status quo," Lemonis said. "I think we all know that the status quo is the formula for extinction, and I think NASCAR, the teams and the manufacturers realize that in order for this business to survive, but more importantly flourish, it has to evolve.
 
"Of course, in any business we’re going to try things, and not everything is going to work. I think the willingness to admit when they don’t work and fix them is the right thing, but I’d rather die trying than wait for something to happen."

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