RCR Post Race Report
Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500
Talladega Superspeedway
October 7, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished 10th (Jeff Burton), 11th (Kevin Harvick) and 28th (Paul Menard).
According to the NASCAR Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Burton made the sixth-most Green Flag Passes (499) with 279 of those passes coming while running in the top 15 (Quality Passes).
Burton spent 131 Laps (69.3 percent) Running in the Top 15 and earned an Average Running Position of 11.471, ranking him eighth amongst his competitors.
Kevin Harvick led the field in Fastest Drivers Early In a Run with an average speed of 197.214 mph.
With 11 circuits in the front of the field, Harvick was ranked fifth in Laps Led.
Harvick earned the second-best Driver Rating (111.7), while Burton finished with the sixth-best Driver Rating (101.5).
Paul Menard completed 533 Green Flag Passes and 301 Quality Passes, positioning him second and 10th, respectively in the Post-Race Loop Data categories.
Menard spent 129 Laps in the Top 15, the ninth-most of all drivers in the 43-car field.
RCR teammates Harvick and Menard each posted three of the Fastest Laps Run during the scheduled 500-mile affair.
Matt Kenseth captured his second NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the 2012 season and was followed to the finish line by Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, David Ragan and Regan Smith.
The next scheduled Sprint Cup Series race is the Charlotte 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 13. The race is scheduled to be televised live on ABC beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
RCR Post Race Report
RCR Post Race Report
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Talladega Superspeedway
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
fred’s 250 Powered by Coca-Cola
Talladega Superspeedway
October 6, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fourth (Ty Dillon), ninth (Tim George Jr.) and 14th (Joey Coulter).
Dillon is the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship point leader by one marker; Coulter ranks fifth in the standings.
The No. 3 Chevrolet team is the Camping World Truck Series owner championship point leader, with the No. 22 team fourth in the standings and the No. 2 team 10th.
Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings ahead of Cale Gale.
The No. 3 Bass Pro Shops team earned their third pole award of the 2012 season.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Dillon earned the highest Driver Rating (113.8), while Coulter ranked 10th with a rating of 86.3.
Dillon led the most laps (25) during the 94-lap event.
RCR drivers made a total of 465 Green Flag Passes during the 94-lap event with George earning 224 passes, Coulter with 172 and Dillon with 69 passes.
Dillon scored the second-highest Average Running Position of 4.064, while Coulter ranked seventh with a 9.426 and George was 12th with a 14.447.
George was the 10th-Fastest Driver on Restarts in Saturday’s affair.
Coulter ranked the sixth-Fastest Driver Early in a Run, while Dillon was the seventh-quickest and George ranked 16th.
Dillon spent 100 percent of the event in the top 15, ranking him first among the rest of the field, while Coulter ranked fifth (88.3 percent).
Parker Kligerman took the checkered flag at Talladega Superspeedway for his first career Camping World Truck Series win and was followed to the line by Johnny Sauter, James Buescher, Dillon and Timothy Peters.
The next scheduled Camping World Truck Series race is the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 27. The 19th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Motor Racing Network beginning at 1:45 p.m.
Kinser Captures NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week Victory
Kinser Captures NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week Victory
‘The King’ has won 12 of 35 World of Outlaws races at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park
ELBRIDGE, N.Y. – Oct. 6, 2012 – On a frigid Saturday night, Steve Kinser found a familiar, yet distant, place.
Mired in a slump since late July, Kinser braved the chilly and windy weather at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, where he capitalized in traffic to pass polesitter Chad Kemenah and pull away to his fourth World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series win of the season at the NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLI event.
It was Kinser’s 12th victory in 35 World of Outlaws events at the fast 5/8-mile and it snapped a 40-race winless streak in points events.
“We’ve been struggling up a storm,” Kinser said. “It just felt good to get out and win a race. We’ve been having some trouble. It’ll make it a lot better ride home, I can tell you that.”
Kinser’s last win was at Dodge City Raceway Park on June 22, when he was in the thick of the World of Outlaws championship race. Since then, Kinser has struggled to find consistency and he entered Saturday fifth in the title chase – 283 points out of the lead.
That mattered little on Saturday, when Kinser qualified seventh quickest and finished second in his heat race to advance to the dash. He then drove from fourth to second to start the 25-lap feature on the outside of Kemenah.
Kemenah rocketed to the lead at initial wave of the green flag and held a sizeable advantage prior to the first caution, when Bobby Breen spun to a stop in turn three on the fifth lap. Kemenah chose the outside lane on the double-file restart and again began to build on his lead before closing in on traffic on lap 11.
However, as Kemenah was about to lap his first car, Kraig Kinser stopped on the frontstretch while battling for a top 10 because a radius rod loosened. Once again, Kemenah chose the outside on the restart and it worked to his advantage.
But this time Steve Kinser stayed within striking distance and as Kemenah entered thick traffic on lap 17, Kinser took advantage. Kemenah slid up the track in turn two and Kinser stuck to the bottom, which provided enough grip to drive by Kemenah down the backstretch.
“I think the bottom down here in (turns) one and two was getting better,” Kemenah said. “When you’re leading sometimes maybe you’re just a sitting duck. It’s just hard to change your lane when you’re out front.”
Kinser distanced himself as World of Outlaws points leader and Tony Stewart Racing teammate Donny Schatz maneuvered around Kemenah for the runner-up position in the closing laps.
“Steve needed that,” Schatz said. “He hasn’t been running well lately, so to come and get a win is definitely a confidence builder for those guys. A 1-2 finish for TSR is great.”
Kerry Madsen finished fourth and David Gravel ended fifth. Joey Saldana was sixth, Craig Dollansky seventh and Sammy Swindell earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after driving from 21st to eighth. Paul McMahan, who claimed the only other World of Outlaws event at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park this season, placed ninth and fast qualifier Daryn Pittman rounded out the top 10.
NHRDA World Finals
Dyson Racing Adds to Driver Line-Up for Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda
Dyson Racing Adds to Driver Line-Up for Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda
Dyson Racing will be bolstering its bench for the championship-deciding Petit Le Mans on October 20th, the tenth and last race of the American Le Mans Series season. Reining ALMS champions Chris Dyson and Guy Smith enter the ten-hour, 1,000 mile endurance classic at Road Atlanta thirteen points back in the P1 driver’s championship and the team is nine points out in the P1 team championship.
Returning to join Dyson and Smith in the #16 Mazda-powered ModSpace/Thetford entry will be Steven Kane while Chris McMurry will partner Tony Burgess and Mark Patterson in the #20 Dyson Racing entry. This will be the inaugural Dyson race for McMurry.
McMurry commented, “The combination of one of the world’s leading teams and one of the world’s greatest sports car races was too hard to pass up. I’m very familiar with Petit Le Mans having run it about ten times. And I know Dyson all too well having competed against them for so many races over ten years. I’ll say that I’m glad to be on their side this time around!”
“We’re very happy to have Chris join the team,” Chris Dyson said. “He’s a very proven driver, with a solid pair of hands and we have seen firsthand over the years how steady he and Tony are as a pairing. Adding Mark to the mix, the 20 car has a good chance to score a solid result at the Petit.”
Chris McMurry brings experienced competence to the Petit Le Mans race weekend. He has raced in sixty-four races in the American Le Mans Series since his first Petit in 2001. The ALMS veteran finished fourth in the P1 championship last year with five consecutive P1 podiums to his credit including a second in P1 at the Petit Le Mans. He started racing in 1998 in the Star Mazda Series and recorded his first wins in the ALMS in 2002, taking three wins in nine starts in P2. He added three more P2 wins in 2005, including the class win at the 12 Hours of Sebring and finished second in the championship. He moved to P1 in 2006 with three class podiums his first year. No stranger to endurance racing, he has raced twice at the 24 Hours of Le Mans: his first in 2003 and again in 2008.
Mark Paterson made his Dyson Racing debut last month at Virginia International Raceway and returns to the #20 car line-up for the season ending race. Like McMurry, he brings Petit Le Mans expertise to the mix, including a second place P2 finish last year with Stefan Johansson and Zak Brown. Rounding out the driving trio will be Tony Burgess. He first drove with the team at his home track at Mosport, where he finished third in P1, followed by a third place finish at the four-hour Road America race.
Steven Kane will be back again sharing Dyson driving duties. Kane co-drove earlier this year with Dyson and Smith at the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring, where they won first place ALMS P1 points. “Kaney” is a fan favorite who made a big splash in the series when he co-drove the sister #20 car last year and won the Baltimore Grand Prix in only his fifth race with the team.
“It’s great to come into the last race of the season with a shot at winning the championship,” team principal Rob Dyson said. “It’s not going to be easy, but I’m confident we have two strong cars and the team is executing better than ever. It’s a long race and we have seen over the years, anything can happen at the Petit—one of our favorite events.”
PERMATEX/FOLLOW A DREAM TEAM HEADS TO MAPLE GROVE FOR SEASON FINALE
Fresh off back-to-back victories at regional events and consecutive semifinal finishes in national event competition, Jay Blake’s Permatex/Follow A Dream Top Alcohol Funny Car team heads to Maple Grove Raceway for the final race of the season, the Auto Plus Nationals. In each of the last two years, driver Todd Veney made his quickest run ever in the first round of eliminations at this event – 5.549 in 2010 and 5.548 last year.
“I’m excited about this race,” said Blake, who will be in the area days in advance to speak to students at the Universal Technical Institute. “The weather’s supposed to be good this year, and we’re looking forward to another great weekend. It’s really been a good year, and we want to end it on a great note.”
Qualifying sessions are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday and 1:30 Saturday, and the first round of eliminations is slated to go off at 4:30 Saturday afternoon. The event will be televised on ESPN2 Sunday, October 14 at 2 p.m. Eastern.
Casey Currie Dominates Huseman Cup
Anaheim Hills, CA (October 03, 2012) – “Huseman was a Champion and a family man; someone I look up to and want to follow. To win a cup in his and his brother Jeff’s name is completely humbling and just amazing.” – Pro Lite World Champion, Casey Currie.
This weekend Casey Currie put it all on the line against the east coast’s greatest drivers in the Torc Traxxas inaugural Huseman Cup race in Antelope Valley. With the highest paying cash purse in Short Course Off Road on the table, Casey took home the $15k 1st place cup in honor of the late Short Course Champion, Rick Huseman, and brother Jeff.
The $65k Rick Huseman Memorial Cup and the $20k+ Traxxas Cup in memory of Jeff Huseman, would be the largest single-day purse in the history of Short Course Off Road Racing. Sunday’s cup race was an all out, 15-lap battle with Keegan Kincaid for Casey, who strategically picked off Kincaid on the very last lap for the win, taking the 1st place $15k cup prize.
“It was an awesome battle out there!” Casey said of his flag-to-flag battle with Keegan Kincaid. “We were pushing hard from the first lap to the last. I’m so stoked for my team, stoked for everyone. To take home the season cup is awesome to show that the west coast is better than the east coast, I can’t complain!”
Subaru Drivers Twice Climb To Third in Lime Rock Park GRAND-AM Race
Subaru Drivers Twice Climb To Third in Lime Rock Park GRAND-AM Race
– Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Season Finale –
Phoenixville, Pa. – Sept. 30, 2012 – Both drivers of the Subaru Road Racing Team’s (SRRT) Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Andrew Aquilante and Bret Spaude, carved their way through the 26-car field to as high as third place with the race lead in sight in the season finale of GRAND-AM’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT.
Their winning aspirations, however, were cut short when a following driver, Bill Auberlen, collided with Aquilante, as both drivers steamed into the first turn, forcing the #35 WRX STI into the guardrail on the 98th of 136 laps of the 1.53-mile road course. The collision caused sufficient damage that the Subaru team was unable to finish the race.
Aquilante had climbed from 22nd place to fifth when the mishap happened.
“Up to that point, this really was an excellent weekend for the entire team,” said Subaru Road Racing Team principal Joe Aquilante, who owns Phoenix Performance in Phoenixville, where the Subaru Impreza race cars are prepared and maintained.
“I’m disappointed by Auberlen’s move as he’s usually a much smarter driver. Bill [Auberlen] was behind A.J. for a big chunk of the race up to that point and was simply not close enough to pass cleanly. You have to wonder what he was thinking. And as a direct result, we finished 24th in a 26-car field when a podium was well insight. A disappointing way to end the season, especially considering how steadily our Subaru’s performance increased as the season went along.”
Spaude, of Bushnell, Fla., started the 4-door Subaru Impreza WRX STI from the 9th position and within 25 laps was up to third position, a spot he held for the next 20 laps before turning the cockpit over to Aquilante for the final time this season. AJ took over on lap 47 and worked his way back up to third before pitting on lap 82 for the final fuel load. By lap 96, Aquilante was up to 5th and closing on the leaders before the errant BMW ended his day.
The team’s 2012 season was highlighted by a win at New Jersey Motorsports Park, a third place finish at the Homestead-Miami Speedway round, and a strong run to second at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca by the final lap.
Added James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc. “The frustration at a missed podium due to an errant driver is still too recent to overlook easily. When you look at the macro view of things, there are some key and encouraging takeaways: our #35 WRX STI has the performance to set or match the pace in the GS field, our pit stop strategies and implementation are closer to optimizing outcomes, and overall, the team is demonstrating the consistency and pace to attack as championship contenders next year. Needless to say, we’re looking forward to 2013.”
Race Report- Week Ending 9/30/12
Nascar
Sprint Cup–AAA 400- Brad Keselowski
Nationwide Series– One Main FInancial 400–Joey Logano
Camping World Truck Series–Nelson Piquet Jr.-Smiths 350
KN West- Derek Thorn- Napa Auto Parts 150
KN East- Corey Lajoie- American Real TV 150
Whelan All American- Bobby Santos- Carquest Fall Final
Grand Am
DP- Max Angelelli/Ricky Taylor
Gt- John Edwards/Robin Liddell
World of Outlaws
Donny Schatz
NHRA
Top Fuel — Antron Brown
Funny Car — Jack Beckman
Pro Stock — Erica Enders
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Eddie Krawiec
Competition Eliminator — Clint Neff
Super Stock — Fred Bartoli Sr
Stock Eliminator — Daryl Bureski
Super Comp — Michael Eggleston
Super Gas — Jarod Bowman
Chevy Racing–“Podium Finish, Privateer Honors for Strakka in Bahrain
Podium Finish, Privateer Honors for Strakka in Bahrain
Posting their best run to date in World Endurance Championship, Strakka Racing and drivers Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts dominated private team competition and finished third overall in their Honda Performance Development ARX-03a at Saturday’s Six Hours of Bahrain. The Honda-powered Strakka trio survived both high temperatures that at times exceeded 100 degrees F– and late-race contact with the works Toyota TS030 of Nicolas Lapierre – for it’s first overall podium finish and privateer victory of 2012.
“Today’s result at Bahrain International Circuit ensures that Strakka remains in contention for thePrivateers’ Championship, with two races remaining. Strakka trails the Swiss Rebellion Racing squad by 27 points as the series heads to Japan and China for the final two events of 2012. In P2, the American Starworks team of Thomas Kimber-Smith, Enzo Potolicchio and Stephane Sarrazin came out on top of a five-car battle for the class lead in the opening hours in their HPD ARX-03b, and appeared headed for its fourth class victory of the season. But with approximately 45 minutes remaining, during the team’s final scheduled pit stop, starter motor failure sent the car to the garage area for repairs. With repairs completed, Sarrazin returned to complete the race and closed significantly on the second-place Signatech entry of Franck Mailleux, but settled for a third-place finish.
Despite the disappointing finish, Starworks increased its lead in the P2 championship to 23 points over the class-winning Oreca Nissan of Pecom Racing, which had come to Bahrain ranked third in the standings. The ADR-Delta team, which came to Bahrain second in the standings to Starworks, suffered a suspension failure early in the race and as a result fell to third in the championship. Fielding a second privateer P1 category HPD ARX-03a, the British-based JRM team qualified sixth in P1 and had a strong start, but electronics issues resulted in a return to the garage area after just one hour, and a long stop for repairs. The team returned to competition with just over one hour remaining in the contest, but additional issues with the wiring loom resulted in the car’s retirement.
The World Endurance Championship now heads to Asia for the final two rounds of 2012: the Six Hours of Fuji in Japan on October 13; and the season-ending Six Hours of Shanghai, China, on October 27. Danny Watts (#21 Strakka HPD ARX-03a) started 5th, finished 3rd overall and 1st in the private P1 category: “It’s a fantastic achievement to finish third overall, but of course we weren’t really racing the works Audis and Toyota, we were very focused on trying to win the Privateers’ battle. We are a small team [compared to the manufacturer-run teams], and all the guys put in a huge amount of work to make sure the car is fast and reliable. The [very high heat] conditions this week have been extremely difficult, not just for the drivers, but for all the team members working on the car. They deserve all the credit for this race result, and it will give us the confidence to go to Japan knowing exactly what dedication and hard work can achieve.” Allen Miller (Principal Engineer and Large Project Leader, Honda Performance Development) on Saturday’s race at The Bahrain International Circuit: “What a fantastic effort by the entire Strakka Racing team! It was a faultless run, despite the extreme conditions, and a well-earned privateer victory and first WEC podium finish. Starworks also deserved a class victory today, as they steadily built a significant lead after the first three hours. Unfortunately, it appears the high ambient temperatures resulted in a problem with the starter motor during their final pit stop. Third place seems like poor reward for their outstanding performance today. Electrical problems also prevented JRM from achieving a good result today. We’ll look over the data from today’s race to prevent these problems in the future, and to help all our teams achieve the best possible results as they continue racing for WEC Championships at the remaining two events in Japan and China next month.”
RCR Post Race Report NSCS AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway
RCR Post Race Report
NSCS AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
AAA 400
Dover International Speedway
September 30, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished 13th (Kevin Harvick), 22nd (Paul Menard) and 27th (Jeff Burton).
Harvick spent 237 laps (59.3 percent) running in the Top 15 while making 49 Green Flag Passes.
According to NASCAR’s Post-Race Loop Data Statistics, Burton posted six of the Fastest Laps of the 400-lap event, while Harvick was credited with running four and Menard turned two.
Menard logged the second-most Green Flag Passes in the AAA 400 with 72.
Burton made 41 Green Flag Passes during the 400-mile race.
Brad Keselowski captured his fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the 2012 season and was followed to the finish line by Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards.
The next scheduled Sprint Cup Series race is the Good Sam Club at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, Oct. 7. The race is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
RCR Post Race Report NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Smith’s 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
RCR Post Race Report
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Smith’s 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Smith’s 350
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
September 29, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished third (Joey Coulter), fourth (Brendan Gaughan) and 10th (Ty Dillon).
Dillon is the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver championship point leader by one marker; Coulter ranks fourth in the standings.
The No. 3 Chevrolet team is the Camping World Truck Series owner championship point leader, with the No. 22 team fourth in the standings and the No. 2 team 10th.
Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings ahead of Cale Gale.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Coulter earned the highest Driver Rating (136.2), Dillon earned a rating of 102.3 ranking him fifth amongst the competitors while Gaughan ranked 12th with a rating of 83.6.
Coulter led the most laps (40) during the Smith’s 350.
RCR drivers made a total of 149 Green Flag Passes during the 146-lap event with Gaughan earning 51 passes, Dillon with 50 and Coulter with 48 passes.
Coulter scored the highest Average Running Position of 2.850, while Dillon ranked fourth with a 6.741 and Gaughan was 11th with a 10.959.
Coulter was ranked the Fastest Driver Early in a Run, while Dillon was the ninth-quickest and Gaughan ranked 10th.
Combined, RCR teammates scored the Fastest Laps Run for 44 circuits at the 1.5-mile track, with Coulter lead the most for 31 laps, while Dillon tied for third (13 laps).
Coulter spent 100 percent of the event in the top 15 ranking him first amongst the rest of the field, while Dillon ranked eighth (93.8 percent) and Gaughan ranked ninth (90.4 percent).
Coulter was the Fastest Driver Late in a Run and the Maintained the Fastest Green Flag Speed. Dillon ranked fourth and Gaughan ranked 11th in both categories.
Nelson Piquet Jr. took the checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for his second career Camping World Truck Series win and was followed to the line by Matt Crafton, Coulter, Gaughan and Todd Bodine.
The next scheduled Camping World Truck Series race is the Coca-Cola 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, Oct. 6. The 18th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Motor Racing Network beginning at 3:45 p.m.
RCR Post Race Report NASCAR Nationwide Series OneMain Financial 200
RCR Post Race Report
NASCAR Nationwide Series
OneMain Financial 200
NASCAR Nationwide Series
OneMain Financial 200
Dover International Speedway
September 29, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished second (Paul Menard), fourth (Elliott Sadler) and 10th (Austin Dillon).
Sadler leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings by nine points over Ricky Stenhouse Jr., while Dillon ranks third in the standings, 25 markers behind his RCR teammate.
The No. 2 team ranks second in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, trailing the No. 18 team by 21 points, with the No. 3 team fourth in the standings and the No. 33 team fifth.
Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, the RCR drivers ranked second (Menard), fifth (Sadler) and sixth (Dillon) in the category for Fastest Drivers Late in a Run.
Combined, the RCR drivers posted the Fastest Laps Run for 28 circuits.
Each of the RCR drivers spent 100 percent of the race running in the top 15.
Menard led the field in Green Flag Passes with 47 and was second-Fastest on Restarts, with an average restart speed of 144.825 mph.
Sadler ranked second in the Closers category, advancing four positions in the final 10 percent of the race, and ranked fifth in Quality Passes with 14.
Dillon ranked second in Green Flag Passes with 46 and ranked fifth in Average Running Position (6.460).
Joey Logano earned his seventh Nationwide Series win of 2012, crossing the finish line ahead of Menard, Michael Annett, Sadler and Kyle Busch.
The next scheduled Nationwide Series race is the Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, Oct. 12. The 28th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Performance Racing Network.
World of Outlaws–Schatz Snags Record Fifth National Open in 50th Edition
Schatz Snags Record Fifth National Open in 50th Edition
Dollansky crashes while leading with 16 laps remaining in the $50,000-to-win event
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Sept. 29, 2012 – As he rolled down the frontstretch toward Victory Lane, his cockpit opening facing the packed grandstands, Donny Schatz issued a slight grin as a chorus of boos echoed around Williams Grove Speedway.
The smile widened on a chilly Saturday as he was showered in confetti for claiming his record fifth National Open in the 50th edition of the famed World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event, which paid $50,000 to win.
“This is huge,” he said. “Pretty awesome to be the only one with five National Open wins. It’s fun to be able to get to Victory Lane at this place.”
It was Schatz’s first World of Outlaws win at Williams Grove Speedway since 2008 and his 12th career Outlaws victory at the half-mile track. It also marked his second win this season in one of the three “big money” races.
While the victories and money are significant, Schatz now holds a 158-point advantage in the World of Outlaws championship race with only five features remaining this season.
“It says a lot about the team,” said Schatz, who also won his sixth $150,000-to-win Goodyear Knoxville Nationals in August. “Earlier in the summer we couldn’t see rock bottom from where we were. We picked ourselves up. We’ve done everything we’ve needed to do. We’ve won the races. We’ve finished second or third when we can’t win the races, and that’s what you’ve got to do to put yourself in a championship position and we’re in a good position right now.”
The title is all but wrapped up after tough luck once again struck Craig Dollansky, who is the runner up in the points race.
Dollansky, who started fifth, inherited the pole when two cars in front of him had issues on the opening lap, which were two of five cautions before the first lap was completed. Dale Blaney, who started on the inside of the second row, stopped on the frontstretch with mechanical issues. Polesitter Cody Darrah was then called for starting too early, moving Dollansky up one more row.
Once Dollansky and the field reached lap two, the race went 24 laps before the sixth – and final – caution. Unfortunately for Dollansky, he was involved when Alan Krimes got sideways in front of Dollansky as he was about to be lapped. While Dollansky was able to restart, he was sent to the back and finished 16th.
Schatz, who briefly led on lap 14 and raced in second for the first half of the event, moved up to the lead. He chose the inside line on the double-file restart and got the jump on Brian Leppo, who slid Schatz for the lead in turn two. Schatz regained the lead off the bottom groove as the drivers exited turn four and never looked back.
Leppo stayed within striking distance for the remainder of the feature before Darrah challenged for the runner-up position in the final two laps.
“It just seemed like when I needed to hit the perfect mark when he would have bobbled I just missed it a little bit,” Leppo said. “To run second at the National Open, it’s just a great feeling. It’s awesome.”
Darrah drove into second place in turn four as the drivers faced the white flag before Leppo regained the position on the frontstretch. Darrah finished third to record his 22nd top five of the season.
“This is a tough place to get around when you’re up behind somebody,” he said. “(I) had good starts, we had three or four of them and then (I) jumped the start trying to get every edge we could. If you don’t have a good start it’s really hard to make it and keep the lead through (turns) one and two here.”
Daryn Pittman earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after driving from 17th to fourth and Paul McMahan maneuvered from 13th to fifth. Stevie Smith was sixth, Lucas Wolfe seventh, Lance Dewease eighth, Sam Hafertepe Jr. ninth and Greg Hodnett rebounded from an opening-lap crash to round out the top 10.
Chevrolet Scores Double Win in GRAND-AM Rolex Series Season Finale at Lime Rock Park
Chevrolet Scores Double Win in GRAND-AM Rolex Series Season Finale at Lime Rock Park
SunTrust Racing Corvette DP Scored Race Victory; Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R Took the Win in GT; Corvette DP Fills the Podium
LAKEVILLE, Conn – September 29, 2012 – Chevrolet was a double winner in today’s GRAND-AM Rolex Series season finale at Lime Rock Park. Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor took the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype to Victory Lane, and Robin Liddell and John Edwards driving the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R were with winners in the Grand Touring class.
It is the third victory of the 2012 season for Angelelli and Taylor, and their third consecutive win at Lime Rock Park where the pair has led an amazing 340 out of 524 possible laps. The duo jumped from ninth to fifth in the Rolex DP final team standings.
Today’s win also is the third victory of the season for Liddell and Edwards, which put them solidly second in the final GT team standings. It is the second consecutive Lime Rock win for Liddell and Stevenson Motorsports.
This is the eighth win of the season for the Corvette Daytona Prototype, and the fourth win for the Camaro GT.R in Rolex Series competition.
“Congratulations to No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype, and the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R on winning today’s GRAND-AM Rolex Series season finale at Lime Rock Park,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Racing Program Manager, GRAND-AM Road Racing. “It was an exciting race with close action from the green flag to the checkered. Having an all-Corvette Daytona Prototype podium is a tremendous way to end the season and cap-off the Engine Manufacturers’ Championship. It was a strong finish to the season for the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R as well to solidify their second place finish in the GT team standings. I am extremely proud of the dedication and determination of all of our teams this season.”
Taylor took the lead the final time on lap 118 of the 167-lap race. The SunTrust pair led 92 laps, and in total, Corvette Daytona Prototype drivers led 156 laps during the 2.75-hour race on the 1.5-mile, seven turn road course.
“The team worked so hard all year, said Taylor from Victory Lane. “They gave us great cars. At times I was doubting myself, but Max and the whole team stood behind me. This is an unbelievable feeling. And I can’t believe it.”
Angelelli added: “He (Taylor) did well; not just this weekend, but all season long. So it’s great. I’m very happy for him. I’m very happy for Wayne (Taylor) and for everybody.”
“It took me a stint to really get my head into it,” said Liddell. “And actually feel like I’d gained the confidence I could start pushing the car to proper pace. But it all worked out pretty well in the end, obviously. And another great result for the guys at Stevenson Motorsports and Chevrolet with the Camaro. It was an absolutely brilliant, flawless season for these guys. They’ve done such a great job.”
“Robin really did a great job today,” Edwards added. “This track, with as much green-running as we had, can really take its toll on you. It’s all about getting in a rhythm and staying there. And it’s easy to break that. He really did a great job. Stevenson (Motorsports) has been executing well all year and we won Lime Rock! The team has won it two years in a row, and I won it with Adam Christodoulou the year before. So, I’ve got a lot of good memories at this place and hopefully we’ll come back and repeat next year.”
Filling out the all-Corvette DP podium were the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP driven by Antonio Garcia and Richard Westbrook followed by the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP with Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty handling the driving duties.
In the final Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race of the season, the Stevenson Motorsports No. 9 Camaro GS.R finished fourth, and moved to third in the final team standings. The finish moved driver Matt Bell to second in the final driver points, and co-driver John Edwards finished 10th after missing two races early in the season due to an injury.
Lutz concluded by saying: “Stevenson Motorsports also had a strong showing in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race today, with the No. 9 Camaro GS.R finishing fourth. The finish moved them to third in the team standings, and move Matt Bell to second in the driver standings. Congratulations to all our team owners, crews and drivers on a great season.”
Team Chevy in the GRAND-AM Road Racing Series will start the 2013 season at the January 26-27, 2013 running of the 51st Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona International Speedway.
Chevrolet Wins 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Engine Manufacturers’ Championship
Chevrolet Wins 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Engine Manufacturers’ Championship
LAKEVILLE, Conn – September 29, 2012 – Chevrolet has won the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Engine Manufacturers’ Championship. Today’s win by SunTrust Racing in the season finale at Lime Rock Park capped the championship-winning effort by the five Corvette Daytona Prototype teams.
“Chevrolet is honored to have won the 2012 Engine Manufacturers’ Championship in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series,” said Jim Campbell, US Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “This accomplishment, in the debut season of the Corvette Daytona Prototype, is the result of the dedication and hard work of our team owners, crews and drivers, along with that of our technical partners.”
On the way to winning the coveted title, Chevrolet’s Corvette Daytona Prototype teams and drivers won eight of the 13 races held during 2012 season.
“Our partners at Earnhardt-Childress Racing put forth an extraordinary effort building the engines for all of our Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype teams that culminated in this championship,” said Mark Kent, Director, Chevrolet Racing. “With the technical support Pratt and Miller provides, as well at the expertise and input from GM Racing Powertrains, Chevrolet Racing in the Rolex Series has accomplished a great deal this season. We are very proud of this achievement, and thank everyone involved for their dedication.”
The Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype team and driver roster that contributed to Chevrolet capturing the Series’ Engine Manufacturers’ title are: Action Express Racing (two cars) – David Donahue, Terry Borcheller, Darren Law, Joao Barbosa and Paul Tracy; GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing – Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney; Spirit of Daytona Racing – Richard Westbrook, Antonio Garcia and Michael Valiante and SunTrust Racing – Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor.
“Congratulations to our Chevrolet teams and all of our technical partners on winning the 2012 GRAND-AM Rolex Series Engine Manufacturers’ Championship,” remarked Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager, GRAND-AM Road Racing. “The level of cooperation and dedication among our Corvette Daytona Prototype teams, in addition to the tremendous support from our technical partners were the key components of this championship-winning effort. I am very proud of the contributions made by everyone involved in this program, and celebrate this achievement for Team Chevy.”
McMahan Tops Opening Night of 50th annual National Open
McMahan Tops Opening Night of 50th annual National Open
Hodnett second for his fourth podium in as many Outlaws races at Williams Grove
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. – Sept. 28, 2012 – Paul McMahan is not an Outlaw, nor is he Posse.
“I’m just a kid from California making a living,” he said.
McMahan did just that on a cool Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway, where he claimed the opening night of the 50th annual National Open. The victory was his second World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series win of the season and sends him into Saturday’s $50,000-to-win event as a favorite.
“It’s just a phenomenal night for me,” he said. “To win at Williams Grove is the coolest thing ever.”
While McMahan was strong from the first lap, polesitter Kerry Madsen was the driver to beat. Madsen powered to the lead with McMahan working from fourth to second before the backstretch on lap two.
Stevie Smith passed McMahan for the runner-up position in turn four on lap seven before they entered traffic on lap 11. One lap later, McMahan returned the pass with a slide job for second place in turn four. Greg Hodnett maneuvered past Smith for third place on the ensuing lap.
With Madsen in control, McMahan and Hodnett appeared to touch as they exited turn two on lap 15 in a tight battle for second. McMahan maintained the position as Hodnett swerved toward the inside guard rail.
The only caution came on lap 17 as Doug Esh stopped in turn three, setting up a double-file restart with nine laps remaining. Madsen chose the inside lane and was soon engulfed by McMahan and Hodnett in a three-way battle for the lead.
As the trio exited turn two, the drivers were three-wide with McMahan’s momentum propelling him into the lead down the backstretch.
“I made a mistake,” Madsen said. “I was running a line in (turns) one and two and I should have adjusted the exit. I think if I would have adjusted the exit we might have had a chance.
“Paul was probably a better car there at the end anyway, but maybe if I’d done the right things we could have held on.”
Hodnett drove by Madsen for the runner-up position two laps later and set his sights on McMahan, who had built a sizeable advantage. Hodnett chipped away at the lead and McMahan encountered traffic in turns three and four on the final lap, which allowed Hodnett to close within a car length at the checkered flag.
“We just needed a little bit more or track position would have helped a great deal,” Hodnett said. “Lapped cars slowed him down so it made me look faster. It was nothing special. It might have looked good, but he got caught up in traffic is the only reason we caught him.”
Hodnett became the only driver to record a podium finish in each of the four World of Outlaws races at Williams Grove Speedway this season.
Tim Shaffer finished fourth and Lucas Wolfe ended fifth. Smith was sixth, Kraig Kinser seventh and World of Outlaws points leader Donny Schatz placed eighth, which snapped his top-five streak at 11 races. Steve Kinser charged from 20th to ninth and Jac Haudenschild rounded out the top 10.
Danny Dietrich, who started last – 26th – while utilizing a track provisional, earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after finishing 13th .
Chevy Racing–Chris Economaki
The motorsports world lost iconic racing journalist Chris Economaki today at the age of 91. Below please find a statement to attribute to Jim Campbell, US Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.
“Chris Economaki made an impact in motorsports like no other. He was a trailblazer in journalism, and his passion and depth of knowledge across the spectrum of world-wide racing brought the sport to life for millions of fans. His contributions have been endless, and he will be deeply missed. The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Chevrolet and Cadillac Racing are with his family and friends.”
National Points Championships heats up as competitors head to the Texas Motorplex for the NHRDA World Finals !
National Points Championships heats up as competitors head to the Texas Motorplex for the NHRDA World Finals !
2012 MBRP Performance Exhaust Diesel Drag Race Series
Top Diesel
John Robinson heads to the World Finals ranked #1 in the nation and holding onto a slim 40 point lead over Brad Ponci. Robinson is really is looking forward to the World Finals since it is in his home state of Texas and hoping to capture his first National Championship Title.
But since the World Finals is a double points event, mathematically Brad Ponci, Jared Jones and Marty Thacker all have a shot at the Top Diesel points championship. Stay tune …
Pro Stock
Congratulations to Graydon Udelhoven and Team Dirty Max as they seem to have wrapped up their 1st National Championship Title in Pro Stock category. Winning at Phoenix , Indianapolis and Brainerd has given the Dirty crew enough points that only Rob Coddens has a chance to catch him. It is highly doubtful as Rob would have to win the World Finals , while Graydon would have to break in qualifying. I guess in 2 weeks we will find out.
Pro Street
Jarid “The Iron Man” Vollmer has been dominating the pro street category this year with back to back wins at both Redding Dragstrip and Mission Raceway. Jarid heads to the World Finals with 60 point lead over Rob Coddens and says he is close to breaking into the 8s.
Vollmer drives the Bully Dog Pro Street Truck and says he is ready to win both his 1st National Points Championship and also bring home his 1st World Championship back to Idaho.
Super Street
National Record Holder , 2011 World Champion , 2011 Divisional Champion when you are talking about Super Street category one name seems to always come up and that is Rob Coddens and the Maxed out crew as they have dominated this category since its conception.
Rob heads to the Motorplex with a 150 point lead over Daryl Bruneau and has his sights set on his 1st National Points Championship but more importantly he wants to be the first ever 2 time World Champion.
Super Diesel
Back in March Verlon Southwick predicted that he would not only be the 2012 Super Diesel National Champion but that he would also repeat as Super Diesel World Champion.
With wins in Phoenix , Texas and Edmonton looks like Verlon is his way to making his statement come true by winning both titles and putting his name into the history books.
Sportsman
Verlon Southwick looked like he was going to wrap up the National Points Championship in the sportsman category as he continued his win streak at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton. But then he looked in his mirror and saw Rony Vandenberg coming out of no where and Rony has made up a ton of ground and pulled within 150 points heading to the World Finals so keep your eye on both of these guys. If Verlon does pull this off he will be the 1st ever competitor to win Championships in 2 different categories. Good Luck Verlon!
Showtime Racing- FIA Finals
FIA Euro Finals 2012
Santa Pod September 6th
– 9th
The Euro Finals brought down the curtain on what has been a
very challenging season for the Showtime FC. In common with all drag racers the
weather has been a major factor this year, so it was with great relief we were
greeted with blue skies and sunshine at Santa Pod raceway, with more of the
same forecast for the whole weekend.
With 4 FC’s entered it was to be 2 qualifying runs on
Saturday and semi-final and final on Sunday. The first run on Saturday was
scheduled between the FIA car and UEM bike classes. Having less than 6 runs on
the car this year, none of which were in similar weather and track conditions,
this would in effect be a “set up” run.
We were called forward around 1pm and fired up. There is
definitely a different sound to the motor as a result of all the changes from
the “old” car. John had the left lane with Shockwave in the right. John first
to 60 ft then tyre shake, a brief pedal then off it by the eighth, through the
top end in 7.84sec at 102mph, leaving us in 4th place after the
first round.
With a routine service done it was back down for the second
qualifier at 4.30. Right lane this time for John, Shockwave, again in the
other. Away first again, shake around 100 feet, John drove through it and at
the eighth in 3.52 secs at 227mph before lifting, finishing in 5.73secs at 181
mph to move up to second and putting us up against Shockwave yet again but this
time in Sunday’s semi final.
During the routine service some damage to the clutch pressure
plate was revealed. Once fixed the car was put away “ready to run”.
The semi final was scheduled after the first round of all
the FIA classes. We were on the line at 1.30, John taking the right lane. Away
first and running straight, not quite as quick to the eighth as yesterday, but
slightly faster 3.59 secs at 230mph, almost 240mph at 1000 feet before lifting
to go through the line at 5.53 secs at 209mph and into the final against Leif
in the Starkotter FC. This would be a tough one as Leif had been “Mr
Consistency” so far with 3 runs around 5.50 secs.
Servicing was straight forward, other than replacing a
liner. We lined up with Leif just after 5pm, John in the left lane. Leif away
first as John blew off the tyres at the hit, John tried to pedal the car but no
joy. Leif crossed the finish line first but was adjudged to have made contact
with the track boundary (scraped the headers on the wall) and so was DQ’d
giving Showtime the event wins. Not the way you would like to win but as they
say “a win is a win which ever way “
So the 2012 season came to an end. However we are
immediately looking forward to 2013 as Trakbak Racing (owners of Santa Pod) CEO
Keith Bartlett announced in the programme and during the meeting there will be
a European Fuel Funny Car Championship in 2013, provisionally with 3 rounds at
Santa Pod and 1 at Hockenheim with a major sponsor and TV coverage. So far 6
teams have expressed interest and more are expected before the first race.
Our thanks as always go to all the track crew, officials and
staff at Santa Pod, our sponsors and the race fans, not forgetting www.eurodragster.com for all their time and effort in reporting
the on and off track action
Thank you all once again and we look forward to seeing you
all in 2013