IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
GRAND PRIX OF BALTIMORE
STREETS OF BALTIMORE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 2, 2012
Ryan Hunter-Reay Wins Grand Prix of Baltimore; Victory is his Fourth of the Season and Tightens Championship Battle Heading to Fontana; Win is 10th Trip to Victory Lane for Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Engine this Season
BALTIMORE (September 1, 2012) – For the fourth time this season, Ryan Hunter-Reay stood atop the IZOD IndyCar Series Victory podium. Behind the wheel of the No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, Hunter-Reay scored the 10th victory for Chevrolet, and cut his points deficit in the battle for the Driver’s Championship to 17 points heading into the season finale in two weeks at Fontana, California.
“Congratulations to Ryan Hunter-Reay and the Andretti Autosport team on their win today on the streets of Baltimore,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, IZOD IndyCar Series. “Congratulations as well to Ryan Briscoe on his runner-up finish.It was a difficult race for the teams and drivers to strategize with the changing weather conditions and numerous caution periods, but the tenacity of the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 teams shined through for a great showing at the checkered flag.
“The success this season of our Chevrolet teams in the IZOD IndyCar Series is the result of a tremendous team effort with our technical partners and all of our teams. Everyone at Chevrolet is extremely proud of the program. We have one race to go in the driver’s championship with three drivers still mathematically in the fight. It will be an exciting season finale in Fontana.”
Hunter-Reay was credited with leading five times during the 75-lap race for a total of 13 laps with a margin of victory of 1.4391 seconds. Hunter-Reay sits second in the driver championship standings, 17 points behind leader Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, who finished sixth today after leading twice for a race-high 22 laps.
Ryan Briscoe, No. 2 PPG Automotive Refinishes Team Penske Chevrolet, finished second. Briscoe led once for 11 laps, and now sits sixth in the standings with one race remaining in the 2012 season.
Rubens Barrichello drove the No. 8 BMC/Embrase KV Racing Technology Chevrolet to a fifth-place finish, his second consecutive top-five run.
Also in the top-10 finishers for Team Chevy were Oriol Servia, No. 22 Panther/Dreyer and Reinbold Racing Chevrolet in seventh place at the checkered flag. E.J. Viso, No. 5 CITGO/PDVSA KV Racing Technology Chevrolet, in ninth position. And, Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet, crossed the finish line in 10th place.
Monthly Archives: September 2012
Rain Curtails U.S. Nationals Qualifying, Eliminations Set for Monday
Rain Curtails U.S. Nationals Qualifying, Eliminations Set for Monday
Event: 58th annual Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
Location: Lucas Oil Raceway, Clermont, Ind.
Day/Date: Sunday, September 2, 2012
Constant rain which pelted Lucas Oil Raceway throughout the day on Sunday forced NHRA officials to cancel the final day of qualifying at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Ind. The fields for Monday’s final eliminations will be set based on the two qualifying sessions held on Friday and Saturday, starting with the first round of Top Fuel at 11:00 a.m. (ET).
Although defending U.S. Nationals champion Greg Anderson would naturally have preferred to have a couple more attempts at the tricky Indy track in his Summit Racing Camaro, starting from the fifth position based on his 6.655-second, 208.17 mph run from Friday, he is cautiously optimistic that his team will have the right answers in place by tomorrow’s opening round.
“We were hoping to get at least one run in today, but the weather just did not allow it, so we’ll probably have to make a few calculated guesses with the tune-up heading into the first round,” said Anderson. “Still, we have gained a lot of ground with these Summit Racing Camaros over the last few weeks, and I am confident my guys will come up with the right combination to help put us in contention for the win.
“Although today’s events were certainly out of everyone’s control, I still feel bad for the fans who came out today. We did get to spend some time with them in the pits during the rain delay, but it would have been nice to show them something on the race track. Hopefully they will be back tomorrow and get to see some great drag racing.”
It was a similar story for Summit Racing teammate Jason Line, who earned the fourth starting position with his opening 6.646-second, 208.52 mph pass.
“You always want to get as much track time as you can, but today that just wasn’t possible,” said Line. “For the second straight day the pits were filled with die-hard fans who just wanted to see us race, and I’m sorry we weren’t able to do so, but Mother Nature was in the driver’s seat.
“I feel good about our chances for tomorrow. We seem to be headed in the right direction with my Summit Racing Camaro, and as long as the weather cooperates, I think we’ll be in contention. It certainly won’t be easy, and we have absolutely no room for error, but we’re looking for a long day of racing on Monday.”
Honda Racing–Baltimore
Level 5 Best in Baltimore
In a wild race run Saturday afternoon through the streets of downtown Baltimore, Level 5 Motorsports celebrated the best day in the team’s history of American Le Mans Series competition, finishing first and second overall and in LMP2 at the Baltimore Sports Car Challenge. After two hours of racing around the 2.04-mile temporary street circuit, it was the HPD ARX-03b of Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker carrying a 2.158-second margin to the checkers ahead of teammates Luis Diaz and Ricardo Gonzalez.
Level 5 was quick to capitalize on various misfortunes that struck all three LMP1 contenders, including the pole-qualifying Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03a of Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr. Starting driver Graf was pulling away from the field – and had built a lead of almost a full lap after 45 minutes of racing – when the gearbox actuator failed, resulting in a long pit stop for repairs.
With a replacement actuator installed, the Muscle Milk team resumed the contest more than six laps down to the leaders. But the team persevered to a third-place finish to protect its LMP1 championship lead with two races remaining in the 2012 American Le Mans Series.
Level 5 took command of the LMP2 contest when Conquest Racing’s David Heinemeier Hannson was penalized for contact with the LMP1 Lola of Dyson Racing. Spins, suspension failure and a pit lane penalty further delayed both Dyson entries. That turned the overall lead over to the #95 Level 5 HPD of Diaz, with teammate Bouchut in the #055 ARX-03b taking over at the front in the final half-hour. It was the first overall American Le Mans Series
triumph for both Bouchut and Tucker. The pair also extended its championship lead over the Conquest duo or Heinemeier Hansson and Martin Plowman, who suffered race-ending suspension failure with less than 20 minutes remaining.
Baltimore marked the first 1-2 overall finish for LMP2 machines in the American Le Mans Series competition since 2008, when the Acura ARX-01bs of Andretti Green Racing, Patron Highcroft Racing and de Ferran Motorsports finished 1-2-3 at the Grand Prix of Detroit.
RCR Post Race Report — NNS Atlanta Motor Speedway
RCR Post Race Report — NNS Atlanta Motor Speedway
NASCAR Nationwide Series
NRA American Warrior 300
Atlanta Motor Speedway
September 1, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Kevin Harvick), fourth (Elliott Sadler) and sixth (Austin Dillon).
Sadler leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings by 12 points over Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Sam Hornish ranks third, with Dillon fourth in the standings, trailing his RCR teammate by 37 points.
The No. 2 Chevrolet team is second in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, five points shy of the No. 18 team’s lead, with the No. 3 team fifth in the standings and the No. 33 team seventh.
Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Harvick led the field in Average Running Position (1.405), Driver Rating (144.2), Fastest Drivers Early in a Run (172.217 mph), Fastest Drivers Late in a Run (166.806 mph), Fastest Laps Run (94), Fastest on Restarts (169.571 mph), Green Flag Speed (169.662 mph) and Laps Led (157).
Sadler maintained the Fastest Speed in Traffic (168.211 mph) throughout the 195-lap race and had the third-highest Driver Rating (115.6).
Dillon made 57 Green Flag Passes, ranking him second, and posted the Fastest Lap of the Race for five circuits.
Stenhouse earned his fourth Nationwide Series victory of the season and was followed to the finish line by Brad Keselowski, Harvick, Sadler and Justin Allgaier.
The next scheduled Nationwide Series race is the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway on Friday, Sept. 7. The 25th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Dyson Racing–First P1 Win for Michael Marsal and Eric Lux as Points Race Tightens
First P1 Win for Michael Marsal and Eric Lux as Points Race Tightens
BALTIMORE, MD September 1, 2012 – It was probably one of the more unconventional races in American Le Mans Series history, but in the end, Dyson Racing was first and second in P1 with Michael Marsal and Eric Lux taking home the honors in the #20 Dyson Racing entry. It was the first P1 victory for Michael and Eric and a repeat of last year which also saw the #20 car’s drivers take their first series win here in the streets of Baltimore. The #16 Mazda-powered ModSpace/Thetford car of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith was second in P1, tightening the point’s race and adding to the momentum from the team’s win at Road America two weeks ago.
While the #20 car was on the pre-race grid, a spectator set off the fire extinguisher system in the car. The team was able to run back to the pits and install a new system with two minutes to spare. At the race start, Michael nudged the car into the tire wall in the first turn. By the time he restarted, he was in 29th and last place, but he took the car from last to first in P1 in his hour-long stint in his first race at Baltimore. “At the start, I was still thinking about the fire bottle and I looked up and saw the number 4 brake marker and we usually brake at the 5. Luckily the car was not hurt too badly and I was able to get in the groove and started clicking off the laps. I was more aggressive than normal as I wanted to show my crew guys that I was going to get them back to the front.”
Michael’s co-driver Eric Lux commented that “last year I finished second here.” (in LMPC on his way to the LMPC championship). “I wanted to improve on that and Mike handed me a great car. This track is very abusive on engines and tires and the Mazda engine did not miss a beat. Our Dunlop tires performed perfectly. Rob Dyson is our strategist and he called a great race today and I have to thank Rob and Chris for this opportunity.”
“Eric did a terrific job of picking up the pace that Mike had set,” said Rob Dyson. “We congratulate them on their first P1 win and we expect it to be the first of many.”
The #16 car contended with handling issues all day, but closed the point’s gap when the Muscle Milk car finished third in P1 after electrical issues bedeviled their race today. With two races to go, only eight points now separate the two teams. “We did not have the pace to contend for an outright win today, but we put ourselves in a position to capitalize on our competitor’s misfortunes,” said Chris Dyson, who celebrated his 100th ALMS race today. “We were able to add to the points tally and close up the championship gap and I view that as a real positive. I think it is great for Dyson Racing, Dunlop and Mazda to come out of here with a 1-2 and we are in real contention to win this championship.”
The penultimate round of the season will be held in two weeks’ time at Virginia International Raceway on September 15th. It will be the first race for the ALMS at VIR.
World of Outlaws
acobson Wins One for the Locals at Rowdy Skagit Speedway
He leads all 35 laps to claim his first career World of Outlaws feature victory
ALGER, Wash. – Sept. 1, 2012 – As confetti littered the frontstretch and the crowd roared, hugs and high fives were distributed around a grinning Travis Jacobson like he just won the Showcase Showdown on “The Price is Right.”
In a way, he did.
Jacobson led all 35 laps to claim the $12,000 prize in his first career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series feature victory on a brisk Saturday night at Skagit Speedway, where the wild celebration began once the Lake Stevens, Wash., native crossed beneath the checkered flags.
“I’m just in awe,” he said wearing an ear-to-earn smile. “I grew up watching guys like Sammy Swindell and Steve Kinser. To be able to compete with those guys is more than a dream come true. Racing has been my passion since I could turn a car, so it’s very, very special to me.”
Jacobson has established a successful career at Skagit Speedway. He’s won the last three 360 Nationals titles and earned the 360 track championship last season. Jacobson also recorded the 410 track title in 2006.
However, prior to Saturday, Jacobson had never logged a top five in World of Outlaws action. That all changed in front of a packed facility, which became louder and louder as the laps clicked off the scoreboard.
Jacobson, who started the feature third, inherited the lead after polesitter Kerry Madsen was called for starting the race too early. The penalty forced Madsen back one row, which put Jacobson on the pole. He seized the opportunity by rocketing to the lead on the restart of the opening lap.
“That was definitely a big break,” he said. “I hadn’t had a chance to run behind anybody yet, so I don’t know how the dirty air would have affected us. It’s always better to be out front. I want to say I would have been able to do just as good, but you never know.”
Madsen maintained a close second until Donny Schatz drove around him exiting turn four on lap 12. Schatz then set his sights on Jacobson, who entered traffic on lap 17. Schatz began to close the gap through the traffic and he cut the deficit to a car length before a caution on lap 27.
Jacobson chose the inside lane on the double-file restart and utilized a strong restart to hold onto a car-length advantage for several laps until extending it in the final handful of circuits.
“He made 35 great laps and I’m happy for him,” Schatz said after finishing second. “I threw everything I had at it and I had a great car, it was just a second-place car tonight.”
Jason Sides maneuvered through the field to challenge Schatz at the end and ultimately settle for third place.
“I don’t think there was anybody that was going to catch him,” Sides said of Jacobson. “He was running his own race and out front. We’re racing kind of each other. Donny’s trying to catch him. I’m trying to catch Donny. It’s just one of those things where he’s got the open track and can kinda go where he needs to go.”
Madsen finished fourth and Craig Dollansky placed fifth to extend his World of Outlaws championship standings lead to 44 points, which is the largest margin any points leader has held all season.
Cody Darrah ended sixth, Jac Haudenschild seventh, Chad Kemenah eighth, Joey Saldana ninth and Tim Kaeding rounded out the top 10 after starting 17 th to earn the KSE Hard Charger Award.
Fan Appreciation at the Top of Line’s List on Saturday in Indy
Fan Appreciation at the Top of Line’s List on Saturday in Indy
Event: 58th annual Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
Location: Lucas Oil Raceway, Clermont, Ind.
Day/Date: Saturday, September 1, 2012
For Summit Racing driver Jason Line, the second day of qualifying at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Ind. was more about the loyalty of the many Full Throttle Drag Racing fans who came out to Lucas Oil Raceway than it was about the performance of his race car. As expected, Hurricane Isaac had a severe impact on the day’s events, with rain showers delaying the start of the day’s activities by several hours and eventually curtailing the “factory hot rods” to a single attempt due to excessive moisture on the race track.
After carding a 6.680-second, 206.67 mph run in the late afternoon session, the reigning Pro Stock champion, who remained fourth, was more inclined to acknowledge the support of the fans who remained at the track throughout the delay in order to see whatever on-track action occurred.
“I have to admit a lot of these fans are tougher than I am, because I don’t know if I could have withstood everything they went through today,” said Line. “These are hard-core fans, and I really want to thank them for sticking the day out with us.
“I also have to commend the NHRA for calling tonight’s second session. The last thing we want to have happen is getting anyone hurt. It’s better to err on the conservative side so everyone will have a race car to use tomorrow. Unfortunately, we did not make a very good run on the one attempt we did make, so I’m hoping we get another chance tomorrow so we can dial in this Summit Racing Camaro. Although the forecast is similar to what we had today, there is always the possibility that we can get the day in, much like we did today.”
Anderson Gathers Information, Thanks Fans After Long Day in Indy
Anderson Gathers Information, Thanks Fans After Long Day in Indy
Event: 58th annual Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
Location: Lucas Oil Raceway, Clermont, Ind.
Day/Date: Saturday, September 1, 2012
The second day of qualifying for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Clermont, Ind. proved to be a long and trying day for racers and fans alike. Although Hurricane Isaac arrived in the area late on Saturday morning, it did not create the complete washout as originally predicted. Still, the intermittent showers caused a delay of nearly three hours as well as a complete reshuffling of the running order with the Pro Stock categories, which ran after the fuel classes, losing the evening session due to excessive humidity on the race track.
Naturally, the increased humidity prevented any changes among the top qualifiers. Even so, being unsure of how many attempts they would ultimately have at Lucas Oil Raceway, Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing team looked to make the most of their single run, posting the fourth-quickest time among the 29 cars attempting to qualify at 6.665-seconds with a top speed of 207.05 mph. Although not totally pleased with his attempt, the defending U.S. Nationals champion was still pleased to have a run on a day when it seemed unlikely they would, while also acknowledging the many fans who waited out the numerous delays.
“It was a long and wet day, but considering we weren’t expecting to make any runs, we see the one run we did get as almost a bonus,” said Anderson. “We didn’t really make the most of it, but at least we were able to gather some additional information on our Summit Racing Camaro. It did show us that we have to work on our tune-up for these extremely humid conditions. It’s obviously something we’ll have to deal with all weekend, dodging raindrops and getting runs in when we can if at all, so we have to figure out the right tune-up.
“We made the one run today which was not what we wanted, so we’ll go in a different direction tomorrow. Hopefully we can get something in so we don’t have to go into race day looking to make major changes. In the meantime, I’d like to thank the fans for sticking with us throughout the day. I hope we were able to put on a show for them to reward them for their support.”
Honda Racing–Conway, Dixon Shine in Baltimore
Conway, Dixon Shine in Baltimore Qualifying
Mike Conway and Scott Dixon led the Honda-powered field Saturday in IZOD IndyCar Series qualifying for the Grand Prix of Baltimore, posting the second- and third-quickest times in the final-round Firestone “Fast Six” shootout.
Conway’s qualifying effort was his best of 2012, and equaled his IndyCar Series career-best qualifying at the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama in 2010. But the A.J. Foyt Racing driver will have a 10-spot grid penalty assessed for an unapproved engine change between the Sonoma and Baltimore races, which will result in a 12th-place race start.
That will move Dixon, the third-fastest qualifier and one of the few remaining championship challengers to pole winner Will Power, to second on the starting grid. Dixon’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Dario Franchitti, made it three Hondas in the top five qualifying positions; followed by Charlie Kimball, seventh, Justin Wilson in ninth and Bruno Junqueira, substituting for the injured Josef Newgarden, rounding out the top 10. IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Simon Pagenaud starts 12th.
Mike Conway (#14 A.J. Foyt Racing Honda) 2nd quickest in qualifying, best qualifying performance of 2012: “We went out this morning and the car’s balance was really good, so we didn’t really change anything for qualifying. We were just trying to find a little bit more on the last lap [going for the pole time] and went too much [hitting the wall on the chicane exit]. We’re happy to qualify second, but with the engine change, we will start 12th. It’s going to make our [race] day tomorrow a bit more challenging, so we will see where we stack up during the first few laps and then determine our strategy.”
Chevy Racing–Baltimore Grand Prix Qualifying
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES
GRAND PRIX OF BALTIMORE
STREETS OF BALTIMORE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 1, 2012
Will Power Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 on the Pole for Baltimore Grand Prix
BALTIMORE (September 1, 2012) – For the fifth time this season, Will Power has put his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet on the pole of an IZOD IndyCar Series race. With a blistering lap of 1:17.9750 at 94.184 m.p.h. around the 2.04-miles, 13-turn temporary street course on the Streets of Baltimore, Power grabbed his second consecutive Grand Prix of Baltimore pole position.
Power, the current Series’ points leader, also won the pole at the Streets of St. Petersburg, the Streets of Sao Paulo Brazil, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and last weekend at Sonoma Raceway.
Also making the Firestone Fast Six was Sebastien Bourdais, No. 7 TrueCar/McAfee Dragon Racing Chevrolet, who posted the fourth quickest time. And, James Hinchcliffe, No. 27 Team GoDaddy.com Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, with the sixth quickest time of the final session
The 75-lap Grand Prix of Baltimore is scheduled to start on Sunday, September 2, 2012 at 2:30 p.m. ET with live television coverage on the NBC Sports Network.
The live radio coverage will air on the IMS Radio Network on SiriusXM (XM 94 and Sirius 212). In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at
RCR Post Race Report — NCWTS
RCR Post Race Report —
NCWTS Atlanta 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Atlanta 200
Atlanta Motor Speedway
August 31, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished first (Ty Dillon), seventh (Joey Coulter) and 28th (Tim George Jr.).
Dillon remains third in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship point standings, nine points behind the leader, and Coulter ranks sixth in the standings.
The No. 3 Chevrolet team is third in the Camping World Truck Series owner championship point standings, the No. 22 team fifth in the standings and the No. 2 team 10th.
Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings ahead of Cale Gale.
Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/NRA Museum team earned their first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory.
Dillon earned his second-career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole award at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Dillon earned the second-highest Driver Rating (134.7), and Coulter earned a rating of 93.4 ranking him ninth amongst the competitors.
RCR drivers made a total of 84 Green Flag Passes during the Atlanta 200 with Dillon earning 42 passes, Coulter with 36 and George with six passes.
Dillon scored an Average Running Position of 2.669 ranking him second in the category, and Coulter ranked ninth with a 10.362.
The No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/NRA Museum team was ranked as the Fastest Early in a Run.
Dillon led for a total of 40 laps during the 130-lap event.
Combined, RCR teammates Dillon and Coulter scored the Fastest Laps Run for 26 circuits at the 1.54-mile track.
Dillon spent 99.2 percent of the event in the top 15 ranking him third amongst the rest of the field, while Coulter spent 80 percent of his contested Laps in the top 15.
Dillon took the checkered flag at Atlanta Motor Speedway and was followed to the line by Kyle Busch, James Buescher, Parker Kligerman and Aric Almirola.
The next scheduled Camping World Truck Series race is the American Ethanol 200 at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 15. The 15th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Motor Racing Network beginning at 8:15 p.m.
Dyson Racing–Street Wise Speed
Street Wise Speed
BALTIMORE, MD August 31, 2012 – Guy Smith set the pace in the #16 Mazda-powered ModSpace entry in the morning’s first practice session today for the Baltimore Sports Car Challenge. In the afternoon, he exchanged fastest laps with Lucas Luhr four times in qualifying before Luhr finally claimed pole on the two-mile course that runs through the heart of downtown Baltimore and along the Inner Harbor. It was a two-three qualifying effort for Dyson Racing as Eric Lux qualified the #20 entry a close third.
“This is the kind of track where if you really hustle the car, you can gain half a second. We gave it a good shot today and the car was closer most of the session than I thought it would be,” Guy commented after qualifying. Guy won the pole here last year, part of a one- two Dyson qualifying effort that preceded a one-two Dyson Racing finish the next day at the inaugural Grand Prix of Baltimore.
“There were a few red flags in the afternoon practice session that took away valuable track time,” said Eric. “It took me the beginning part of qualifying to understand different areas of the track and figure where I could maximize the time. I went for it and we put in a good time. I came in and bled down the tires to give it another go and we only had one flying lap after that and I think if we had one more lap it would have been close.”
The abbreviated practice sessions were not the only challenge of the day as the teams battled temperatures in the high nineties. “The heat makes a big difference in the slower corners and with mid-corner understeer in general,” said Vince Wood, the race engineer for the #20 car of Michael Marsal and Eric Lux. “The more you depend on down force, the more the heat takes away performance. The track surface gets very hot and the more the boundary layer (the heat waves you see coming off the track) rises underneath the car, the less downforce you have. So you try to get the car as low as possible so that the tunnels can work, but then you run up against the problems presented by the bumpy nature of street courses. Plus the hotter the track, the less grip you have anyway, so it is a challenge all the way around. But if you can get your car working in the heat, a lot of times other people do not hit it as well, and you can really benefit.”
Madsen Stops Swindell Streak on Night 1 at Skagit Speedway
Madsen Stops Swindell Streak on Night 1 at Skagit Speedway
Attrition takes a toll on top-five cars, including two drivers in the hunt for Outlaws title
ALGER, Wash. – Aug. 31, 2012 – Once Kerry Madsen crossed the finish line with the checkered flag waving behind him, it was safe to breathe.
Up to that point, not so much.
Five drivers had a bid for the victory end in contact or mechanical failure during World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series action on Friday evening at Skagit Speedway, which wraps up the Outlaws schedule in Washington on Saturday. Opening Ceremonies are slated for 7 p.m.
Madsen overcame a near mess of his own after colliding with Donny Schatz for the lead on a restart en route to his fourth World of Outlaws feature win of the season.
“Any of these races is tough to win,” Madsen said. “When you get around the front five, there’s not a lot of give and take. Luckily we had track position.”
The front row starters battled side by side for the opening lap before Schatz edged Madsen at the line to lead the first lap. He maintained the advantage as the drivers entered traffic on lap six. However, Cody Darrah spun in turn two on lap 11 to cause the first caution of the race.
Attrition to cars in the top five began to take its toll on the restart as fourth-running Tim Kaeding pulled to the infield following an engine issue around the same time there was contact for the lead.
As Schatz and Madsen took the green flag and raced toward turn one, a slight collision occurred near the flag stand. The contact was enough to flatten the left rear tire for Schatz, who dropped several positions before stopping on the frontstretch on lap 13 for a caution.
“It was very close,” Madsen said. “Unfortunately we banged wheels. Donny’s a great racer and he’s renowned for being clean, so really unfortunate for him. I hate that happened for him.”
Schatz’s crew changed the tire and he restarted 19th, but the attrition continued. Shane Stewart, who advanced to second for the restart, began to challenge Madsen for the lead when a broken rear end sent him to the infield on lap 16.
The drivers entered traffic on lap 22 before trouble struck for a pair of top-five drivers. With three laps remaining, Trey Starks spun on the frontstretch in front of the leaders. Kraig Kinser and his father, Steve Kinser, were nearly side by side in a battle for third place when both collided with Starks.
Kraig Kinser smashed into Starks’ car, which had spun around backwards, head on and Steve Kinser caught the left rear tire of Kraig Kinser’s car. The contact forced Steve Kinser’s car to tip over, which ended his night with an 18th-place result. Kraig Kinser was also done and credited with 17 th.
That gave Sammy Swindell a final chance at recording his third consecutive win and he nearly pulled it off. Swindell, who started on the outside of Madsen on the double-file restart, dove to the bottom in turns one and two. However, Madsen’s momentum on the high groove exiting turn two proved just enough to give him the edge going into turn three.
“We got close, but I wasn’t expecting him to go to the bottom in (turn) three,” Swindell said after finishing second. “He changed directions and kinda went down there and shut down. I got in a little too low and gave him a little chance. But you gotta do whatever you can. He was in the right place.”
The runner-up performance was Swindell’s fifth top-two finish in the seven races since the Goodyear Knoxville Nationals.
The attrition also helped Craig Dollansky secure his 10th podium finish in the last 14 points events.
“There was a lot of banging wheels and cars were a little bit everywhere, but sometimes some of these races you just have to try to survive them,” said Dollansky, who maintained his championship points lead. “We didn’t have a real good car. We were kinda hanging in there at best, but we’ll go to work on that tomorrow.”
Jac Haudenschild charged from 13th to fourth and Chad Kemenah placed fifth. Travis Jacobson ended sixth and Travis Rilat earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after piloting from 22nd to seventh. Joey Saldana was eighth, Jason Sides ninth and Bill Rose rounded out the top 10 after starting 19th.
Schatz rallied to finish 11th, while Stewart and Kaeding were scored 20th and 24th, respectively, after their early challenges for the win ended with mechanical failures.
Fourth on Friday, Line Is Hoping for Good Weather and Good Runs in Indy
Fourth on Friday, Line Is Hoping for Good Weather and Good Runs in Indy
Event: 58th annual Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
Location: Lucas Oil Raceway, Clermont, Ind.
Day/Date: Friday, August 31, 2012
Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro racer Jason Line got his qualifying effort for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals off to a good start on Friday, posting a 6.646-second elapsed time and 208.52 mph top speed during his single attempt to claim the fourth position with four attempts remaining at Lucas Oil Raceway. This performance was a particular significance, as Hurricane Isaac is forecast to arrive in the Indianapolis area on Saturday, potentially washing out any remaining qualifying sessions.
However, Line preferred to focus on the positive, noting that the team seemed to be making progress with getting a handle on their new race car, hoping the storm would skirt the track and allow them to continue the fine-tuning process over the next few days.
“There’s definitely something left in our Summit Racing Camaro, and if the weather cooperates, I believe we could move up over the next two days,” said Line. “These are not the type of conditions we normally excel in, so I’d have to say we’re fairly happy with today’s results. It seems like we’re headed in the right direction, and at the very least, we’ve given ourselves a good place to start. Now it’s all up to Mother Nature, and hopefully she’ll smile on us.”
Anderson Encouraged After Opening Indy Qualifying in Fifth
Anderson Encouraged After Opening Indy Qualifying in Fifth
Event: 58th annual Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
Location: Lucas Oil Raceway, Clermont, Ind.
Day/Date: Friday, August 31, 2012
Racers faced several challenges during the opening day of qualifying for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Clermont, Ind. For most of the day, there was a question as to whether the solitary attempt would even occur, as showers seemingly surrounded the racetrack. In addition, with the remnants of Hurricane Isaac forecast to hit the Indianapolis area on Saturday, competitors were unsure if and when their next attempt might come. Finally, Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing team were anxious to see the results of the testing they had done on their Chevrolet Camaro during the past two weeks.
Fortunately, the precipitation held off, allowing for the completion of the professional qualifying session, with Anderson tripping the finish line timers in 6.655 seconds with a top speed of 208.17 mph, placing him fifth with four attempts remaining. Although conceding that the run was far from perfect, he was encouraged by the progress the team had made.
“I think we’re going to be better,” said Anderson. “We made horrible runs with both cars and were still within a couple hundredths of the top spot, which is somewhat encouraging considering that at the last few races we were making decent runs and were five hundredths off. I definitely think we are directionally correct, and can get even closer once we start making better runs with our Summit Racing Camaros.
“We overestimated the starting line a little bit today. It wasn’t quite what we thought it was and as a result we spun the tires too much. Still, that’s okay, because we now have something to work with. Now we just need the rain to hold off so we can get four more qualifying attempts, allowing us to get even closer. We have a good starting point and now we need to see what we can do with it.”