Dyson Racing

Tony Burgess Joins Dyson Racing North of the Border

Tony Burgess Joins Dyson Racing North of the Border

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY July 10, 2012 — American Le Mans Series veteran Tony Burgess will be joining Dyson Racing for next weekend’s Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport on July 22nd and also at the 2012 Road Race Showcase at Road America on August 18th. Tony will be driving with Eric Lux in the #20 Mazda-powered Dyson IMSA P1 entry, the same car that won the ALMS championships last year. The Toronto resident has raced eleven times at the newly named Canadian Tire Motorsport Track.

“I am very much looking forward to driving with the legendary Dyson Racing team and I think this is the most exciting and competitive opportunity I have had for my home race,” Burgess said.
“We have been speaking with Tony for some time about putting a program together,” said team V.P. and Sporting Director Chris Dyson. “I’m delighted we were able to come up with the right situation for his home race at Mosport and also to get him on board with Michael (Marsal) and Eric for Road America. Tony’s got a wealth of experience in prototypes. He runs consistently and keeps it clean, and he has a great attitude towards the team. I think he’ll be a great addition to the #20 car lineup, and we’re looking forward to doing more with him.”

Tony started his racing career on enduro motorcycles, including a 24 hour motorcycle race at Mosport, and switched to racing on four wheels in 1990. He began racing sports cars in international events in 1997 and has sixteen 24 hour sports car races to his credit at Le Mans, Daytona, Spa and Bathurst. His first 24 Hours of Le Mans was in 2000, where he finished third in class in GT2. Tony started racing in the American Le Mans Series the same year and has been a regular competitor in the ALMS the past twelve years. He got his first taste of prototypes while racing in the 2006 European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class. He moved up to LMP1 the following year, capturing third place at Mosport with Autocon Motorpsorts. He continued racing the familiar orange cars of Autocon through the 2011 season and finished third in the ALMS drivers’ championship.

He is closing in on one hundred sports car races since his start in 1997. During those years, he has raced in more than ten countries and has fifty-three ALMS races under his belt. Tony lives in Toronto with his wife and has a degree in aerospace engineering from Ryerson University.

Dyson Racing has enjoyed more success at Mosport than any other American Le Mans Series venue with sixteen podiums to their credit including six wins and four poles at the iconic Canadian track.
The two-hour forty-five minute Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport is scheduled for noon ET on July 22 from the 2.5 mile, 10-turn Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 with live streaming available on ESPN3.

4Turbo

4Turbo- Rounds VII and VIII Polish National Championship

This weekend there were VII and VIII rounds of Polish National Championship, this time not combined with any other series. There was some mixed weather on Saturday, which combined with very dangerous course convinced the team to skip a few practise runs. Even with very limited running our driver Tomasz Nagórski managed 2nd overall loosing only 0.06sec to the winner.

On the second day Sunday weather was better and Tomasz managed straight win of all the runs and beat the standing record for the course twice to arrive with impressive result better then previous one by over 2 seconds on this only 3 kilometre road.
The second win extended the lead in Polish National Championship and was followed by decision to continue this season and compete for the title.

Next round is in two weeks.

Race Winners

Race Winners Week Ending 7/8/12

Moto GP
Dani Pedrosa

American Le Mans Series
North East Grand Prix, Lime Rock Motorsports Park
GT- Flying Lizard Motorsports;  Joe Bergmeister, Patrick Long
Muscle Milk Pickett Racing; Lucas Luhr, Klaus Graf

F1
British Grand Prix
Mark Webber

Whelan
Firecracker 150- George Brunnhoetzl

World of Outlaws
Kraig Kinser
Tim Kaeding

IndyCar
Honda Indy Toronto- Ryan Hunter Reay

Nascar
Nationwide Series- Subway Jalapeno 250- Kurt Busch
Sprint Cup Series- Coke Zero 400- Tony Stewart

NHRA
Top Fuel — Spencer Massey
Funny Car — Mike Neff
Pro Stock — Vincent Nobile
Pro Stock Motorcycle — Andrew Hines
Top Alcohol Dragster — Bill Reichert
Top Alcohol Funny Car — Paul Gill
Competition Eliminator — David Rampy
Super Stock — Chad Taylor
Stock Eliminator — Larry Hill
Super Comp — Al Kenny
Super Gas — Nathan Vrooman
Top Dragster — Mike Laws
Top Sportsman — Gary Wojnowski Sr.

Summit Racing

Line Scores a Productive but Disappointing Runner-Up Finish in Norwalk

Line Scores a Productive but Disappointing Runner-Up Finish in Norwalk  

Event:  Sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals

Location: Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio

Day/Date: Sunday, July 8, 2012

Summit Racing Camaro driver Jason Line had a bittersweet performance on Sunday, scoring a runner-up finish at his sponsor’s race, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.  Starting from the second position, Line defeated Rodger Brogdon, Jeg Coughlin and Shane Gray in the early rounds to advance to this fourth final round of the 2012 Full Throttle Drag Racing season, where he would face Vincent Nobile in a repeat of the K&N Horsepower Challenge final held 24 hours earlier.

Racing without lane choice, Line knew he would need every advantage to score his second win of the season, and used a lightning-quick .010 reaction time to gain the edge on Nobile, who is noted as one of the best ‘leavers” in the category.  Unfortunately, soon after his launch, his car headed directly for the outside wall, with the corrective actions necessary to bring the car back towards the groove scrubbing off valuable speed, resulting in a 6.705-second, 207.88 mph run, which fell shy of holding off his opponent’s 6.661-second, 208.01 mph charge, depriving the reigning Pro Stock champion of a coveted win.

“For some reason, we had some problems doing burnouts today, and it happened again before the final, which didn’t make for a good run, and it cost us,” said Line.  “Vincent’s a good kid and a good competitor, but we came here to win, so we’re not satisfied with anything else. It’s just disappointing because we really wanted to win for all the Summit employees on hand, as well as Ken and Judy (team owners Black.)

“We are still very early in the learning process with this Summit Racing Camaro, but we know it is already capable of winning races – we just need to do a better job of figuring out what it needs and adapting it to the different conditions.  This weekend’s results were somewhat unfortunate, but they also could have been much worse, so we will take what we learned from Norwalk and move on, making sure we have a better showing at the next race.”

Honda Racing

Honda Racing Report–Kimball Takes Career High Second in Toronto

Kimball Takes Career High Second in Toronto
Coming from mid-field starting positions, Charlie Kimball and Mike Conway passed their way to podium
finishes Sunday at the Honda Indy Toronto, with Kimball claiming an IZOD IndyCar Series career-high
second place finish at the Exhibition Place street circuit and Conway taking third, his best result since
joining A.J. Foyt Racing at the start of the 2012 season.

Starting 13th, Kimball gained two positions in the opening laps, and was up to eighth place on Lap 30.
Fifteen laps later he had climbed to sixth. After the final round of pit stops on Lap 55 became embroiled
in the battle of the race, fighting for what was then third place with fellow Honda-powered drivers Simon
Pagenaud, Justin Wilson and Josef Newgarden, along with Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe.

A brush with the wall sent Wilson to the pits on Lap 67, and five laps later Kimball was able to
successfully pass both Pagenaud and Tony Kanaan in a single move at the end of the Lakeshore Blvd.
straight to jump from fourth to second, where he finished behind race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. Now in
his second season of IndyCar competition, the second-place finish is the best of Kimball’s career,
following a trio of eighth-place runs earlier this season.

Conway’s race played out in a similarly dramatic fashion. Running 11th with 15 laps remaining, he took
advantage of a strong-running Honda Dallara package in the closing laps to capitalize on passing
opportunities and the mistakes of others to move to fifth by Lap 80, and then third on the final race restart
on Lap 82, when multiple incidents at Turns 1 and 3 resulted in the race ending under caution.  Other potential Honda-powered contenders encountered various problems on the challenging Torontostreet circuit. Detroit race winner Scott Dixon dropped out after only seven laps with engine failure, while his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dario Franchitti encountered problems during his first pit stop, dropping the pole qualifier deep in the 25-car starting field.
Wilson started third and ran at the front until a brush with the wall ended his day. Pagenaud led 23 laps
mid-race, but later made contact with Newgarden as the pair battled for position, resulting in Newgarden
making minor wall contact and a penalty for Pagenaud.

Uncategorized

RCR Post Race Report — Daytona International Speedway–Sprint Cup

RCR Post Race Report — Daytona International Speedway  
 
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series   
RACE:      Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola        
TRACK:    Daytona International Speedway   
DATE:       July 7, 2012  
 
Race Highlights:        
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished second (Jeff Burton), 14th (Paul Menard) and 23rd (Kevin Harvick).
Harvick ranks sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, 90 points behind Matt Kenseth’s lead, while Menard ranks 13th and Burton ranks 18th.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, RCR teammates Harvick and Menard ranked first and second, respectively, in the category Fastest Drivers Late in a Run.
Each of the RCR drivers ranked in the top 10 in the Loop Data Category Fastest Laps Run – Harvick tied for first with 10 laps, Menard ranked fourth with eight laps and Burton tied for fifth with seven laps.
The runner-up finish was Burton’s fourth-consecutive top-10 finish at restrictor-plate tracks.
Burton gained the fifth-most positions (13) in the last 16 laps of the 160-lap event.
Burton made 258 Green-Flag Passes during the 400-mile race.
Menard maintained the ninth-fastest Green Flag Speed of 197.250 mph.
Harvick maintained a Green Flag Speed of 197.389 mph, ranking him third in the Loop Data category.
Tony Stewart captured his third Sprint Cup Series win of the 2012 season and was followed to the finish line by Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano and Ryan Newman.  
The next scheduled Sprint Cup Series race is the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 15. The race is scheduled to be televised live on TNT beginning at 12 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Honda Racing

HPD Sweeps Lime Rock Park

HPD Sweeps Lime Rock Park
A thrilling, come-from-behind effort by the Muscle Milk Racing duo of Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr in their
HPD ARX-03a saw the pair score its third consecutive overall and LMP1 victory of 2012 Saturday at the
American Le Mans Series Northeast Grand Prix at Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park.

In addition, Level 5 Motorsports continued its streak of American Le Mans Series LMP2 class victories,
and is now four-for-four on the season, as Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker teamed up for the win
aboard their HPD ARX-03b.

Starting on the outside of the front row, Luhr passed pole qualifier Chris Dyson’s Lola-Mazda just six laps
into the race, then edged away until a problem with the gearbox electronics resulted in a long stop 45
minutes into the contest. When repairs were complete, the Muscle Milk team found itself four laps behind
the leaders and 21st overall.

Once repairs were complete, a relentless charge by Luhr and Graf got the ARX-03a back into contention,
and the timing of yellows and pit stops meant that, with less than 30 minutes to go, the Muscle Milk
machine was back on the lead lap and nose-to-tail with the leading Dyson entry. When the green flag
waved for the final time, Graf was soon past Dyson’s co-driver Guy Smith and secured Muscle Milk’s third
win in succession when a late-race accident led to the race finishing under yellow.

Level 5’s LMP2 win also was the result of a drive through the field, as the team elected to withdraw its
#95 HPD ARX-03b and start the #055 car at the rear of the 29-car field in a strategic move to pair
Bouchut with Tucker.

Bouchut surged through the field and led overall for more than 30 minutes, then team owner/driver Tucker
held off the attacks of the Conquest Morgan-Nissan of Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier Hansson
late in the contest to finish third overall and first in LMP2. It marked the fourth consecutive class victory
for Level 5, which is undefeated in American Le Mans Series LMP2 competition this year.

HPD, Muscle Milk and Level 5 Motorsports will try to continue their winning streaks later this month, as
the American Le Mans Series heads north of the border for its annual Canadian round, the July 22 Mobil1
Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport, at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.
Klaus Graf (#6 Muscle Milk Racing HPD ARX-03a) Finished 1st overall, 1st in LMP1: “I literally qualified
every lap. I couldn’t have gone any quicker. Until I had gotten into the lead, I wasn’t aware. I just pushed
like crazy in traffic, taking a lot of risks. I felt like I must have blacked out, [because] I was pushing so
hard.”

Christophe Bouchut (#055 Level 5 Motorsports HPD ARX-03b) Finished 3rd overall, 1st in LMP2:
“Scott [Tucker] said we had a chance to win today. But at Lime Rock this was going to be difficult. We
had to overtake so many cars and there are not a lot of places to do that. I was running really well and I
just kept pushing as hard as I could. It turned out that was enough to keep driving around and making
good passes.”

Steve Eriksen (Vice President, Honda Performance Development) on Saturday’s American Le Mans
Series Northeast Grand Prix: “What a great result for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing and Level 5
Motorsports against formidable competition. After barely missing out on pole, the Muscle Milk team then
had to contend with an extended pit stop due to an electrical gremlin. However, the never-say-die
attitude of Lucas and Klaus resulted in a well-deserved overall victory. Scott Tucker did a commendable
job of holding off the LMP2 competition during the closing laps leading up to the race ending under fullcourse
caution. It was great to see the Honda Performance Development cars leading the race and
ending up on the top step of the podium in both LMP1 and LMP2.”

World of Outlaws

Kraig Kinser Rides Momentum to Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial Victory

Kraig Kinser Rides Momentum to Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial Victory
The win at Beaver Dam Raceway is his fourth in the last 12 World of Outlaws races
 
BEAVER DAM, Wis. – July 7, 2012 – Kraig Kinser has picked a great time to peak.
The Bloomington, Ind., native has claimed four of the last 12 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series features, including Saturday night at the Jim “JB” Boyd Memorial at Beaver Dam Raceway as the “Month of Money” is about to kick off.

“Once you get a win in there, hopefully they just keep coming again,” said Kinser, who moved within 71 points of the lead in the championship standings. “And hopefully they come in threes again like they did last month. Hopefully we’ve got two more left in us at least.”

For the second time this season Kinser used a late pass on his father, 20-time World of Outlaws champion and current points leader Steve Kinser, to capture the top spot. Son got around father on the backstretch on lap 24. He then had to fend off Donny Schatz, who closed to within a car length on the final lap.

“The thrill is never going to go away for me, especially being dad,” Kraig Kinser said. “I knew Donny was on a charge, too. He’s definitely one guy you don’t want his car good because he’ll drive around you in a hurry.”

Schatz, who ran sixth for most of the first half of the 40-lap feature, maneuvered his way to third with 15 laps remaining. He then worked on Steve Kinser for several laps before driving by on the outside in turn four with four laps to go. Schatz quickly cut the deficit to the leader, but ran out of laps.

“He was just trying to be cautious and I was going for it; win it or wear it,” Schatz said after his best finish in the last 15 races. “We had a good enough car to get near him, I just couldn’t get around. I gave it my all. It just wasn’t quite good enough.”

For Steve Kinser, who started on the pole and led the first 24 laps, the podium finish ended in some frustration.

“We’re not disappointed, but I felt like it was my race to win tonight and I gave it away,” he said. “I’m proud (Kraig is) doing a good job, but I like to win races also.”

After missing the dash by only one position in his heat race, Kraig Kinser started the feature 11th. He quickly worked his way into the top five within the first three laps, which were stopped three times because of incidents.

Kinser had already climbed to ninth when Bill Warren and Phil Mock got upside down in turn one to bring out a red flag on the second lap.

After a caution was thrown on the restart for David Gravel leaving too early, Kinser capitalized on the fast inside groove to gain two more positions before Kerry Madsen and Sammy Swindell caused the final caution on lap three when the duo crashed in turn two racing for the runner-up position.

Kinser restarted fifth and advanced to third on the restart. On lap 20, he passed Mike Reinke, a local favorite who later pulled to the infield with a dozen laps remaining while running fifth, for second place with a perfect slide job in turn three. Four laps later, Kinser used momentum on the outside lane to power by his father for the lead.

“When you take a charge from that far back, it’s an awesome feeling,” Kraig Kinser said. “We were on. It was just a lot of fun.”

Craig Dollansky was fourth and Cody Darrah finished fifth – his third top five in the last four races. Tim Kaeding picked up the KSE Hard Charger Award after maneuvering from 18th to sixth. Brian Brown was seventh, Lucas Wolfe placed eighth and Swindell rebounded from the early caution to finish ninth. Cap Henry rounded out the top 10.

Swindell set quick time in qualifying. Schatz, Steve Kinser and Brown each won a heat race. Russ Egan claimed the Last Chance Showdown.

Dyson Racing

Dyson Racing- Saturday in the Park

Saturday In the Park

LAKEVILLE, CT July 7, 2012 – As is the norm for Lime Rock Park, today’s American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix did not want for action. In addition to the depth of the on- track battles, there were a surfeit of yellows that added more flux than normal to the outcome. Dyson Racing finished second and third in P1 on the shortest track of the ALMS calendar. Chris Dyson and Guy Smith were second overall in the #16 ModSpace Mazda-powered car and Michael Marsal and Eric Lux finished third in class in their second race with Dyson Racing.

Chris Dyson started from pole and came in from the lead an hour into the race to hand the car over to Guy Smith. Ten minutes later, Guy had to slowly motor back to the pits with a puncture, dropping the car down to fourth. Around the same time, the #20 car was hit in the rear. The damage did not measurably affect the car’s speed, but took its toll later in the race when two unscheduled stops to fix inoperative brake lights dropped the car down the overall running order.

Rob Dyson noted that, “Guy lost almost three laps with the puncture. It happened just as he went by the pits and he had to slow down to preserve the car and bring it back to the pits. It is one of those things. Our congratulations to Greg Pickett and his team. At the end of day, we have made a lot of progress and I think we have a good shot at taking it to them almost anywhere so we are locked and loaded. Hats off to everyone at AER who did a superb job giving us great engines.”
“It was a tough race,” summed up Guy. “We got a break when the Muscle Milk car had their gearbox problems early in the race, but that advantage was mostly negated by the puncture, and then they were able to get a couple of wave-bys during the yellows that put them back on the same lap as us. Ultimately, we did not have the speed in the car that we had in qualifying. We have definitely turned the corner from Mazda Raceway but still have some work to do and will go on to Mosport, a track we have been consistently fast at in the past.”

“This is the second race we have had with Dyson racing and our second podium,” said Eric Lux. “The guys worked really hard. All in all, the car was strong. We had some understeer when I got in but I was able to climb a number of positions, but we than ended up losing those fixing the brake light damage.”

Michael Marsal also worked traffic well and made up a number of positions in the #20 car’s first stint. “Dyson racing prepared a great car and we were strong. We pitted early for fuel, and went down a lap but was able to work my way back to fifth when Eric got back in the car. Unfortunately, he lost a lot of time in the pits, but overall, it was a strong finish and outside of that, we ran the race we wanted to. All in all, I am very happy to be here. The first race I ever attended was an ALMS race here with the Dysons and that is what made me decide to be a racing driver. I really cannot believe that now in 2012, I am here driving with them and that it has all come full circle.”

Summit Racing

A Runner-Up on Saturday, Line Looks to Improve One Position on Sunday

A Runner-Up on Saturday, Line Looks to Improve One Position on Sunday  

Event:  Sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals

Location: Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio

Day/Date: Saturday, July 7, 2012

Jason Line and the Summit Racing team rode an emotional roller coaster on Saturday, posting the quickest times of the day in scoring a runner-up finish in the K&N Horsepower Challenge specialty race, which was held as part of the second day of qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio. Although the blistering heat and drenching humidity at Summit Motorsports Park prevented any changes among the top positions from Friday’s qualifying times, Line used the first two rounds of the annual all-star race to pace the Pro Stock field.

Coming in as the No. 1 qualifier, Line used a 6.705-second, 204.91 mph pass to eliminate Jeg Coughlin, who clocked a 6.746-second time, in the opening stanza.  He then squared off against his teammate Greg Anderson, who had won the event the past two years.  This time, however, Line combined a lightning-fast .008 reaction time and a 6.718-second, 206.10 mph run to gain the victory and advance to his third Horsepower Challenge final round.

Facing sophomore runner Vincent Nobile, Line tripped the finish line timers in 6.732 seconds with a top speed of 205.66 mph.  Unfortunately it was not enough to overcome his opponent’s starting line edge and 6.750-second, 205.94 mph run.  Taking full responsibility, Line turned his frustration into motivation for tomorrow’s final eliminations of the Full Throttle event, where he goes in as the No. 2 qualifier.

“As close as the competition is in Pro Stock, you have to be just about perfect to win, and today I came up twelve thousandths short,” said Line.  “My Summit Racing Camaro was good enough to win with, but I just didn’t do a good enough job.  Fortunately, we only have to wait until tomorrow to bounce back.  We may not be the fastest car here, but we are probably the second fastest, and certainly capable of leaving here with the trophy, which would be huge here in front of Ken and Judy (team owners Black) and everyone from Summit.

“However, I was very proud to be here and represent K&N, and I want to thank them for not only putting on the Horsepower Challenge, but everything else they do for the entire Pro Stock class.  They are a great company and I really wanted to bring that beautiful trophy home.  I guess we will just have to start working on getting back here next year.”

Summit Racing

Semifinal Finish in K&N Challenge has Anderson Eying Sunday Win

Semifinal Finish in K&N Challenge has Anderson Eying Sunday Win  

Event:  Sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals

Location: Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio

Day/Date: Saturday, July 7, 2012

After taking advantage of Friday evening’s slightly cooler conditions to post a 6.698-second elapsed time and earn the third starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk Ohio, Pro Stock standout Greg Anderson headed into Saturday’s action looking to successfully defend his title in the K&N Horsepower Challenge all-star race.

Despite having to deal with oppressive conditions for the second day in a row, the Summit Racing Camaro crew was on its game, with Anderson combining a five hundredths of a second starting line advantage and a solid 6.733-second, 204.54 mph pass to trailer Erica Enders in the opening round on a hole shot, as she recorded a quicker 6.724-second time in the losing effort.

However, standing between the four-time Challenge winner and his fifth consecutive HPC final round appearance was teammate Jason Line, who had earned the No. 1 starting position for the high-dollar shootout. Although Anderson was able to improve on his opening effort, covering the quarter-mile in 6.728-seconds with a top speed of 206.32 mph, it was not enough to run down Line, who used a 6.718-second, 206.10 mph pass to advance and put an end to Anderson’s run of success.

Even so, Anderson and his KB Racing crew’s weekend was far from over, as their focus returned to this year’s Full Throttle championship battle and winning their sponsor’s race at Summit Motorsports Park.

“Today wasn’t a bad day, but it certainly could have been better,” said Anderson.  “Unfortunately, I ended up No. 4 in the K&N Horsepower Challenge standings, so we had to run Jason in the semifinals.  If we had been on opposite sides of the ladder, I’m confident we would have faced each other in the final, guaranteeing us our third straight win, but we didn’t so we’re a little disappointed tonight.  However, it’s time for us to regroup and bounce back strong.

“The conditions out there today were the toughest we have had in several years, we just need to do a better job adapting to them.  We have two Summit Racing Camaros that can win this race tomorrow, so we need to get our heads straight and be ready for whatever the weatherman throws at us tomorrow.  We’ve got the tools and the hot rods, so hopefully we’ll make the right moves and go the distance, giving the Summit folks a good show.”

Honda Racing

Honda Racing Report–Franchitti Continues Pole Streak in Toronto

Franchitti Continues Pole Streak in Toronto
Defending Honda Indy Toronto race victor Dario Franchitti scored his third consecutive pole of the 2012
IZOD IndyCar Series season Saturday on the grounds of Exhibition Place in Toronto, and will lead the
field to the green flag on Sunday as he seeks his fourth Toronto win and second victory of the season.
Franchitti edged championship points leader Will Power to record Honda’s fifth pole in 10 events this
year. Three other Honda-powered drivers also made it through the first two rounds of knockout qualifying
to the final “Fast Six” round, led by Texas race winner Justin Wilson, who will start third in his Dale Coyne
Racing Honda Dallara.
Franchitti’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and Detroit race winner, Scott Dixon, will be starting
fifth. Alex Tagliani rounded out the top six qualifiers for Bryan Herta Autosport.

RCR

RCR Post Race Report — Daytona International Speedway– Nationwide Series

RCR Post Race Report — Daytona International Speedway
 
 
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Daytona 250 Powered by Coca-Cola
Daytona International Speedway
July 6, 2012
 
Race Highlights:    
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fourth (Austin Dillon), sixth (Elliott Sadler) and 28th (Kevin Harvick).
Sadler leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings over Dillon by four points. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. ranks third, followed by Sam Hornish and Justin Allgaier.
The No. 2 Chevrolet team is second in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, 38 points shy of the No. 18 car’s lead, with the No. 3 team third in the standings and the No. 33 team fifth.
Dillon leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings over Cole Whitt.
Each of the RCR entries led laps during the race, with Sadler leading 10 laps. Dillon led eight laps and Harvick led two laps.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Dillon made 204 Green Flag Passes, ranking him fifth.
Sadler led the field in Quality Passes with 169, ranked second in Fastest Drivers Late in a Run and maintained the third-best Average Running Position (7.663).
Harvick ranked fourth in the Closers category, moving up three positions in the last 10 percent of the race, and was sixth in Quality Passes (153).
Kurt Busch earned his first Nationwide Series win of the season and was followed to the finish line by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Michael Annett, Dillon and Joey Logano.

Summit Racing

Second on Friday, Line Has Eyes on Big Prize on Saturday

Second on Friday, Line Has Eyes on Big Prize on Saturday

Event:  Sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals

Location: Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio

Day/Date: Friday, July 6, 2012

Despite conditions that withered fans and race teams alike, Summit Racing Camaro driver Jason Line produced some heat of his own during the first day of qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, recording the second-quickest time in each of the two sessions.  After opening with a 6.707-second, 205.72 mph pass in the heat of the afternoon, he took advantage of the slightly cooler conditions on his second attempt, covering the quarter-mile in 6.697-seconds with a top speed of 205.94 mph to place second midway through the qualifying procedure.

With his position in Sunday’s final eliminations field fairly secure, Line turned his attention towards Saturday’s K&N Horsepower Challenge, a specialty race pitting some of the top drivers in the division in a three-round shootout with the winner pocketing $50,000.  Having earned the No. 1 qualifying position with 10 No. 1 qualifying performances and a 2.22 average starting position over the last year, he now looks to add a win in this prestigious event to his racing resume.

“It was a good first day for the Summit Racing Camaro,” said Line.  “We made two nice consistent runs, and believe we still have something left.  Given the conditions, which were hard on everyone, I’d have to say we’re fairly pleased with our performance, and I am very proud of the job this team continues to do.

“The forecast is calling for similar conditions tomorrow, so I believe we’re in good shape for Sunday, which allows us to focus on tomorrow’s K&N Horsepower Challenge.  I’ve never won it before, and even though the field is going to be extremely tough, I think we have as good a shot as anyone to take home the money and help a lucky fan win a new truck courtesy of the fine folks at K&N.”

Dyson Racing

Dyson Pole Redeux

Pole Redeux
LAKEVILLE, CT July 6, 2012 – Dyson Racing won pole at Lime Rock Park, their home track, for the second year in a row. Guy Smith turned in the winning time in the #16 ModSpace entry he shares with Chris Dyson on his last lap in the fifteen minute session.ssion. Last year, Chris got the pole and he and Guy won the race, leading 165 laps of the 187 lap race with Guy setting fastest race lap. This is the second pole of the year for the AER prepared engine and adds to their Lime Rock poles of 2004 and 2006 set with Dyson’s James Weaver.

The # 20 car of Michael Marsal and Eric Lux rejoins the Dyson squad this weekend for their second race with the team. Eric Lux qualified the car third in LMP 1. Last year, Eric won both the LMPC pole and race here at the historic New England track. “The team gave me a great car,” said Eric. “Michael got up to pace really quickly and he did a great job in practice. I did some initial laps in qualifying and came in make a change. The car was understeering and we were able to take care of maybe 60 per cent of it. We will continue with that change overnight and the car will be even better tomorrow.”

Michael Marsal brings his own Lime Rock winning tradition to the mix having won his debut race here driving a Turner Motorsport BMW M3 two years ago. He has been busy during the ALMS two month break and tomorrow’s race will be his fourth race in five weeks. He and Eric will be doing six races this season in the #20 Dyson entry.

“Klaus Graf and I always seem to put on an entertaining show,” commented Guy after winning the pole. “It was nip and tuck during qualifying. (.006 separated the two at one point). It has been an uphill battle for us this year. Rob said to us after Mazda Raceway, ‘look guys we have to knuckle down and go out there and get it done.’ He gave us the opportunity to test and test and we went to the seven post rig and did everything possible. This is a credit to the guys and the work they have done in this very hot weather. Last year this race was a turning point and here’s hoping it is déjà vu.”

Team Manager Michael White explained how the team has been developing their new car: “We did three track tests and a rig test. For the rig test, they secure the chassis down to a table and then actuate each of the corners with various string gauges and sensors. That tells you if have deflection in the chassis and whether the front is as stiff as the back or the back is stiffer than the front. We got a lot of data from that test. “We than applied what we learned from the rig test at a two day test at VIR and came back with more positive direction. We did another two day Dunlop tire test at Mid-Ohio and that kept the ball moving forward. And a couple weeks ago we did a two-day test at Monticello where we found more performance and felt that we turned a corner. The past two months gave us the opportunity to find solutions to various concerns the drivers had from the beginning of the year.”

Summit Racing

Greg Anderson Opens Norwalk Qualifying in 3rd

 Anderson Opens Norwalk Qualifying in Third, Targets K&N Three-Peat 

Event:  Sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals

Location: Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio

Day/Date: Friday, July 6, 2012

On a day that featured sweltering heat and humidity to match, Greg Anderson produced the best opening-day performance of his brief history with his sleek Summit Racing Camaro claiming the provisional third starting position during the first day of qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.   In each of the Friday’s twin sessions at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, the four-time champion posted the third quickest time among the 21 cars attempting to qualify, highlighted by his 6.698-second, 205.82 mph pass in the evening session.

Although pleased with the progress the KB Racing team continues to make with their new mount, Anderson believed further improvement would be necessary to score his third consecutive win in Saturday’s K&N Horsepower Challenge, Pro Stock’s equivalent of an all-star race.

“The good news is that there is only one car quicker than either Jason (teammate Line) or I, which shows we are doing a better job with our Summit Racing Camaros,” said Anderson.  “Unfortunately, he is still a little distance ahead of us, so we need to keep pecking away, trying to find some more speed.  As I have said before, they are very good, driveable race cars, so we’ll just keep digging.

“Of course, we have a big race tomorrow in the K&N Horsepower Challenge.  There will be heavy hitters in every round, and there is no clear cut favorite to win, so we’ll need to do a perfect job in order to come away with the win.  It’s a fun race with a lot of money on the line, and today was a good tune-up for it. We have good data to go by, so hopefully we can make this Chevrolet even better for tomorrow.  We’re looking forward to it.”

Tim Allison Racing

Tim Allison Checks In

We had our biggest sprint car 360 race ever in the state of Ohio on July 3rd at Waynesfield Raceway Park and the weather was hot but the racing was even hotter yet! With $6000 to the winner, you could bet everyone was wanting the big trophy and the money. We had 46 signed in for the first ever Bob Reynolds Memorial Race and also on the race card was the non-wing sprints and the emods and with a total of 123 cars in the pits on a nice summer night. With standing room only the racing was totally awesome all night long and the track was in great shape all night!

There was no qualifying so we drew in the 2nd heat and started fourth along with 2 veterans- Tim Shaffer and Danny Smith- both being regulars on the All Star circuit and the World of Outlaws tour,  so we had our work cut out for this one, but we finished 2nd in the heat race right behind Tim Shaffer.  That got us qualified for the big show and also got us in the trophy dash to determine where we would start in the big feature for 30 laps,
We had 2 trophy dashes, one for the odd numbers of 1,3,5,in the odd heats and 2,4,6 for the even heats to determine the first 12 starting spots for the feature.  We were in the 2nd trophy dash and we won it. That put us starting on the outside front row of the biggest show ever for 30 laps of hard racing.  We were hoping for win number 100 and the big prize of $6000.  When the dust settled, we ended up finishing 2nd right behind Tim Shaffer.  We had a great shot and got close a couple of times but in the end we finished 2nd.  It was great run as we have been knocking on the door the last couple of weeks for that feature win and number 100!

This week we are off and the next race is next weekend at Tony Stewart’s famous Eldora Speedway and this is the super bowl weekend of sprint car racing as it is the Kings Royal Weekend.  This is an all sprint car show and a must see event.
It is the NRA 360 sprint cars along with the 410 sprint cars paying $50000 to the winner for the 410 class!

Subaru Road Racing Team

Subaru Road Racing Team Starts/Finishes 12th at Watkins Glen Sweat-Fest

Subaru Road Racing Team Starts/Finishes 12th at Watkins Glen Sweat-Fest
– Drivers run qualifying lap speeds during 2 ½-hour race –

Phoenixville, PA. – June 30, 2012 – On a blazing, cloudless Summer day, the likes of which would cause a Gila Monster to seek shade, the world-famous Watkins Glen International road racing course near Watkins Glen, N.Y., took its toll on race cars and their drivers in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series.
 
Refusing, however, to succumb to a scorching sun that had the Devil himself smirking, the Subaru Road Racing Team’s pit crew and drivers Andrew “A. J.” Aquilante and Bret Spaude,  qualified their #35 Subaru WRX STi race car 12th quickest in a field of 29 Grand Sports class competitors, and finished the 2 ½-hour race in 12th.
 
“There must have been a decree that we would be the 12th place car this weekend,” conceded Joe Aquilante, owner of Phoenix Performance in Phoenixville, Pa., which prepares the team’s Subaru WRX STi race cars. “We’ve done better than that this season, and we’ve done worse.
 
“A. J. and Bret drove smart, our enthusiastic pit crew got them in and out quickly, and that was the best we could do. GRAND-AM made an re-adjustment to our Subaru’s turbocharger boost pressure, which they had allowed us the last couple races, and which is their prerogative. Twelfth quickest isn’t where we’d like to be, but in a 29-car class, we’re still a contender.”
 
Spaude, of Bushnell, Fla., qualified the car at The Glen and raced the first 34 minutes before pitting for gas and tires, and slotting “AJ” Aquilante, of Chester Springs, Pa., into the seat for the cockpit for the final 44 laps.
 
Two subsequent, efficient pit stops by the SRRT crew brought AJ to as high as second place on laps 38 and 39, before his final stop dropped him to 18th.  Picking up four positions between laps 56 and 58, he worked his way back to 12th, where the team had started the race.
 
“Other cars caused seven full-course yellow situations that ate up 22 laps that we could have been racing. That didn’t help our progress today, but we had a trouble-free Subaru to race, a much-appreciated veteran crew, and did as best we could with our new rules parameters,” said Joe Aquilante.
 
The race-prepped #35 SRRT WRX STI is developed to compete against rival teams fielding cars producing over 400 horsepower.

Summit Racing

Line Looks to Make 200th Start a Memorable One

Line Looks to Make 200th Start a Memorable One

Mooresville, N.C., July 4, 2012 – This weekend, Summit Racing star Jason Line will reach a significant milestone in his Pro Stock career.  When he rolls to the starting line on Sunday for the start of final eliminations at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, he will be making his 200th start in a “factory hot rod”.  

Since making his debut nine years ago in Columbus, Ohio, Line has been the picture of consistency, winning two Full Throttle Championships, 28 national event wins (second only to his teammate Greg Anderson among all Pro Stockers and including at least one in every year of competition) in 59 final round appearances and 29 No. 1 qualifying performances.  It is an impressive resume that he looks to embellish even further this weekend during his sponsor’s race.

“Two hundred starts is a lot, and more than I expected to make,” said Line.  “It’s way cool, and to have done it with the same team and for the most part the same sponsor is a very big deal.   Being part of the Summit and KB Racing family is certainly an honor and a privilege – everyone concerned have all been great to me, and the fact that they have allowed me to do this for so long is very special.

“In many ways, it’s appropriate that I will make my 200th start in Norwalk, in front of the people who have made it all possible.  It would be nice to reward them for their support with our second win of the season.”

In addition to the normal rigors of racing in a national event, Line and his KB Racing crew will also share the title sponsorship not only of the race but also the racetrack, with many Summit employees expected to be in attendance throughout the weekend.  Finally, the reigning Pro Stock champion will be the top qualifier in a select group of racers competing in Saturday’s K&N Horsepower Challenge, a three-round shootout where the winning driver will walk away with $50,000 while a lucky fan will drive away in a new truck.

“It says a lot about this Summit Racing team that for the second year in a row we are the No. 1 qualifier for the K&N Horsepower Challenge,” said Line.  “It shows we’ve had good cars, good equipment and a great crew which we can hopefully combine into a win in the Challenge.  I feel like I am over due to win it, and although I’ve thought that way in the past, maybe this year we can get it done in the Camaro.”

One factor adding to Line’s confidence heading into the weekend’s events is the rapid progress the team has made in adapting to their new race car.  In only its second race, Line’s stunning blue Chevrolet Camaro was among the quickest cars in the class in Chicago, besting entries teams have used since last year.  Despite this impressive showing, he is quick to point out how early they are in the learning process with the famed muscle car.

“We know this new Summit Racing Camaro is going to be a great car, but we still have a lot to learn about it,” said Line.  “Even so, it has already been very good.  It was a Top Three car in Chicago, and any time you have that you can win the race, which is amazing considering how few runs we have on it.  It’s a great feeling heading into Norwalk.”

Finally, Line will be able to reach his career milestone in the company of some very important people as both his family and his team owner will be in attendance at Summit Motorsports Park.

“It’s always good when my family comes with me to the races,” said Line.  “My kids are really looking forward to spending time at the waterpark, and I enjoy having them with me at the track, so it should be a fun weekend.

“We’re also lucky that Ken and Judy (team owners Black) will be with us in Norwalk.  Any time they come out to the races, it’s a tremendous boost to everyone on the entire team, and we’re looking forward to having them with us in Ohio.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to put a smile on everyone’s faces by parking that blue Summit Racing Camaro in the winner’s circle on Saturday and Sunday night.”

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