WELCOME, N.C. (April 4, 2012) – Richard Childress Racing announced today it will hold the first Pit Crew Training Combine in its 43-year history on Tuesday, April 10 and Wednesday, April 11 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the organization’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series facility located in Welcome, N.C..
The one-of-a-kind event, open to experienced pit crew members as well as athletes with a serious passion for developing into full-time pit crew team member, gives participants the opportunity to showcase their athletic talents and learn the necessary skills to help them develop into a well-rounded teammate. Activities will consist of a variety of rigorous agility workouts and physically demanding tests which include mock training programs and real-time simulated pits stops in high-pressure scenarios normally experienced on a weekly basis both on and off the track throughout the course of a full season. Entrants will have the ability to learn from some of the most experienced and respected leaders in the industry on what it takes to prepare your body and develop the necessary mindset for the highest level of motorsports competition.
“This event is an exciting opportunity for anyone with a passion to become a full-time pit crew member with an elite racing organization,” said Eric Wilson, Director of Human Performance at RCR. “With the right attitude and preparation, this combine could be a vital step towards an athlete’s goal of taking that next step in their career.”
The session on Tuesday, April 10 is scheduled for the positions of jackman and gasman, while the session on Wednesday, April 11 is scheduled for tire carriers and tire changers.
Qualified competitors who are interested should arrive at the RCR campus dressed and ready to work out, and check in at the front desk for instruction. There are no fees associated with the event and it is open to the public.
All posts by ARP Trish
ECR Engines Enjoys a Great Weekend!
ECR Engines Goes 1-2 Twice in Same Weekend
Wins in Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway, Grand Am Series at Barber Motorsports Park
WELCOME, N.C. (April 2, 2012) – ECR Engines earned the top two spots twice on March 31, with first- and second-place finishes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and the GRAND-AM Series Daytona Prototype division at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala.
“It was a Saturday that couldn’t have gone much better for ECR Engines,” said Richie Gilmore, chief operating officer for ECR Engines. “We dominated both qualifying sessions so the front rows on the grid prior to the start of the races were a nice photo opportunity for us. To be so strong in both races, with completely different styles of engines on completely different types of race tracks, is a testament to how strong ECR Engines’ overall program is this early in the 2012 season. It was also an honor for ECR Engines to be the power behind Chevrolet’s first trip to victory lane with the new Chevy Corvette DP car.”
Richard Childress Racing’s Kevin Harvick (No. 2 Kroger/Tide Chevy) and Ty Dillon (No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy) provided the one-two punch at Martinsville. They qualified side-by-side on the front row for the Kroger 250, with Harvick grabbing his third pole in the series. The race was all Harvick. He dominated the field, leading 248 of the race’s 250 laps, a series record, and took the checkered flag ahead of Dillon by 0.953-of-a-second. It was Harvick’s 14th win and 46th top-five finish in 118 Truck Series starts. The runner-up showing for Dillon was a career-best in his brief five-race history in the series that also includes three other top-10 finishes.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve dominated like that and actually won,” said Harvick. “We made a lot of changes over the off-season, moving teams to RCR, and this is what we’d hope for — to make what was a good Camping World Truck Series team even better.”
A similar scenario occurred in the Porsche 250 GRAND-AM Series Daytona Prototype race at Barber Motorsports Park. The No. 90 Spirit of America Chevrolet Corvette DP team of Richard Westbrook and Antonio Garcia grabbed the pole just ahead of the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette team of Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty. Westbrook and Garcia would then go on to lead 84 of 103 laps, with Garcia taking the checkered flag 2.326 seconds ahead of Gurney. It was the first win for the Troy Flis-owned team that has competed in the series since 1999.
“When I saw that the race was green all the way through, I thought to just stay [in position and] and not take so many risks because I thought that a yellow may come,” said Garcia. “For sure, it did. With two laps to go, I had a little bit of panic. But it really paid off because as soon as I pushed, [the pace] was there.”
RCR- Post Martinsville Report
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
RACE: Goody’s Fast Relief 500
TRACK: Martinsville Speedway
DATE: April 1, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished 19th (Kevin Harvick), 22nd (Jeff Burton) and 26th (Paul Menard).
Harvick made 53 green-flag passes during the 500-mile event ranking him 13th in NASCAR Loop Data Statistics.
Havrick and the Budweiser is Back team led for 21 laps in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500.
Burton spent 252 laps running in the top 15 before suffering electrical issues.
Burton and the No. 31 BB&T team were credited with running the fastest lap of all competitors 13 times during the event.
Burton made 50 green-flag passes during the event which was extended to 515 laps.
Menard and the No. 27 Libman/Menards team ran as high as fifth and maintained an average running position of 21.56.
Menard completed 26 green-flag passes throughout the Goody’s Fast Relief 500.
Ryan Newman scored the win in Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway. He was followed to the checkered flag by AJ Allmendinger, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 14, televised live on FOX beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST.
Race Results Week Ending 3/31/12
Nascar
Camping World Truck Series- Martinsville VA- Kroger 250-Kevin Harvick
Sprint Cup- Martinsville VA- Goodys Fast Relief 500- Ryan Newman
GrandAM
Barber Motorsports Park- Porsche 250- Antonio Garcia/Richard Westbrook
World of Outlaws
Merced Speedway- Sammy Swindell
Supercross
Ryan Villopoto
KN Pro Series East
Greenville Pickens Speedway- Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150- Darrell Wallace
Whelan Modified Series
Caraway Speedway- George Brunnhoelzl III
IndyCar
Honda Grand Prix of Alabama- Will Power
NHRA
TORC: The Off Road Championship Now Broadcast On SPEEDTM
TORC’s Docu-Reality Series “The Off Road Championship” moves to SPEEDTM This Fall. Charlotte and Chicago Races to Air LIVE.
INDIANAPOLIS (March 30, 2012) – Officials with the TRAXXAS TORC Series and SPEED are excited to announce a partnership that moves “The Off Road Championship” to SPEED, with 18 new episodes this fall. Additionally, the Charlotte (4/20) and Chicago (7/20) rounds of the 2012 Traxxas TORC Series, presented by AMSOIL, will be broadcast “LIVE” on SPEED” -the only new live broadcast programming of short course off-road racing in America!
“Unprecedented!” beamed USAC President Kevin Miller of the “LIVE” broadcasts and TORC’s new partnership with SPEED. Our two LIVE airings from the Charlotte and Chicago NASCAR venues are ground-breaking for the sport of short course off-road racing. The Prime Time events will no doubt prove to be a publicity windfall for both the TORC Series and its racers. The move to SPEED allows us to dramatically increase the size and depth of the audience for our successful docu-reality coverage of the sport. TORC couldn’t be more pleased with its new partnership with SPEED.”
Headlining the Traxxas TORC Series at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Chicago’s Route 66 Raceway will be all four of The TORC series’ elite PRO divisions, including PRO Buggy, PRO Light, PRO 2WD and PRO 4×4; with its defending class champion Ricky Johnson of Team Red Bull/ KMC Wheels/ Mopar/ Ram.
“I couldn’t be more stoked about SPEED coming on board with TORC,” said Johnson. “Last year SPEED did a phenomenal job covering our event in Chicago, right down to the announcers’ efforts and the amazing camera angles. Everyone with TORC elevated their game knowing we were live on SPEED, and that’ll no doubt continue this year. As a driver – and a fan of short course off-road racing – you couldn’t ask for a better way to kick off the 2012 TORC season.”
Entering its third season of production, TV’s premiere off-road racing reality show, TORC: The Off Road Championship, has revolutionized high-definition motorsports coverage by being the largest long-form TV production that utilizes RED digital cinema cameras. Never before seen viewpoints are created using HD GoPro cameras mounted on radio-controlled helicopters in the sky and TRAXXAS radio-controlled trucks being driven right on the track. The 18 new episodes of original programming begin on SPEED this fall with week-to-week story-telling of all the action, both on and off the track.
Over the last two seasons, the show has taken viewers deep inside the world of short course off-road racing; documenting the triumphs, challenges and controversy that viewers won’t find in traditional motorsports programming. “The battle for a championship is waged both on and off the track,” says BJ Birtwell, Executive Producer at The Armory, the production company for TORC: The Off-Road Championship. “There’s so much at stake for all these drivers that to simply show flag to flag racing would be a disservice to the amount of effort and emotion each team puts into their fight for the championship.”
The fastest, most punishing short course truck racing series on the planet features legendary off-road drivers – including five-time AMA Motocross champion and defending Traxxas TORC Series PRO 4×4 class champion Ricky Johnson and 2010 Champion Johnny Greaves, both of whom nearly came to blows after last year’s door-banging run to the finish line where Johnson actually landed on Greaves roof! No doubt fans who saw the incident and subsequent dust up between the teams afterwards will be back to watch the battle continue for the 2012 Traxxas TORC Series opener in Charlotte!
The TORC race caps a week of motorsports action at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Complex that begins with the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals on April 13-15th, followed by the Charlotte Auto Fair that attracts over 100,000 automotive enthusiasts to the speedway. With radical jumps, stutter bumps, challenging berms and the rolling thunder of 900 horsepower off-road race trucks, Traxxas TORC Series short course off-road racing delivers in-your-face action that’s sure to win over the legions of NASCAR, sprint car, and Late Model fans that make Charlotte their home base. The Dirt Track at Charlotte motor speedway features excellent seating facilities in a family friendly environment. Every ticket is a free pit pass so fans can come early to experience the action in the pits, watch the live TV production ramp up, and check out the midway activities including Traxxas Radio Control truck demos and try-me track.
Wild Brothers Racing
Wild Brothers Racing began the Land Speed season last weekend. Bill Warner flew to TX to meet up with Billy Shoemaker for the season’s opener at the Texas Mile in Beeville TX. Billy Shoemaker is riding the “Streetbike” this year and Bill Warner will be riding the others, but not until June after he is fully recovered from his bad accident back in October 2011.
The weekend did not go as planned. First run of the meet was a test run to check the tune on the bike. On this test run, we turned off the AMS1000 boost controler and ran on spring pressure plus what ever little boost creep there is. The bike is set up beautifully and ran 240mph, not realizing the incredible speed the bike did on its lowest setting, Billy went to deep into shutdown and came upon the end of the track going faster then he wanted to. He had it under control, but unfortunately, he did pick up a cone along the way. Billy and the bike went down around 25-30 mph. Billy is doing fine and went home on Monday from the 3 day stay in the hospital. He broke 4 ribs, 3 of them have multiple brakes and punctured a lung. The hole in the lung closed up after the 2nd day and no chest tube was needed.
Thanks you for your continued support. The “StreetBike” and Billy are recovering nicely and will be back racing May/June.
RCR Post Race Report — Martinsville Speedway
RCR Post Race Report — Martinsville Speedway
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
RACE: Kroger 250
TRACK: Martinsville Speedway
DATE: March 31, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished first (Kevin Harvick), second (Ty Dillon) and 30th (Joey Coulter).
Harvick and Dillon ranked first and second, respectively, in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Fastest Drivers Early in a Run and Fastest Drivers Late in a Run.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Harvick and Dillon spent 100 percent of the race running in the top-15.
Harvick scored a perfect driver rating of 150, the best of the event while Dillon scored the second-best driver rating of 121.
Combined, RCR led all of the contested laps during the Kroger 250.
Harvick earned his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win of the 2012 season and was followed across the finish line by Dillon, James Buescher, Justin Lofton and Timothy Peters.
The next Camping World Truck Series race is the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 at Rockingham Speedway on Sunday, April 15. The third race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.
Nitrous Express Top Diesel Drag Racing sold to Hamilton Cams
Today it was announced that Mike Wood
Racing, Inc and Hamilton Cams have entered into an agreement where
Hamilton Cams will purchase the entire Nitrous Express Sponsored Top
Diesel drag racing operation. This car, along with driver Emily Herod,
won the NHRDA Top Diesel World Championship in 2011.
Mike Wood stated: “As some of you may know I
was recently injured in an off-road motorcycle accident that will
take months if not years to recuperate from. Zach has generously offered to help in my quest to advance the sport of diesel drag racing”.
Zach Hamilton stated: “The car will remain much the same with one major difference, the bright red car will now be powered by a 12 valve Cummins engine. This will highlight Hamilton Cam’s highly advanced, proprietary Cummins 12 valve cylinder head and camshaft technology”.
The car will retain many if not all of its current sponsors including Nitrous Express, Inc.
Update on the Sheriff’s HEAT and Project Fastlane from Chattanooga, TN
Well it has been a while since the last email about our Beat the Heat project here in Chattanooga, TN but progress has not stopped. I had to back tract a little after hosting the World Finals last year, but 2012 is here and pulling into the burnout box as we speak so it is crunch time. The 63 Ford is in primer and will be coming home in the next week so the assembly can begin. I want to clean up the engine compartment real good and have a cage to install, mock up the drive train, and oh yeah…build the headers…. Maybe a few more items than that but not too bad considering that the most expensive part of the project is now complete. Cory Woods at Arrow Machine sealed it up last week and put it in a cradle to wait on the ignition and the carb. I can’t wait to hear what the “Pump Gas” SBF sounds like and better yet, what it will throw down with all those special parts that you have donated to our project. “Our”, because I want each and everyone who receives this email to feel a part of this and to know that we would never be where we are without your help. I will be sending out updates throughout the remainder of the year getting ready for Beat the HEAT’s 20th Anniversary and 2012 World Finals which takes place at the Texas Motorplex this fall.
With that being said, I wanted to take a minute and thank those that helped me with the build up of “the Secret Weapon”… If the recipe of race parts that has gone into our small block ford works as we think it should, we may have some bragging rights after this years World Finals. We are shooting for the quickest pump gas, street legal cop car in the country. And that will be “drug free” on the motor…If we add a little nitrous who knows what might happen on the big end…
Thanks to the following: Thank you Arrow Machine for all the work and time you dumped into this build (Cory Woods has had this engine together and apart 5 times making sure everything was right) , Eagle Rod for the 4340 crank and rods, PRW for the bottom end girdle, ARP for every bolt that went into the engine, Milodon for the race pan and pick up, Melling for the high volume oil pump and Dura-Bond race bearings, Cloyes Gears for the double roller billet gear set, Crane Cams for the entire solid roller cam Ultra-pro lifters and gold series roller rockers, Trick Flow for the cnc profiled 225 High Ports Heads, R.E.D. for the push rods, Cometic for the head gaskets, Jomar for the stud girdles and race filters, Wilson Manifold for all the work to a Super Vic intake, Fluidampr for your race damper, CVF Racing for the billet pulleys and brackets, PowerMaster for the mini starter and high amp alternator, Unleashed Custom Machine for the cool timing pointer and ignition wire loom, Stewart racing pumps for the stage 3 water pump, and Auto Cycle for the custom powder coating.
ARP Sponsors NMCA and NMCA West for 2012
The NMCA is pleased to announce that ARP, the leader in high
performance fasteners and bolts for your race car or muscle car, has
stepped up once again to sponsor the NMCA series and has added the NMCA
WEST series as well! ARP Nostalgia Muscle Car is one of the most
popular NMCA classes featuring big block and small block nitrous
equipped pre-’74 muscle cars running in the mid-7 second zone at the
brink of 200 mph.
NMCA WEST’s heads-up classes are promising to be very exciting and
ARP has stepped up to sponsor the Outlaw 8.5 class that will feature
some of the most exciting side by side drag racing in the series. ARP
Outlaw 8.5 is a limited tire class that ensures that it’s a true
“drivers” category that features the best in hook’n up horsepower.
ARP is the leading manufacturer of fasteners for your race car or hot
rod. ARP is used by all of the top NMCA racers as well as
professionals like John Force, Greg Anderson and Warren Johnson. To
find out why the top engine builders and racers rely on ARP to hold
their engines together log on to www.arp-bolts.com
Subaru Road Racing Team heads to Barber
Leveraging a two-month lull after the first event of the 2012 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series, the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) travels to Birmingham, Al., after a productive period identifying and completing refinements on their #35 Subaru WRX STI 4-door race car in preparation for this highly-anticipated race. This weekend’s event will be run on the popular, 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park circuit.
Andrew Aquilante, Chester Springs, Pa., and Bret Spaude, Bushnell, Fl., will share cockpit duties in the race-prepped, 2012 Subaru WRX STI developed specifically to compete in a field of road racing cars developing over 400 horsepower.
“Superior horsepower is always advantageous,” said Joe Aquilante, principal of Phoenix Performance in Phoenixville, Pa., where the SRRT Subaru race units are prepped and maintained, “but the Subaru symmetrical all-wheel drive system in our WRX STI is a great benefit on a twisting, hilly track such as this one and negates the power of the V8-engined cars. We led laps during last year’s race at Barber [Motorsports Park], and our competitive lap times in January at the race at Daytona [International Speedway] drive our confidence.”
“On the twisting infield portions of the Daytona track,” noted driver Andrew Aquilante, “Bret and I were able to outmaneuver most of the field in our Subaru. We expect Barber to be more of the same.”
Added James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc., “We’re encouraged that the pace from our STI is both competitive and also repeatable lap after lap, and I’m looking forward to our team’s performance at Barber.”
Qualifying is Friday at 10:50am (ET). The 2 1/2-hour race takes the green flag Saturday at 5:15pm (ET). The Barber Park race will be televised by SPEED TV for broadcast on April 8th at 12:00pm (ET).
Hairston Motorsports is Ready for 2012
Hairston Motorsports is looking forward to great year in 2012. We will be concentrating our efforts mostly on the NMCA series with hopefully a year ending appearance at the Street Car Super Nationals in Vegas.
Several off season changes to the GTO body and chassis setup should make the car more consistent this year. We will be working with Ken Duttweiler again with our small block engine packages looking for even more reliable horsepower.
RCR AutoClub Speedway Post-race
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
RACE: Auto Club 400
TRACK: Auto Club Speedway
DATE: March 25, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fourth (Kevin Harvick), 19th (Paul Menard), 22nd (Jeff Burton) and 43rd (Brendan Gaughan).
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Harvick led the field in Quality Passes (passing a car running in the top 15 while under green-flag conditions) with 35 and was one of eight drivers who did not fall outside of the top 15 during the race.
Harvick was the fourth-fastest driver in NASCAR’s Loop Data Category for Fastest Drivers Late in a Run.
Menard tied for third in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Closers, gaining four positions in the final 20 laps (10 percent) of the event.
Menard ranked eighth among all drivers in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Green Flag Passes, with 65 recorded.
Burton made 72 green-flag passes during the 129-lap race, third-most in the 43-car field.
The event at Auto Club Speedway served as Gaughan’s 41st-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his fourth of four races with the Welcome, N.C.-based organization.
Tony Stewart scored the win in Sunday’s rain-shortened race at Auto Club Speedway. Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards completed the top five.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, April 1, televised live on FOX beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 12 p.m. EST.
Race Winners Week Ending 3/25/2012
SuperCross- Ryan Villopoto
Formula One- Grand Prix of Malaysia- Fernando ALonso
Izod IndyCar- Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg- Helio Castroneves
Nascar- Nationwide Series- Royal Purple 300- Joey Logano, Sprint Cup- Auto Club 400- Tony Stewart
Schatz, World of Outlaws Claim Night 1 of the Mini Gold Cup
CHICO, Calif. – March 23, 2012 – With bragging rights on the line between the World of Outlaws and the California contingent, Friday’s main event couldn’t have set up any better.
Donny Schatz, a four-time World of Outlaws champion and the current points leader, and two-time King of California Jonathan Allard started on the front row of the 35-lap feature during Night 1 of the Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway.
Schatz capitalized on a good start and led wire to wire en route to picking up his second victory of the season. It also gave the Outlaws a 2-to-1 edge in wins versus Californians this season in the state of California.
“Tonight we started up front and maintained,” Schatz said after extending his points lead to 20. “We’re not 100 percent where we are comfortable with the car and all the stuff yet. To have two wins in this position at this time of the year and to not be 100 percent confident in what we’ve got going on yet is pretty good.”
Schatz took advantage of the qualifying invert, which started him on the pole of his heat race after timing in 15th quickest. He led all 10 laps to lock himself into the dash. Kraig Kinser, who set quick time with a lap of 12.458 seconds, randomly pulled the No. 6 to invert the first three rows of the dash. That moved Schatz to the pole of the dash and he again led the entirety of the eight-lap race to earn the pole for the feature.
“That dash draw always helps,” he said. “Starting up there on the inside was great.”
Meanwhile, Allard won his heat race from the outside front row to lock himself into the dash, where he started outside Schatz. The duo stayed within a couple car lengths of each other for most of the race with Schatz edging Allard for the top spot and the inside lane – which was the preferred spot – for the start of the main event.
“I just fell in behind Donny and tried to learn something,” Allard said. “I’ve been known for not managing my tires as well as we could have, but the Goodyears lasted, we came home with second and we’re very proud of that.”
The race featured only two cautions – on lap 24 when 10th-running Kyle Larson spun out in turn two and on the final lap when Robbie Whitchurch stopped exiting turn four – as Schatz maintained a comfortable pace on the quarter-mile track that favored the bottom.
“You just had to be cautious not to spin your tires and slip up out of that bottom groove,” Schatz said. “There wasn’t a lot of moving around. There were guys trying things, but just couldn’t make anything work. You had to be on the bottom of the race track, right on the gutter. As long as I stayed there and tried to keep from making a mistake, I was going to be ok.”
And he never pulled within a car length of lapped traffic.
“I was hoping maybe Donny would get into traffic, but he was too smart to do that,” Allard said after his runner-up finish.
Starting in the second row, veteran Outlaws driver Joey Saldana and defending King of California Tim Kaeding duked it out for the final podium position. Saldana edged Kaeding, who had claimed two of the previous three World of Outlaws features.
That moved Saldana to second in the points, while Kaeding’s result was his fourth consecutive top-six finish.
Steve Kinser rounded out the top five. Kraig Kinser was sixth, Lucas Wolfe seventh, Bill Rose placed a season-high eighth and Jason Sides ended ninth. Last Chance Showdown winner Jac Haudenschild picked up his first top 10 of the season.
In addition to Schatz and Allard, Cody Darrah and Saldana earned heat race wins. Trey Starks claimed the KSE Hard Charger Award for the second straight race.
Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Notes:
Richard Childress Racing
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Notes:
RCR in SoCal … In 65 overall NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, RCR Chevrolet teams have earned one win (Kevin Harvick – 2011), one pole (Mike Skinner – April 2000), nine top-five and 23 top-10 finishes. RCR boasts a 20.1 average starting position, a 16.2 average finishing position and have completed 15,757 of the 15,915 laps (99 percent) contested at the moderately-banked D-shaped race track. The Welcome, N.C.-based organization’s best finish at Fontana came last year when Kevin Harvick edged out Jimmie Johnson for the win in the final lap. Each of RCR’s four drivers (Paul Menard, Harvick, Jeff Burton and Brendan Gaughan) competing at Auto Club Speedway this weekend has led laps at the two-mile speedway in their Sprint Cup Series careers.
The Collective RCR … Over the season’s first four races, RCR’s Sprint Cup Series entries have notched two top-five and seven top-10 finishes. RCR-prepared Chevrolets have completed 5,065 out of 5,124 total laps (98.85 percent) with drivers Burton, Harvick, Menard, Elliott Sadler and Gaughan. The group has led a combined 125 laps.
Get to the Points … Following the race weekend in Bristol Motor Speedway, two of RCR’s three full-time Sprint Cup Series teams climbed the ranks in the point standings. While Harvick remained second, he gained ground and sits nine points out of the top spot. Menard moved up to 10th in the point standings, while Burton jumped four positions, to 11th.
Race Winners Week Ending 3/18/2012
Nascar
Bristol TN- Nationwide Series- Ford Eco Boost 300- Elliott Sadler
Sprint Cup- Food City 500- Brad Keselowski
F1 Australian Grand Prix- Jenson Button
Saldana, Piloting his Great Clips/Sage Fruit/ASE Maxim, Cruises to his First Victory of 2012
After celebrating with his hands in the air as he propped himself on the back of his sprint car, Joey Saldana pulled off his helmet to reveal messy hair, a dirty face and a look of exhaustion.
“I think I’m more mentally worn out,” he said with a smile. “Physically I feel great.”
Saldana led all 30 laps by riding the cushion around the top of Perris Auto Speedway to claim the SoCal Showdown, which was the first World of Outlaws race at the fast half-mile oval since 2007.
“You don’t get these opportunities very often and getting your first one out of the way early in the season is a big asset to the whole season,” said Saldana, who became the fifth different winner in five World of Outlaws main events this season.
“I think the key to victory was the dash. Getting around Jason (Meyers) and getting clean air made a huge difference. And just making sure I chose the right spot on those restarts.”
Saldana set a blistering pace during the feature. He was only slowed four times for a caution and chose the outside lane on every double-file restart. Despite being side-by-side with Saldana on each restart, Meyers had his best opportunity on lap 21 when the leaders entered lapped traffic.
Saldana had a couple-second lead quickly erased as he was slowed while trying to lap Austen Wheatley. Meyers closed to the back of Saldana before the final caution of the race for a collision between Jonathan Allard and Bobby McMahan in turn two on lap 23.
Saldana cruised from that restart to record his first victory of the season and his 79th career World of Outlaws main event win.
Saldana’s teammate, Cody Darrah, piloting the No. 4 Sage Fruit/ASE/Kasey Kahne Racing Maxim, qualified eighth and finished second in his heat and eighth in the dash. He started the A Main in ninth in finished the event in 13th.
Race Winners Week Ending 3/12/12
Nascar
Nationwide Series- Sam’s Town 300, Las Vegas NV, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr
Sprint Cup Series- Kobalt Tools 400, Tony Stewart
NHRA
World of Outlaws Update 3/11/12
After celebrating with his hands in the air as he propped himself on the back of his sprint car, Joey Saldana pulled off his helmet to reveal messy hair, a dirty face and a look of exhaustion.
“I think I’m more mentally worn out,” he said with a smile. “Physically I feel great.”
Saldana led all 30 laps by riding the cushion around the top of Perris Auto Speedway to claim the NAPA Know How SoCal Showdown, which was the first World of Outlaws race at the fast half-mile oval since 2007.
“You don’t get these opportunities very often and getting your first one out of the way early in the season is a big asset to the whole season,” said Saldana, who became the fifth different winner in five World of Outlaws main events this season.
“I think the key to victory was the dash. Getting around Jason (Meyers) and getting clean air made a huge difference. And just making sure I chose the right spot on those restarts.”
Meyers, who started on the pole of the six-lap dash, chose the bottom on a double-file restart midway through the race that determined the first five rows of the feature lineup. Saldana took advantage on the restart and zipped by Meyers on the top as the duo exited turn two. Saldana picked up the win and the pole position for the main event.
“Unfortunately I gave it away in the dash tonight,” said Meyers, the two-time defending World of Outlaws champion. “I gave it away on a restart and gave Joey the lead, which gave him the pole for the start of the feature. I just made a mistake tonight. I chose the wrong line on the restart and gave Joey the opportunity to get past me.”
Saldana then set a blistering pace during the feature. He was only slowed four times for a caution and chose the outside lane on every double-file restart. Despite being side-by-side with Saldana on each restart, Meyers had his best opportunity on lap 21 when the leaders entered lapped traffic.
Saldana had a couple-second lead quickly erased as he was slowed while trying to lap Austen Wheatley. Meyers closed to the back of Saldana before the final caution of the race for a collision between Jonathan Allard and Bobby McMahan in turn two on lap 23.
Saldana cruised from that restart to record his first victory of the season and his 79th career World of Outlaws main event win.
Meyers held off Steve Kinser for the runner-up position.
“We just had to start back too far,” Kinser said. “We were just as fast as anybody out there, maybe even a little quicker at times. I almost could catch them down on the bottom. There just wasn’t enough to get off the corner down there.
“Starting back there in the fourth row with the cars that were up front, we just couldn’t do it unless we would have stayed in that lapped traffic.”
Kraig Kinser finished fourth and Kerry Madsen was fifth. Tim Kaeding placed sixth, Lucas Wolfe seventh and Sammy Swindell, who picked up the KSE Hard Charger Award after starting 19th, was eighth. Chad Kemenah ended ninth and Sam Hafertepe Jr. drove from 18th to 10th.
Meyers, Brian Brown and Kaeding each won a heat race, and McMahan claimed the Last Chance Showdown.
Swindell – the only driver to finish in the top 10 in all five races this season – is leading the points as the World of Outlaws head to Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., for a doubleheader next Friday and Saturday.