Line-ups for Gatorade Duel Races

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Line-up / Duel Race # 1


1 99 Carl Edwards – Ford /Fastenal
2 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Chevrolet / Diet Mountain Dew / National Guard
3 9 Marcos Ambrose – Ford / Stanley
4 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – Ford / Ford EcoBoost
5 21 Trevor Bayne – Ford / Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
6 14 Tony Stewart – Chevrolet / Office Depot / Mobil 1
7 43 Aric Almirola – Ford / Smithfield “Helping Hungry Homes”
8 27 Paul Menard – Chevrolet / Peak / Menards
9 34 David Ragan – Ford / Scorpion Truck Bed Liners
10 22 A.J. Allmendinger -  Dodge / Shell / Pennzoil
11 2 Brad Keselowski – Dodge / Miller Lite
12 29 Kevin Harvick – Chevrolet / Budweiser
13 31 Jeff Burton – Chevrolet / Caterpillar
14 42 Juan Montoya – Chevrolet / Target
15 30 David Stremme – Toyota / Inception Motorsports
16 1 Jamie McMurray – Chevrolet / Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats
17 10 Danica Patrick – Chevrolet / GoDaddy.com
18 32 Terry Labonte – Ford / C&J Energy
19 140 Michael Waltrip – Toyota / Aaron’s Dream Machine
20 11 Denny Hamlin – Toyota / FedEx Express
21 98 Michael McDowell – Ford / K-Love / Curb Records
22 83 Landon Cassill – Toyota / Burger King
23 38 David Gilliland – Ford /  MHP Power Pak Pudding
24 37 Mike Wallace – Ford / Poynt.com
25 7 Robby Gordon – Dodge  / Mapei / Menards / Speed Energy

Line-up / Duel Race #2

1 16 Greg Biffle – Ford / 3M
2 13 Casey Mears – Ford / GEICO
3 24 Jeff Gordon – Chevrolet / Drive to End Hunger
4 56 Martin Truex Jr. – Toyota / NAPA Auto Parts
5 55 Mark Martin – Toyota / Aaron’s Dream Machine
6 48 Jimmie Johnson – Chevrolet / Lowe’s
7 17 Matt Kenseth – Ford / Best Buy
8 39 Ryan Newman – Chevrolet / U.S. Army / Quicken Loans
9 20 Joey Logano – Toyota / The Home Depot
10 5 Kasey Kahne – Chevrolet / Farmers Insurance
11 26 Tony Raines – Ford / Front Row Motorsports
12 18 Kyle Busch – Toyota / M&M’s Brown
13 109 Kenny Wallace – Toyota / American Ethanol
14 36 Dave Blaney – Chevrolet / Ollie’s Bargain Outlet
15 51 Kurt Busch – Chevrolet / HendrickCars.com
16 33 Elliott Sadler – Chevrolet / General Mills / Kroger
17 87 Joe Nemechek – Toyota / AMFMEnergy.com / Pellet & Wood Stoves
18 78 Regan Smith – Chevrolet / Furniture Row / CSX “Play it Safe”
19 47 Bobby Labonte – Toyota / Kroger
20 97 Bill Elliott – Toyota / AMFMEnergy.com / Pellet & Wood Stoves
21 93 David Reutimann – Toyota  / Burger King
22 23 Robert Richardson Jr.  – Toyota / North Texas Pipe
23 249 J.J. Yeley  – Toyota / America Israel Racing
24 15 Clint Bowyer – Toyota / 5-hour Energy

 

Budweiser Beer School 101 at the Daytona 500 Club

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!!!

BK Racing officially announces team, drivers for 2012

BK Racing officially announced plans to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full-time beginning this weekend at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The team will enter two Toyota Camrys, numbered 83 and 93, out of its headquarters in Statesville, N.C. The team is led by an ownership group consisting of experienced and successful business people including Wayne Press, Scott Gunderson and others. General Manager Harry McMullen will lead the team at the race shop and at the track.

Two-time Sprint Cup Series winner David Reutimann will pilot the No. 93 Toyota in the Daytona 500 and former Phoenix Racing’s Landon Cassill will race the No. 83 in the Daytona 500 and for the balance of the 2012 season. In addition, the team also announced that 2003 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil will be behind the wheel of the No. 93 Toyota beginning at the second race of the season in Phoenix, Ariz.

BK Racing has acquired certain assets from the former Red Bull Racing operation and has moved into a race shop that has all the essential equipment to prepare winning cars. This immediate success allowed the team drivers to feel confident about this season.

BK Racing will make official sponsorship announcements in the near future.

Source: Breaking Limits PR

DENIED: No ‘General Lee’ at Phoenix International Raceway

PGA's Bubba Watson stands next to the "General Lee" he purchased at auction. Credit: UGASports.com

NASCAR vetoed PGA star Bubba Watson’s dream of driving his “General Lee” show car around Phoenix International Raceway before the March 4 Sprint Cup race. Watson purchased the the #01 car at auction for $110,000 and was previously told he could. But upon further discussion, NASCAR, ISC & Phoenix International Raceway felt it was not in the best interest of the sport to have a car with the Confederate flag, go around PIR.

In reply via Twitter, Watson wrote: “Sorry to say @nascar won’t let me drive The General Lee at the @PhoenixRaceway !!! #dreamcrushed.”

The Confederate flag still is flown by many fans at a lot of racetracks, particularly in the South.

Source: ESPN

NASCAR confiscates parts from the No. 48 Lowes team

Per ESPN, Crew chief Chad Knaus and other members of five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson’s Daytona 500 team face possible suspensions after NASCAR said it found modifications on the rear quarter panel of Johnson’s #48 Chevy. The C-posts — pillars that come down from the roof to the quarter panel — were confiscated by NASCAR on Friday after going through an initial inspection for the 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Sprint Cup Series director John Darby said the changes were a major violation of NASCAR’s policy banning alterations to the series’ template. “Suspensions are not out of the realm of possibility,” Darby said.

But Darby also said that it’s unlikely team members will be banned from the race, because the apparent violation was found so early. “The team will be allowed to fix the car,” Darby said. Darby said penalties could come as early as next week, but NASCAR spokesperson Kerry Tharp said sanctions are unlikely until after the February 26 race. “They found some things they didn’t like and they asked us to remove them,” Knaus said Friday. “We’ll get the car fixed up and ready to qualify.” Asked if he knew there was a chance the car was out of compliance before arriving at Daytona, Knaus said, “I haven’t had a chance to take a good look at it yet. I know they just asked us to remove the parts, so we did. We’ve got to dig into it. It’s been a hectic day.”

Ken Howes, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president for competition, said he expects the rebuilt car will be ready for practice on Saturday and qualifying on Sunday. “A helluva way to start the 2012 season,” he said. Asked if this was an intentional attempt by the #48 team to bend the rules, Howes said, “That’s a difficult way to put it. You work within the templates the best way you think. Obviously, you’re trying to do a better job than the next guy. NASCAR said it wasn’t right, so it’s not right. We don’t have an argument with that.”

Howes said manipulating the C-post creates an aerodynamic advantage, and that individual teams are allowed to work in that area. The other three Hendrick Motorsports cars did not fail inspection.

Catch the buzz on the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500 from Media Day

It was Thursday, February 16th, and it was Media Day at Daytona. I spent the whole day at the Daytona International Speedway’s 5th Turn Hospitality tent, located outside the track approximately where the start/finish line is.

For those of you who have been following me for the past four years, know that my blog was formerly known as “The Fifth Turn Blog.” And by the way, that was BEFORE Daytona named their hospitality tent…. I suppose great minds think alike. I just find it ironic that how time has gone by and my blog has grown, that I would “return” to a place that had the same meaning as my previous blog that had started it all.

Anyways, I arrived and checked in. I was handed my media credential and the woman working the registration desk, then gave me a huge “goody” bag filled with goodies from a majority of the race sponsors. I’m talking four different hats, three glasses, two tumblers, 3M goodies, a panoramic photo of Phoenix Raceway, Ritz, Oreo’s, mouse pads, etc… you know where I’m going with this. I was shocked and from what I was witnessing, so were other media members. Again, is this a sign of a turning economy? Apparently so, compared to last season’s Media Day, this was an awesome goody bag!

Moving on…

I walked around to look for a seat to set up camp for the day. This would be my lifeline to

AJ Allmendinger stops by one of the media tables to show off his Rolex watch he won for winning the Rolex 24. Photo by Karen Pistone

the race fans. By this time, most seats were taken and I was able to grab one in the “overflow” area by the door. But come to find out, it was the best seat in the house, seeming how the drivers would stop to chat on their way out – as AJ Allmendinger did. He just had to show us his Rolex watch from winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona just a couple of weeks ago.

SPEED, NASCAR.com and Sirius Radio were on hand doing their thing. I chatted with Chocolate Meyers, said hey to John Roberts in between interviews and ran into Monica Palumbo – AKA as one of the “former” Miss Sprint Cups. By the way, she is getting married on May 5th and is working on a radio show as well as holding interviews for NASCAR.com.

Every driver was there and available to the media for questions. Yep, we the media, approximately 300 of us all ranging in print, radio, tv, internet – had the drivers all to ourselves! There were booths set up, as if it were a trade show. Drivers were doing promos, recordings, photo shoots, and autographing items to be used throughout the season for fundraising through the NASCAR Foundation.

Sam Bass presented Tony Stewart with a Gibson Guitar he painted during Media Day at Daytona. Photo by Karen Pistone

I must admit, that yes, while it was awesome being around the NASCAR Cup drivers, the big moment of the day for me was talking to Sam Bass. Sam Bass is well known as being the first officially licensed artist for NASCAR and for painting Gibson Guitars for trophy’s to be given to race winners at Nashville Superspeedway. Bass has been designing guitars since 2002. As a Graphic Designer and a race fan myself, I can relate very well to Bass’ passion for his work. To my surprise, Sam knew who I was…. ME!! I was tickled to death! We have been friends on Facebook and I have written a couple of blogs about his work, but had never met in person. But for HIM to know WHO I WAS!!  That was the “WOW!!!!” factor me!

Anyways, I walked around the media area, snapped photos and participated in some driver interviews.

I know you all are so ready for the 2012 NASCAR season to begin, and believe it or not, so are the drivers. Here’s what they said:

AJ Allmendinger
He made the move to advance his career and to win races and make the Chase. His highest expectation this season, is that of himself.

Aric Almirola
“I am a Rookie, and will make some mistakes.. but I hope to limit them.” Almirola hopes his experience in the other series will help improve his career.

Trevor Bayne
Bayne will race under any type of race conditions and is ready. Bayne commented on how this year is different. “Last year, I was asked about how I felt if I could win the Daytona 500…while this year, I’m being asked how I’m going to defend my title.”

Greg Biffle
“The Bud Shootout is going to be awesome this weekend because no one knows what’s going to happen… first time with the fuel injection, big pack, what’s the push going to do, how long can one push… I’m really looking forward to the Bud Shootout!”

Clint Bowyer
“We’ve had fortunate enough to have a lot of testing, but not so much as to work on equipment, but rather communication. Communication is the key for setting up the car.”

“Yes, there are nerves…everything comes with the word ‘new’. When I change, I change it all….everything from the ground, up.”

Jeff Burton
“I’m focusing on the future, instead of the past. I’m confident that we will be up there with speed, but I honestly do not know what the rules are.”

Kurt Busch
“The way James Finch loves these restrictor plate races, he builds really good cars for this effort, this is one of the best chances to win and it’s one of MY best chances over the years… I’ve been with Roush and Penske, and now with James Finch and Phoenix Racing and to have a Hendrick motor under the hood, and a chassis and a body, I’m really stoked about this.”

On the Budweiser Shootout:
“It’s a win or bust mentality.”

Kyle Busch
“I always like to have a fast start so that way you’re not worrying about catching up. I like to have Daytona or first three races where you could screw up in, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot, and you can still come back from that, and that you can go outside the box, and not really worry about it.”

On the Budweiser Shootout:
“We’ll figure out how long we can push during the Bud Shootout.”

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
“It’s a great feeling to be on the grid for the Daytona 500…yeah, it’s a special feeling.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that the equal performance of primary and backup cars allows him to race hard in the preliminaries.

“It just really comes down to luck, not how good your car is.”

Carl Edwards
“I wanted to win that Championship more than anything last season. It was very humbling and very motivating at the same time. I’m hoping we go into Homestead this year with a shot to win and apply what we’ve learned and we’ll be tough to beat.”

“The Daytona 500 is the biggest race in America. For me, the excitement level with the things that go on that Sunday’s morning are unlike any other event -There is so much electricity in the air, there are so many people so ready and so pumped for the new season to begin. Just seems that with the whole off season and all the waiting around and all the preparation just explodes in that race, it’s just crazy.”

Jeff Gordon
“It’s what it takes to win the race…you never really know. Sometimes you have to be patient, sometimes you have to be aggressive; Sometimes you want to be upfront, sometimes you want to be in the back; Are we going to be pushing in the closing laps of the race? Who am I going to work with in this race? You’re mind is spinning with all the questions. In a typical race you’re thinking your car’s good, get track position, have good pit stops, you can win the race. It’s a lot different with the Daytona 500.”

Denny Hamlin
“I took things for granted in 2011 of how good our cars were, I was lazy in the sense that I felt I didn’t have to work on my technique and anyone will tell you that if you don’ have the best stuff, you need to step up and now I feel I’ve gotten better, my cars have gotten better and we’ll be a force to reckon with because of it.”

On the Budweiser Shootout
“We don’t know what we will be working on because there have been a lot of rule changes. This year’s Budweiser Shootout is going to be the most critical that it’s ever been.”

Kevin Harvick
“This is a wide open race. There’s a lot of anticipation and enthusiasm, a lot build-up and hype, and usually you’ll see something crazy happen at the beginning of the race. You never know what’s gonna happen.”

Jimmie Johnson
On the Gatorade Duals:
“It’s nerve racking day – no body wants to lose a car, guys are trying to find their way into the race, if you’re on the front row, how much racing do you want to do, because you want to start on the front row… you clearly have a fast race car, but Thursday is a very, very stressful day, but the Gatorade Duals are a great race for the fans to watch and there are always great story lines that come out of it.”

On the Budweiser Shootout:
“We have so many changes in the rules, that there are going to be a lot of learning and trying to understand from a drivers standpoint how to work the draft.”

Kasey Kahne
“I’m excited, been looking forward to the opportunity to drive for Hendrick Motorsports for a year and half now…. can’t wait to get started. Winning the Daytona 500 would be a big boost in someone’s career…”

Matt Kenseth
“I don’t do anything different for the Daytona 500 that I do for any other race.”

Brad Keselowski
“The atmosphere around the Daytona 500 is like no other – it makes you recognize and appreciate how cool the race is – you go through all those feelings, you know, the pre-race jitters – and I don’t care who you are…and once you get in that race car, it’s time to go.”

Joey Logano
“You try to block out rumors, because you don’t want to necessarily hear about it, and all it does is takes your mind off of where it’s suppose to be, but you turn on the tv and all you see is they are talking about you, you wonder “huh, is that true?” but you know, that doesn’t make your race car go any faster.”

Mark Martin
“It’s the determination, it’s the drive…I haven’t lost the drive, the age hasn’t diminished that- and obviously you couple that with, I believe, my training I’ve been doing over the past 25 years, that I’m better at it now than I was doing 25 years ago.”

About driving part-time:
“What I’m doing is old school, it’s what David Pearson did, and what Cale Yarborough did, they raced the races they wanted to race, and they didn’t race the races they didn’t want to – I like ‘em all, but I gotta take a certain amount of breaks and the ones I’m taking make the most sense to me.”

Jamie McMurray
“The Budweiser Shootout is a fun race. No points are to be gained nor lost, so it’s just a different mentality going into it…if you crash going for the win, it doesn’t matter.”

Juan Pablo
“I’m anxious to start and see where the team stands.”

On the Budweiser Shootout
“You can get away with a lot of mistakes in this race and learn from it for the Daytona 500.”

Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman says his Daytona 500 victory in 2008 was equal parts luck and skill, depending on who you ask.

Travis Pastrana
“For me, I can only take it one step at a time – we can give it our all and I honestly believe that if I give everything i can for the next two years, that we’d be at a point that it’s your talent is no longer in question, it’s either you have a chance to make it, or you don’t.”

Danica Patrick
“For me I’m moving forward. I think of my family and the scope of what I’m going to do. All the Cup race practice will help in the Nationwide practice – I can see why a lot of the drivers opt to race in the NWS.”

On the Gatorade Duals:
“If you qualify in the 10-20 area, you go out in the Duals and just go race hard and figure out what your car does…but if you have those front starting spots, you almost end up pulling back in the Duals, and being careful, and sometimes being careful is what changes you, what you would do instinctively as a driver, and sometimes things happen then.”

Tony Stewart
“It’s definitely nerve racking – because you know you want to start forward in the 500 and get the best pit selection – but at the same time you don’t want to beat up your car (in the Budweiser Shootout) because it’s your 500 car…. it’s your car they massaged, they worked hard on…. and you gotta make it last 500 more miles after the Shootout is over.”

On Danica Patrick:
“She process information really fast, faster than any other Rookie I’ve seen – her feedback is really, really good and detailed – you can’t teach that – it’s a talent you have to have – no one can teach that – it’s the feedback you have to have to feel for a car.”

Martin Truex, Jr.
“Expectations are to win one race – but I think we can win more – we’ve been in the position to win before – some that we’ve given away – we gotta be smart – but I think making the Chase – without the Chase and winning this year, wouldn’t be an accomplishment or a good year for us.”

Michael Waltrip
“It’s going to be great learning experience for me in the Shootout to figure out what I have to do in the Thursday race to try and get myself into the big one.. I finished in the top 10 at Talladega, so I think I know what I’m doing. I know I’ll have a car to do it with, putting all the pieces together on Sunday afternoon and get into position late to win one more of these things.”

So let’s get these cars rollin’, shall we? The Budweiser Shootout Draw Party takes place this evening Friday, February 17 at 7:30pm at Daytona International Speedway on the SPEED stage located in the Midway outside Turn 4. This event is for starting positions that will be determined by a blind-draw and is free and open to the public. The Budweiser Shootout is Saturday evening at 8 p.m. and will air on SPEED.

Sam Bass presents Tony Stewart with Gibson Guitar during Media Day at Daytona

Tony Stewart and Sam Bass. Photo credit: Karen Pistone / Racingal.com

Today during Media Day at Daytona International Speedway, I was walking around and

Tony Stewart kneels to check out the new Sam Bass guitar that was just presented to him. Photo by Karen Pistone / Racingal.com

noticed this guy…. a very excited man talking to Tony Stewart. My first though was a desperate fan got into the Media Center and wanted to give Tony Stewart something very dear and close to him. He handed Tony a guitar case – Tony took it, placed it on the stage next to him and knelt down to open it.

It was a painted Gibson guitar. Just for him.

Then it clicked. The guy wasn’t just a crazed fan that got into the Media area…. it was Sam Bass.

It turned out to be another Sam Bass great, painted just for the three time NASCAR Champion himself. I asked Sam what was the importance to this guitar and he said, “I just love Tony. He’s a great guy, a great driver and he really enjoys my stuff.”

I told Sam that it amazed me to see just how excited he was. He was like a little boy in a candy store for the first time – his eyes were lit up, his smile reached cheek to cheek. Sam is a huge fan of the sport. He loves to support the drivers that show appreciation to their fans. “If it weren’t for the fans, they wouldn’t be where they are today.”

Sam Bass and his two guitars from today's Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. Photo credit: Greg Engle.

“We are opening my Gibson guitar exhibit for the Sprint Rock and Racing Sweepstakes,” said Bass. A lucky fan at seasons end will win one of my custom painted Gibson Les Pauls and I will personally paint their favorite driver on it!!!….ROCK ON!!!”

Sam will be holding an autograph session at Universal City Walk’s NASCAR Sports Grille Wednesday, February 22 from 4-6 p.m. Please stop by. If there’s anyone besides me that wants to talk racing, Sam’s the guy!

Timmy Hill to run for Rookie of the Year in Sprint Cup

Timmy Hill. Photo credit: Sandi Goodall/Racingal.com

Rick Ware Racing and Poynt.com (free mobile app.) have finalized a deal to run Timmy Hill for the 2012 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year.

RWR will run the full Sprint Cup schedule with sponsor Poynt on board. Mike Wallace will drive the 54th annual Daytona 500. Timmy Hill, the 2011 Nascar Nationwide Rookie of the Year, will be at Daytona in his Poynt Nationwide Ford. Timmy will start driving the #37 full time at Fontana or Texas.

RWR has joined forces with Larry Gunselman’s Max Q Motorsports #37 for the full season. The Sprint Cup operation will run out of RWR’s new 24,000 sq. ft. facility across the street from RWR’s Nationwide and Rolex programs.

Timmy’s crew chief will be veteran Bill Henderson. Ken Glen formerly of KHI will serve as Competition Director and Larry Gunselman will be General Manager of the #37 Poynt.com Ford.

Source: Rick Ware Racing PR

IT’S TIME! Are you ready for some Bud Shootout stats?

The Budweiser Shootout’s distance will again be 75 laps (187.5 miles), consisting of two segments – 25 and 50 laps. Both green-flag laps and yellow-flag laps will count. Between segments there will be a 10-minute pit stop allowing teams to pit to change tires, add fuel and make normal chassis adjustments.

Finishing last in the 2011 edition of this race, Kasey Kahne hopes to follow Denny Hamlin (2006) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2008) and get a Shootout win in his first race for a new team, Hendrick Motorsports. Defending race winner Kurt Busch will attempt to do the same thing as he moves to Phoenix Racing. Kevin Harvick will go for his third victory in four years in this race, extending Richard Childress’ record for Shootout wins to eight.

Shootout at Daytona

·  The number of participants has ranged from a low of seven in 1981 to a high of 28 in 2009 (25 are entered for this year’s event).

·  The drivers with the most Shootout appearances:

• Bill Elliott (23)

• Mark Martin (23)

• Rusty Wallace (19)

• Ken Schrader (19)

• Jeff Gordon (18)

·  Mark Martin had appeared in the most consecutive Shootout races, competing in 20 consecutive events from 1989-2008. The active leader in consecutive appearances is Jeff Gordon, with 18. This year marks his 19th.

·  There have been eight multiple winners in the Shootout:

• Tony Stewart has won three of the last 10 (2001, 2002 and 2007).

• Dale Earnhardt won six events, most all-time (1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995).

• Dale Jarrett won in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

• Other multiple winners: Neil Bonnett (1983-1984), Ken Schrader, (1989-1990), Jeff Gordon (1994 and 1997), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 and 2008) and Kevin Harvick (2009-2010).

• Bonnett, Schrader, Stewart and Harvick are the only drivers to win back-to-back races. No driver has ever won three consecutive Shootouts.

·  Buddy Baker (1979), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Jeff Gordon (1994), Dale Jarrett (1996) and Denny Hamlin (2006) all won the first Shootout in which they competed.

·  Only five times in the 32-year history of the race has the winner gone on to win the Daytona 500:

Bobby Allison (1982)

Bill Elliott (1987)

Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)

Jeff Gordon (1997)

·   There have been three winners from the pole: Darrell Waltrip (1981), Bill Elliott (1987) and Ken Schrader (1989).

·   Two drivers have swept the Shootout, Daytona 500 pole and Daytona 500 from 1979-2010: Dale Jarrett (2000) and Bill Elliott (1987).

·  One driver has swept the Shootout, Daytona 500 and the Coke Zero 400 from 1979-2011: Bobby Allison (1982).

·  Seven drivers have won the Shootout (1979-2011) and the same season’s championship. Dale Earnhardt is the only one to have accomplished it multiple times – four times.

Tony Stewart (2002)

Jeff Gordon (1997)

Dale Earnhardt (1993)

Dale Earnhardt (1991)

Dale Earnhardt (1986)

Darrell Waltrip (1981)

Dale Earnhardt (1980)

Four drivers have won consecutive Shootouts (1979-2010). None went on to win that year’s Daytona 500.

Kevin Harvick (2009-10)

Tony Stewart (2000-01)

Ken Schrader (1990-91)

Neil Bonnett (1983-84)

Shootout Manufacturer Recap
Manufacturer          Victories          Last Victory – Driver

 

Chevrolet                19                     2010 – Kevin Harvick

Ford                       7                      2004 – Dale Jarrett

Buick                      2                      1982 – Bobby Allison

Oldsmobile             2                      1980 – Dale Earnhardt

Pontiac                   2                      2002 – Tony Stewart

Dodge                    1                      2011 – Kurt Busch

By the Numbers: Shootout at Daytona

.058 –Margin of victory in seconds by Kurt Busch over Jamie McMurray in 2011, the closest margin in Shootout history

1 – Laps led by Rusty Wallace (1998), Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Dale Earnhardt (1980), Dale Jarrett (2000 and 2004) and Kevin Harvick (2009) in the Shootouts they won

2.75 – Average finish by Dale Earnhardt, best by any driver with multiple starts

5 – Drivers who have won the event in their first appearance (Buddy Baker, 1979; Dale Earnhardt, 1980; Jeff Gordon, 1994; Dale Jarrett, 1996; Denny Hamlin, 2006)

6 – Number of Shootout wins by Dale Earnhardt, the series leader

7 – Number of fewest starters in the field for the Shootout (1981)

11 – Number of starts before winning, most since race began in 1979 (Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin)

14 – Number of different leaders in the 2009 event, most since race began in 1979

19 – Number of wins by Chevrolet in the Shootout, leads all manufacturers

27 – Kevin Harvick’s starting position in 2009, the lowest by a race winner in the event’s history

28 – Number of lead changes in the 2011 event, highest number since race began in 1979

44 – Laps led by Greg Biffle in 2005, the most by a driver who did not win the event

47 – Laps led by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2008, the most in a single Shootout

98 – Number of all-time laps led in the Shootout (1979-2011) held by Dale Earnhardt

FOX will televise the Shootout live beginning at 8 p.m. ET. MRN and NASCAR Sirius Radio also will provide coverage.

Landon Cassill lands with new two-car team – formerly known as Red Bull Racing

Landon Cassill has been named one of the drivers for a new, yet-unnamed race team for the #83 Toyota purchased from the former Red Bull Racing team.

Doug Richert will be the crew chief, with former Roush Fenway Racing executive, Harry McMullin, serving as General Manager.

Multiple sources say Virginia resident and former TRG Motorsports minority partner Ron Devine is a leading player in the new ownership group. The team will reportedly be owned and sponsored by Devine and a group of his fellow Burger King franchisees. Specualtion has it that possibly the new team would run under BK racing.

The newly formed team will be announcing the team name and sponsorship in the near future. The team will operate out of the former Randy Moss Motorsports building in Statesville, NC, and will run with horsepower supplied by Triad Racing Technology.

The new team will field two cars in every race this season, beginning at Daytona. Travis Kvapil has been mentioned as the other driver for the team’s #93 Toyota, (which was previously Kasey Kahne’s No. 4 Toyota) along with ex-Red Bull driver Brian Vickers.

The team will be making an announcement very soon.