Tag Archives: Kyle Busch

Racing snowbirds flock to Florida for the Snowball Derby

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 The Snowball Derby is the track’s big 300-lap feature and each year run the Bombers, Sportsmen, Super Stocks and Modifieds at the Pine Forest Road half-mile short track.

Some drivers entered will include: Kyle Busch, David Ragan, Landon Cassill, Steve Wallace, Johanna Long [2009 Super Late Model Champion], Cale Gale, Nelson Piquet, Jr., Ross Kenseth, Chase Elliott [last years winner- Super Late Model], John Hunter Nemechek, Erik Darnell, Mike Garvey, Grant Enfinger, Bubba Pollard and Jeff Fultz.

DIRECTIONS to Five Flags Speedway

TRACK SPECS
Asphalt Surface
TRACK LENGTH: 1/2 mile in racing groove (103 feet short at inner edge)
TRACK WIDTH: 55 feet (Turns), 48 feet (Straights)
BANKING: 15 degrees (Turns), 9 degrees (Straights)
PIT FACILITIES: Paved portion on inner 1/4 oval and front straight, water, scales, concessions, electric scoreboard, vendors for racing equipment, fuel, and tires.

TICKETS
44th Annual Snowball Derby


  • 4 Day Reserved Ticket – $75.00
  • Sunday Only Reserved Ticket – $45.00
  • VIP Ticket 4-day Reserved Plus Week-End Pit  Pass $120

General Admission Tickets

  • Thursday – $15.00
  • Friday – $20
  • Saturday – $30
  • Sunday – $40

Pit Passes

  • Weekend Pass – $90
  • Thursday – $25
  • 
Friday – $30
  • 
Saturday – $40
  • Sunday – $50

RV Parking @ Fairgrounds (Power & Water )
Weekend – $150.00
Call Speedway Office for Details

RV Parking @ Speedway
Call Speedway Office for Details

SCHEDULE
Wednesday, November 28th
Teams Unload/Start of Tech Process
GREEN FLAG PARTY
Meet the drivers – 5pm to 9pm CT

Thursday, November 29th
Practice: Super and Pro Late Models
Qualifying: Five Flags Speedway Bomber and Sportsmen divisions

Friday, November 30th
WXBM Pole Night – Modifieds, Super Stocks
Qualifying: Top 30 in Snowball Derby

Saturday, December 1st
Allen Turner Snowflake 100 Time Trials (last-chance qualifying race)

Sunday, December 2nd
45th Annual Snowball Derby

OTHER EVENTS:

SPEED51.com
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s
4469 Mobile Highway
(US 90 at Fairfield Drive)
Pensacola, FL
Air live from 7-9pm CT (8-10 ET)
Snowball Derby drivers including Johanna Long, Kyle Benjamin, Augie Grill, Mike Garvey, Grant Enfinger, Kenzie Ruston and Erik Jones are just some of the drivers that will be appearing on the show.
Speed51.com and JEGS will also have new t-shirts and other goodies for fans who spend $25 on dinner at Beef’s during the show.

 

M&M’s Racing offers “When We Win, You Could Win” sweepstakes

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Each and every year, as race fans are aware, M&M’S Racing comes out with a special, ‘sweet’, top of the line M&M’S Sweepstake. Well, the time has arrived for the start of 2012 NASCAR season with their new sweepstake!

Race fans, I would like to introduce you to M&M’s Racing “When We Win, You Could Win” sweepstakes. The sweepstake features instant-win prizes and the chance to win a 2012 Toyota Camry each time Kyle Busch and the #18 M&M’S car wins a race.

Once you register and enter the sweepstakes at the “When We Win, You Could Win” site, you are automatically eligible for the Instant Win Game. Each time the #18 M&M’S car wins, a panel of judges will conduct a drawing, selecting one lucky grand prize winner. The prizing breakdown is as follows:

·         GRAND PRIZE: Six (6) grand prize winners will win a 2012 Toyota Camry when the #18 M&M’S Car wins

·         1st PRIZE: Six hundred fifty (650) first place winners will receive a set of two M&M’S Racing 16 oz. Tervis Tumblers w/ Lid

·         2nd PRIZE: Five hundred (500) second place winners will receive a $25 NASCAR.com Superstore Gift Certificate

·         3rd PRIZE: Two hundred fifty (250) third place winners will receive an M&M’S Racing Branded Backpack

·         4th PRIZE: One Thousand (1,000) fourth place winners will receive M&M’S Racing Earbud Headphones

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

Disclosure:

*M&M’S® BRAND NASCAR® WHEN THE M&M’S® CAR WINS YOU COULD WIN GAME & SWEEPSTAKES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PURCHASE WON’T INCREASE CHANCES OF WINNING. Ends at 11:59:59 AM (ET) on 11/21/12. To participate & for official rules, click here & enter a UPC Code available on outer packages of designated M&M’S® Brand, SNICKERS® Brand, TWIX® Brand, MILKY WAY® Brand & 3 MUSKETEERS® Brand products. Open to individual legal residents of 48 contiguous US states & DC, age of majority in state of residence or older as of 1/16/12. Additional restrictions & all federal, state & local laws apply. Void where prohibited. ®/TM Trademarks ©Mars, Incorporated 2012. NASCAR® is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. NASCAR®, Inc. is not a sponsor of this Game/Sweepstakes. I received M&M’s from Fanscape, Inc.

 

OH, THIS IS GOOD STUFF: Joe Gibbs, along with Kyle Busch, addresses the media

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Finally! I thought it would never happen!!  All day yesterday the media was expecting Joe Gibbs to make an announcement regarding the No. 18 race team…..but it never came.

This morning, 9:30 am MTS, (11:30 AM Est) Joe Gibbs, along with Kyle Busch (with Kyle wearing a plain shirt with no logos for his meeting with the press this morning) and a Mars Representative, took to the podium at the PIR Media Center.

Here’s what was said:

Joe Gibbs started by reiterating that M&Ms WILL be back in full force for 2012, and they have everything worked out, ”We’re all set.”

The No.18 is going through pre-race tech. Photo credit: Joe Gibbs Racing via Twitter

Interstate Batteries, in the meantime, stepped up to the plate and stated in an earlier tweet “We also honor Mars’ request to take a couple weeks off. As a 20-year sponsor of JGR, we thought it best to help the team during this time.”

This will be a rough time for JGR, financial wise.

Said Gibbs,”Kyle’s penalties are gonna be substantial….”will be other financial penalties and stuff that we’re working through, but the biggest thing for everybody on the 18 car is we went from seventh in the points to 11th. That’s a huge deal.”

Kyle Busch said it’s a situation he could never dream something like this would happen. .. said his actions were disrespectful.

Joe Gibbs: “I wanna support Kyle and I feel like this can have a positive impact on him as a person. I’m committed to him as a person. I like him.”

“This has been quite a trying week. I’m apologetic to everyone who has been through this situation. No one to blame buy myself,” stated Busch. ”We want to learn from this. Certainly, there’s some remorse from my side. There is an opportunity for me to become a better person from this. I’m sure I’ve lost respect to team, sponsors and peers.” Busch says he’s remorseful & publicly apologizes to M&Ms.  Busch also stated “I want to be at Joe Gibbs Racing, I want to be in NASCAR and I want to be driving the M&Ms Toyota.”

 

Gibbs then followed with, “Over the last year, I really think he has made great strides but a shame he took a step back here…”

As the press conference continued, Gibbs was asked if M&M’s will receive a refund, whether or not Busch will or will not get paid and/or fined & what Interstate Batteries is paying.
Gibbs was not willing to discuss internal financial situation with team and sponsors.

Moving on.

Busch says “I have more behavioral issues than driving issues,” and JGR was showing anything non-committal towards anger management.

Busch said he’s talked with Ron Hornaday and the conversation ended well. “I’m still invited to the house … so that’s good.” In the meantime, as we all know that Busch is quite a fan of Twitter, he has not checked his Twitter account for comments at all. “The great thing about Twitter, is you can also turn it off.”

So what about the Nationwide Series? Gibbs says he is taking responsibility for Denny Hamlin driving the Z-Line Design NNS car next week. Gibbs said the WHOLE team played a role in discussions with sponsor Z-Line about having Kyle out of Nationwide car at Homestead to focus on Cup.

A message to the fans:

“I do appreciate any of the fan support that has been out there…I do appreciate my fan base…” Busch said. He mentioned he was worried about losing his ride, but never was told by Gibbs that he might lose his ride.

Busch said, “It was a big deal to sit there and watch the race Sunday and see the No. 18 car and I was not in it.”  You’ve got to be smarter. I certainly was not smarter with my actions last Friday night (at Texas). I get that.”

“This week, I definitely got burned by my own fire,” said Busch.

Something to watch for:

According to Kevin Harvick, in trying to make things right, Kyle busch has offered Ron Hornaday the No. 18 truck ride (full-time) in 2012.

And this story keeps on going!!  Stay tuned!

 

 SOURCE: JGR PRess Conference, Twitter

 

 

 

 

Kyle Busch’s Nationwide sponsor requests other driver for Homestead finale

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Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M's Toyota, enters the NASCAR hauler prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway. Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR.

UPDATE  Statement from M&Ms:

Mars, Incorporated announced that they will be removing Kyle Busch from driving the M&M’S car for the remaining two races of the 2011 NASCAR season as a result of the incident during last Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The car will not run with the M&M’S paint scheme until 2012, at which time Kyle Busch will be the driver with the expectation that no future incident take place.

“As a proud member of the racing community, Mars and the M&M’S brand strongly support the partnership we have with Joe Gibbs Racing and are committed to NASCAR. Yet, Kyle’s recent actions are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of Mars,” said Debra A. Sandler, Chief Consumer Officer, Mars Chocolate North America. “While we do not condone Kyle’s recent actions, we do believe that he has shown remorse and has expressed a desire to change. We believe our decision will have a positive impact on Kyle and will help him return next season ready to win.”

“We strongly support Mars’ decision,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “This gives us all time to work together to foster a positive change where Kyle can continue racing in a way we can all be proud of.”

 

Interstate Batteries, a partner of Joe Gibbs Racing since the team’s inception 20 years ago, will be featured on the #18 Toyota Camry driven by Busch for the final two races of the Sprint Cup Series season.

JGR

***************************

According to the Associated Press, multiple people familiar with Busch’s schedule told the AP that Z – Line Designs asked this week that Denny Hamlin replace Busch in next weekend’s Nationwide race at Homestead. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because Busch’s future was still being discussed Thursday with sponsors and Joe Gibbs Racing.

 

Sources are also reporting that Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota Camry is being re-wrapped to carry Interstate Battereis, as the sponsor instead of M&M’s. Is that a sign that JGR has sided with Kyle Busch over a major money primary sponsor? We all have seen that M&M’s Racing was very disappointed in Busch for his actions and “hold those who represent our brand to a higher standard.”

 

Busch has been off the track since he intentionally wrecked Ron Hornaday Jr. under caution in the early laps of last Friday’s Truck Series race at Texas.

 

Busch has admitted he lost control of his temper, and has since apologized. NASCAR parked him from all racing at Texas, and this week fined him $50,000 and placed him on probation through the end of the year.

 

So Busch has had a rough year. Let’s recap:

 

• Had a mishap on pit road with Harvick at Darlington that earned him a $25,000 fine and a four-race probation.

 

• Lost his North Carolina driver’s license and was fined $1,000 for driving 128 mph in a 45-mph zone in May. He also was ordered to do 30 hours of community service and serve a year of unsupervised probation.

 

• Busch also was in a confrontation in the garage with rival team owner Richard Childress. NASCAR cleared Busch of any wrongdoing.

 

• Busch also had contact with Elliott Sadler during a Bristol Truck race in August, then intentionally wrecked Sadler a few minutes later as retaliation. Sadler drives for Harvick, a longtime Busch rival, in the Nationwide Series.

 

For the 2011 season, Busch has four wins in the Cup Series, eight in Nationwide and six in Trucks. He said last month he’ll field a full-time Nationwide team next season and planned to drive for himself in some of those races.

 

However, being a good driver doesn’t mean everyone likes Busch. He is disliked by fans for everything from his success, his feuds with Harvick and others, and his aggressive on-track driving and arrogant attitude.

And don’t forget that Hendrick Motorsports let Busch go in 2007 to make room for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

AP

 

Newly repaved Phoenix International Raceway gives Chase contenders even racing field

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Race: 35 of 36

Track Size: 1 mile

Banking/1 and 2: 10 – 11 degrees

Banking/3 and 4: 8 – 9 degrees

Banking/Frontstretch: 3 degrees

Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees

Frontstretch: 1,179 feet

Backstretch: 1,551 feet

 

So, with Phoenix having been recently repaved and reconfigured, I’m throwing out the stats from 2011 and starting with NOTHING – just like the teams. (except for those that tested a couple of months ago).

 

The track underwent its first repave this year. The construction began in March and concluded in September of 2011.  The following changes were made during the construction period:

 

·         Widened the frontstretch from 52 to 62 feet

·         Reconfigured pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls

·         Pushed the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 out 95 feet

·         Tightened the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet

·         Implemented variable banking to ensure the immediate use of two racing grooves, including 10-11 degree banking between Turn 1 and Turn 2; 10-11 degree banking in the apex of the dog-leg; and 8-9 degree banking in Turn 4.

Tony kept his promise to Carl. Edwards took Stewart’s words, and used them as inspiration. Not to mention, Stewart and Edwards need to watch that number “3.” Literally….

 

After winnng at Texas Motor Speedway, only three points separate two drivers, points leader Carl Edwards and second-place Tony Stewart. Two races remain before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion is crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

They’ve both scored the exact same number of points in the Chase: 313.

 

Some notables for Stewart…

 

Texas was Stewart’s fourth win of this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Only one other driver has ever won four races in the Chase: Jimmie Johnson, in 2004, 2007, 2009 (Johnson won the title in 2007 and 2009). No driver has won five races in the Chase. Stewart has a solid chance of becoming the first – he turned the fastest lap at last month’s test at the newly repaved Phoenix. Stewart is one of the few drivers who participated in both the two-day test in October and the Goodyear Tire Test in August. Carl Edwards also ran both tests.

 

If Stewart wins the championship this year, this will be his third championship title and will tie NASCAR Hall of Famers Cale Yarborough, Lee Petty, Darrell Waltrip and David Pearson.

 

So what about Johnson? He’s currently 6th in points, 55 points out from the leader. Yes, he’s had the most wins at Phoenix – four – but that was on the old surface. That’s when old notes get thrown out, and the team starts from cratch. Anything can happen.

 

So this is really going to be a tough one. After last month’s two-day test session at the newly repaved Phoenix International Raceway, drivers offered a number of reviews of the surface and new configuration. The consensus: It’s vastly different from the “old” layout. And there wasn’t much of a comparison to other tracks. In other words, who knows.

KYLE BUSCH

The Associated Press as reported that  Z-Line Designs asked this week that Denny Hamlin replace Busch in next weekend’s Nationwide race at Homestead.

Other options being considered is Aric Almirola replacing Busch in the final two Sprint Cup Series races of the season, as primary sponsor M&M’s decides how it wants to proceed with Busch. Although NASCAR has cleared Busch to race this weekend at Phoenix, JGR officials have been silent on his status in Sunday’s Cup race.

Read the AP article.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NATIONWIDE SERIES

Two races are left – Phoenix and Homestead-Miami.

Jack Roush leads all owners with nine NASCAR Nationwide Series wins at the track, including this race last year. Carl Edwards, the 2007 series driver champion, has won the last three November races at Phoenix.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. leads the driver standings by 17 points over Elliott Sadler, who’s the only competitor who can catch Stenhouse. After Texas, the last of the drivers who were mathematically eligible for the championship were eliminated. Stenhouse’s 14 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes lead the series. He also has two wins, which is best among driver championship contenders.

Joey Logano will be in the No. 18 at Phoenix for Joe Gibbs Racing. Kyle Busch has manned the No. 18 for the majority of the season; however the Phoenix event wasn’t on his original 22-race schedule.

 

REMINDER: If Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Carl Edwards accomplish both championships, it will be the first time ever in NASCAR history the same owner captured two different championships in the same series.

 

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR BATTLE

Blake Koch finally pulled even with Timmy Hill following Texas. After closing to within one point of leader Hill following the fall race at Charlotte last month,this may very well be the closest race for a post-season award for the series’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year.*

 

*The award is based on accumulating points and also via vote by a Rookie of the Year panel that weighs on and off track elements.

NASCAR suspends Kyle Busch for intentially wrecking Hornaday

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Kyle Busch isn’t working for THIS weekend.

NASCAR announced this morning that they have parked Kyle Busch for the whole weekend for his actions against Ron Hornaday in the NCWTS race last evening at Texas Motor Speedway. Busch will not be racing in today’s Nationwide race, nor tomorrows Sprint Cup race at Texas.

Watch part of the news conference with Mike Helton announcing the suspension of Kyle Busch:

So what happened? Well, here’s what happened.

Busch and Hornaday were racing for second, side-by-side with Busch on the outside when they encountered Johnny Chapman’s lapped truck in the middle of Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 14. Hornaday moved up slightly to avoid Chapman and when he did, his truck “loosened-up” and slapped Busch’s truck, knocking it slightly into the outside wall.

Busch, unhappy with being sent into the wall, caught up to Hornaday, while under caution, and intentionally clipped Hornaday in the right-rear corner knocking him head-on into the outside wall. That instantly ended Hornaday’s chance at the NCWTS Championship battle.

Busch was parked immediately following the incident and was to report to the NASCAR hauler after the race.

With the suspension, Denny Hamlin will drive the J.D. Gibbs owned No. 18 Nationwide car today and Michael McDowell will get his opportunity of a lifetime to fill the JGR M&M’s No. 18 Toyota Cup car on Sunday. Both will start in the back due to driver change.

In the meantime, Joe Gibbs is in the middle of doing damage control with all of the sponsors. Here’s Joe Gibbs conference with the media:

Meanwhile, KHI have locked in the Owner Championship points with his No. 2 truck over Kyle Busch Motorsports.

More penalties could come as of Monday for Kyle, so stay tuned!

Sprint Summer Showdown field set for Atlanta Motor Speedway

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So what’s the best way to bring the summer to a close over Labor Day weekend? Well, by locking in the eligible drivers for the Sprint Summer Showdown.

Brad Keselowski claimed his third victory and ninth top-10 finish in 2011 in victory lane at Bristol Saturday night and closed the door for the last spot for another driver to join the ranks of those who will compete in the Sprint Summer Showdown Presented by HTC EVO 3D $3 Million bonus at Atlanta Motor Speedway Sept. 4th.

Following are the eligible drivers, along with their charities and one fan chosen to win $1 Million, each:

Brad Keselowski
Won: Pocono and Bristol
Charity: Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation
*Fan (Pocono): Helene Cross
*Fan (Bristol): TBA

Paul Menard
Won: Indianpolis Motor Speedway
Charity: Habitat for Humanity
Fan: Andrea Gay

Marcos Ambrose
Won: Watkins Glen
Charity: Victory Junction
Fan: Ron Rempinski

Kyle Busch
Won: Michigan
Charity: Kyle Busch Foundation
Fan: Dana Hardie

Should any of those drivers win the race, they’ll earn $1 million for themselves, $1 million for charity and $1 million for a fan. As a two-time winner in Showdown qualifying races, Keselowski’s will race for two fans, who will split $1 million if he wins.*

THE CHASE

The following drivers have clinched a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup: Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards. Kyle Busch clinched at least a Wild Card Spot last week, has now clinched a top-10 spot.

BRISTOL RACE RE-AIRS

For those of you who were unable to watch the race due to Hurricane Irene coverage, ESPN2 will be re-airing the race TODAY at 5pm/est. and SPEED will re-air on Wednesday, Aug. 31st at 12pm/est.

Kyle Busch has his day in court for speeding and reckless driving

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Kyle Busch, fresh off his win from Michigan, appeared in a N.C. District Court for Iredell County on Tuesday for a hearing that stemmed from his May 24th citation for speeding and reckless driving for driving 128 mph in a 45-mph zone in a residential area in Mooresville, N.C.

Busch pleaded guilty with no contest to careless and reckless driving and speeding. In return, the judge handed down having his license suspended for 45 days (with no limited driving privileges), fined $1,000 and ordered to do 30 hours of community service with the B.R.A.K.E.S. teen safe-driving program. Sentencing for the reckless driving charge was continued, so there will be no penalties for the no contest plea.

For the speeding guilty plea, Judge H. Thomas Church gave Busch a 30-day suspended jail sentence with a year of unsupervised probation. As long as Busch doesn’t violate the law over the next year, he won’t have to go to jail.

Source: Sporting News Wire

Open test session Oct. 4 at newly repaved and configured PIR

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Race fans have a chance to see NASCAR Cup drivers take on Phoenix International Raceway’s newly

Team member of the No. 27 race team studies data after a test run at the newly repaved Daytona International Speedway. Photo credit: Sandi Goodall for Racingal.com

repaved and reconfigured 1-mile oval during their first Sprint Cup Series test session at PIR on Tuesday, October 4. Gates will open at 8 a.m.

Phoenix International Raceway’s free fan event during the October 4 test will offer general admission seating in the Bryan Grandstand and infield viewing for patrons to take in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage activities. In addition, Sprint Cup Series star Kyle Busch – driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota – will participate in a moderated fan Q&A session during the October 4 event. Fans may submit their questions for Busch at Facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway.

PIR’s Fan Experience team will be in the grandstands throughout the day giving away gifts and prizes, while concession stands offering a variety of food and beverage will be open at various locations throughout the track.  Fans will also have the opportunity to take tram tours of the Raceway’s perimeter and the PIR Track Ticket Office will be open for fans to purchase tickets to the November 10-13 Kobalt Tools 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event weekend.

This was the 47-year old NASCAR facility’s first major track paving project since 1990. Construction began in March with the removal of the facility’s former racing surface and the subsequent installation of a new surface is in progress, with a series of changes designed to promote side-by-side racing. While maintaining the integrity of PIR’s oval – including the 1-mile distance – the slight configuration changes will produce a racier track with average speeds that are expected to increase two to three miles per hour. The project is slated to conclude in September and the October 4 testing session will be the first public event for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers at the new PIR.

Changes made were:

- Widen the front stretch from 52 to 62 feet

- Reconfigure pit road with the installation of concrete pit stalls

- Push the dog-leg curve between Turn 2 and Turn 3 out 95 feet

- Tighten the turn radius of the dog-leg from 800 to 500 feet

- Implement variable banking to ensure the immediate use of two racing grooves, including 10-11 degree banking between Turn 1 and Turn 2; 10-11 degree banking in the apex of the dog-leg; and 8-9 degree banking in Turn 4.

This fan event and the public test session will run until 5 p.m.

PIR Press Release

NASCAR President Mike Helton takes questions from media regarding Childress, Busch incident

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Below are some Q & A between the media and Mike Helton at Kansas Speedway regarding the incident between Richard Childress and Kyle Busch Friday evening after the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Hopefully, this will answer some of your questions you may have as to why NASCAR didn’t do certain things or what they have planning ahead.

Q. What was NASCAR’s perception of what happened on the cooldown lap between Joey Coulter and Kyle?

MIKE HELTON: That kind of falls under the statement that I made that we don’t think Kyle did anything to violate his probation on the racetrack yesterday.

Q: Obviously one of the things in the rule book states that you guys can do an emergency action and can eject an individual. One of the things it says you can eject for is for fighting. Can you explain why you didn’t eject Richard, and does this not fall under fighting with what you’ve been able to uncover?

MIKE HELTON: It does. And we do have that ability, and incidents even beyond fighting, to feel like if we needed to do that, we could, and that was considered in this case.

And what will happen today is that Richard will operate as the owner of Richard Childress Racing with some restrictions attached to it as to where he may go or not go.

But we decided to let Richard stay, because there does need to be leadership of an organization represented, which, you know, historically we rely on crew chiefs. But since both organizations have multiple teams, we decided that it would be better if there was an authority from the team here. And there’s not a second level authority present this weekend from his organization; Joe Gibbs is here from Joe Gibbs Racing, and we chose to allow Richard to participate today.

Q. You said what Kyle did on the track is not a violation of his probation, but what goes on in the garage, does that not have any factor –

MIKE HELTON: Unless you know something we don’t know, I’m not sure what he did in the garage that would have been in question.

Q. What have you been told went on in the it garage?

MIKE HELTON: I’m not to go into all of the details. I’m just saying we have not seen anything that indicated Kyle violated his probation on the racetrack yesterday or even in the garage areas yesterday.

Q. Are we looking at Kyle as Kyle Busch driver, rather than Kyle Busch owner, because Kyle Busch driver does have a history with the RCR company that dates back to Darlington. I think that’s kind of where it hit the crescendo when he was put on probation. So are we looking at Kyle Busch driver, Kyle Busch owner, Kyle Busch competitor in general?

MIKE HELTON: We look at him as a member of NASCAR. Kyle Busch is a member of NASCAR, other drivers, crew members, car owners are members of NASCAR. Our authority is around NASCAR members and that’s the way we look at them as NASCAR members.

Certainly we investigate to get the totality of everything we need to make a decision. The reaction from NASCAR is focused on what happened yesterday.

Q. Has fighting in the garage as something that used to be part of NASCAR, people would scrap it out all the time, has that changed with the current era in sports, that you simply have to look at the bigger picture and can’t allow what you did years ago? Because a lot of that went on.

MIKE HELTON: I think throughout the history of NASCAR, we have gone through cycles of everything, including tempers in the garage and on the racetracks, and I think our responsibility lies in reacting to those trends, and if it is a trend that we feel like escalates, then we have a history of stepping in and turning those trends around.