Inside Track Breaking News Blog

NASCAR: Canadian Patrick Carpentier out of Gillett Evernham's car effective immediately

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:54:00 +0000

STATESVILLE, N.C. – Gillett Evernham Motorsports announced today that Mike Wallace will drive the No. 10 Dodge at Charlotte this weekend and A.J. Allmendinger will take over driving duties at Martinsville on Oct. 19 and for the remainder of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Wallace and Allmendinger replace Patrick Carpentier who drove the No. 10 in 24 races this season.

Allmendinger, 26, is committed to driving the No. 00 this weekend at Charlotte.

“We certainly appreciate all the effort that Patrick Carpentier made for us this year. But, our job is to put ourselves in a position to win races plus we’re striving to get the No. 10 into the top 35 in points. We feel A.J. gives us the best chance to do both,” said Mark McArdle, the team’s vice president and managing director of competition.

“A.J. has a lot of talent and if you look at his numbers you will see that he’s only run in 38 races in his career. I think the more experience he gets the better results you are going to see and I hope that starts at Martinsville. He’s demonstrated in open wheel he has the talent and I think his performance two weeks ago proves his worth in a stock car.”

Allmendinger finished a career-best ninth at Kansas on Sept. 28 driving the No. 84.

“I’m excited about this news,” said the California native. “GEM has great equipment and I’m confident we can take these final five races and get the No. 10 up in points. I know we have a lot of work to do, but we are going to give it our best shot. I’m looking forward to spending some time with Crew Chief Mike Shiplett and the guys starting at Martinsville.”

Reed Sorenson will assume the driving duties of the No. 10 at the beginning of the 2009 season.

McArdle said Wallace brings a wealth of experience to the No. 10 team.

“We appreciate Mike stepping in and helping us out. A.J. had a commitment and Mike was gracious enough to give us a hand. He’s a good driver and we expect that will show this weekend.”

From Gillett Evernham Motorsports

POLL QUESTION: F1 has dumped Montreal. Do you care?

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:05:00 +0000

The FIA's 2009 Formula One schedule shocked many when it was revealed that the Canadian Grand Prix would not take place next season. Do you care? Register your vote and comments on the poll located on the right side of this page.

p.s. - Several hours after the announcement that the race is no more, the GP du Canada's official website still says, "See you next year!" ... on the same page offering ticket information for the '09 event. What could it all mean?

NASCAR: Elliott Sadler and Stanley Racing Turn Pink Driving For the Cure at Bank of America 500

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:55:00 +0000

STATESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 7, 2008) – Elliott Sadler and the No. 19 Stanley Dodge are changing their look with a passionate pink paint scheme for the Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Oct. 11 in Charlotte. The pink paint scheme is in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Sadler, who races each week with a pink ribbon decal above the driver’s side door on the No. 19 Dodge, is excited for the opportunity to lend support to breast cancer awareness.

“Last year my mother, Bell, was diagnosed with breast cancer, so this is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart,” said Sadler. “We are fortunate that she was able to fight and is now on the road to recovery, but I’m excited to get involved with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help support breast cancer awareness and raise money for research to find a cure.”

Stanley is making a $100,000 donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in support of the initiative. Following the race weekend, all of Sadler’s uniform items are going up for auction with proceeds set to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

“Stanley Tools is proud to be supporting breast cancer awareness and Susan G. Komen for the Cure,” said Rebecca Durham, Motorsports & Sponsorships Manager of Stanley Tools. “Elliott has told us how important breast cancer awareness is to him and his family, and Stanley Tools is equally as passionate about the cause. This is a big weekend for Elliott, Stanley Tools and Susan G. Komen for the Cure and we are thrilled to be lending our support.”

The pink Stanley logo that appears on the No. 19 Dodge and on Sadler’s firesuit marks the first time in the company’s 165 year history that its logo will change to a color other than Stanley Yellow.

Elliott Sadler Quotes: What would it mean to you to visit victory lane this weekend: “I’m really excited for this weekend. We are bringing a car that should definitely give us a chance to win. It’s been our best car all year and we are always racing to win. Winning in a pink Stanley/Susan G. Komen for the Cure car would definitely be a very special thing for me. With everything that has happened in the last year with my Mom it would mean a lot to win a race in this car with her in attendance.”

Chassis Info: The No. 19 Stanley/Susan G. Komen for the Cure Dodge is racing chassis No. 256; which recorded a fourth place finish at Indianapolis, ninth at Michigan and 10th at Kansas. Chassis No. 240 will serve as the backup. Chassis No. 240 won the pole position for the All-Star Race qualifier at Charlotte.

Change for the Good: The pink Stanley logo that appears on the No. 19 Dodge and on Sadler’s firesuit marks the first time in the company’s 165 year history that its logo will change to a color other than Stanley Yellow.

Back-to-Back: Sadler’s top-10 finish last Sunday at Talladega marks the first time in 2008 that the No. 19 team posted back-to-back top-10 finishes. The last time Sadler posted consecutive top-10 finishes was at Watkins Glen (seventh) and Michigan (10th) in 2006.

Chased-Out Standings: David Ragan (500 pts), Bobby Labonte (486 pts), Paul Menard (457 pts), Elliott Sadler (446 pts) and Casey Mears (422 pts) are the top five non-chase drivers through the first four chase races of 2008.

Sadler at Charlotte: In 20 previous starts, Sadler has won the pole position, started eight times in the top-five and 11 times in the top-10. Sadler also has one top-five and three top-10 finishes. He has in 10 races for a total of 192 laps in his career at Charlotte.

From Ryan Barry // Team Communications

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Chris Raabe Survives Early Afternoon DIRTcar Sportsman Run at Fulton Speedway

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:17:00 +0000

Wouldn’t it be great if things always worked-out exactly as you’d planned? Napanee, Ontario’s Chris Raabe thinks so. Friday, October 3rd the 17 year-old DIRTcar sportsman modified driver and his team hauled their pair of TEO Pro Car rides to Fulton Speedway for the latest event on the Mr. DIRTcar trail. Things were rolling along quite smoothly for the young speedster, and then Mother Nature threw everyone a curve.

With 71 teams showing-up, Raabe knew just cracking the starting line-up for the 30 lap main event would be tough. Especially when track officials announced that less than 35 cars would take the green flag. The driver of the Scott Industrial Services/TyRoute Communications-Telus/Kingston Hyundai/Kingston RV Centre/Waste Management/Brunet Plumbing/Kwik Load Products/McColman Media/Len Corcoran Excavating #01 drew a spot in the 3rd qualifying heat – a race that would also include his main championship rival, Dan Wiesner – but only the top 3 finishers would earn a spot in the main event. Chris Raabe finished 3rd, just behind Wiesner and Matt Billings who is also a regular runner at Brockville Ontario Speedway.

Before the sportsman feature take to the track, the intermittent showers that had been falling through the late evening hours caused Fulton Speedway officials to adjust the night’s schedule. The Mr. DIRTcar pro stock race was shortened to 22 laps, while the sportsman and street stock features were put over until Saturday, October 4th start.

Chris Raabe, the current sportsman modified championship series points leader took the green from a 17th place starting spot, while Wiesner luckily selected the pole position in the pre-race draw. On the opposite end of the scale, Greg Panunte of Port Colborne, Ontario needed to use a guaranteed starting spot. After winning 2 of the previous 3 Mr. DIRTcar sportsman events, he would start 31st and make it only as far as 24th at the checkers.

Wet track conditions delayed the sportsman main event from a planned 11:00 start to a green flag just after 1:00. Not knowing exactly what to expect with their early run, the #01 team drew a ‘mixed bag’ set-up from their notebooks. The track would likely start-off tacky, but the daytime conditions could cause it slick over and dry out. With just 30 laps to work with, gaining spots could be hard but their driver has shown all along that he has the ability when the going gets tough.

Fulton’s high-banked layout offers plenty of room to race. From the drop of the green flag, teams were using every available groove. Chris Raabe tried the top – and then the bottom – then went back to the top again. The sledding was tough at times, but the 12th grader from Napanee and District Secondary School kept his composure. The #66 or Wiesner was struggling too. He went from his inside front row starting spot to 31st at the checkers. Raabe dropped back to 19th at the event’s conclusion, but making the best of a bad situation the Teenage Tornado left Fulton with a 65 point cushion between himself and Wiesner.

Coming up: Wednesday, October 8th - Can Am Motorsports Park - Lafargeville, New York. Friday, October 10th - Rolling Wheels Raceway Park - Elbridge, New York. Saturday, October 11th - New York State Fairgrounds - Syracuse, New York.

For more on Chris Raabe, see www.chrisraabe.com

Photo tag line: Chris Raabe and his #01 DIRTcar sportsman modified. (Jim Clarke photo)
Media contact: Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications

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OSCAAR: Tiemersma takes Oktoberfest Classic at Flamboro Speedway

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:15:00 +0000

Heading into the 2nd last race of the season, Tiemersma Motorsports was looking for its first win of 2008 and to get back into the points battle for the 2008 OSCAAR championship.

Arriving at the track Saturday we decided that since we were only getting one practice session we would have to treat the heat races that evening as testing session if the car was not handling properly. After the first (and only) practice however we were not 100% happy with the handling of the #7 Wayfreight, so we would head into the first heat race lined up 3rd and finished 3rd with some minor suspension changes having been done.

Once the first heat was completed we decided one some major changes for the 2nd heat of the night. So as Derrick lined up 3rd once again, this time he was able to get to the lead of the race and give the crowd a good show as Derrick and the #83 of Ian Bourque battled for the lead with Derrick beating him to the line. With heat races done for the night Tiemersma Motorsports packed up for the night and planned changes for the #7 for the next day.

Arriving Sunday the Tiemersma Motorsports crew quickly got to work on a number of changes to the suspension that were decided on and discussed the night before. In of first of two practice sessions we knew we were on to something so for the final practice session we scuffed tires.

With the results from the night before in the heat races, Derrick would line up 2nd for the feature race of the night outside of the #70 of Jeff Hanley who had lead the field for most of the weekend and definitely the car to beat up until that point. At the start of the race Derrick would pull in behind the #70 as the two of them would pull out a small gap over the #22 of Glenn Watson during the first 18 laps. On lap 18 the #40p would spin bringing out the caution, then on the restart the #9 spun keeping out the caution flag; this would also be the end of the night for the #70 car when his rear end broke under caution.

On the next restart the caution would fly again for a violent wreck on the back stretch that would see the #18, #7T, #54 and the #83 involved. Everyone was glad to see all the drivers were un-harmed; however the #83 and #7T were both damaged beyond repair for the night. With a lengthy red flag period the drivers were now informed that the race was being shortened to 30 laps.

With 12 laps to go, Derrick had the #7 out front and was hoping for 12 green flag laps, and that is pretty much what we got as the #7 Wayfreight car got better on long runs and lap after lap started to pull out a gap over the #22 in second place.

Tiemersma Motorsports would like to thank all of our supporters over the 2008 season, we are now back in the hunt with one race to go in the season and are hoping to return the Tiemersma name back to the Autumn Colors Classic.

From Mike Sutton // Crew Chief // Tiemersma Motorsports

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F1: Montreal dropped off 2009 Formula 1 calendar

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:34:00 +0000

From TSN.ca

The Canadian Grand Prix has been dropped from the 2009 Formula One calendar.
Following a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris, France on Tuesday, the FIA announced an 18 race schedule which did not include the popular Montreal event.

Instead, the Turkish Grand Prix has been moved from its August date to June in order to maintain the summer break which F1 teams have enjoyed the past few years.

With the U.S. Grand Prix still in limbo, the loss of the Canadian race marks the first time since 2006 that there will not be a North American Formula One stop.

Click here for the full story

ATLANTICS: Hinchcliffe Wraps Season with Podium

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:17:00 +0000

Toronto, Ontario (October 04, 2008) – James Hinchcliffe returned to the podium with a third place effort at Road Atlanta as the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents The Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda concluded with Round 11 at the Georgia track on Friday 3rd October.

Absent from the top-three since Round 5 in Edmonton back in July, the 21-year-old Toronto racer wrapped his Atlantic season piloting the Forsythe Pettit Racing #3 INDECK/TireRack.com entry with his fourth podium of the year and his sixth top-five finish in eleven starts. Hinchcliffe, who won Round 2 and had twice led the Driver Standings earlier in the season, finished the year fourth overall in the points, equaling his final placing from last year’s championship.

After a rare qualifying slot outside the top-ten at the previous round at Miller Motorsports Park, James returned to the sharp-end of the grid at the 2.54-mile Road Atlanta track, situated in Braselton, Georgia. Sixth fastest in the first qualifying session, the second outing proved to be the quicker of the two with ‘Hinch’ securing a fourth row start slot with the seventh quickest time, his lap a 1m14.778s (122.282mph) to pole-sitter Jonathan Summerton’s 1m14.137s (123.339mph) – a new Atlantic lap record.

A good start saw James gain a couple spots to target the podium in what was the championship deciding race. A hectic re-start following a late caution period allowed James to fight for his podium finish, the Canadian emerging victorious from a five car tussle. At the checkered James claimed third behind countryman Kevin Lacroix in second and race winner and 2008 Atlantic Championship Champion Markus Niemela from Finland.

“I have to say it was great to get back onto the podium to finish the year,” said Hinchcliffe. “It was a nice finishing touch and felt great after recent results even if it was a bit fortunate. Our pace was there though; I messed up qualifying a bit on Thursday but knew the car was quick. I have to say congratulations to both Markus Niemela and Brooks Associates Racing for their championship success. It’s been a rollercoaster season but we’ve ended it on a high note!”

Top-Five Atlantic Drivers – R11/11: 1st Niemela (FIN) 245pts – Champion, 2nd Bomarito (USA) 228pts, 3rd Summerton (USA) 204pts, 4th HINCHCLIFFE (CAN) 196pts, 5th Strous (NED) 196pts – www.atlantic-championship.com

The 2008 Atlantic Championship will be broadcast on SPEED throughout November and December. For a full broadcast schedule please log on to – www.speedtv.com

ENDS – www.hinchtown.com

Photo Credit – ‘James Hinchcliffe finished fourth overall in the 2008 Atlantic Championship’ – TNT Images
From Stuart Morrison Public Relations

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ENDURO Rescheduled at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:14:00 +0000

From Auto Clearing Motor Speedway

SASKATOON, SK - We need to have good discussion with our weatherman/woman as they have not been kind to us and our race schedule this past season.

Due to the excessive rain on Sunday, the annual Family Fun Enduro race had to be postponed. It is now set for Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 SHARP. Gates will open at 6:00 PM

Dress warm and come out for some fun and excitement.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP: Stewart Grabs First Talladega Sprint Cup Victory in AMP Energy 500

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:59:00 +0000

TALLADEGA, Ala. – On a day when the lead was swapped 64 times among 28 drivers, it ended up with a driver who had never led the most important lap at Talladega Superspeedway.

Tony Stewart picked up his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, prevailing over Regan Smith and Paul Menard on the final lap to win the AMP Energy 500.

Stewart had finished in second place six times in 19 career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, but had never won. Talladega was one of only four tracks on the Sprint Cup Series circuit that Stewart had failed to conquer.

“People don’t understand what it means to win here,” Stewart said. “Winning the Nationwide race here this year (for his first Talladega victory in any series) was huge to me. And now to win the Cup race, man, it’s just an awesome feeling. We finally got ourselves in Victory Lane here.”

Stewart’s longtime crew chief, Greg Zipadelli, also was excited about seeing the No. 20 car finally take the checkered flag at Talladega Superspeedway.

“We’ve had a lot of good cars here in the past, and hadn’t been able to get that victory,” Zipadelli said. “This is one of those places where, if you were going to pick five or six race tracks to win at in your career, this is one of them. For us to finally get our first win after all those seconds and top-fives we’ve had, it’s cool.”

The 28 different leaders is a record for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, breaking the old mark of 26 previously held by Talladega, that was set in July 1986 and equaled in April 2001. No driver held the lead for more than 20 consecutive laps, and only three drivers managed to hold onto first place for as long as 10 laps.

The tone was set early, as the lead traded hands 30 times in less than 50 laps, from lap 35 to 83. During that span, no driver led for more than five consecutive laps.

Stewart took the lead for good on lap 174 and held onto first place for the final 17 laps. But he had some anxious moments on the last lap, as Smith and Menard – teammates at Dale Earnhardt Inc. – lined up behind him for the final trip around the 2.66-mile tri-oval.

Smith finally attempted to pass as the cars came out of Turn 4, but Stewart attempted to block the move and NASCAR deemed that Smith went below the yellow line at the bottom of the track, preserving the victory for Stewart. Smith officially finished in 18th place.

“For 10 years, I’ve lost races here at Talladega because somebody blocked. That’s just the name of the game,” Stewart said. “Today’s race wasn’t any different than the last 19 races that I’ve run here. There have always been people blocking. The nice thing is I was actually on the right end of it this time.

“Trust me, I have no regrets about what I did. I did exactly what I needed to do to win the race, and it worked out.”

Menard was awarded the runner-up spot, followed by David Ragan in third, Jeff Burton fourth, Clint Bower fifth, Bobby Labonte sixth, Scott Riggs seventh, Robby Gordon eighth, Jimmie Johnson ninth and Elliott Sadler 10th.

Kyle Busch, who won the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway in April, finished 15th. Among the rest of the drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, Kevin Harvick came in 20th, Greg Biffle was 24th, Matt Kenseth 26th, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 28th, Carl Edwards 29th, Jeff Gordon 38th and Denny Hamlin 39th.

Johnson overcame falling a lap down only 25 laps into the race to salvage a top-10 finish. In the process, he built a 72-point lead over Carl Edwards in the Sprint Cup Series standings. Greg Biffle is 77 points behind and Jeff Burton trails by 99.

From Kristi King / Sr. Director of Communications and Consumer Marketing // Talladega SuperSpeedway

Grand-Am KONI Challenge Grand Sport: Plumbs, Canney Win Season Finale at VIR; Maxwell, Foster Win Title

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:53:00 +0000

ALTON, Va. (Oct. 5, 2008) - Hugh and Matt Plumb dominated the middle and final stages of Sunday's Bosch Engineering Twin Six Hours, the season finale for the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Grand Sport (GS) class, giving themselves and Mike Canney a victory in the six-hour classic at Virginia International Raceway.

Hugh Plumb passed fellow Rehagen Racing and Ford Mustang GT driver Dean Martin on Lap 144, then led Martin and TRG's Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly in a nose-to-tail battle to the checkered flag in a two-lap shootout. The leading quartet was separated by only 1.081 seconds, and the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Valvoline/ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT of Martin, Jack Roush Jr. and Ryan Phinny finished 0.208 seconds behind in the second closest finish in KONI Challenge Series history.

Like the race itself, the championship race came down to the final hour-and-a-half, with seven drivers fighting for the title. In the end, Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster finished fifth in the No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT, giving Maxwell his second GS title (2002 GSI) and Foster his first. They won the driving and owner titles by six points (248-242) over Bret Seafuse and James Gue and JBS Motorsports, and the top seven drivers were separated by only 19 points (248-229).

Maxwell and Foster went without mechanical problems - though they encountered cosmetic damage from an early spin and were running two laps shy on fuel before the final caution - and all seven drivers were in the top 10 heading into the final pit stop. But mechanical woes plagued three of the four championship cars during the final hour.

Seafuse and Gue entered the race one point (222-221) behind Maxwell and Foster, but the team had to change brake pads and rotors on the No. 37 JBS Motorsports Trumansburg Shur Save Ford Mustang GT and start from the tail after finding problems on the recon laps. The team, which also served a 60-second stop-and-go penalty for running over pit equipment, managed to stay on the lead lap, and Gue battled Maxwell for a top-five finish. However, he faded in the final 45 minutes from a lost cylinder. They finished 10th, the final car on the lead lap.

Fuel delivery problems forced Jeff Segal and Jep Thornton to lose one lap for repairs, but they and another co-driver, Terry Borcheller, regained the lap and made their way back into the top five. However, the car slowed on Lap 138 and Borcheller brought the car into the paddock for repairs. He took the No. 09 Automatic Racing Imported Car Store/Land Air BMW M3 back on the track a lap down, and finished 11th.

Craig Stanton led for the only time on Lap 125, but was passed by Maxwell on the restart on the outside of Turn 1 and quickly fell to fourth two laps later. On Lap 150, the No. 83 BGB Motorsports Performance Drink/Weeden Consultants Porsche 997 slowed due to engine failure, and Stanton and co-driver Jon Miller retired in 15th.

Though Maxwell passed Stanton on Lap 126 and led 12 laps, his fuel situation forced him to into conservation mode. Martin took the point on Lap 138, then held it until Lap 144, when Hugh Plumb surged ahead. Hugh Plumb, Martin and Lally ran within a second before the final caution - which occurred due to dropped oil from Stanton's engine. Pumpelly joined the lead trio, but no one was able to get by Hugh Plumb, who gave Canney and Matt Plumb their first career GS victories. Matt Plumb - who last won in KONI Challenge with Hugh Plumb two years ago at VIR in the ST race - led a race-high 44 laps and the No. 60 Ford Mustang GT led 67 laps.

Overall, 13 drivers in eight cars combined for 19 lead changes, and seven cautions for 22 laps slowed the average speed of 84.184 mph.

Martin, Roush and Phinny, combined to lead 18 laps in the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Valvoline/ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT in earning their best finish and second podium of the season. Their previous best third was in July's race at Barber Motorsports Park.

TRG's two cars also finished strong. Lally led a lap in the No. 41 TRG Carlsen Porsche/Cohen Financial Porsche 997 he shared with Scott Schroeder and Peter Ludwig. Outside front row starter Pumpelly, meanwhile, stormed through the field in the final 10 laps in the No. 39 TRG Carlsen Porsche/TheDigiTrust Group Porsche 997 he shared with Duncan Ende.

Rehagen Racing's Ray Mason, Gene Martindale and Adam Pecorari also slipped into sixth near the end of the 155-lap race, driving the No. 52 Columbus Truck & Equipment Ford Mustang GT. Overall, four of the top six cars were Ford Mustang GTs, helping the marquee earn its first KONI Challenge Series championship. Ford bested Porsche by four points (313-309) and BMW - which entered the race leading the standings - by five (313-308).

Other notable drivers included polesitter Bill Auberlen - who led the first 22 laps and 24 overall - and Matthew Alhadeff, who finished 20th in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 after sustaining damage to the car's right side and mechanical problems late in the race. Andrew Davis, who flipped end-over-end multiple times in the No. 18 Motorsport Technology Group Morris Animal Foundation/Meisha's Hope BMW Z4 when his brakes failed, was uninjured in the race's most spectacular incident of the day. Davis and Billy Johnson finished 24th.

The top GS and Street Tuner (ST) drivers, teams and manufacturers will be honored in Monday's season-ending banquet at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons in Greensboro, N.C.

POST-PRACTICE DRIVER QUOTES

Hugh Plumb (No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "This is an amazing day for the Sunset Hills Vineyard car, we've had a run of bad luck this season but we finally did it and got the win today. I thought that there was going to be a huge pile up with how slippery the track was on the last two laps. I had a really big battle with Dean (Martin) going, and it was great to come out of that on top and have Rehagen Racing finish 1-2. After I got hit on the first lap I had to take an extra pit stop to fix the damage and then I just had to put my head down, be consistent, and catch the field. But the car was great, and we just kept moving forward all day. This is a great result, and I'm happy to be able to share it with Mike and Matt."

Matt Plumb (No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "I'm just happy the team waited until I got involved to win a race! A big thanks to (crew chief) Quinn Conda and to everyone at Rehagen Racing. The car was great today. Even though I was up front, I just tried to save the brakes as much as possible, and Hugh did the rest of the work to get back to the front and stay there to the finish. It was a nail biter to have the green-white-checker like that to finish the race, a lot more exciting than I was hoping for. But Hugh just stayed cool and did a great job."

Mike Canney (No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "This is my first win in this series, so it's really exciting, especially to do it like we did today. Our crew chief Quinn Conda had a great set-up on the Mustang and the car handled really well during my stint. I'm happy to get a 1-2 finish for Rehagen Racing. It's an exciting way to finish this season off and it's also a great way to get things going for next year. I've learned a lot this year, so I'm thrilled to end the season on a high note like this!"

Dean Martin (No. 59 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "We were racing hard, and I knew Hugh was light on brakes. I had brakes, but I was being a little conservative, and Hugh came in just a little bit deep. I knew he was going too light on brakes at the end, and I knew that when he hit me. I got crossed up and he got by me. At that point, I was thinking, don't let Andy by, he left me in the clutches of Andy Lally, I've got to get out of here.' I had some opportunities to get back around Hugh, but they were all going to be risky. The last thing I wanted to do was take my teammate out. We had a good finish, 1-2; I was more focused on getting away from Andy and bringing it home 1-2. Having a Rehagen car win was a team win. It was unfortunate that we got hit and turned sideways, because we might have won it. But Hugh was certainly fast, and that's the way it worked out. I'm not too upset about it, just disappointed. Jack and Ryan Phinny did an awesome job all day, we all took turns at the front of the field."

Jack Roush Jr. (No. 59 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "I was very happy with the way the year went. We had some unfortunate problems early in the year that hurt our championship run, but we had a lot of good finishes. This is a nice way to finish, with our best finish of the season. The car felt very strong out there. At one point, it felt like I was taking positions at will. It got a little harder at the end, when the tires went away, but the No. 59 Roush/Valvoline Mustang was awesome all day."

Andy Lally (No. 41 TRG Porsche 997): "In the corners and under braking I had something for them at the end, but they've got way too much juice. Even if they make a mistake, they can get on the gas and drive away from us. They're both very good drivers, but I think with a little more juice on our side, we could have done it. It's a testament to the car and how good the TRG guys have been thrashing on it. We had the first and second place Porsches today, and I'm proud of that. This is a horsepower track, and we just got beat. I overdrove the heck out of it, I threw it off probably three or four times hustling it, but third was the best we could do today."

Scott Schroeder (No. 41 TRG Porsche 997): "This Porsche ran real strong all weekend. Peter did a great job. Andy did a great job. We just had to be there at the end. We didn't have any for those Mustangs, they just have too much straight-line speed. I'm looking forward to next year. I think this is a good way to end the year. I can't say enough about the team."

Peter Ludwig (No. 41 TRG Porsche 997): "I ran the middle shift, and it was a good experience. It's nice to finish strong in the last race of the year. I've had a lot of bad luck this year. In my stint, we had a shock go out. That was a little scary, I had a lot of rear end motion. But Andy was able to deal with it perfectly in his stint and brought the car home, so we're real happy."

Scott Maxwell (No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT): "We were trying to save fuel near the end. We were two laps short on fuel with a half an hour to go, so I was a little concerned. I started short shifting. I knew the point scenario, so I started fading back to try to save enough fuel. The last caution was a Godsend. If we had to pit, I knew the championship was over. We needed to make up two laps of fuel, because we were two laps short. We had a great car the first two hours, then Joe got hit and got spun, and the front end got bent a half-hour into his stint. It was tracking sideways, so it was a bit of a handful the last four hours. It definitely wasn't as easy as it might have looked. For the first two hours, the car was great and I thought not only could we win the championship, we could win the race. At the end, it was just survival."

Joe Foster (No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT): "Obviously, it was a crazy race with a lot of excitement on the track. It was a good car in the beginning. Unfortunately, we had contact with a car that was not involved in the championship about the middle of the race, and that definitely affected the handling of the front end of the car. The steering wheel was pointed at nine o'clock instead of 12 o'clock. I can't thank Scott enough for driving the wheels off at the end to stay ahead. We had to play a conservation game at that point, because the car was not going to go to the front as it had early in the race, so we did the lap times we needed to get it to the end. Winning the championship was an amazing thing. It's something Hyper Sport hasn't done before, and team owner Patrick Dempsey and Rick Skelton, the partners in the team (haven't either). I know Patrick, on the set of Grey's Anatomy, was watching online all day. Personally, it's the culmination of a lot of hard work by about 100 people sharing in this."

Craig Stanton (No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997): "I feel bad for the team, and I feel bad for Jon Miller, John Tecce, John and Patti Moore, the whole team. Each and every one of them put their whole heart and soul out all year long. This isn't just a one-race weekend. It showed in every race. It was a great year. They stepped up for every race, each and every time. It's a great place to race, there are a lot of fans here, and I can't wait for next year. It's one of them darn racing deals. We have three or four minutes to go, we were running for first or second in the championship, but heck, we'll move on for '09."

Jon Miller (No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997): "Not great. We made it to 10 minutes to go until the end of the season, and then we had our first mechanical issue that took us from being in the position to win the championship to finishing a couple of laps down. It's pretty gut-wrenching to make it to 10 minutes from the end of the season and have a mechanical problem take us out of it."

James Gue (No. 37 JBS Motorsports Ford Mustang GT): "We thought we had it there, but everything that could have gone wrong went wrong today. Right when we thought we had a chance to run them down, we lost a cylinder near the end. Very disappointing, actually."

Bret Seafuse (No. 37 JBS Motorsports Ford Mustang GT): "Good race for us. Second place (in the championship), we can't complain about that. But it was a rough weekend. Anything that could go wrong pretty much has. But we battled back and it came down to the end. We were running on seven cylinders, we'd been hit, and we had a rough race. We battled through it, and I can't complain about second. Too bad we lost a cylinder with 30 minutes left, we were running well. James was doing a real good job in his last stint, and we were actually quite a bit faster than a bunch of cars. I think potentially we could have gotten the 55, but congratulations to them, they did a good job."

Jeff Segal (No. 09 Automatic Racing BMW M3): "Congratulations to the entire Hyper Sport team. They did a fantastic job, and they really deserve this. Their Mustang was really strong and our little M3 just didn't have anything for them. Our whole team worked unbelievably hard all weekend. Our championship last year and our third place points finish this year is all because of their efforts."

Jep Thornton (No. 09 Automatic Racing BMW M3): "Congratulations to Joe and Scott. You never know how things will turn out - we lost our chance for a championship in the last minutes of the last race. We all fight for this moment. We had our problems, but overall we had a great season." (referring to Monday night's KONI Challenge banquet in nearby Greensboro, N.C.) "Viva Greensboro!"

-30-

From Grand-Am / Michael Harker, PR Coordinator

Rick Young's 'Rick at the Races' For Oct. 4, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:50:00 +0000

Rick at the Races … October 4, 2008

PIC 1    Brett Hearn's Hearse
PIC 2     Steve Paine's Bread Van
PIC 3     Vic Coffe's Bread Van
PIC 4     Hot Laps wreck at Fulton
PIC 5      Danny Johnson # 121 at Fulton
PIC 6      Fulton Action
PIC 7      Fulton Action
PIC 8      Fulton Action
PIC 9      Billy Pauch (L) and Danny Johnson (R) at Fulton
PIC 10    Danny Johnson in the Fulton Victory Lane

FULTON SPEEDWAY (NY)

To say the last few weeks have been a bit hectic, would be an understatement. After returning from a 'four track' racing tour of the UK, I had less than two weeks remaining before the completion date of my house sale. ( I had to be 'out' by Oct 3). On 26/27 Sept , I was at the Capital City , and Brighton Speedways , while under the weather with the Flu , so when Saturday 4 Oct approached , I was quite prepared to take a break. (especially with SUPER DIRT WEEK starting on Wednesday, Oct 8)

Well, the house move went smoother than expected and by the time I was settled in my new home on Friday night I was itching for some action. After making a phone call to my buddy Roger Aubin, plans were made to attend the Fulton Speedway in New York for their Schneider Bothers 200.

We left my new home in Long Sault around 11-30 on Saurday morning and were soon across the border at Ogdensburg heading for Interstate 81. Not long after 3-00pm we had pulled up in the packed parking lot at Fulton.

Fulton Speedway is traditionally the 'kick start' to SUPER DIRT WEEK and their Victoria Weekend has been a favorite with the fans for many years. Even though the “Victoria 200 ' title has now been transferred to another track, most people still consider this event (now called the Schneider Brothers 200 ) to be 'the' Victoria.

Upon arrival we heard some racing in progress, and soon found out that , Friday night's 'rain delayed' races were taking place. Once these were over, the speedway was emptied of fans, then reopened for Saturdays events. There were over 80 Modifieds in attendance which included all the sports top names. The format for Fulton's big one has changed a bit during the course of time, and for the past couple of years sail panels have been permitted. I'm not a great fan of sail panels, as I think it makes the cars look stupid, but I'll 'put up' with them once in a while. I definitely wouldn't make a habit of watching them.

Saying that, there were some exceptionally smart cars in the pits. Brett Hearn's machine looked stunning, the shape reminded of a hearse. Others looked like Bread Vans !

One of the attractions for many fans this year was the reapearance at Fulton of former 'Victoria' winner Billy Pauch # 1W from Frenchtown, New Jersey.

The actual race turned out to be one of the best 'long hauls' (200 laps) I've ever seen, with the result in doubt right up until the last lap. The first part of the race was dominated by Vermont's Dave Camera # 26 and Paul Kinney # 19K, until Brett Hearn # 20 edged in to the lead on lap 64.

At the 100 lap 'half way stage' the cars all returned to the pits for the mandatory 15 minute break, before returning to the track for part two. As Kinney faded Hearn and Camera continued to battle it out, while Billy Decker # 91, Pat Ward # 42P and Danny Johnson # 121 were moving up. The track had been hard on the cars and many succumbed to front end breakages. Just as Decker was moving closer to the front he too became a casualty.

It wasn't long before the Hearn and Camera duel became a three way fight as Johnson homed in. He'd been using the 'high groove' and it payed off as he managed to pass them both with less than ten laps to go. A couple of late cautions meant it was going to be a green/white checkers finish and the spot light was Johnson and Camera. There was a false start for the first attempt, then as the flag dropped the second time , Camera was slow to get away . The 'Doctor' powered his way to the checkers with Hearn and Ward following him across the line.

The show was over around 10-00pm and we were soon on our way home. The only 'black mark' to the day being the ridiculously long delays we endured at the 1000 Islands border crossing.

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BRIGHTON SPEEDWAY: Endurance Race Summary

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:46:00 +0000

315 Laps for Monster Endurance Fans

Brighton Speedway ended it’s 2008 season with the Hotch’s Auto Parts Monster Enduro Event on Saturday, October 4^th, 2008. More than 100 competitors, the majority of which are not regular racers on the 1/3 mile clay oval, hauled their cars to the track to complete as many as 315 laps in any of five races scheduled.

A field of 23 ladies got behind the wheel of their cars to compete for the checker at the end of 40 laps. Katie Kemp (#07) had the highlight of the race as she went on a wild rollover ride between turns one and two, climbed out of the car and said she would love to do that again. The #22 of Cindy Mosco (nee Gregory) , from Trenton, not only took the checker, but lapped the entire field within the 40 laps. Cindy headed back out on the track for the 150 lap 6 & 8 cylinder race, hoping to get more seat time and try for a double win on the day. Not only did Mosco get the time, she did a repeat on the lapping skill and passed all 65 cars at least once before driving right into Victory Lane for a second checker on the night.

The Gregory clan garnered further success as Brandon Gregory, the #01 of Trenton, took to the Comp 4 race and followed his Aunt’s example. He lapped all 38 cars and waved the checker after 75 laps.

The two shortest races were the 20 lap Junior Race, won by #9 Ryan Seifreid of Erin, Ontario, and the 20 lap Backwards race, that saw veteran driver Robert Brooks (#95) of Trenton take the checker. Brooks avoided numerous collisions as he drove the 20 laps in reverse gear much to the amusement of the scorekeepers, fans and other drivers.

Everyone will be taking a break from racing and gearing up for the 2009 Season which will kick off with the Ice Races for sleds, 4 wheelers and Enduro Cars, as part of Brighton Winterfest celebrations. For more information on this and other 2009 events be sure to visit the website at www.brightonspeedway.com , or send your email to fromthetrack@brightonspeedway.com to be added to the BSP Insider List.

From Brighton Speedway

DIRTcar: Decker Masters Mileage On Moody Mile As Super DIRT Week Countdown Continues!

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:43:00 +0000

Weedsport, NY – October 6, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director

Culminating with the headline Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series ‘Rite Aid 200’ on Sunday, October 12, the start of Super DIRT Week XXXVII at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse is just 2 days away.

Commemorating the 10th straight season of Series partnership with Advance Auto Parts based in Roanoke, Virginia, 10 of the most famous cars ever to circle the Moody Mile during the Columbus Day speedfest will be highlighted ---in numerical order--- for each of the 10 days leading up to the richest Big-Block Modified event in the nation.

During the past 36 years no less than 407 drivers have qualified for the Rite Aid 200 starting grid, with only 18 able to tame the Moody Mile and capture the crown jewel of DIRTcar Modified Racing in the Northeast. More than half of the winners have gone on to repeat their victorious ride ---often in a different car--- while an elite group of just four were able to celebrate on no less than three occasions. Up to 10 of these same legendary wheelmen that have graced the fairgrounds winner’s circle are expected to compete in the 37th edition when the Salt City comes alive this October.

Continuing to defy the laws of Syracuse, Billy Decker circled the muddied Moody Mile over the final 112 laps on just one tank of gas to claim his third Super DIRT Week Championship in 2001, then captured the 34th Rite Aid 200 Championship in ’05 marking the first time that the same race was run on two separate dates. With his fourth victory a first from the pole, Decker’s most recent triumph at the Fairgrounds oval aboard the LJL Racing no. 91 Gypsum Wholesalers entry was another record-setting performance by the Unadilla, New York pilot as he led the initial 105 circuits then the final 55 for an all-time record 160 laps in the autumn open-wheel extravaganza that was finally checkered in November.

Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series
Super DIRT Week ‘Rite Aid 200’ Big-Block Modified Winners (1972-2007)
WINS DRIVER                     FIRST WIN                            LAST WIN
5          Brett Hearn                #20, 10/13/85                        #72, 10/8/95
4          Gary Balough           #73, 10/3/76                          #112, 10/12/80
4          Billy Decker             #91, 10/11/98                        #91, 11/5/05
3          Alan Johnson           #14J, 10/9/83                        #1, 10/12/03
2          Buzzie Reutimann #00, 10/1/72                          #00, 9/30/73
2          Merv Treichler           #58, 10/11/81                        #58, 10/10/82
2          Jack Johnson           #12A, 10/7/79                       #12A, 10/7/84
2          Jimmy Horton           #85, 10/11/87                        #87, 10/9/94
2          Danny Johnson       #6J, 10/12/97                        #27, 10/8/06
2          Vic Coffey                 #32C, 10/13/02                     #32C, 10/7/07
1          Billy Osmun              #3, 9/29/74
1          Dick Tobias               #17, 9/28/75
1          Bob McCreadie        #9, 10/12/86
1          Kenny Brightbill       #30, 10/9/88
1          Richie Tobias Jr.      #35, 10/11/92
1          Doug Hoffman         #1H, 10/13/96
1          Kenny Tremont        #115, 10/10/99
1          Tim Fuller                  #M1, 10/10/04

The 10th Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series season continues during Super DIRT Week and concludes on October 19, 2008 with the 47th Eastern States 200 at Orange Co. FairSpeedway. Further information is available at www.superdirtcarseries.com/News/2008/September/090308_SDW_Info.aspx and www.ocfsmotorsports.com while the DIRTcar NorthEast Office (315/834-6606) and Orange County (845/342-2573) are open during weekdays. Log into the homepage at www.superdirtcarseries.com and www.dirtcar.com anytime to find out more about the entire circuit.

Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company's web site at www.advanceautoparts.com.

The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., Rite Aid Corporation and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks and Wrisco Industries.

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NCATS: Whitlock Denied Good Finish When Race Called Due to Rain

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:37:00 +0000

Wyoming, ON, Wednesday Oct. 1, 2008: Saturday’s running of the Dodge Dealers of Ontario Dodge Ram 250 at Kawartha Speedway was called after 174 of the scheduled 250 laps due to rain. Whitlock and his No. 39 Dickies/NMT/PRCRFC Dodge Avenger team played the pit strategy card and lost as they were one of only a handful of teams who pitted early.

The final event of the 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season took the green flag under cloudy skies with a light mist of rain falling. Whitlock started from the tenth position and was able to run in the top ten even as high as sixth before the crew made the call to pit early on lap 103. The strategy was to have them in position that when the remainder of the lead lap cars pitted later, they would all return to the track behind the No. 39 Dodge of Whitlock.

However the rain started to get heavier and after running over 20 caution laps the cars were brought down pit road under red flag conditions. Much to the disappointment of the No. 39 Dickies team, NASCAR made the decision to call the race official after only 174 laps of the schedule 250 laps. “This was definitely not the way we wanted to finish the season,” stated Whitlock after the race. “The car was decent and the guys made an adjustment when I came in for tires and fuel and we were running great. Only two or three cars ahead of us had pitted yet, so when the other ten came in we would have been running in the top three.” Whitlock was officially scored as twelfth at the conclusion of the race event.

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series crowned Scott Steckly driving the No. 22 Dodge as the 2008 Champion on Saturday night. Dodge won the Manufacturers Cup for the second year in a row and congratulations go out to all the competing Dodge teams who helped make that possible.

The Dodge Dealers of Ontario Dodge Ram 250 from Kawartha Speedway will air on TSN on Sat. Oct. 11 at 11 a.m. EST

For more information on Whitlock Motorsports please visit www.whitlockmotorsports.com

From Linda Jones // Wide Open Motorsport Solutions

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Ricky Carmichael Q&A on racing at Talladega

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:22:00 +0000

RICKY CARMICHAEL Q & A
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
October 3, 2008

Ricky Carmichael, No. 33 Kevin Harvick, Inc. Chevrolet, will make his first start in the ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. He qualified ninth (9th) for Friday’s race.

Carmichael has retired as one most successful motorcycle racers in history. His stellar career included: five (5) AMA Supercross championships; 10 AMA National outdoor championships; 150 professional race victories; Multiple titles in the worldwide Motocross-of-Nations event; X Games Gold Medals - Moto X racing and step-up competition and first rider to record an undefeated season in the AMA National Outdoor Championships, winning 24 motos without a defeat in the 250cc category in 2002 and again in 2004.

Carmichael is currently seventh (7th) in the NASCAR Camping World East Series point standings in his rookie season. With one race remaining, Carmichael has three (3) top-five and seven (7) top-10 finishes with one (1) pole position driving for Ken Schrader Racing.

TALK ABOUT YOUR QUALIFYING EFFORT: “It was fast, fast. Enjoyed it though. It is a start. Get her up to speed and go.”

HOW DID THIS DEAL WITH KEVIN HARVICK, INC. COME TOGETHER? “Kevin Harvick contacted me, probably now it has been two months ago. In order to do trucks next year, we need to get qualified at a superspeedway to race Daytona next year. In order to that, we had to race here in an ARCA car. So, Kevin got an ARCA car and put me in it to try to gear up.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE LEARNED A LOT THIS YEAR IN THE CAMPING WORLD SERIES? “You know, I have really learned a lot this year. I feel like now I am driving the car better, as good as it needs to be driven. Like anything, I am so new at it; it is obviously going to take some learning time. I feel that I can do it and obviously KHI has great equipment, that is a foot in the right direction right there.”

HAS IT BEEN MORE OR LESS DIFFICULT THAN YOU EXPECTED TO MAKE THE TRANSISTION FROM MOTORCYCLES TO CARS? “It has been tough, just the way I thought it would be. We are racing against a bunch of great drivers. It is going to be tough. These guys have been doing it for a long time. I have missed out on a lot of seat time. But at the same time, I have done a lot of racing my whole life basically. It has been tough; to answer your question, but it is what I expected.”

WHAT WERE YOUR FEELINGS WHEN YOU GOT THE CALL FROM KEVIN HARVICK? “It felt good. I would like to think he saw some talent in me and believes in my abilities. For me, that makes me feel really good because everything was good with Ginn Racing, then that deal went sour. I am just happy to be in the position that I am in now. With all the stuff that happened, I feel pretty fortunate. I can make this thing happen, trust me; I will do everything I can to keep it going. I am just very thankful that he has trust and faith in me that I can make this happen.”

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SEAT OF THE PANTS FEEL BETWEEN A MOTORCYCLE AND A STOCK CAR? “You are on the seat of your pants in these things to, that’s the thing. What I like about this is it is something that can give me the opportunity to get that competitive feel that I like so much. It is something that I feel like I can do for a long time. I kinda of get my fix. Like I said, it is very hard. I am racing against a bunch of guys that have done it since they were five years old, like I started riding motorcycles when I was five. So, it is the same feeling.”

WHEN YOU RACE AT THE DAYTONA IN STOCK CARS, WILL YOU HAVE THE URGE TO GO IN THE INFIELD (REFERRING TO DAYTONA SUPERCROSS)? “(LAUGHS) Well, no. But when I go to Daytona, when I drive underneath that tunnel, I get this special feeling. I think that is why I always did good there on a motorcycle. I would love to race a car there, that would be my dream. I just get a great feeling when I come up from underneath that tunnel; it is like ‘Man, I love this place.’

“But yea. I wish we could put a motorcycle track in the infield there or in the tri-oval area there and get all these guys from the cars and do a little race (LAUGHS). We would be on an even playing field then.”

IN THE CAMPING WORLD SERIES, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN ON AN EVEN PLAYING FIELD? “I am racing guys that have much more experience than me and much more seat time. I feel I have adapted quick to it. I have gotten a pole. I never even came close to that in the little amount of late model racing that I did. To be honest with you, I have exceeded my goals and have had some great finishes. I have surprised myself. I am where I need to be. With that Ginn thing happening, it have obviously taken my learning rate and progressed it a lot faster that I wanted it go be but, you know what, it is what it is. It is something you have no control of; you have to deal with what you were given.”

WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND THE MOST DIFFICULT? “The hardest that I have noticed is how close everybody is and how hard it is to find a tenth. Trying to learn what I can do to make up that extra tenth, whether it is car, a lot of it is probably me at times. You can’t blame it on the car all the time. I think we have great equipment at (Ken) Schrader’s. It is tough to find where they are making up the time. The line to me seems pretty easy; it is just getting to the throttle quick and learning how to setup your car to go fast.”

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GAIN OUT OF TOMORROW’S RACE? “I want to obviously get the best finish we can get, but learn the draft. That is what we are here to do-finish the race, finish as good as we can and learn the dos and the don’ts about being in the draft. Learn what the car works like, that is what we are here for.”

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST THOUGHT WHEN YOU WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR FIRST DRAFTING PRACTICE? “I didn’t think ‘Whoa, what am I doing here’, but I couldn’t believe how much you move around in the draft, I really couldn’t. That blew me away. We are just all over the place. That is what amazed me the most. It is a pretty neat feeling. You know, I have seen it on TV, to actually be in it, I look forward in it with a lot more guys. I think the feeling will be even more of an experience.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED HOW CLOSE THE CARS ARE OUT THERE? “Yea, yea, well the thing about motorcycles is they are so much smaller so if someone makes a mistake, it is easier to get away from it especially if you are side-by-side. Now if you are behind someone on a motorcycle, it is hurt more than likely. You know what, either one can be bad when you are racing side-by-side like that. I don’t think there is any escape from that.”

IF YOU RUN THIS RACE TOMORROW, DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO RUN TRUCKS FULL TIME NEXT YEAR? “I am not sure. I know we are racing this to get experience for Daytona and I think it may make me eligible, from what I have been told, but I am not sure. I would love to race some truck stuff if that is what I have to do to get qualified for next year’s Daytona.”

DO YOU THINK YOUR MOTORCYCLE FANS WILL FOLLOW YOU TO STOCK CARS? “Yes, they will. It has really been cool to see the people say ‘I have never really watched NASCAR but now that you are going there, we’re going to be following it’. The neat thing is, the people who have been to see me race, how much they like it. Every motorsports fan, especially NASCAR, I would say 70% of them have seen a motorcycle race and like it. That is the cool thing about motorsports fan is they love all forms of racing.”

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 266,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

From GM

STAR MAZDA: Lafarge backed Marcelli to start on row two at Petite LeMans

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:59:00 +0000

Barrie, Ontario (October 2nd 2008) - Rising Canadian talent Kyle Marcelli continues to impress on the international stage as he qualified on row two of the Star Mazda championship race at Petite LeMans making it an all AIM Autosport second row with his teamate John Edwards starting alongside.

This is Marcelli’s first time behind the wheel in the Star Mazda Championship this season and its all thanks to the support of Lafarge a world wide leader in building materials.

"The first thing was getting used to the car which is quite different in terms of power, handling and downforce to what I have run this year (F2000)," commented Marcelli. The entire AIM Autosport crew has been terrific in helping me get comfortable with the car and they have been very supportive of my efforts. This year the Star Mazda Championship is a very deep field in terms of talent and experience. I am very happy to have qualified on row two along side of my teamate John Edwards for my first race this season. I am very fortunate to have Lafarge support me for this weekend and a lot of our success is deserved to them. Says Marcelli

"Lafarge is very proud to be one of Kyle's sponsors this year. It is important for us as a large multi national organization not to forget that our local customers and communities are what make us successful. Being able to give back to Kyle and to the community of Barrie Ontario is something in which we take great pride.

The keys to success at Lafarge, like with Kyle behind the wheel, are teamwork, innovation, speed, and precision. We value these keys and also our customers which are the foundation of our success.

In sharing this Star Mazda race with Kyle we hope that it can be a launching pad for him and for our relationship together.” - David Beaupré Sales and Marketing Director Lafarge

Marcelli and the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear take to the track tomorrow with the drop of the green flag at 4:30pm.

For more info visit www.kylemarcelli.com

From Marcelli Motorsports Inc.

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Quebec Rally Championship: 2009 calendar, Charlevoix Rally is back!

noreply@blogger.com (GREGM) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:07:00 +0000

Montreal, October 3, 2008. – Rallye Sport Québec has the pleasure to announce today the 2009 Quebec Rally Championship calendar. Five rounds from the 2008 season have already been confirmed to return next year, in addition to the highly anticipated return of an event that has had a profound impact on the history of rallying in Quebec.

The 2008 Rally Sport Quebec season was extremely successful and an even healthier season is expected next year with an increased number of competitors and the return of the famous Rallye de Charlevoix. On February 7th the 2009 season will be launched with Maniwaki’s Rallye Val Gatinois in Haute-Gatineau. The Rallye de Falardeau, in Saguenay, will follow two weeks later as the second of two snow and ice winter events.

The Quebec Rally Championship, the only one in North America boasting events on three different surface types, will return to Sanair in the region of Montérégie on April 19th for the only 100% asphalt rally on the continent.

Round four in the calendar, the Rallye de Saguenay, takes place on June 21st, followed on August 15th by Mauricie’s Rallye Lac-aux-Sables. Ending the season will mark the return of the Rallye de Charlevoix on October 24th.

Roads used in the Quebec Rally Championship have great national and international reputations with the Rallye Val Gatinois, the Rallye Saguenay, and the Rallye de Charlevoix but it is the infamous stage roads in the Rallye Lac-aux-Sables that were part of the World Rally Championship’s Criterium du Quebec during the late 1970’s.

The Quebec Rally Championship is a series with a very unique concept. It allows for the introduction to rallying and development within the sport at high levels of competition and limited costs. Registered teams are required to use two-wheel drive compact cars with normally aspirated 2-litre engines. All rounds follow the same format with registration at the end of the day Friday and a one-pass route reconnaissance Saturday morning. Competition stages are held on Saturday afternoon and vary between a total of 100 and 150 kilometers.

One single road surface type (ice, asphalt or gravel) and one centralized service area per event enable the teams to compete in the sport with minimal resources. Participating in the Quebec Rally Championship generally requires a budget ranging from $9,000 to $12,000 per season for car maintenance, registration, accommodations, and transportation. Depending on competitors’ place of residence, only two to four vacation days may be necessary to compete in the entire championship. It is not a rarity to find teams made up of family members, couples, etc. Amongst them are lawyers, doctors, business owners, sales representatives, mechanics and students that all compete head-to-head in a thrilling and fun environment.

For all information on the Quebec Rally Championship, visit the official series website: www.couperallye.com. Pole-Position magazine’s 2008 year-in-review in photos issue is available in newsstands starting next week.

2009 Quebec Rally Championship Calendar:

Date Event Coordonnator Club Contact tel.

February 7 Rallye Val Gatinois Denyse Moisan CASLL 450 621-5253

February 21 Rallye de Falardeau Matthieu Laberge-Gagné CRS 418 590-5811

April 19 Rallye de Sanair Éric Tremblay RSQ 418 834-1023

June 21 Rallye de Saguenay Éric Tremblay RSQ 418 834-1023

August 15 Rallye de Lac-aux-Sables François Morin & Mélanie Chagnon RSQ 418 365-2229

October 24 Rallye de Charlevoix Émilie Fortin RSQ 418 439-2400

From Éric Tremblay // Quebec Rally Championship