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Meeting comes on the heels of decision to add 13th car to Chase in Jeff Gordon’s No. 24

JOLIET, Ill. — For the second time in five days, NASCAR has changed the makeup of the Chase for the Sprint Cup due to manipulation of the sport’s regular-season finale. Saturday, officials will hold a meeting with drivers, owners, and crew chiefs with the goal of never having to alter the playoff again.

In an unprecedented move Friday at Chicagoland Speedway, NASCAR chairman Brian France announced that by his personal authority, Jeff Gordon would be added as a 13th driver in this year’s Chase. It was the latest development in a saga that began with historic fines levied against Michael Waltrip Racing, which in NASCAR’s eyes manipulated Saturday night’s race at Richmond to help MWR’s Martin Truex Jr. claim the second Wild Card.

A 50-point deduction to MWR drivers Truex, Brian Vickers and Clint Bowyer — applied before the standings were reset for the playoff — knocked Truex out of the Chase in favor of Ryan Newman, who appeared en route to winning at Richmond before Bowyer spun with seven laps remaining to change the complexion of the event. In more recent days, NASCAR examined radio communications between David Gilliland and Joey Logano, the Penske Racing driver who claimed the final Chase berth based on standings by one point over Gordon.

Now, Gordon will join the championship hunt as well, while Penske and Gilliland’s Front Row Motorsports team were placed on probation. It was a “multiple set of circumstances” that worked against the driver of the No. 24 car a week ago, France said, and led NASCAR to make a stunning addition to a playoff that’s consisted of 12 drivers each year since it was expanded from 10 in 2007.

It’s all leading NASCAR to call a mandatory meeting of drivers, owners and crew chiefs for early Saturday afternoon at Chicagoland “to hopefully to address and make more clear the path going forward as it applies to the rules of racing and the ethical part of it,” according to NASCAR President Mike Helton. Gordon, for one, is looking forward to it.

“I’m excited for this meeting tomorrow. I am. Even though I think we’re going to get reprimanded a little bit, because it doesn’t all lie on NASCAR. We all have a responsibility in this. But we are fierce competitors. I don’t think a fierce competitor can ever be torn down by trying to do everything they possibly can to win a race, to be in a championship battle, to win the championship and in some ways even to help out their teammates who helped them get to that point. That is what you’ve got to understand,” Gordon said.

“So because of that competitive drive, it pushes us sometimes to do things that even we question. I think that through all of this I think that, yes, the integrity of the sport has been put at question. I think we have one of the greatest sports that exists. To see our integrity get questioned is very upsetting to me, and I think we, along with NASCAR, have to solve this. I’m glad that we are going to get this opportunity to do this. I wish it had not happened under these circumstances. I really do wish we could have come to this conclusion sooner, but sometimes that’s just not the case.”

Teammates have always helped one another on the race track, abiding by a set of unspoken and undefined guidelines that have produced long-accepted tactics like allowing a driver to get a lap back, or allowing a driver to lead a lap to collect a bonus point. But with the championship field at stake, those actions become magnified — which was certainly the case at Richmond, where Bowyer spun suspiciously on his own and Vickers pitted unexpectedly on the final restart, opening the door for Truex to collect a Chase berth.

Penske and Front Row have a manufacturer, Ford, in common. After penalties levied against MWR Monday night, and Friday’s actions that once again modified the Chase picture, NASCAR officials felt it was time to set everyone down and perhaps create a more concrete set of ground rules.

“We’re going to have as much clarity to where the line is, and obviously we drew a line Monday night with the penalties with Michael Waltrip Racing,” France said. “So obviously what we’re going to do is … no matter what it takes, the integrity of the sport will never be in question. And that’s what we’re going to make sure, that we have the right rules going forward that are clear so that the integrity of the competitive landscape of the events are not altered in a way or manipulated. And that will be what we will be addressing.”

The meeting will be part of a process that will entail “clarifying in a significant way the rules of racing and the rules of the road going forward,” France added. He said the sanctioning body wants suggestions from competitors on how to do that.

“We owe it to the drivers, and we also want to get obviously input,” France said. “We will be explaining it to them and the crew chiefs and others before we’ll address that, but we certainly will address that. There are lines. They will be much clearer coming out of tomorrow than they are today. But listen, the most important thing is the integrity of the event, and we’ll deal with that.”

Carl Edwards believes it can be productive.

“That will be really good, I think, to have a meeting. … Actually, I even herd them say they were going to listen to some input, so that will be really neat,” he said. “That’s a big deal for Mike Helton and Brian France to put it out there and say they care this much about the integrity of the event. Because at the end of the day, that’s all we can hope for is to go out there and race in an event where the best man wins.”

Some drivers expect competitors to be taken to task. “I’m sure they’ll tell us what we can and can’t do,” Joey Logano said. Five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson is bracing for something similar.

“I’m sure a lot of threats and things along side of that side of life,” he said when asked what he expected. “But I just don’t know, to be honest with you. This is something I’ve never seen or been a part of in my career. And to watch the sanctioning body react and respond, and how they’re going to police in the future — this is all new territory. So this is going to be a start of the process, and as the weeks come and the months come following it, we’ll continue to evolve the changes that are going to be put in place and continue to do a better job policing it.”

Johnson plans on doing more listening than talking, unless NASCAR solicits his opinion. “I’m just going to sit back and watch to see what happens,” he said. “There are lot of voices and a lot of peoples’ opinions and reactions right now. If my phone rings and NASCAR wants my opinion, I’m more than willing to give it. But I’m not going to go marching up in there with ideas anymore.”

Kasey Kahne questioned why the meeting was even necessary, given the clear chain of events in his mind that led to Gordon’s addition to the Chase on Friday.

“I feel like I have plenty of clarity. I feel like I know what you’re supposed to do and what you’re not. I don’t understand why it’s so difficult,” Kahne said. “I think we all know where it started at Richmond. And I don’t understand all the rest. But I feel like I have plenty of clarity. I’m going to go tomorrow and sit in and make sure what I’m thinking is correct, but I don’t think I’m missing too much right now.”

Although adding an extra driver to the Chase is unprecedented in the event’s 10-year history, Helton said NASCAR has adjusted in the face of such issues before. He pointed to the practice of racing back to the yellow flag, which was eliminated in the wake of an race at New Hampshire in 2003 when Casey Mears nearly T-boned the disabled car of Dale Jarrett.

“We’ve had moments in the sport where NASCAR is reacting to what has evolved on the race track and through the teams’ actions, and we make a decision that shifts that paradigm, so to speak, and that’s what’s happened this week in part. … Some of you will remember we used to race back to the flag, and we didn’t. We stopped that. And when we decided that what was acceptable was no longer acceptable, it changed the paradigm,” Helton said.

“So that’s kind of the moment we’re in, that we’ll address with the teams and the media and the fans, as to what this shift means. As it comes to officiating, that goes along with it. So whatever our decision is on how that changes for the playing field for the teams, we’ll have to shift our officiating with it.  And as we talked on Monday night, what technologies and what we can use going forward to be more fair and precise and informed about what happens on the racetrack to use in order to regulate the sport, we’ll chase that, as well.”

First, though, comes Saturday’s meeting — even if reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski would rather be doing something else.

“I am not looking forward to any of it,” Keselowski said. “Do you want to go in my place? You can have the inside source and I can get a nap.”

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Driver hopes to cap RCR tenure with long-sought championship

JOLIET, Ill. — At Chicagoland Speedway, the spotlight swings back and forth between controversy and championship. On one end is a race manipulation scandal that resulted in historic penalties to Michael Waltrip Racing, and altered the makeup of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. On the other is a title battle headlined by a five-time series champion and two drivers from a Joe Gibbs Racing organization with something to prove.

Somewhere in the middle, a little bit unheralded and a lot overlooked, is Kevin Harvick.

Just like he likes it.

“It’s just kind of like a lot of the races that we win,” the Richard Childress Racing driver said. “We’re not flashy about it, we don’t go out and lead a lot of laps. We work on our car all day, we put ourselves in position. I think a lot of that just comes from how I was brought up to race. You tear your car up in the beginning, you don’t get the biggest check at the pay window at the end, and you might not get to race next week. It’s just kind of where we are and what we do.”

Talk about controversy — this was supposed to be the season Harvick was mired in it, after confirming in January that he was leaving RCR for Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of the year. For a driver known for his intensity and an organization where loyalty is as important as speed, there seemed no way it would work. And yet, here’s Harvick at Chicagoland, the fourth seed in a Chase that begins Sunday, with two race wins to his credit and sailing along through a campaign that from the outside appears about as smooth as any in his career.

In retrospect, no one should be surprised. This is a driver who once earned the moniker “the Closer” for his penchant of popping up late to steal races he seemed to have no business winning, who can lie in the weeds with the best of them, who can be every bit as stealthy as he is fast. It helped that Harvick laid the groundwork for all this before the year began, informing Childress and the team’s sponsors of his impending move early in the process so everyone could get emotion out of the way and focus fully on performance.

The results are evident. Rather than slogging through the final weeks of a messy split, Harvick is trying to bring RCR its first championship since Dale Earnhardt’s last title in 1994 — and in the process, become the only modern-era Sprint Cup driver to win a crown before changing teams.

“Everything was over by the time we got through the winter,” Harvick said, “… so I feel like everyone’s been respectful of trying to perform. Me performing and RCR performing on the race track is good for them, it’s good for me, it’s good for SHR, it’s good for everybody. Our egos don’t need to be bent in the wrong direction to not perform well, and I think at the beginning of the year everybody pretty much wrote us off just kind of waiting for the team to implode. And that hasn’t happened.”

It hasn’t to a large degree because Harvick is surrounded by veterans of the No. 29 team — foremost among them crew chief Gil Martin, who’s in his fourth stint calling signals for Harvick, and has recorded 11 race victories with the driver from Bakersfield, Calif. Harvick may be departing after this season, but Martin said the crew will stay together and work with a new driver (presumably Austin Dillon) in the vehicle next year.

“We still have the same goal, even though he’s leaving,” Martin said. “We want to try to win this championship, and it’s our job to try to make him regret the decision that he’s leaving. Plus, even though he’s leaving, we’re still going to continue on. We’re not going to throw the towel in. Whoever we put in this car, we plan on running good and winning races still. I think with all of that said, it just shows you how much of a professional Kevin, this race team, and our company has been in the fact that this didn’t drag us down.”

Harvick credits his crew chief with keeping things smooth between himself and Childress, and ensuring the team keeps focus. RCR will look different next season, with Ryan Newman replacing Jeff Burton in the organization’s No. 31 car, and Dillon making the move up from the NASCAR Nationwide Series. It’s the potential of that future, Martin said, that keeps everyone on the No. 29 team so grounded in the present rather than wistful over what’s going away.

“The fact of the matter is, if we let ourselves get caught up in it, we can,” Martin said. “But we just don’t dwell on it. We just really don’t think about it. We don’t talk about it. It’s not like we come in and talk about it. I think it’s the fact that we’re still looking toward the future. If we were looking at this like a 10-race deadline, and everything was coming to an end, that would be a different story. But it’s not.

“This company’s not closing down just because Kevin’s leaving. That happens sometimes when a driver leaves and announces that early — the company’s either on the tail end of their longevity or whatever else, and I think right now we’ve got so many positives that are going on at RCR, I think that’s what got everybody doing their job each week and not being distracted by all of this going on. Because quite frankly, we want that No. 1 parking spot for next year.”

Which, of course, goes to the reigning series champion. Although Harvick hasn’t won since the Coca-Cola 600 in May, he’s been his usual steady self between then and now, climbing into the top five in points in the early summer and strengthening his position from there. Whether he’s capable of pushing Johnson or the JGR tag team of Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch for the title is yet to be seen, but “the car’s had speed,” Martin said. “That’s all we can ask for.”

And, there’s another reason. “I think we’re capable because of the fact that we all don’t really care,” Harvick said. “Know what I mean? We want to win, but we don’t really care how we get there, whether it’s flashy or not. … We just want to win, and how we get there, nobody really cares. There’s really no written script on how that approach needs to be, so we’ve decided to approach it on a week-to-week basis. It’s not about telling everybody what you think, or Gil having some big plan. We’re all just motoring along and doing our thing.”

As they have so often over Harvick’s 13-year Sprint Cup career at RCR, which began under tremendous duress in the wake of Earnhardt’s death, and will end following this season’s finale at Homestead. In the interim, the 37-year-old became the flagship driver for a proud organization with six titles to its name. No wonder, then, Harvick wanted to do this right, to not just play out the string but to engineer a graceful exit that gave his team one more chance at the championship that to this point has eluded them.

Now, they have it. And Sunday begins Kevin Harvick’s final run with the only team he’s ever known.

“I really thought after Richard and I had sat down and talked about everything, and talked to the sponsors, and let everybody know where we were at, it was more to prove a point,” he said. “Because our reputations were on the line as to how we acted and how we took control of the situation and made it happen. So I felt like there was more for us to prove as people, so when we got done with the year, everybody could kind of look back and say, ‘There have been a lot of people who have been in that situation that haven’t handled it as well as they have.’ And that’s still my goal, to get to the end of the year and have that said.”

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Helton and France announce that Jeff Gordon will be joining the Chase as the 13th driver

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 13, 2013) – Following a comprehensive review of all available audio and video communications from last Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway, along with interviews with team personnel, NASCAR announced Friday the following decision:

· Both the Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing organizations have been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing).

· A 13th car – the No. 24 – would be added to this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. 

“Based on all of our findings this week, we determined both Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing organizations would be placed on probation for the remainder of this season,” said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Additionally, based upon the totality of our findings, to be fair and equitable we decided that adding a 13th car to this year’s Chase is the appropriate action.

“Beginning with our decision Monday, which resulted in an unprecedented team penalty, and continuing with further examination of actions involving two other race teams, it is clear to us that attempts to manipulate the results impacted the Chase field.

“The integrity of our sport remains the cornerstone of NASCAR, and our actions this week speak to our commitment to ensure a level playing field for all competitors.”

Additionally, NASCAR will conduct a mandatory meeting with drivers, owners, crew chiefs and other team personnel tomorrow to address this issue moving forward.

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Keselowski qualifies second, Montoya third

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JOLIET, Ill. — Probation did little to slow down Penske Racing.

Less than three hours after NASCAR placed the organization on probation for alleged collusion last Saturday at Richmond, Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski qualified 1-2 for Sunday’s GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway, the first race in the expanded Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Logano, who streaked around the 1.5-mile track in 28.509 seconds (189.414 mph), led a parade of 14 drivers who broke Jimmie Johnson’s 2005 qualifying mark of 188.147 mph during Friday’s time trials. He edged Keselowski (189.248 mph), his teammate, for the pole by .025 seconds.

The Coors Light pole award was Logano’s second of the season and the seventh of his career. Juan Pablo Montoya (189.062 mph) qualified third, followed by Kasey Kahne (188.785 mph) and rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (188.772 mph).

"The mile-and-a-half, two-mile race tracks are where we’ve been our strongest throughout the year," Logano said. "The shorter tracks have been a little tougher for us. We know in these races (at intermediate tracks) that we really have to capitalize, and the other ones we have to be on damage control and try to get our cars as fast as we can… 

"We’ll work hard (Saturday) in practice and get our car as good as we can get it, and we’ll wait and see what happens."

Keselowski felt his teammate made a statement with his pole-winning run, though not necessarily in response to the adversity his organization has faced over the past week.

"Any time you run well, it’s a statement," Keselowski said. "It doesn’t have to be just when you’re facing adversity that you can see. There’s a lot of adversity as drivers we face all the time. Some of it is in the media, and some of it isn’t. 

"Running well against the best competition in the world that competes in Sprint Cup is always an accomplishment, whether there’s off-the-track drama or not."

NASCAR placed Penske Racing and Front Row Motorsports on probation Friday for allegedly trying to strike a deal for Front Row’s David Gilliland to finish behind Logano at Richmond, as Logano was striving–successfully as it turned out–to qualify for the Chase. Logano finished 22nd and Gilliland 23rd, with Logano knocking Jeff Gordon out of the Chase by one point. 

In the interest of fairness, and in light of the competitive manipulations by more than one team, NASCAR added Gordon to the Chase on Friday, expanding the field from 12 to 13 drivers. Gordon responded by qualifying sixth for Sunday’s race. 

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Busch leads 52 laps to Keselowski’s 50 in thrilling Chicagoland victory

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JOLIET, Ill.–If Kyle Busch has found a little extra speed he can use down the road in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, second place might be the best his rivals can hope for.
 
Busch held off Brad Keselowski in the closing laps of Friday night’s EnjoyIllinois.com 225 at Chicagoland Speedway to win for the 34th time in the series, frustrating Keselowski’s bid to become the 24th driver to win in all three of NASCAR’s national series.

"We didn’t have the speed on the short run, but on the long runs, we had a really, really good truck," Busch said. "It’s been fun. It’s a great win for this team. This team really deserves. (Crew chief) Rudy (Fugle) and the guys have worked really hard.
 
"We tried some things in practice today. A couple worked, so maybe we can take those to a few other places later this year."
 
Busch won for the fourth time this season, the third time at Chicagoland and the 34th time in his career. Keselowski finished second for the fifth time in 58 starts.
 
Ryan Blaney who drives for the team Keselowski owns, ran third, followed Matt Crafton, who extended his series lead to 41 points over eighth-place finisher James Buescher. Ty Dillon came home fifth.
 
Keselowski and Busch waged a scintillating battle during the last half of the 150-lap race, trading the lead multiple times before Busch took the point on Lap 130. Busch held the top spot and opened an advantage that reached nearly one second before Keselowski began to close with 10 laps left.
 
By Lap 143, Keselowski had pulled within a truck-length of the No. 51 Toyota, but Busch kept his rival at bay by running the high line around the 1.5-mile speedway.
 
"It’s not a lot of fun," Keselowski said of his fifth second-place run, "but this is the most fun you can have finishing second. We’ve been right there. This particular race, second was probably where I deserved to finish on that last run.
 
"Eventually it’s got to turn your way."
 
After getting loose and falling back in traffic on Lap 59, Keselowski brushed the wall while racing in close quarters with Ty Dillon.

"I knew I had gotten there pretty late," said Keselowski, who had a strong run to the outside of Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet. "Obviously, I could have stayed in it and wrecked both of us. And then we made slight contact.
 
"I don’t think it was that harmful to my truck, but any time you hit the wall, it’s not going to help it."

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NASCAR Chairman and CEO leads innovative industry reinvention

In the big business of sports, huge competitive moments typically earn the large-lettered headlines that tell of the spine-tingling photo finishes and the fierce championship battles waged by larger-than-life personalities. 

NASCAR has always delivered on that brand of high excitement. As NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France marks the 10th year of his tenure this week, technological innovation, a willingness to evolve and a keen business sense also have defined a new era of leadership during a tenuous time of economic uncertainty and challenge.

"The first challenge was to have a smooth transition from my father to me, and since we worked alongside one another, that was good,’’ France said. “I don’t use the philosophy of just trying not to make mistakes. I think you have to add value when it’s your opportunity to lead anything.

"So I took that same approach that I tell others. If you get an opportunity, it’s not about putting your stamp on it, but just making things better than when you received it …"

France has driven the sport toward a more defined destination, positioning NASCAR as one of the world’s top sports and entertainment properties. All the while, he has maintained a delicate balance between the desires of fans, the tools for competitors and the financial needs of the supporting industry.

LEADING WITH BOLD INITIATIVES
" … Brian has been bold in his initiatives," said veteran driver Jeff Burton. "He didn’t just come in 10 years ago and say everything’s working the way it is, let’s not change. He got very proactive and tried to take the sport to a new level.

"He’s been bold and that’s important. He’s also been at the reins during a very difficult time. He can’t control the economy. A lot of things happened under his reign that he couldn’t control.

"I appreciate his desire to make it better. Every sport has to evolve and improve, and he hasn’t been afraid to try to make it better."

France’s own CEO highlight reel rivals that of the on-track product he’s overseen, and one of the features he’s most proud of is the creation of a playoff system, the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which begins a 10-race showdown this week in Chicago.

In the competition department, he introduced hugely popular double-file restarts and even tweaked the original 10-driver Chase field to include two additional Wild Card participants based on victory totals that increased the emphasis on winning.

The debut of the Gen-6 car this year has produced track records nearly every week and the kind of close-quarters racing that distinguishes NASCAR’s brand.

France has secured major title sponsorship for all three national series from major corporate partners such as Sprint, Nationwide and Camping World. He oversaw the construction and successful opening of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte and has created a Drive for Diversity program that will see one of its graduates, 21-year-old Japanese-American Kyle Larson, in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car next season.

Just last month, he oversaw successful negotiations for a television deal worth $8.2 billion, as reported by multiple media outlets, that will broadcast his product through the next decade of his tenure.

France’s emphasis on the NASCAR Green Initiative through more environmentally viable, sustainable innovations has won praise and admiration from other industries. Equally as important, it clearly signals the new age of NASCAR as the sanctioning body is not only environmentally conscious, it is willing to be a leader in the effort.

BALANCING SAFETY AND COMPETITION
Ask the people at the core of NASCAR’s existence — those working under the cars in the NASCAR garage each week, turning a wheel in the race car or spending money fielding a team — and they will tell you one of France’s greatest contributions to the sport has been in the area of safety.

"Through his leadership, the safety initiative came to the forefront of NASCAR’s efforts," Burton said without hesitation.

Installing SAFER Barriers at NASCAR national series tracks to drastically improve the safety of driver and fans was one of the first major accomplishments of France as chairman and CEO.

It points to the need to create the ultimate competitive environment while maintaining the business model needed to keep it going.

"You want to move fast and move smart, but we have to change our business model and at same time, not forget about the critical things that make people love NASCAR," France said. "So that can be a balancing act, of course, but whether its safety, or answered in formats — The Chase or double-file restarts or not racing back to the yellow — those were all things very important to us to inch away at and we’ve done that.

"Of course, you’ve got to be able to handle a lot of criticism and real concern when people don’t want to see the essence of NASCAR change. And I don’t want to either.

"I want to see it get better and that means closer competition, more big moments by our drivers and teams and that means our events are bigger. We’ve tried, even in the face of a lot of adversity, to make all those things better."

Longtime team owner Richard Childress has participated under the management of three generations of Frances from NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., to his grandson Brian and has a unique perspective on the recent reign.

"With Brian, it doesn’t seem like it’s been 10 years already, but he’s just signed another huge TV deal, he’s spent more time with the marketing side with NEXTEL and Sprint and bringing that relationship home, and he’s put some really key people in under him,” Childress said.

“One of the big things I’ve seen him do is be open to listening to fans and what they really want to see like the restarts, and he’s open to listening to the owners. He’ll come to you and ask what you think.’’

MAKING AN IMPACT BY GIVING BACK
Opportunity in general is a common theme when France speaks about his tenure and the years ahead.

It has come in different forms, including a very personal chance to not only make a difference himself, but to set an example others in the sport have readily followed.

He and his wife Amy chaired an Autism Speaks fundraising gala at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in March, presenting a donation to the organization on behalf of the NASCAR Foundation as well as making a significant personal donation.

Even before the 2013 season began, France arranged for a trip to Newtown, Conn., to meet with families of those schoolchildren and teachers killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting as well as the first-responders.

The trip wasn’t a “photo opp” and in fact reporters didn’t even know about France’s financial contribution to the school’s charitable fund until weeks later. This wasn’t France acting as NASCAR Chairman and CEO, but as a father of young children, who — like most in America — was heartbroken about the situation. And was fortunate enough to make a difference.

"We’re all in unique roles to make a difference both financially and giving awareness to things," France said of his emphasis on charity. "There’s a responsibility. We do things that we’re not looking to take a bow for.

"You feel good to use that responsibility wisely. It’s an obligation that, at some level, you should think about how you can make an impact. That’s a culture that we have, and it’s a culture that the country has."

MOVING FORWARD WITH TECHNOLOGY
It’s been typical of the progress model France has adopted — make an impact and keep moving forward.

To that end, France has spoken often about the possibilities of new technology and the huge impact it innately has. He is optimistic that incorporating cutting-edge technology will improve the competitive nature of the sport but also enhance the fans’ experience in ways other sports cannot.

"Technology and what’s going on in that space — on the track and off the track — are big challenges but also great opportunities," France said. "We’ll be able to use data, telemetry, and incorporate that in the running of events [a] way other sports probably wouldn’t have an opportunity to do and how well we’ll be able to take real advantage of that.

"We can bring real innovation in to make the product and experience better and bring in more partners along the way, plus promote the sport."

Reflecting on the past 10 years, France didn’t select one particular achievement from a wide array of choices. For him, it comes down to something NASCAR fans and competitors agree makes the sport genuine: creating the ultimate environment for tight competition and pure excitement.

"The one thing I feel really good about is not the result of any one thing," France said. "They used to say in auto racing, that drivers and teams could never really rise to a different level. They were always racing as hard as they could and whatever you did wouldn’t really matter. And that’s not true.

"We’ve now seen unbelievable performances from all kinds of drivers. When you make the moments bigger, the great drivers and team members — in the pits or with strategy — rise to a different level, and that’s been nice to see."

(Graphic by: NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)

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Rookie on pole for Friday night’s race from Chicagoland Speedway

Related: Lineup for EnjoyIllinois.com 225

JOLIET, Ill. — Rookie Jeb Burton won the pole position for Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, ruling afternoon qualifying with a lap at 175.148 mph at Chicagoland Speedway.
 
The Keystone Light Pole Award was Burton’s fifth of the season, fifth of his career and first on the 1.5-mile track. He’ll start first in the No. 4 Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet in the EnjoyIllinois.com 225 (8:30 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1).

Ty Dillon, third in the series standings right ahead of Burton, qualified second-fastest with a lap at 174.616 mph in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevy. Miguel Paludo, Justin Lofton and Brendan Gaughan completed the top five.
 
Kyle Busch, a three-time winner in truck series competition this season, will start seventh. Series points leader Matt Crafton will be alongside him in the fourth row after posting the eighth-best lap.
 
Defending series champion James Buescher, a winner just five days ago at Iowa Speedway, was ninth-fastest.
 
Former series champion Austin Dillon, who won his only truck start this season on Eldora Speedway’s dirt, subbed for an ill Brennan Newberry and drove the No. 24 Chevrolet to the 10th-fastest lap in qualifying. A member of the NTS Motorsports crew said that Newberry was being treated for a stomach ailment and that his status for Friday night’s race was uncertain.

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Harvick finishes second, Piquet Jr. third

JOLIET, Ill. — Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson divided leaderboard honors in Friday’s practices for the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Chicagoland Speedway.

Dillon set the pace in the 75-minute final practice in the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet by turning a lap of 179.748 mph. His fast lap, run in cooler early evening conditions, was faster than the 177.055 mph by Larson that topped opening practice.

Rookie Alex Bowman was second-fastest in the opening 75-minute practice. Justin Allgaier, Kyle Busch and Dillon rounded out the top five .

Series points leader Sam Hornish Jr. was eighth-fastest on the speed chart in opening practice, but did not participate in the nightcap. Dale Earnhardt Jr., making just his fourth Nationwide start of the season and his first since April, was 13th-fastest early and 18th-fastest late. 

Travis Pastrana brought out two yellow flags in the final session with a pair of solo incidents. He spun his No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford out of Turn 2 just 25 minutes in, then backed his car into the outside wall in Turn 4 just 20 minutes later. 

Despite the mishaps, Pastrana still left final practice with the 10th-fastest speed. Maryeve Dufault also spun her No. 79 Ford with 25 minutes left in the 75-minute session. 

Coors Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled Saturday at 12:05 p.m. ET., with the series’ 26th of 33 races this season set for a 3:30 p.m. ET start.

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Local Heroes, Texas  Motor Speedway Present Customized Firefighter Helmet To Harvick

FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 11, 2013) – The sacrifice of the men and women who serve as first responders is not lost on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick.

Harvick’s father, Mike, is a retired 25-year veteran firefighter from his hometown of Bakersfield, Calif. It was only fitting that Harvick – making a stop Wednesday at Texas Motor Speedway as part of NASCAR’s Chase Across America program – helped honor the community service of 44 area first responders and took part in an emotional tribute recognizing those who perished on 9/11 as well as all first responders lost while serving their communities each and every day. 

Harvick, accompanied by the 25-member Hooligans Pipes & Drums that is comprised of Dallas-area firefighters, delivered the American flag to Victory Lane following a special procession down pit road while the group played “Scotland The Brave.”

With the first responders surrounding him in Victory Lane, Harvick delivered the flag into the waiting arms of representatives from three communities devastated by deadly disasters this year – Moore, Okla. (EF4 tornado), West, Texas (fertilizer plant explosion) and Granbury, Texas (EF4 tornado).

Cpt. CJ Gillaspie of the West Volunteer Fire Department, Sgt. Andrew Honecker of the Hood County Sheriff’s Office in Granbury, and Lt. David Seay of the Moore Police Department raised the American flag and then lowered to half-staff in remembrance.

The flag ceremony was accompanied by a remembrance and prayer by Dr. Roger Marsh of Texas Alliance Raceway Ministries and the Hooligans performed “America The Beautiful” and “The Marine Corps Hymn.” The band concluded the ceremony with an emotional tribute to those lost with “Amazing Grace” as the flag was lowered into place and the lead bagpipe player performed a solo as he slowly exited Victory Lane.

“To bring the first responders from their general population around their communities to the race track to honor them is an honor,” Harvick said. “For me to be here and to be able to shake their hands and know that those are the men and women that help keep us safe on a daily basis and to see the Texas Motor Speedway honor these heroes around them is pretty neat.”

The tribute was part of a day of recognition and celebration for the first responders’ community service and those on hand were treated to a 10-lap, Team Texas stock-car driving experience on Texas Motor Speedway’s high-banked, 1.5-mile oval. Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, also offered them some driving tips.

Harvick and Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage shared heroic stories of the men and women who serve as first responders in North Texas, including the story of Granbury officer Chad Davis who was wounded in a deadly shootout outside the Granbury City Hall in June.

A gunman who had previously shot and killed Hood County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lance McLean opened fire in front of the city hall and wounded Davis as he was hit by a bullet that entered his arm and went through his back. Despite his injuries, Davis was determined to join the tribute as he continues to slowly recover.

“It’s definitely an honor,” Davis said. “I’m a NASCAR fan and it’s the chance of a lifetime to come out here and do this with all my other fellow responders. It’s just an honor to be here. I still have a paralyzed arm and still have a few surgeries ahead of me, but I have got the good Lord on my side and moving forward.”

The tributes were not limited only to the first responders as they, along with Texas Motor Speedway, returned the favor to Harvick. The speedway had a firefighter helmet custom designed for Harvick and then signed by all the visiting first responders.

Davis, along with 15-year-old West Side, Texas, Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Luke LaCroix; White Settlement, Texas, Fire Department firefighter and Iraqi war veteran Billy Wright; Dallas Fire Department Lt. Diane Swaner; and Stephenville, Texas, Fire Department firefighter and Dublin EMS Matlock Jennings presented Harvick with the helmet in Victory Lane during the ceremony.

The helmet had a custom leather fire shield designed by Fireline in his Budweiser sponsor colors of red and white along with Engine 29 in flames representing his car number, the date of 9-11-13, TMS and his last name. With his family tie to the fire department, the gift really hit close to home.

 “As I was growing up, you would go to firehouse and see the things that they do,” Harvick said. “As a kid, you don’t understand the things that go along with being a firefighter or police officer, or what comes with that on a daily basis. Now as an adult, I understand not only the sacrifice that my dad made but these people make on a daily basis.”

Harvick earned a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the fourth consecutive year and seventh time in his career. The Chase begins Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway and Harvick will begin seeded fourth in the Chase standings, nine points behind leader Matt Kenseth.  

While the Chase remains Harvick’s focus, much of the public’s attention leading up to the start of the Chase has been focused on what transpired in the final laps of last Saturday’s race at Richmond International Speedway that was the final race to determine the 12-driver Chase field.

On Monday evening, NASCAR announced that the sanctioning body had concluded that Michael Waltrip Racing “attempted to manipulate the outcome of the race.” A pit stop prior to the green flag late in the race by MWR driver Brian Vickers and a suspicious spin by teammate Clint Bowyer with seven laps remaining altered the complexion of the Chase.

Those actions assisted teammate Martin Truex Jr. in earning one of the two wild-card spots in the Chase and dashed the hopes of Chase hopefuls Ryan Newman, who was leading the race at the time of the caution, and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.

Following a review of in-car audio, video, timing and scoring and conversations with MWR officials, NASCAR slapped the organization with major points penalties and unprecedented monetary fine. Among the penalties, MWR’s three teams were each docked 50 driver and owner points, and the organization was fined a record $300,000. The docked points sent Truex Jr. from earning the final wild-card spot to sitting outside the Chase in 17th and Newman moving back into the 12-driver field.

“People always ask me whether you think it was right or wrong, but I learned a long time ago that you don’t have the authority to get into NASCAR’s shoes and make the rules or enforce them,” Harvick said. “From the outside looking in, I think they did a good job in reacting to what they needed to do to make the situation fair and keep the integrity of the sport where it needs to be. Those are tough calls to make and I was glad to see them do what they felt they needed to do and make it fair for everybody.”(2001, ‘05-fall, ‘06-fall, ‘07-fall, ‘12-fall), as well as a truck series win (2011-fall), a Sprint Cup Series victory at Texas Motor Speedway has eluded Harvick during his 21 previous starts.

Harvick, however, has enjoyed Sprint Cup success at Texas Motor Speedway despite being winless with 10 top-10 finishes. Six of his top-10 finishes have come in the AAA Texas 500, including a best of third in 2006.

“This has been a great track for us in the Nationwide and truck series as an owner and driver,” Harvick said. “We’ve won a lot of races on this particular race track, but we’ve just never been able to park our No. 29 car here in Victory Lane. So that’s definitely a goal. I enjoy racing here and hopefully we can do that this time around.”

Tickets for the AAA Texas 500 are available by contacting the ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com. 

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Roush Fenway Racing places three drivers in top 10; Kurt Busch runs second

Related: Full Chase coverage | Practice results | Qualifying order

JOLIET, Ill. — Rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. shot to the top of the leaderboard in opening NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice, recording a lap of 187.669 mph at Chicagoland Speedway.

Stenhouse, driving the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, notched his first career Coors Light Pole Award two weeks ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His fast lap in the opening 90-minute practice was just under the track record of 188.147 mph, set by Jimmie Johnson in qualifying in 2005.

Former Sprint Cup champion Kurt Busch, in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet, was second fastest at 187.643 mph, just four thousandths of a second slower than Stenhouse. He was the fastest among the 12 championship-eligible drivers involved in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup postseason.

Carl Edwards, Stenhouse’s Roush Fenway teammate in the No. 99 Ford, was third-fastest at 187.578 mph. Johnson took fourth on the opening speed chart with Juan Pablo Montoya fifth.

Matt Kenseth, the new series leader after the points re-set following the regular-season finale last weekend at Richmond, was 14th-fastest in opening practice for the Geico 400 (2 p.m. ET, ESPN), the opening event in the 10-race Chase playoffs.

Qualifying for Sunday’s race is scheduled to take place Friday at 5:10 p.m. ET.

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