Tag Archives: Stewart Haas Racing

NASCAR’s ‘First Lady’ Danica Patrick wins Coors Light Pole Award for Daytona 500

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Credit: 282786Chris Graythen/Getty Images

The front row for the Daytona 500 is now set.

Danica Patrick can now be labeled (literally) as the “Fastest Woman in Town” undoubtedly. Before Patrick’s record-setting pole run of 196.434 mph (45.817 seconds) Sunday afternoon, the highest DAYTONA 500 start by a female was 18th by Janet Guthrie in 1980.

This is Patrick’s second NASCAR pole, also winning the Coors Light Pole for the season-opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona last season. The only other female to win a NASCAR national series pole was Shawna Robinson in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1994.

Danica Patrick made her own “HERstory” by winning the Coors Light Pole Award for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Patrick will be starting upfront with Jeff Gordon, winning the outside pole position for the start of the Daytona 500. Gordon stated that he can be labeled the “Fastest Guy in Town.”

Already a NASCAR record holder, Patrick set the mark of best finish by a female driver in when she finished fourth in a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2011. She finished overall 10th in the final 2012 NASCAR Nationwide points standings, the top finish by a female in NASCAR national series history.

Patrick is in her first year in the Stewart-Haas Racing stable as teammate to Ryan Newman and teammate & car owner, Tony Stewart. SHR will head into the Duels on Thursday in position(s) Pole (Patrick), 4th (Newman) and 5th (Stewart).

Patrick, who is running for the 2013 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, is the first rookie to win the Daytona 500 pole since Jimmie Johnson in 2002. She continues to make HERstory in the future with being the first female to compete in the Sprint Unlimited in 2014.

DUEL at DAYTONA

Qualifying position determines which Duel the driver will race in. Those cars who earned ODD-NUMBERED positions from today’s Daytona 500 qualifying will be assigned to the FIRST Duel race. Those cars which earned the EVEN NUMBERED positions from qualifying will compete in the SECOND Duel race.

The STARTING POSITIONS for each Duel race will also be based on today’s qualifying times.

REMINDER: The Pole & outside Pole positions are locked in for the Daytona 500.

DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING RESULTS

SMOKE DETECTOR: Tony Stewart Autograph Session – Tomorrow!

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Three-time and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ champion Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet and team owner at Stewart Haas-Racing will sign autographs for fans at the local Office Depot store in Pembroke Pines, Florida, prior to the NASCAR® Sprint Cup Series™ season finale race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Stewart captured his third NASCAR® Sprint Cup Series™ championship after winning last year’s season finale race at Homestead-Miami Speedway to edge Carl Edwards on a tiebreaker (most wins). It was the first championship for a driver/owner since 1992 when Alan Kulwicki accomplished the feat.

WHERE:
Office Depot
650 N. University Drive
Pembroke Pines, Florida 33024

WHEN:
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
4 p.m. local time

NOTES: There will be 450 wristbands distributed for autographs (limit one per person). Wristbands may be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis at the store beginning at 8 a.m. local time on the day of the event only. Fans with a wristband must be in line no later than 5:15 p.m. local time to receive an autograph.

UPDATED 7/17: U.S. Rep McCollum’s statement regarding Army discontinuing sponsorship with SHR

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U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn. had the following statement upon hearing that the Army had announced Tuesday, July 10th, it will be discontinuing its sponsorship with Stewart-Haas Racing starting with the 2013 season:

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Washington, DC – Today, the Army announced that it would no longer sponsor the Stewart-Haas Racing, which includes racecar driver Ryan Newman.  A longtime NASCAR sponsor, the Army had been with Newman at Stewart-Haas Racing when the team began three years ago.  In her position on the House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) has been urging the Department of Defense to stop spending millions of taxpayer dollars on professional sponsorships.  Although the military is using this money for recruitment purposes, facts indicate that professional sports sponsorships weren’t effective.

“By ending its sponsorship of NASCAR, the Army made the right move to eliminate a wasteful program and protect taxpayer dollars – which has been my goal all along,” said Congresswoman McCollum. “Congress is facing a very difficult budget environment, and I want taxpayer dollars protected – even at the Pentagon. I applaud the Army’s decision to terminate its funding of NASCAR. The Army now joins the Navy and Marine Corps in terminating its NASCAR partnership.”

“I will continue to work to save taxpayer dollars by ending all of the Pentagon’s multi-million dollar professional sports sponsorships of motor racing, bass fishing and ultimate fighting,” concluded Congresswoman McCollum.

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

NASCAR driver Ryan Newman losing his Army sponsorship due to military’s lack of ability to show recruiting numbers received due to these sponsorships. Photo by Sandi Goodall for Racingal.com

According to USA Today, the Army spent $16 million on professional sports sponsorships.  Total spending by the Pentagon on all sports sponsorships – including motor racing, bass fishing and ultimate fighting – is over $80 million.

The U.S. Army has served as a primary sponsor in NASCAR since 2003, starting with MB2 Motorsports and Jerry Nadeau. The Army has been with Newman at Stewart-Haas Racing since 2009 and will spend $8.4 million on its NASCAR program this season, a total that includes a 12-race sponsorship for Ryan Newman’s No. 39 Chevrolet.

Even if the amendment is killed, the Army National Guard will likely have less money to work with next year, which means Earnhardt’s No. 88 team with Hendrick Motorsports could be impacted. The Guard budgeted $26.5 million on NASCAR alone in fiscal year 2012, down from $32.7 million in fiscal year 2011.

At issue for Rep. Jack Kingston, R – GA, who spearheaded the amendment this year, and McCollum has been the fact that the military has an inability to show that such sponsorships are effective in bringing in recruits.

In the meantime, according to John Myers, director of marketing support for the Army Marketing and Research Group, Army officials are in the process of signing a contract extension with Don Schumacher Racing through 2013 to continue the long-running sponsorship of the Top Fuel dragster for seven-time NHRA champion Tony Schumacher.

Source: Pioneer Press

UPDATE: According to NASCAR.com, NASCAR has joined with other major sports leagues in sending an open letter to the Speaker of the House in an attempt to table an amendment that would restrict branches of the military from using sports sponsorships as a recruitment tool. In a letter sent Monday to Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), NASCAR, the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and the IndyCar Series urged the Speaker show “continued opposition” to the Kingston-McCollum amendment to the $608 billion 2013 Dept. of Defense appropriations bill currently before Congress. Introduced by Reps. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) and Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), the amendment would bar the military from using funds for sponsorships in professional or semi-pro sports. A vote on the appropriations bill is scheduled for Wednesday, according to the weekly legislative calendar of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.)

He’s baaack! Zipadelli named Competition Director for Stewart-Haas Racing

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Greg Zipadelli, winner of two championships and 34 victories as a crew chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been named competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). He will work with Vice President of Competition Matt Borland and oversee the #14 and #39 teams, while also building the #10 team for which Danica Patrick will run a 10-race Sprint Cup schedule with in 2012.

 

Zipadelli comes to SHR from Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) where he served as crew chief for the #20 team since 1999. It’s where the 44-year-old from Berlin, Conn., began a 10-year tenure with Tony Stewart, the co-owner of SHR along with Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation. From 1999 through 2008, Zipadelli was Stewart’s crew chief, with the duo winning Sprint Cup titles in 2002 and 2005 while claiming 33 victories and 10 poles. When Stewart left JGR following the 2008 season to form SHR, Zipadelli stayed and spent three years as the crew chief for Joey Logano, where he helped deliver Logano’s first career Sprint Cup victory on June 28, 2009 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.

 

“We’re very proud to have Greg Zipadelli join Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Stewart, the three-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion. “Greg and I have a long and successful history together. I know him and he knows me, and we both know what it takes to build race teams. We took our time in searching for a competition director because it’s an important role with a lot of responsibility. Greg knows all that goes into the job, understands the importance of teamwork and communication across all levels of the organization, and is ultimately someone I have a great deal of trust in.”

 

The addition of Zipadelli to the SHR family is a reunion on two fronts  Stewart, of course, but also with Steve Addington, who spent 2004-2008 at JGR and is now Stewart’s crew chief at SHR with the #14 team. (Tony Gibson serves as crew chief for the #39 team and driver Ryan Newman.)

 

In the meantime, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced that Jason Ratcliff has been named crew chief for its #20 Sprint Cup Series team, replacing Greg Zipadelli. Ratcliff comes from JGR’s Nationwide No. 18 team.

Emotional Darian Grubb thanks Tony Stewart for opportunity, friendship

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Darian Grubb, winner of the Champions Crew Chief Award, speaks during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion's Week NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon at the Bellagio on Dec. 1, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nev. Photo credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

Darian Grubb spoke for mere minutes at Thursday’s NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon, but the words that tumbled from the champion crew chief’s mouth were a good two months in the making.

 

Prior to October’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Grubb learned that his tenure as Tony Stewart’s crew chief would end after the season. Then, six races and three victories later, Grubb won an improbable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship atop the pit box for the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet. A few days later, the move was confirmed. Grubb was out, Steve Addington was in as Stewart’s crew chief in 2012.

 

That draining sequence of events framed the highlight of Thursday’s traditional NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon at the Bellagio – Grubb’s acceptance speech as champion crew chief.

 

With emotion in his voice, Grubb thanked Stewart for the opportunity – and his friendship. During the post-event media availability, Grubb explained his feelings from the roller-coaster ride.

 

“It’s just tough,” Grubb said. “It’s just awkward because we want to enjoy it, but we know things are changing. So we’re trying our best to enjoy the championship and everything we’ve earned and deserved and go from there.”

 

Stewart, who filled his expanding trophy case with four more awards on Thursday, continued a dream week. Enjoying the spoils as guest of honor during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week, Stewart picked up the phone on Wednesday morning to speak with President Barack Obama – calling from Air Force One.

 

“It is a huge honor to get a call from the President of the United States,” Stewart said. “I was more nervous that I wasn’t going to be able to hear on the phone very well, being from Air Force One, but they got great service up there. He just congratulated us on a great season. … The First Lady was giving him updates from the track, so I was really proud that he was following our sport and cared enough to call yesterday.”

 

At the event’s conclusion, the top-12 drivers hit The Strip for what has evolved into one of the most hotly anticipated events of Champion’s Week: the NASCAR Victory Lap. For the third consecutive year, thousands of fans lined The Strip to watch the top 12 roar down The Strip. Starting at Planet Hollywood and ending at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, celebratory burnouts smoked the closed streets of Las Vegas.

 

A large crowd also enjoyed a Q&A session with the top 12 at the popular NASCAR After The Lap, held at the Hard Rock. The tell-all format has gained mass appeal, as drivers show fans a more personal side.

 

Day 3 events ended with the presentation of the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio “Stewie Awards,” hosted by Tony Stewart, honoring the best moments of the 2011 season.

 

Here is the complete list of Thursday’s award winners from the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon:

• Myers Brothers Award: Drs. Joe and Rose Mattioli

• NASCAR Foundation Track of the Year Award: Michigan International Speedway

• Wheaties Fuel Most Popular Driver Award: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

• Buddy Shuman Award: Richard Childress

• NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award: Toyota

• Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award: Andy Lally

• Growth Energy American Ethanol Green Flag Restart: Matt Kenseth

• Coors Light Pole Award: Carl Edwards

• Mobil 1 Driver of the Year Award: Tony Stewart

• DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Year Award: Bob Osborne

• MOOG Chassis Part Problem Solver of the Year Award: Alan Gustafson

• O’Reilly Auto Parts Position Improvement Award: Tony Stewart

• Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew Award: Roush Fenway Racing No.99

• Mahle Engine Builder of the Year Award: Roush Yates Engines No. 99 (Doug Yates)

• Goodyear Gatorback Belts & Hoses Fastest Lap Award: Kyle Busch

• Sunoco Diamond Performance Award: Tony Stewart

• Goodyear Tires Award: Tony Stewart

• Champion Sponsor Award: Office Depot and Mobil 1

• Champion Crew Chief: Darian Grubb

 

Don’t forget! Tomorrow’s (Friday, Dec. 2) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week activities include the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony. Starts at 6 p.m. (9 p.m. ET SPEED).

 

The star-studded entertainment lineup for the ceremony includes country music icon Reba as host, a performance by Grammy-award winning rocker Kid Rock, as well as performances by two recent additions: up-and-coming country artist Ella Mae Bowen and Broadway sensation Jersey Boys.

Source: NASCAR Media PR

SMOKE ALERT: Stewart to sign autographs at Davie, FL Office Depot TODAY

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Tony Stewart will sign autographs for fans at the local Office Depot store in Davie, Florida TODAY, Nov. 15th at 4 p.m. Office Depot is the Official Office Products Partner of NASCAR® and co-primary sponsor of Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy.

 

Stewart is currently second in the Championship point standings (3 points behind leader Carl Edwards) and became the second driver in history to open the 10-race Chase with back-to-back wins. The Chase’s final race of the season will take place on November 20 with the Ford 400.

 

Office Depot

1940 S. University Drive

Davie, Florida 33324

 

There will be 600 wristbands distributed for autographs (one per person).  Wristbands may be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis at the store beginning at 8 a.m. local time on the day of the event only. Fans with a wristband must be in line no later than 5:00 p.m. local time to receive an autograph.

If Smoke wins Texas, fans print free at Office Depot Monday

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Special paint scheme Tony Stewart will carry at Texas Motor Speedway in conjunction with the "Win on Sunday, Print on Monday" promotion. Photo supplied by Edelman Marketing

Yea, Tony Stewart is taking this Chase thing very seriously.

Serious enough that if he wins at Texas Motor Speedway, fans will be able to download a special coupon from  www.officedepotracing.com and bring it to the Xerox Certified Print Specialists at their local Office Depot store’s Copy & Print Depot™ center to redeem 14 FREE color copies on Monday, November 7, only.

Tony Stewart’s No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet will feature the Office Depot Copy & Print Depot™ logo along with the message “We Do Printing” during the November 6 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ race at Texas Motor Speedway.

That special connection between Mobil1 and Tony Stewart

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Gaylord Marshall, Tony Stewart’s grandfather who was a deliveryman for Mobil for nearly 40 years. Photo credit: True Speed Communication

Before Tony Stewart drove a stock car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he drove an Indy car. Before he drove an Indy car around the historic 2.5-mile oval, he drove a tow truck up and down Georgetown Road parallel to the track’s 3,330-foot-long frontstretch. Before he drove a tow truck, he bombed around Indy as an up-and-coming USAC driver in various hand-me-downs that consumed as much oil as they did gas. But before Stewart could drive, he joined his grandfather, Gaylord Marshall, on his route as a deliveryman for Mobil.

Thirty-six years after spending summer and winter vacations hanging with his grandfather – a member of the Greatest Generation who interrupted his tenure with Mobil by serving as an artilleryman in the U.S. Army where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge – Stewart has followed in his tire tracks. He too is now a driver for Mobil, except Stewart’s ride is a little quicker than the 1960s-era truck his grandfather piloted. And instead of delivering heating oil to homes in and around Lafayette, Ind., Stewart delivers performance at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series venues across the country.

Unfortunately, Stewart’s grandfather, Gaylord Marshall, passed away last September at age 95. “It was tough, because I knew it was probably going to be the last time I was going to be able to spend time with him. You cherish those kinds of moments. We were pretty close on signing Mobil 1 around that time, and I told him that it looked like we were going to be sponsored by them. I could tell he liked that, because as tired as he was, it made him smile. I was like four or five years old when I rode with him in his delivery truck, and to be 40 now carrying the same colors he carried for all those years, that’s pretty cool,” said Stewart.

Stewart's paint scheme for this weekend’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing (photo credit: CIA Stock Photography).

This Sunday’s Brickyard 400 will mark Stewart’s 13th career Sprint Cup start at Indy and his 21st overall start at the speedway, as five starts came in the Indianapolis 500 with three more in the defunct IROC series.

He is a two-time winner of the Brickyard 400 (2005 and 2007) and the only driver to start from the pole in the Brickyard 400 (2002) and the Indianapolis 500 (1996). He’s also led a total of 347 laps (217 laps in Sprint Cup, 122 laps in IndyCar and eight laps in IROC) at Indy.

Now as a driver/owner with Stewart-Haas Racing, Stewart aims to join 1997 Brickyard 400 winner Ricky Rudd as the only driver/owners to win the Brickyard 400. And by carrying the colors of Mobil 1, the world’s leading synthetic motor oil blend, Stewart can add a personal memento to what would be another professional triumph – delivering for Mobil 1 the same way his grandfather did for nearly 40 years.

New paint scheme for Tony Stewart’s No. 14 at Kansas

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*All photos courtesy of True Speed Communications

Tony Stewart will drive the No. 14 THE GLADES/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala for this weekend’s STP 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.

The 800-horsepower stock car fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing will carry the design and colors of A&E’s original-scripted drama series THE GLADES. Stewart shot a cameo for an upcoming episode at Homestead-Miami Speedway that’s slated to air June 26.

Season two of THE GLADES debuts Sunday night on A&E just a few hours after the checkered flag drops on the Sprint Cup race at Kansas. THE GLADES will air at 10 p.m. EDT/9 p.m. CDT.

Source: True Speed Communications PR

Stewart-Haas and El Monterey gives race fan opportunity to win “Tour with Tony”

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Stewart-Hass Racing

Stewart Haas Racing teaming up with frozen food maker, El Monterey for sweepstakes. Photo by Sandi Goodall, Racingal.com

A Facebook-driven promotion is happening now in conjunction with Frozen Mexican food maker, El Monterey, and Stewart-Haas Racing to give a lucky race fan the opportunity to “Tour With Tony,” where the winner and three of his or her friends will get a tour of the 140,000 square-foot headquarters of Stewart-Haas Racing followed by lunch with Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy Impala. Airfare to Charlotte, N.C., is included, along with lodging.

Specially marked El Monterey packaging is available now in the freezer aisle of grocery stores, and fans of Stewart and El Monterey can visit the El Monterey Facebook page at www.facebook/ElMonterey now through July 15. No purchase is necessary, and entrants can fill out the sweepstakes form a maximum of twice per day, where they’ll be automatically entered. A “Tour With Tony” coupon will be available May 1 in most Sunday newspapers.

An inside look at Stewart-Haas Racing. Photo by Sandi Goodall, Racingal.com

An inside look at Stewart-Haas Racing. Photo by Sandi Goodall, Racingal.com

There is also a second chance to win more prizes through “Tony’s Flavor Challenge”. After entering the sweepstakes, fans will have the chance to create Stewart’s next flavor for El Monterey. They can submit their flavor ideas, vote and comment on others’ ideas and earn points that can be redeemed for Stewart-Haas Racing merchandise, El Monterey gear, coupons and even raffle tickets for Flip video cameras.