Holland, MI (May 23, 2012) – After a great weekend of racing at the opening event in Charlotte last month, Ross Hoek is well prepared for whatever the competition as well the natural terrain layout of the track at Red Bud MX has to offer. Thanks to a productive on-track test session the #21 Ignite Racing Fuels, Venom Energy, Herculiner, Allstar Performance, Pro-Light is tuned and ready for the TORC series’ second visit to the iconic motocross venue.
Last year, the inaugural TORC Series Red Bud event experienced horrific weather conditions as heavy rain fell throughout the area preventing track designers from fining tuning the brand new one mile long layout. For 2012, the TORC track crew came to Red Bud a week early to work with the track owners to create a more wide open layout allowing the PRO trucks to use all their horsepower when competing for the win.
With over a month between race weekends, RHM team had plenty of time to go testing the Pro Light as well as make final preparations for the team’s new Sportsman Light Buggy entry. The orange VW powered buggy will be driven by team members throughout the season. Not only will the team have fun with the Light Buggy, but the time on the track will give the crew members a better insight into what the race vehicles and driver must cope with during a race.
“The competition in the PRO-Light class this year is even tougher than last year as everyone is stepping up their program,” remarked Hoek. “I’ll have quite a few fans from my hometown coming to Red Bud and I don’t want to disappoint. I believe we have really done our homework this year. Look for the #21 Ignite Racing Fuels, Venom Energy, Herculiner, and Allstar Performance Ford to be a consistent front runner throughout the season.”
Texas Diesel Nationals on TV
NHRDA Truckin’ Nationals 6/2-3
Casey Currie Enjoys Surprise, AZ
Anaheim Hills, CA (May 23, 2012) – Sweltering desert heat and an amping field of talent set the stage for Casey Currie and team to achieve their goal for the weekend and get back in their groove at the Lucas Oil Off Road short course race in Surprise, AZ. Casey’s focused and consistent driving would move him up the ladder in Championship Points and earn him two well-deserved podiums for the weekend.
“This being our first time to Surprise in the V8,” commented Casey on Saturday’s race, “we didn’t catch the gear ratio just right but I am very pleased with how well the race went. We made some gear changes and were able to battle to the front of the pack, but didn’t quite have enough to pass the leaders, so we’ll make some needed changes for Sunday.”
Despite a less than favorable starting position on Sunday, Casey’s talent was in gear, leading him straight to a respectable 2nd place podium finish.
“Inverting points instead of race results from Saturday didn’t give us the greatest starting advantage,” explained Casey of Sunday’s race. “We started 10th, five rows back form the pole, and made some quick passes, getting us up to 4th or 5th and then it was time to really put the pressure on. Other trucks were fatiguing and we were just getting stronger. Gaining ground and taking 2nd, I really pushed to chase down RJ Anderson in the lead but didn’t end up catching him.”
Taking a 3rd place podium finish on Saturday, followed by 2nd place on Sunday, Casey would gain much needed championship points and advance himself in the Lucas Oil Off Road Pro Lite standings.
“All things considered I think the weekend went pretty well,” commented Crew Chief Oren Anderson. “Considering we didn’t have any practice time out here, every change we made went in the right direction and the truck just got faster and faster.”
Tim Allison Checks In
This past weekend we were at Lima Land Motor Sports Park on Friday night and with beautiful weather we were able to get another race in for the year. We had put in our spare motor since our motor from last weekend was not finished up yet. We finally got a good draw in our heat race and started on the pole and finished 4th. It was kinda disappointing, but we had the car off a little and the motor too rich as it was all fresh and we didn’t want to have another engine failure. We transferred to the feature and the inversion went the other way this time and we started in the 11th staring spot, so we leaned down the motor and made changes on the car and got going and finished 6th. They said we jumped the start and they docked us 2 spots so we finished 8th in the end, not what we wanted of course, but a good solid finish on the new fresh engine. This weekend is our 3 day weekend and it kicks off at Lima Land Motor Sports park on Friday night and then on to Waynesfield Raceway on Saturday night for our first appearance and then on Sunday off to Tony Stewart’s famous Eldora Speedway on Sunday night for our first appearance.
Honda Teams and Drivers Enter Indy With Depth and Experience
Honda Teams and Drivers Enter Indy With Depth and Experience
Torrance, CA (May 23, 2012) – As Honda-powered teams and drivers head into the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500-mile race, they do so with the depth and experience of teams and drivers who have conquered racing’s most prestigious and unpredictable event.
Four of Honda’s seven teams have won the prestigious Memorial Day classic. Target Chip Ganassi Racing owns three ‘500’ victories, in 2000, 2008 and 2010. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing brought Honda its first Indy 500 victory in 2004. A.J. Foyt has recorded three Indianapolis 500 victories as a team owner, in 1967, ’77, and ’99; while Bryan Herta Autosport
won the Centennial Indianapolis 500 in 2011 with the late Dan Wheldon.
Honda’s stable of drivers includes Indy 500 champions Dario Franchitti (2007 and 2010) and Scott Dixon (2008), who between them have won the last five IZOD IndyCar Series drivers’ championships. “Many times, victory at the Indy 500 depends on a bit of good luck,” says Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development, the racing arm of American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
“However, the Indy 500 demands that teams and drivers have a certain level of experience and depth in order to contend for a victory. We are extremely confident in being able to call upon this level of strength in our garages.”
Founded in 1993, Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines, and operates at race circuits around the world from its headquarters in Santa Clarita, California.
Honda has been a fixture in North American open-wheel racing since 1994, and has played an active role in the growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series – as both a Manufacturers’ Championship competitor and single engine supplier – since joining the series in 2003.
The company scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice; Manufacturers’ Championships in 2004 and ’05; and became engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series in 2006. The 2010 Indianapolis 500, won by Dario Franchitti, marked Honda’s 100th race win as a manufacturer and engine supplier in IZOD IndyCar Series competition.
In addition to its efforts in Indy car racing, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of LeMans.
HPD offers a line of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases “fun” products for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.
Honda Teams and Drivers Enter Indy With Depth and Experience
Honda Teams and Drivers Enter Indy With Depth and Experience
Torrance, CA (May 23, 2012) – As Honda-powered teams and drivers head into the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500-mile race, they do so with the depth and experience of teams and drivers who have conquered racing’s most prestigious and unpredictable event.
Four of Honda’s seven teams have won the prestigious Memorial Day classic. Target Chip Ganassi Racing owns three ‘500’ victories, in 2000, 2008 and 2010. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing brought Honda its first Indy 500 victory in 2004. A.J. Foyt has recorded three Indianapolis 500 victories as a team owner, in 1967, ’77, and ’99; while Bryan Herta Autosport
won the Centennial Indianapolis 500 in 2011 with the late Dan Wheldon.
Honda’s stable of drivers includes Indy 500 champions Dario Franchitti (2007 and 2010) and Scott Dixon (2008), who between them have won the last five IZOD IndyCar Series drivers’ championships. “Many times, victory at the Indy 500 depends on a bit of good luck,” says Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development, the racing arm of American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
“However, the Indy 500 demands that teams and drivers have a certain level of experience and depth in order to contend for a victory. We are extremely confident in being able to call upon this level of strength in our garages.”
Founded in 1993, Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines, and operates at race circuits around the world from its headquarters in Santa Clarita, California.
Honda has been a fixture in North American open-wheel racing since 1994, and has played an active role in the growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series – as both a Manufacturers’ Championship competitor and single engine supplier – since joining the series in 2003.
The company scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice; Manufacturers’ Championships in 2004 and ’05; and became engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series in 2006. The 2010 Indianapolis 500, won by Dario Franchitti, marked Honda’s 100th race win as a manufacturer and engine supplier in IZOD IndyCar Series competition.
In addition to its efforts in Indy car racing, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of LeMans.
HPD offers a line of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases “fun” products for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.
Cunningham Leads Final Honda Indy 500 Qualifiers
Cunningham Leads Final Honda Indy 500 Qualifiers
Wade Cunningham led the final three Honda-powered drivers Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as qualifying concluded for next weekend’s 96th running of the Indianapolis 500. Cunningham posted a four-lap average of 223.258 miles per hour in his A.J. Foyt Honda-Dallara to qualify 26th, the second-fastest run in Sunday’s final qualifying.
Cunningham’s teammate, Mike Conway, completed his own four-lap run of 222.319 mph to qualify 29th. Rookie Bryan Clauson, who crashed during his first qualifying attempt on Saturday, climbed aboard his repaired Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda Dallara today to qualify 31st, with a four-lap average of 214.455 mph.
Four Chevrolet-powered entries and two Lotus Dallaras made successful qualifying runs on Sunday to complete the 33-car starting field. The 2012 Indianapolis 500, the first with engine manufacturer competition since 2005, includes 15 Honda-powered drivers, 16 from Chevrolet and the remaining two using Lotus engines.
Activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway resume on Friday with the traditional final practice session, known as “Carb Day”. The 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 starts at 11 a.m. EDT Sunday, May 27, with live television coverage on ABC.
Wade Cunningham (#41 A.J. Foyt Racing Honda) qualified 26th for his first Indianapolis 500: “It’s been a long road for me to Indianapolis. I got to the States in 2004, so eight years of hard work and commitment, but this is a very proud day for me. I know my parents are proud, as are all my sponsors and supporters who have helped me through the years. We ran quicker [in qualifying] than we did this morning in practice, so we found a little bit of speed. If we had run that speed yesterday, we would have been comfortably in the first-day qualifiers. I guess we underestimated Indianapolis a little bit and we got ourselves caught out with circumstances [during Saturday’s qualifying]. But we did it in the end, which is the most important thing. Qualifying is not a reflection of our performance, we’ve been strong in the draft at times and strong by ourselves. So, as long as we make good decisions, now through race day, there’s no reason we can’t be fighting for a top-10 in the race.
Roger Griffiths (Technical Director, Honda Performance Development): “Congratulations to Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, who have ‘punched above their weight’ throughout this month. The team demonstrated excellent speed in practice and backed it up with Joseph Newgarden delivering our best qualifying performance on Saturday. The team also demonstrated its determination with its rapid recovery after Bryan Clauson’s accident yesterday, to qualify their second car today. While overall, our qualifying results were disappointing, our focus is now directed 100 per cent towards winning next Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.
Race Report Week Ending 5/20/12
K&N- Graham Tire 150- Iowa Speedway- Chase Elliott
World of Outlaws- Kasey Kahne Challenge- Craig Dollansky
ARCA- Menards 200 by Federated Car Care- Chris Buescher
Nascar
Camping World Truck Series- North Carolina Education Lottery 200- Justin Lofton
Nationwide Series- Pioneer Hi-Bred 250- Iowa Speedway- Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Sprint Cup- Sprint All-Star- Jimmie Johnson
IndyCar
Indy 500 Pole- Ryan Briscoe
NHRA
Top Fuel — David Grubnic, 3.893 seconds, 319.07 mph def. Spencer Massey, 3.910 seconds, 309.98 mph. aRP Car
Funny Car — Jack Beckman
Pro Stock — Allen Johnson
Top Alcohol Dragster — Rich McPhillips
Top Alcohol Funny Car — Tony Bartone
Competition Eliminator — Bruno Massel
Super Stock — Eric Pearson
Stock Eliminator — Kyle Ratclif
Super Comp — Jeryka Lobner
Super Gas — Terry Sullivan
Top Sportsman — Dave Slatten
RCR Post Race Report — Iowa Speedway Nationwide Series
RCR Post Race Report — Iowa Speedway
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Pioneer Hi-Bred 250
Iowa Speedway
May 20, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished second (Elliott Sadler), fourth (Austin Dillon) and 10th (Brendan Gaughan).
Sadler is second in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship point standings, trailing point leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by 28 points. Dillon ranks third, followed by Sam Hornish Jr. and Cole Whitt.
The No. 2 Chevrolet team is third in the Nationwide Series owner championship point standings, 28 points shy of the No. 6 car’s lead, 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.
Combined, the RCR entries posted the fastest lap of the race for 27 circuits.
Sadler and Dillon were among the eight drivers that spent 100 percent of the laps running in the top 15.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Sadler ranked second in categories for average running position (3.160), driver rating (121.9), fastest drivers early in a run (130.635 mph), fastest on restarts (127.923 mph), green flag speed (128.852 mph) and speed in traffic (128.352).
Dillon was ranked third in the closers category, maintained the fourth-highest average running position (4.728), had the fourth-highest driver rating (113.6) and was the fourth-fastest driver early in a run.
Gaughan posted his highest Nationwide Series starting position (13th) and highest finish (10th) at Iowa Speedway in three starts at the 0.75-mile track.
Gaughan made 22 green-flag passes during the race.
Stenhouse earned his third win of the 2012 Nationwide Series and was followed to the finish line by Sadler, Michael McDowell, Dillon and Kurt Busch.
The next scheduled Nationwide Series race is the History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 26. The 10th race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on ABC beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
John Robinson Checks In
The TS Outlaw race was in Bolling Green last weekend & is the largest diesel drag race in the country. We made 4 passes on Friday with no problems & got progressively faster each pass & wound up a new best for the team at a 7.76 @ 178….
Intramural Tussel Ends Line’s Day in Topeka Semifinals
Intramural Tussle Ends Line’s Day in Topeka Semifinals
Event: 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals
Location: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas
Day/Date: Sunday, May 20, 2012
After recording the quickest time in two of the four qualifying sessions, Summit Racing driver Jason Line entered Sunday’s final eliminations of the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals in Topeka, Kan. looking to add his first Kansas “Wally” to his trophy case. He seemed headed in that direction in the first round, as he combined the quickest elapsed time of the weekend at 6.566-seconds with a top speed of 210.11 mph to defeat Steve Kent.
It was a similar situation in the second stanza, with Line covering the quarter-mile in 6.571 seconds with a top speed of 209.26 mph to eliminate a resurgent V. Gaines. This set the stage for a semifinal encounter with teammate Greg Anderson. Although Line posted his best reaction time of the day at .028 and made another strong 6.580-second, 210.57 mph run, it fell thirteen thousandths of a second shy of his stablemate’s 6.575-second, 210.93 mph effort, putting a premature end to the 2011 champion’s day.
“The Summit Racing team had a good day today, and I had one of my best in Topeka,” said Line. “It stings to not come out of here with a win, but we leave knowing Greg had the best car he’s had all year, and mine was good enough to run low e.t. of the weekend and be quickest in four of the seven rounds we ran. I also made some strides, doing a better job of driving overall. The bottom line, however, is that we didn’t win, and we’ll have to wait two weeks for our next chance.
“With two new Chevy Camaros to get ready, we’re going to have our hands full between now and Englishtown, but I’m looking forward to finally driving a real muscle car in Pro Stock. I’ll have to wait a year for my next shot at a Topeka win, but all in all it wasn’t a bad weekend. It just wasn’t a great weekend, which is what we’ll be aiming for in New Jersey.”
Anderson Powers to Runner-Up Finish in Topeka
Anderson Powers to Runner-Up Finish in Topeka
Event: 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals
Location: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas
Day/Date: Sunday, May 20, 2012
Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing team continued their strong 2012 campaign on Sunday, scoring a runner-up finish at the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals in Topeka, Kan. Starting from the second position, he defeated Richard Freeman, Vincent Nobile and teammate Jason Line in the early rounds before squaring off against veteran Allen Johnson in the final round.
Although he was able to gain the advantage at the start with a near-perfect .004 reaction time, Anderson’s hopes for a fifth Topeka win were quickly shattered by severe tire shake, which found him fighting to maintain control of his race car, with the resulting 6.696-second, 210.21 mph run allowing his opponent to use a 6.587-second, 210.54 mph pass to get around him for the win.
“My Summit Racing Pontiac made seven of the best runs it’s made this season, but we needed eight,” said Anderson. “From the moment we rolled it off the trailer, it ran great, and we never lost the tune-up, giving me the best hot rod I’ve had all year. Unfortunately, we made a minor mistake in the final round, missing on the starting line and it shook the tires almost immediately. Naturally, we’re kicking ourselves for giving one away like that, but it was still a great weekend, and we’re very proud of everything that happened. We just picked the wrong time to make a bad run.”
As they plan to switch to a new Chevrolet Camaro for the next NHRA national event in Englishtown, Anderson and the KB Racing crew had hoped to give their venerable Pontiac GXP a proper sendoff at Heartland Park Topeka. After being among the best of the “factory hot rods” in qualifying, Anderson was equally strong on race day, using the second-quickest elapsed time of the opening round at 6.568-seconds to defeat Richard Freeman.
Although Vincent Nobile’s red-light start awarded him the automatic win in the second round, the four-time champion still reset the track top speed record with his 6.575-second, 211.30 mph pass. In what proved to be one of the closest races of the day, Anderson used a nearly identical 6.575-second, 210.93 mph run to edge his teammate Jason Line and advance to his sixth final round of the year, fifth at the Kansas quarter-mile and 109th of his Pro Stock career. Naturally disappointed to not be leaving the Sunflower State with the winner’s trophy, he nevertheless found plenty of reasons to smile heading forward, as the team embarks upon a new chapter in its storied history.
“Even though we didn’t win, we still had a lot of bright spots here in Topeka,” said Anderson. “This entire KB Racing team did a great job all weekend, with both Jason and I qualifying in the top three, getting both cars running well and making it to the semifinals today. In fact, up until the final, it was just about perfect, so we can’t leave here too unhappy. Besides, we’re heading back to North Carolina to work on our new cars.
“I am absolutely looking forward to getting our Summit Camaros on the racetrack. Although it would have been really cool to retire this Pontiac in the winner’s circle, whether we won today or not was not going to change our decision to switch to the Camaro. The good news is that this GXP went out in style and now it’s time to move on to the next chapter, which we are all really excited about. I can’t wait to get back home so we can start testing the new car, getting ready to roll her into the staging lanes in Englishtown.”
RCR Post Race Report– RACE: NASCAR Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
RACE: NASCAR Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race
TRACK: Charlotte Motor Speedway
DATE: May 19, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing’s Jeff Burton finished eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Showdown while teammates Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard finished sixth and 16th, respectively, in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
According to NASCAR Loop Data Statistics, Menard and Harvick tied for second in the category Green-Flag Passes with 45 each.
Harvick ranked second in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Closers, gaining four positions in the final 10 percent (nine laps) of the event.
Harvick ranked fourth in the Loop Data category Fastest Drivers Early in a Run, was the fastest driver late in a run and ranked fifth in the category Fastest on Restarts.
Menard ranked third in the Loop Data category Quality Passes, overtaking 37 positions while running in the top 15 under green-flag conditions.
Burton ran inside the top 10 for the entire 40-lap Sprint Showdown event.
Although the Sprint Showdown and All-Star Race are non-points events, RCR teammates currently rank eighth (Harvick), 13th (Menard) and 17th (Burton) in the Sprint Cup Series point standings.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 27, televised live on FOX and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Kinser Victorious Once Again at Orange County Fair Speedway
Kinser Victorious Once Again at Orange County Fair Speedway
‘The King’ ties Swindell for the World of Outlaws championship points lead
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. – May 19, 2012 – Like they did in the ’70s and ’80s and ’90s, Steve Kinser and Sammy Swindell are battling for a World of Outlaws championship.
Swindell, who leads the series with four victories, has been in or around the points lead since the start of the season. Kinser has gotten hot recently and capitalized on the momentum.
He snapped a 27-race winless streak exactly a week ago and added to an impressive record on Saturday at Orange County Fair Speedway, where Kinser won for the sixth time in 22 features, claimed career Outlaws victory No. 572 and pulled into a tie atop the World of Outlaws championship standings with Swindell.
“It’s nothing that hasn’t happened many years before,” Kinser said of his renewed rivalry with Swindell.
Kinser led all 25 laps of the main event at the 5/8-mile oval, which has featured a different winner in the past six World of Outlaws events dating back to 1999. However, Kinser is a familiar face in Victory Lane.
He claimed the first race at Orange County Fair Speedway in 1983 and won five more within a decade. After starting on the pole on Saturday, it appeared that his sixth victory – which is twice as many as any other driver – was eminent.
Kinser rocketed to a 10-car advantage in front of son, Kraig Kinser, on the opening lap. The duo paced the field with Kraig beginning to close the gap on lap five. They entered traffic on the ninth lap and were side by side on the frontstretch of lap 10.
The elder maintained the lead and the preferred lane around the bottom. The race went cautionless until lap 21 when it became just the opposite.
There were eight cautions and a red flag for a fuel stop in the final five laps. In fact, only three drivers of the 24 starters weren’t involved in a caution or didn’t pull into the pits.
“I was up front where I could be a little bit easier on tires,” Kinser said. “I nursed mine as much as I could. We just barely made it ourselves.
“It’s a bad feeling when you’re sitting there leading the race and you’re seeing half the field change tires and put new tires on ….”
Kraig Kinser was one of the catastrophes as a tire issue on the final lap dropped him from the runner-up position to 15th. That allowed Swindell to gain a few positions in the final laps to salvage a second-place finish and keep himself tied for the points lead.
“When we took off I could see that guys were just slipping the tires way too much,” Swindell said. “This place is real abrasive, so I just sat back there and rode for half the race. I just wanted to make sure I had tires at the end.”
Frank Cozze earned the KSE Hard Charger Award after maneuvering from last – 24th – to place third.
“Well we got a little bit of luck out there with the guys with the tires,” he said. “Plus I’ve probably raced here about 35 or 36 years, so I kinda know the place. You’ve gotta kind of cool it at the beginning and get lucky. And we got lucky. If it had run straight through we would have run 15th.
“It feels pretty good to get a podium finish with anybody. I don’t care if it was Mickey Mouse at this point.”
Daryn Pittman rebounded from causing a caution on a restart of lap 22 because of a tire issue. He restarted 19th and finished fourth. David Gravel rounded out the top five after facing a similar fate because of a flat tire with three laps remaining.
Joey Saldana was sixth, Fred Rahmer seventh, Paul McMahan eighth, Craig Dollansky ninth and Lucas Wolfe placed 10th. All went to the work area at some point during those final five laps to fix a flat tire.
Logan Schuchart set fast time in qualifying with a lap of 17.336 seconds, which was more than four-tenths quicker than anyone else. Swindell outlasted Steve Kinser to win the first heat race and Kraig Kinser and McMahan also claimed a heat race. Davey Franek won the Last Chance Showdown.
RCR Post Race Report — Charlotte Motor Speedway- Camping World Truck Series
RCR Post Race Report — Charlotte Motor Speedway
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
RACE: North Carolina Eduction Lottery 200
TRACK: Charlotte Motor Speedway
DATE: May 18, 2012
Race Highlights:
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished seventh (Joey Coulter), 10th (Ty Dillon) and 12th (Brendan Gaughan).
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Coulter made 60 green-flag passes during the 134-lap event and Gaughan made 56 passes.
Coulter ranked second in the Closers category, gaining three positions in the final 10 percent of the race.
Dillon earned his career-first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole award.
Gaughan spent 88.1 percent of the race running in the top 15 while Coulter spent 85.1 percent in the top 15, ranking them six and seventh, respectively.
Dillon earned a driver rating of 106.3, ranking him fourth overall.
Dillon was the fastest driver early in a run.
Justin Lofton earned his career first Camping World Truck Series victory and was followed to the finish line by Brad Keselowski, Todd Bodine, Jason Leffler and Ron Hornaday.
The next scheduled Camping World Truck Series race is the Lucas Oil 200 at Dover International Speedway on Friday, June 1. The sixth race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Starting Second, Anderson Targets Fifth Topeka Win
Starting Second, Anderson Targets Fifth Topeka Win
Event: 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals
Location: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas
Day/Date: Saturday, May 19, 2012
Summit Racing Pontiac Greg Anderson completed a strong qualifying effort in impressive fashion on Saturday, posting the quickest elapsed time of the fourth and final session at the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals in Topeka, Kan. With two sessions held in the heat of the day at Heartland Park Topeka, Anderson’s 6.624-second time from Friday night, which came with a track record top speed of 208.55 mph, remained his run of record and earned him the second starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Even so, Anderson was equally pleased with his 6.633-second, 207.37 mph pass in the heat of the afternoon on Saturday. Armed with a consistent and fast race car, the four-time champion heads into race day and his first round encounter with Richard Freeman cautiously optimistic about his chances of scoring a fifth Heartland Park Topeka win.
“I am happier after qualifying today than I’ve been at any race all year,” said Anderson. “I don’t know why, but my Summit Racing Pontiac has suddenly come to life. My opinion is that it’s scared that I’m going to retire it, because we certainly haven’t made any major changes to it. I may not fully understand why it’s happened, but I’m glad it did.
“The good news is that we’re going to have a really good hot rod tomorrow. We’ve had two good days of qualifying, made four solid runs and scored bonus points in all four sessions, which is a major improvement. We’ve had a great car so far this weekend, and tomorrow we need to do something with it.
“If we get some cloud cover tomorrow, it will help the racetrack, which has held up well so far in the heat. It’s also supposed to be cooler, which should give us better air, so these cars should be able to run better, which excites us, because we believe it plays into our strengths. We’ll have to wait and see what race day brings, but for right now I’m happy.”
Line Ready to Score First Topeka Win from Third
Line Ready to Score First Topeka Win from Third
Event: 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals
Location: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas
Day/Date: Saturday, May 19, 2012
On the strength of a 6.630-second time posted in second qualifying session on Friday evening, Jason Line and the Summit Racing team earned the third starting position for Sunday’s final eliminations of the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals in Topeka, Kan. Although the elevated temperatures on Saturday at Heartland Park Topeka prevented any changes among the top six positions in the Pro Stock category, Line continued his torrid pace, topping the charts in the third session with his 6.635-second, 206.13 mph pass, before wrapping up with a competitive 6.650-second, 207.02 mph run on his fourth and final attempt.
This marks the 16th straight race in which Line has secured a starting spot in the Top Three positions, dating back to the Seattle race last August. With a first-round matchup set against No. 14 qualifier Steve Kent, the reigning Full Throttle Champion looked to use this performance to propel him to his first win at the Kansas quarter-mile.
“Although we were a little off on the tune-up with my car today and didn’t run as well as we would have liked, we’re confident we’re going into race day with two strong Summit Racing Pontiacs,” said Line. “This KB Racing team has done a tremendous job all year giving me a great race car to drive, and I think tomorrow will be the best chance I have ever had to break through and score my first win here in Topeka. The forecast is calling for it to be a little cooler, but as long as we don’t have any rain, we should be in good shape. As long as everyone on the team does their job, it’s all good.”
Fast Start Slots Anderson Second in Topeka
Fast Start Slots Anderson Second in Topeka
Event: 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals
Location: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas
Day/Date: Friday, May 18, 2012
Greg Anderson received a pleasant surprise during Friday’s opening qualifying sessions for the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals in Topeka, Kan., as his Summit Racing Pontiac delivered its most consistent first day performance of the 2012 season. After posting the third-quickest time in afternoon session, the four-time Topeka winner picked up almost three hundredths of a second in the evening round, with his 6.624-second, 208.55 mph pass slotting him in the second position with two attempts remaining on Saturday.
Although naturally pleased with this solid showing, Anderson was also surprised as in previous races he and his KB Racing team had struggled to find a consistent handle in qualifying, offering his own reasons for this sudden return to form.
“I am absolutely shocked at how well my Summit Racing Pontiac ran today,” joked Anderson. “I actually think it’s because it knows this is probably its last race before we switch to our new Chevy Camaros and it wants us to reconsider.
“Today was very different from the rest of the season because we had been struggling in qualifying and today it wanted to run in both sessions, which is a different feeling for me on Friday, and one I am very happy with. The car is showing a lot of potential – we didn’t make perfect runs with the car, but the motor ran really well, and I think, given the right conditions, it’s capable of going to the pole.
“We’ll see what the rest of the weekend brings – the weather is supposed to be similar tomorrow, with a little change coming for Sunday. Fortunately, we’ve started off pretty close to the target, so now we have to fine tune it and see if we can hit the bulls-eye.”
Line Opens Topeka Qualifying in Third
Line Opens Topeka Qualifying in Third
Event: 24th annual Dollar General NHRA Summernationals
Location: Heartland Park Topeka, Topeka, Kansas
Day/Date: Friday, May 18, 2012
Summit Racing driver Jason Line opened his qualifying effort for the Dollar General NHRA Summernationals in Topeka, Kan. in the same manner he has started every race this season, posting some of the quickest times among the 23 cars making an attempt. On his first run at Heartland Park Topeka, the reigning Pro Stock champion covered the quarter-mile in 6.646-seconds with a top speed of 207.50 mph, best among the “factory hot rods”.
He followed that performance with an equally impressive run in the evening session, improving to a 6.630-second time and 207.11 mph top speed, good enough for third midway through the qualifying procedure, a showing which has Line cautiously optimistic about his chances for the remainder of the weekend.
“My Summit Racing Pontiac made two nice runs today,” said Line. “Naturally, we’re only really pleased when we’re at the top of the page, but it was still a good day, especially considering we’re in Topeka, where I’ve had my share of issues in the past. Even though we have a pretty good tune-up right now, I also believe there is room for improvement, which we’ll work on tomorrow to give us as good a chance as possible for Sunday. Either way, today was a good start, and has me feeling pretty good about the rest of the weekend.”