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With Martinsville behind him, Earnhardt can look ahead to where it all began

FORT WORTH, Texas — Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t wait to get to Texas Motor Speedway, and his eagerness had nothing to do with how well he typically runs on the big track in the Lone Star State.

No, that anticipation level was directly related to his performance last weekend at Martinsville Speedway, the first real bobble in what has otherwise been an extremely steady early season for Earnhardt and his No. 88 team. He entered that race as the Sprint Cup Series points leader, and the only driver on the circuit to have recorded top-10s in every start to that point. He left after a problematic 24th-place finish that he stewed over until arriving Thursday morning in Fort Worth.

“Everybody handles that kind of stuff differently. I really didn’t get over that run last week until we touched down today at Texas. I wanted to get to the race track as soon as I could, just to get that behind me and put a good result on the board and just forget about that run. You can’t really do that until you get to the race track,” Earnhardt said behind his hauler.

"I would have done the same thing Jimmie did leading the race."

— Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“Steve’s got kids — those kids seem to get you over things like that a little faster,” he added, referring to crew chief Steve Letarte. “You get home and you see what they’re doing and get involved in their lives and kind of forget about all the bad things happening in your life. I did spend some time with my nephew this week, so that helped out a little bit. But everybody handles it differently. It’s hard for me to get over stuff like that, and it takes until I can get to the race track and redeem myself, really, to be able to get over it.”

The frustration is understandable, particularly given that much of the damage was self-inflicted. Although Earnhardt was involved in a scrape with Danica Patrick and wound up two laps down to race winner and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, he said the problems all started with a loose bolt in the track bar that left the No. 88 car too tight to drive.

“The track bar came loose on the left side and was moving all over the place,” Earnhardt said. “We had what Steve labeled as an improper installation. There’s a key in the back that holds the sway bar in place on the mount, and that key came out and got turned, so when they tightened the sway bar up in the morning, the key wasn’t in place to hold the sway bar tight, and the bolt was able to back out rather easily with just the general forces that it sees in the corners laterally and with all the loads. It came loose and it dropped down, and when you move the track bar down it really, really tightens the car up. … It moved an inch, which is a big, big, major change, and it really affected the handling of the car. The car just wasn’t driving very well, especially at the end of the race.”

The problem manifested itself most clearly late in the race, when contact with Patrick caused Earnhardt to spin. But Earnhardt knew it was only a matter of time. “I’m surprised I didn’t get run over sooner,” he said. Johnson put him a lap down, leading some spectators to wonder if his teammate should have tried to cut him a break — which Earnhardt said simply wasn’t feasible.

“Jimmie couldn’t slow down. You slow down, the guy behind you has the right to take your position. I lost a position to (Denny) Hamlin under caution at Phoenix, so I know all about that situation all too well. Jimmie, leading the race, couldn’t take that chance,” Earnhardt said.

“He did actually try to slow down, and I think he saw I had two left-side flat tires and it was pretty pointless of him to wait. If he stopped at all, the guys behind him would have been able to pass him for that position. He couldn’t give up that opportunity or take that chance, take that risk. I would have done the same thing Jimmie did leading the race. I’ve got to think about my team, my car, what I’m trying to do. I don’t think he did it out of spite or anything like that. I think he’s just driving his race. We shouldn’t have been back there in the first place and been in that position to be run over. But fortunately, it was just a bad day for us, and it just seemed to get worse. But he wasn’t doing anything he’s not supposed to be doing. The guy’s leading the race, you know? He’s got to take care of what he’s doing. He’s got to race to win.”

Earnhardt, meanwhile, was left to get whatever he could out of a car that deteriorated as the event went on. Now his attention gratefully turns to Texas, which remains a special venue for a driver who earned his first premier-series victory here in 2000. Although he hasn’t won on the 1.5-mile track since then, he has finished inside the top 10 in five of his last six starts.

This Texas race weekend opened with a test Thursday, so teams could collect data on Generation-6 cars making their first laps at the facility. But to Earnhardt, it was less a shakedown and more a step toward returning to Victory Lane here for the first time in 13 years.

“I’m not looking at this like a test,” he said. “I’m looking at this like, this is us preparing for the race. … We’re just going to work toward getting our car ready to race, and getting our car fast enough to try to win the race on Saturday night.”


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Posted on by NASCAR Wire Service

From childhood to driving career, truck series star holds Rockingham dear

Growing up near a landmark, such as Rockingham Speedway, that provides racing fans with many memorable moments is certainly something to be treasured.
 
And Ty Dillon certainly does.

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"I remember going with my grandfather [Richard Childress] when I was really young, just riding up the day before the race in his Corvette, spending a full day with him at the race track and really learning about racing back in the day when Dale Earnhardt was driving, and it was always a great time when Rockingham came around," said Dillon.
 
Instead of going to the races as a guest of his grandfather, these days Dillon is racing around the race track as the driver of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.
 
Dillon, who is currently eighth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings (28 points behind series leader Johnny Sauter), will have the chance to compete with 35 other drivers in Sunday afternoon’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at The Rock Presented by Cheerwine (2:00 p.m. ET, SPEED).
 
The truck race is the second in as many years at Rockingham, after taking an extended break from hosting NASCAR national touring series events. Prior to last year’s truck event, the last time the one-mile track hosted such an event was in February 2004, when both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series competed there.    
 
In last year’s race, Dillon finished eighth after starting 12th. Among last year’s truck regulars in the race, he ran all 200 laps in the top 15 and had the sixth highest driver rating (96.5). The event was won by NASCAR Sprint Cup regular Kasey Kahne.
 
After two races in 2013, Dillon has a sixth-place finish at Daytona and an 18th in last weekend’s race at Martinsville.

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After Nationwide tour’s test, Brazilian driver set for Fort Worth debut

Confidence can come from many things.
 
In Nelson Piquet Jr.‘s case, it’s last week’s test session at Texas. It could also be from his past success at the track in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

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Although Piquet has never run a NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, he is nonetheless confident heading into Friday night’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
 
"We had a great test session there last week, so I feel pretty confident heading into the weekend," said Piquet. "Chris Carrier and the guys at Turner Scott Motorsports have worked really hard to get my Camaro ready to race."
 
In five races at Texas (all in the truck series), Piquet has three top-fives, four top-10s and one pole. His lowest finishing position was a 13th in the 2011 truck race. In the most recent race there, he sat on the pole, led 65 of 147 laps and finished third (his highest at the track).
 
In his first season in Nationwide, he currently sits 14th in points, 79 points behind leader Sam Hornish Jr. He trails Mike Bliss, who is currently 13th, by only five points. Through the season’s first five races, Piquet’s best finish is an 11th at Daytona. Overall, he has four top-16 finishes and a 34th-place finish at Bristol, at which he was sidelined after only 104 laps due to an accident.
 
If he’s able to produce at Texas similarly to what he’s done there in the truck series, he should be able to improve his position.

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Posted on by Holly Cain

Vice President of Competition feels the sport is enjoying its best racing in a decade

Video: Press Pass — Robin Pemberton

FORT WORTH, Texas — So far, so good.

That’s the review NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton offered up on the Sprint Cup Series’ infant Gen-6 car Thursday afternoon during a test session at Texas Motor Speedway.

“We feel like the test is going well for the teams, and I think we’re off to a pretty good start for the year for the package that we have, and it seems to me that the teams are pretty happy with what they’ve been handed off to start with,’’ Pemberton said.

A full field — 43 cars — participated in Thursday’s “free test”; an important chance for teams to use data collection on a key 1.5-mile track. Some used it as actual practice for Saturday night’s 500-miler here, others treated it like a true test, gathering information for the other 1.5-milers that dominate the NASCAR schedule and are so crucial to the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

"We’ve tested this car for over two years before we hit a points race."

— Robin Pemberton

“We brought a test car today, not our race car,’’ said reigning Cup champion Brad Keselowski, “We are going to work on different concepts today and tune in our race car tomorrow.’’

Greg Biffle’s Ford had the fastest lap in Thursday’s opening session, but despite expectations for possible record speeds, his mark of 192.864 mph was well off the qualifying record of 196.235 mph set by Brian Vickers in 2006.

It was quicker than the pole-winning speeds of the previous two races here, however. The top six cars Thursday were faster than Jimmie Johnson’s pole-winning lap of 191.076 mph here last October.

Pemberton stressed this test and this track have been significant in the development of the Gen-6 car and called a test of the un-raced car at TMS last fall a “pivotal moment” — especially key to deciding the final package teams were given for its first full season of competition. He expects both Thursday’s test session and Saturday’s race to provide important feedback for the car’s progression as well.

“This was one of the tracks that we had the opportunity to go with Goodyear with a number of different tire combinations,’’ Pemberton said of the test last October. “And we were able to put cars on the track with different groups and run with low downforce, high downforce, and some different tire setups.

“And with the guys that we had here (last fall), Greg Biffle was one, I think Paul Menard was here, Kyle Busch, Juan (Pablo) Montoya and a few others, but they worked really hard at helping us develop the package, and it was a result of the test that those people help us put on here in the fall.

“It was important for us, and it really set the stage for what we have for 2013.’’

In fact, Pemberton is so satisfied with the performance of the Gen-6 car through the season’s first six races (all three makes – Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota have won and five different drivers) that he didn’t anticipate making any changes to the car.

“I think we’re in a fairly good spot,’’ Pemberton said. “One of the things we’ve learned over the years is if you keep moving the targets. …it’s harder for them to keep chasing that. We feel like the playing field is fairly level. It looks like everybody has an equal opportunity to compete, and we don’t feel like that the teams are done developing their own packages for this car.’’ 

Contrary to reports that drivers have campaigned for changes to the rear spoilers, Pemberton says not a single driver has come to him and asked for a smaller spoiler or to remove it.

And, he said, the cars participating in a Goodyear tire test at Daytona International Speedway next week will have the same package as when they ran the season-opening Daytona 500.

“When we’re at this point, it’s important now that we’ve handed the car off to the teams for the teams to go in and do their development,’’ Pemberton said. “They’re the experts.  We can just ‑‑ we can only take it so far.

“The difference with this go‑around with the new car than any time in the past is it was so much buy‑in all along. I mean, we’ve tested this car for over two years before we hit a points race. ‘’

The result has been a positive experience right out of the box.

“The problem I have is I like racing wherever it is in the field, and I honestly think we’ve had some of the best racing we’ve had in a decade,’’ Pemberton said.

“It was an opportunity for us to start over in many ways, shapes or forms because we had everyone working together, so everyone started at a higher level when we handed this car off, very different than what we’ve done in the last decade."


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Posted on by Staff Report

Nationwide practice kicks off a full slate of events this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway

RESULTS

Regan Smith and Austin Dillon topped the leaderboard as Thursday evening’s Nationwide Series practice for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 came to a close at Texas Motor Speedway.

Smith turned his sixth, and best, lap in 29.825 seconds for a best speed of 181.056 mph, while Dillon nearly matched, topping out at 180.977 on his fourth lap.

Kyle Busch, who took the checkered flag at the last Nationwide event on March 23 (Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway), was third with a speed of 180.681, while Dillon’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick (180.349) and points leader Sam Hornish Jr. (180.138) rounded out the top five.

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Some big names found their way into the top 10, as Matt Kenseth (7th, 180.000), Kasey Kahne (10th, 179.904) also did well.

Reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski was 12th on the speed chart at 179.641. Brian Scott, third in Nationwide points, was 17th with a speed of 179.099. Dale Earnhardt Jr., running in the No. 88 JR Motorsports car, was 18th with a time of 30.168.

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Late lap bumps Kurt Busch off top of leaderboard

Kurt Busch was all set to back up his initial fast lap in the first test session with another chart-topper in round two Thursday at Texas Motor Speedway. Then along came Greg Biffle.

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Biffle, who won at Texas last spring, drove his No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford to a fast lap of 192.864 mph to conclude the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Gen-6 car test on the 1.5-mile track. He was consistent, posting the second-best lap in the two-hour first session.

FIRST RUN: Kurt Busch tops first session at Texas

His final speed, recorded late in the 90-minute session, bumped Busch’s 192.369-mph lap off the practice chart perch. Busch, in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet, logged a 191.225-mph lap to lead the opening two-hour run.

Kyle Busch, surprisingly winless in 15 Sprint Cup starts at the Fort Worth track, jumped to third-fastest in the second session with a 191.639-mph lap. Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon completed the top five.

Martin Truex Jr., who won the pole last April at Texas, was 10th-fastest in his Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota at 189.387. Austin Dillon, who will be making just his fifth career Sprint Cup start in Saturday’s 500-miler, chimed in with the seventh-fastest lap, driving for James Finch’s No. 51 Phoenix Racing team.

Defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski failed to improve on his 28th-fastest time in the opening session. He wound up 30th in the No. 2 Penske Racing Ford in the nightcap test run.

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
1 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 27.999 192.864 12 14 —.— —.—
2 78 Kurt Busch Furniture Row Racing / Serta Chevrolet 28.071 192.369 14 14 -0.072 -0.072
3 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 28.178 191.639 22 22 -0.179 -0.107
4 29 Kevin Harvick Rheem Chevrolet 28.180 191.625 27 29 -0.181 -0.002
5 24 Jeff Gordon Cromax Pro Chevrolet 28.207 191.442 22 23 -0.208 -0.027
6 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet 28.254 191.123 13 13 -0.255 -0.047
7 51 Austin Dillon(i) Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet / Realtree Chevrolet 28.381 190.268 6 9 -0.382 -0.127
8 13 Casey Mears GEICO Ford 28.494 189.514 19 19 -0.495 -0.113
9 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Best Buy Ford 28.497 189.494 16 16 -0.498 -0.003
10 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 28.513 189.387 1 45 -0.514 -0.016
11 83 David Reutimann Dr Pepper Toyota 28.536 189.235 27 27 -0.537 -0.023
12 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Dover White Chevrolet 28.570 189.009 22 36 -0.571 -0.034
13 43 Aric Almirola Eckrich Ford 28.593 188.857 14 46 -0.594 -0.023
14 55 Mark Martin Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 28.642 188.534 2 27 -0.643 -0.049
15 99 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford 28.650 188.482 18 24 -0.651 -0.008
16 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 28.702 188.140 13 35 -0.703 -0.052
17 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Chevrolet 28.729 187.963 28 49 -0.730 -0.027
18 1 Jamie McMurray Bell Helicopter Chevrolet 28.732 187.944 29 42 -0.733 -0.003
19 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 28.772 187.682 1 29 -0.773 -0.040
20 27 Paul Menard Quaker State / Menards Chevrolet 28.773 187.676 1 11 -0.774 -0.001
21 19 Mike Bliss(i) Plinker Tactical / MCM Elegante Toyota 28.784 187.604 7 7 -0.785 -0.011
22 5 Kasey Kahne Time Warner Cable Chevrolet 28.787 187.585 8 40 -0.788 -0.003
23 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target / Kellogg’s Chevrolet 28.798 187.513 22 29 -0.799 -0.011
24 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford 28.829 187.311 5 8 -0.830 -0.031
25 15 Clint Bowyer Gander Mountain Toyota 28.842 187.227 4 20 -0.843 -0.013
26 11 Brian Vickers(i) FedEx Office / March of Dimes Toyota 28.859 187.117 3 44 -0.860 -0.017
27 93 Travis Kvapil Dr Pepper Toyota 28.864 187.084 16 17 -0.865 -0.005
28 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1 / Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 28.891 186.909 2 23 -0.892 -0.027
29 39 Ryan Newman Quicken Loans Chevrolet 28.927 186.677 1 47 -0.928 -0.036
30 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 28.936 186.619 2 26 -0.937 -0.009
31 21 Trevor Bayne(i) Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 29.029 186.021 1 23 -1.030 -0.093
32 10 Danica Patrick # GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 29.030 186.014 16 33 -1.031 -0.001
33 35 Josh Wise(i) MDS Transport Ford 29.040 185.950 7 10 -1.041 -0.010
34 7 Dave Blaney SANY Chevrolet 29.047 185.906 1 14 -1.048 -0.007
35 87 Joe Nemechek(i) ATIgunstocks.com Toyota 29.093 185.612 1 4 -1.094 -0.046
36 30 David Stremme Lean 1 / Swan Energy Toyota 29.136 185.338 1 23 -1.137 -0.043
37 34 David Ragan Love’s Travel Stops Ford 29.181 185.052 15 32 -1.182 -0.045
38 33 Landon Cassill Little Joe’s Autos / Precon Marine Chevrolet 29.287 184.382 1 16 -1.288 -0.106
39 38 David Gilliland EZ Pawn / EZ Money Ford 29.414 183.586 9 15 -1.415 -0.127
40 95 Scott Speed Tracking Point / B&D Electrical Ford 29.427 183.505 6 8 -1.428 -0.013
41 47 Bobby Labonte Pine-Sol Toyota 29.448 183.374 7 20 -1.449 -0.021
42 98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 29.679 181.947 4 4 -1.680 -0.231
43 32 Timmy Hill # OXY water Ford 29.828 181.038 13 24 -1.829 -0.149

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Former Cup champ edges Biffle, Johnson, puts Gen-6 car through paces

Kurt Busch rose to the top of the speed charts Thursday in the first on-track action of the weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, setting a rapid pace in the Gen-6 car test session in Fort Worth.

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Busch, in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet, clocked a fast lap of 191.225 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test session. He established the time to beat on fresh tires on just second lap of the 25 he turned in the initial session.

Greg Biffle, who won this race last season, was second-fastest on the 1.5-mile track with a lap of 191.049. Series points leader Jimmie Johnson, who settled for second place behind Biffle in Texas last April, was third-fastest in testing at 190.255 mph, making him the only other driver to crack the 190-mph plateau.

Mark Martin and Martin Ambrose completed the top five.

Brad Keselowski, the defending Sprint Cup Series champ, was 28th on the practice sheet.

 

Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
1 78 Kurt Busch Furniture Row Racing / Serta Chevrolet 28.239 191.225 2 25 —.— —.—
2 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 28.265 191.049 6 34 -0.026 -0.026
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Dover White Chevrolet 28.383 190.255 2 60 -0.144 -0.118
4 55 Mark Martin Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 28.442 189.860 2 44 -0.203 -0.059
5 9 Marcos Ambrose DeWalt Ford 28.455 189.773 2 32 -0.216 -0.013
6 5 Kasey Kahne Time Warner Cable Chevrolet 28.475 189.640 1 39 -0.236 -0.020
7 27 Paul Menard Quaker State / Menards Chevrolet 28.503 189.454 4 32 -0.264 -0.028
8 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1 / Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 28.507 189.427 1 28 -0.268 -0.004
9 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota 28.513 189.387 2 47 -0.274 -0.006
10 18 Kyle Busch Interstate Batteries Toyota 28.525 189.308 1 50 -0.286 -0.012
11 51 Austin Dillon(i) Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet / Realtree Chevrolet 28.545 189.175 15 37 -0.306 -0.020
12 1 Jamie McMurray Bell Helicopter Chevrolet 28.551 189.135 2 40 -0.312 -0.006
13 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 28.563 189.056 1 30 -0.324 -0.012
14 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard Chevrolet 28.577 188.963 1 52 -0.338 -0.014
15 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target / Kellogg’s Chevrolet 28.577 188.963 5 33 -0.338 -0.000
16 43 Aric Almirola Eckrich Ford 28.582 188.930 4 32 -0.343 -0.005
17 11 Brian Vickers(i) FedEx Office / March of Dimes Toyota 28.630 188.613 4 36 -0.391 -0.048
18 99 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford 28.632 188.600 3 29 -0.393 -0.002
19 24 Jeff Gordon Cromax Pro Chevrolet 28.632 188.600 3 27 -0.393 -0.000
20 15 Clint Bowyer Gander Mountain Toyota 28.664 188.390 3 33 -0.425 -0.032
21 13 Casey Mears GEICO Ford 28.694 188.193 21 34 -0.455 -0.030
22 39 Ryan Newman Quicken Loans Chevrolet 28.696 188.180 2 19 -0.457 -0.002
23 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Best Buy Ford 28.697 188.173 1 37 -0.458 -0.001
24 29 Kevin Harvick Rheem Chevrolet 28.719 188.029 16 32 -0.480 -0.022
25 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet 28.774 187.669 5 44 -0.535 -0.055
26 21 Trevor Bayne(i) Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 28.800 187.500 1 31 -0.561 -0.026
27 83 David Reutimann Dr Pepper Toyota 28.803 187.480 2 16 -0.564 -0.003
28 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 28.812 187.422 3 19 -0.573 -0.009
29 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 28.902 186.838 5 28 -0.663 -0.090
30 10 Danica Patrick # GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 28.906 186.812 3 29 -0.667 -0.004
31 19 Mike Bliss(i) Plinker Tactical / MCM Elegante Toyota 29.017 186.098 5 7 -0.778 -0.111
32 47 Bobby Labonte Pine-Sol Toyota 29.032 186.002 2 25 -0.793 -0.015
33 30 David Stremme Lean 1 / Swan Energy Toyota 29.059 185.829 4 20 -0.820 -0.027
34 38 David Gilliland EZ Pawn / EZ Money Ford 29.063 185.803 4 17 -0.824 -0.004
35 7 Dave Blaney SANY Chevrolet 29.064 185.797 3 22 -0.825 -0.001
36 33 Landon Cassill Little Joe’s Autos / Precon Marine Chevrolet 29.148 185.261 3 3 -0.909 -0.084
37 93 Travis Kvapil Dr Pepper Toyota 29.248 184.628 4 23 -1.009 -0.100
38 34 David Ragan Love’s Travel Stops Ford 29.294 184.338 5 16 -1.055 -0.046
39 95 Scott Speed Tracking Point / B&D Electrical Ford 29.541 182.797 5 7 -1.302 -0.247
40 35 Josh Wise(i) MDS Transport Ford 29.584 182.531 3 5 -1.345 -0.043
41 32 Timmy Hill # OXY water Ford 29.689 181.886 5 23 -1.450 -0.105
42 87 Joe Nemechek(i) ATIgunstocks.com Toyota 0.000 0.000 0 0 -0.000 -0.000

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Rex White among five honored as nominees for 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame class

Rex White didn’t have time to answer the question before another phone could be heard ringing in the background.

“The phones are getting busy for some reason,” the 1960 NASCAR Cup champion said from his home April 10.

Likely because the personable White, who won 28 times during a nine-year career at NASCAR’s top level, had just been announced as one of the 25 nominees to be considered for induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s class of 2014.

“Hold on a second,” White, 83, said, pausing to answer yet another call. But when the connection was lost, he quickly returned.

"Every phone I’ve got is ringing. It’s not normal for me to be this popular."

— Rex White

“Every phone I’ve got is ringing,” he said. “It’s not normal for me to be this popular.”

He is the oldest living driver to win a championship at NASCAR’s top level. His 1960 run to the title included six victories at Columbia, S.C. (twice), Montgomery, N.Y., Weaverville, N.C., Martinsville and North Wilkesboro. But it was his consistency –- he finished fifth or higher in 25 of his 40 starts that season –- that enabled him to distance himself from runner-up Richard Petty.

An owner/driver, White said one of the first lessons he learned in racing was the importance of taking care of one’s equipment.

“You know,” he said, “I like eating every day.

“When you worked on the car, when you paid the bills, when you had to do all the work and tow it all over the country, you didn’t race like you do today where they bang and beat and tear the cars up.

“You just don’t race like that. You try to avoid all that and it makes you have better finishes. The more you beat and bang, the more you’re going to get taken out of a race. So I had to finish.”

He actually won more races (seven) the following year, but finished second in the points battle to Ned Jarrett, and a career best eight in 1962 when he finished fifth in the standings. His 8.9 average finishing position is currently fourth-best in series history.

Other first-time nominees for the hall include Speedway Motorsports Inc. founder Bruton Smith, 1999 Cup champion Dale Jarrett, legendary engine builder Maurice Petty and short-track standout Larry Phillips.

Smith, whose company owns eight facilities that host NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, called it “a great honor” to be nominated.

“Bill France Jr. once asked me to help him build NASCAR and I have literally been building monuments to the sport for my entire lifetime,” Smith said in a statement provided by SMI. “Millions of people have attended NASCAR events at our speedways over the years and we’ve tried to be creative and innovative in an effort to help push the sport to a higher level. It’s always been a perfect fit for me because I love racing and I love NASCAR fans."

Jarrett, son of 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Ned Jarrett, said hearing his name called as one of the 25 nominees was “very unexpected.”

“Because you look at the names that are there and most are people that I either grew up around the sport with, watching form this sport to what it is today or had the opportunity to compete with some of those,” the 1999 Cup champion said during an interview on SiriusXM/NASCAR.

“I think the thing that I should say first is that it took a lot of people to help me get to this point and have this opportunity, that literally poured their heart and soul into giving me opportunities to compete on a high level and I’m very appreciative of that.”

Jarrett is a three-time Daytona 500 winner as well as a two-time winner of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Engines built by Petty helped propel older brother Richard to 198 of his 200 career victories, as well as seven championships and seven Daytona 500 titles. That same power also carried Buddy Baker, Pete Hamilton and Marvin Panch into the winner’s circle during their affiliations with the Level Cross, N.C. outfit.

“We worked hard and stayed after it,” Petty told Sirius. “I’m just thrilled to be here. … It would be great to be voted into the Hall of Fame.”

The class of 2014 will be announced May 22. In addition to the five newcomers, the other 20 nominees are:

Red Byron, Richard Childress, Jerry Cook, H. Clay Earles, Anne B. France, Tim Flock, Ray Fox, Rick Hendrick, Jack Ingram, Bobby Isaac, Fred Lorenzen, Raymond Parks, Benny Parsons, Les Richter, Glenn “Fireball” Roberts, T. Wayne Robertson, Ralph Seagraves, Wendell Scott, Curtis Turner and Joe Weatherly.


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Posted on by Nascar

Ford enjoying big gains thanks to Generation-6 car

Follow: Sprint Cup testing live from Texas

It was a busy weekend for Jamie Allison, but not an unusual one.

The director for Ford’s North America Motorsports program, Allison took in the April 6 GRAND-AM competition at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala., as well as the STP 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in Martinsville, Va., the following day. Afterward, he headed to the Charlotte area to take part in April 8 team meetings with various Cup organizations.

“You don’t run motorsports sitting behind a desk,” Allison said prior to the start of the STP 500. “Motorsports happens at the track, it happens with our teams and at Ford Racing that’s where we belong.”

Six races into the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Ford teams have one win (Carl Edwards at Phoenix) and three drivers inside the top 10 in points. Brad Keselowski (Penske Racing) sits in the No. 2 spot while Roush Fenway Racing teammates Greg Biffle and Edwards are sixth and seventh, respectively.

"The depth is there and we see it across all of our teams."

— Jamie Allison, Director, Ford’s North America Motorsports program

Joey Logano, Keselowski’s teammate, fell out of the top 10 at Martinsville, but is 11th as the series heads to this weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway.
 
Given the changes that faced the automaker this year -– NASCAR’s rollout of the new Generation-6 car and the addition of Penske to the fold — Allison said he is pleased with the early-season results.
 
Through the first five races, Allison said, a Ford team was either first or second on the final restart of the race. It was a streak that didn’t end until Martinsville.
 
“So on the final restart … we have been in contention or won the race,” Allison said. “You can’t ask for more than that. The depth is there and we see it across all of our teams.”
 
The new car, built to bridge the gap between race track and dealership, has been a success thus far on both fronts, he said. March sales figures for the Fusion topped 30,000, a record for the model.
 
“Being in contention to win, leading laps, running up front, fans take notice,” he said.
 
• Six Cup organizations affiliated with Ford field a total of 12 teams — Roush Fenway Racing, Penske, Richard Petty Motorsports, Wood Brothers Racing, Germain Racing and Front Row Motorsports.
 
Penske joined the Ford effort prior to 2013, a move that Allison said he hopes will help the automaker capture the NASCAR manufacturers’ championship, something it last accomplished in 2002.
 
“It’s been many years since we’ve been able to garner that lofty championship,” he said. “Which is important for a company, it’s a prize point. The way the program is set up … you need strong, capable, championship-caliber teams. And we think we have them.”
 
• Allison said his company had no issues with Logano, who was involved in separate incidents with Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart last month at Auto Club Speedway.
 
“These are athletes in the heat of battle,” Allison said, “… trying to perform at the highest level. And at those moments, many things can happen. And sometimes it ends up with a little bit of controversy.
 
“In this case I think Joey is handling it absolutely like a champ. It’s something that a lot of drivers go through on their ascent to the top and this is something that stays at the driver level and team level. We as a manufacturer don’t get involved in these controversies.”
 
• The new Fusion is the only entry in Cup that uses an actual grille on the front of the race car rather than a decal, a move that had some unintended consequences at Martinsville.
 
Early in the race, contact with Bobby Labonte dislodged the grille from Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s car; later, on a Lap 297-restart, the front grille from Keselowski’s Ford went airborne following contact with Kyle Busch.
 
Ford and NASCAR officials chalked up the lost pieces to contact that normally occurs during the beating and banging of a short-track race.
 
“We talked with NASCAR about what happened on Sunday, and there are no major concerns at this point,” Ford’s Pat DiMarco said. “The mounting of the grille is team specific, but (the teams are) continuously learning about this new car and adapt accordingly when issues arise.”

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Posted on by Staff Report

Driver plays at "Go Ape" outdoor experience leading up to Richmond race

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch spends a majority of his weekends practically “flying” around a race track in his No. 18 M&Ms Toyota Camry, a setting the driver is more than comfortable doing for a living.
 
But, what about when Busch is put in an entirely new environment, say the jungle? Well, whether in or out of his comfort zone, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver gives it his all and has fun doing it. Such was the case Wednesday, when Busch’s aerial skills were put to the test, flying through treetops, braving a Tarzan-like swing and riding a skateboard 50 feet in the air.
 
His participation in the event, which was held at “Go Ape,” an outdoor experience in Rockville, Md., was part of an appearance on behalf of Richmond International Raceway (RIR) to help promote its NSCS primetime race — the Toyota Owners 400 — on April 27. The 27-year-old, who has captured four consecutive spring race wins at RIR, was accompanied on the course by RIR President Dennis Bickmeier. And for one day, Busch was king of this jungle.
 
“It was fun to do something different and get out to ride some ropes, enjoy the outdoors and do something that isn’t your typical experience,” Busch said. “I loved the Tarzan swing. You hook up to the rope, fall off a platform and drop right off. It takes your stomach away from you for a second, but it’s fun.”
 
Busch, who is currently fourth in the points standings through six races, will make his 300th career Sprint Cup Series start Saturday (April 13) under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway  (FOX, 7:30 p.m. ET).

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