NHRA
Top Fuel — Antron Brown
Funny Car — Jack Beckman
Pro Stock — Allen Johnson
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Eddie Krawiec
Super Stock — Dan Fletcher
Stock Eliminator — Michael Brand
Super Comp — A.J. Percival, Dragster
Super Gas — Ken Harkema
Super Street — Joey Horan
F1
German Grand Prix- Fernando Alonso
KN SERIES
Jegs 150- Cale Conley
World of Outlaws
Summer Nationals – Craig Dollansky
ARCA
Ansell ActivArmr 150- Kevin Swindell
Nascar
Nationwide Series- STP 300- Elliott Sadler
Camping World Truck Series- American Ethanol 225- James Buescher
IndyCar
Edmonton Indy- Helio Castroneves
All posts by ARP Trish
RCR Post Race Report — Chicagoland Speedway– Nationwide Series
RCR Post Race Report — Chicagoland Speedway
NASCAR Nationwide Series
STP 300
Chicagoland Speedway
July 22, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished first (Elliott Sadler), sixth (Austin Dillon) and 28th (Brendan Gaughan).
Sadler leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings over Dillon by 11 points. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. ranks third, followed by Sam Hornish Jr. and Justin Allgaier.
The No. 2 Chevrolet team is second in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, 16 points shy of the No. 18 car’s lead, with the No. 3 team third in the standings and the No. 33 team sixth.
Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.
Elliott Sadler won the $100,000 Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash bonus, defeating eligible drivers Stenhouse, Hornish and Dillon. Sadler qualified for the next Dash 4 Cash race and the chance to win an additional $100,000 bonus at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 28.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Sadler ranked second in the Driver Rating category (122.8) and posted the Fastest Lap of the Race for 23 circuits.
Dillon led the field in the Closers category, advancing four positions in the last 10 percent of the race, was the second-Fastest Driver Early in a Run (168.187 mph), third-Fastest on Restarts and maintained the third-best Average Running Position (4.786).
Dillon spent 100 percent of the laps running in the top 15.
Gaughan led the field in Green-Flag Passes (72) and Quality Passes (64).
Sadler earned his third Nationwide Series win of the season and was followed to the finish line by Stenhouse, Allgaier, Kenny Wallace and Michael Annett.
The next scheduled Nationwide Series race is the Indy 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 28. The 19th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Tim Allison Update
This weekend we were at Eldora Speedway for our 2 day show for the Kings Royal weekend. We have struggled in the past there since they changed the dirt and the banking on the track a few years ago, but overall we had a pretty decent weekend after is was all said and done and brought everything home all in one piece.
We had great hot weather and standing room only. We had 30 cars on Friday night and we got to qualify which we don’t get to do much. We qualified 4th overall and ran 2nd in our heat race and finished 4th in the feature, another great run for the team and again a big step in the right direction from the years past.
Then on Saturday night we again had 30 cars and we qualified again and we qualified 13th quick overall and ran 3rd in our hea. We started 13th and finished 7th on Saturday night.
This coming weekend we will be at Limaland Speedway for our big 77th year anniversary race for the track. Saturday we travel to Crystal Motor Speedway in Crystal Michigan.
Dyson Racing–Claw Backs
Claw Backs
BOWMANVILLE, ONT July 22, 2012 – Dyson Racing owned most of the real estate on the podium at the end of the two hour and forty-five minute Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport. Chris Dyson and Guy Smith came in second in the #16 Mazda-powered ModSpace entry and the #20 sister car of Eric Lux and Tony Burgess finished third in P1 and fifth overall.
It was a fighting back race. The #20 car made up six spots from its lowest race position after yellows and a stop and go penalty dropped it to eleventh in the first part of the race, and Guy Smith made a fight of it at the end, taking large chunks out of the lead of the Muscle Milk car after the last yellow period ended eleven minutes from the end. He set his personal best and the race’s second fastest lap on lap 113 of the 117 lap race. At race end, he was ten seconds back.
Smith noted that “the car was good at the end. We made a lot of changes throughout the race with tire splits and tire combinations. When I got in the car, it felt pretty good – certainly the best it has been all weekend. After the restart on the last yellow, we were forty seconds behind. Then they said I was twenty-five behind and then fifteen seconds. I kept on pushing because you want to be there to take advantage of any problems they may have at the end.”
“It was a good weekend,” summed up Lux. “I am learning how this car works and this is my best race so far with Dyson Racing. I can’t say enough about the job Tony (Burgess) did in the car having never turned a lap in it until this weekend. He got up to speed quickly in the first practice session. That says a lot about the car the Dyson crew gave us off the truck and also Tony’s knowledge of this track. It was a pleasure driving the Dyson car with Tony this weekend.”
“I could have raced that car all day,” Burgess said. “Half-way through the stint you get to really know the car and then you can do all kind of things with it. I had a good race with one error in terms of pit speed. I am glad we gave the Canadian fans a good show today: they are some of the most dedicated fans out there.”
“If they had stumbled we would have been right there at the end,” said Dyson. “We really unlocked some performance on our last compound combination of Dunlops, and this gives us a big step in the right direction for our next race. Eric continues to impress us with his composure, speed and ability. We were thrilled with the job Tony did. We have raced together for a long time and it was nice to have him in the team. He gave us a good run and we are looking forward to having him at Elkhart Lake.”
Second Round Finish, Playoff Spot Not Enough for Anderson in Denver
Second Round Finish, Playoff Spot Not Enough for Anderson in Denver
Event: 33rd annual Mile-High NHRA Nationals
Location: Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colorado
Day/Date: Sunday, July 22, 2012
After struggling in qualifying, Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson knew his team would need to show improvement in order to contend in Sunday’s NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Denver, Colo. Starting from the ninth position, the KB Racing driver responded to the challenge in the first round, using a stellar .014 reaction time to gain the advantage on arch rival Jeg Coughlin and never looked back, stepping up to a 6.978-second elapsed time and 197.28 mph top speed to gain the round win.
Anderson’s reward for his strong opening performance was an encounter with Allen Johnson, who had qualified No. 1 and been the dominant car throughout the weekend. Although the four-time champion was able to make a solid 6.988-second, 197.13 mph pass, it was not enough to eclipse his opponent 6.945-second, 198.15 mph effort. Despite being the first driver in the Pro Stock category to lock into this year’s Full Throttle championship playoff, he was more concerned with his team’s performance in the trying conditions at Bandimere Speedway.
“We knew coming into this race that since we did not test here, we would be a little behind the eight ball,” said Anderson. “As a result, we needed every run we could make, and when we missed that first qualifying pass, we found ourselves fighting to catch up, and just ran out of runs. Because we struggled in qualifying we had to run the toughest car on the grounds in the second round, and we needed a couple more passes worth of tuning data to really take the fight to him.
“The news wasn’t all bad, as our Summit Racing Camaro was able to get an important first round win, which was the bright spot of our weekend. It’s always a big deal when we race that yellow Mopar, and it’s a good day any time we can take him out. Still, we’re disappointed with our overall performance, and it shows that we have a real issue with the mountain. It’s expensive to come up here and test, and it doesn’t guarantee anything, but you can mark it down that we will be here next year, doing whatever we can do to find the right tune-up.”
Line Battles to Semifinal Finish in Denver, Claims Playoff Spot
Line Battles to Semifinal Finish in Denver, Claims Playoff Spot
Event: 33rd annual Mile-High NHRA Nationals
Location: Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colorado
Day/Date: Sunday, July 22, 2012
Entering Sunday’s final eliminations of the NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Denver, Colo., Jason Line and the Summit Racing Camaro crew knew they had their work cut out for them racing in the thin air at Bandimere Speedway, conditions that the team had fought en route to their fifth starting position. Fortunately, the elevated temperatures the team had dealt with throughout qualifying abated slightly on Sunday, allowing Line to shave four hundredths off his best elapsed time, covering the quarter-mile in 6.948 seconds with a top speed of 197.10 mph in his first round defeat of newcomer Deric Kramer.
In the second round, Line used a nearly two hundredths of a second starting line advantage to overcome a mechanical issue and post a 7.011-second time to hold off veteran Ron Krisher, who recorded a 6.996-second time, for the holeshot win, advancing to the semifinals for the ninth time in this season’s 13 races.
The final obstacle between Line and his third Bandimere final round was No. 1 qualifier Allen Johnson, who had posted the quickest elapsed time in every qualifying session as well as the the first two rounds of eliminations. Once again, Line gained the edge at the starting line, using a nearly-perfect .007 light to leave nearly two hundredths of a second ahead of his opponent. Unfortunately, his 6.971-second, 196.64 mph pass fell just shy of holding off his rival’s 6.936-second pass, putting an early end to his day.
Even though his performance allowed the reigning Pro Stock champion to secure his position in this year’s Countdown to the Championship playoff, he was nevertheless disappointed at not being able to score his second win of the 2012 season.
“For some reason, we just never got a good handle on the mountain this weekend” said Line. “We did not test here before the race and the two cars that ended up in the final (Johnson defeated Coloradan V. Gaines for the win) did, which obviously helped them. Even though we ended up with a decent day, you hate to give any of them up.
“We’ll leave here and go to Sonoma, where the conditions better suit our tune up and hopefully we can rebound and put one of these Summit Racing Camaros in the winner’s circle.”
Sato Second in Thrilling Edmonton Finish
Sato Second in Thrilling Edmonton Finish
In his strongest IZOD IndyCar Series performance since May’s Indianapolis 500, Takuma Sato chased
eventual race winner Helio Castroneves throughout the final 20 laps at Sunday’s Edmonton Indy, finishing
less than one second behind for the best result of his IndyCar career.
Starting third, Sato joined early race leader Alex Tagliani and Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti in a
1-2-3 Honda train at the front of the 25-car field, through the first round of pit stops. By half-distance in
the 75-lap race, Castroneves had joined the lead pack, while Tagliani went on to lead a race-high 49 laps.
The final round of pit stops saw Castroneves, Tagliani and Sato all running nose-to-tail, but Tagliani
ultimately faded to a fifth-place finish. Over the final laps, it was Sato challenging Castroneves several
times during every tour of the 2.5-mile temporary airport circuit. But Castoneves, with a bit more of his
“push-to-pass” options in reserve for the finish, was able to hold off Sato’s advances by just over eighttenths
of a second at the checkers.
Graham Rahal came on strong in the second half of the contest to pass both fellow Chip Ganassi Racing
driver Franchitti and Tagliani in the closing laps and finish fourth, his third top-four result of the season.
Tagliani held on for fifth, his best result of the season as the Bryan Herta Autosport team continues to
improve after a mid-season switch to Honda power.
Franchitti battled handling issues to finish sixth, with Texas race winner Justin Wilson ninth for Dale
Coyne Racing and Scott Dixon overcoming an early race electronics problem to round out the top 10 for
Honda and Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
Chevrolet Racing– Edmonton Indy Wrapup
Helio Castroneves Wins Edmonton Indy; Scores his Second Victory of the Season, and Eighth Win for Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Engine
EDMONTON, Alta., CANADA (July 22, 2012) – Helio Castroneves powered his No. 3 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet to Victory Lane in the Edmonton Indy. It was his second win of the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season and the 27th of the Team Penske driver’s career. The win was the eighth of the year for the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 engine, and extended Chevrolet’s lead in the Series’ Manufacturers’ Championship with 11 of 15 races in the books.
Castroneves teammate Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, finished third giving Team Chevy two of the three podium positions for the 75-lap race on the 2.224-mile, 13-turn temporary circuit on the Edmonton City Centre Airport.
“Congratulations to Helio Castroneves and the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet on their second win of the season,” said Chris Berube, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, IZOD IndyCar Series. “And a strong third place finish by Will Power. It was a true team effort with Helio’s over-the-wall crew having an exceptional day on pit lane, brilliant pit strategy from John Erickson and Ron Ruzewski, and of course Helio’s smooth consistency throughout the race. It was a yellow-free race that showcased all of the elements of great racing; preparedness, strategy and execution.
“It is a tremendous accomplishment for Chevrolet, our technical partners and our teams to have scored eight wins to this point of the season. We are very proud of the dedicated effort, and focus to get the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 engine in Victory Lane.
“With the season winding down, we are looking forward to a great championship battle in the final four races of the season”
Castroneves, who started fifth in the 25-car field, led 22 laps in the caution-free race. The win moved him to second in the standings with four races remaining.
A total of four Team Chevy drivers finished in the top-10 at Edmonton. Points leader and pole winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, finished seventh. Ryan Briscoe, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, took the checkered flag in eighth position.
Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers continue to hold down four of the top-five spots in the Driver Standings. Hunter-Reay leads Castroneves by 23 points with Power in third, just three points behind Castroneves. James Hinchcliffe, No. 27 Team GoDaddy.com Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, is fifth in points.
CHEVROLET INDYCAR V-6 FAST FACTS
CHEVROLET INDYCAR V-6
FAST FACTS
EDMONTON INDY
EDMONTON CITY CENTRE AIRPORT TEMPORARY COURSE
JULY 22, 2012
· A total of 13 Chevrolet IndyCar V6-powered drivers will take the green flag for the Edmonton Indy
· Team Chevy drivers starting in the top-10:
o Ryan Briscoe, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet – 2nd
o Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet – 5th
o Rubens Barrichello, No. 8 BMC-Embrase KV Racing Technology Chevrolet – 7th
o James Hinchcliffe, No. 27 Team GoDaddy.com Andretti Autosport Chevrolet – 9th
o NOTE: Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, was the pole winner, but will start 11th due to 10 grid position penalty for unapproved engine change
§ Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, qualified 7th, but will start 17th due to 10 grid position penalty for unapproved engine change
§ Oriol Servia, No. 22 Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet, qualified 20th, but will start 24th due to grid position penalty for unapproved engine change
· Two (2) current Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 drivers have victories in the Edmonton Indy:
o Sebastien Bourdais – 2005, 2007
o Will Power – 2009, 2011
· After 10 races, six (6) Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 drivers are in the top-10 in the standings:
1. Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, 335 (3 wins)
2. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, 301 (3 wins)
3. Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet, 289 (1 win)
5. James Hinchcliffe, No. 27 Team Go.Daddy.com Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, 268
6. Tony Kanaan, No. 11 GEICO/MOUSER Electronics KV Racing Technology Chevrolet, 267
9. Ryan Briscoe, No. 2 PPG Automotive Refinish Team Penske Chevrolet, 217
10. Oriol Servia, No. 22 Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet, 215
· The all-new Chevrolet IndyCar V-6 engine has won seven (7) of the 10 races to-date in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Season:
o Streets of St. Petersburg – Helio Castroneves
o Barber Motorsports Park – Will Power
o Streets of Long Beach – Will Power
o Streets of Sao Paulo – Will Power
o Milwaukee Mile – Ryan Hunter-Reay
o Iowa Speedway – Ryan Hunter-Reay
o Streets of Toronto – Ryan Hunter-Reay
RCR Post Race Report — Chicagoland Speedway– Camping World Truck Series
RCR Post Race Report — Chicagoland Speedway
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
RACE: American Ethanol 225
TRACK: Chicagoland Speedway
DATE: July 21, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished second (Brendan Gaughan), 12th (Ty Dillon) and 15th (Joey Coulter).
Dillon ranks second in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship point standings, trailing leader Timothy Peters by 23 points, while Coulter ranks eighth in the standings.
The No. 3 Chevrolet team is second in the Camping World Truck Series owner championship point standings, 23 points shy of the No. 17 truck’s lead, with the No. 2 team seventh in the standings and the No. 22 team ninth.
Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings ahead of Cale Gale.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Gaughan earned the highest Driver Rating (140.9), Dillon earned a rating of 110.0 ranking him fourth, and Coulter scored a 98.6 placing him seventh amongst the competitors.
Dillon and Gaughan spent 100 percent of the 150-lap affair running in the top 15, while Coulter spent 76.0 percent running in the top 15.
Gaughan earned the series’ best Average Running Position (1.887), while Dillon and Coulter maintained the third (5.380) and seventh (7.789) Average Running Position, respectively.
Combined, the three RCR entries posted the fastest lap of the race for 44 laps, Gaughan earned 24 of those laps, Coulter with 16 laps and Dillon with four laps.
Coulter made 70 Green Flag Passes during the 150-lap event ranking him fourth overall.
James Buescher won the American Ethanol 225 and was followed to the finish line by Gaughan, Timothy Peters, Matt Crafton and Parker Kligerman.
The next scheduled Camping World Truck Series race is Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 4. The 11th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 12:30p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Motor Racing Network beginning at 1 p.m.
Kinser Earns $10,000 Bonus
Kinser Earns $10,000 Bonus for Leading Outlaws Points Halfway
A total of $55,000 was split between the top 10 World of Outlaws teams
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – July 21, 2012 – Steve Kinser was presented with a $10,000 bonus as part of the Goodyear midseason points fund for leading halfway through the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season.
Kinser received the honor in front of a packed crowd Saturday at the Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway – the first race since the midpoint of the season.
“At least it means you’re up there in the points battled and there’s no better place to be than leading the thing,” he said. “That little extra money doesn’t hurt anything, I can tell you that.”
A total of $55,000 was distributed among the top 10 World of Outlaws teams.
Darrah Delivers for Outlaws at Williams Grove Summer Nationals
Darrah Delivers for Outlaws at Williams Grove Summer Nationals
The Pennsylvania native picks up his first World of Outlaws feature win of the season
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – July 21, 2012 – Vindication. Atonement. Redemption.
Cody Darrah doesn’t mind what his performance on Saturday is called because he ended the night covered in confetti in Victory Lane. Darrah captured his first World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series feature win of the season at the 11th annual Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway – site of his first career Outlaws victory in 2009.
Sandwiched between those signature wins at a home track located a little more than a half hour from where he grew up, Darrah’s life has been a roller coaster.
“It’s awesome to be back home and it’s even better to be on the frontstretch,” Darrah said. “I got my first World of Outlaws win at this race in 2009 back in my dad’s car. It’s been a long road since then. We’ve had struggles.”
Following the 2009 victory – another Summer Nationals event – Darrah was signed by NASCAR notable Kasey Kahne to pilot one of his sprint cars only to be devastated by a car crash on the way to the 2010 season opener.
Darrah returned from a broken leg near the end of the 2010 season for a handful of races before gutting through an up-and-down campaign last year. However, Darrah has found consistency throughout this season and he showcased it on a cool Saturday night in front of a nearly packed facility.
After Friday’s opening round of the Summer Nationals was rained out, Darrah and the rest of the drivers were greeted with a wet track for most of Saturday. There wasn’t much passing and track position was pivotal until the feature.
Darrah qualified 11th quickest of the 45 competitors to make the inversion. He then led all eight laps of his heat race after starting on the outside of the front row. That locked him into the dash, which he also started second after the No. 6 was draw for the dash inversion.
Darrah finished second to Gerard McIntyre, who claimed his first career World of Outlaws dash to earn the pole for the 30-lap feature. It didn’t take long for Darrah to find the lead, which he never relinquished.
By the time the duo crossed the flag stand under the green flag, Darrah had the advantage. He began to pull away only to be slowed on the second lap for the first of seven cautions.
Jason Sides slid by McIntyre for the runner-up position on the restart as Darrah checked out. However, ninth-running Danny Holtgraver got into the wall in turn three on the fifth lap to bring out another caution.
Seventh-running Craig Dollansky spun in turn two on the restart, Fred Rahmer flipped violently down the backstretch on lap six while competing with Sammy Swindell just outside the top 10 and eighth-running Stevie Smith flipped in turn one on that restart to prompt an open red before the feature had completed six green-flag laps.
Dollansky then flipped in turn four on lap 13 and later crashed hard at the end of the backstretch on lap 20 to bring out two more red flags, which erased several car length leads for Darrah, who didn’t mind.
“I really needed the race to play out the way it did without lapped traffic,” he said. “Everything kind of worked in our favor tonight, so I’ll take it.”
The cautions also allowed several cars in the back to make runs toward the front of the field. Lucas Wolfe, World of Outlaws championship standings lead Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, Cory Haas and Kerry Madsen each made a bid at a top 10 after starting 21st or worse.
Wolfe capitalized on a late rally to finish sixth after starting 22nd, Kinser charged from 23rd to seventh, Schatz ended 11 th after starting 25th, Haas advanced from 21st to 10th and Kerry Madsen earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after maneuvering from 27th to ninth.
Meanwhile, Sides held off Greg Hodnett in a close battle that didn’t decide second place until the checkered flag.
“Our car we kind of set it up for the bottom,” Sides said. “I know that some of the other guys like Hodnett and them got to running pretty good around the top. They were catching us. We’re just happy to be here in second.”
For Hodnett, it was his third podium finish in as many World of Outlaws races at Williams Grove Speedway this season.
“I think we were a little bit faster than Jason,” he said. “He was just wide enough where I couldn’t get by and I didn’t want to crash. We made the best of it.”
Kraig Kinser was fourth and Adam Wilt rounded out the top five.
Starting Ninth, Anderson Preps for a Tough Challenge in Denver
Starting Ninth, Anderson Preps for a Tough Challenge in Denver
Event: 33rd annual Mile-High NHRA Nationals
Location: Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colorado
Day/Date: Saturday, July 21, 2012
Summit Racing Pro Stock Camaro driver Greg Anderson knew he had his work cut out for them heading into the Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Morrison, Colo. As one of a handful of cars that opted not to test prior to the event, Anderson and his KB Racing crew faced the tough assignment of having to adapt to the unique conditions at Bandimere Speedway while trying to secure a starting spot for Sunday’s final eliminations. This challenge was complicated even further on Friday when an ignition problem prevented the four-time champion from making their first qualifying attempt, depriving the team of valuable tuning data.
Although the team was able to rebound and make three respectable runs, including a 7.011-second, 196.44 mph pass on their final attempt to earn the ninth starting position, Anderson acknowledged that further improvement would be necessary in order to contend for his third win on the mountain.
“Since we didn’t test prior to the race, every qualifying attempt became that much more important, so losing that first run certainly didn’t help,” said Anderson. “As a result, we never made what I would consider a good run, which is not the way you want to head into race day, especially facing as tough a ladder as we will have tomorrow.
“There’s no doubt that between the altitude and the heat these are the toughest conditions we will face all year. Still, the bottom line is that we have to do a better job of tuning our race cars, getting them closer to those running at the top of the page. It’s certainly frustrating, but we are not about to throw in the towel. We have a long night ahead of us, studying the data from both our Summit Racing Camaros and coming up with what we hope will be a winning game plan. It’s going to be a challenge, but that is when this team usually excels.”
Rolling Off Fifth, Line is Ready for a New Approach in Denver
Rolling Off Fifth, Line is Ready for a New Approach in Denver
Event: 33rd annual Mile-High NHRA Nationals
Location: Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colorado
Day/Date: Saturday, July 21, 2012
Reigning NHRA Pro Stock champion Jason Line completed a solid qualifying effort on Saturday, capturing the fifth starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations of the Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Morrison, Colo. Although the Summit Racing driver’s 6.988-second, 196.93 mph pass from Friday evening remained his run of record, he posted two respectable runs on Saturday, covering the quarter-mile in 6.994 and 7.018 seconds.
Even so, Line was not totally pleased with his showing, and enters his first-round encounter with Colorado racer Deric Kramer looking to better his race car’s performance, while also admitting that a new approach, focusing on the man behind the wheel, might be needed to challenge for his first win at Bandimere Speedway.
“We just seemed to take one step forward and two steps back in qualifying this weekend, so we know there is room for improvement tomorrow,” said Line. “The good news is that I think we learned a couple things about our Summit Racing Camaros today that we should be able to apply to tomorrow, which hopefully will give us a better car for race day.
“Still, this might be one of those weekends where we might have to figure out how to win the race with our left (clutch) foot instead of our right (gas) one. It’s just one of those things that you have to deal with from time to time in racing, especially in these unique conditions. We know we’re going to have our work cut out for us, so we’ll just have to stay focused and do our jobs as well as we can, doing whatever we can to try and go rounds, making the best of the situation. Fortunately, this is the crew that can do exactly that.”
Close Qualifying–Dyson Racing
Close Qualifying
BOWMANVILLE, ONT July 21, 2012 – One tenth of a second separated the two Dyson Racing cars in qualifying today for the American Le Mans Series race at the newly named Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Chris Dyson qualified in second place in the #16 Mazda-powered ModSpace P1 entry, with Eric Lux lining up third in the #20 Dyson entry for tomorrow’s Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport here at Canada’s oldest track.
Dyson won his first Mosport race in 2003, winning in LMP2. “This is the third year in a row we have been on the front row here with Guy Smith and I am pleased for that,” said Chris. “We were a day late in finding what our new car likes here, but we now have a car that is raceable with a better platform. We worked hard overnight and all today but were not able to get the absolute speed out of it that the Muscle Milk car has. Click for More Hi Res We will try some more things in the warm-up to get more performance out of the car.”
This is Eric’s second time at the series’ fastest track and what many consider the most daunting track of the year. “The car has been great pretty much all weekend,” noted Eric. “We made small changes here and there, but have not had to do too much. It has a stable platform and is a predictable car for this fast circuit. Tony (Burgess) has been doing a great job all weekend and I think we are going to have a strong race tomorrow.”
Tony Burgess joins Eric this weekend for his first race with Dyson Racing. Closing in on one hundred sports car races, Burgess is a Toronto native and resident. He has raced at the Mosport track eleven times, including the last 24 hour motorcycle race held here. “Not only is this is my home track but it is my favorite track in North America and probably the world. I think Spa is very good, but Mosport is still unmolested since they first built it in 1961,” commented Burgess. “It has a great flow to it, with fantastic high speed corners. In my view, it is one of the best tracks in the world, and the fact that it is my home track makes it that much better.”
Last year Guy Smith set fastest race lap and the #16 Dyson entry swapped the lead four times with Greg Pickett’s team on their way to a close second place finish. That
Ryan Hunter-Reay Wins the Pole for Edmonton Indy; Gives Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Sixth Pole of 2012 Season
Ryan Hunter-Reay Wins the Pole for Edmonton Indy; Gives Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Sixth Pole of 2012 Season
EDMONTON, Alta., CANADA (July 21, 2012) – Ryan Hunter-Reay, winner of the last three consecutive races and leads the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings, won the pole today for Sunday’s running of the Edmonton Indy. It was the first pole of the season, and the second of the Andretti Autosport driver’s career.
With his time/lap speed of 01:17.2338/103.664 mph, Hunter-Reay, behind the wheel of the No. 28 Team DHL/Sun Drop Citrus Soda Chevrolet, posted the sixth pole-winning effort in 11 sessions this season for the new Chevrolet IndyCar V6 2.2 liter direct injected twin turbo engine.
A total of five Team Chevy drivers ended today’s Firestone Fast Six qualifying sessions in the top-10. Ryan Briscoe, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, put up the third quickest time. Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet, was sixth in the final qualifying results order. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, posted the seventh quickest time. Rubens Barrichello, No. 8 BMC/Embrase KV Racing Technology Chevrolet, was 10th at the end of the qualifying sessions.
A total of 13 Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers qualified for Sunday’s Edmonton Indy at the Edmonton City Centre Airport temporary circuit: James Hinchcliffe qualified 12th; Sebastien Bourdais-14th; Marco Andretti-17th; E.J. Viso-18th; Oriol Servia-20th; JR Hildebrand-21st; Tony Kanaan-22nd and Ed Carpenter-24th.
Line is Fourth on Friday in Denver
Line is Fourth on Friday in Denver
Event: 33rd annual Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals
Location: Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colorado
Day/Date: Friday, July 20, 2012
Jason Line and the Summit Racing team took to the track at Bandimere Speedway on Friday for the first time in a year, making their first qualifying attempts at the Mile-High NHRA Nationals in Morrison, Colo. Despite not having tested prior to the event, the KB Racing crew acquitted themselves quite well in the thin air and high heat, making two solid runs. After opening with a 7.027 second, 196.10 mph effort, Line came back in the evening session and took advantage of the cooler conditions to power his Camaro through the quarter-mile in 6.988-seconds with a top speed of 196.93 mph, slotting himself fourth with two attempts remaining on Saturday.
“The conditions here at Bandimere are such that if you don’t test beforehand, your qualifying runs double as testing attempts, which can put you a little behind,” said Line. “Although the times we posted were fairly competitive, there was certainly room for improvement in each one. The good news is that we have a couple more whacks at it tomorrow to try and get our Summit Racing Camaro better for race day, so tonight we’re going to study the notes from both Greg’s (teammate Anderson) and my car’s runs today and hopefully come up with a strategy that will put us in a position to win on Sunday.”
Franchitti Qualifies Second at Edmonton
Franchitti Qualifies Second at Edmonton
Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti continued his streak of impressive IZOD IndyCar Series
qualifying runs Saturday at the Edmonton City Centre Airport. The Honda-powered Target Chip Ganassi
Racing driver posted the second-fastest time in the final, “Fast Six” qualifying round, and will start
Sunday’s Edmonton Indy from the pole due to a 10-position penalty for an unapproved engine change in
the car of pole qualifier Ryan Hunter-Reay. It will be the fourth consecutive front-row start for Franchitti, a
streak that began at Texas Motor Speedway in June.
The final two rounds of “knockout” qualifying were affected by changing weather conditions around the
Edmonton airport circuit, as a brief shower just prior to the second round resulted in a wet track for all
competitors. The track began to dry near the end of the 15-minute session, leading to constant position
changes during the final minutes.
The “Fast Six” qualifying round began on a dry track, but rain again began to fall in the final minute,
affecting the final runs from Franchitti; 2011 Edmonton pole qualifier Takuma Sato, who will start fourth;
and fifth-qualifying Alex Tagliani. Sunday’s 75-lap race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT, with live television
coverage on the NBC Sports Network.
Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) second quickest in qualifying, his fourth
consecutive front-row start in 2012: “It was fairly interesting out there. The car was working well, but it
started to rain right at the end of the first round, and it was wet throughout the second. But by the ‘Fast
Six’ [final qualifying round] it was starting to dry out, and the question became whether to use new [softer]
‘Red’ tires, or run scrubbed tires. We took a gamble and went with used Reds. It almost paid off, as we
came within a hundredth [of a second] of Ryan’s time. But we’re starting at the front, and I think we’re in
good shape for the race tomorrow.”
Dixon Runs Second in Tight Edmonton Field
Dixon Runs Second in Tight Edmonton Field
Detroit race winner Scott Dixon paced the Honda-powered entries Friday at the Edmonton City Centre
airport temporary circuit, posting the second-fastest time in a tight field during IZOD IndyCar Series
practice in preparation for Sunday’s Edmonton Indy. After two sessions, less than one half-second
separated the top 18 drivers in the 25-car field, with Mike Conway and Simon Pagenaud also posting top-
four times on the day.
Alex Tagliani, Dario Franchitti and Justin Wilson made it six Honda drivers in the top eight, while
Pagenaud led a Honda sweep of the top eight positions in morning practice.
IZOD IndyCar Series activities in Edmonton continue Saturday, with final practice and “Fast Six” knockout
qualifying. Sunday’s 75-lap race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT, with live television coverage on the NBC Sports
Network.
Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) second quickest in Friday practice: “I’m happy
with my car; it seems pretty decent. At one point, I was up [on the field] by three or four tenths [of a
second], but came up on a slower car and ruined that lap. We really didn’t get another chance for a clear
lap. But I’m confident we have a strong car. With rain forecast for qualifying, it should be an exciting
show for the fans tomorrow. There are a lot of good passing points on this track, and it’s going to be a
heck of a race.”
Outlaws on Speed!
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Returns To SPEED This Sunday (July 22) At 12 Noon EDT With Broadcast Of Firecracker 100
Super-Sized Two-Hour Television Broadcast Features Dramatic Big-Money Event At Lernerville Speedway
CONCORD, NC – July 19, 2012 – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series will roar back onto the SPEED cable network this Sunday (July 22) at 12 noon EDT/9 a.m. PDT with a super-sized two-hour broadcast of the sixth annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa.
The renowned tour’s much-anticipated first appearance of 2012 on SPEED will bring all the excitement, pageantry and hard-core racing of the Firecracker 100 extravaganza to fans across the nation.
Highlights of the two preliminary programs that kicked off the WoO LMS weekend at the four-tenths-mile oval will lead into comprehensive coverage of the headlining Firecracker 100, a crown-jewel event featuring 28 of the country’s top dirt Late Model drivers in a battle for a $30,000 top prize.
Announcers Ralph Sheheen and Shane Andrews will call all the action from the booth and Tony Bokhoven will provide fans the news from the pit area during the SPEED broadcast. Special features on drivers, the entertainment-filled Firecracker 100 weekend and technical aspects of dirt Late Model racing will dot the fast-paced program, which highlights a 100-lap event in which the outcome was in doubt until the very end.