Tag Archives: Darlington Raceway

NASCAR issues fines/probation to Phoenix Racing & SHR (Newman) teams

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NASCAR has fined Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 51 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, $50,000 and placed him on NASCAR probation until July 25 for his actions during the May 12 race at Darlington Raceway.

Kurt Busch violated Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; reckless driving on pit road during the race; involved in an altercation with another competitor after the completion of the race) of the 2012 NASCAR Rule Book. Additionally, Craig Strickler, a crew member for the No. 51 team, has been fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; interfering with a member of the broadcast media).

Tony Gibson, crew chief for the No. 39 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, has been placed on NASCAR probation until June 27 for violating Section 12-1 and Sections 12-4G and 9-4A (Crew chief assumes responsibility for the actions of his team members). Andrew Rueger, a crew member for the No. 39 team, has been fined $5,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until June 27 for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing; failure to comply with a directive from a NASCAR official). Both of these violations occurred post-race.

NASCAR PR

Phoenix Racing’s Kurt Busch flies off handle after Darlington incident

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According to Jayskis, several of Ryan Newman’s crewmen confronted Phoenix Racing’s Kurt Busch Saturday night at Darlington Raceway following Kurt Busch’s angry burnout through Newman’s pit box.

After Busch had a flat tire and crashed with six laps remaining – an incident which also collected Newman – the Phoenix Racing driver lost his cool and began yelling on the team radio. When Busch completed his pit stop to fix damage shortly after the wreck, he did a loud, angry burnout while leaving his pit box.

However, during the burnout, Busch drove through Newman’s pit box as well – and several Newman crew members were still over the wall after recently completing service on the #39 car. Among the angry crewmen was Newman’s gas man, Andy Rueger, who went to the Phoenix Racing hauler to await Busch’s arrival. Busch’s crew chief Nick Harrison instructed Busch to stop at the entrance of pit road and leave the car there instead. The driver was livid on the radio and had been screaming obscenities during the final few laps, and the team felt it would be a good idea for him just to get off the track.

Words were exchanged between the crewmen and Busch, and a NASCAR official fell onto Busch’s hood in the process. Robin Pemberton said the official just lost his footing.

It’s unclear whether NASCAR will issue any penalties in this situation.

NASCAR Nationwide Series News – Darlington

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Race #: 9 out of 33
Track Size: 1.366 miles
Race Length: 200 miles
Banking Turns 1 & 2: 25 degrees
Banking Turns 3 & 4: 23 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 6 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 6 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,229 feet
Backstretch: 1,229 feet

Friday
Qualifying – ESPN2 @ 3:30 p.m. ET
NASCAR Countdown airs at 6:30 p.m. ET
VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 airs live Friday Night on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.

IN THE DRIVERS’ SEAT
Danny Efland will drive the #4 for Johnny Davis;
Matt Frahm will be in the #08 for Randy Hill Racing;
Eric McClure will not race this weekend. Jeff Green will be the driver of the #14 Hefty/Reynolds Wrap
Black Koch returns to the Rick Ware #15;
Jamie Dick will drive the #23;
Brendan Gaughan will drive the RCR #33;
Ryan Blaney returns to the #36;
Josh Richards will again drive the Go Green #39;
The #52 for Jimmy Means is TBD;
David Green will drive the #70 in a deal with ML Motorsports to keep team in the top 30;
Travis Pastrana will run his second race in the RAB #99.
Casey Roderick is now listed as driver of the #24, in place of Benny Gordon.
Derrike Cope will be in the #70 for ML Motorsports.
Tony Raines will be in the #10 for TriStar Motorsports

TOP 10 STANDINGS

RANK +/- DRIVER POINTS BEHIND
1 +1 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 325 Leader
2 -1 Elliott Sadler 320 -5
3 – Austin Dillon* 290 -35
4 – Sam Hornish Jr. 265 -60
5 +1 Cole Whitt* 248 -77
6 -1 Michael Annett 241 -84
7 – Justin Allgaier 228 -97
8 – Tayler Malsam 202 -123
9 +1 Mike Bliss 201 -124
10 +1 Joe Nemechek 189 -136

RICKY STENHOUSE, JR.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has fought back from ninth in the standings following Daytona to retake the No. 1 position five points ahead of second-place Elliott Sadler.

TOP DRIVERS IN NNS RACE

Darlington Raceway has caused many of NASCAR’s top drivers to sign up for this Friday’s VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 under the lights. Not only will the field have the likes of NSCS drivers Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin, but also NNS standouts Travis Pastrana and Danica Patrick. Patrick will be pulling double duty, driving the No. 10 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet in the NSCS race Saturday night. The weekend will be Patrick’s and Pastrana’s NASCAR national series track debut at Darlington Raceway.

CARL EDWARDS

Carl Edwards will move to analyst for ESPN on two upcoming telecasts of NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Edwards will make his debut during ESPN2′s live telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway joining announcer Allen Bestwick and analyst Andy Petree in the booth on Friday night, May 11, at 6:30 p.m. ET.

ERIC McCLURE

It is NASCAR’s policy that a driver that receives a concussion must be cleared by a neurosurgeon with at least five years of experience with sports-related head injuries before being allowed back in the car. In some sports leagues the athlete must wait at least seven days before returning to action. There will be only six days between Saturday’s crash and Friday’s race. Brandt said McClure will meet with a specialist on Tuesday or Wednesday to determine his status. He is scheduled to hold a press conference on Friday at Darlington.

McClure’s sister and PR representative reported “He’s sore and just needs to rest a few days and be with his family and go to his doctor appointments,” Brandt said. After his release McClure was driven back to his Chilhowie, Va., home by his father, who has been with him at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center since the accident.

KURT BUSCH

Kurt Busch says he’s planning to run both Nationwide series races at Iowa Speedway this season. Busch says he’s slated to run both the May 20 and August 4 races in Iowa this season in the #54 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

PATRICK VS HORNISH

Danica Patrick will hear from NASCAR officials about sending Sam Hornish Jr. into the wall following the Nationwide Series race last Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway, but she likely won’t be penalized. The two drivers, whose rivalry goes back to their days racing go-karts and extended to the IndyCar Series, likely will both be talked to by NASCAR officials prior to practice tomorrow (Friday) at Darlington Raceway for what happened after the Aaron’s 312 on Saturday.

NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton indicated that Patrick’s actions did not rise to the level of Kyle Busch retaliating against Ron Hornaday in a Truck Series race last November at Texas Motor Speedway, where Busch was suspended for the Nationwide and Cup events later that weekend.

 

 

MWR transport driver to drive FDNY Rescue 4 in Darlington Hauler Parade to honor brother killed on 9/11

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Photo from The Rememberance Rescue Project

Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 15 5-hour ENERGY transport driver Al Nelson, a native of Long Island, N.Y., will get the special opportunity on Thursday night in Darlington to honor his brother Peter Allen Nelson. Peter Nelson was a firefighter in FDNY Rescue 4 killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

Members of the Remembrance Rescue Project, a not-for-profit created by firefighters to restore, preserve and operate Rescue 4 and Rescue 5 from 9/11 as educational tools, historical artifacts and memorials, reached out to Al Nelson last month. The group informed Nelson that former FDNY Rescue 4 will be in Darlington at the same time as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events and asked if he would be willing to drive the Rescue 4 truck in the Darlington Car Hauler Parade on Thursday night.

Nelson agreed and will now drive the Rescue 4 truck in Thursday night’s festivities.

“I learned about the Remembrance Rescue Project about a month ago, but I think what they are doing is truly special,” said Nelson. “My brother Pete and I used to be volunteer firefighters together at Huntington Manor Fire Dept. in Huntington Station, Long Island. Being a firefighter is something that people can’t take away from you. It was something that we enjoyed doing together and it had a camaraderie and brotherhood that is hard to explain.

“Pete was a really good firefighter and moved up the ranks pretty quick. He moved to Queens to be a part of Rescue 4 and worked his way up to third assistant chief by Sept. 11. He was on the fast track at the time he died and since then had his rank elevated to Honorary Chief. To be able to honor him in this way and see the things that the Remembrance Rescue Project are doing to honor the legacy of the men that passed and educate the young people on Sept. 11 is even better.”

Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota will also run a special Remembrance Rescue Project decal on the lower rear quarter panel throughout the race weekend at Darlington.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Rescues 1 and 2 lost their rigs at the World Trade Center, and those of Rescues 3 and 5 required major repairs before being placed back into service. Immediately after 9/11, Rescue 4 was the only rescue company covering the City of New York.

The Project involving former FDNY Rescue 4 and Rescue 5 is an educational effort focused at society, especially those who are too young to understand the events of September 11th and what that day means to members of the fire service and to the country as a whole.

The Eighth Annual Darlington Car Hauler Parade takes place on Thursday, May 10. The event starts at 4 p.m. with entertainment and live music at the Florence Civic Center in Florence, S.C. The parade begins at 7 p.m. and makes its way along a 12-mile route to Darlington Square.

Peter Allen Nelson’s obituary as published in the New York Times on Nov. 21, 2001 can be found here.

For more information or to make a donation to the Remembrance Rescue Project, please visit www.remembrance.co.

Source: MWR Media Release

NASCAR Stats & Notes for Darlington Raceway

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Race #: 11 of 36
Track Size: 1.366 miles
Race Length: 501.322 miles
Banking Turns 1 & 2: 25 degrees
Banking Turns 3 & 4: 23 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 6 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 6 degrees
Frontstretch: 1,229 feet
Backstretch: 1,229 feet

Bojangles’ Southern 500
Airs: NSCS – Saturday night, (FOX, live 7 p.m. ET)

2011 pole winner: Kasey Kahne (181.254 mph, 27.131 seconds, 05-06-11)
2011 race winner: Regan Smith (129.678 mph, 05-07-11)
Track qualifying record: Kasey Kahne (181.254 mph, 27.131 seconds, 05-06-11)
Track race record: Kyle Busch (140.350 mph, 05-10-08)

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina going into the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on May 12.

Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M / OH / ES Ford)
·         Two wins, two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 14.2

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Wrigley Toyota)
·         One win, one top five, three top 10s
·         Average finish of 17.1

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard Chevrolet)
·         Three top fives, seven top 10s
·         Average finish of 15.2

Carl Edwards (No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford)
·         Three top fives, five top 10s
·         Average finish of 13.9

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet)
·         Seven wins, 18 top fives, 21 top 10s; three poles
·         Average finish of 11.1

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota)
·         One win, two top fives, five top 10s
·         Average finish of 6.5

Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s / KOBALT Tools Chevrolet)
·         Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s
·         Average finish of 9.8

Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Rockwell Tools Chevrolet)
·         Three top fives, three top 10s; four poles
·         Average finish of 14.6

Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
·         One top five, two top 10s
·         Average finish of 7.3

Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats Chevrolet)
·         Three top fives, five top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 14.5

Ryan Newman (No. 39 WIX Chevrolet)
·         Seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
·         Average finish of 11.6

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot / Mobil 1 Chevrolet)
·         Three top fives, 10 top 10s
·         Average finish of 12.3

Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota)
·         Two top 10s
·         Average finish of 12.3

FACTS:
Gas, leaded of course, cost 18 cents a gallon, the average price of a new automobile was $1,510 and the average wages were $3,210.

HISTORY
·  Built as a 1.25-mile paved superspeedway in 1949-50, Darlington Raceway hosted the first 500-mile race in NASCAR history and the first on asphalt on Sept. 4, 1950.
·  The track was re-measured to 1.375 miles in 1953.
·  The track was re-configured to 1.366 miles following the spring race in 1970.
·  The track was repaved in 1995.
·  The 2005 race was the first Saturday night race at Darlington.
·  The track was repaved again prior to the 2008 season.
·  There have been 108 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Darlington Raceway since the track opened in 1950.
·  There was one race per year in 1950, 1951, from 1953-1959, and again every year since 2005. Darlington held two races a season in all other years.
·  Curtis Turner won the first pole, in 1950.
·  Johnny Mantz won the first race, in 1950.
·  47 drivers have posted poles at Darlington.
·  David Pearson leads all drivers with 12 poles at Darlington.
·  45 drivers have won races at Darlington; 25 drivers have won more than once there.
·  David Pearson leads all drivers with 10 victories, followed by Dale Earnhardt with nine.
·  Jeff Gordon is third overall and leads all active drivers with seven victories.
·  Hendrick Motorsports has won 13 races at Darlington, more than any other organization.
· 19 races at Darlington have been won from the pole, the most productive starting position. Dale Jarrett was the last driver to win from the pole in 1997.
·  The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 43rd, in the track’s inaugural race in 1950 by Johnny Mantz. That race had a 75-car field.
·   Darlington is the site of one of the closest race finishes in NASCAR history. Ricky Craven edged Kurt Busch by 0.002 seconds on March 16, 2003 – which is tied with Talladega (April 17, 2011) as the two smallest margins of victory since NASCAR instituted electronic timing in 1993.
· Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Darlington Raceway winner: Kyle Busch (05/10/2008 – 23 years, 0 months, 8 days).
·   Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Darlington Raceway winner: Harry Gant (05/06/1991 – 51 years, 7 months, 22 days)

RACE CHATTER
Regan Smith was the surprise winner of last year’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 – the second of three, first time winners of NASCAR’s biggest events.
Darlington dates to 1950 and as the series’ first asphalt oval over a ½-mile in length ushered in the sport’s future.

MOM POWER
As an annual tradition the Darlington race will fall on Mother’s Day weekend.  The track will recognize the driver’s mothers during the pre-race ceremonies.  All of the moms in attendance will receive a bouquet of flowers and will give the command for “start your engines”.

REUTIMANN RETURNS
David Reutimann will return behind the wheel of the No. 93 BK Racing Toyota this week at Darlington Raceway for the Bojangles’ Southern 500. Reutimann raced the season-opening Daytona 500 with BK Racing, but has driven the balance of 2012 events with Tommy Baldwin Racing. Travis Kvapil will return to drive the No. 93 Burger King/Dr Pepper car next week at Charlotte.

JR. MUST NOT REPEAT LAST YEAR’S DARLINGTON RACE
Dale Earnhardt Jr. must reverse his recent Darlington trend – two finishes outside the top 15 in his past three starts – and have a top-10 finish to set a career record for consecutive top 10 finishes.

PASTRANA-PEARSON 101
To prepare for Darlington Raceway, Travis Pastrana sought out a Darlington 101 lesson from NASCAR legend and Hall of Fame member David Pearson at Greenville-Pickens Speedway last March. Pearson, who owns 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins and 12 pole positions at Darlington Raceway, educated the 28-year-old rookie on how to master driving the track dubbed “Too Tough to Tame.”

DANICA’S CHALLENGE
Danica Patrick faces her greatest challenge since coming to NASCAR as she competes in her second Sprint Cup race on Saturday. Her No. 10 Chevrolet, prepared by Stewart-Haas Racing, has a guaranteed starting position by virtue of owner Tommy Baldwin’s 33rd ranking in Owners Championship standings. Patrick finished 38th in her series debut at Daytona in February. She will do double duty also competing in Friday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

LAST CHANCE FOR ALL-STAR RACE
Saturday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 is a last-chance race for automatic admission to the May 19 Sprint All-Star Race. Drivers yet to qualify include Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Burton and former NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Bobby Labonte. Absent a Darlington win, a driver still can qualify via fan vote or transfer from the Sprint Showdown race. Fans can still vote up ’till May 19th for their favorite driver to make it into the show.

NNS Airs: Friday night, live ESPN2 (7:15 p.m. EDT )

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

QUIET SURPRISE
Tayler Malsam, driver of the No. 19 G-Oil Toyota for TriStar Motorsports, remains one of the surprises of the NASCAR Nationwide Series for 2012. In his first full season in the series, Malsam is currently eighth in the standings and has been ranked in the top 10 following each race this year.

NNS DRIVER ERIC McCLURE RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
Eric McClure, driver of the No. 14 Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® Toyota, was released Monday evening from the UAB Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama, where he was airlifted Saturday afternoon following a racing incident at Talladega Superspeedway.

McClure suffered a concussion and mild internal bruising and is expected to make a full recovery. This week he will follow up with specialists regarding his injuries.

McClure has said he will make himself available to the media in the Jim Hunter Media Center at Darlington Raceway on Friday, May 11. Stay tuned for updates.

 

Darlington Raceway launches mobile website

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Darlington Raceway has launched its mobile web site designed to keep fans updated with year-round news and race information for its upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Southern 500® race weekend on May 11-12.

The mobile web site can be viewed by visiting DarlingtonRaceway.com from your Sprint Smartphone or other mobile devices including the iPhone and Blackberry.

The new mobile web site gives fans access to the latest Darlington Raceway news and also provides the most recent race weekend information, including schedules, race day traffic and ticket information. Fans who are traveling to Darlington on race day can utilize the directions feature, which will map their route to the track with GPS navigation.

The site also features a history section for fans to learn about the over 60 years of historical significance the track has played in NASCAR and to the state of South Carolina.

Entry lists and starting lineups for the Southern 500 and Nationwide Series VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 will also be posted on the mobile web site the week of the race.

Source: Darlington Raceway

NASCAR on-track altercations hit again at Darlington, but is it good for the sport?

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NASCAR will address altercations that occurred between Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya in the sanctioning body’s hauler and the dustup on and off the track between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.

According to FOX Sports, Newman and officials from Stewart Haas Racing elected to meet with NASCAR immediately after the Richmond race. When the drivers gathered in the hauler on Friday morning, a punch was thrown by Newman, according to sources.

As FOX Sports reported, Harvick door-slammed Busch through Turns 1 and 2. As Busch attempted to drive under the No. 29 Chevrolet on the backstretch, Harvick continued contact and finally punted Busch in Turns 3 and 4. Busch took the high side coming out of Turn 4, taking it three wide with Harvick and Clint Bowyer down the front stretch with the No. 33 getting the worst of the bottleneck. Then Busch sent Harvick into the spin cycle as the pair entered Turn 1.

After the race, Harvick and Busch had a bit of “I’ll copy whatever you do” after a fake move for going onto pit road on Busch’s part. Harvick then followed Busch onto the entrance of pit road, where a member of the No. 29 crew waited to defend his driver – and I would like to mention that I did not see a group of his crew at the car at that point, as reported – or to stop any altercation that may take place. Harvick climbed from the car and approached Busch’s vehicle, and then Busch hit the gas and bumped the No. 29 out of his way and into the wall.

Busch later apologized for making contact with Harvick’s car.

The last time a NASCAR driver intentionally hit another car on pit road was Steven Wallace at Memphis Motorsports Park in October 2009. Wallace was fined $5,000 and placed on probation. I see Kyle Busch getting -hard – at least a double fine for pushing the car on pit road, which is a definite no-no in NASCAR’s rule book: $10,000-$25,000 fine and probabtion for the rest of the year. NASCAR usually takes a day to review everything and issue penalities/fines on Tuesday following a race weekend.

SOURCE: Fox

Just a few autograph sessions for Darlington

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Saturday, May 7

3:30 – 3:45pm/et.
Marcos Ambrose
Scheduled to participate in a 15 minute question-and-answer session at Darlington Raceway’s Fan Zone4:00pm/et.

AJ Allmendinger
Signing autographs at the Richard Petty Motorsports merchandise hauler located in the display area at Darlington Raceway. The first 75 guests in line at the merchandise hauler will receive a ticket that will allow them to take part in the autograph session.

4:15pm/et.
Juan Pablo Montoya
Scheduled to appear for a Fan Q&A at the Chevy display located in the midway at Darlington Raceway

4:30pm/et.
#42 Over-the-Wall Crew for Juan Pablo Montoya
 Scheduled to sign autographs at the Team Chevy Racing display located in the midway at Darlington Raceway

Bayne released from Mayo Clinic; Chris Buescher to sub, again, at Darlington for NNWS

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Press Release from Roush-Fenway Racing

Concord, N.C. (May 5, 2011) – Roush Fenway Racing’s Trevor Bayne has been released from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. after being admitted last week for testing and evaluation.  The 20-year old Daytona 500 winner will continue to be monitored closely by the Mayo Clinic team. He is expected to return to his NASCAR racing duties with both Roush Fenway Racing in the Nationwide Series and the Wood Brothers in the Sprint Cup Series this season.  He will not, however, be in the No. 16 Roush Fenway Nationwide Series entry this weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. No timeframe has been set for Bayne’s return at this point.

“Trevor Bayne was seen by a team of Mayo Clinic specialists where he underwent a series of tests and consultations over the last week,” said Mayo Clinic neurologist Brian Crum, M.D. “He was admitted after suffering from nausea, fatigue and vision impairment. Since his admission, the nausea and fatigue have abated, and the vision impairment continues to be treated with medication, and is showing significant improvement.

“This symptom appears to be the result of an inflammatory condition.  Further assessments will be made over the next couple of weeks. His condition is not life threatening or career-ending. We expect he will continue to improve, though the timeframe for his return to racing is unknown at this point. He will continue to be followed closely by his Mayo Clinic team.”

Chris Buescher, who drove the No. 16 Roush Fenway NNS entry last week at Richmond, will again fill in for Bayne this weekend at Darlington. Team officials are unsure of Bayne’s status for next week’s Nationwide Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway but are hopeful for his return for that race.

Official Small Business of NASCAR sweepstakes underway with Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle

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Tony Stewart's rear panel for Darlington promoting where the winner of the Small Business Sweepstake will have their logo placed. Photo credit: Action Sports Photography

This weekend at Darlington Raceway, (Saturday, May 7, 7:30 p.m. EDT, FOX) Tony Stewart will feature a special rear panel on his race car promoting the Official Small Business of NASCAR Sweepstakes and show small business owners where their company’s logo could appear.

Now through May 28, small business owners can enter the sweepstakes online or from their Smartphones at OfficeDepotRacing.com.

As an extra reward to small business owners who participate, Office Depot is also giving away one $1,000 Office Depot gift card every single day during the sweepstakes entry period.

Two eligible small business owners will be randomly selected as finalists in the sweepstakes after May 28, with Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle taking to the racetrack to determine their fate during the nationally televised NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ Labor Day Classic 500 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway this fall.

Stewart will display the name or logo of one small business finalist on his No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet during the Labor Day weekend race (Sunday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN). Biffle will run a special panel generating awareness for the sweepstakes on his No. 16 3M Ford during the upcoming race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, May 15, at 1 p.m. EDT, FOX.

The small business that appears on the highest-finishing driver’s car will be named the 2011 “Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot.” And if Stewart or Biffle wins the race, the small business featured on the winning car will take home $1 MILLION.

Both finalists will receive a $10,000 small business makeover from Office Depot and a VIP race weekend experience.

Small business owners hoping to gain an edge on the competition can ask their friends and family to vote for them during the entry window. For each valid vote the small business receives, provides an additional entry for that small business in the sweepstakes. Small business owners will have the ability to create a business profile page, complete with an image and business profile, once entered in the sweepstakes. They will then be able to invite family and friends to visit their unique page and vote for them there.

So don’t forget – the Official Small Business of NASCAR sweepstake ends May 28th, so be sure to enter and generate votes from friends and family!