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One crew member can go over the wall for in-session service

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR on Thursday morning confirmed a pair of tweaks to its new group qualifying procedure, placing road courses under the format used for shorter tracks, and allowing adjustments to be made during sessions at all but two facilities.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president for competition, made the announcement Thursday morning at Media Day, which kicked off Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. Series officials hinted last week that such changes were coming in a briefing with media members at the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C.

NASCAR will move to group qualifying this season for all three of its national series, with the exception of the Daytona 500, the Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora and non-points events. Tracks of 1.25 miles or longer will utilize a three-step process consisting of an opening 25-minute segment for all cars, a 10-minute segment for the fastest 24 vehicles, and a final five-minute segment for the fastest 12 drivers.

Road courses had originally fallen under that format, but will now use the procedure reserved for tracks of less than 1.25 miles — which includes a 30-minute first round, a 10-minute second round comprised of the fastest 12 cars, and a 10-minute break in between. The tweak stems from feedback from race teams and the length of laps on circuits like Sonoma and Watkins Glen.

"Through feedback they felt like the second or last round needed to be longer to get multiple laps in on the track," Pemberton said. "This should maximize their track time."

In addition, adjustments to vehicles will now be allowed during every round of national series qualifying at all tracks — except Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway — while vehicles are on track, as well as during breaks between the rounds. When vehicles are on track, one helmeted crew member will be allowed over the wall to make adjustments. During the breaks between rounds, three crewmen will be allowed over the wall.

NASCAR had originally ruled that teams could make only minor adjustments — such as tape, tire pressure and wedge — to cars during the breaks in between qualifying sessions. But teams requested to be able to make similar tweaks to their vehicles during the sessions, in an effort to more immediately improve their qualifying efforts.

"When we went back and looked back at the minutes (of meetings with teams), that seemed to be the most common question," Pemberton said. "Really, because of the length of the first round, they felt like it was a time for them to make adjustments. … That was probably unanimous for all of our three national series."

The Nationwide and Camping World Truck series will use the group qualifying format for the first time next week, during preparations for their respective season openers at Daytona. The Sprint Cup Series will continue to use the traditional single-car format for qualifying for the Daytona 500, and then move to group qualifying for the season’s second race, at Phoenix International Raceway.

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Posted on by Holly Cain

Prefers to focus elsewhere, has had limited contact with Petty

RELATED: Can Danica win in 2014?

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Danica Patrick smiled and tilted her head anticipating the question during her media interview session Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.

It was the third one asked.

What did she think about NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty’s comments in response to a question at the Canadian Motorsports Expo this past weekend that she would only win a Sprint Cup Series race, "if everybody else stayed home?"

"You know, people have said things in the past and they will say things in the future, I still say the same thing and that’s that everybody is entitled to their own opinion," Patrick said.

"People are going to judge what he said and I’m just not going to."

Patrick smiled often and calmly answered the ensuing questions. Frankly, none of this is particularly new to her. As a highly marketed woman in a male-dominated race field, there have always been those that doubted her ability or questioned her motives to compete.

But it genuinely doesn’t seem to affect her. Even when the latest critique comes from NASCAR’s all-time winningest driver.

"Really it’s more about my belief that everyone can have their own opinion and it has nothing to do with where it comes from," Patrick said.

"I really feel that I like people who have opinions. That is fine with me. It creates such great conversation. The last time someone said something that wasn’t so positive for me, it spawned so many positive articles. So for me, there is a positive side to it, too.

"More than anything, I love the conversation it creates in sport; it makes life interesting when people have different perspectives."

Patrick said beyond the occasional casual conversation or happenstance when they are together at events, she really doesn’t have a relationship with Petty.
Someone gave her a photograph of Petty standing in front of her pole-winning GoDaddy Chevy giving her two thumbs up before the start of last year’s Daytona 500.

"That’s about it," Patrick said.

Asked if she would seek him out to discuss the matter, Patrick politely asked, "Why?”

As for assessing her own chances to win, Patrick agreed that at this point — one full Cup season into her stock car career — the speedway races in Daytona and Talladega may be her best chance to score that first victory.

She led five laps in last year’s Daytona 500 and ran in the top 10 before finishing eighth.

"I would agree, I think for two reasons," Patrick said. "My team builds great speedway cars, and I feel much more comfortable here because this is more familiar to me than the rest of the racing, because you’re taking out the elements of learning how the car works. … That isn’t a concern on the speedways; it’s just about navigating the cars around you, drafting and your mindset throughout the whole thing, your discipline.

"I definitely feel like it could happen. Shoot, I’m gonna go out try to win the Unlimited so I can be in it forever."

"And," she reminded the group, "you can’t try any harder in the car. I think that’s something every driver would tell you. When someone questions our effort level, you can’t try any harder. You’re doing everything you can.

"Maybe subconsciously there’s some motivation (when she hears the negative comments), but I can’t tell. I’m giving it my all every single time whether I’m making a qualifying run or in the race."

Even as Patrick was answering questions about the subject, six-time and reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was defending her on "CBS This Morning."

"Danica’s a great competitor, and at this stage, she’s still learning and developing as a driver," Johnson said. "Only time will tell what degree she’ll rise to within a stock car. These vehicles are much different than what she started off racing in open wheel. So she definitely has a long road ahead of herself, but she’s committed to our cars and I think very good for the sport of NASCAR."

Patrick has always acknowledged the bright spotlight and polarizing views of fans are all part of the package when it comes to being a professional athlete. So while this controversy has spawned headlines and debate, Patrick remains composed and supremely focused. She has a Daytona 500 to win.

"The people that matter the most to me are my team, my sponsors and those little three-year-old kids that run up to you and want a great big ol’ hug and tell you they want to grow up to be like you," Patrick said.  

"That’s what I care about, what I focus on."

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Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR Chairman and CEO discusses Chase format changes, qualifying changes

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NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France expressed the excitement of an entire industry over the new Coors Light Pole Qualifying changes and the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship format Thursday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio during NASCAR Media Day in Daytona Beach, Fla.

France said, "As an industry, we’re all excited," and he cited fans as the main reason behind the changes.

"It checks all the boxes that are important to our fans, so we feel great," France said. "We had to switch places with consistency and winning performance. We were out of balance with that."

"[Drivers were] running in the top five in points late in the year, and they had an eighth-place finish. That’s a great day under [the previous] format. But nobody likes that. I don’t blame any one of the drivers that ever said that because that’s exactly how they should have raced. This is going to change all that, and it’s something we can build on for the future."

What excited France most was the change in "psychology and the strategy" that will come with the new Chase format, which rewards winning.

"That’s what everybody may or may not be thinking about. I hear a lot of things like, ‘Well, Dale Jr. would have won last year because he would have [been most consistent].’ That’s not true because all the strategies are going to change. They have to change. The risk-taking is going to change. So you can throw everything out in the past. It’s not applicable to the future, and it can’t be."

In addition to the sport’s fan focus, France said dialogue with teams has been important as NASCAR listened to the teams after new qualifying rules were put in place on Jan. 22. Based on those discussions, NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton announced changes on Thursday that will allow crew members to make adjustments to cars during qualifying rounds.

"We said that while conceptually we have a whole new system, there will be tweaks and there needs to be," France said. "There are going to be some tweaks to this qualifying format as we go on. The basic foundation is there, but there’s going to be naturally some tweaks. We’re listening to the teams about that. What makes it the most fair, the most reasonable.

"But one thing I know, it’s going to be different and more exciting. That I do know."

Born and raised in Daytona Beach, France discussed the importance of the Great American Race, Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. ET on FOX in the context of the groundbreaking changes announced last month.

"The Daytona 500 has its own place and it always will, France said. "You win that, you’ve got yourself a nice piece of history."

In 2014, the winner of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season-opening event will have the extra incentive of potentially making the Chase with a victory.

"Yeah, I think you’re going to hear some of that," France said when asked about the potential of the winner notching a place in the Chase as he or she is welcomed in Daytona International Speedway‘s Victory Lane. "You’re going to hear punching my ticket, and it probably will be largely true."

"[The new Chase format] changes places with performing and winning vs. consistency, and I don’t know anybody in our sport that doesn’t like the idea of that."

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Posted on by Staff Report

Yeley will compete full-time with team beginning with March 9 race at Las Vegas

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J.J. Yeley will drive for Xxxtreme Motorsport in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning with the March 9 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Yeley will pilot the team’s No. 44 Chevrolet for team owner John Cohen. The team had previously used cars from Ford.

Walter Giles will serve as the team’s crew chief. A sponsor will be announced before The Profit on CNBC 500 presented by Small Business Fueling America at Phoenix International Raceway.

"I am excited that we were able to work it out that we can work together," Yeley said in a team release. "John has such a deep passion for NASCAR and wanting to be a successful part of it. The program he has in place for 2014 is impressive; the engine package, being self sufficient and still being a small team yet having the feel of a larger team. That for me is all very exciting."

Scott Riggs drove in six races for the team last season and David Reutimann drove in one race for the team in 2012.

Yeley finished 32nd in points last season, driving in 35 races for Tommy Baldwin Racing. The 2014 season will mark Yeley’s 10th season in the sport’s premier level.

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Posted on by Staff Report

State Water Heaters will be primary sponsor for October Chase race at Charlotte

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Kurt Busch will have the primary sponsorship of State Water Heaters on his No. 41 Chevrolet for the October NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

That event is part of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff.

State Water Heaters will also serve as an associate sponsor for Busch and the No. 41 team throughout the 2014 season. The company has a history with Stewart-Haas Racing.

"State Water Heaters has been a great partner for Stewart-Haas Racing and we welcome them back for another year as we continue to build a winning partnership," team co-owner and three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart said in a release. "State Water Heaters is a deep-rooted company that delivers quality products and service to its customers. Our goal is to deliver on and off the track for State Water Heaters and its partners."

Busch is in his first season with Stewart-Haas Racing. He qualified for the postseason in 2013 with Furniture Row Racing to become the first driver in Chase history to qualify with a single-car organization.

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Posted on by Staff Report

AutoTrader.com on board as primary sponsor for July race at Loudon

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Joey Logano and Team Penske have added a new sponsor in AutoTrader.com, the team announced in a release Thursday.

AutoTrader.com will serve as the No. 22 Ford Fusion’s primary sponsor for the July 13 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The company will also be a season-long associate sponsor for the No. 22 team and has inked a multiyear agreement.

Here’s a look at the paint scheme.

"We are thrilled to welcome AutoTrader.com to Team Penske and into our NASCAR racing program," team owner Roger Penske said in a release. "AutoTrader.com is one of the most popular online situations for buying and selling new and used vehicles. Over the last several years we have developed an outstanding partnership with them through Penske Automotive Group, our automotive dealership business. We believe that this racing relationship will help build additional value for the AutoTrader.com brand."

AutoTrader.com’s branding will be displayed on the rear quarter panel of Logano’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car this season.

"I’ve already had the chance to meet with the folks from AutoTrader.com and they are really excited about getting involved with Team Penske and we are happy to have them on board," Logano said. "It will be great to have them on the car at New Hampshire, a place which is really special to me. It’s my home track, where I saw my first Sprint Cup Series race as a kid, where I made my first start in the Cup Series and where I won my first race. So I’m really looking forward to that race in July and trying to get AutoTrader.com into Victory Lane."

Last season, Logano’s first with Penske, he finished eighth in the final standings in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Making the Chase was a first for Logano, who also collected a win and two poles on the season.

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Posted on by Staff Report

Kelley Blue Book jumps on for full-time sponsorship of No. 88

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With the season upon us and the 2014-opening Daytona 500 right around the corner, Hendrick Motorsports announced Thursday that it has added Kelley Blue Book as a full-time sponsor of Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s No. 88 Chevrolet SS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ride.

The vehicle valuation and information source has signed on for a two-year agreement, providing the company prominent brand placement on the No. 88 throughout the Cup schedule in a full-season associate sponsorship, with one event each season featuring Kelley Blue Book as a primary sponsor.

"Kelley Blue Book’s sponsorship in NASCAR is the next step in communicating our brand strength and recognition as a vehicle valuation pioneer and leader for new-car shopping and research," said KBB vice president of operations Steve Lind, whose organization will be making its first foray into NASCAR team sponsorship. "By supporting successful race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports, coupled with NASCAR’s brand equity, we will reach even more consumers with our message — providing helpful, transparent information on KBB.com to help car shoppers make the best decision possible."



Earnhardt, 39, has posted 19 career victories in Sprint Cup Series competition, including the 2004 Daytona 500. The Kannapolis, N.C., native has earned three consecutive Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup berths and has been voted by the fans as NASCAR’s most popular driver 11 times. He finished the 2013 season fifth in the championship standings with a career-best 22 top-10 finishes. 



"I’m looking forward to our partnership with Kelley Blue Book," said Earnhardt, who will drive the No. 88 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet SS at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway on June 22. "As a car enthusiast and dealership owner, I’ve trusted them for years for vehicle valuation and information. It’s exciting to work with a partner that’s new to the sport, and I’m proud Kelley Blue Book will be on board with the No. 88 team for their debut season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series."



Earnhardt isn’t the only one excited to have the popular automotive organization on board.

"On the dealership side, we’ve worked with Kelley Blue Book for many years," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group. "NASCAR is a terrific marketing platform for their products and services, and it presents new opportunities for our companies to work together. We’re excited to welcome a new partner and team them with an incredible spokesperson in Dale Jr. It’s a great combination with the potential to grow even more."


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Posted on by Staff Report

Heath Calhoun heading to Paralympic Games March 7- 16, 2014

Four years after being in the spotlight at a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, Heath Calhoun will return to the sports spotlight next month when he hits the slopes of Sochi, Russia in the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

Calhoun, a retired Army squad leader with the 101st Airborne, lost both of his legs above the knees in an explosion in Iraq. For his bravery in battle, the Tennessee native was awarded the Purple Heart as well as the George C. Lang Award for Courage.



In the spring of 2010, the NASCAR fan who claims Tony Stewart as his favorite driver was chosen from a group of five military finalists and honored as part of the Crown Royal Your Hero’s Name Here 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

As the grand prize winner, Calhoun took part in pre-race festivities, including a visit to the Virginia governor’s mansion with Matt Kenseth, and he participated in the trophy presentation, giving the award named in his honor to winner Kyle Busch.




NBC Olympics/USOC

Fast forward to 2014, Calhoun was nominated as one of 26 athletes and four guides to the U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing team. In the lead-up to the Sochi Games, Calhoun won silver in slalom in the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in Copper Mountain, Colo. His efforts made him one of 16 team members to record a World Cup podium finishes since the season began last August.

Competition for alpine skiing will take place March 8-16, and Calhoun is preparing for the Paralympics Games by training in France. While he gets ready to compete, he’s looking forward to seeing "Smoke" rise during Speedweeks as the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion returns to competition in the Sprint Unlimited on Feb. 15 and seeks his first Daytona 500 victory on Feb. 23.



"Great to see Tony Stewart behind the wheel again and can’t wait to watch him race at Daytona," Calhoun said.



If you know a hero like Heath Calhoun, nominate him at yourherosnamehere.nascar.com for a chance to win naming rights to the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday July 27.

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Posted on by Zack Albert

Dual-compound tire will be used at four tracks, with potential for more

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Goodyear will expand the use of its Multi-Zone Tread technology in 2014, bringing the dual-compound tire to four tracks — with the potential for more to be added — during the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule.
 
The Akron, Ohio-based tire manufacturer made the announcement during NASCAR Media Day on Thursday at Daytona International Speedway, providing a company update ahead of its 60th year of participation in NASCAR.

The Multi-Zone Tread technology, which emphasizes traction in one area and endurance in another, debuted at 1.5-mile tracks Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway last season. This year, it will add stops at Texas Motor Speedway — another 1.5-mile layout — and its first short-track application at .75-mile Richmond International Raceway.
 
Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of race tire sales, said that his team gained insights into the tire’s performance during its appearances last year. Atlanta and Kansas varied widely in terms of track abrasiveness, tire wear and air temperature, forcing Goodyear to seek out greater consistency in differing conditions.
 
"Again, good learning opportunity," Stucker said. "We feel like we know what to do going forward, so that’s what we’ll approach as we get into not only Texas, which will be our first application, but the same thing at Richmond actually."
 
The tiremaker also announced a handful of promotional videos with Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick called "Tire Talk," illustrating the demands placed on its equipment in a comedic way. It’s a long way from when Goodyear first delved into big-time stock-car racing with a 1954 tire test at Darlington Raceway for the old NASCAR Convertible Series.
 
While plenty of advancements in tire development have translated from racing to the street, the Multi-Zone Tread took the opposite path.
 
"It was really developed and perfected for the street, and then we adapted that same technology or at least that same concept to our (racing) application," Stucker said. "So a lot of the things that you see in the street product, that’s a lot of the stuff that works behind the scenes, too."

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Posted on by Nascar

‘Smoke’ won’t have back-up driver when practice begins Friday

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Tony Stewart, sidelined since breaking his right leg in a sprint car race last August, returns to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition Friday when practice for this weekend’s Sprint Unlimited begins here at Daytona International Speedway.

"Normally I’m thinking in days and weeks and now I’m thinking in hours," Stewart said during Thursday’s Media Day at Daytona. "I’m excited about it. It’s been a long time since August 5. Normally we’re talking about the offseason and it just seems like it just flies by. It’s been the slowest offseason I’ve ever had."

A three-time Sprint Cup Series champion (2002, 2005, 2011), Stewart missed the final 15 races last year. As the season played itself out, Stewart endured three surgeries and months of intense rehabilitation, all with the goal of being ready to return when the 2014 season got underway.

"The great thing is everybody at our shop, especially the guy that does the interior in our car (Shane Church), he and (crew chief) Chad (Johnston) have worked closely together," Stewart said. "We’ve tried to think of absolutely anything that could be a problem."

Pedal angles have been adjusted. Teammate Kevin Harvick ordered and had "knee knockers," padding that hangs from the steering column to keep a driver’s knees from making contact, installed in Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet.

"He was like ‘You’re running this’ so he didn’t even believe it was an option," Stewart said. "I showed up and it was in my car."

Harvick and Kurt Busch are new to the Stewart-Haas Racing organization for 2014. Danica Patrick returns for her sophomore season. But clearly the focus is on Stewart.

Outside of the car, Stewart said he has made "huge gains" from the latest physical therapy sessions. The bone in his right leg continues to heal and strength "is coming much quicker than I thought it was going to be."

"I don’t know how we could be more prepared honestly than what we are right now."

The injury wasn’t Stewart’s first in Cup — in 2006 he suffered a broken shoulder blade after back-to-back crashes at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Earlier in his career, he continued to race midgets despite a broken wrist ("they just taped my hand to the steering wheel," he later explained).

But the broken leg was the first injury to take Stewart completely out of the car.

"That’s a level of pain I’ve never had before," he said. "You’d think having the ability to lie in bed, you’d get comfortable. I’ve never spent so much time laying in bed feeling uncomfortable in my life."

Although Mark Martin tested for the team during Preseason Thunder in January, Stewart said there is no plan to have Martin — or any other driver — standing by in a relief role. Friday’s schedule consists of two practice sessions on the 2.5-mile track — from 5-5:45 p.m. ET and 6:30-7:30 p.m. Both practices are only for Cup drivers competing in Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited.

Daytona 500 practices are slated for Saturday — a two-hour session is scheduled from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and a second practice follows from 1:30 p.m.-3:20 p.m.

"We’re not going to need a back-up driver," Stewart said. "I feel good enough that I’m confident that we’re not going to have to worry about anything. We’ve planned for everything that we think might or could go wrong. When I say ‘go wrong’, it’s not anything that’s going to take us out of the race car, it’s just a matter of making everything as comfortable as possible."

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