UPTOSPEED WITH AMANDA REISINGER

The 2013 Sam's Town 300 Starting Lineup

2013-03-09T13:38:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately mother nature did not cooperate on Friday March 8, 2013. Heavy rain forced NASCAR to cancel all track activity and that resulted in the Nationwide Series teams not having any practice time on Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Since the Nationwide Series teams did not get any practice on Friday, NASCAR cancelled Saturday’s qualifying session. NASCAR gave the Nationwide series teams some track time on Saturday so they could practice before the race. The Sam’s Town 300 starting grid will be set by the 2012 owner points. Brian Vickers will start on the pole for the Sam’s Town 300.

1. Brian Vickers

2. Trevor Bayne

3. Brian Scott

4.Austin Dillon

5. Ty Dillon

6. Brad Keselowski

7. Sam Hornish Jr

8. Parker Kligerman

9. Reed Sorenson

10. Justin Allgaier

11. Nelson Piquet Jr

12. Regan Smith

13. Kyle Larson

14. Hal Martin

15. Elliott Sadler

16. Joe Nemecheck

17. Brad Sweet

18. Alex Bowman

19. Mike Wallace

20. Mike Bliss

21. Ryan Sieg

22. Blake Koch

23. Kyle Busch

24. Eric McClure

25. Daryl Harr

26. Josh Wise

27. Johanna Long

28. Jason White

29. Robert Richardson

30. Juan Carlos Blum

31. Travis Pastrana

32. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

33. Jeff Green

34. Jeffrey Earnhardt

35. Mike Harmon

36. Jamie Dick

37. Dexter Stacey

38. Joey Gase

39. J.J Yeley

40. Scott Lagasse Jr

DNQ. Chase Miller

DNQ. Brendan Gaughan

DNQ. Kevin Swindell

The 2013 Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will air on Saturday March 9, 2013 at 4:15pm ET on ESPN2. Good luck to the Nationwide teams that are in the Sam’s Town 300!

The 2013 Kobalt Tools 400 Starting Lineup

2013-03-09T01:52:00.000-05:00

On Friday March 8, 2013, The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers thought they were going to qualify to set the field for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Unfortunately mother nature did not cooperate all day. Heavy rain forced NASCAR to cancel qualifying. This is the first time that qualifying for a Sprint Cup race has been cancelled at Las Vegas. The starting grid for the 2013 Kobalt Tools 400 will be set by the NASCAR rule book. The top thirty-six is based on the 2012 owner points and the remainder of the field is based on the owner points or qualifying attempts from this season.

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Clint Bowyer

3. Jimmie Johnson

4. Kasey Kahne

5. Greg Biffle

6. Denny Hamlin

7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr

8. Kevin Harvick

9. Tony Stewart

10. Jeff Gordon

11. Martin Truex Jr

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr

13. Kyle Busch

14. Ryan Newman

15. Mark Martin

16. Carl Edwards

17. Paul Menard

18. Matt Kenseth

19. Marcos Ambrose

20. Jeff Burton

21. Joey Logano

22. Aric Almirola

23. Jamie McMurray

24. Kurt Busch

25. Juan Pablo Montoya

26. Bobby Labonte

27. Austin Dillon

28. Travis Kvapil

29. David Ragan

30. Casey Mears

31. David Gilliland

32. David Reutimann

33. Dave Blaney

34. Ken Schrader

35. J.J Yeley

36. Trevor Bayne

37. Danica Patrick

38. David Stremme

39. Michael McDowell

40. Scott Speed

41. Landon Cassill

42. Joe Nemecheck

43. Josh Wise

DNQ. Mike Bliss

The 2013 Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will air on Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 2:30pm ET on your local Fox station.

　

　

　

　

　

　

Which Race Car Driver Would You Spend Valentine’s Day With?

2013-02-19T22:10:00.000-05:00

Valentine’s Day is one of the most romantic days of the year for couples. For race fans, Valentine’s Day is a day where some race fans dream about spending the day with their favorite race car driver. Female race fans dream about spending Valentine's Day with their favorite race car driver that they have a crush on. Female race fans also would love to spend Valentine ’s Day with their favorite race car driver because they are truly dedicated to their favorite race car driver and they want to tell them how much they care about them. Of course female race fans would love to see what their favorite race car driver’s life is like too. More females are starting to race race cars so of course some of the male race fans are going to think about spending Valentine's Day with their favorite female race car driver. I believe some male race fans would think that Valentine's Day is a great day to tell your favorite race car driver how truly dedicated they are to them. The male race fans would love to see what their favorite race car driver’s life is like and just hang out with them. I believe male and female race fans would both agree that it would be amazing to tell their favorite race car driver how great they are behind the wheel, and Valentine’s Day would be a perfect day to do that!

On Valentine's Day, I posted a message on Facebook and Twitter asking race fans this,"Race fans: Fill in the blank with one of your favorite race car drivers that you would want to spend Valentine's Day with. I would love to spend Valentine's Day with__________. Why would you like to spend Valentine's Day with the race car driver you picked? To the male race fans: You can pick a male race car driver! For example, you could say I pick Dale Earnhardt, Jr. because I would love to hang out with him and see what his life is like.’’

"I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with Dale Earnhardt Jr! I chose him because nobody has looked so good in a white jumpsuit since Elvis. He has Elvis Presley stuff all over his house!"- Jeri Rogers

“I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with Brad keselowski!"-Vickie Drost

"I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with four time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon!"- Clara Barnhart

"Danica Patrick would be my pick to spend Valentine’s Day with."- Jimmy Thompson

"Sloan Henderson would be my pick to spend Valentine’s Day with. I am dedicated to bringing her back in NASCAR."- Arthur Petty

"I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with Dale Earnhardt Jr!" - Kathy Rogers Dorans

"I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with Jennifer Job Cobb! Jennifer is hot!"- Karl Swinea

"Dale Earnhardt Jr would be my pick to spend Valentine’s Day with because he is awesome on the track and off! He is good looking too!"- Donna L Sweet

"There is only one man for me! I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with Dale Earnhardt Jr!"- Kath Paxton.

"Ashley Force would be my pick to spend Valentine’s Day with!"- Kenneth J Carlson

"Danica Patrick or Jennifer Jo Cobb would be my picks to spend Valentine’s Day with."- Rob Regula

"Danica Patrick would be my pick to spend Valentine’s Day with because I am from Mississippi, I hear she has a thing for Mississippi men, lol."- John Hickson

"I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with Jeff Burton. I just can’t resist those big eyes of his."- Angela M. Aragon- Henslee

"I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with Danica Patrick!"- Edward Heints

"Kyle Busch is my pick to spend Valentine’s Day with. He is full of M@Ms and Monster Energy!"- Tim Speed Kornet

"Raphael Matos is my pick to spend Valentine’s Day with."- Shirley Frazier

"If former NASCAR driver Fonty Flock was still alive, He would be my pick to spend Valentine’s Day with."- Miles Turner

"Tony Stewart would be my pick to spend Valentine’s Day with! Tony is hot!"- Pam Lane Elliott

"I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with Dale Earnhardt Jr. He is down to earth and good looking!" – Brenda Fraser Lott

"I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with Dale Earnhardt Jr because he is a gentlemen and it would be funny to spend Valentine’s Day with him." - Penelope Flynn

"I would love to spend Valentine’s Day with Tony Stewart, because he is my favorite driver."- Mark Hopkins.

Race fans are truly dedicated to their favorite race car driver and a lot of them would agree that Valentine’s Day would be the perfect day to tell their favorite driver how much they respect them on and off the race track.Thank you to all of the race fans that responded back to my message about which race car driver you would like to spend Valentine's Day with. I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day!

April Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Adrienne Soloman

2012-07-07T12:29:00.005-04:00

Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s April “race fan of the month” winner is Adrienne Soloman. Adrienne’s friend Tristian Cook nominated her for Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s April “race fan of the month''. Tristain Cooke said,’’ The person who I am nominating for Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s ''race fan of the month’’ is my good friend Adrienne Soloman. I think that she would make an excellent ''race fan of the month’’ because just like me, she is passionate about racing and her favorite drivers. She does a great job with her Dale Junior Fan Zone #88 group on Facebook. I could not think of a better candidate than Adrienne for April ''race fan of the month.’’
40-year-old Adrienne Soloman is from Brooklyn, New York. Adrienne has been a race fan since 1988. Adrienne said,’’ I became a race fan from going to the races, the excitement, the adrenaline, and the sounds of the race cars.’’ Adrienne’s whole family watches racing!
Adrienne watches NASCAR and the IZOD Indy Car Series. Adrienne said,’’ I pick my favorite drivers based on personality and the way they drive their race cars.’’ In NASCAR, Adrienne is a huge fan of Dale Earnhardt Jr. She is also a fan of Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, and Ryan Newman. In the IZOD Indy Car Series, she is a fan of Dario Francitti, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Briscoe, and Marco Andretti.
I had the privilege to communicate with Adrienne via email to ask her a couple more questions and she also told me a bit more about her being a huge race fan. This is what Adrienne Soloman had to say to me via email:
''A boy I was dating at the time took me to my first race at Pocono in 1988. I loved it, and I became a fan of Dale Earnhardt Senior that day. I have also been to Watkins Glen, New Hampshire, Daytona, and Dover International Speedway.’’
Adrienne said,’’ I would love to see more side by side racing and some races shorter.''
''I made a fan group on Facebook for Dale Earnhardt Junior because I wanted a place were Dale Earnhardt Junior fans could talk about Dale Earnhardt Junior without the Junior haters causing trouble. I run a drama free group.’’
The last thing that Adrienne told me is that she has turned a lot of friends and neighbors into race fans. Adrienne is a race fan for life!
To: Adrienne Soloman: Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s April ''race fan of the month’’ winner. I hope you enjoy the rest of the 2012 racing season!
Race fans: If you are interested in checking out Adrienne Soloman’s fan group on Facebook for Dale Earnhardt Junior, then click on the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/WeLoveDaleJuniorandOtherDriversToo/

May Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Matthew Carpenter

2012-07-03T15:10:00.000-04:00

Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s May ''race fans of the Month'' winner is twenty three year old Matthew Carpenter. Matthew is from Johnsburg, Illinois. Matthew started to watch racing before he started kindergarten! When he was little he used to play with his hot wheels and pretend he was a race car driver. Matthew’s dad and uncle are race fans. Matthew got his dad interested in racing.
Matthew is a huge fan of NASCAR’s top three series (the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series). In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, he is a fan of 2011 ARCA Series Champion Ty Dillon. Matthew is a fan of Danica Patrick in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He is a fan of Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He watches other racing series too! He watches the Rolex Sports Car Series, Indy Car Series, and the ARCA Series! Frank Kimmel is Matthews favorite driver in the ARCA Series. In the Indy Car Series, Dario Franchitti and Marco Andretti are Matthews favorite drivers.
I had the privilege to communicate with Matthew via email to ask him a couple more questions and this is what he had to say:
''I have been to about thirteen races at Chicagoland Speedway.”
''If I could change anything in NASCAR, I would try to eliminate the start and park teams. I don’t like how NASCAR locks in the top thirty five in owner's points for every race.’’
Racing is a huge part of Matthews life. He watches racing with his family, and he almost never misses a race. Matthew will be a race fan for life.
To Matthew Carpenter: Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s May ’’race fan of the month’’ winner! I hope you enjoy the rest of the 2012 racing season!

( Matthew Carpenter.)

March Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Deanna Craig

2012-06-15T16:52:00.001-04:00

Race fans live all over the world. Some race fans watch one racing series, and some race fans watch more than one racing series. Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s March "race fan of the month" winner is Deanna Craig.

40-year-old Deanna Craig is originally from Warsaw, Indiana. She moved to Tempe, Arizona last November when she met her fiancé Bernard Rucker (February "race fan of the month" winner) in a Jeff Gordon fan site on Facebook. Deanna and her fiancé Bernard are going to stay in Tempe, Arizona until they move to North Carolina in the future. They want to move to North Carolina in the future so they can be in the heart of NASCAR.

Deanna has been a race fan ever since she was 5 year old. “My dad would take us about every weekend to small tracks in Plymouth and New Paris raceways in Indiana. I can remember being little and loving the sounds of those engines roaring." At age 17 to 20, Deanna was racing in her own racecar. “My dad wouldn’t sponsor me anymore due to the fact that I was going to have my son. My dad did not want to be responsible for anything happening to me. I had to quit my own racing but from then on out, I was hooked watching racing on TV as much as possible." Deanna said,” I wish I could be behind the wheel still. I remember a lot of good times with my dad and racing. It’s funny he calls me for any NASCAR questions and he doesn’t call my brothers.” Deanna said that her family has some ties to David Stremme! “I watched David’s brother bobby race along with his dad. David’s mom is the best! They call her the "purple lady" at a small track in Indiana called New Paris. They race at the M-40 Speedway in Michigan as well. My dad has gone over to David’s house a time or two!"

Deanna and her fiancé Bernard watch the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR Camping world Truck Series, ARCA Series, IndyCar Series, the Rolex Sports Car Series, and the NASCAR K@N Series. Every now and then Deanna and Bernard watch Motorcycle racing. Deanna used to watch just the Sprint Cup Series and the Nationwide Series until she met her fiancé Bernard. Deanna is a huge fan of 4-time Sprint cup Champion Jeff Gordon. “I remember the first time I saw Jeff in Midgets in Plymouth. I was hooked on him then and I knew he would be a great NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver in the future.” In the NASCAR Nationwide Series Deanna is a fan of Danica Patrick. “I love Danica Patrick! I wish I had seen her race open wheel." Deanna is a fan of rookie Jeb Burton and Jennifer Jo Cobb in the NASCAR Camping world Truck series. She does not really have a favorite driver in Indy Car or in the motorcycle series yet, because she is just starting to learn those series.

Deanna’s fiancé gave her an experience last November that she will never forget. Deanna went to her first NASCAR race last November! After her experience at her first NASCAR race, she fell in love with racing even more. Deanna and her fiancé Bernard are hoping to go to the Phoenix races this November. Deanna said when her fiancé took her to her first NASCAR race in Phoenix last November, she kept telling him that she wants to get Jeff Gordon’s autograph! She did end up getting Jeff’s autograph. He signed a plaque of hers and he said hello to her. They made many memories that weekend and got many autographs. Deanna said that they are definitely going to a lot more races in the future.
I would classify Deanna as an extreme race fan based on three things. The first thing that I would consider Deanna as an extreme race fan is that she used to be a racecar driver! The second thing that I would consider Deanna as an extreme race fan is that she plans to get married in the future to a huge race fan. Both of them watch more than one racing series together. I am sure they will have a long happy life enjoying racing together. Deanna is such a huge fan of racing that she has strong opinions about the sport. “I would say if I could change anything in NASCAR it would be the points system. I do not like the new system. I wish they would go back to the old way. I am starting to like the green-white-checker finish." Deanna said,” most women are into racing because they think that the drivers are cute. I do not watch racing just because the drivers may be cute. I know facts about the racers. I love what Jeff Gordon does on and off the racetrack. I will die loving racing."

To Deanna Craig: Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s March “race fan of the month” winner! I hope you enjoy all of the race the rest of the 2012 season!

Deanna and her fiancé Bernard.

Julia Landauer: Determined To Live Her Dream

2012-04-30T11:49:00.000-04:00

(Credit goes to Julia Landauer.)

Julia Landauer was born on November 12th, 1992 in New York, New York. She attended a specialized public high school for math and science in New York City called Stuyvesant High school. Julia said,"I missed about 130 days of high school over four years which made it very difficult to balance. However I loved being at the track and at school so I made it work. I was disciplined, worked hard, and wanted to do a lot. Naturally I missed a lot of high school events, but I was 100% ok with that. If I wanted to do school stuff more than I wouldn’t have pursued racing as aggressively as I did." Julia is currently a sophomore at Stanford University in California."I am majoring in an Interdisciplinary major called Science, Technology, and Society,"said Julia. Julia is a very successful college student and a race car driver. Her dream of wanting to make a career out of racing started when she was just a young girl starting out in go-karts.

Julia got involved in go-karts when she was 10 years old."It was a family sport that my younger sister, brother, and I did with my parents. I loved it from the start and by age 12 I knew I wanted to be a professional race car driver."She won many races and championships in go-karts. Julia climbed the karting ranks to the national level,where she visited the podium and won many times. At the age of 13 she joined the Skip Barber Racing Series, were she raced in her first car race. She made history at the age of 14 as the youngest and first female champion in the Skip Barber Racing Series. She joined the Formula BMW USA Series when she was 15 years old. Julia was the youngest driver to compete in the 2007 Formula BMW USA Series. She had a best finish of 5th and she earned three top ten finishes ( 5th, 8th , 9th) in the Formula BMW Series. At the age of 16 she started racing in the USAC Ford focus Midgets with Bob East. She moved up to the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car series with Bill Mcanally racing part time when she was 17. She also ran a part time NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Season with Sellers racing when she was 18 and 19 years old. Julia said, "I’m planning on racing late models in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series and some K@N Pro Series races for the 2012 season." Her goal for her racing career is that she wants to make a living racing cars.

I had the privilege to communicate with Julia via email and ask her a couple more questions. This is what Julia had to say:

"My favorite part about racing is that it’s like solving a puzzle. A driver has to make so many factors work perfectly in order to win. The entire process, including the excruciating hard work, the team work, the speed, the passing, and so much more , making racing so magical. Finding proper funding is definitely the hardest part of racing,"said Julia.

When I asked Julia if she has a best racing memory she said,"One of my best memories is my first win in a car when I was 13. I led the whole race, crossed the line in first, and I knew I was the best that race. Another one is a practice day in go-karts in New castle, IN, where I was so intensely in the zone that it felt like I was gliding on the track. I didn’t have to think about it. It was truly the most amazing feeling that I will never forget."

Julia has been on many race tracks throughout her racing career. When I asked her If she had any favorite race tracks she said,"My favorite road course is Road America, and my favorite oval is South Boston Speedway."

"There is no real "off" season for me. When I’m not in the car I’m working on the business side. I am developing my Julia Landauer Racing brand, meeting with investors, strategizing for sponsorship , working out and going to school. Racing is a 24/7 job. My favorite things to do outside of racing is that I like being in school, I love being outdoors, building things, exercising, and exploring my hometown of New York City."

Julia said,"I’m inspired by anyone who puts their heart and soul into something, racing or not. Lyn St. James is a huge inspiration and mentor, as is Carl Edwards, but there are so many inspiring people out there in the world."

When I asked Julia what are the skills required to become a good race car driver she said,"There’s no one way to be a racer, but you have to be talented, aggressive, smart, business and media savvy to name a few things. You have to have great endurance and physical strength to be physically prepared to be a race car driver. It gets extremely hot in the cars, and you race for hours. You have to be in great shape if you want to be a race car driver.”

The final question I asked Julia was what advice would you give to other women who want to be race car drivers? "Find people who will support you because you are a racer. Surround yourself with those people, be ruthless in asking question and learning, and never let adversity stop your desire.”

To Julia Landauer:Thank you very much for taking the time to answer some questions so this article could happen. Good luck with college and your racing career!

Race fans: Click on the link below and "like" Julia Landauer's facebook fan page!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julia-Landauer/147344155300065

2011 Racing Season. Credit goes to Julia Landauer.

February Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Bernard Rucker

2012-04-06T19:49:00.003-04:00

Some race fans watch more than one racing series ( NASCAR, IndyCar, ARCA, etc). Every race fan is different and some race fans only watch one racing series. Every race fan has different opinions about what is going on in the racing series that they watch. I talked to February “race fan of the month” winner Bernard Rucker via email. I had the opportunity to ask him questions and to see how much of an extreme race fan he really is.

Bernard Rucker is originally from Michigan but for the last sixteen years he has made Tempe, Arizona his hometown. Bernard is engaged to Deanna Craig and she is a race fan too. Bernard’s father was a mechanic, so engines were a major topic around his boyhood home. He got interested in NASCAR shortly after they started to broadcast the races on the radio. When “ABC Wide World Of Sports” took to the air with the Daytona 500, he remembers watching Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison bumping each other, then they spun each other out on the final lap and continued to pound on each other outside of there race cars.“ I watched as NASCAR race cars went from no sponsors, to one sponsor, to multiple sponsors throughout the years,” said Bernard. Bernard really got hooked on NASCAR when he went to his first NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway when he was just a little boy. Bernard said,” The first thing that got my attention was the loud sound of those engines and the smell of raw fuel. We took our seats, sixteen rows up from the track and proceeded to watch as the cars came by behind the pace car and my heart began to race. The green flag waved in the air for the start of the race and the drivers sped by so fast that I couldn’t tell which driver was which! When they came out of turn four and raced by us at a 180 miles per hour three things came in my mind: These guys are going unbelievably fast, I was hooked on racing, and the speed of those cars made me chilly! That was when I came to realization that I loved this sport!”

Bernard does not really have a favorite race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He has watched Jeff Gordon’s racing career very closely. “ I watched Jeff Gordon’s racing career on ESPN’S Saturday Night Thunder program which aired late on Saturday night’s." Bernard would like to see Mark Martin and Jeff Burton win the Daytona 500 soon. Bernard said,"I am a fan of Jennifer Jo Cobb and Morgan Shepherd in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Morgan is 70 years old and still making races, what a racer!" In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Bernard is a fan of Ron Hornaday Jr, Matt Crafton, Timothy Peters, and Johnny Sauter. His favorite ARCA Series race car driver is Bobby Gerhardt. In the IZOD Indy Car Series, Bernard’s favorite race car drivers are, Tony Kanaan, Dario Franchitti, and Marco Andretti."In the Formula one series I really don’t have a favorite since they’ve started allowing the 12- valve engines and the leader of the race is so far out in front that it has taken the thrill out of the race. I still watch a Formula One race every once in awhile though.” Bernard watches the NHRA Series too. He is a fan of 15 time Champion John Force! He also watches the Rolex Series. He is a fan of Max Angelelli. “ He will win a championship soon."
I would classify Bernard as an extreme race fan because of four things I learned about him. The first thing is that he truly loves racing and he has strong opinions about the rules in NASCAR. “ The idea of locking in the top 35 in points: If you don’t have the speed to make the show than you are just a moving hazard out there all afternoon. You should have to make your way to be there regardless of who you are,who you drive for,or who your sponsor is! The race for the Championship: Five races should decide the NASCAR Championship. A Super speedway, an intermediate track, a mile track, a Bristol or Martinsville race and yes of course a road course. When I asked Bernard if he goes to any races he said,” I go to the fall NASCAR races at Phoenix when I can. I’m a down to earth man, my bills get paid before I have fun. When I have fun, I just don’t get tickets for one race, I get tickets for the whole weekend at Phoenix! That’s my idea of going to the races! One race is not enough!”

The third thing that I learned about him is that he has a dream of wanting to give the commands at a race. Bernard said," As far as doing something in a race I’d like to be the one to tell the guys to start their engines! I would like to say Alright racers , It’s time to start the fires and light the tires! Instead of the traditional , Gentleman start your engines, or I’d like to drive the pace car!" The last thing that I learned about him is that Bernard wrote a prayer before the Daytona 500 and he said” This prayer should be an official prayer for each race car driver.”

Lord As I prepare to take the track;

I pray for you to bring me back.

Not wrecked or bruised, or hurting face;

But hopefully in first place.

Give us the guidance for clear vision;

And to make the right decisions.

Guide all of us in our cars;

No matter in which turn we are.

Should we finish this grueling race;

Give me at least a top ten space.

Keep our equipment in tip top shape;

And without a single scrape.

Tell us in advance when we should hit the gas;

And stop us before we say or do something crass.

As the end begins to unfold;

Keep our cars up on the road.

Yes lord on this particular day;

Help us and guide us on the way.

Keep all of us safe and sound;

As our cars go round and round.

Watch out for all of my competitors, and friends;

As we compete to the very end.

This prayer is not for just me;

But all my brothers and sisters across the sea.

And now as we prepare to take our starting spot;

Guide us and protect us no matter what.

Amen!

To Bernard Rucker: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer some questions so this article could happen! I really enjoyed writing this article about you. Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s February “ race fan of the month” winner. You are truly an extreme race fan. I hope you enjoy the 2012 racing season.

(Bernard Rucker. Credit goes to Bernard
Rucker.)

The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA Series Race At Daytona International Speedway

2012-02-23T22:29:00.006-05:00

The ARCA racing series kicked off the 2012 season with one of the most prestigious races on the ARCA Series schedule on February 18th: The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Before the race started the ARCA racing series drivers had to practice and qualify for the race.

The first practice session for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race at Daytona took place on February 16th. Steve Blackburn was the fastest in the first practice session. His lap time was 47.712 (188.632mph). The final practice session took place on February 18th before the race started. Bobby Gerhart was the fastest in final practice. His lap time was 48.886 (184.102 mph).

Qualifying for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA race at Daytona took place on February 17th. Bobby Gerhart thought he won the pole position for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona but Bobby saw his qualifying time taken off the board because the engine in his car failed inspection after qualifying. Bobby started the race in the forty-second position. Sean Corr was awarded the Menards Pole Award. Sean’s qualifying lap time was 49.271 ( 182.663 mph). Ryan Reed started in the second position. Ryan’s qualifying lap time was 49.362 (182.326 mph). Steve Blackburn started in the third position. His qualifying lap time was 49.416 ( 182.127 mph). Tom Hessert started in the fourth position. Tom’s qualifying lap time was 49.449 (182.006 mph).Chris Windom started in the fifth position. His qualifying lap time was 49.475 ( 181.910 mph).

One of the biggest stories going into the race weekend was that the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is celebrating its 60th season this year. Another story that I thought was interesting is that twenty four rookies were in the field at Daytona. Milka Duno, Sloan Henderson and Leilani Munter were the three females in the field at Daytona. A sad story that was shared before the race was that Mildred Marcum, matriarch and co-founder of ARCA, passed away in January at St. Vincent Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Mildred had just celebrated her 98th birthday on January 6, 2012.

On February 18th at about 4:30pm ET the ARCA drivers heard those famous words in racing, "drivers start your engines!" The ARCA cars rolled off pit road and onto the track to start some pace laps after everyone had their engines fired up. Right before the green flag waved in the air the pace car made its way onto pit road and the field was now in the hands of pole sitter Sean Corr. As the ARCA cars got closer to the start/finish line the green flag waved in the air for the start of the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona! As they crossed the start/finish line to complete the first lap it was pole sitter Sean Corr who lead the first lap at Daytona!

On lap two Bobby Gerhart came onto pit road to top off his fuel tank. After Bobby came off pit road and back onto the track he went one lap down. He was running about six cars back behind the leader on lap five.

Unfortunately rookie Sloan Henderson was having problems with her car and she coasted off the race track on lap seven. Sloan’s car had a problem with the ignition. As Sloan was trying to coast to pit road, the first caution came out for Milka Duno. Will Kimmel and Milka Duno made contact and that sent Milka spinning at a very high speed. Duno handled the spin with great skill and she brought the car into the pits. While they were still under the first caution the majority of the field came down pit road for pit stops. Sloan Henderson was on pit road during the caution and her crew had the hood up on the car. As the first caution was still out, Milka Duno’s car was brought into the garage area by a tow truck. The Aarons lucky dog went to Bobby Gerhart. Pole sitter Sean Corr lead the field to the restart.

Unfortunately Leilani Munter spun coming off of turn two and that brought out the second caution on lap fourteen. Her left rear tire went down and completely flew off. Leilani was able to drive her car to pit road. The lucky dog went to Sloan Henderson. Sloan did not get back on the lead lap. she was five laps down because of the issue that happened on lap seven with her ignition. During the second caution a couple of cars went down pit road for pit stops.

The green flag waved in the air for the restart and Cale Gale was the leader. It didn’t take Brandon Mcreynolds long to make his way around Cale Gale and snatch the lead from him on lap nineteen.

Coming out of turn four Bill Coffey’s right front tire went down and he slammed into the wall and that brought out the third caution on lap twenty.

The pace car turned onto pit road and the field was in the hands of Brandon Mcreynolds. The green flag waved in the air for the restart and Brandon got an excelled restart. After 29 out of 80 laps Brandon Mcreynolds lead the field with Ryan Reed running second.

When the race reached half away unfortunately the pole winner Shawn corr had problems with his engine. The pole winner was not going to be the race winner because he had to take his car to the garage.

With twenty two laps to go Brandon Mcreynolds was still leading the field. He had a strong car all day but Brandon’s team had one thing on their mind: Do they have enough fuel to make it to the end?

A lot of drivers needed a caution to come out so they could get some fuel and they got their wish with eleven lap to go. Rick Clifton, Sloan Henderson and James Hylton were involved in a wreck. James moved up the hill right in front of Sloan Henderson. Sloan had no where to go and Rick Clifton got collected in the wreck. While the fourth caution was still out only a couple cars came in for pit stops.

As the ARCA cars came to the start/finish line the green flag waved in the air for the restart with five laps to go! Mcreynolds strongly raced away trying to pull away from the field. Brandon knew he had to be conservative because he was very low on fuel. With four laps to go Paulie Harraka spun off the track but the race stayed green and Paulie got back on the track!

Unfortunately the fifth caution came out for Chris Buescher with two laps to go. Chris got spun by Nelson Canache and he went off the track. Chris did a good job keeping the car under the yellow line so he did not get hit by another car.

As the pace car rolled off the track and onto pit road the field was in the hands of race leader Brandon Mcreynolds with two laps to go. As the white flag waved in the air Brandon was only two and a half miles away from his first ARCA racing series victory! Coming out of turn four for the final time Brandon unfortunately ran out of gas and Bobby Gerhart flew past Brandon and Bobby crossed the start/finish line the winner of the season opener at Daytona! As the field crossed the start/finish line multiple cars ran out of gas and some cars ran into each other and wrecked. Drew Charlson finished second, Will Kimmel finished third, Steve Blackburn finished fourth and Mark Thompson finished fifth. Bobby Gehart is now an eight time winner at Daytona!

After the race ended some race fans talked about their reactions of the race via social networking.

ARCA races are always exciting to watch. I have been a Frankie Kimmel fan for years. I met him in the early 90's and he is a really nice guy and fan friendly. - Nina Leshley

One really good race! - Jimmy Thompson

It was a great race. ARCA is so under-rated.- Stephen Marling

A lot of race fans truly did enjoy the ARCA series season opener at Daytona. Bobby Gerhart is a talented driver and he is a threat to win every time he is in a race. The ARCA racing series truly has some of the best racing you will see. If you have not watched an ARCA race I truly encourage you to sit down and watch an ARCA race or attend a race if you can. The ARCA racing series is back in action and they started the 2012 season with a fantastic season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

To Bobby Gerhart: Congratulations on winning the 2012 ARCA series season opener at Daytona!

Race fans: Do you want to see more exciting ARCA races? Don’t miss the Mobile ARCA 200 at Mobile International Speedway on March 10th. The Mobile ARCA 200 will not be televised. The next televised ARCA race will be the Talladega ARCA 250 at Talladega Super speedway on May 4th.

January Race Fan Of The Month Winner: Len Riojas

2012-02-17T11:23:00.005-05:00

39 year old Len Riojas has been a race fan since he was a kid playing AFX Slot cars on his living room floor with his older brother and cousins. Len is about the only person outside of his immediate family that has a true passion for racing. In the early 90’s Len was working as an EMT ( Emergency Medical Technician) and he asked to volunteer as a corner worker/medical staff at both Sears Point Raceway ( now Infineon Raceway) and Laguna Seca during the AMA Super bike events. “ I live in Portland, Oregon where we’ve hosted the C.A.R.T/Champ car series for nearly 30 years. This is where I learned about racing and for many years I didn’t miss fathers day at P.I.R," said Len. Len has since become a huge fan of open wheel and sports car racing. He is a fan of Formula one, ALMS, Grand AM and Indy Car.

When I asked Len what does he like about racing he said,“ I don’t have the ability to describe the moment when a grid comes to life other than to say it cannot be ignored. The first time I watched a pack of cars roll off the start/finish line and rumble by me I was hooked.“

When I asked Len what is his favorite race car driver in every racing series that he watches Len said; “ It’s hard to say. In Indy Car it would have to be Will Power. I’ve met him on a few occasions; he’s very friendly, always willing to take a minute to chat with the fans, and of course he’s a great driver. In ALMS, I am a huge fan of Allan McNish. I got a chance to meet Jonathan Bomaritom in his days in the Atlantics and have followed his career since; now he’s driving GT cars in the Grand - Am Series. I’ve met a lot of drivers, too many to mention however I will mention this, a couple years ago while visiting the Unser Racing Museum in Albuquerque I got to meet Al Unser SR."

Len tries to go to a race every year but now that his home race is off the schedule it has become a little more difficult to go to a race every year. He has traveled a lot in recent years which has allowed him to go to Indy Car races in other parts of the country.

I would classify Len as an extreme race fan because he plans vacation time around the IZOD Indy Car Series schedule, he has strong opinions on the sport, its evolution and the direction he sees it taking and he took unpaid time off work to drive 1600 miles to attend a race. For Len, attending a race isn’t just a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, it’s a week long event.

To Len Riojas: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer some questions so this article could happen. Congratulations on being Up To Speed With Amanda Reisinger’s January "race fan of the month" winner! You definitely are an extreme race fan with a true passion for racing. I hope you enjoy the 2012 racing season!

( Katherine Legge and Len Riojas.
Credit goes to Len Riojas.)

Jeremy Clements: An Incredible Race Car Driver

2012-01-13T10:11:00.016-05:00

(Credit goes to Jeremy Clements
Racing. Sources: jeremyclements
racing.com and Jeremy Clements.)

Jeremy Clements was born on January 16, 1985 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He graduated from Paul M. Dorman High school in 2003. Jeremy is the grandson of famed NASCAR owner and crew chief Crawford Clements. His family owns and operates Clements Racing Engines, a premier racing engine company that provides winning power plants for numerous dirt, Hooters Cup and ARCA teams across the nation. Jeremy said “I never went to prom or football games because my weekends consisted of racing Fridays, Saturdays and sometimes Sundays. I had friends who grew up with racing so we hung out at the track. I don’t regret any of it because that is what it took to get where I am today. Racing is my passion." Jeremy Clements is a NASCAR Nationwide Series racing professional and his passion of him wanting to race started when he was just a young boy in Elementary school.

Jeremy started his racing career in go-carts with his brother Jason. "My grandfather would take us to Buck Creek Speedway every Saturday. He was a big part of getting me involved in racing,” stated Jeremy. Jeremy earned forty-seven feature wins before successfully tackling the various ranks of dirt track racing.“ I was 14 years old when I ran my first dirt track race in mini stocks in 1999." He raced four cylinder cars in both the modified and stock series at Thunder Valley Speedway and Cherokee Speedway.

“I moved up to Super late models in 2002,” said Jeremy. He won numerous feature wins on dirt and multiple track championships in Modified Four-Cylinders and Super Late Models. After he had dirt track racing experience, he transitioned to asphalt racing.
Jeremy made his ARCA series debut at Talladega Superspeedway in 2002. He started 6^th and finished a respectable 17^th in the #3 Chevrolet. He started five ARCA races in 2003, earning three top 10s. Clements made his debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series ( then NASCAR Busch Series ) in 2003 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Jeremy was one of the youngest drivers to ever qualify for a NASCAR Nationwide Series event (18). He started 35^th and finished 31^st after an early crash. After his debut in the Nationwide Series at Pikes Peak International Raceway, Jeremy did not return to the Nationwide Series until 2007.

In July 2004 Jeremy was seriously injured in a dirt late model race in Madison, NC at 311 Speedway when the torque arm broke and sent a piece of the driveshaft through the car and it about took his arm and hand off. He went through ten surgeries in a year with one of them sewing his hand to his right side hip to get a skin graft and doing bone grafts from his hip for his hand. They also took tendons from his right foot to put into his hand. That was a scary time for Jeremy because the doctors told him he would never race again. Jeremy was determined to prove them wrong because he wanted to get back in the seat and race again. One year later Jeremy drove in a dirt late model race and finished 2nd. Jeremy said "I am very grateful to the good lord for saving my hand and to be able to use it to race."

　Clements made his ARCA return in September 2005. Jeremy ran 10 races in the ARCA series in Ken Appling’s #3 Chevrolet in 2006. He earned four top 10s including three consecutive top5s. He was also Selected by General motors to Participate in a three track test with Richard Childress Racing.

(His First and only ARCA Series Victory.)

Clements had a spectacular season in 2007, earning eight top- 10s in 12 races. Jeremy earned his first and only ARCA win at Nashville Super speedway in 2007. He started 2nd and led 48 laps. Jeremy ran seven races in 2008 where he earned 5 top 10s. Clements signed with McGill Motorsports to run the last five races of the season in their #36 Chevrolet in 2007. He finished two races and had a best finish of 23rd at Lowes Motor speedway. In 2008 he attempted four races for his family owned #50 team. He qualified for two of them, earning finishes of 22^nd and 30^th.

Throughout 2008 he was mentioned often in the same sentences as Kyle Busch. The Joe Gibbs Racing organization has a strong belief in Jeremy and has entrusted much of their testing, practice, and qualifying efforts of Kyle Busch's No. 18 Nationwide car to Clements. Jeremy has qualified the car as high as second.

In 2009 Clements increased his focus on the Nationwide Series, attempting 13 races and making 12. He ran six races in his family owned #50 with a best finish of 16^th. Shortly before the October race at Kansas Speedway in 2009, Jeremy and sponsor Saxon Group joined forces with JD motorsports to finish out the season in the #0 Chevrolet. In his 2^nd race with JD , he finished a career best 12^th at Auto club Speedway.

Clements drove the first three races of the 2010 season in the #0 for JD Motor sports . After missing the field at Daytona due to qualifying being rained out, his plans for the rest of the season were up in the air. The #0 team was shut down and JD moved Clements to the #04. He attempted the next two races as planned, but unfortunately he failed to qualify for both of them. Clements made his first race of the season in April at Nashville Super speedway, finishing 22^nd. He attempted 19 more races , qualifying for 15 of them.

In 2011 Jeremy competed in his first full season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He finished 15^th in points. He has no top-ten finishes, but he had three 14^th- place finishes and ten top- twenty finishes.

In 2012 Jeremy Clements Racing will be racing the full season in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Jeremy Clements Racing is still looking for sponsors. They are working very hard to get everything ready for the 2012 season.

　I had the privilege to talk with Jeremy via email and ask him a couple more questions and this is what he had to say:

“ I have wanted to be a race car driver ever since I was little. My family has been involved in racing since the 60’s so it kind of runs in our blood. “

“My dad, Tony Clements, raced in the Asphalt Late Model and Enduro 500 lap. My uncle Glenn raced go carts, motorcycles and limited sportsman. My brother Jason raced go carts and limited sportsman.”

“ The hardest part about racing is that its not all about talent. One of the biggest factors to racing is the equipment and in order to have great equipment you have to have strong sponsorship backing you. We have been very fortunate to have many great sponsors throughout 2011 and be able to be competitive with million dollar teams."

“ I love the speed, competitiveness and the rush I get from racing."

“ My favorite tracks are Bristol, Charlotte and Dover. Bristol is awesome because it feels really fast and you can race all over the track. Dover has the same feel. Charlotte is just a fun place to race with high speeds and my family and friends there being the home track. My least favorite track is New Hampshire just because it’s flat and hard to pass on.”

“My best racing memory was when I was 15 and we won both World Crown Four Cylinder Nationals at Cherokee Speedway for $16,000 and the race at Thunder Valley Speedway for $12,000 in the same week.”

“ I’m very competitive! I try to win and do my best at anything and everything I do. I’ve always been that way and don’t see it changing.”

“To be a race car drive you have got to have the guts to drive fast and around other cars. There’s a lot of hand eye coordination involved as well. The higher you go in racing the longer the races are so you have to pick and choose your battles and know when to race and when not to.”

“My biggest inspiration has to be my grandpa, Crawford Clements. I learned a lot from him and he’s the one that got me started racing and in love with the sport.”

“ My off season consists of going away on a couple vacations; skiing, Orlando PRI show and a cruise. I also catch up with family and friends and go to the race shop a lot to prepare for next season.”

“ I’m just starting to get into mountain biking so that’s really fun. I love going to the lake and riding jet skis, tubing and hanging out with friend there. I enjoy roller coasters and anything that will give you an adrenaline rush. I try and work out to stay in shape too as well as play on the racing simulator."

“ My goals for the future are to keep getting our team stronger and keep running as best we can. I would like to run Sprint Cup one day as well if the opportunity comes along. I treat every race like it’s my last so I run as hard as possible and go for the win.”

“ Being a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver is a huge privilege. I am very grateful to be able to compete at such a high level and i don’t ever taking it for granted. It could end any time and I think a lot of guys forget that. There are so many great drivers out there that would do anything to race in this series so I feel very lucky. I’ve learned a lot since my first race in the Nationwide Series when I was 18.”

“ I support a few charities that I feel strongly about. The main charities that I support are APED and Defenders for Children. I also support Food for the Poor, MRO, Back 2 Back Ministries, Perception Ministries, St. Judes Hospital, Miracle Hill Ministries and the Antonia Petrina Tersillo Memorial Scholarship fund.”

“ Social Media is a huge part in raising a fan base and keeping fans and sponsors up to date with everything going on. I have a facebook page, Jeremy Clements Racing and a Twitter account, jc_racing51. In 2011 we used social media to help raise money for our charlotte fan car and the Atlanta APFED car.”

The last thing that I asked Jeremy was what would you say to someone who would love to be a race car driver? Jeremy said “ Never give up no matter how hard it gets. Keep pushing and give 100% all the time; from driving to working on the equipment. You never know when the right person will see you.”

Jeremy has worked very hard to get were he is at today. His passion is racing and someday soon Jeremy will get his first NASCAR win.

To Jeremy Clements: Thank you very much for allowing me to ask you some questions so this article could happen, I truly do appreciate it. All of your race fans wish you the best of luck in the 2012 racing season.
Race Fans:Come join Jeremy Clements & other NASCAR drivers for a casino night to benefit APFED. There will be casino tables, dancing, silent auction & live auction.
Valentines & Vegas
Hosted by Jeremy Clements & Racing for a Cause
To benefit APFED
When: February 11, 2012 at 7pm
Where: Embassy Suites Greenville, SC.
To learn more about Valentines & Vegas, Click on the link below.
http://www.racingforacause.com/index_files/RFAC_UpcomingEvents.htm.

Johnny Benson’s 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Racing Plans Unfortunately Change

2012-01-06T11:24:00.001-05:00

Johnny Benson has not been racing in NASCAR for more than two years now. Even though he has not been racing in NASCAR, he has still been racing in other series. Johnny has coached up and coming NASCAR stars. He has worked with Trevor Bayne, the 20 year old that won NASCAR’s most prestigious event, the 2011 Daytona 500. He has worked with Danica Patrick and he has worked with Johanna Long in the Camping World Truck series. In 2010 Benson served as a mentor to Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers Brian Ickler and Taylor Malsam.Johnny said that he would not return to NASCAR unless he found a good team that had a chance to run for the championship.

Johnny Benson announced in September that he would make his return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2012, driving the No.66 Chevrolet Silverado for Turn One Racing, with major sponsorship from his home state and Pure Michigan. Johnny wanted to show the “young guns” in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series that he can still race hard with them at the age of forty-eight years old. Johnny acknowledged that the deal to run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving for Turn One Racing was not quite done and full season sponsorship was lacking.

Unfortunately in January Johnny announced that he does not plan to run full time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2012 because sponsorship did not come through. “ We were really looking forward to bringing the 2008 Truck Series champion back to NASCAR,” said team owner of Turn One Racing, Stacy Compton.

As a result, Compton and his Turn One Racing Team now have a vacant seat for the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. Compton expects to make an announcement regarding the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season in the coming weeks.

Johnny Benson plans to return to racing in the ISMA Super Modified Series which is making a return visit to Berlin Raceway on August 25, 2012.

Johnny is a very talented NASCAR veteran and I truly believe we will see him in at least a couple NASCAR races before he retires from racing. It is unfortunate that he did not have enough funding to race the full NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2012 season, but race car drivers deal with that a lot and hopefully we can see Johnny Benson “shine like a star” again in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the future. If Johnny does not run any NASCAR races in 2012, make sure you watch him race in the ISAM Super Modified Series!

To Johnny Benson: All of your race fans are disappointed that they wont get to see you race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series full time in the 2012 season, but they understand that it is really hard to get funding to race. All of your race fans know that you are a very talented race car driver and you should be very proud of what you accomplished in your racing career. Good luck with your racing in the 2012 season!

David Reutimann Joins Tommy Baldwin Racing

2012-01-03T16:35:00.003-05:00

Many race fans were shocked to hear that NASCAR Sprint Cup Series two- time winner, David Reutimann was released from his No.00 ride at Michael Waltrip Racing after the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season ended.

David’s time in the unemployment line did not last long. It was announced today that David Reutimann has joined Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) for a one year contract during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season as a teamate to current TBR driver, Dave Blaney. David Reautimann and Tommy Baldwin discussed their schedule, with start- and parking not in their plans. Reutimann will not run the full NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Reutimann said that "we're looking at 26 races -- not a full season but that's something we're obviously angling towards and trying to do and we're going there to race".Tommy Baldwin said today that sponsorships and which car numbers his two drivers will use is being determined. Accell Construction, which has been with Baldwin in limited appearances the past couple seasons, has already committed to the team. The crew for David Reutimann’s team is still being determined too, but Tommy Baldwin will be David Reutimann's crew chief for the first few races.

Baldwin said his team would bring a new car to the season-opening test at Daytona Jan. 12-14, probably with Blaney driving "to see how it compares to the field."

Tommy Baldwin Racing has also signed an agreement to run Earnhardt Childress Racing engines for the 2012 NASCAR season.

Speaking about Tommy Baldwin Racing, a three-year-old team, Reutimann said, “Tommy has built a really good organization from the ground up in a really short amount of time.”

Tommy Baldwin Racing reached the top 35 in owner's points in the 2011 NASCAR Season which means Tommy Baldwin Racing is guaranteed a spot in the first five races of the 2012 season, a nice way to begin.

In addition to the new partial Sprint Cup Series ride, Reutimann has also stated that he has been in contact with some Camping World Truck Series owners about racing a few races for them in the 2012 season.

To David Reautimann: All of your race fans are very happy that you found a Sprint Cup Series team to be with during the 2012 Season. All of your race fans wish you the best of luck during the 2012 NASCAR Season.

To Tommy Baldwin Racing: I truly believe your team will do well during the 2012 NASCAR season. All of your race fans wish your team the best of luck during the 2012 NASCAR season.

David Ragan Is Engaged

2011-12-22T13:07:00.004-05:00

During the 2011 NASCAR off- season David Ragan made plans for the 2012 NASCAR Off-season- he will be getting married.

David Ragan recently proposed to Jacquelyn Butler and the two have set a 2012 wedding date of Dec. 15 at a Charlotte-area church.
David Ragan and Jacquelyn Butler met September 6, 2006 on the UNC Charlotte Campus not far from Charlotte Motor Speedway. Butler, of Greenwood, S.C., graduated from UNC Charlotte earlier this year with a degree in meteorology. She won the Oct. 15,2011 Better-Half Dash charity race at Charlotte.

David Ragan just completed his fifth full year in the Sprint Cup Series and is currently in negotiations with teams in regard to his 2012 season. He was the 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie of the year and finished a career-best 13th in Sprint Cup points in 2008. In 2011, he won his first career Sprint Cup race on July 2 at Daytona and scored his first and second career Sprint Cup poles, respectively, on April 8 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth and on July 30 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

To David Ragan and Jacquelyn Butler: Congratulations on your engagement!

Grant Enfinger Will Not Be With Sinica Motorsports In 2012

2011-12-16T10:35:00.006-05:00

Sinica Motorsports Inc announced earlier this week that rookie driver Grant Enfinger has been released from the team. The future of the team is critical and everyone felt it was the best decision to be made at this time.

“I appreciate the opportunity that Sinica Motorsports Inc. has given me and I wish them success,” said Enfinger. “We made the decision to part ways when it became obvious that our long-term visions for the team were not inline. We felt that it would be beneficial for both parties to pursue other opportunities at this time. ”
Enfinger has not solidified his 2012 racing schedule. However, he is committed to several NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races with BRG Motorsports. Enfinger looks forward to being in the No. 82 BRG Motorsports truck for the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.
“I would like to thank all of my fans for their loyal and continued support,” added Enfinger.

Grant made an attempt to qualify for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Finale with Sinica Motorsports. During pre- qualifying inspection, the trunk of the car was confiscated by NASCAR. Unfortunately Grant failed to qualify for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Finale at Homestead. Grant was more than 10 Mph off the pole speed of Carl Edwards.

"We wish Grant success in his future career. Sinica Motorsports would like to thank all of its sponsors including Hewe's Concrete Polishing, Wixe Radio, Sterler Productions, and Ham Insurance Agency for their support."

On Grant Enfinger’s facebook fan page he stated that "It’s been a tough week. The Sinica Motorsports deal fell apart, but I am still looking for a great 2012."

Since the release of Enfinger the team has spoken to several drivers already including Kurt Busch.

To Grant Enfinger: All of your race fans wish you the best with your future.

Kurt Busch Will Not Return To Penske Racing in 2012

2011-12-06T12:10:00.003-05:00

After the checkered flag waved in the air at the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season Finale and after the NASCAR Awards were over, race fans thought they wouldn’t hear anything about NASCAR until it got closer to the 2012 Daytona 500. I’m sure a lot of race fans were surprised to see a lot of NASCAR news during the off-season. The biggest NASCAR story during the off-season is Penske Racing announced that it has reached a mutual agreement with 2004 Cup Series Champion, Kurt Busch to end its driver/ race team relationship, effective immediately.

Rodger Penske issued a statement stating,” While I am disappointed that Kurt will not be racing for our team in the future, both Kurt and I felt that separating at this time was best for all parties, including our team and sponsors. I wish Kurt the best in his future racing endeavors.”

“ I am grateful to Penske Racing for six very productive years. Together we won a lot of racing-1in all. Leaving a great organization and a lucrative contract is not easy, but it an important step for me and allows me to take a deep breathe to work on things that can make me a better driver and a better person. I want to personally thank Rodger Penske for the opportunity that he has given me. “ -Kurt Busch

“The split was best for all parties. Kurt had some concern with our performance. Obviously, we had concerns with his on and off the track behavior. We agreed to take the high road for both of us. We agreed that separating at this time was best for all parties, including Kurt and the sponsors. While Shell Pennzoil was consulted in the decision, it was ultimately our decision. Kurt came to the conclusion and we have as well that it's time to move on.”-Bud Denker, a senior vice president for Penske Corporation.

Controlling his anger during the NASCAR Sprint cup Series Races was not a strong point for Kurt. Busch has been involved in several behavior incident on the track this season, including the season finale at Homestead- Miami Speedway. Unfortunately Busch made an obscene hand gesture leaving the track to go to the garage after his transmission failure early in the race. He also had a profanity- laced tirade at DR. Jerry Punch and his camera crew in the garage moments later, which went viral on You Tube. NASCAR later had enough of Kurts actions and fined Busch $50,000 for the two incidents. Sources confirmed that Shell Pennzoil officials had spoken with team owner Roger Penske and expressed concerns about Busch continuing as the driver. Kurt Busch had an earlier incident with reporters this season at Richmond in September, the final event before the Chase started. He had to be restrained from a NASCAR.com reporter on pit road. Busch also tore another reporter's interview transcript in half after being questioned about recorded comments that he denied making. Last week in Las Vegas, Busch said he was seeing a sports psychologist to deal with his anger issues. All of his anger issues during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season led Kurt out of the #22 Penske Racing Dodge and now he is currently without a ride for the 2012 NASCAR Season.

The 2011 NASCAR Season was not the first time Kurt had anger issues. Some of his past anger issues are: In 2002, Kurt was fined $10,000 for Intentionally Running into Robby Gordon. In 2003 he got probation for Rough Driving after a confrontation with Jimmy Spencer. Busch was fined $100,000 for Reckless Driving and a Pit Road incident, then he was suspended, then fired by Roush Fen way in 2005. In 2007 at Dover, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch had an altercation on the track and on Pit road. In 2008,Kurt and Tony Stewart had an incident during the Budweiser shootout practice. It was reported Tony Stewart punched Kurt because Kurt made a comment about Tony’s weight and hair cut, then his anger issues started coming in 2011.

I know all of you are wandering if Kurt will have a Sprint Cup Series ride in 2012. Even though he is a talented driver, who wants a race car driver on there team that acts disrespectful and immature. Kurt says he is working with a sports physiologist, so hopefully he can prove to some NASCAR teams that he is changing into a better person.

Another question we’re all wandering is who will fill the seat for the #22 Penske racing Dodge? Will it be David Ragen, David Reutimann, or Brian Vickers?

Kurt Busch understands that he is out at Penske Racing because he had a hard time controlling his anger. Even though it was announced that Kurts departure from Penske Racing was a mutual agreement, a lot of people are not buying that. Competitive rides in the NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series are so hard to come by and Busch’s options for next year and beyond are, well, slim at best. He is not upset about leaving Penske Racing. Kurt said “this gives him a fresh start and I am excited for the future.” Kurt thinks maybe he was not a best fit for Penske Racing. Hopefully the Sports Physiologist can help him get his anger issues handled and he can be a better person in 2012.

I sincerely wish Kurt Bush the best of luck in getting his anger issues handled, and I hope that he finds a ride for next season and beyond.

Grant Enfinger: A Young Talented Racing Professional

2011-11-30T14:21:00.009-05:00

Talented, smart and ambitious that describes Grant Enfinger. Grant Enfinger( born January 22, 1985 in Fairhope Alabama, located in Baldwin County on the Gulf of Mexico) is an American professional race car driver. Grant earned a marketing degree from the University of South Alabama Mitchell School of Business. Grant has many accomplishments on his racing resume that he should be proud of. He has worked very hard to get where he is at in his racing career.

Grant started racing Go-Karts at the age of 11, then he progressed to Legend Cars and then Late models. Competing on short tracks in the southeastern United States, Enfinger posted the fastest lap in the 2007 Snowball Derby.

He began competing in the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards in 2008, competing in four races during that season and continued racing in the series on a limited basis during the next two seasons. His best finish, second occurring twice in 2009 at Chicago land Speedway and Kentucky Speedway. During this period he primarily drove for a family- owned team, which merged with RAB Racing in 2010.

Grant made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut in 2010, finishing 22^nd. Enfinger attempted to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Season- Opening event at Daytona International Speedway, but unfortunately he failed to qualify for the event. In October, he ran the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Talladega Super Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.

In 2011, Enfinger competed in his first full season in the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards with Allgaier Motor Sports. He won one pole at Berlin Raceway and he finished fourth in series standings at the conclusion of the 2011 season.

In October 2011, Grant Enfinger got an amazing opportunity to move his racing career to the next level. He moved to The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with Sinica Motor Sports, a start up team founded by Argentine Businessman George Sinica. George Sinica and Jason Miles are the team owners of Sinica Motor Sports. When I asked Grant how this opportunity came up for him to move to the Sprint Cup Series he said," I met the general manager, Jason Miles, last year before the ARCA race at Rockingham and he has been watching me since then. When this opportunity came up for Jason and George Sinica to partner up in the Cup Series they chose me and I’m thankful for the opportunity." Enfinger attempted his first Sprint Cup Series Race for the team at the 2011 Sprint Cup Series Season Finale at Homestead - Miami Speedway, but unfortunately Grant failed to qualify for the event. Grant said, "I am definitely disappointed that we missed the show at Homestead. It is definitely a big learning experience for all of us involved. We have a lot of great people at Sinica Motor Sports, but not many of us have much experience at the Cup Level so we are all learning together. We feel like we know where our weaknesses are so we can make them better over the off season." When I asked Grant what are his goals for the 2012 season and what are his goals for the future he said," My goals for the 2012 season is to make all the races that we attempt at Sinica Motor Sports and by the end of the year be competitive. My goals for the future is to help build this team into a solid legitimate effort that at the end of the day has the resources the other big teams have and can compete for wins."

I had the privilege to ask the talented Grant Enfinger a couple more questions via email and this is what he had to say:

"When I was 15 years old, I started winning a lot of legend car races all over the Country and I realized I was good at it and that is when I decided to chase my dream. Surprisingly no one in my family has raced or knew much about racing until me."

Grant said that his biggest inspiration is" The guys that have worked their way up the ladder and made most of the opportunities that they have had. Not the ones that just wrote a check."

" The hardest part of my racing career has definitely been when I was running the team myself. I did this while racing late models in Alabama and a part time ARCA Schedule for two years. Find the Sponsors, working with a very small budget, trying to keep everything going without actually having employees and then finding the time to work on the cars and get them ready. Nothing was more heartbreaking than working on the car months in advance hoping to find a sponsor to make a race and not being able to go because of funding."

"The best part of my racing career has been being able to drive for some really good people over the last couple of years. George Bragg whom I drive for in a limited schedule for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, Mike Allgaier who blessed me with a full time ride in the ARCA Series in 2011 and now with Sinica Motor sports in 2012."

"To Physically prepare to be a race car driver, You must have a lot of stamina to make it through a long race, the heat is usually the hardest thing to prepare for. The most effective workouts for me involve 80% running with 20% weights. I try to do that with the heat on and wearing warm clothes."

"I enjoy fishing and watching college football, but the past 5 or 6 years of my life haven’t involved much free time to enjoy things outside of racing."

"I have a shop here in concord, NC where I seem to always have some sort of project going on, but the biggest part of the off-season is getting cars prepped for the next year and putting together sponsor packages."

"Pocono is probably my favorite big track because every corner is different, but I usually like all the short tracks."

"I am very competitive. Whether it’s racing or fishing or whatever the circumstance, I want to win."

"The skills that are required to become a good race car driver are ,You have to have a lot of patience, be able to think and decide what the car is doing very quickly and be able to relate it to the guys helping. You have to be able to relax and still get 100% out of the car, you can’t be on edge for a 4 hour race, it take awhile to learn how to do this. A race car driver must be able to deal with high pressure situations whether its from inside the car, media, sponsors, car owners , etc. "

" My best memory is finishing 3^rd in my first race at Talladega. Talladega is where I grew up watching my heroes. I finished 3^rd with our own team and with all my volunteer buddies that helped me when I was racing late models."

"What I enjoy most about racing is the competition , you aren’t just racing one other team. You are racing 40 other teams that are giving it everything they have."

" I think social media is definitely a good way to get the word out there and let people know what’s going on and lets them see more of the day to day activities in someone’s life that you normally wouldn’t get."

I truly think we will see Grant win some races in the future in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Race fans: Keep your eyes on this young racing professional in 2012 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, I truly believe the future looks bright for Grant Enfinger.

To Grant Enfinger: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions so this article could happen. Good luck with the 2012 racing season with Sinica Motor Sports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Race Fans: To "Like" Grant Enfingers Facebook fan page Click Here.

(Grant and his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Car. Credit goes
to Grant and Sinica Motor Sports)

Kurt Busch Loses His Temper During the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Finale

2011-11-23T01:24:00.014-05:00

During Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Finale At Homestead, analyst Dr. Jerry Punch tried to interview Kurt Busch after the driver was forced out of the race with transmission problems.

Unfortunately Kurt Busch made several profanity- laced remarks as he waited impatiently for a live interview with Dr. Jerry Punch.

In the end, Punch decided he had enough and walked away from Busch telling his producers, "never mind, never mind”.

Moments earlier as he pulled his car into the garage, Busch was seen on his in-car camera giving someone a one-finger salute.

Kurt Busch and his Penske Racing team apologized Tuesday for Kurt's outburst in the garage Sunday at the Sprint Cup Series season finale. “I let my emotions get the better of me," Busch, 33, said in a statement in which he apologized to Penske Racing, NASCAR, fans, media, sponsors "and in particular, Dr. Jerry Punch." Busch's main sponsor is Shell-Pennzoil. Penske Racing also apologized and said Busch's actions were "inconsistent with the company's standards for behavior, respect for others and professionalism."

I had the privilege to speak with ten race fans via social networking. I asked them how they felt about Kurt Busch losing his temper during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Finale.

I understand he was frustrated because of the situation with his car, but taking his frustration out on the wrong people is extremely offensive. He is a role model for so many people. When are these drivers going to realize that their actions are under scrutiny and that people are always watching. I always try to remember that if I don't want my kids to do it, then I shouldn't do something, including how I speak, etc. Many children look up to these drivers and when they see them throwing temper tantrums, it makes them think they can do it because they see the drivers do it. Yes we all get mad, we all get frustrated, but this was a very unprofessional move, and it has been a pattern for Kurt lately. Maybe he has learned too much from watching his brother Kyle, but maybe the biggest lesson he should learn is that if you are willing to act like this, you better be ready to step up and take the punishment that will follow. - Tammy Auman

I think NASCAR should ban the Busch brothers from NASCAR racing all together. They are truly horrible, rude people.- Susan Bruce

He is probably "raging" his way right out of NASCAR. - John Hickson

Totally uncalled for. If anyone knows Dr. Jerry Punch, they know he is a very well respected individual. I know Kurt was highly upset, but there is NO need in treating someone like that . I hope Kurt ends up jobless and broke. - Ashley Thompson

Dr. Jerry Punch is always so professional and to be treated in this manner is just wrong.- Karen Wofford

He is a Busch enough said.- Selina Robinson Pennington

I guess he did not want his brother getting all of the attention! 2 PEAS IN A POD, DISGUSTING! - Carolyn Bunting

First of all he is the worst NASCAR driver EVER. He is just jealous because he didn't win. Kurt only thinks about himself, there are other drivers besides him. - Katie Marie Gehret

The Busch brothers are putting a very bad name to the sport. It's time they both get fired! Apologizes are not enough, they don't mean it. - Robin Mcatee

I met Kurt Busch a few times and he is a nice, cool, funny guy. In the heat of the moment some Busch blood boils and over flows at times.- Tim Speed Kornet
Many race fans are going to have there own opinions about how Kurt Busch lost his temper during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Finale. A lot of Kurt’s fans are very disappointed that he acted immature and unprofessional when he made several profanity- laced remarks as he waited impatiently for a live interview with Dr. Jerry Punch. Kurt has a true passion for racing and sometimes he loses his temper when things are not going right during a race weekend. I hope Kurt knows that he disappointed a lot of race fans and hopefully he will be a better person during the 2012 NASCAR Season.

The NASCAR Aerodynamic and Fuel Injection Test at Daytona International Speedway

2011-11-17T00:55:00.008-05:00

On November 15th, seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams rolled into Daytona International Speedway to do some testing in an effort to evaluate and prepare aerodynamic baseline packages for the January 12-14 2012 Pre Season Thunder Test. The teams that participated in the test were Hendrick Motor Sports ( two cars with drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr and Aric Almirola); Roush Fenway Racing ( two cars with drivers David Ragan and Marcos Ambrose); Joe Gibbs Racing ( one car with driver Joey Logano); Michael Waltrip Racing (one car with driver Martin Truex Jr); and NEMCO Motor Sports ( One car with driver Joe Nemecheck).
Teams first got on the track at 11:45am. The initial restrictor plate size was 29/32 inch and the initial spoiler size was 4 ½ inches tall, 63 inches wide, which was the same spoiler size for last July’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona. By day’s end, the size of the rear spoiler had been reduced to 3 inches tall by 62 inches wide. The smaller spoiler results in less down force and drag, but still allows the cars to maintain high speeds and remain under control.
“Tuesday’s test session was a positive step in finding a solution to the drafting style at Daytona. I think we’re all in agreement that we probably wont totally rid ourselves of the tandem racing.” - Dale Earnhardt Jr

"We tried several different packages and what we're trying to do is put an end to this two-car draft, or at least make it so we can only get together for a lap or two and have to switch or run in a pack."-Martin Truex Jr

Joe Nemechek, a driver/car owner, reached 203 mph without a drafting partner during Tuesday’s test session at Daytona. Nemecheck was testing with Triad Engine Development, a North Carolina- based company. They were using a 1 1/16- inch plate and a 3 inch radius spoiler.
Both Earnhardt and Truex agreed that the transition to Electronic Fuel Injection in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is right on track. The sport's premier series will implement EFI beginning at Daytona next season. "The computer guys like what they've seen so far with the EFI test and I'll tell you what, when I've tested the EFI car, it drives as well or better than the carburetor cars," said Earnhardt. "To be honest with you, if you didn't know it when you got into the car, you couldn't tell a difference," said Truex. "The only thing that's different is the way it starts. You don't have to pump the gas like a normal carburetor. You just flip the switch and crank it up like a street car.
"One of our goals is to give the teams more options when it comes to how they draft and we believe we're headed in the right direction on that. We want to be able to reduce the difference in the speeds between the tandem style of racing and more of the pack style of racing and we made a lot of good progress on that here today. The real goal is to try to formulate a package at least that we can give to the teams so they can work on coming down here in January for the Daytona 500 test."- John Darby- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director.

I had the privilege to speak with five race fans via social networking. I asked them how they felt about the tandem racing.
"I hate the tandem racing! I would rather see the pack racing. I go to Talladega every fall, but the last couple of years I have been more interested in going to a river to eat than watching that form of racing." - John Hickson

"I don’t like the tandem racing. I think the pack racing is a lot more exciting. It just seems with the new car design that pack racing is just not feasible, I really don't understand why." - Karen Wofford

"I do not like the tandem racing at all ! It defeats the purpose of having large tracks ! I also do not like Kyle Busch and his style of Racing ! NASCAR is not happy with the stands half full. NASCAR will continue to make the majority of the fans unhappy! Someday NASCAR will wake up just like AMERICA and do the right thing ! Lets just hope and pray its not to late for either." - Jerry Hack Bradshaw

"I do not like the tandem racing! I would rather see them run the same part of the track as the Rolex cars."- Kenneth Mazza
"Loose the rear spoiler, air dam/ splitter, and side skirts. Require 4" ground clearance. Also loose the squared off rear bumpers and run a stock shaped rear bumper cover. I think these changes would require the drivers to go slower in the turns and eliminate the tandem drafting". - Miles Turner

I believe NASCAR is doing the right thing by trying to eliminate the Tandem racing or reduce it at least. Many race fans do not enjoy watching that form of racing. NASCAR did not find a solution on how they are going to eliminate or reduce the tandem racing, but they learned a lot and they gathered a lot of information from Tuesday’s Test at Daytona. I honestly don’t think we will see tandem racing go away completely, but I believe we will at least see the tandem racing reduced a little bit in 2012.

Outback Steakhouse Joins Stewart- Hass Racing

2011-11-13T02:21:00.003-05:00

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase competitor Ryan Newman and his teammate/boss Tony Stewart both know what Steak house they will be visiting often in 2012.

Newman’s team, Stewart- Hass Racing, which campaigns Chevrolets for Newman and team co-owner Tony Stewart signed an agreement with Outback Steak house to be the primary sponsor on Newman’s No.39 for two races in 2012.

When not serving as primary, Outback will be an associate partner with placement of their logo on the B-pillar of Newman’s Chevy Impala. The steakhouse joins the U.S Army, Quicken Loans and Tornados as primary sponsors on the No.39 Sprint Cup Series Chevy Impala.

"I've always been a huge fan of Outback Steakhouse and I know why it's been voted the best steak year in and year out," said Newman, who has 15 Sprint Cup wins on his resume - including the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in 2008.

"Given their leadership and performance on and off the track, we are pleased to partner with the likes of SHR and Ryan Newman," said Jeff Smith, president of Outback.

"Outback Steakhouse and SHR share the same passion and commitment to excellence that drives us in our everyday operations," said Stewart. "Outback's reputation for quality and great service aligns nicely with our approach to being a leading performer on the track, and we're excited for all the things we can accomplish together."

"As a fan of Outback Steakhouse, I'm excited to have them on board as a new sponsor in 2012," said Ryan Newman. "They've always been a brand known for quality and excellence -- the same qualities I bring to the track."

The announcement was made during a press conference at Phoenix. Tony Stewart, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, joined Newman and Outback Steakhouse Chief Marketing Officer, Mike Kappitt, in the unveiling of the No. 39 Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet Impala.

To see another article about Stewart- Hass Racing Click Here.

Newgarden Co-Drives To Dan Wheldon Cup

2011-11-10T01:14:00.002-05:00

One of the most unique events of the year took place on October 23^rd with the running of the eighth annual RoboPong 200 Presented by Bridgestone and NOS at the New Castle Motor Sports Park. Racers battled in teams of 2 to 4 drivers for 200 laps aboard TaG powered karts. The team that took on the competitors, track, conditions, and with some luck, crossed the finish line first, and took home a $6,000 payday.

This years RoboPong 200 Presented by Bridgestone and NOS took place with a heavy heart for all racers and fans that attended. The motor sports world lost Brit driver Dan Wheldon in a crash at the IZOD IndyCar Series World Championships in Las Vegas. Since 2005, Wheldon was a competitor of the RoboPong 200 and former winner with Mark Dismore Jr.New Castle Motor sports Park honored Dan Weldon’s love of karting at the 2011 Robopong 200 Presented by Bridgestone and NOS. In honor on Dan Wheldon the Robopong 200 Presented by Bridgestone and NOS trophy will be known as the Dan Wheldon Cup and the trophy will be on display at NCMP with Dan's likeness and past winners displayed on the trophy after this year's race.

After 200 hard laps and multiple lead changes, Mark Dismore Sr. and reigning Indy Lights Champion Josef Newgarden took the win over Sam Beasley and Brandon Jones. It was an emotional day for everyone involved and all the competitors will miss going wheel to wheel with a great driver and an even better person.

Newgarden, who like so many started racing in karts, is appreciative of the example Wheldon set on and off the racetrack.

"He set a great example for a lot of young guys coming up through the ranks, wanting to be professional race car drivers," Newgarden said.

IZOD IndyCar Series driver Ed Carpenter, the 2009 race winner with engineer Nathan O'Rourke, attended Wheldon's funerel Oct. 22 in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the public memorial service at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis following the karting race.

"I think being at the racetrack is the best thing," Carpenter said.

IZOD IndyCar Series competitor Jay Howard, the 2006 Firestone Indy Lights champion and 2010 RoboPong 200 winner, also competed.

The 2011 RoboPong 200 Presented by Bridgestone and NOS Kart Race was a great way to honor “Indy Car Superstar” Dan Wheldon. R.I.P Dan Wheldon.

England Kart Race To Honor Dan Wheldon

2011-11-09T11:14:00.013-05:00

Dan Wheldon, who was killed on Oct. 16 in the IZOD IndyCar Series season finale in Las Vegas, will be honored in a memorial endurance kart race on Dec. 5 at the Daytona Milton Keynes karting circuit in Milton Keynes, England.The event will be about 10 miles from Weldon’s hometown of Emberton, England -- with proceeds from ticket sales and public race entrants directed to the Wheldon family's nominated charity, the Alzheimer’s Association.

The event will see drivers joining together to remember their close friend and colleague. Between 25 and 30 teams, each including a professional driver and three members of the public, will take part in the two-hour endurance race. Four Time IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti and 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button are among the initial list of drivers confirmed to participate in the endurance Kart race. Others scheduled to participate include sportscar driver Anthony Davidson, Le Mans winner Guy Smith and World Touring Car Championship title contender Rob Huff.

"Aside from raising funds for one of the family’s chosen charities, I wanted to bring together people who knew and raced with Dan, to have some fun in his honor and give him a sendoff he would have been proud of," said race organizer Johnny Mowlem, a sports car racer and longtime personal friend of the family.

“The event has the full support of Dan’s family.His dad and brothers will be taking part in the evening. I hope members of the public will also appreciate the opportunity to take part and remember one of Britain’s most successful and charismatic champions.”

If you would like to donate to the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of Dan Wheldon Click Here.

Danica Patrick Is Ready For The 2012 NASCAR Season

2011-11-05T04:55:00.005-04:00

On August 25th via live video conference on NASCAR.COM, Danica ended months of Speculation after announcing her 2012 plans. Danica made it official that she will move to the NASCAR Nationwide Series full-time in 2012, and also run a partial Sprint Cup schedule for Stewart- Hass Racing. During the live conference, Danica Patrick and Go Daddy.COM founder Bob Parson signed the last document to make it official for her to race in the Nationwide Series full time. Danica will have sponsorship from Go Daddy.COM with JR Motor Sports in the Nationwide Series and Stewart-Haas Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. She will race the #7 Go Daddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motor Sports in the Nationwide Series full time next season.

On November 4^th at Texas Motor Speedway, Danica Patrick and Stewart- Hass Racing revealed her 2012 part time Sprint Cup Schedule and what her Sprint Cup Series Car will look like. Danica Patrick will make her Sprint Cup Series debut at the 2012 Daytona 500.Patrick will race a N0.10 Sprint Cup Chevrolet, bearing the number she first used in Karting, during Daytona’s Speed weeks, where she currently will need to qualify on time. Patrick is not guaranteed a spot in the 500, though it's likely she'll be in the field. She could make the race on speed during qualifying or race her way in during the Gatorade Duel at Daytona. Stewart could also transfer his 2011 points to Patrick's entry. Stewart, who is second in the Sprint Cup points standings this season, can move his points to Patrick next season and still rely on his past champion provisional to make the 500.

"If we need to qualify, we'll qualify," Patrick said. "I have a lot of faith in the team. That's why I chose them.

"This is a really good team," she said. "Tony's running for the championship these last three races. I don't have any doubt we will be fast enough."

Patrick's other announced Cup race dates include Darlington on Mother's Day weekend, plus the late summer/fall races at Bristol, Atlanta, Chicagoland, Dover, Texas and Phoenix.

Patrick has no crew chief at this point, and Stewart said the team is looking for another driver and sponsor to give the No. 10 entry more starts.

"We're trying to find the right fit," Stewart said of the crew chief search. "It's very much a marriage. It's finding the right personalities to work together."

Patrick will test at Daytona during Preseason Thunder in January and may turn laps Nov. 15 on DIS during a one-day test for the 2012 fuel injection system.

To Danica Patrick: Good luck in the Nationwide Series full time and the Sprint Cup Series part time in 2012! All of your fans wish you the best of luck in your NASCAR career.

To see another article about Danica Patrick Click Here.

The 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Win Star World Casino 350k At Texas Motor Speedway Preview

2011-11-04T03:07:00.005-04:00

On November 4^th, The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rolls into Texas Motor Speedway to start race twenty four out of twenty five on the Truck Series Season Schedule. Last season as well as in 2009, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader wrapped up the championship with a race remaining on the schedule. That's not likely to happen in 2011. With 15 points covering the top four title contenders it's virtually assured the championship won't be settled until the final lap of the last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 18. Practice and Qualifying for the Truck Series took place Thursday, November 3^rd.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series had two practice sessions on Thursday. Johnny Sauter, driving the #13-SafeAuto/Curb Records Chevrolet for ThorSport Racing, had the fastest lap with a top speed of 181.391 mph to lead the opening practice session for the Win Star World Casino 350k at Texas Motor Speedway. Rounding out the top ten were; #29-Parker Kligerman, #18-Kyle Busch, #88-Matt Crafton, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #8-Nelson Piquet Jr., #60-Cole Whitt, #2-Kevin Harvick, #21-Ty Dillon #31-James Buescher. There were 34 trucks on track for the opening session.

James Buescher, driving the #31-Exide Chevrolet for Turner Motor Sports, was quickest in the final practice session for the Win Star World Casino 350k at Texas Motor Speedway with a top speed of 180.626 mph. Rounding out the top ten were; #8-Nelson Piquet Jr., #88-Matt Crafton, #21-Ty Dillon, #3-Austin Dillon, #33-Ron Hornaday Jr., #22-Joey Coulter, #2-Kevin Harvick, #13-Johnny Sauter, #18-Kyle Busch. There were 37 trucks on track for the final session.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Qualifying was Thursday night. James Buescher won the Keystone Light Pole for the Wind Star World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway with a speed of 181.062 mph. This is his third career pole; all coming in 2011.Starting Lineup for the 13^th Annual Win Star World Casino 350 k at Texas Motor Speedway: 1.) James Buescher 2.) Austin Dillon 3.)Blake Feese 4.) Kyle Busch 5.)Ricky Carmichael 6.)Justin Lofton 7.) Nelson Piquet Jr 8.) Ty Dillon 9.) Ron Hornaday Jr 10.) Kevin Harvick 11.)Matt Crafton 12.)Johnny Sauter 13.) Parker Kligerman 14.) Joey Coulter 15.) Timothy Peters 16.) David Star 17) Miguel Paludo 18.) Cole Whitt 19.)Todd Bodine 20.) Johanna Long 21.) Brendan Gaughan 22.) Johnny Chapman 23.)Jason White 24.) Max Papis 25.) BJ McLeod 26.) Ryan Sieg 27.)Clay Greenfield 28.) Rick Crawford 29.)Jake Crum 30.) Mike Garvey31.) TJ Bell 32.) Mike Harmon 33.) Ross Chastain 34.) Jack Smith 35.) Chris Jones 36.) Jennifer Jo Cobb DNQ: #65 Tim Andrews; #57 Norm Benning; #76 Derek White.

The 19-year-old RCR driver, grandson of team owner Richard Childress, will make his first start at Texas Motor Speedway and second career NCWTS start this weekend in the WinStar Casino 350k. Dillon made his first career NCWTS start at Kentucky Speedway in October. This weekend's #21 Chevrolet will adorn a new design for the WinStar World Casino 350k at Texas Motor Speedway. Dillon and Company welcome Sherwin-Williams and Cain Food Industries to the truck. Sherwin Williams joins Dillon and the #21 team this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway -- the nation's largest specialty retailer of paint, stains, coatings, wall coverings and sundry items. Also on board, Cain Food Industries, Inc. providing a local link to the Lone Star State for the #21 team this weekend. Founded by Ernie and Billie Cain and now in its third generation of family ownership, Cain takes pride in being your preferred supplier of technical baking ingredients and has more than 40 years of experience in their business.

The Big Red Tundra has taken to the track twice this season, once with Germain Racing driver Brendan Gaughan behind the wheel at Texas Motor Speedway in June, and in July with Germain Racing driver Todd Bodine steering the #5 Big Red/International Trucks Tundra for Randy Moss Motor sports at Indianapolis Raceway Park. This weekend, Texas fans are in for another Big Red weekend as Bodine will race the Big Red Tundra on Friday night. Bodine has amassed six wins at Texas Motor Speedway as part of Germain Racing's win count of seven at the Fort Worth track.

Jake Crum and Bandit will once again be joining forces for the Win Star World Casino 350, November 4th at Texas Motor Speedway. Crum will be behind the wheel of the #55 Bandit Chippers.com Chevrolet Silverado. Bandit will once again be the sole sponsor for Jake and Team Crum Racing, though the Tree Care Industry Association and the American Loggers Council will also be displayed on the truck. With the annual TCIA Expo taking place in Connecticut during the race and the largest, cleanest biomass power plant in Texas now up and running just a few hours from the speedway, the timing couldn't be better to help raise awareness for these two organizations.

Johanna Long and the Panhandle Motors sports team will return to NASCAR Camping World Truck Series action on Friday, November 4 in the WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway. Long and the Panhandle Grading and Paving team are pleased to welcome Pegasus Helicopter Group on board at Texas Motor Speedway. The Pegasus Helicopter is a new unique helicopter design concept using pressure jet technology. The technology is so significant that it reduces demands on the pilot by dramatically reducing torque and virtually eliminating the dead man's curve. The vehicle is as easy to operate as a five-speed car. Robert Zummo, CEO Pegasus Helicopter Group says, "We are thrilled to team with Panhandle Grading and Paving and Long. This is our first teaming arrangement in NASCAR and we specifically chose Long because we believe she is on the brink of stardom. Her driving ability is astonishing for a 19 year old female and we look forward to watching her mature in the 2012 season.

American Eurocopter joins RCR as primary sponsor of the #22 Chevrolet with driver Joey coulter for this weekend. Based outside of Dallas, American Eurocopter manufactures, markets, sells, assembles, supports and provides training solutions for Eurocopter rotary-wing aircraft in the United States. Since beginning operations in 1969, it has become a leading provider of helicopters of U.S. civilian, parapublic and military markets. In his lone NCWTS appearance at Texas Motor Speedway in June 2011, Coulter finished fifth after starting second. With 201 points, Coulter leads the NCWTS Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings, four markers ahead of Cole Whitt, who is second in the standings.

MB Motor sports and Seal Wrap will wrap up their 2011 program to support Operation Home front at Texas Motor Speedway in the Win Star World Casino 350K. Jack Smith will be making his third start at the fast 1.5 mile quad-oval in the #63 Seal Wrap / Operation Home front Ford for MB Motor sports. MB Motor sports and Seal Wrap will wrap up their 2011 program to support Operation Home front at Texas Motor Speedway in the Win Star World Casino 350K. Jack Smith will be making his third start at the fast 1.5 mile quad-oval in the #63 Seal Wrap / Operation Home front Ford for MB Motor sports. Operation Home front provides direct services to alleviate a military family's or individual's actual/complete emergency financial burden, as well as counseling and/or recovery support. To volunteer, contact your local operation home front chapter. You can make an automatic $5 donation by texting HERO to 50555.

Kyle Busch Motor sports is thrilled to announce that 10-year-old Gabe Bridges-Aldridge from Justin, Texas was selected the winner of the "Riding Shotgun with Kyle Busch Motor sports" essay contest for Texas Motor Speedway. Bridges-Aldridge's name and picture will adorn the area above the passenger side window of the #18 Traxxas Tundra for the WinStar World Casino 350k NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Friday, Nov. 4. Bridges-Aldridge and his family will have the opportunity to attend Friday's event compliments of Texas Motor Speedway and will get the chance to meet Busch on the starting grid prior to the race. Bridges-Aldridge, a student at Clara Love Elementary School, had his essay selected as the winner among submissions from children ages 5-12 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. "The most important thing in life is when you play your best and that's what makes a winner," Brides-Aldridge proclaimed in his essay. "I know even if we lose, we still win with him as our coach. He teaches us to never give up on the team or ourselves and I will never give up”.

Kevin Harvick Inc. co-owner Kevin Harvick is back in the saddle of the #2 Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to the great state of Texas for the WinStar World Casino 350K. During the veteran driver's career, he has made a total of three Truck Series starts at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth track capturing one top-five and one top-10 finish. Although Harvick has yet to visit victory lane in the Truck Series at Texas, he has collected four wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Nelson Piquet Jr. and KHI's #8 Qualcomm/Tagg Pet Tracker Chevrolet Silverado team will make their way to the Southwest this week with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the WinStar World Casino 350K at Texas Motor Speedway. The Friday night race will mark the Brazilian native's third Truck Series start at the 1.5-mile track, where he has earned one top-10 finish in his Truck Series career. During his last trip to the track Piquet Jr. spent most of the evening running near the front of the pack, before being shuffled out of the top 10 during a green-white-checkered finish, leaving the young driver with a 13th-place finish. The #8 Qualcomm Chevrolet will promote the Tagg Pet Tracker which uses GPS and wireless technology to monitor a pet's location and notify its owner via email and text if he or she leaves a specified area. The Tagg system was developed by Snaptracs Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm.

This weekend at Texas Motor Speedway four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday will be racing to capture his fourth win at the 1.5-mile quad oval. The Kevin Harvick Inc. driver swept the June and October races in 2008 and captured the victory back in June. In 17 starts at the track, the veteran has six top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in addition to the three wins and has led a total of 681 laps. With two races to go in the season, Hornaday sits third, 15 points out of the lead. One-Man Financial will be on board with Hornaday in Friday night’s Truck Series Race at Texas.

Buescher will pilot the #31 Exide Batteries Chevrolet Silverado on Friday evening, and will also drive the #30 ABF Chevrolet in Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series event. Not only does driver James Buescher consider Texas Motor Speedway his home track but so does Turner Motor sports team owner, Steve Turner. Turner, along with his wife Sandra, live outside of Houston, only four hours from the "Great American Speedway." In August, Texas Motor Speedway launched an incentive based reading program called "Speeding to Read," a platform which encourages children to read, at Clara Love Elementary. The program is part of NASCAR's ongoing effort in targeting the younger demographic. On Thursday morning, James Buescher will visit the winning class to congratulate them on their accomplishments and encourage them to continue reading. James Buescher and the #31 Exide Batteries team remain in one of the closest battles in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history. The Turner Motor sports team is only 11 markers out of the championship point lead with two races remaining on the 2011 schedule.

The #32 Chevy Silverado will have a new look on track this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.Cyclone Anaya's Mexican Kitchen will adorn the hood of Blake Feese's #32 machine. Created by former Mexican professional wrestler Cyclone Anaya, the Mexican eatery has become a staple in the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston areas. The restaurant serves up "Fine Mex," a blend of the traditional and the modern. This will be Blake Feese's first NASCAR Truck Series start at Texas Motor Speedway.

Four-time Texas Motor Speedway winner Brendan Gaughan will pilot the #62 International Trucks/Monaco RVs Toyota this week at in the WinStar World Casino 350k at TMS. Gaughan last raced for International under the MaxxForce Engines brand in 2008. His best finish for International that season was third at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a sister track to Texas. Gaughan's crew chief in 2008 was Bryan Berry, who also leads Gaughan's efforts in the #62 Tundra at Germain Racing.

Once again the Build Your Future Campaign will join Zachry on the SS Green Light Racing #81 Toyota with driver David Starr. This week they will be joined by the Boot Campaign on Starr's hometown ride. As part of Careers in Construction week Starr will make a special appearance at the Build Your Future construction career day in Dallas on Wednesday. "It's always great to come back home to Texas to race, it's really a fun weekend when all three NASCAR Series are racing here," said Starr. "I'm really excited that we get to start the weekend with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race under the lights on Friday night."Starr has 26 starts at the Texas Motor Speedway, the most of any track over his 14-year NCWTS career, and is currently thirteenth in the NCWTS standings with just two races remaining in 2011.

Every time you have Sprint Cup drivers in a Truck Series race, you know they have a really good shot at winning. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are in the field this weekend at Texas so keep an eye on them two! Austin Dillon is currently the points leader by 11 points over James Buescher, so expect to see Austin doing his best to run upfront and compete for the win so he can stay the points leader. Race Fans you do not want to miss the second to last race in the 2011 Truck Series Season. To watch the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Wind Star World Casino 350K Race at Texas Motor Speedway, you have to tune into the SPEED Channel at 8p.m ET Friday and get ready to be at the edge of your seat until the Checkered flag waves in the air!

Reutimann's Racing Career Has Been Decent And In 2012 He Will Be Out At MWR

2011-11-03T17:25:00.002-04:00

41 year old David Reutimann ( born March 2, 1970 in Zephyrhills, Florida) is the son of Buzzie Reutimann, who made one NASCAR start in 1963. Reutimann lives in Mooresville, North Carolina, with his wife Lisa and daughter Emilia (born 2001). They are members of Berea Baptist Church in Mooresville. Before he was a full-time race car driver, Reutimann worked briefly for United Parcel Service. David has many accomplishments in his racing career that he should be proud of.
He began his racing career in dirt- track modifieds and late models before moving up to the Slim Jim Pro Series in 1997. David was named the 1997 Slim Jim Pro Series Rookie of the Year. The next season, he dropped to seventh in points, but he still earned the 1998 Slim Jim Pro Series Sportsman Award.
In 2002, David made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at the 2002 Hardees’s 250 (Richmond). He scored his first and only Nationwide victory at the 2007 Sam’s Town 250 (Memphis).
David made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at the 2004 Florida Dodge Dealers 250 (Daytona). He scored his first and only win in the Truck Series at the 2005 Toyota Tundra 200 ( Nashville).
David made his Sprint Cup debut at the 2005 UAW- GM Quality 500 (Charlotte).In 168 Sprint Cup Series starts, all for Michael Waltrip Racing, Reutimann recorded two wins, 12 top-five, 25 top-10 finishes and won four pole awards.
Unfortunately in 2012 David will have to find a new ride in NASCAR. Michael Waltrip Racing announced today that driver David Reutimann will not return to the team for the 2012 season. Reutimann will remain with the team for the final three races of the 2011 season.