Notebook: Busy Dillon; Vickers two in a row?

Posted on July 20, 2013 by

Austin Dillon to run four races in the next week

In a span of eight days, Austin Dillon is going to be a very busy race car driver. Sunday, he races in the Nationwide Series‘ STP 300 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Chicagoland Speedway.

Wednesday, he climbs back into a truck for the first time since he won the 2011 Camping World Truck Series championship to compete in the first-ever trucks race on dirt in the CarCash Mudsummer Classic presented by CNBC Prime’s The Profit (9 p.m. ET, SPEED) at Eldora Speedway.

"I’m really excited," Dillon said. "I feel like we’ll have a shot to win. Eldora is a place I grew up dirt racing on, set the pole for the World 100 once and feel like it’s an unbelievable opportunity that NASCAR is giving us drivers to go and run on dirt. I’m looking forward to it and I think it’s going to be a great race, and if all goes well, I think you’ll see more of those come around. I’m just excited to be in the inaugural dirt race in the Truck Series."

Three days later, he’ll race in the Indiana 250 (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at the fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway, followed the next day by his first career appearance in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 (1 p.m. ET, ESPN) Sprint Cup Series race.

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"It’s going to be a pretty busy week and I’m looking forward to it," Dillon said. "As far as starting the Brickyard 400, I think it’s going to be a very emotional day. Our first one is going to be very special."

Dillon, who has finishes of sixth, fifth and third in his last three NNS races, comes into Sunday’s race third in the NNS standings just 12 points behind series leader Regan Smith.

"We’ve been able to win a truck race here (at Chicago), been successful here in the past and coming to a mile-and-a-half right now I think is really good for our team," Dillon said. "We’ve showed some speed this year at mile-and-a-halfs and I really love this place. It’s got a lot of character; we’ve had a good week leading up to it and I’m just excited about being in Chicagoland."

Dillon, who is one of four drivers in the hunt for the $100,000 Nationwide Dash 4 Cash prize Sunday (along with Brian Vickers, Brian Scott and Michael Annett), is still looking for his first win of the season and thinks he has a pretty good chance to do so at Chicagoland the same day.

"It’s been a real good year as far as speed, a decent year as far as us getting the finishes we deserve. Things are starting to turn at the right time. We’re still going to take our same mentality into everything and just try to win races, because foremost we want to get that first win off our back."

He’d like nothing better than to be singing Frank Sinatra’s famous song, "Chicago, it’s my kind of town," if he is fortunate enough to win Sunday’s race.

"I sure hope so," Dillon said. "I love this town and the city. It’s a great place to come and see and we love coming here to Chicagoland."

Vickers looks to win two in a row

After winning last Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire, Vickers hopes to make it two wins in a row in Sunday’s STP 300.

When asked if, after all the things he’s endured in recent years including health issues, loss of his ride due to the team folding and lack of sponsorship for another Sprint Cup ride, does he feel vindication with his win at New Hampshire, Vickers took pause.

"For me, it was just a very special moment," Vickers said. "I don’t know if that’s a word I’ve thought of. I suppose you could apply that. But I think more than anything for me, it was just enjoy the moment and a very special occasion and I’m very thankful and blessed to be have the opportunity to get back in a race car. To be able to race again period, much less to have the opportunity with a team and crew and a sponsor like Aaron’s that gave me the opportunity to win again."

Vickers is currently sixth in the Nationwide standings, 46 points behind series leader Regan Smith, and is one of four drivers competing for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus in Sunday’s race.

"I’m excited about being here," Vickers said. "Chicagoland’s a great race track and obviously the opportunity to race for an extra $100,000 with the Nationwide Series Dash 4 Cash is pretty cool. I look forward to accomplishing that goal and capturing victory."

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Posted on July 20, 2013 by Staff Report

Series points leader Smith is only driver to top 175 mph | FULL PRACTICE RESULTS

JOLIET, Ill. — Brian Scott and Regan Smith divided top honors in Saturday’s pair of NASCAR Nationwide Series practice sessions at Chicagoland Speedway.

Smith, the series’ points leader, paced the opening practice with a blazing lap at 175.953 mph that was fastest overall on the 1.5-mile oval in preparation for Sunday’s STP 300 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN). His No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet posted the time in just its second lap in the early minutes of the opening 2 1/2 -hour session, easily outrunning second-fastest Travis Pastrana.

Scott’s turn at the top of the leaderboard came late in the 90-minute final practice with a fast lap of 173.751 mph. He led a 1-2 sweep of Richard Childress Racing Chevrolets with teammate Austin Dillon second at 173.483.

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Rookie Alex Bowman showed consistency by running third-fastest on the leaderboard in both sessions. Former Chicagoland winner Justin Allgaier was fourth with Dillon fifth in the first session; Trevor Bayne was fourth with Pastrana fifth in session two.

Joey Logano, the only full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver competing here this weekend, was 10th-fastest in the opening session and 13th-best in the final practice. Elliott Sadler, the race’s defending champion, was 13th- and 12th-fastest, respectively.

The session was considered an extended practice, making up for a lost test session because of rain at 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. Therefore, the order for Sunday’s Coors Light Pole Award qualifying will be determined by the results of Saturday’s second practice.

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Posted on July 20, 2013 by Zack Albert

X Games star has had an up-and-down adjustment as he tries to transform his success to NASCAR racing

PRACTICE RESULTS | QUALIFYING ORDER

JOLIET, Ill. — The rough-and-tumble nature of Travis Pastrana’s first full season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series has taken some toll on the action sports star, but he still believes he’s making the grade.

And the season is getting better than a passing grade, to boot.

“Honestly, I grade it a C-plus, because I still have really great backing from Roush Fenway,” Pastrana said Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway. “(Team owner) Jack Roush is always smiling, which is good. I did not (fore)see a lot of smiles out of him this year so I’m really excited.”

Pastrana enters Sunday’s STP 300 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) ranked 14th in the points standings as the Nationwide season makes its annual summer turn into the season’s second half. He’s had glimmers of promise in the first 17 races with three front-row starts, including his first Coors Light Pole Award at Talladega in May, but he’s also been sidelined early by four crashes, not all of his making.

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Pastrana realizes it’s also early in the game, just 26 races into his young Nationwide career. But the man who has thus far made his name with motorcycle stunts and jumping out of airplanes is also aware that his fervent fan base and action-sports sponsors are accustomed to seeing him victorious.

“It’s just a different world,” Pastrana said. “I have sponsors who are waiting to see how I do. They want to see a win. They want to see performance. They know they can count on me in X Games so even if we don’t win, we’ll be up front battling and put on a show. In NASCAR, I haven’t proven that yet. I haven’t proven that I can be the guy that they can rely on. They can back (me) for a race, but for an entire season, I’m really looking for a long-term sponsor, someone that kind of fits.

“Eventually, you need to just make do and get to the races, but luckily I’m still in position where I can have a lot of fun and do a lot of other stuff, but I just want to be doing NASCAR. The other stuff’s fun, I enjoy it, and quite frankly, it gets pretty depressing when you want to win every weekend and you want to do well, but the harder you try, the slower you go. The more effort you put in, the more crashes you get into. It’s been a really tough year.”

Pastrana hasn’t doubted his team’s equipment or his willingness to learn, but the quartet of crash-related DNFs has slowed his progress. Regardless of fault, all four wrecks have gone in the record books as finishes outside of the top 30, numbers Pastrana hopes will improve with experience.

“It’s something that, in motocross, I was always able to be in the right place at the right time, since I’d done it since I was four years old,” he said. “Here, I’m always in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Yet Pastrana may have reason for optimism after last year’s performance at the Illinois track. Though he finished a middle-of-the-road 17th place, the finish marked a drastic improvement over his 1.5-mile track debut two months earlier at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he brought out two caution flags before winding up 24th.

“We started off extremely slow. Just wanted to make sure I didn’t spin,” Pastrana said. “I think I spun four times in Charlotte and just didn’t know what to expect at a mile and a half and the aerodynamic game, but by the end of the race, we were running top-10 times. This was actually my favorite mile and a half — this, and Atlanta — from last year, so I’m really excited to come back here.”

What hasn’t changed for Pastrana is his pursuit of the adrenaline rush, which he’s found in learning the stock-car ropes, racing in off-road truck and rallycross events, and two-wheeled motocross exploits.

Pastrana’s love of extreme sports hasn’t waned even though his participation in NASCAR has increased. Yet his attempts to involve his Roush Fenway Racing teammates in his action-filled world haven’t gone over so well.

“Carl Edwards said he wanted to go BASE jumping, so I lined it up and (Ricky) Stenhouse (Jr.) said ‘Yeah, I’ll come out!’ ” Pastrana said. “I guess someone in the office got a hold of them the day before I went because I was at the BASE jump place all by myself. I assume (Roush) is OK with me doing it, but he doesn’t want me dragging the rest of the crew into that shenanigans.”

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Posted on July 20, 2013 by Zack Albert

Even after long phone conversation, the two Nationwide drivers still at odds

PRACTICE RESULTS | QUALIFYING ORDER

JOLIET, Ill. — It’s been a full week since Elliott Sadler spun off the nose of Regan Smith’s No. 7 Chevrolet on the final restart at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but it doesn’t mean that Sadler is close to letting things slide.

Instead, the two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series runner-up is entering the second half of the season with new guidelines for how he’ll race with the tour’s points leader.

Sadler comes into this Sunday’s STP 300 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) as the race’s defending winner after his dominant drive in the face of illness secured his third Nationwide victory of the season. But Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway, the focus was more on current events than year-old history.

Sadler was headed for a near-certain top-10 finish last weekend at New Hampshire, but a flash flood of late-race restarts put that result in doubt. On the final restart, Smith nudged inside of Sadler and the two cars touched, sending Sadler into a long slide and leaving him with an 18th-place finish and a two-place drop in the standings behind points leader Smith.

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An angry Sadler dismounted and confronted Smith in the garage area, telling his rival “you will not win this championship, mark my word.” Saturday at Chicagoland, Sadler’s words were reduced by many decibels, but were no less pointed, even after a midweek phone conversation with Smith that lasted 20 to 30 minutes for the purpose of sorting out differences.

“I’m still pissed about it and Regan knows that and he knows where I stand,” Sadler said. “He took 100 percent of the blame and understood why I’m upset and why I was upset."

Fueling Sadler’s ire was his opinion that he had given Smith a break twice earlier — once at Iowa Speedway and once earlier in the day at New Hampshire. The incident was also costly in monetary terms: The spin knocked Sadler from contention for the Nationwide Dash 4 Cash $100,000 payday and kept him from being eligible for the bonus this weekend at Chicagoland.

“For him to do what he did at New Hampshire — I’m still ticked about it,” he added. “But, we talked and we agreed that our racing is going to change a little bit between us, but we know that we’re going to be racing around each other a lot between now and Homestead, and they feel like they have a chance to win the championship. We feel like we have a chance amongst other drivers, so we’re probably going to see each other a lot between now and November.”

Smith reiterated his role in the run-in Saturday, accepting full blame for sliding up into Sadler’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“Was it the right move to make right there? Probably not for our situation with the points, but the fact of the matter is that it happened,” Smith said. I made the move and you can’t take it back. I understand his anger 100 percent and I know exactly where he was coming from. …

“It’s a constant battle to have the respect of your competitors and I lost the respect of one of my competitors based on what happened last Saturday. I’m fully aware of that, and I’m also man enough to stand up and say, ‘Hey, I caused a wreck,’ and if that’s what’s going to come back as repercussions, then that’s fine. We both also are smart enough to know that we’re going to race each other a lot this year, and there’s a lot of racing left to go.”

One person thrilled at the development for purely selfish reasons was Austin Dillon, who ranks third in the Nationwide standings, just 12 points out of first place. Only 24 points separate Smith from fifth-place Sadler in the tightly knit battle.

“I love it. I hope they’re mad at each other,” said Dillon, not hiding his hopes of capitalizing behind his wry grin. “If not, I’m going to go tell Elliott that Regan’s talking about him behind his back. I think it’s funny.”

Sadler, a former teammate of Dillon’s at Richard Childress Racing, wasn’t laughing. Instead of harping on the New Hampshire run-in, he indicated he’ll likely remain all business the second half of the season.

“I’m focused on what we’re doing as a team and how we’re running and things that way,” Sadler said. “I think we’re here to win the championship, period. I honestly think as good as we’ve been running the last month or so, I don’t think he’s going to run good enough to run with us anyway. As far as me worried exactly about what they’re doing and where he’s at and all that, that’s not how I do things. I’m worried about winning races first and usually that translates into a good points day, which translates into having a good run in the championship standings and that’s the way we’re going to look at it.”

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Posted on July 20, 2013December 17, 2017 by Staff Report

NATIONWIDE QUALIFYING LEADERBOARD, LIVE, SUNDAY, 11 A.M. ET

FULL PRACTICE RESULTS

#	Car	Driver	Team
1	46	* Tim Schendel	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
2	15	* Carl Long	FairGirls.org / Rick Ware Racing Ford
3	52	* Joey Gase	Donate Life Toyota
4	42	* TJ Bell	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet
5	23	Harrison Rhodes	Vecoplan Midwest Ford
6	37	* Matt Dibenedetto	NationalCashLenders.com Dodge
7	74	* Kevin Lepage	I-Car Chevrolet
8	00	* Ken Butler	DriveMW.com Toyota
9	92	* Dexter Stacey #	MaddiesPlaceRocks.com Ford
10	40	Reed Sorenson	e-Swisher.com Chevrolet
11	44	Chad Hackenbracht(i)	Tastee Apple Toyota
12	51	Jeremy Clements	Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet
13	87	Joe Nemechek	R.G.E. Manufacturing Toyota
14	01	Mike Wallace	Gerber Collision & Glass Chevrolet
15	79	Kyle Fowler	Techniweld Ford
16	17	* Tanner Berryhill	NationalCashLenders.com / Keller Williams Realty Toyota
17	14	Eric McClure	Hefty / Reynolds Toyota
18	24	Blake Koch	Horizon Entertainment Toyota
19	10	* Jeff Green	TriStar Motorsports Toyota
20	70	Johanna Long	WishForOurHeroes.org Chevrolet
21	19	Mike Bliss	TriStar Motorsports Toyota
22	32	Kyle Larson #	International Chevrolet
23	4	Landon Cassill	Flex Seal Chevrolet
24	31	Justin Allgaier	Brandt Chevrolet
25	54	Joey Coulter(i)	Monster Energy Toyota
26	77	Parker Kligerman	TOYOTA Toyota
27	20	Brian Vickers	Dollar General Toyota
28	7	Regan Smith	Speedco Chevrolet
29	22	Joey Logano(i)	Hertz Ford
30	11	Elliott Sadler	OneMain Financial Toyota
31	30	Nelson Piquet Jr. #	WorX Chevrolet
32	5	Brad Sweet	Great Clips Chevrolet
33	12	Sam Hornish Jr.	Alliance Truck Parts Ford
34	43	Michael Annett	STP Ford
35	21	* Dakoda Armstrong(i)	WinField Chevrolet
36	33	Matt Crafton(i)	Rheem / Menards Chevrolet
37	60	Travis Pastrana	Valvoline NextGen Ford
38	6	Trevor Bayne	Ford EcoBoost Ford
39	99	Alex Bowman #	St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Toyota
40	3	Austin Dillon	AdvoCare Chevrolet
41	2	Brian Scott	Fast Fixin’ Chevrolet

* Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

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Posted on July 20, 2013 by Staff Report

Get event information, news, results and more

ENTRY LISTS

Nationwide Series: Results | Standings
Camping World Truck Series: The CarCash Mudsummer Classic presented by CNBC Prime’s The Profit entry list | Standings

Nationwide Series

STP 300, 4 p.m. ET, Sunday, ESPN

Featured Story

Penske sweep

Joey Logano takes the lead late en route to winning the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. Teammate Sam Hornish Jr. finishes second but takes over the Nationwide Series points lead from Regan Smith. | Read the full story

— Hornish relishes points lead
— Austin Dillon wins Dash 4 Cash
— Video: Watch Smith’s wild ride
— Hornish Jr. speeds to Coors Light Pole
— Pit stall assignments
— Smith dominates early; Scott takes over late
— Dash 4 Cash at Chicagoland
— Notebook: Busy Dillon; Vickers two in a row?
— Pastrana gives himself a C+ for 2013 thus far

Camping World Truck Series

The CarCash MudSummer Classic presented by CNBC Prime’s The Profit, 9 p.m. ET, Wednesday, SPEED

Featured story

Dirt Aces at Eldora

Scott Bloomquist has won almost everything there is to win on dirt, including an array of titles at Eldora Speedway. Next week, one of the great dirt-track racers of his time will make his national-series NASCAR debut in a vehicle fielded by another famous wheel man — Kyle Busch. | Read the full story

— Coulter: Racing on dirt helps NASCAR effort
— Again, Buescher finds himself back in title hunt
— Eldora qualifying procedures explained
— Newman to compete in Truck Series race at Eldora
— When dirt track talent hits the pavement

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tangle at Loudon

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Burton in the mix

WATCH: Kurt Busch,
Newman wreck

READ: Complete coverage
from New Hampshire, Iowa

Posted on July 19, 2013 by

Seamless transition to JGR has driver as Chase favorite; plus more awards

There’s supposed to be an assimilation process, right? The new driver comes in and spends those first few awkward weeks getting used to his new crew chief’s terminology, to his new pit crew’s timing, to his new spotter’s voice in his ear. There are supposed to be moments when differing styles clash, when unfamiliar personalities cause friction, when just the usual procedure of transition takes its toll on speed.

Well, nobody bothered to notify Matt Kenseth. With a new team, he was unstoppable in the Daytona 500 until his engine failed him, and then he went out and won the third race of the season — the first steps in a campaign that’s thus far netted Kenseth four victories, cemented him as a favorite for the Sprint Cup championship and made his seamless move to Joe Gibbs Racing the most significant event of the sport’s first half.

Oh sure, there have been some hitches — like a missed shift in Kenseth’s first test with JGR in late December, which led the team to change engines and left the new driver somewhat embarrassed. There was also the brouhaha over that below-minimum-weight connecting rod from the No. 20 car’s winning Kansas engine, which proved to be a mistake on the part of a vendor and led to penalties that were largely overturned on appeal.

But beyond a few minor missteps, it’s been an otherwise flawless integration of Kenseth and JGR. Jimmie Johnson may have a comfortable lead atop the point standings and be tied with Kenseth for most race victories in the series to date, but let’s be honest — seeing Five-Time up there is no surprise. He and crew chief Chad Knaus are proven commodities, with a decade-long working relationship and string of success behind them. Then there’s Kenseth, with a new team, crew and manufacturer, already one victory from tying his career high in a single season and showing more explosiveness than he ever did in 13 years at Roush Fenway.

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“Certainly I’ve felt comfortable over there,” Kenseth said recently. “From the first time I walked in there, yeah, you are learning certain things and maybe a little nervous, but they’ve really made me feel comfortable and made me feel a part of the team, a part of the family, and a part of the program over there, for sure.”

Now, this smooth a transition isn’t exactly unheard of — recent parallels include Clint Bowyer, who won three times and finished second in points last year, his first with Michael Waltrip Racing, and Mark Martin, who won five times and was series runner-up in his debut with Hendrick Motorsports in 2009. But while a few crashes and engine failures have kept him down in points, Kenseth has set the bar for performance from the very first race, a Daytona 500 he was dominating until his motor went boom. Johnson is the picture of consistency, no doubt, but Kenseth continues to show loads of upside even in races he doesn’t win.

“He is as good as anybody in the garage. I don’t know that he is surprising a lot of people that have been in that garage for the last several years, because I think we all kind of knew how good he was,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., who’s been racing against Kenseth since their days in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

“When I heard about his deal last year, I was excited for him because we have been pretty good friends for a really long time. I knew that this was going to be a great experience. He’d had some really good experiences with Jack (Roush) and the Roush deal. He worries a little bit too much. He was really worried about making that type of decision, you know, because he’s having kids and he’s just really hoping he’s making the right choice. I just felt like this was going to be exciting and he was really going to have a lot of fun. It looks like it’s working out.”

It has, to the extent that Kenseth is — with a respectful tip of the cap to Johnson — the MVP of the first half of this Sprint Cup season. He has the perfect demeanor for this, really, an even-keeled mindset that kept him a contender last year even as the breakup with Roush neared. To unseat Johnson, he needs a 10-race title run free of the few catastrophic finishes that have relegated him to sixth in points. But he’s on pace to be among the top Chase seeds, and clearly the potential is there for more.

“I’d sit around and daydream and wish and think about things like this happening this season, but I never really realistically thought that (at) the halfway point that we’d have four wins and be in the running and leading all of those laps and run as good as we have been,” he said. “So I don’t know where the limit is. I said I guess after Vegas and maybe Kansas, I felt like the sky was the limit with this team, and I really do. It’s just a great group. Everything is going really good, and everybody is really focused on keeping it going good.”

Some other awards at the off weekend that serves as the unofficial midpoint of this Sprint Cup campaign:

Comeback of the First Half: Kurt Busch. We expected Furniture Row Racing to be better with the addition of Busch, a wheelman with almost no equal. But nearly-sweep-Charlotte, brink-of-the-Chase better? That’s a huge step for a single-car team that’s now turning out quality vehicles with regularity, and promises to be a factor all the way to Richmond. In the meantime, the former Penske Racing exile has taken firm steps to put his career back on the right path.

Crew Chief of the First Half: Gil Martin. The ever-steady helmsman of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 29 team has done an admirable job of keeping that team in the championship hunt despite Kevin Harvick’s looming departure for Stewart-Haas Racing. At fourth in points and with a pair of victories, that group is already booked for the Chase. Now, can they step up their game in the final 10 races for an unprecedented swan song?

Owner of the First Half: Rick Hendrick. Mr. H just keeps on keeping on. All four of his drivers are ranked in the top 12 in points, and he has a real shot at seeing all of them make the Chase for a second straight year. Johnson leads the points and became the first driver in 30 years to sweep Daytona. Developmental driver Chase Elliott is on the rise. While things aren’t perfect — Kasey Kahne should be winning more, and Earnhardt Jr. needs to win, period — Hendrick still sets the standard.

Biggest First Half Turnaround: Tony Stewart. The co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing seemed out to lunch, along with the rest of his organization, earlier this year. Things showed the first signs of turning around at Darlington, in a 15th-place finish on the most unforgiving night of the year. Two races later came a victory at Dover that gave Smoke a leg up on the Chase. Nothing’s secure, but he’s come a long way from the driver who was 24th in points after Bristol.

Biggest First Half Enigma: Brad Keselowski. The reigning Sprint Cup champion finished in the top five in each of the first four races of the year, and has been back there just twice since. His team was rocked by a penalty that left crew chief Paul Wolfe on suspension for three weeks, and has weathered its share of crashes and mechanical issues. Keselowski is back in the top 10, but still doesn’t have a race win. He may keep us guessing all the way to Richmond.

Race of the First Half: Auto Club 400, Auto Club Speedway. The event that altered the course of this Sprint Cup season occurred in Fontana, Calif., where Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano carried out their personal grudge match to the final lap. The finale was memorable for painful reasons — contact that sent Hamlin into an inside wall, fracturing one of his lumbar vertebra and essentially ending his Chase hopes. Teams rumbled on pit road, harsh words were exchanged, and the lingering effects of that afternoon remain evident even today.

READ MORE:

READ: Danica, Ricky
tangle at Loudon

READ: Standings Shuffle:
Burton in the mix

WATCH: Kurt Busch,
Newman wreck

READ: Complete coverage
from New Hampshire, Iowa

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Staff Report

Safety of fans and competitors cited for suspension

NASCAR announced today that cable camera systems will not be used at races as an investigation continues into an incident at the Coca-Cola 600 in May.

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Several cars, including that of race leader Kyle Busch, sustained damage when the camera cable was run over, leading NASCAR officials to red-flag the Memorial Day weekend race at Charlotte Motor Speedway after 126 laps.

“Pending further investigation of the cable camera system incident during the NASCAR race in Concord, N.C. in May, NASCAR has decided, in collaboration with its broadcast partners, to suspend all media partner usage of aerial camera systems that hang over race tracks during its sanctioned events,” NASCAR said in a statement. “The safety of our competitors and our fans remains NASCAR’s number one priority, and until total evaluation and analysis have been completed, usage of this particular technology enhancement and any similar enhancements, has been suspended.”

ESPN, which will televise the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season on its networks, including ABC, issued a statement of its own acknowledging the suspension of the cable camera systems.

“We have an excellent working relationship with NASCAR and totally understand their position,” Rich Feinberg, ESPN vice president, motorsports, production, said. “We look forward to beginning our NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule at Indianapolis and televising 17 great weeks of racing.”

NASCAR on ESPN will begin televising the final seven races of the regular season and the 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on ESPN Sunday, July 28 at 1 p.m. ET with the Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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tangle at Loudon

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Burton in the mix

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Newman wreck

READ: Complete coverage
from New Hampshire, Iowa

Posted on July 18, 2013 by

Fourteen-year-old Megan Leben, who will start her freshman year of high school in a few weeks, visited Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400 and caught up with Danica Patrick

“Embrace what’s different about you.” This wise advice comes from Danica Patrick, someone who has done just that.

Danica has embraced what makes her different from her competitors instead of letting it stop her from chasing her dreams. The driver of the No. 10 Go Daddy Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the only female driver in the NASCAR’s top series. Although the 2013 season is Danica’s first full season in Sprint Cup competition, she has raced against the boys in multiple series since an early age. In the Daytona 500 earlier this year, Danica became the first woman to both win a Sprint Cup Series pole position and lead green flag laps.

Recently, Danica returned to the track where she made a name for herself and I had the chance to sit down for “girl talk” with her! As a 14-year-old passionate NASCAR fan who wants to pursue a career as a NASCAR journalist, this was an amazing opportunity!

During our interview, I talked with Danica about her advice for girls and her life off the track.

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Q: As you’ve pursued your dreams in a traditionally male dominated sport, you’ve shown both confidence and courage — two character traits I feel are essential to success. What advice would you give to young girls who may face similar circumstances or obstacles in their way?

DP: It’s about not feeling different than anyone. It’s about feeling confident that you can accomplish anything. Just believe that you can do it and embrace what’s different about you.

Q: Some girls try to be the person everyone else wants them to be instead of being themselves. With you being in the spotlight, it’s easy for people to be critical of you. How do you stay true to yourself?

DP: I would imagine you’d probably get a lot of people in general saying that confidence is really the most attractive thing, and that’s about being comfortable with yourself. It’s just about finding things that make you feel good about yourself and feel confident. So whether it is a talent that you have, or something like that, just focus on those things.

Q: I’m sure there are times where it feels like it’s you against the rest of the world. Do you have a quote or song you go to when you’re feeling down?

DP: I have definitely always gone to the saying “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger” and I really believe that’s true. No matter how hard things get, if it doesn’t kill you, you’re going to be better for it. I also like the one — “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”

I like that one!

Q: You are focused on your job and I know you have a busy schedule between racing and sponsor commitments. I have noticed on Twitter that you like to cook.

DP: (flashes a big smile) I do!

Q: Do you have any other outlets?

DP: I like to travel. I like to get a pedicure. I like to go shopping. I like to plan vacations. I even like to workout.

Q: When you’re shopping does anyone ever come up to you and say “Hey, you’re Danica Patrick!”

DP: Only if I stop or if I am by myself. I suppose it becomes more and more common all the time. If I am by myself, I am a little bit of an easier target. If I am with other people, I guess I would appear a little less approachable maybe.

Q: But I guess from Twitter, your favorite thing is cooking?

DP: Yeah, I would say. I like that. It’s fun.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to cook?

DP: I like anything dinner oriented, but I love breakfast! If I’m going to make a production of it, I like dinner.

Q: Do you like to experiment or just follow the recipe?

DP: I think the best way to learn to how to cook is to use a cookbook to learn how to cook things you’ve never cooked before. That kind of allows you to be able to make it again without the cookbook. I’m not a baker so I feel like you always need a cookbook for that. I like not having a cookbook, but the way you learn how to make good things is with them.

Q: Do you like making desserts?

DP: No, mostly just dinner. I’m not a dessert person. I will, but let’s see one of the ones I made recently. (pauses to think) I made a bread pudding with brioche bread and I didn’t follow (the recipe). I mean, I looked at the recipe, then I just started pouring things in. I didn’t worry about the exact portions and stuff like that. I didn’t have the right ingredients either. I was using vanilla creamer for coffee as one of the ingredients to flavor it. (laughs!) It seemed very wet and like it was just all going to be mush. Then I made it and it was absolutely delicious! So sometimes things turn out, but I’m sure there was just as much of a chance of it not.

Q: Since we’re at Daytona we have to take a spin around the track. It’s a fun Then and Now question for each turn. Think back to your high school days!

Q: Turn 1: What was your favorite junk food then and what is it now?

DP: I’ll just go back to what comes to mind first. It wasn’t high school that I ate this because in high school I was eating a little bit more healthy. I remember coming home, getting dropped off at 3:00 from the bus, grabbing a soda, and making a microwavable pizza. That’s probably not the best snack! I also loved to cut up a whole box of strawberries and pour some white sugar on the side and dip each one in.

Q: That’s what I like to take to lunch at school! It’s so good!

DP: Oh it’s delicious!

Q: Turn 2: What was your favorite TV show then and what is your favorite TV now?

DP: When I was a kid, let’s go like mid-years, I liked 90210. Awesome. My parents let me watch it. Now, my favorite show? Probably Dexter. That’s a great show. I missed last season so I have to catch up on that one, but I’ve watched every other season. It’s a great show.

Q: Turn 3: What was your favorite song or group then and what is it now?

DP: Let’s see, my boy band back then was Backstreet Boys, because they were to me the first boy band. ’N Sync came after them, but I was loyal to the originals – the Backstreet Boys. (looks at PR rep, Joe Crowley) Right? Do I have this all right? Who played in the Backstreet Boys? Who were the singers?

JC: Nick Carter was the lead singer.

DP: Nick Carter? Yeah, that’s right! Good job! Aww, that was awesome! (big smile)

JC: I cannot believe I just answered that! (shakes head)

DP: I’m definitely going to tweet that Joe’s favorite band growing up was the Backstreet Boys! My favorite band now? I’ve been listening to a lot of country lately…so probably Miranda (Lambert). I love her music. She’s great. All-time favorite — I love Alanis Morissette, always have since I was a kid. But I’d say Miranda is a new favorite.

Q: What is your favorite song by her?

DP: "The House That Built Me." It’s a pretty good song. I was in her music video for Fastest Girl in Town.

Q: Oh I didn’t know that! I’ll have to go watch it!

DP: Oh yeah, go watch it. It’s cool.

Q: Turn 4: What was your favorite fashion trend then and what is it now?

DP: Oh my gosh! (smiles) With socks, I used to roll them and scrunch them, but we’ll go with the rolling. I would wear white (socks) and then I would wear a color that matched my outfit and I’d roll them down. It had to be absolutely perfect! So that was my favorite fashion trend then. And now, (thinks for a while) I wear a lot of t-shirts and jeans. Let’s see — a fashion trend? I don’t know. What do I wear that’s trendy? I guess in the moment you don’t feel like anything is all that trendy, you just kind of feel like it’s you.

JC: All I see you in is firesuits and golf shirts.

I like skinny jeans!

DP: Yeah, I always wear skinny jeans. I suppose that’s it…between skinny jeans, Havaiana flip flops, and my James Perse t-shirts…that’s pretty much what I wear most of the time.

Q: I guess you don’t really get a chance to dress up that much.

DP: I do, but I don’t really feel like I’m being trendy. You know what?! (slaps leg as thought comes to mind) Colored jeans! I wear a lot of colored jeans. I love your red jeans. I had some blue ones on yesterday. Colored jeans — I’m into them! I have just as many colored jeans as I do regular jeans.

Yeah, I love colored skinny jeans!

DP: I feel like I’m dressing up without actually dressing up. You wear colored jeans and a t-shirt you’re like, “Woah! I look different!’

Q: Thank you so much!

DP: No problem! I had fun!

Danica Patrick is embracing what makes her different, but she is also similar to many girls and young women. She likes good food and good music. She’s fun to be around. She has her own sense of style. Most of all, she’s not just following her dreams…she’s chasing them.

Megan Leben’s interview with Danica Patrick was just one of many behind-the-scenes experiences she had at Daytona. You can read about her trip at flagtoflag.blogspot.com.

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Posted on July 18, 2013 by

Finch will run team through September race weekend at Richmond

James Finch has sold Phoenix Racing, and the new owners will take control of the organization after this September’s event weekend at Richmond International Raceway.

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“It’s just time to do something else,” Finch said Thursday by telephone. “I’ve been doing it all my life. It’s time to do something else. Hell, if I was young, I’d do it all over again.”

Finch would not disclose the buyer, which he said would formally announce the transaction in the coming days. He added that the sale included the race team’s assets, as well as the shop in Spartanburg, S.C., and that the organization’s personnel would remain employed.

Finch will continue to run the team through this September’s race weekend at Richmond, he added, and the new buyers will take control the following week before the event at Chicagoland.

Phoenix Racing has been competing in NASCAR’s top two series since 1989, when Finch first fielded a car on the now-Nationwide Series for driver Jeff Purvis at Charlotte. The organization has won 13 times on the Nationwide tour, most recently at Daytona in the summer of last year with Kurt Busch. The team has one Sprint Cup Series victory, with Brad Keselowski at Talladega in the spring of 2009.

The team has often struggled to find sponsorship, often leading Finch to fund the organization out of his own pocket. Although he’s selling his race team, Finch said he’ll still be a presence at the race track.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “I’ll be around. I’ll come to races and all. I just wasn’t going to go broke doing it. Sponsorships are really tough to come by and stuff like that. I didn’t want to lose everything I’ve got trying to outrun Ford Motor Company, you know?”

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