Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

Drivers to get tested before 2014 season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 24, 2013) — NASCAR announced today that beginning in 2014, the sanctioning body will mandate pre-season neurocognitive baseline testing as part of its comprehensive concussion prevention and management program for all of its national series drivers.

At the start of this season, NASCAR recommended that drivers who did not already have a baseline test secure one, while also indicating that a pre-season baseline mandate could become effective as soon as next year.

Baseline testing will be performed through the use of an ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) test, which is a widely used neurocognitive assessment tool. The result of neurocognitive testing is one factor out of many that doctors use to diagnose and treat concussions. This particular test evaluates an athlete’s verbal and visual memory, processing speed and reaction time.

By performing this test prior to the start of a season of competition, doctors are given a snapshot of an athlete’s brain function while in a healthy state. Doctors can then use that baseline to compare to post-concussion tests to assist them in both evaluating the effects of any injury and informing their decisions to return an athlete to competition.

"NASCAR made this decision because we think it is important to drivers’ health for doctors to have the best information and tools available in evaluating injuries," said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR vice president of racing operations. "Before announcing this rule, we provided drivers concussion and baseline testing education and created opportunities for them to ask any questions they may have to a top neurosurgeon that specializes in traumatic brain injuries. Also, remember that ImPACT tests are not new to our sport and have been used for treatment through the years."

Since NASCAR’s recommendation prior to the start of this season, drivers were invited to two concussion education sessions featuring Dr. Vinay Deshmukh, M.D. of Carolina Neurosurgery & Spine Associates, a member of NASCAR’s Medical Advisory Group of Consulting Physicians. At those sessions, drivers were presented with an overview of what concussions are, their causes, treatment and the role that baseline tests play in the comprehensive evaluation of concussions.

"We are extremely confident that our concussion protocol is among the best in sports," O’Donnell said. "We regularly review all of our practices involving safety and health to see if there is anything that we can do better, or should do differently moving forward. Implementing baseline testing is a primary example of our philosophy to protect our competitors the best that we can."

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Martinsville has served as Chase game-changer

RELATED: Full Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage

Brad Keselowski won two races last year in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, but the performance that ultimately earned him the championship might have come in an event where someone else reached Victory Lane. Needing something close to a career-best finish at a track where his nearest rival was essentially a sure thing, Keselowski managed just that — and in the process, kept pace at a half-mile facility that’s emerged as the swing point in the sport’s playoff.

Jimmie Johnson may have been the one spraying champagne and basking in confetti after last season’s Chase race at Martinsville Speedway, but it was the sixth-place run by Keselowski — his career best finish — that was as clutch a performance as we witnessed over the course of that title hunt. Johnson is unquestionably the master there, with now eight wins and a ridiculous average finish of 5.3 at the southern Virginia layout. Seeing the No. 48 car in contention at Martinsville is every bit as reliable as the Ridgeway grandfather clock the track awards to its winners.

All of which is why it was so key for Keselowski to mitigate what seemed a sure-fire points loss — and toward that end, it was mission accomplished in a race he would finish trailing the five-time champion by a mere two points. Now the year is different, and one of the players has changed, but the venue and the objective remain the same. For Matt Kenseth to win this championship, he too must weather a short track that once again looms monumentally large, and a primary opponent who’s better there than anyone else racing today.

Forget Talladega, its whimsical aerodynamics and roulette-wheel unpredictability aside. The real game-changer in the Chase has often been Martinsville, which has made a habit of bringing the title picture into tighter focus. It was at Martinsville where Jeff Burton blew an engine, and Johnson won to key an unthinkable comeback in 2006. It was at Martinsville where Johnson won to break the back of the competition in 2008. It was at Martinsville where Tony Stewart won and issued his challenge to Carl Edwards in 2011. It was at Martinsville where Denny Hamlin‘s title hopes went out with his dead master switch in 2012.

And it was at Martinsville last season where Keselowski recorded the hold he had to have, one that loomed even larger after Johnson won again the next week at Texas Motor Speedway. Kenseth is older and savvier, but he’s still up against history that would label him the underdog even though he gave up the Chase lead only last week. Johnson has 14 career victories at the four remaining tracks. Kenseth has four victories at the four remaining tracks, none of them at Martinsville. Now that Kenseth is down four points in the standings, the little paperclip is again poised to play a huge role.

Now, Kenseth does have a resident Martinsville ace in the form of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Hamlin, a four-time winner whose notebook will surely be available to the No. 20 team this week. And Kenseth is coming off one of his best Martinsville performances ever, a spring race where he led career-high 96 laps before a late pit stop and a tight car dropped him back to a 14th-place result. Even so, on a day where Johnson won and led the most laps, Kenseth was still outscored by 17 points. Back in April, it was a mere hiccup. That happens again Sunday, it’s a disaster.

"You don’t know what’s going to happen," Kenseth said. "It’s been a fun year, because (JGR) has made me run a lot better at tracks where we usually don’t run good at. Hopefully, Martinsville will be one of those."

Can Kenseth win at Martinsville? Absolutely. The guy is a former champion who came up racing late models on Wisconsin short tracks, and this season has emerged as a threat every week. But historically Martinsville has been one of those places — not unlike, say, Darlington or a road course — that drivers either take to immediately, or spend a career trying to figure out. The NASCAR Nationwide Series has raced there just once since 1994, and its flat design means tactics from other similar-sized tracks rarely translate.

It all plays into Johnson’s edge. "They’ve got a notebook that’s like a dream notebook when they go there, and Jimmie’s very good at that race track," said Joey Logano, who added he’s studied video of the No. 48 car at Martinsville, trying to find ways to get his vehicle to look like Johnson’s on the 0.526-mile layout. "They’re able to tie all that together and run very fast there."

No wonder 11 Sprint Cup drivers, Logano included, tested at the facility for two days earlier this month. "There’s no other Martinsville," Burton, a native of the region, said at the test. "There’s no other track where we can really take the information we learn here and go somewhere else with. When you see people here testing, they’re looking for an advantage at this race track."

Johnson, with eight wins in his back pocket, didn’t test at Martinsville. Neither did Kenseth, for whom the spring race likely offered a solid starting point. Both of them are testing this week at Texas, home to the next race on the schedule, and site of perhaps the most galvanizing moment of the 2012 Chase when Johnson and Keselowski went wheel-to-wheel and fender-to-fender over the final laps, producing a 1-2 finish that set the stage for the playoff’s endgame.

But to get there, they had to get through Martinsville first. Johnson’s lead is a slim one, to be sure. But given the success he’s enjoyed at the next three venues, it’s not difficult to imagine the maximum potential for that No. 48 team over the next three weeks. Martinsville is Johnson’s absolute best track, which is saying something given the guy has five titles and 65 race wins. So all eyes will be on Kenseth, who’ll likely need a career performance similar to the one the eventual champion produced last season, to ensure that grandfather clock in Victory Lane does not toll for him.

MORE:

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is Kenseth’s biggest test

WATCH: Fantasy Showdown:
Martinsville

READ: Logano learning
from first time in Chase

WATCH: Almirola unveils
No. 41 for Maurice Petty
Posted on by Holly Cain

Talladega victory gives EGR boost heading into 2014

RELATED: Weekend Schedule | Standings

TALLADEGA, Ala. — This is the time of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season when motivations vary and immediate gratification isn’t the only sure sign of success.

Thirteen drivers earned a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, and only four are within 50 points of leader Jimmie Johnson with four races remaining.

For Jamie McMurray, a non-Chase driver, and his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team, Sunday’s victory at Talladega Superspeedway was both vindication and promise.

The team had been close before to reclaiming its mojo after a nearly three-year winless streak, but McMurray’s dramatic win rewarded his team’s substantial investment in a new engine program. Perhaps best of all, it points toward great possibility for next season, too.  

"We’ve struggled this year a little bit," said co-owner Felix Sabates shortly after celebrating in Victory Lane. "This does a lot for both of our race teams. It shows that we’re capable of winning. Looking ahead is what we do in this business. You can’t look backward because what happened today is history. We have made a big, big, big investment and we did it because we think we can win.

"If we didn’t think we could win we’d just take our money and go home."

Of course, thinking and doing are two different things. But McMurray’s win is his third top-five in the past seven races after having only one — a runner-up finish at Kentucky — in the 25 previous races.

It bodes well not only for the remaining four races this year, but what the team may be capable of in 2014 when McMurray will have a new rookie teammate in the highly touted Kyle Larson.

"It’s important for the whole organization," McMurray said. "Chip (Ganassi) has obviously won the championships on the IndyCar side and the GRAND-AM side but he and Felix have also made a really big financial commitment to our (NASCAR) team. The switch to the Hendrick engines … was a big financial tax on the team and I think it’s made our cars better.

"Our cars have definitely been better this year, but getting to Victory Lane, it really doesn’t matter what track, it definitely is a momentum builder for our whole organization."

With the win, McMurray overtook reigning Cup champ Brad Keselowski for 14th place in the standings — the top ranked driver not in the Chase — which at the very least is a source of pride. In this case, it’s also a message.

"Winning is not just about me," McMurray said. "It’s about everybody within our whole group. It’s cool to see their faces in Victory Lane and know that when we go to Martinsville you have confidence. Everybody does."

MORE:

READ: Johnson’s best track
is Kenseth’s biggest test

WATCH: Fantasy Showdown:
Martinsville

READ: Logano learning
from first time in Chase

WATCH: Almirola unveils
No. 41 for Maurice Petty
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Driver also placed on indefinite probation, issues apology

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 23, 2013) — Corey LaJoie, a driver in the NASCAR K&N East Series, will be required to participate in sensitivity training as directed by NASCAR, and has been placed on indefinite probation for violating the sanctioning body’s Code of Conduct policy.
 
On Oct. 15, Corey LaJoie violated Sections 7-5 (Code of Conduct) and 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book.
 
"Corey LaJoie recently issued an insensitive and intolerable communication that has no place in our sport," said George Silbermann, NASCAR’s vice president, Regional and Touring Series. "Each of NASCAR’s 2013 series-specific Rule Books includes our Code of Conduct that unequivocally states our stance specific to the use of demeaning language. We expect our entire industry to adhere to that Code."

——-

On Wednesday afternoon, LaJoie issued an apology on Twitter.

Posted on by Staff Report

The Jordan Brand’s iconic Jumpman logo will adorn the No. 51 this Saturday

Aside from racing as the two-time defending winner of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 this weekend at Martinsville Speedway, Denny Hamlin’s truck will adorn the Michael Jordan Brand’s iconic Jumpman logo.

For Hamlin, the Jumpman logo is personal. Along with being a season ticket holder of Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcat franchise, Hamlin began his relationship with the Jordan Brand in 2011 and sports a Jumpman fire suit and racing gloves.

FULL SERIES COVERAGE

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"To have the Jumpman on the truck at Martinsville is the perfect fit," Hamlin said. "Michael has expressed interest in taking the next step with their Jordan Brand sponsorship, so what better opportunity than going after three in a row at one of my favorite tracks."

This weekend wouldn’t be Hamlin’s first three-peat at Martinsville. Hamlin won three straight Sprint Cup Series races at the historical Virginia half-mile short track over the 2009-10 seasons. 

"Denny is a winner, especially at Martinsville Speedway, where he has ‘home court advantage,’" said Jordan. "When Denny said he wanted to get the three-peat at Martinsville, it was a no-brainer for the Jordan Brand to be a part of it."

MORE:

READ: Johnson’s best track
is Kenseth’s biggest test

WATCH: Fantasy Showdown:
Martinsville

READ: Logano learning
from first time in Chase

WATCH: Almirola unveils
No. 41 for Maurice Petty
Posted on by Staff Report

Parrott calls substance use an ‘isolated incident’

RELATED: Full Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage

Todd Parrott on Wednesday took the first steps toward participation in NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program for substance abuse violators, and the suspended veteran crew chief vowed to return to the sport’s top level.

In a pair of radio interviews Tuesday night, Parrott apologized for the chain of events that led to his indefinite suspension by NASCAR and eventual release from Richard Petty Motorsports. The former crew chief of RPM’s No. 43 car was suspended last Thursday for an undisclosed violation of the sanctioning body’s substance abuse program. The 31-time race winner said he tested positive during the recent NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend at Charlotte, although he declined to name the substance involved.

"I want to apologize to my family, to everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports, all my friends for being with me while I’m in this position," he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "It’s not something that I’m proud of, but it’s something I’m going to address and fix. NASCAR has rules, and they have procedures, and they’ve administered them, and it is where I’m at. I’m ready to take the steps to get back into the sport that I love, that I’ve been around my whole life. I want to get back in that garage hopefully in time to win another Daytona 500."

Winner of the 1996 Daytona 500 and the 1999 premier-series title with Dale Jarrett, Parrott said he was chosen for a random test at Charlotte, and received a phone call last Thursday morning informing him the results were positive. Parrott said his use of the substance was an isolated incident.

"I was in a dark moment, and it happened," he told Motor Racing Network’s "NASCAR Live" program. " … The next morning when I woke up, I couldn’t believe what I’d done, and beat myself up pretty bad about it, and then I had to go and face the truth."

Parrott told SiriusXM that after meeting with RPM officials, his next step was to call John Bobo, who directs NASCAR’s substance abuse program. The crew chief was scheduled to meet Wednesday with a counselor for an assessment to determine his recovery program. Before they are eligible for reinstatement, substance abuse violators must complete a Road to Recovery program specifically tailored to their offense.

"After I got the results and the word, I got the ball rolling pretty quick to let NASCAR know, let everyone know I’m going to do (it)," Parrott told SiriusXM. "I know it’s not going to be pretty, it’s not going to be fun. It’s tough on my family, my kids, my wife, my mom, dad, my brother, everybody involved. But I’m going to do everything I can do to prove to everybody that I’m a whole lot better person than this."

Parrott is the son of a former crew chief who won 49 times at NASCAR’s top level, and the brother to a crew chief who owns 18 Nationwide Series victories. He oversaw RPM’s two most recent wins, both with Marcos Ambrose at the Watkins Glen road course. Parrott has been a crew chief since 1995 on the Sprint Cup circuit, and aims to return there once he is reinstated.

"I’m going to beat the bushes and see what’s out there, and when I come back, I’m going to be coming back pretty strong," he told SiriusXM. "It’s just part of my family. It’s in my blood. NASCAR is where I want to be. It’s all I know. It’s all I’ve done. I’m going to work hard to get back to the top."

MORE:

READ: Johnson’s best track
is Kenseth’s biggest test

WATCH: Fantasy Showdown:
Martinsville

READ: Logano learning
from first time in Chase

WATCH: Almirola unveils
No. 41 for Maurice Petty
Posted on by Staff Report

Get a sneak peek at the looks for this weekend

MORE: Full Chase coverage

SPRINT CUP SERIES PAINT SCHEMES

Denny Hamlin will drive the No. 11 FedEx One Rate Toyota.

#WHAT11NEEDS

SHOP: Denny Hamlin die-casts

Greg Biffle will drive the No. 16 3M Ford.

#WHAT16NEEDS

SHOP: Greg Biffle die-casts

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will drive the No. 17 Driven for a Cause Ford.

SHOP: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. die-casts

Jeff Burton will drive the No. 31 Sleep Innovations/DOW Chevrolet.

SHOP: Jeff Burton die-casts

Aric Almirola will drive the No. 41 Maurice Petty Hall of Fame Inductee Ford.

SHOP: Aric Almirola die-casts

Elliott Sadler will drive the No. 55 RK Motors Collector Car Auctions Toyota.

SHOP: Elliott Sadler die-casts

CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Max Gresham will drive the No. 8 AmWins Chevrolet.

SHOP: NASCAR die-casts

Kevin Harvick will drive the No. 14 Anderson’s Maple Syrup Chevrolet.

SHOP: Kevin Harvick die-casts

Ben Kennedy will drive the No. 30 Breast Cancer Awareness Chevrolet.

SHOP: NASCAR die-casts

Brandon Jones will drive the No. 33 Exide Chevrolet.

SHOP: NASCAR die-casts

Denny Hamlin will drive the No. 51 Air Jordan Toyota.

SHOP: Denny Hamlin die-casts

German Quiroga will drive the No. 77 OtterBox/NET 10 Wireless Toyota.

SHOP: NASCAR die-casts

Johnny Sauter will drive the No. 98 Carolina Nut Co./Curb Records Toyota.

SHOP: NASCAR die-casts

MORE:

READ: Johnson’s best track
is Kenseth’s biggest test

WATCH: Fantasy Showdown:
Martinsville

READ: Logano learning
from first time in Chase

WATCH: Almirola unveils
No. 41 for Maurice Petty
Posted on by Staff Report

Vital stats for the Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 Powered by Kroger at Martinsville

Related: Latest news from Martinsville

Track: Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va. is a 0.526-mile, paved surface with 12-degree banking in all four turns. There is no banking in the frontstretch or backstretch. The frontstretch and backstretch are both 800 feet.

Time/TV: The Goody’s Headache Relief Shot 500 Powered by Kroger (500 laps), 1:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, Oct. 27. TV: ESPN (coverage starts at 1 p.m. ET), Radio: MRN

Trailblazers:  The track’s first NASCAR-sanctioned race was on July 4, 1948 and the track’s first Sprint Cup Series race was on Sept. 25, 1949. That race was won by Red Byron.

0.065 — The closest margin of victory since the advent of electronic timing — in seconds — by Jimmie Johnson in 2007.

1 — Danica Patrick is the only female driver to compete at Martinsville in the Sprint Cup Series.

2 — The number of drivers who won their first Sprint Cup Series Coors Light poles at Martinsville. Those drivers are Tony Stewart (April 1999) and Scott Riggs (April 2005).

4 — The number of times that the winner of the Martinsville race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup has gone on to win the championship. Johnson (2006, 2007, 2008) and Stewart (2011) are the two drivers to accomplish this. 
4 — The number of drivers who made their first Sprint Cup Series start at Martinsville. Those drivers are Mike Bliss (September 1998), Travis Kvapil (in October of 2004), Michael McDowell (March 2008) and Scott Speed (October 2008).

5 — The number of times there have been green-white-checkered finishes at Martinsville, with the last one coming in spring 2012.

5 — The number of races that have been won by drivers who started outside of the top 20.

6 — The worst finish at Martinsville by an eventual series champion. Brad Keselowski finished sixth in last October’s race.

8 — The number of wins Jimmie Johnson has at Martinsville, which is the most among drivers. Five of those victories came in Chase races at the venue.

8 — Series-high number of poles earned by Darrell Waltrip.

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12 — Number of drivers who have won consecutive poles.

15 — Series-high number of victories, held by Richard Petty.

20 — Series-high number of victories for Hendrick Motorsports 

21 — The number of races that have been won by pole-sitters.

22 — Age of youngest winner — Petty — in 1960.

23 — Number of drivers who have multiple wins.

26 — Series-best number of top-five finishes among active drivers by Jeff Gordon.

30 — Series-best number of top-five finishes by Petty.

36 — The deepest starting position of a race-winner — Kurt Busch in 2002.

41 — Series-best number of races without a DNF by Gordon.

51 — Age of oldest winner — Harry Gant — in 1991.

53 — Number of Sprint Cup starts by Terry Labonte, most among active drivers.

57 —  Number of drivers who have earned a pole.

67 — Series-best number of Sprint Cup starts, held by Petty.

91.569 — Series-best average Green Flag speed (mph), held by Johnson.

123.8 — Series-best driver rating of Johnson.

129 — Total number of Sprint Cup races, one in the inaugural year and two per year since 1950.

281 — Total number of Sprint Cup races run in the state of Virginia. Of all the tracks in the state, Martinsville has seen the most Cup races at its venue.

372 — Number of drivers who have competed in multiple Sprint Cup races.

591 — Number of drivers who have competed in at least one Sprint Cup race at the track.

968 — Series-high number of fastest laps run by Gordon.

MORE:

READ: Johnson’s best track
is Kenseth’s biggest test

WATCH: Fantasy Showdown:
Martinsville

READ: Logano learning
from first time in Chase

WATCH: Almirola unveils
No. 41 for Maurice Petty
Posted on by Staff Report

iRacing Awards $30,000+ to World Championship Sim-Racers

Bedford MA (October 23, 2013) – Finland’s Greger Huttu captured his third iRacing.com World Championship Grand Prix Series crown this season in convincing fashion, scoring nine wins in 15 starts to outdistance Atze Kerkhof (The Netherlands) and 2011 champion Hugo Luis (Brasil) by a wide margin.   Huttu will receive a check from iRacing.com for $10,000 for the online racing championship, bringing his total iRacing.com World Championship Grand Prix Series winnings to more than $30,000.

“My season went probably a little better than I expected,” Huttu said.  “The competition with Hugo was really, really tight during the first half of the season but the races and results seemed to go my way and I was able to win six out of eight races which set me up well for the second half.  Really happy with my race pace this season and also the consistency, I think I got top-threes in every race.

“Thanks to iRacing and GlacierTV along with iRacing Brasil for the great broadcasts.  Thanks to my teamies and our great sponsors – Fanatec, Obutto and OK YO – for the support all season long!   Hoping to see most of you again next year.”

As series runner-up, Kerkhof earned $3,000 while third-placed Luis was awarded $1500.  Jake Stergios collected $1000 for finishing fourth in the series standings and Martin Krönke received $500 for his fifth place finish

The $16,000 in iRacing.com World Championship Grand Prix Series cash awards, coupled with a similar prize structure in the sister series for stock cars  — the NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship – brings the total cash payout in iRacing’s two world championships to $32,000 this year.   The closest championship battle in series history saw Tyler Hudson edge two-time champion Ray Alfalla by just nine points to claim the 2013 NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship title and the accompanying $10,000 prize.  Alfalla earned $3,000 for his runner-up finish – bringing his career earnings to $23,000 – with Nick Ottinger (third), Michael Conti (fourth) and Brian Schoenburg (fifth) earning $1500, $1,000 and $500 respectively.  

The green flags wave on the 2014 iRacing.com World Championship Grand Prix Series and NASCAR iRacing.com Series World Championship next February.  In the meantime, visit www.iracing.com to learn more about the world’s most popular online motorsports simulation service and enjoy the following:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LppUNwdCiug&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL55FD8A5F9F5FB3E2