Monthly Archives: September 2012

World of Outlaws

McMahan Tops Opening Night of 50th annual National Open

McMahan Tops Opening Night of 50th annual National Open
Hodnett second for his fourth podium in as many Outlaws races at Williams Grove
 
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Sept. 28, 2012 – Paul McMahan is not an Outlaw, nor is he Posse.
“I’m just a kid from California making a living,” he said.

McMahan did just that on a cool Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway, where he claimed the opening night of the 50th annual National Open. The victory was his second World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series win of the season and sends him into Saturday’s $50,000-to-win event as a favorite.

“It’s just a phenomenal night for me,” he said. “To win at Williams Grove is the coolest thing ever.”

While McMahan was strong from the first lap, polesitter Kerry Madsen was the driver to beat. Madsen powered to the lead with McMahan working from fourth to second before the backstretch on lap two.

Stevie Smith passed McMahan for the runner-up position in turn four on lap seven before they entered traffic on lap 11. One lap later, McMahan returned the pass with a slide job for second place in turn four. Greg Hodnett maneuvered past Smith for third place on the ensuing lap.

With Madsen in control, McMahan and Hodnett appeared to touch as they exited turn two on lap 15 in a tight battle for second. McMahan maintained the position as Hodnett swerved toward the inside guard rail.

The only caution came on lap 17 as Doug Esh stopped in turn three, setting up a double-file restart with nine laps remaining. Madsen chose the inside lane and was soon engulfed by McMahan and Hodnett in a three-way battle for the lead.

As the trio exited turn two, the drivers were three-wide with McMahan’s momentum propelling him into the lead down the backstretch.

“I made a mistake,” Madsen said. “I was running a line in (turns) one and two and I should have adjusted the exit. I think if I would have adjusted the exit we might have had a chance.

“Paul was probably a better car there at the end anyway, but maybe if I’d done the right things we could have held on.”

Hodnett drove by Madsen for the runner-up position two laps later and set his sights on McMahan, who had built a sizeable advantage. Hodnett chipped away at the lead and McMahan encountered traffic in turns three and four on the final lap, which allowed Hodnett to close within a car length at the checkered flag.

“We just needed a little bit more or track position would have helped a great deal,” Hodnett said. “Lapped cars slowed him down so it made me look faster. It was nothing special. It might have looked good, but he got caught up in traffic is the only reason we caught him.”

Hodnett became the only driver to record a podium finish in each of the four World of Outlaws races at Williams Grove Speedway this season.

Tim Shaffer finished fourth and Lucas Wolfe ended fifth. Smith was sixth, Kraig Kinser seventh and World of Outlaws points leader Donny Schatz placed eighth, which snapped his top-five streak at 11 races. Steve Kinser charged from 20th to ninth and Jac Haudenschild rounded out the top 10.

Danny Dietrich, who started last – 26th – while utilizing a track provisional, earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after finishing 13th .

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Chris Economaki

The motorsports world lost iconic racing journalist Chris Economaki today at the age of 91.  Below please find a statement to attribute to Jim Campbell, US Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.
 
“Chris Economaki made an impact in motorsports like no other. He was a trailblazer in journalism, and his passion and depth of knowledge across the spectrum of world-wide racing brought the sport to life for millions of fans. His contributions have been endless, and he will be deeply missed.  The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Chevrolet and Cadillac Racing are with his family and friends.”
 

NHRDA

National Points Championships heats up as competitors head to the Texas Motorplex for the NHRDA World Finals !

National Points Championships heats up as competitors head to the Texas Motorplex for the NHRDA World Finals !
2012 MBRP Performance Exhaust Diesel Drag Race Series
 
Top Diesel

John Robinson heads to the World Finals ranked #1 in the nation and holding onto a slim 40 point lead over Brad Ponci.  Robinson is  really is looking forward to the World Finals since it is in his home state of Texas and hoping to capture his first National Championship Title.
But since the World Finals is a double points event,  mathematically Brad Ponci, Jared Jones and Marty Thacker all have a shot at the Top Diesel points championship.  Stay tune … 
 
Pro Stock

Congratulations to Graydon Udelhoven and Team Dirty Max  as they seem to have wrapped up their 1st National Championship Title in Pro Stock category. Winning at Phoenix , Indianapolis and Brainerd has given the Dirty crew enough points that only Rob Coddens has a chance to catch him.  It is highly doubtful as Rob would have to win the World Finals , while Graydon would have to break in qualifying.  I guess in 2 weeks we will find out. 
 
 
Pro Street

Jarid “The Iron Man” Vollmer has been dominating the pro street category this year with back to back wins at both Redding Dragstrip and Mission Raceway.  Jarid heads to the World Finals with 60 point lead over Rob Coddens and says he is close to breaking into the 8s.
Vollmer drives the Bully Dog Pro Street Truck and says he is ready to win both his 1st National Points Championship and also bring home his 1st World Championship back to Idaho.
 
Super Street

National Record Holder , 2011 World Champion , 2011 Divisional Champion when you are talking about Super Street category one name seems to always come up and that is Rob Coddens and the Maxed out crew as they have dominated this category since its conception.
Rob heads to the Motorplex with a 150 point lead over Daryl Bruneau and has his sights set on his 1st National Points Championship but more importantly he wants to be the first ever 2  time World Champion.
 
Super Diesel

Back in March Verlon Southwick predicted that he would not only be the 2012 Super Diesel National Champion but that he would also repeat as Super Diesel World Champion.
With wins in Phoenix , Texas and Edmonton looks like Verlon is his way to making his statement come true by winning both titles and putting his name into the history books.
 
Sportsman

Verlon Southwick looked like he was going to wrap up the National Points Championship in the sportsman category as he continued his win streak at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton. But then he looked in his mirror and saw Rony Vandenberg coming out of no where and Rony has made up a ton of ground and pulled within 150 points heading to the World Finals so keep your eye on both of these guys.  If Verlon does pull this off he will be the 1st ever competitor to win Championships in 2 different categories.  Good Luck Verlon!

Showtime Funny Car

Showtime Racing- FIA Finals

FIA Euro Finals 2012

Santa Pod September 6th
– 9th

 

The Euro Finals brought down the curtain on what has been a
very challenging season for the Showtime FC. In common with all drag racers the
weather has been a major factor this year, so it was with great relief we were
greeted with blue skies and sunshine at Santa Pod raceway, with more of the
same forecast for the whole weekend.

 

With 4 FC’s entered it was to be 2 qualifying runs on
Saturday and semi-final and final on Sunday. The first run on Saturday was
scheduled between the FIA car and UEM bike classes. Having less than 6 runs on
the car this year, none of which were in similar weather and track conditions,
this would in effect be a “set up” run.

 

We were called forward around 1pm and fired up. There is
definitely a different sound to the motor as a result of all the changes from
the “old” car. John had the left lane with Shockwave in the right. John first
to 60 ft then tyre shake, a brief pedal then off it by the eighth, through the
top end in 7.84sec at 102mph, leaving us in 4th place after the
first round.

 

With a routine service done it was back down for the second
qualifier at 4.30. Right lane this time for John, Shockwave, again in the
other. Away first again, shake around 100 feet, John drove through it and at
the eighth in 3.52 secs at 227mph before lifting, finishing in 5.73secs at 181
mph to move up to second and putting us up against Shockwave yet again but this
time in Sunday’s semi final.

 

During the routine service some damage to the clutch pressure
plate was revealed. Once fixed the car was put away “ready to run”.

 

The semi final was scheduled after the first round of all
the FIA classes. We were on the line at 1.30, John taking the right lane. Away
first and running straight, not quite as quick to the eighth as yesterday, but
slightly faster 3.59 secs at 230mph, almost 240mph at 1000 feet before lifting
to go through the line at 5.53 secs at 209mph and into the final against Leif
in the Starkotter FC. This would be a tough one as Leif had been “Mr
Consistency” so far with 3 runs around 5.50 secs.

 

Servicing was straight forward, other than replacing a
liner. We lined up with Leif just after 5pm, John in the left lane. Leif away
first as John blew off the tyres at the hit, John tried to pedal the car but no
joy. Leif crossed the finish line first but was adjudged to have made contact
with the track boundary (scraped the headers on the wall) and so was DQ’d
giving Showtime the event wins. Not the way you would like to win but as they
say “a win is a win which ever way “

 

So the 2012 season came to an end. However we are
immediately looking forward to 2013 as Trakbak Racing (owners of Santa Pod) CEO
Keith Bartlett announced in the programme and during the meeting there will be
a European Fuel Funny Car Championship in 2013, provisionally with 3 rounds at
Santa Pod and 1 at Hockenheim with a major sponsor and TV coverage. So far 6
teams have expressed interest and more are expected before the first race.

 

Our thanks as always go to all the track crew, officials and
staff at Santa Pod, our sponsors and the race fans, not forgetting www.eurodragster.com  for all their time and effort in reporting
the on and off track action

 

Thank you all once again and we look forward to seeing you
all in 2013

Follow A Dream Racing

PERMATEX/FOLLOW A DREAM TEAM REACHES CHARLOTTE SEMI’S, CLINCHES REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

PERMATEX/FOLLOW A DREAM TEAM REACHES CHARLOTTE SEMI’S, CLINCHES REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Marstons Mills, MA –September 19, 2012-With a second consecutive semifinal finish in national event competition, Jay Blake’s Permatex/Follow A Dream team moved up another spot in the national Top Alcohol Funny Car rankings. Driver Todd Veney beat former national event champions Clint Thompson and Paul Gill at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Nationals in Charlotte before falling in the semifinals to eventual winner Frank Manzo, who ran low e.t. of the event, 5.54, against Veney’s 5.66.

The late-round finish elevated Veney to ninth in the national standings, and when no one at the penultimate regional event of the season, in Noble, Okla., passed him, it clinched the East Region championship, a first for the Permatex/Follow A Dream team.

“We qualified high and ran well for the second week in a row,” said Veney, who was fifth in the 16-car field with a 5.66 and ran in the 5.60s in two of three rounds of eliminations. “The best part was clinching the championship. Winning Cecil County and Bowling Green back to back last month put us in the driver’s seat, but it wasn’t official until now. I want to thank Jay, Permatex, and everybody at Follow A Dream for the best season I’ve ever had.”

            “That’s two wins in a row at regional events and two semifinals in a row at national events,” Blake said. “The whole team pulled together after we had a few bad races this summer, and here we are. It’s like I always say: a total team effort.”

Subaru Road Racing Team

Subaru Team Gears Up for GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Finale

Subaru Team Gears Up for GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Finale

-Drivers Aquilante, Spaude Ready to Tackle Round 10 hosted at Lime Rock Park-
Phoenixville, Pa. – Sept. 26, 2012 – After experiencing a near miss at the top step of the podium at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) travels back eastward to contest the season finale of GRAND-AM’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Ct. Running as high as second at the previous round has added to the team’s motivation to complete this season with a strong finish.
 
SRRT including their race-winning drivers, A.J. Aquilante of Phoenixville, Pa., and teammate Bret Spaude of Bushnell, Fla., are very familiar with the characteristics and nuances of the tight and fast-paced racecourse at Lime Rock Park, having raced at the venue many times in the past.
 
To date, the team’s season has been highlighted by a win at New Jersey Motorsports Park, a third place finish at the Homestead-Miami Speedway round, and a strong run to second at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca by the final lap.  The team takes the rollercoaster season in stride while confident in the performance from their 4-door #35 Subaru Road Racing Team WRX STI.
 
“Though it’s unfortunate that the car’s outright performance, solid driving from our drivers, and clockwork car preparation and development plus pit work from our team isn’t accurately reflected in some of this season’s race results, we know our team and car represent a championship-contending package,” said SRRT Principal Joe Aquilante, whose Phoenix Performance outfit prepares the race cars for Subaru of America, Inc.
 
Added James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc., “It’s been a frustrating season for our Subaru Road Racing Team at times, but I’m confident in the people and processes within our program that have worked to establish consistency, good practices, and helped tap the significant performance potential of our Subaru WRX STI.”  “As much as Lime Rock [Park] is a singularly challenging track with its relatively short single lap distance and truncated passing zones, I think our team will perform well here by applying shrewd pit stop strategy and some heads-up driving.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Lime Rock Park

CHEVY QUICK FACTS
GRAND-AM ROAD RACING
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
LIME ROCK PARK
LAKEVILLE, CONNECTICUT
September 28-29, 2012
 
INSIDE THE GRAND-AM GARAGE – JIM LUTZ, CHEVROLET RACING PROGRAM MANAGER –  GRAND-AM ROAD RACING:  “It is hard to believe we are heading into the last GRAND-AM race of the season. Heading into Championship Weekend at Lime Rock Park, Chevrolet has a 25 point lead in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype Engine Manufacturer Championship standings. Winning that championship will be a tremendous accomplishment for Corvette Daytona Prototype in its the first year of competition in the Series.
 
“Lime Rock Park, the oldest, continuously operating road course in America, is a 1.5-mile up and downhill circuit that remains much the way it was when completed in the spring of 1957. The pavement has been replaced through the years, but the technical aspects of the track remain the same – something for everyone.  The track is a relative short distance per lap, and pitting under the green will put a team a lap down, so strategy will be a key in both the Continental Tire and Rolex races. And in the Continental Tire series there will be separate races for the ST and GS classes, so the GS race will be a flat out sprint with much less traffic for our Camaro GS.R drivers to contend with.
 
“We are looking forward to ending the season with strong showing from our Camaro teams in both GT and GS.  In both classes, our teams have been working hard to maximize the performance in their cars, and are anticipating a strong finish to the 2012 season.”
 

Casey Currie

Casey Currie- Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Anaheim Hills, CA (September 25, 2012) – Back in the City of Lost Wages for more than just an elusive night on The Strip, Casey Currie and team roll in to Las Vegas Motor Speedway to continue their winning streak, and leave ahead of the House, with a 1st and 2nd all-out finish.

Thursday qualifying would be easy—1st place qualifier for both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races left plenty of play time for the evening. The Off-Road Champion met up with fellow Monster Energy athletes BJ Baldwin and Kyle Leduc at Pole Position Indoor Karting Raceway to do what they do best—destroy the competition. The three off-roaders brought their competition trucks for everyone to check out, while they welcomed any challengers who were willing to lay all cards on the table and try their luck against these guys on the go-kart track.

Casey and Hoonigan BJ Ballistic Baldwin never fail to deliver non-stop, quality Hoonage. Making the transition from dirt to tire slayers for the night, the two put on an impressively smoky burnout demo in their competition trucks after the battle of the karts.

Tires warmed up from the night before, Casey had his work cut out for him in Friday’s race, when the inversion would put the 1st place qualifier in 4th to start.

“Qualifying 1st was awesome but the inversion sucks!” Casey tells us. “We had some awesome battles with RJ and Deegan and on the first turn of the very last lap I put the pressure on Deegan because I knew I could take him as soon as he made the smallest mistake. He did, we passed him by, and we took the win! This team is working right now!”

Drawing an “8” for Saturday’s inversion placed our 1st place qualifier way back in 8th position from the starting line. This draw by Casey’s spotter Davíd Castillo was good reason to hassle the long-time team member all weekend, and maybe for the rest of the season—but all in good fun.

“The inversion bit us today—we started 8th,” said Casey. “I got through the pack pretty quickly and chased down (Ryan) Beat. Once I passed him I tried everything to catch RJ but had nothing. On the last caution I got close to RJ but not close enough to make it stick. Finishing 1-2 for the weekend is awesome and the truck is ready for Antelope Valley.”

Honda Racing

Honda Racing–Honda, Acura Racers Claim Titles at SCCA Runoffs

Honda, Acura Racers Claim Titles at SCCA Runoff

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (Sept. 25, 2012) – Honda and Acura racers won four Sports Car Clubof America national titles and claimed a 1-2 finish in the inaugural B-Spec category, run as aexhibition class, in last weekend’s SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America.

More than three dozen Honda and Acura racers traveled to the classic Road America road
course in Wisconsin for this year’s 49th annual Runoffs, September 17-23, taking part in 13 of the 30 competition classes. Five drivers used the Honda L15A7 engine in Formula F at this year’s Runoffs, a record for the manufacturer in this open-wheel, training-ground category. Tim Kautz made history on Friday as the first Honda-powered Formula F National Champion, after a race-long battle with defending class champion Lewis Cooper.
“I was hoping the two of us could [break away from the pack] and make it a two-car fight, and that’s what happened,” Kautz said. “On the last lap, it came down to whoever got the better run out of the last corner and, fortunately, we were able to pull it off. It was a great race. Thanks to Honda. They gave us a great engine. You just put it in and go. That reliability allowed me to focus my efforts on improving the chassis and my racecraft.”

Thursday’s opening event,resulted in a clean sweep for Honda and Acura drivers in the
combined race for Showroom Stock B, Showroom Stock C and the new B-Spec class. Luke
Wilwert started from the pole and went on to win SSB in his Honda Civic Si, while Michael
Crawford piloted his Acura Integra from third on the starting grid to the SSC national title.
“I think I was able to get through traffic a little bit better than [the competition]. Dealing with
traffic is part of the art, and I think I just got lucky,” Wilwert said. “This win means a lot. I feel truly blessed, in my second try, to win a National Championship. I didn’t expect it.”
Crawford also won an exciting event, avoiding last-lap contact taking place just in front of him to claim his SSC victory. “I saw [Charlie James and Brian Husting] get a little aggressive,” Crawford recounted. “I’m thinking ‘let’s just see what happens’ and they both went wide at the ‘kink.’ I was able to get by at that point, and just kept going!”

In the new, non-championship B-Spec category, Sage Marie came out of top of a wild three-car fight in his Honda Fit, which also earned him the Sunoco “Hard Charger” award for his efforts. Marie, fellow Honda driver Joel Lipperini, and Shawn Young in a Mazda2 ran within tenths of a second of one another throughout the 13-lap contest, frequently running three abreast on the long Road America straightaways, before Marie eked out a narrow victory over Lipperini

The fourth Honda championship of the weekend came in H Production, where Michael Moser won his first Runoffs title, with defending class champion Greg Gauper making it a 1-3 finish for Honda. Moser and Gauper were part of a four-car train that broke away from the field in the early laps, before Moser edged away to his first national championship.
“Mike Origer passed me, and I figured I’d let him lead for a bit, but then I got a really good run out of Turn Three and into Five,” Moser said. “I out-braked him, went to the inside, and was able to get ahead. He was still in my mirror for a couple of laps, but once I got a little distance, I settled down a bit and ran my race. It all turned out good.”

Honda Performance Development [HPD], through the Honda Racing Line, offered contingency awards of up to $2,500, along with additional support to help offset travel costs for the racers. HPD also hosted catered, trackside hospitality exclusively for Honda/Acura competitors and their team members, providing a buffet lunches September 18-22 and a television monitor showing a live feed of on-track activities.

Launched in July 2009, the Honda Racing Line is a program targeted at licensed participants in sanctioned amateur and entry-level professional racing. The Honda Racing Line was formed to provide its members with a direct connection to Honda Performance Development and its unparalleled record of success at the highest levels of motorsport. Competitors may register for the Honda Racing Line through HondaRacingLine.com.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines.

As one of three engine suppliers to the IZOD IndyCar Series, Honda won this year’s
Indianapolis 500 with driver Dario Franchitti; and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship, where it again took a P2 class win at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases “fun-to drive” products for professional, amateur and entry-level racers.

RCR

RCR Post Race Report–Kentucky

RCR Post Race Report  
NSCS SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway   
 
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
SYLVANIA 300   
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
September 23, 2012
 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished 11th (Kevin Harvick), 12th (Paul Menard) and 15th (Jeff Burton).
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Harvick was the sixth-Fastest Driver Late In a Run (126.160 mph) and averaged a Green-Flag Speed of 126.706 mph, positioning him sixth amongst all competitors.
RCR teammates Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard collectively turned nine of the Fastest Laps Run, ranking seventh and 15th, respectively.
Harvick spent 298 Laps in the Top 15, while Menard ran in the top 15 for 267 laps, ranking them fourth and ninth respectively in the Post-Race Loop Data category.
Menard ranked sixth in the NASCAR Loop Data Statistics category Green Flag Passes (55) with 35 of those while running in the top 15, which ranked him sixth in Quality Passes.
Burton ranked first in the NASCAR Loop Data Statistics category of Closers by gaining three positions over the final 10 percent (30 laps) of the race.
Burton made 46 Green Flag Passes during the 300-mile race  
Denny Hamlin captured his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the 2012 season and was followed to the finish line by Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne.
The next scheduled Sprint Cup Series race is the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 30. The race is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.    

Summit Racing

Quarter-Final Finish Has Anderson Looking for Strong Showing in St. Louis

Quarter-Final Finish Has Anderson Looking for Strong Showing in St. Louis 

Event:  27th annual AAA Texas Fall NHRA Nationals

Location: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Day/Date: Sunday, September 23, 2012

Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro driver Greg Anderson came into Sunday’s final eliminations of the AAA Fall NHRA Nationals in Ennis, Tx. cautiously optimistic about his chances.  After all, Anderson had earned the fifth starting position with a 6.571-second elapsed time and a top speed of 211.06 mph, setting the stage for a first-round match-up against noted “leaver” Greg Stanfield.

Fortunately, Anderson proved up to the challenge, combining a .021 light and a 6.592-second, 210.37 mph run to eliminate Stanfield, who posted a .023 reaction time and 6.640-second elapsed time and 208.65 mph run in the losing effort.

However, the KB Racing team had little time to celebrate, as their second-round opponent would be one of the hottest drivers in the category, Vincent Nobile, whose team works in conjunction with current NHRA Championship points leader, Allen Johnson. Despite racing without the luxury of lane choice, Anderson was able to get a slight lead on his rival.  Unfortunately, his 6.603-second, 210.41 mph pass was not enough to hold his opponent’s charge, who used a 6.590-second, 210.21 mph run to edge Anderson by four thousandths of a second.

“As I said in an earlier interview, we are in a position where we’re out of mulligans, and we have to win out from here,” said Anderson. “It’s up to us – if we can be perfect the rest of the way, then I think we’ll have a chance, but if not, someone else may be the champion. We’ll give it all we’ve got and see where we stand.

“The good news is that we’re capable of it.  We’re getting very close on the performance of these new Summit Racing Camaros, but as we saw this weekend, we still have some things to work on, and we ended up on the wrong end of a very close drag race.  One important thing is that these were not the conditions we normally thrive in and we were still competitive.

“Hopefully next week, we’ll get back to conditions that are better suited to our tune-up, allowing us to finally show the performance we are capable of.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevrolet claims two wins in US

Chevrolet claims two wins in US
One win each for Muller and Huff, now tied in Drivers’ championship
 
 
SONOMA, 23 September 2012: Chevrolet won both races in the first visit ever WTCC event in the USA. Yvan Muller and Rob Huff won a race each, and are now tied in points in the Drivers’ championship.
 
Muller and Huff completed a one-two success in Race 1 after Alain Menu was forced out of the lead by technical problems, sustained after contact with Gabriele Tarquini at the start of the race. Huff won Race 2 after a drive-through penalty dashed Muller’s hopes of a double. Alain Menu, who started Race 2 from 10th, finished in 4th position.
 
Today’s results mean Chevrolet is now very close to mathematically securing its third WTCC Constructors’ title. The RML-run Cruzes fell 10 points short from conquering the crown today, and the team will have to wait until the next round in Japan before opening the champagne bottles.
 
The fight for the Drivers’ title is more open than ever, with Muller and Huff now tied with 315 points. The Frenchman remains on top of the standings as he has won more races. Menu is 49 points behind but still in contention despite his misfortune at Sonoma.
 
Race 1 saw a great start for the Cruzes, which quickly took the first three positions. Poleman Menu was ahead of teammates Muller and Huff, but the Swiss had to lift off as he developed a steering issue on lap 4. Menu was forced to the pits for repairs, losing four laps in the process.
 
Despite starting from the middle of the grid in Race 2, Muller and Huff quickly progressed to
3rd and 4th position respectively after a couple of laps. With race leader Mehdi Bennani in a BMW spinning on lap 4, the duo gained a position, but on lap 5 contact between Muller and Franz Engstler, also in a BMW, paved the way for the Frenchman to take the lead.
 
The stewards, however, penalized Muller with a drive-through, effectively ending any hopes of a points finish and paving the way for Huff, who controlled BMW’s Norbert Michelisz’s attacks in the closing laps.
 
The WTCC now crosses the Pacific for the Asian tour that traditionally closes the season and includes stops in Japan, China and Macau.
 
·        QUOTES
 
Rob Huff (2nd / 1st): “It’s been a fantastic day here in Sonoma. I couldn’t have asked for more and the championship situation is now completely open again. There was little I could do against Yvan in Race 1. I was struggling to follow him, but 2nd was a good result.
 
“In Race 2, I was following Yvan again and then he was handed a drive through penalty, which was a lucky break for me. In the final laps, Michelisz was very close, I was very cautious not to damage my tires, even because I knew Norbert is a very fair driver and he wouldn’t do anything crazy. Interestingly, someone seems to have forgotten the chequered flag at the end of the race, so we all did an extra lap at race speed, I found that pretty entertaining.”
 
 
Yvan Muller (1st / 14th) : “Race 1 was tough, but I started well and then used every opportunity I had. When Alain had the problem with the steering, I took the lead and focused on controlling the race. It’s a very nice feeling to win in America, the home of Chevrolet.
 
“I had a very good start in Race 2, but then there was a very slight contact with Engstler which did not even leave a mark on my bumper. Despite this, I was still handed the drive through penalty. I do not want to comment on the stewards’ decision; what happened, happened. The result is that the championship is now completely open and everything will start from scratch in Japan.”
 
Alain Menu (17th / 4th): “I was very unlucky to have the steering problem in Race 1 when I was leading. Since the very start of the race, I noticed something was wrong with the steering wheel. It got harder and harder and was locking at times, so I decided to stop in the pits because the car was impossible to drive.
 
“It’s a pity because I lost a lot of important points. Race 2 was pretty uneventful, I didn’t start  well, but managed to climb to 4th position.”
 
Eric Nève: “It’s wonderful to win both races in the US and to be so close to the third Constructors’ title. Both races were very exciting and rich in emotions. The fight in the Drivers’ championship is now completely open again and that promises a thrilling end of the season. I’m sorry for what happened to Alain in Race 1, but that is racing.”
 
Ron Hartvelt, RML Project Manager: “We had a challenging weekend but the results were superb. It was great to claim two wins on home soil in our first trip to the States. The Drivers’ championship is still wide open and we are looking forward to the final three WTCC rounds in Asia.”

RCR

RCR Post Race Report–Kentucky

RCR Post Race Report
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Kentucky 300  
 
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Kentucky 300
Kentucky Speedway
September 22, 2012

 
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished first (Austin Dillon), third (Brendan Gaughan) and fifth (Elliott Sadler).
Sadler leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings by four points over Ricky Stenhouse Jr., while Dillon ranks third in the standings, 15 markers behind his RCR teammate.
The No. 2 team ranks second in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, trailing the No. 18 team by 13 points, with the No. 3 team fourth in the standings and the No. 33 team sixth.
Dillon leads the Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, the RCR drivers ranked second (Dillon), third (Sadler) and fourth (Gaughan) in the category for Fastest Drivers Early in a Run.
Combined, the RCR drivers posted the Fastest Laps Run for 81 circuits.
Dillon led the field in Average Running Position (2.005), Driver Rating (139.5), Fastest Drivers Late in a Run (169.924 mph), Fastest Laps Run (40), Fastest on Restarts (165.775) and Green Flag Speed (170.404 mph).
Gaughan posted his third top-10 finish in three races at Kentucky Speedway.
Sadler (3.055) and Gaughan (7.210) maintained the third and fourth-best Average Running Position, respectively, throughout the race.
Sadler had the second-best Driver Rating (131.4).
Dillon earned his second Nationwide Series victory of his career and the 2012 season by 1.059 seconds over Sam Hornish Jr., Gaughan, Drew Herring and Sadler.
The next scheduled Nationwide Series race is the OneMain Financial 200 Dover International Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 29. The 27th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Motor Racing Network beginning at 3:45 p.m.  

World of Outlaws

Blaney Survives Weather, Attrition to Claim Commonwealth Clash

Blaney Survives Weather, Attrition to Claim Commonwealth Clash
Schatz garners runner-up honors to extend Outlaws championship lead to 114 points
 
SARVER, Pa. – Sept. 22, 2012 – Patience was key on a late, chilly and wet Saturday night at Lernerville Speedway.
Following a lengthy delay to the Commonwealth Clash, in which the program had to restart after weather postponed the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event during qualifying, a patient Dale Blaney was credited with his first Outlaws victory of the season as attrition took its toll on the frontrunners.

“I knew it was going to be tough for them to get it in,” he said. “We just put ourselves in good position and were fortunate enough to win one.”

Blaney inherited the lead with three laps remaining when polesitter Craig Dollansky, who led the first 32 laps, slowed dramatically down the frontstretch as his engine began to expire. Dollansky then putted around the 4/10-mile track to finish 11th.

He wasn’t the only driver to sustain a problem down the stretch. Fast qualifier Paul McMahan exited the track with five laps remaining with apparent engines woes while he was only a couple of car lengths behind Dollansky for the race lead.

Those two issues moved Blaney from third place to the lead to earn his second career World of Outlaws victory at Lernerville Speedway and the seventh of his career.

“We were fortunate,” he said. “No doubt about it. (If) those two guys don’t break, they probably run first and second, and we run third.”

Runner-up Donny Schatz overcame a shaky start and a late error to record his 11th consecutive top five.

Schatz nearly collided with Joey Saldana and Jason Sides in the opening laps, which dropped the World of Outlaws championship points leader to sixth. After working his way back to podium contention, Schatz nearly drove off the track in turn two in the final laps. However, he got on the brakes and didn’t lose a position.

“There was a lot of things going on,” said Schatz, who increased his championship advantage to 114 points over Dollansky. “We had a decent finish. It was a very demanding race track, a very unforgiving night for everyone and I’m glad the fans stuck it out.”

Sides also benefitted from the late attrition to finish third – his 17th top five of the season.

“It’s one of those nights where you’re happy that you do what you do,” he said. “Sometimes when it gets like this, when you have to wait out the rain, it makes for a long night, but still it’s better than a real job. We get to come out here and race in front of these fans and have a good night and put on a good show.”

Saldana finished fourth and Jac Haudenschild charged from 15th to fifth. Sammy Swindell was sixth and Cody Darrah earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after maneuvering from 21st to seventh. Chris Bell drove from 18th to eighth, Kraig Kinser ended ninth and Kerry Madsen rounded out the top 10.

The event started off under bright sun only to be shadowed by severe weather. At approximately 7:25 p.m., a violent storm hit the track and halted qualifying while Sam Hafertepe Jr. – the 19th of 31 cars – was in his attempt.

While the strength of the storm ceased around 8:10 p.m., it rained off and on for more than an hour. The first car back on the track occurred at 10:28 p.m. with the first car out for qualifying at 11:30 p.m. The green flag for the feature was waved at 1:20 a.m.

Summit Racing

Starting Third, Line Sets His Sights on a Long Day in Dallas

Starting Third, Line Sets His Sights on a Long Day in Dallas

Event:  27th annual AAA Texas Fall NHRA Nationals

Location: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Day/Date: Saturday, September 22, 2012

After having an up-and-down day on Friday, Jason Line and the Summit Racing team looked for a more consistent performance during the second and final day of qualifying for the AAA Fall NHRA Nationals in Ennis, Tx.  In the early session, Line posted a 6.559-second elapsed time with a top speed of 210.64 mph, third-quickest for the round, earning him a valuable point, and eventually slotting the defending event champion in the third spot for Sunday’s final eliminations.

It was a similar situation in the final round, as Line covered the quarter-mile in the heat of the afternoon in 6.610-seconds with a top speed of 210.28 mph, claiming another bonus point and setting the stage for another solid day on Sunday, as he looks to successfully defend his win from a year ago.

“The numbers show that we made four decent runs, each one in the top half among all the cars attempting to qualify,” said Line. “But when we compare ourselves to the racers at the top of the chart, we see we still have work to do.  We’re certainly making progress with these Summit Racing Camaros – now it is just a matter of finding the consistency we need to win.

“The good news is that we showed last week that we have the ability to win, even against one of the toughest fields we have had in a long time.  We just need to make sure to do our jobs and avoid any mistakes.  If we do that, I believe we certainly have a car capable of winning the race.”

Summit Racing

Anderson Will Start Fifth In Dallas

Anderson Will Start Fifth In Dallas 

Event:  27th annual AAA Texas Fall NHRA Nationals

Location: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Day/Date: Saturday, September 22, 2012

Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing team continue to use their qualifying attempts at national events as a means to learn the performance envelope of their sleek Chevrolet Camaro.  Such as the case during this weekend’s AAA Fall NHRA Nationals in Ennis, Tx. On Friday, Anderson posted the sixth quickest time of the day at 6.599 seconds while admitting there was still work to be done.

On Saturday, Anderson was one of many taking advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures, covering the quarter-mile in 6.571-seconds with a top speed of 211.04 mph to secure the fifth starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations at the Texas Motorplex, and a first-round encounter with Greg Stanfield.

“We’re still in the process of getting both Summit Racing Camaros ready for race day,” said Anderson. “We’ll have some work to do on the tune-up, but I’m confident we’ll be ready in the morning.  The numbers show we’re definitely gaining on it, but we’re really not satisfied unless one of our names is at the top of board or close to it, and that’s exactly what we’re working on.

“Fortunately, we’re on opposite sides of the ladder, and I believe we both have a shot at going rounds tomorrow as long as we find the one thing that has us a little off.  It’s supposed to be a little cooler, but it’s still going to be warm, so we’ll just have to deal with it.  Tomorrow is a very big day and we need to make the most of it.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Four Cruzes in top six at Sonoma

Four Cruzes in top six at Sonoma
Menu takes pole sensational, Muller and Huff in 3rd and 4th
 
SONOMA, 22 September 2012: The Chevrolet Cruzes did not miss their first important rendezvous on American soil, claiming pole position, and filling most of the top spots in today’s qualifying for the WTCC’s first visit ever to the US in Q2 after an intense battle with teammate Yvan Muller and SEAT’s Gabriele Tarquini.
 
Alain Menu took an incredible pole, his second this year, in the dying seconds of the session with a perfect lap on the hilly and technical California track, beating his rivals by almost three tenths of a second.
 
Tarquini took second spot while Muller qualified in third position ahead of teammate Rob Huff. Alex MacDowall, of the independently-run Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet Cruze, finished sixth fastest.
 
In a warm and sunny afternoon, the RML-run Cruzes proved competitive, raising a lot of expectations ahead of the two races tomorrow, which could see Chevrolet secure its third WTCC Constructors’ World Champion title with three rounds to go. To achieve this, the Cruzes will have to end the day with 42 points more than BMW and 37 more than SEAT.
 
The fight for the Drivers’ title, for which only the three Chevrolet drivers remain in contention, remains wide open.
 
 
·        QUOTES
 
Alain Menu (1st): “It’s a great feeling to be on pole on such a driver circuit. I have to thank my engineer and all the boys because the car was simply perfect. We worked well on the set up and the balance of the Cruze and it paid off.
 
“The track conditions evolved between Q1 and Q2 but the car was fantastic throughout. I managed a clear lap with no mistakes and the right rhythm, which is so important here.”
 
Yvan Muller (3rd): “Alain did a great job today. Third is not bad and I am pleased with that, but I have some regrets because I didn’t drive that well, I made a couple of mistakes in the decisive laps, and I think I had the car to do better. The circuit is definitely not easy …”
 
Rob Huff (4th): “I’m happy with my performance as I could have improved my time by two tenths compared to the time set in Q1. My first fast lap was a bit messy; I made a couple of mistakes and struggled in turn 2, but the second time round was much better. I am pleased because that’s everything I had on my car today. We’ll work on the set up tonight and I am sure we can make some improvements.”

Summit Racing

Anderson Opens Dallas Qualifying in Sixth, Looks for More

Anderson Opens Dallas Qualifying in Sixth, Looks for More 

Event:  27th annual AAA Texas Fall NHRA Nationals

Location: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Day/Date: Friday, September 21, 2012

Conditions for the first day of the AAA Fall NHRA Nationals in Ennis, Tx. were completely unlike those racers encountered one week ago in North Carolina, with temperatures in the mid-90s, requiring a completely different set-up.  After starting with the ninth-best time in the opening session at the Texas Motorplex, Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing team rebounded nicely, posting a 6.599-second, 210.37 mph pass on their second attempt to not only move up to the sixth position with two attempts remaining, but also have a direction in which to held with their race car’s tune-up. 

“We were off a little on the first run, but came back nicely later in the afternoon,” said Anderson. “For the most part, we’re directionally correct with our Summit Racing Camaro, especially with the car tune-up, although we still have some work to do on the engine tune-up.

“Tomorrow morning’s session should be the best of the weekend, and we’ll try to take advantage of it to move up in the starting order.  Other than that, we’ll be using both runs to make sure we have everything in order for race day.”

Summit Racing

Second on Friday in Dallas, Line Believes Work Remains to Be Done

Second on Friday in Dallas, Line Believes Work Remains to Be Done 

Event:  27th annual AAA Texas Fall NHRA Nationals

Location: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas

Day/Date: Friday, September 21, 2012

Coming off his tremendous victory in the first race of the Countdown to the Championship, Summit Racing’s Jason Line came into the first day of qualifying for the AAA Fall NHRA Nationals in Ennis, Tx. looking to continue his forward progress in this year’s title chase.  After opening with the eighth-quickest time, the two-time champion returned to form in his second attempt, covering the quarter-mile in 6.586-seconds with a top speed of 210.54 mph good enough for second with two attempts remaining.  Although pleased with his initial attempt, he admitted that both he and his team still had work to be done.

“Although our second run was certainly better than our first, we’re not where we need to be,” said Line. “But honestly, it could be a lot worse, we ended up second and scored a couple little points so all in all, it’s still good, and we have a solid baseline.

“Tomorrow morning’s session should be the best of the weekend, if so, we’d certainly like to take advantage and see if we can sneak in and score the pole.  Still, we will spend the day doing what we can to make this Summit Racing Camaro even better.  Even so, if we can make a bad run and still end up second, it’s not all bad.  We know the areas we need to work on, and we’ll try to address then during one of our two remaining qualifying attempts.  Still, it’s not a bad start.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–WTCC

SONOMA, 21 September 2012: The World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) cars had their first taste of a US circuit today as they took the track at Sonoma, California, for the first testing session which opened the inaugural series event in the United States.
 
Alex MacDowall, at the wheel of a Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet Cruze, posted the best lap time, making it the first time the British outfit is ahead of the field in an official session.
 
The three RML-run Cruzes had a good working session, with the three drivers using the half-hour testing session to discover the circuit and to work on the initial set-up simulations. Yvan Muller was 4th fastest, with Rob Huff and Alain Menu in 6th and 7th respectively.
 
Today’s session took place in excellent weather conditions and the team will continue work tonight to fine tune the cars’ set-up ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying.
 
Chevrolet leads the Manufacturers’ Championship and could mathematically secure the title on home soil this weekend.
 
QUOTES
 
Yvan Muller (4th): “It was a session devoted to learning the circuit. Unfortunately, we could not use the entire 30 minutes allocated as the session was red-flagged and did not resume until five minutes before the end. The surface was quite slippery today and we have quite a bit of work on set-up ahead of us.”
 
Rob Huff (6th): “I went off into the gravel in my first lap and that resulted in a slow puncture, which I realized only a couple of laps later. That cut my session short. Eventually, I only did one fast lap. We still have a lot of work on set-up. No doubt this is a very interesting track, with a lot of uphills and downhills and many corners, which means you basically never rest.”
 
Alain Menu (7th): “I went through the entire working program drafted with my engineer and did eight laps, which is basically half a race. It’s a beautiful track, but there are definitely two or three very delicate corners and a lot of blind spots.”