After Duel races, Daytona 500 field set

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Karen Pistone

Credit: 282929 Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
Regan Smith, driver of the #51 Guy Roofing Chevrolet, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Fastenal Ford, and Trevor Bayne, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, spin out after an incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway.

Qualifying Procedure for the Budweiser Duel 150′s / Daytona 500

Step 1) Positions 1-2: set by first round qualifying, the fastest two drivers.

Step 2) Positions 3-32: set by the results of the Budweiser Duel 150, 32 drivers, not already in by step 1. Drivers who finish in the top 15 in their respective races earn spots in the Daytona 500 and the 16th-place driver gets in as long as one of the top-15 drivers already occupies one of the two front row spots.

Step 3) Positions 33-36: the fastest four drivers from qualifying not in already from steps 1 and 2.

Step 4) Positions 37-42: the highest drivers in the previous season’s OWNERS points standing not already in the race.

Step 5) Postion 43: to a former Sprint Cup Champion not already in by the criteria set in steps 1 thru 4. If there is no former champ not in, the next driver whose team in the highest in the previous OWNERS points standings

Kevin-Harvick-victory-lane-first-duel-NASCAR-Daytona-500-2013

Credit: 282930Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #29 Budweiser Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Duel 1 at Daytona International Speedway.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Duel #1
1. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
2. (14) Greg Biffle, Ford
3. (7) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet
4. (11) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
5. (17) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet
6. (3) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet
7. (12) Brad Keselowski, Ford
8. (8) Casey Mears, Ford
9. (6) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet
10. (5) Joey Logano, Ford
11. (20) Bobby Labonte, Toyota
12. (15) David Gilliland, Ford
13. (22) Joe Nemechek(i), Toyota
14. (16) Michael Waltrip, Toyota
15. (18) Scott Speed, Ford
16. (21) David Reutimann, Toyota
17. (1) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet
18. (19) Regan Smith(i), Chevrolet
19. (10) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota
20. (4) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
21. (23) Brian Keselowski, Toyota
22. (9) Carl Edwards, Ford, Accident
23. (2) Trevor Bayne (i), Ford, Accident

Credit: 282934Jared C. Tilton/NASCAR via Getty Images
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Budweiser Duel 2 at Daytona International Speedway

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – Duel #2

1. (4) Kyle Busch, Toyota
2. (3) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet
3. (8) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet
4. (9) Clint Bowyer, Toyota
5. (5) Matt Kenseth, Toyota
6. (14) Mark Martin, Toyota
7. (7) Paul Menard, Chevrolet
8. (10) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet
9. (11) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet
10. (15) David Ragan, Ford
11. (12) Marcos Ambrose, Ford
12. (1) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
13. (13) Aric Almirola, Ford
14. (6) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford
15. (19) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet
16. (16) Josh Wise, Ford
17. (21) Travis Kvapil, Toyota
18. (18) Terry Labonte, Ford
19. (17) Michael McDowell, Ford
20. (20) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet
21. (2) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet
22. (22) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet

DAYTONA 500 LINEUP

DAYTONA 500 STARTING LINEUP
Pos.	No.	Driver	Pos.	No.	Driver
Row 1
1	10	Danica Patrick	2	24	Jeff Gordon
Row 2
3	29	Kevin Harvick	4	18	Kyle Busch
Row 3
5	16	Greg Biffle	6	5	Kasey Kahne
Row 4
7	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	8	33	Austin Dillon
Row 5
9	48	Jimmie Johnson	10	15	Clint Bowyer
Row 6
11	78	Kurt Busch	12	20	Matt Kenseth
Row 7
13	14	Tony Stewart	14	55	Mark Martin
Row 8
15	2	Brad Keselowski	16	27	Paul Menard
Row 9
17	13	Casey Mears	18	31	Jeff Burton
Row 10
19	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	20	1	Jamie McMurray
Row 11
21	22	Joey Logano	22	34	David Ragan
Row 12
23	47	Bobby Labonte	24	9	Marcos Ambrose
Row 13
25	38	David Gilliland	26	43	Aric Almirola
Row 14
27	87	Joe Nemechek	28	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Row 15
29	26	Michael Waltrip	30	7	Dave Blaney
Row 16
31	95	Scott Speed	32	35	Josh Wise
Row 17
33	21	Trevor Bayne	34	39	Ryan Newman
Row 18
35	11	Denny Hamlin	36	99	Carl Edwards
Row 19
37	56	Martin Truex Jr.	38	51	Regan Smith
Row 20
39	93	Travis Kvapil	40	83	David Reutimann
Row 21
41	32	Terry Labonte	42	36	JJ Yeley
Row 22
43	98	Michael McDowell
* – Unofficial lineup; according to SPEED TV

SOURCE: NASCAR Media

Kevin Harvick takes win at Sprint Unlimited

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Karen Pistone

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet SS, won his third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited race in dominating fashion Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.

Harvick won the second 25-lap segment and the final 20-lap dash. Overall, Harvick led 40 of the 75 laps en route to capturing the first win for the all-new Chevrolet SS race car. It is the eighth trip to the Sprint Unlimited Victory Lane for team owner Richard Childress.Harvick also joins Tony Stewart and Dale Jarrett as three‑time winners of the event, Dale Earnhardt all‑time winner of this event with six.

Harvick’s victory gives Chevrolet its 20th win in 35 Sprint Unlimited races, more than any other manufacturer. Eight Team Chevy drivers started tonight’s event and six of those drivers had previously visited Victory Lane at least once in the Sprint Unlimited.

Tony Stewart, No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS, started 14th and won segment number one, of the three-segment event, with Greg Biffle and Joey Logano rounding out the top three while Stewart finished fourth.

“Any time you’re in Victory Lane here in Daytona, it’s a great day,” Harvick said. “When you’re coming from white (flag) to checkered, it’s whatever you have to do to make it happen. It was a great day for our Budweiser Chevy and I’m glad we got Speedweeks started off the right way.”

The format for selecting The Sprint Unlimited field of drivers returned to its roots in 2013. The eligible field of drivers consisted of pole winners from the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and past winners of The Sprint Unlimited who have attempted to qualify for at least one race during the 2012 season.

In addition, race fans had the final voice in selecting the starting lineup, choosing from three different options. Fans in attendance on Saturday night voted that the 19-car field would line up in the order in which drivers won their first pole last season.

Also, fans in attendance were eligible to receive special upgraded race experiences including roles as Grand Marshal, Honorary Starter, and trophy presenter. Fans delivered the trophy to Gatorade Victory Lane and participated in driver introductions.

Race fans shaped the race by voting on race elements such as length of each race segment, type of team pit stop after first segment, how many cars would be eliminated after the second segment and the type of fire suit Miss Sprint Cup would wear.

I think any format like this that you can involve the fans, I think it makes them appreciate that somebody’s paying attention to them and really appreciates them being a part of our sport.

The only part, I think a lot of people look back and say, when they saw that wreck, you see the 12 cars, you see how hard it is to make moves with a limited amount of cars, eliminating cars would have been a bad deal because it just makes the racing that much harder and slows things down so much. Because the runs are slower, there’s less people to make the bottom groove be as competitive as the top groove was.

When you have more cars than one line, that line is going to run faster.

“All in all, I think it went pretty good. The trophy’s really heavy (smiling), said Harvick.

Driver updates for NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series in 2013

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Karen Pistone

So what has been happening in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series during the off season? Where exactly are the drivers at now? Are drivers staying with their same team?

I’ll bring you up-to-date:

(REMINDER: NNS being cut back from a 43 car field to 40 in 2013)

TRAVIS PASTRANA
Travis Pastrana will make the move to full-time NASCAR racing in 2013, driving Roush Fenway’s historic No. 60 Ford Mustang in all 33 events on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. Pastrana will team up with veteran NASCAR crew chief Chad Norris and will be partnered with a variety of sponsors during the season.

The No. 60 will be one of two full-time RFR Nationwide Series entries in 2013, with Pastrana being paired with Roush Fenway teammate and 2010 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne in the No. 6 Ford Mustang.

DANICA PATRICK
Danica Patrick will drive for Turner Motorsports in her 10-race commitment to this year’s Nationwide Series schedule. She will begin her partial campaign in NASCAR’s Nationwide series on Feb. 23 at Daytona International Speedway in conjunction with her first full Sprint Cup season with Stewart-Haas Racing the same weekend. Richard Childress Racing vice president of competition Mike Dillon had discussed the possibility of Patrick driving his team’s #33 Chevy, but the team had already re-signed three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart for the season opener at Daytona. Patrick’s Turner Motorsports car would be sponsored by GoDaddy.com, sources said. Her schedule is expected to include events at Talladega and Watkins Glen.

JR MOTORSPORTS
(Kasey Kahne, Brad Sweet, Regan Smith & Dale Earnhardt, Jr.)
JR Motorsports will field cars for Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet for the 2013 Nationwide Series season. Great Clips has moved its sponsorship from Turner Motorsports to JRM to support the Nationwide Series effort. Kahne and Sweet will split time in the No. 5 Chevrolet for 27 races. Regan Smith will compete full time for a NNS championship in the No. 7, and Earnhardt Jr. will carry his No. 88 in a limited schedule. Earnhardt’s only announced races are Feb. 23 at Daytona International Speedway and March 9 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, both in the #88 TaxSlayer.com Chevy.

PARKER KLIGERMAN
Kyle Busch Motorsports posted a YouTube video announcing Parker Kligerman was joining the team to drive the the No. 77 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the 2013 season. Eric Phillips has been promoted to the position of crew chief for the team. Since joining KBM for its inaugural Truck Series season in 2010, Phillips has guided the #18 team to 17 victories, 8 poles, 2,243 laps led, 38 top-five and 54 top-10 finishes across 72 starts. Kyle Busch will run partial season in team’s No. 54 car in addition to Kligerman’s full season in the No. 77.

JAMES BUESCHER

Turner Motorsports (TMS) today announced that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion, James Buescher will return to the seat of the No.31 Chevrolet Silverado competing in a full 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) schedule . Much like the 2012 season, Buescher will also continue to hone his skills running select NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) events in 2013. Buescher will aim to become the first back-to-back NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion. Buescher will drive a minimum of fifteen races for new Turner Motorsports sponsor, Rheem Manufacturing Company. In addition, 2012 Champion crew chief, Michael Shelton will return to his previous role serving as Crew Chief for Buescher and the No. 31 Rheem Chevy Silverado in 2013.

JUSTIN LOFTON
Justin Lofton (voted as “Comeback Driver of the Year” in 2012 for the NCWTS) has decided to scale back his NASCAR schedule in 2013, instead focusing his title aspirations towards the newly-formed Stadium Super Trucks Series organized by Robby Gordon. Lofton cited the lack of sponsorship and funding as the primary reasons he couldn’t return full-time in 2013 but believes success in off-road can catapult him back towards NASCAR. Lofton hasn’t finalized his 2013 NASCAR schedule yet but expects to run at least 10 Truck Series races on tracks longer than a mile.

The Stadium Super Truck Series is 10-race rally-style series that will contest events on temporary circuits constructed on some of the largest stadium venues in the United States. Rallies will be contested at University of Phoenix Stadium, Soldier Field, Cowboys Stadium and the Metro Dome just to name a few.

JOEY COULTER
Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that veteran crew chief Harold Holly has joined the organization with Joey Coulter in his quest for the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. Coulter will pilot the team’s No. 18 Tundra, while team owner Kyle Busch will run a partial schedule in the team’s second entry, the No. 51 Tundra.

JOHN WES TOWNLEY
Red Horse Racing (Voted as NCWTS “Top Team” of 2012) has signed John Wes Townley (formerly Parker Kligerman’s seat) to join the team in 2013. Veteran crew chief Mike Beam will join John Wes Townley at Red Horse Racing on the #7 Toyota Tundra.

TODD BODINE
Currently without a sponsor in place for Red Horse Racing to run a third truck in 2013, Bodine is once again scrambling for sponsorship. Bodine confirmed that the Red Horse team has laid off personnel. Bodine struggled in the series in 2012 with eight DNF’s, one win, and five top-five finishes out of 22 events. He ended up a career-low 14th in the final standings.

BRENDAN GAUGHAN
Brendan Gaughan will reunite with crew chief Shane Wilson to run a full season and compete for the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship in Richard Childress Racing’s #62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Silverado.

RON HORNADAY / BRENNAN NEWBERRY
Joe Denette Motorsports merged with NTS Motorsports to create a three-truck stable for the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. The team will field three full-time NCWTS entries under the NTS Motorsports banner with Ron Hornaday back behind the wheel of the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado & Brennan Newberry continuing in the No. 14 Chevrolet Silverado. The team will also field the No. 24 entry full-time with a full driver lineup to be announced at a future date. However, NSCS driver Kevin Harvick will pilot the machine in both Martinsville Speedway events in April and October.

You are now up-to-date. Looking forward to the 2013 racing season. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Sources:
Team Press Releases (Red Horse Racing, Turner Motorsports, JR Motorsports); ESPN

Kevin and DeLana Harvick welcome son

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Karen Pistone

Will the “real” Baby Otis please stand up….I mean, cry??!

Here’s the full press release from Kevin Harvick, Inc.:

Kevin and DeLana Harvick welcomed son Keelan Paul Harvick (pronounced Keylan) Sunday, July 8th, 2012.

Keelan weighed in at 6.8 lbs. and 19.5 INCHES. Throughout the pregnancy, the Harvicks had jokingly referred to their son as “Baby Otis” on Twitter and in public.

“Waiting on Keelan was the longest nine months of my entire life,” Kevin Harvick said. “But time literally stood still when I held our baby for the first time. I’ve accomplished a lot in my life that I’m proud of, but those moments don’t hold a candle to becoming a father and seeing that little face looking up at you. DeLana and I are just amazed by how special and rewarding this is.”

Mother and baby are doing well.

Sponsor for Harvick, Sadler running several sweepstakes for fans

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Karen Pistone

Advance Pierre Foods, who have sponsored Elliott Sadler for the Fontana race with Pierre Drive Thru Sandwiches; Kevin Harvick for the Richmond race with Fast Fixin’ and will be sponsoring Kevin Harvick for the Louden, New Hampshire race.

Advance Pierre Foods is currently running several sweepstakes for Nascar fans, so check them all out on Facebook:

Pierre Drive Thru:
VIP Trip to Miami Sweepstakes
.55 coupon

Fast Fixin’:
VIP Trip to Miami Sweepstakes

Barber Foods:
Race Face: Get your face on the car during the race (ENDS TOMORROW, MAY 31st)
Starting June 1st:
VIP Trip to Miami Sweepstakes

Budweiser Beer School 101 at the Daytona 500 Club

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Karen Pistone

Geez, and I thought I knew everything there was to know about drinking a Budweiser. Guess not!!

I attended a Budweiser Beer school at the Daytona 500 Club Thursday night that was held for the media as well as other guests, along with the likes of Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress. I learned some interesting facts about Budweiser beer – and learned the most satisfying way to drink it – no kidding! I’ve had it ALL wrong all these years.

HISTORY

The beer was perfected by a man named Adolphus Busch in 1876. Since that time, Budweiser has never messed with the classic recipe. Back in the early 1800′s, beer drinkers preferred the darker, heavier ales that were around during that period. Then came along the lighter lager, Budweiser, which lasted longer than the heavy ales – especially during that non-refrigerated period. The lager (German term for Lagern, meaning “to rest”) use to be brewed and then aged in cool caves or cellars. Today, the Budweiser is lagered in cold tanks for three weeks…. and no matter how you look at it, that’s 21 days or 504 hours or 30,240 minutes or 1,814,400 seconds!!

Budweiser has only five ingredients that make their beer: Barley malt, rice, hops, yeast and water. That’s it.

Different stages of the Barley, Wheat and rice - some of the ingredients in Budweiser beer. Photo by Karen Pistone

• Budweiser is brewed with only the finest two-and-six row barley malt from 2,500 American and Canadian fields.

• Verdant rice – milled, polished, graded and immediately brewed – never stored, and is an expensive process, but worth it.

• Hops - selected from company owned fields in Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho and Busch Farm Huell in the Hallertau region of Germany. Hops are what gives the beer the distinct flavor it has.

• Yeast – 40 billion or so yeast cells are produced in every bottle of Budweiser beer – a directly descended from the original culture used by Adolphus Busch.

• Only the purest of water is used. Filtered water is flown to Budweiser’s headquarters in St. Louis, MO and taste tested by their brew masters.

Budweiser also adds Beechwood Aging. This process is during the fermentation period (a change brought about by a ferment, as yeast enzymes, which convert grape sugar into ethyl alcohol.) Beechwood, which is grown in America, is harvested and made into chips which is then added to create a crisper and more sparkling carbonation while adding smoothness to the beer. Once the beer’s bottled, the Beechwood chips are recycled into compost.

The special "Fresh Seal Crown" used to cap of the bottled beer, specially designed to eliminate oxygen trapped during the bottling process.

Once bottled, the beer is then capped with its own Fresh Seal Crown which is designed to eliminate oxygen trapped inside – hence, that’s why the “King of Beers” is so fitting. Budweiser also introduced the “Born on Date” to tell you exactly when the beer was brewed to ensure its freshness.

As of today, Anheuser-Busch operates twelve breweries in the United States. They are located in Fairfield, CA, L.A., CA, Fort Collins, CO, Houston, TX, St. Louis, MO, Jacksonville, FL, Cartersville, GA, Williamsburg, VA, Columbus, OH, Newark, NJ, Baldwinsville, NJ, and Merrimack, NH. Every day, each one of the twelve Anheuser-Busch Breweries flies a sample of its beer to St. Louis for a 3 p.m. quality control test by our expert brew masters. Only samples deemed perfect are cleared for bottling. It’s the final step in a series of five separate quality control checks.

This is the correct way you should drink a nice, cold Budweiser. Photo by Karen Pistone.

Believe it or not, beer has enemies. The enemies are air, sun and time. Friends of beer? Dark, cool places. TIP: If you buy a six pack of bottled beer – keep the beer in the carton when placed in your refrigerator. Keeps the beer dark and preserves it better.

Question: How are you sure that the light goes off in your refrigerator?

Did you realize to get the best out of a beer, it’s better to drink from a glass, rather than straight from the bottle? Here’s another tip: DO NOT tilt your glass when pouring. Rather, pour the beer directly down the middle of the glass, straight. Some people do this to escape the “head” or the “foam” that forms when pouring into the glass. You DO want a nice head on your beer. The “perfect” pour frees the beer’s subtle flavors and aromas for a more enjoyable taste. It seals in the flavor below, while the pouring releases the natural carbonation, which, by the way, ladies – allows you to feel less “bloated” or “full” while drinking the beer. He hit that one “right on the head!!” Lol. You can go to the Budweiser website at www.budweiser.com and take “The Perfect Pour Challenge.”

This was one class that got my full attention and I think it’s wonderful that a sponsor would take the time to share so much information on their product.

So go ahead and grab a Bud and enjoy – I know I will!!!

Kevin Harvick wins at Texas, but not too “happy” with Kyle Busch

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Karen Pistone

Photo credit:\ SPEED

Not so “Happy” Harvick won the WinStar Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway. Yes, happy he won; but hot that his driver, Ron Hornaday (KHI’s No. 33 Chevy) was knocked out of contention for the NCWTS Championship.

But can he relate to what happened tonight between Kyle Busch and Ron Hornaday? In case you missed the race this evening, this is what blew up Twitter and Facebook this evening. It will be the talk of the rest of the weekend. Trust me.

This is Kevin harvick’s response following the race in the Texas Motor Speedway Media Center:

Just as Kevin Harvick was into his first season of taking over for Dale Earnhardt in April 2002 in the No. 29 RCR Chevy, Harvick was officially parked for a Sunday’s Cup race after spinning Coy Gibbs during a Saturday’s Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville. After repeatedly bumping and banging, Harvick rammed Gibbs’ rear bumper and finally spun him exiting Turn 2.

NASCAR had enough, black-flagged Harvick and parked him for the day and for the Sunday’s Martinsville race. Harvick parked his #6 Chevy in front of the Truck series hauler near pit road.

NASCAR parked Kyle Busch for the rest of the race after a Lap 14 incident that started with Busch and Hornaday racing hard side-by-side and ended with Busch knocking Hornaday into the Turn 4 wall in retaliation and out of the series championship battle.

Sound a little familiar?

This suspension fell under NASCAR’s rulebook as an emergency action that is “final, non-appealable and non-reviewable.” n addition to the penalties, Harvick was fined $35,000 and his probation was extended. This $35,000 was in addition to the $15,000 that he paid after the Biffle incident.

One difference between Harvick and Gibbs and what happened between Kyle Busch and Ron Hornaday Friday night, is that Harvick was already ON PROBATION from an earlier incident with Biffle at Bristol. Kyle is not on probation.

So, if Kyle Busch is to be fined, I say NASCAR will hit his wallet hard. He intentionally risked the life of another drive, which NASCAR takes very seriously. He’s had issues with his “loss of temper” perviously. With the severity of this wreck, I would like to see NASCAR end his Camping World Truck Series racing, effective tonight, instead of Homestead-Miami, issue a large fine, and follow in Tony Stewart’s footsteps and take an Anger Management course before he does seriously hurt, or god forbid, kill someone.

SPEED had reported via Twitter shortly after the race that NASCAR has called a meeting with Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Officials before practice hits the track at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday morning. That’s not a good sign if his Cup car owner is getting involved. Something there is hinting a possible suspension on Sunday.

Richard Childress had taken a stance that since the initial incident was during a Busch (Nationwide) race, and the most recent incident occurred during a Craftsman (Camping World) Truck series race, that the penalties should remain in those series and not rolled over into Winston(Sprint) Cup. It’s a fair point, but NASCAR saw that in this case, the driver had demonstrated a lack of ability to control his temper and had intentionally wrecked and risked the life of another driver.

But all we can do is wait and see and let NASCAR do their jobs. STAY TUNED!!

Fans chose paint scheme for Harvick to run at Daytona July 2

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Karen Pistone

Fans got to vote for which paint scheme Kevin Harvick will carry on his No. 29 Budweiser Chevy for the July 2 race at Daytona International Speedway and chose the following:

Graphic: Jayski’s

In addition to the special paint scheme, Budweiser is featuring a limited-edition red, white and blue Patriotic Can from Memorial Day through the Fourth of July. Budweiser will donate a portion of all sales May 26 July 10 to Folds of Honor an organization that provides post-secondary educational scholarships for families of U.S. military personnel killed or disabled while serving their country. In total, Budweiser is raising up to $2 million to support Folds of Honor this summer, which is expected to fund more than 400 scholarships.

Source: RCR

NASCAR Chairman Brian France explains “Boys have at it;” probation

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Karen Pistone

When I was in the deadline room at Dover International Speedway covering race weekend, Kevin Harvick had come in and was asked to discuss the situation between him and Kyle Busch and the fines/probation brought upon them. The one thing Harvick kept repeating was “I would like a straight answer on what the penalty and fines are for hooking someone on track. I keep hearing different answers from NASCAR.”

Following are some excerpts from NASCAR Chairman Brian France’s press conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway from Friday, May 20th which he discussed many issues in the sport, including, ‘Boy’s Have at it”:

Q. I’m wondering where you personally fall on the boys have at it issue? It’s a little tricky in that NASCAR has to maintain law and order, but you get all this outside interest and you bring all these new eyeballs and it gets people talking and it’s a real water cooler thing. So where do you personally fall, and what is the proper way to manage that?

BRIAN FRANCE: “Well, I think that’s a good question. I think there are limits. You saw one of the limits is that if you put anyone in danger, like what happened with Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch where it was after the race had happened. I think it’s important to note if you look through NASCAR’s history, one of the videos that showed the most famous finish at Daytona with Richard Petty and David Pearson where they obviously hit each other and spun out in the grass. You go through our history and that’s part of it, contact, emotion, in particular late in the race.

We’re like anybody. We can over officiate and over regulate in some circumstances, over a 60 year period of time. And I think our point was a couple years ago we thought we might be in a pattern of that, and we wanted to put it more in the drivers’ hands.

We never said there were no limits to that. You just can’t go around with a missile and a weapon out there. But if you’re having contact, that’s part of NASCAR. So it’s tough for us, but that’s what we do. And it’s tough for any sport to have certain areas of the game or in auto racing that are subjective as to what is too much, but we’ll figure that out.

We’re going to remain, obviously, a contact sport, and we’re going to remain with the basic philosophy that we’re putting more of it in the drivers’ hands. If they go over a line we think is there, we’ll deal with that.”

Fans were expecting to see a battle between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch on the track during the All-Star race. However, what some fans may not have known was the “probation period” for these two drivers did include the non-points All-Star Race. Here’s why:

Q. What does probation mean and why was the All-Star Race included with Kevin and Kyle? A lot of fans are confused by that and think maybe because it’s a non-points event that it shouldn’t be included.

BRIAN FRANCE: ” What probation means is there is a different set of eyes and expectations that are placed on a driver who has been placed on probation. They’re going to have a more limited flexibility in how we’re going to officiate them should they be in a similar area that they have just violated.

Why, it’s important to have consistent rules even through the All-Star Races if there are safety elements that are inter-affected between events. There are lots of different reasons why you just wouldn’t want to say we’re not going to have a standard set of NASCAR rules in the All-Star Race.

Keep in mind, given that there are no points at stake, by definition, it gets more aggressive. We know that. That’s fine. Drivers take more chances, they’re not worried about where they are in the point standings, so it’s going to be more aggressive and more competitive.

But if we took the lid off and said there are no rules or don’t worry about any ramifications that might extend into next week at all, then we believe that — as I said earlier in my remarks — there has to be limits to all of this. That would be above the limits that we believe going into an event would make any sense.

Source: NASCARMedia

The long awaited return to Dover International Speedway

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Karen Pistone

Miles the Monster greets race fans at Dover International Speedway. Photo credit: Sandi Goodall for Racingal.com

The weekend turned out perfectly!

I must admit after attending Daytona and Miami-Homestead on race weekend, Dover is a special track that still rocks! The last time I was back in Dover was three years ago, and I wrote about how much the town had become a ghost town and you’d never know it was race weekend. But I’ve already seen a difference since then. Restaurants had their “Welcome Race Fans” hanging, parties happening, souvenir row had all their tents up. It was great to see. Yeah, it was race weekend once again at Dover.

Dover was alive after all – because I found the spot where EVERYBODY goes: Dover Downs Casino. The casino is nice, hopping and has expanded greatly. Plenty of slots, nice restaurants, and bars. And I can happily report, that yes, I tried my luck at the 25ç slots and won $71.50!! Drivers, crew members, and team owners were spotted for a night of of fun and relaxation. I also noticed some signing autographs and letting fans buy them drinks, but it never was reversed! What’s up with that?

Ticket sales may have been down a little than last year, but the tv overall rating was FOX’s best so far for the month. Maybe it was the weather. The mornings were overcast, damp and drizzly. But it was a miracle, because by race time, the weather cooperated. Dover International Speedway was able to get in all three series’ race and race day on Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day! No half-way races! YEAH!! After living in Delaware for 16 years, you never can be sure of the weather! It’s a little freakish. And I must say – I haven’t given up on Dover. I see a comeback, although, a rather slow one. But a recovery of this magnitude takes time. Dover is a small town. The local economy relies on the races.

Dover International Speedway had out done themselves. They offered top knotch hospitality; security guards were friendly, not rude; plenty of driver appearances at local stores; numerous events for kids; easy parking right at the track, charging only $10; and convenient camping locations.

During my weekend stay covering the races at Dover, I had the opportunity to see how they run the track, internally, as you might say. It was really different for me; after all, Dover had been my “home track” for 16+ years – that’s where I attended my very first race and got hooked right away. Dover International Speedway takes real good care of the media as well as their race fans.

Entrance in the midway behind the track where you would find the FunZone and souvenir trailers at Dover International Speedway. Photo by Sandi Goodall for Racingal.com.

I hope that if you were at Dover you picked up your free issue of Outside the Oval fan guide. I previously wrote a blog on my friend, Kathy Willes, who is the Editor of the magazine and a dear friend. We got to see each other all weekend. It was like old times working the races together. They offered us tips and pointers, which we took to heart and used, It was wonderful seeing her and her husband, Mr. Kathy Willes (Roger) hahaha!!

Karen Pistone and Editor of Outside the Oval, Kathy Willes, back together again after nine years, at Dover International Speedway. Photo credit: Sandi Goodall

Cover of "Outside the Oval" FREE fan guide at Dover International Speedway. Graphic supplied by Outside the Oval.

I met more Facebook friends in person while at Dover International Speedway, with a friend running up to me in the garage area, stopping me because she said she recognized me and just wanted to say hi and to give me a hug!! I also had the chance to meet another friend. This friend is a little more “special.” We’ve been communicating back and forth occasionally for almost a year and never was able to get our directions going in the same way at Daytona. His job had him running all around the speedway(s) during the races, so he’d go one way, I’d be heading the other

Thomas Lanahan and KP on top of the Sprint Vision Hauler at Dover International Speedway. Photo credit: Thomas Lanahan

way, and never seemed to be able to intersect. This person is Thomas Lanahan. (go ahead and look him up and send him a friend request…he’d love it!!) He works for Sprint Vision, so everything you see on the big jumbotrons (at a majority of races) in the infield, is coming straight from his camera. Thomas has a great personality and you instantly feel like you’ve known him for years. He saved me during the Cup practice by charging my phone because the battery had died. Yes, I do a lot of tweeting and updating to my Racingal.com during the weekend. While we were waiting for it to charge, Thomas took my photographer, Sandi Goodall and myself up to the top of the Sprint Vision hauler where we watched the remainder of the 2 hr. Cup practice. We had the best view!! Thank you, Thomas, for that!

I also had the great pleasure of meeting the driver of the No. 81 from the Nationwide series, Donnie Neuenberger and his Mother. Although Donnie and I didn’t really get a chance to chat much, I did get a lengthy opportunity to talk his Mama during a rain delay on Saturday. She is a very sweet lady and I enjoyed our time together very much. Keep an eye out – I promised her that I would write on a blog on Donnie – so stay tuned!!!

Karen Pistone and Mrs. Neuenberger chat insode the media center at Dover International Speedway during a rain delay. Photo credit: Sandi Goodall for Racingal.com

I must admit – when you are around people who work with NASCAR or involved with racing, and you get to have a discussion with them, you do get a better understanding as to why NASCAR does, what they do. With this, I will try to reciprocate it. When the Harvick vs Busch saga was brought up, Harvick stated that NASCAR fined them both only because of the incident on pit road at Darlington. NASCAR takes everyone’s safety very seriously. But to fall with “Boys Have at It” still in place, that’s why there were no penalties issued for the on-track altercations. What about Homestead-Miami losing the last race of the season? Well, think about it. The teams end up in Vegas for the Championship Ceremony anyways. The teams can save a lot of money making this change. Makes sense.

What else did I see at Dover International Speedway?

Miles the Monster Trophy earned by Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60 Nationwide Series car. Photo by Karen Pistone

Carl Edwards came in for his post-race interview after winning Saturday’s 5-Hour Energy 200, and sat Miles the Monster trophy right in front of me. And let me say – Miles isn’t a light weight, either.

Jeff Gordon saying "Don't call me!" as he exits the Dover International Speedway media center. Photo credit: Sandi Goodall for Racingal.com

I saw some great sarcasm in the media center – Jeff Gordon was asked what he thought about how now-a-days a driver will call another driver by getting their phone number from so and so, just to say “hey, we gotta talk about what happened” if an on-track altercation took place. He said “I don’t do phone calls. Don’t ever call me. And I won’t call you.” One other comedian was Matt Kenseth. Kenseth walked in to the media center for his post-race interview after winning the FedEx 400 Benefting Autism Speaks on Sunday, while team owner Jack Roush and Crew Chief Jimmy Finnig was already sitting at the interview table awaiting Keneth’s arrival. Looking exhausted, Jack and Jimmy sat at the table, expressionless. Matt walked in and as he approached the table stated, “Now those are the two biggest smiles I have ever seen from a winning team!” The media center erupted in laughter. Matt made a funny!!

What was the scariest thing I saw?

One scary moment came during the conclusion of the Nationwide race on Saturday with the big wreck. Here’s a quick recap: With the race down to only two laps, the accident on the frontstretch brought out the caution flag. The field made the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, but the yellow quickly waved again, bringing the field to a second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. As the leaders came out of turn four approaching the white flag, the driver in second got sideways in front of Bowyer and careened into the No. 33. Bowyer made hard contact with the competitor which sent his Chevrolet on its side and into the inside wall.

Clint Bowyer and the No. 33 Rheem Nationwide car gets turned on it's side during the second attempt at a green-white-checkered finish. Photo credit: Sandi Goodall for Racingal.com

Racingal.com’s photographer (Sandi Goodall) was standing right next to the wall shooting pictures and I was standing back behind her. I saw Bowyer’s No. 33 (KHI owned) car catching air and coming right towards us. I instantly thought of Carl Edward’s flip at ‘Dega and how bits and pieces of race car parts went flying everywhere. I thought the car was going to flip right over the inside retaining wall and right into the pits. I went to pull Sandi back, but couldn’t reach her. She did her job and kept snapping photos – I ran back towards Victory Lane. She then turned to me and screamed, “that was crazy!” as she held out her hands to show me they were shaking. Unfortunately, one of Bowyer’s own crew member was injured by a flying spring, which hit him in the leg. See, we were just on the other side of that pit box.

The last report I had seen on the injured crew member was that he was kept over night for observation and then was able to fly home with the team on Sunday.

What was the most asked question?

Owner Robby Meding (left) and NCWTS driver Brendan Gaughan. Photo credit: Sandi Goodall for Racingal.com

Where’s the best place to eat besides Sambo’s Tavern? Humm… Sambo’s seems to be in the process of being placed on the back burner. A great Mom & Pop place to eat (locally owned) is Meding’s Seafood in Milford. It’s about a 20-25 minute drive south of the track and Dover Air Force Base. It’s a seafood restaurant that has a huge boat propeller out front, right on Rt. 113. You can’t miss it. We ran into Brendan Gaughan and a lot of other team members/drivers there.

My next race I will be attending will be the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway during the July. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @Racingal. Hope to see you there!!

The best pose I saw during the weekend:

Kevin Harvick. But, Kevin, please don’t give up your day job!

Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Budweiser Chevy uummm, poses? Photo credit: Sandi Goodall for Racingal.com

NEXT RACE: The NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on SPEED at 9 p.m. and then the Nationwide Series heads to Iowa Speedway for a rare Sunday race on May 22 at 2 p.m. on abc.

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A NASCAR Fan Blog by Karen Pistone

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