Follow A Dream Racing

Follow A Dream head to Charlotte

Jay Blake’s Permatex/Follow A Dream team heads to Charlotte, N.C., for the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, the first race of back-to-back-to-back events. Last year, driver Todd Veney made his fastest run of the year – 260.66 mph – on the way to a semifinal finish in Charlotte.

“zMax Dragway in Charlotte is one of the nicest racetracks in the world – maybe the nicest,” Blake said. “We ran a bunch of 5.50s there last year and hit 260 mph a couple of times, so we’ve got big plans for this year. We tested in Gainesville the day after the Gatornationals, and the car responded to what tuner Tom Howell was trying, so it should be a good race.”

“I qualified higher than I ever have in my life here last year – No. 2 – so hopefully, we can run that well again,” Veney said. “I like these back-to-back-to-back races. When we got to Gainesville, I hadn’t been in the car in five months. That’s not impossible, but it really helps a driver get in a groove when you can race three weekends in a row.”

Brenda Grubbs Motorsports

Brenda Grubb Claims Second NHRA Class Win

Brenda drove her 1969 Camaro through four rounds of eliminations at the NHRA Jegs Cajun Sports Nationals in Belle Rose, Louisiana to claim her second NHRA Class Win. With nine cars, C/SA was one of the largest classes. In the main eliminator Brenda went to the second round when after treeing her oppo-nent by over a tenth, the engine broke a 9/16 inch exhaust rocker arm stud followed by an intake rocker arm. Brenda wisely con-ceded the race to prevent more damage.

Casey Currie

Casey Currie Podiums at Firebird Raceway

Casey Currie was all fire inside for the Lucas Oil Off Road season opener at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, AZ this past weekend. After some tribulations on Saturday, Casey gained back his ground and took the podium for 3rd place on Sunday in the Pro Lite class.

Starting off the weekend amped and ready for a fresh shot at the championship, Casey and team were in-sync and ready to take home a win from these first rounds of the season. Qualifying 10th on Friday in his Monster Energy/General Tire Nissan, Casey joined the huge field of Pro Lites on Saturday. Then and there, he worked his way through the field to 3rd place. His finish however, would not be so rewarding. After wheel-to-wheel contact with a fellow driver on Saturday, Casey’s truck was unable to continue. The team took their first DNF of the season, their heightened enthusiasm fading.

Sunday would prove a turnaround in team spirit, as Casey’s on-point driving marked him as 1st place qualifier early in the day. The team was prepared to tackle any obstacle and make up for points lost in Saturday’s race. With the top 6 starting inversion, Casey would start in 6th position—a starting advantage he could utilize, moving quickly through the slower qualifiers to gain some ground, and that he did. Casey caught up with Chris Brandt and RJ Anderson giving the fans the show they came to see. An extremely close finish, Casey took 3rd in the Pro Lite class.

“Today was such a rewarding day for the team,” said Casey after the podium ceremonies. “We qualified on the pole, and set the fastest lap. Once the green flag dropped it was an all-out mud storm but we made it through to position 3. With 3 laps remaining, everything else faded away and the track was in clear focus—my truck then really came alive.”

After a successful weekend at Firebird, Casey is headed straight to Moab, Utah for Easter Jeep Safari where he will trek with hundreds of other Jeeps through trail rides and climbs over the weeklong event. Casey will return in time for the next Lucas Oil Off Road Series adventure: Rounds 3 & 4, hosted at Elsinore Motorsports Park in Lake Elsinore, CA on April 21-22, 2012. Until then, keep up with him on Facebook and Twitter at Facebook.com/OfficialCaseyCurrie and Twitter.com/caseycurrie and find him on Instagram as caseycurrie.

World of Outlaws

World of Outlaws Spring Classic Right Around the Corner

PEVELY, Mo. – April 4, 2012 – A couple of Indiana natives draw a similarity between the tracks where they grew up racing and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55, where the World of Outlaws compete on April 14 in the Spring Classic.
Joey Saldana and Kraig Kinser both cut their teeth at high-banked, short tracks, which is the setup for the lightning-quick track in Pevely.

“Pevely is a great race track,” Saldana said. “It always seems to put on a good show. It’s just a cool, little bullring. You just have to hustle your car and stay after it.

“When I was growing up racing, Bloomington, Ind., was a place we ran every Friday night. It’s pretty similar to that. So maybe my background in racing was short tracks and it just seems to be a pretty fun race track to race and everything that I do racing-wise seems to apply at that race track.”

April 14 will be the first of two World of Outlaws’ events this season at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55, which has featured 20 different winners in 35 Outlaws races. The other event is the Federated Auto Parts Ironman 55 – the only 55-lap race on the schedule – on Aug. 4.

Brad Doty won the first World of Outlaws feature in 1987 and Craig Dollansky claimed last season’s lone event at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55. Dollansky, along with Saldana, Steve Kinser, Jac Haudenschild and Sammy Swindell have each won at least three main events there with Kinser taking a record four victories.

Kraig Kinser picked up his only win at the track in 2005.

“It’s close-quarter racing,” he said. “You’ve got a wall on the inside, a wall on the outside and 24 cars going around a short track. You always seem to be around cars there.”

Veteran Donny Schatz has experienced the highs and lows at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55, including a victory in 2006.

“It’s a fun place to go,” Schatz said. “Anything can happen there. It’s a place you can come from the back to the front, the guys in the front can go back pretty quick. You’ve got to have your car just right there and you’ve got to get up on the fence, so it’s a very fun place to go.”

RCR

Richard Childress Racing Announces Dates for First Pit Crew Training Combine

WELCOME, N.C. (April 4, 2012) – Richard Childress Racing announced today it will hold the first Pit Crew Training Combine in its 43-year history on Tuesday, April 10 and Wednesday, April 11 from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the organization’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series facility located in Welcome, N.C..
 
The one-of-a-kind event, open to experienced pit crew members as well as athletes with a serious passion for developing into full-time pit crew team member, gives participants the opportunity to showcase their athletic talents and learn the necessary skills to help them develop into a well-rounded teammate. Activities will consist of a variety of rigorous agility workouts and physically demanding tests which include mock training programs and real-time simulated pits stops in high-pressure scenarios normally experienced on a weekly basis both on and off the track throughout the course of a full season. Entrants will have the ability to learn from some of the most experienced and respected leaders in the industry on what it takes to prepare your body and develop the necessary mindset for the highest level of motorsports competition.
 
“This event is an exciting opportunity for anyone with a passion to become a full-time pit crew member with an elite racing organization,” said Eric Wilson, Director of Human Performance at RCR. “With the right attitude and preparation, this combine could be a vital step towards an athlete’s goal of taking that next step in their career.”
 
The session on Tuesday, April 10 is scheduled for the positions of jackman and gasman, while the session on Wednesday, April 11 is scheduled for tire carriers and tire changers.
Qualified competitors who are interested should arrive at the RCR campus dressed and ready to work out, and check in at the front desk for instruction. There are no fees associated with the event and it is open to the public.

ECR

ECR Engines Enjoys a Great Weekend!

ECR Engines Goes 1-2 Twice in Same Weekend
Wins in Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway, Grand Am Series at Barber Motorsports Park
 
WELCOME, N.C. (April 2, 2012) – ECR Engines earned the top two spots twice on March 31, with first- and second-place finishes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and the GRAND-AM Series Daytona Prototype division at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Ala.
 
“It was a Saturday that couldn’t have gone much better for ECR Engines,” said Richie Gilmore, chief operating officer for ECR Engines. “We dominated both qualifying sessions so the front rows on the grid prior to the start of the races were a nice photo opportunity for us. To be so strong in both races, with completely different styles of engines on completely different types of race tracks, is a testament to how strong ECR Engines’ overall program is this early in the 2012 season. It was also an honor for ECR Engines to be the power behind Chevrolet’s first trip to victory lane with the new Chevy Corvette DP car.”
 
Richard Childress Racing’s Kevin Harvick (No. 2 Kroger/Tide Chevy) and Ty Dillon (No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy) provided the one-two punch at Martinsville. They qualified side-by-side on the front row for the Kroger 250, with Harvick grabbing his third pole in the series. The race was all Harvick. He dominated the field, leading 248 of the race’s 250 laps, a series record, and took the checkered flag ahead of Dillon by 0.953-of-a-second. It was Harvick’s 14th win and 46th top-five finish in 118 Truck Series starts. The runner-up showing for Dillon was a career-best in his brief five-race history in the series that also includes three other top-10 finishes.
 
“It’s been a long time since we’ve dominated like that and actually won,” said Harvick. “We made a lot of changes over the off-season, moving teams to RCR, and this is what we’d hope for — to make what was a good Camping World Truck Series team even better.”
 
A similar scenario occurred in the Porsche 250 GRAND-AM Series Daytona Prototype race at Barber Motorsports Park. The No. 90 Spirit of America Chevrolet Corvette DP team of Richard Westbrook and Antonio Garcia grabbed the pole just ahead of the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette team of Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty. Westbrook and Garcia would then go on to lead 84 of 103 laps, with Garcia taking the checkered flag 2.326 seconds ahead of Gurney. It was the first win for the Troy Flis-owned team that has competed in the series since 1999.
 
“When I saw that the race was green all the way through, I thought to just stay [in position and] and not take so many risks because I thought that a yellow may come,” said Garcia. “For sure, it did. With two laps to go, I had a little bit of panic. But it really paid off because as soon as I pushed, [the pace] was there.”

RCR

RCR- Post Martinsville Report


NASCAR Sprint Cup Series   
RACE: Goody’s Fast Relief 500
TRACK: Martinsville Speedway  
DATE: April 1, 2012  
 
Race Highlights:       
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished 19th (Kevin Harvick), 22nd (Jeff Burton) and 26th (Paul Menard).
Harvick made 53 green-flag passes during the 500-mile event ranking him 13th in NASCAR Loop Data Statistics.
Havrick and the Budweiser is Back team led for 21 laps in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500.
Burton spent 252 laps running in the top 15 before suffering electrical issues.
Burton and the No. 31 BB&T team were credited with running the fastest lap of all competitors 13 times during the event.
Burton made 50 green-flag passes during the event which was extended to 515 laps.
Menard and the No. 27 Libman/Menards team ran as high as fifth and maintained an average running position of 21.56.
Menard completed 26 green-flag passes throughout the Goody’s Fast Relief 500.
Ryan Newman scored the win in Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway. He was followed to the checkered flag by AJ Allmendinger, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 14, televised live on FOX beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST.

Uncategorized

Race Results Week Ending 3/31/12

Nascar
Camping World Truck Series- Martinsville VA- Kroger 250-Kevin Harvick
Sprint Cup- Martinsville VA- Goodys Fast Relief 500- Ryan Newman

GrandAM
Barber Motorsports Park- Porsche 250- Antonio Garcia/Richard Westbrook

World of Outlaws
Merced Speedway- Sammy Swindell

Supercross
Ryan Villopoto

KN Pro Series East
Greenville Pickens Speedway- Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150- Darrell Wallace

Whelan Modified Series
Caraway Speedway- George Brunnhoelzl III

IndyCar
Honda Grand Prix of Alabama- Will Power

NHRA

Spencer Massey Top Fuel
Robert Hight Funny Car
Allen Johnson Pro Stock
Jim Whiteley Top Alcohol Dragster
Tony Bartone Top Alcohol Funny Car
Dan Fletcher Comp Eliminator
Jimmy DeFrank Super Stock
Brad Burton Stock
Jeg Coughlin Super Comp
Jesse Serna Super Gas

Traxxas TORC Series

TORC: The Off Road Championship Now Broadcast On SPEEDTM


 
TORC’s Docu-Reality Series “The Off Road Championship” moves to SPEEDTM This Fall. Charlotte and Chicago Races to Air LIVE.
 
INDIANAPOLIS (March 30, 2012) – Officials with the TRAXXAS TORC Series and SPEED are excited to announce a partnership that moves “The Off Road Championship” to SPEED, with 18 new episodes this fall. Additionally, the Charlotte (4/20) and Chicago (7/20) rounds of the 2012 Traxxas TORC Series, presented by AMSOIL, will be broadcast “LIVE” on SPEED” -the only new live broadcast programming of short course off-road racing in America!
 
“Unprecedented!” beamed USAC President Kevin Miller of the “LIVE” broadcasts and TORC’s new partnership with SPEED.  Our two LIVE airings from the Charlotte and Chicago NASCAR venues are ground-breaking for the sport of short course off-road racing. The Prime Time events will no doubt prove to be a publicity windfall for both the TORC Series and its racers. The move to SPEED allows us to dramatically increase the size and depth of the audience for our successful docu-reality coverage of the sport. TORC couldn’t be more pleased with its new partnership with SPEED.”
 
Headlining the Traxxas TORC Series at the Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Chicago’s Route 66 Raceway will be all four of The TORC series’ elite PRO divisions, including PRO Buggy, PRO Light, PRO 2WD and PRO 4×4; with its defending class champion Ricky Johnson of Team Red Bull/ KMC Wheels/ Mopar/ Ram.
 
“I couldn’t be more stoked about SPEED coming on board with TORC,” said Johnson. “Last year SPEED did a phenomenal job covering our event in Chicago, right down to the announcers’ efforts and the amazing camera angles. Everyone with TORC elevated their game knowing we were live on SPEED, and that’ll no doubt continue this year. As a driver – and a fan of short course off-road racing – you couldn’t ask for a better way to kick off the 2012 TORC season.”
Entering its third season of production, TV’s premiere off-road racing reality show, TORC: The Off Road Championship, has revolutionized high-definition motorsports coverage by being the largest long-form TV production that utilizes RED digital cinema cameras. Never before seen viewpoints are created using HD GoPro cameras mounted on radio-controlled helicopters in the sky and TRAXXAS radio-controlled trucks being driven right on the track. The 18 new episodes of original programming begin on SPEED this fall with week-to-week story-telling of all the action, both on and off the track.
 
Over the last two seasons, the show has taken viewers deep inside the world of short course off-road racing; documenting the triumphs, challenges and controversy that viewers won’t find in traditional motorsports programming. “The battle for a championship is waged both on and off the track,” says BJ Birtwell, Executive Producer at The Armory, the production company for TORC: The Off-Road Championship. “There’s so much at stake for all these drivers that to simply show flag to flag racing would be a disservice to the amount of effort and emotion each team puts into their fight for the championship.”
 
The fastest, most punishing short course truck racing series on the planet features legendary off-road drivers – including five-time AMA Motocross champion and defending Traxxas TORC Series PRO 4×4 class champion Ricky Johnson and 2010 Champion Johnny Greaves, both of whom nearly came to blows after last year’s door-banging run to the finish line where Johnson actually landed on Greaves roof! No doubt fans who saw the incident and subsequent dust up between the teams afterwards will be back to watch the battle continue for the 2012 Traxxas TORC Series opener in Charlotte!
 
The TORC race caps a week of motorsports action at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Complex that begins with the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals on April 13-15th, followed by the Charlotte Auto Fair that attracts over 100,000 automotive enthusiasts to the speedway. With radical jumps, stutter bumps, challenging berms and the rolling thunder of 900 horsepower off-road race trucks, Traxxas TORC Series short course off-road racing delivers in-your-face action that’s sure to win over the legions of NASCAR, sprint car, and Late Model fans that make Charlotte their home base. The Dirt Track at Charlotte motor speedway features excellent seating facilities in a family friendly environment. Every ticket is a free pit pass so fans can come early to experience the action in the pits, watch the live TV production ramp up, and check out the midway activities including Traxxas Radio Control truck demos and try-me track.
 

Uncategorized

Wild Brothers Racing

Wild Brothers Racing began the Land Speed season last weekend.  Bill Warner flew to TX to meet up with Billy Shoemaker for the season’s opener at the Texas Mile in Beeville TX.  Billy Shoemaker is riding the “Streetbike” this year and Bill Warner will be riding the others, but not until June after he is fully recovered from his bad accident back in October 2011.

The weekend did not go as planned.  First run of the meet was a test run to check the tune on the bike.  On this test run, we turned off the AMS1000 boost controler and ran on spring pressure plus what ever little boost creep there is.  The bike is set up beautifully and ran 240mph, not realizing the incredible speed the bike did on its lowest setting, Billy went to deep into shutdown and came upon the end of the track going faster then he wanted to.  He had it under control, but unfortunately, he did pick up a cone along the way.  Billy and the bike went down around 25-30 mph.  Billy is doing fine and went home on Monday from the 3 day stay in the hospital.  He broke 4 ribs, 3 of them have multiple brakes and punctured a lung.  The hole in the lung closed up after the 2nd day and no chest tube was needed.

Thanks you for your continued support. The “StreetBike” and Billy are recovering nicely and will be back racing May/June.

RCR

RCR Post Race Report — Martinsville Speedway

RCR Post Race Report — Martinsville Speedway
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series   
RACE: Kroger 250               
TRACK: Martinsville Speedway  
DATE: March 31, 2012  
 
Race Highlights:       
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished first (Kevin Harvick), second (Ty Dillon) and 30th (Joey Coulter).
Harvick and Dillon ranked first and second, respectively, in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Fastest Drivers Early in a Run and Fastest Drivers Late in a Run.
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Harvick and Dillon spent 100 percent of the race running in the top-15.
Harvick scored a perfect driver rating of 150, the best of the event while Dillon scored the second-best driver rating of 121.
Combined, RCR led all of the contested laps during the Kroger 250.
Harvick earned his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win of the 2012 season and was followed across the finish line by Dillon, James Buescher, Justin Lofton and Timothy Peters.
The next Camping World Truck Series race is the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 at Rockingham Speedway on Sunday, April 15. The third race of the 2012 season is scheduled to be televised live on SPEED beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time and broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Nitrous Xpress Top Fuel Dragster

Nitrous Express Top Diesel Drag Racing sold to Hamilton Cams

Today it was announced that Mike Wood
Racing, Inc and Hamilton Cams have entered into an agreement where
Hamilton Cams will purchase the entire Nitrous Express Sponsored Top
Diesel drag racing operation. This car, along with driver Emily Herod,
won the NHRDA Top Diesel World Championship in 2011.

 Mike Wood stated: “As some of you may know I
was recently injured in an off-road motorcycle accident that will
take months if not years to recuperate from. Zach has generously offered to help in my quest to advance the sport of diesel drag racing”.

 Zach Hamilton stated: “The car will remain much the same with one major difference, the bright red car will now be powered by a 12 valve Cummins engine. This will highlight Hamilton Cam’s highly advanced, proprietary Cummins 12 valve cylinder head and camshaft technology”.

The car will retain many if not all of its current sponsors including Nitrous Express, Inc.

Beat the HEAT

Update on the Sheriff’s HEAT and Project Fastlane from Chattanooga, TN

Well it has been a while since the last email about our Beat the Heat project here in Chattanooga, TN but progress has not stopped.  I had to back tract a little after hosting the World Finals last year, but 2012 is here and pulling into the burnout box as we speak so it is crunch time.  The 63 Ford is in primer and will be coming home in the next week so the assembly can begin.  I want to clean up the engine compartment real good and have a cage to install, mock up the drive train, and oh yeah…build the headers….  Maybe a few more items than that but not too bad considering that the most expensive part of the project is now complete.  Cory Woods at Arrow Machine sealed it up last week and put it in a cradle to wait on the ignition and the carb.  I can’t wait to hear what the “Pump Gas” SBF sounds like and better yet, what it will throw down with all those special parts that you have donated to our project.  “Our”, because I want each and everyone who receives this email to feel a part of this and to know that we would never be where we are without your help.  I will be sending out updates throughout the remainder of the year getting ready for Beat the HEAT’s 20th Anniversary and 2012 World Finals which takes place at the Texas Motorplex this fall.
 
With that being said, I wanted to take a minute and thank those that helped me with the build up of “the Secret Weapon”…  If the recipe of race parts that has gone into our small block ford works as we think it should, we may have some bragging rights after this years World Finals.  We are shooting for the quickest pump gas, street legal cop car in the country.  And that will be “drug free” on the motor…If we add a little nitrous who knows what might happen on the big end…
 
Thanks to the following:  Thank you Arrow Machine for all the work and time you dumped into this build (Cory Woods has had this engine together and apart 5 times making sure everything was right) , Eagle Rod for the 4340 crank and rods,  PRW for the bottom end girdle, ARP for every bolt that went into the engine, Milodon for the race pan and pick up,  Melling for the high volume oil pump and Dura-Bond race bearings, Cloyes Gears for the double roller billet gear set, Crane Cams for the entire solid roller cam Ultra-pro lifters and gold series roller rockers, Trick Flow for the cnc profiled 225 High Ports Heads, R.E.D. for the push rods, Cometic for the head gaskets, Jomar for the stud girdles and race filters, Wilson Manifold for all the work to a Super Vic intake, Fluidampr for your race damper, CVF Racing for the billet pulleys and brackets, PowerMaster for the mini starter and high amp alternator, Unleashed Custom Machine for the cool timing pointer and ignition wire loom, Stewart racing pumps for the stage 3 water pump,  and Auto Cycle for the custom powder coating.

NMCA

ARP Sponsors NMCA and NMCA West for 2012

The NMCA is pleased to announce that ARP, the leader in high
performance fasteners and bolts for your race car or muscle car, has
stepped up once again to sponsor the NMCA series and has added the NMCA
WEST series as well!  ARP Nostalgia Muscle Car is one of the most
popular NMCA classes featuring big block and small block nitrous
equipped pre-’74 muscle cars running in the mid-7 second zone at the
brink of 200 mph.

NMCA WEST’s heads-up classes are promising to be very exciting and
ARP has stepped up to sponsor the Outlaw 8.5 class that will feature
some of the most exciting side by side drag racing in the series.  ARP
Outlaw 8.5 is a limited tire class that ensures that it’s a true
“drivers” category that features the best in hook’n up horsepower.

ARP is the leading manufacturer of fasteners for your race car or hot
rod.  ARP is used by all of the top NMCA racers as well as
professionals like John Force, Greg Anderson and Warren Johnson.  To
find out why the top engine builders and racers rely on ARP to hold
their engines together log on to www.arp-bolts.com

Subaru Road Racing Team

Subaru Road Racing Team heads to Barber

Leveraging a two-month lull after the first event of the 2012 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series, the Subaru Road Racing Team (SRRT) travels to Birmingham, Al., after a productive period identifying and completing refinements on their #35 Subaru WRX STI 4-door race car in preparation for this highly-anticipated race.  This weekend’s event will be run on the popular, 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park circuit.
 
Andrew Aquilante, Chester Springs, Pa., and Bret Spaude, Bushnell, Fl., will share cockpit duties in the race-prepped, 2012 Subaru WRX STI developed specifically to compete in a field of road racing cars developing over 400 horsepower.

“Superior horsepower is always advantageous,” said Joe Aquilante, principal of Phoenix Performance in Phoenixville, Pa., where the SRRT Subaru race units are prepped and maintained, “but the Subaru symmetrical all-wheel drive system in our WRX STI is a great benefit on a twisting, hilly track such as this one and negates the power of the V8-engined cars.  We led laps during last year’s race at Barber [Motorsports Park], and our competitive lap times in January at the race at Daytona [International Speedway] drive our confidence.”
 
“On the twisting infield portions of the Daytona track,” noted driver Andrew Aquilante, “Bret and I were able to outmaneuver most of the field in our Subaru.  We expect Barber to be more of the same.”
 
Added James Han, motorsports marketing manager for Subaru of America, Inc., “We’re encouraged that the pace from our STI is both competitive and also repeatable lap after lap, and I’m looking forward to our team’s performance at Barber.”
 
Qualifying is Friday at 10:50am (ET). The 2 1/2-hour race takes the green flag Saturday at 5:15pm (ET).  The Barber Park race will be televised by SPEED TV for broadcast on April 8th at 12:00pm (ET).

Hairston Motorsports

Hairston Motorsports is Ready for 2012

Hairston Motorsports is looking forward to great year in 2012.  We will be concentrating our efforts mostly on the NMCA series with hopefully a year ending appearance at the Street Car Super Nationals in Vegas.

Several off season changes to the GTO body and chassis setup should make the car more consistent this year.  We will be working with Ken Duttweiler again with our small block engine packages looking for even more reliable horsepower.

RCR

RCR AutoClub Speedway Post-race


NASCAR Sprint Cup Series   
RACE: Auto Club 400             
TRACK: Auto Club Speedway  
DATE: March 25, 2012  
 
Race Highlights:       
Richard Childress Racing teammates finished fourth (Kevin Harvick), 19th (Paul Menard), 22nd (Jeff Burton) and 43rd (Brendan Gaughan).
According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Harvick led the field in Quality Passes (passing a car running in the top 15 while under green-flag conditions) with 35 and was one of eight drivers who did not fall outside of the top 15 during the race.
Harvick was the fourth-fastest driver in NASCAR’s Loop Data Category for Fastest Drivers Late in a Run.   
Menard tied for third in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Closers, gaining four positions in the final 20 laps (10 percent) of the event.
Menard ranked eighth among all drivers in NASCAR’s Loop Data category for Green Flag Passes, with 65 recorded.
Burton made 72 green-flag passes during the 129-lap race, third-most in the 43-car field.  
The event at Auto Club Speedway served as Gaughan’s 41st-career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his fourth of four races with the Welcome, N.C.-based organization.
Tony Stewart scored the win in Sunday’s rain-shortened race at Auto Club Speedway. Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards completed the top five.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, April 1, televised live on FOX beginning at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio beginning at 12 p.m. EST.

World of Outlaws

Schatz, World of Outlaws Claim Night 1 of the Mini Gold Cup

CHICO, Calif. – March 23, 2012 – With bragging rights on the line between the World of Outlaws and the California contingent, Friday’s main event couldn’t have set up any better.
Donny Schatz, a four-time World of Outlaws champion and the current points leader, and two-time King of California Jonathan Allard started on the front row of the 35-lap feature during Night 1 of the Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway.

Schatz capitalized on a good start and led wire to wire en route to picking up his second victory of the season. It also gave the Outlaws a 2-to-1 edge in wins versus Californians this season in the state of California.

“Tonight we started up front and maintained,” Schatz said after extending his points lead to 20. “We’re not 100 percent where we are comfortable with the car and all the stuff yet. To have two wins in this position at this time of the year and to not be 100 percent confident in what we’ve got going on yet is pretty good.”

Schatz took advantage of the qualifying invert, which started him on the pole of his heat race after timing in 15th quickest. He led all 10 laps to lock himself into the dash. Kraig Kinser, who set quick time with a lap of 12.458 seconds, randomly pulled the No. 6 to invert the first three rows of the dash. That moved Schatz to the pole of the dash and he again led the entirety of the eight-lap race to earn the pole for the feature.

“That dash draw always helps,” he said. “Starting up there on the inside was great.”

Meanwhile, Allard won his heat race from the outside front row to lock himself into the dash, where he started outside Schatz. The duo stayed within a couple car lengths of each other for most of the race with Schatz edging Allard for the top spot and the inside lane – which was the preferred spot – for the start of the main event.

“I just fell in behind Donny and tried to learn something,” Allard said. “I’ve been known for not managing my tires as well as we could have, but the Goodyears lasted, we came home with second and we’re very proud of that.”

The race featured only two cautions – on lap 24 when 10th-running Kyle Larson spun out in turn two and on the final lap when Robbie Whitchurch stopped exiting turn four – as Schatz maintained a comfortable pace on the quarter-mile track that favored the bottom.

“You just had to be cautious not to spin your tires and slip up out of that bottom groove,” Schatz said. “There wasn’t a lot of moving around. There were guys trying things, but just couldn’t make anything work. You had to be on the bottom of the race track, right on the gutter. As long as I stayed there and tried to keep from making a mistake, I was going to be ok.”

And he never pulled within a car length of lapped traffic.

“I was hoping maybe Donny would get into traffic, but he was too smart to do that,” Allard said after his runner-up finish.

Starting in the second row, veteran Outlaws driver Joey Saldana and defending King of California Tim Kaeding duked it out for the final podium position. Saldana edged Kaeding, who had claimed two of the previous three World of Outlaws features.

That moved Saldana to second in the points, while Kaeding’s result was his fourth consecutive top-six finish.

Steve Kinser rounded out the top five. Kraig Kinser was sixth, Lucas Wolfe seventh, Bill Rose placed a season-high eighth and Jason Sides ended ninth. Last Chance Showdown winner Jac Haudenschild picked up his first top 10 of the season.

In addition to Schatz and Allard, Cody Darrah and Saldana earned heat race wins. Trey Starks claimed the KSE Hard Charger Award for the second straight race.

RCR

Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Notes:

Richard Childress Racing
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Notes:
 
 
RCR in SoCal … In 65 overall NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, RCR Chevrolet teams have earned one win (Kevin Harvick – 2011), one pole (Mike Skinner – April 2000), nine top-five and 23 top-10 finishes. RCR boasts a 20.1 average starting position, a 16.2 average finishing position and have completed 15,757 of the 15,915 laps (99 percent) contested at the moderately-banked D-shaped race track. The Welcome, N.C.-based organization’s best finish at Fontana came last year when Kevin Harvick edged out Jimmie Johnson for the win in the final lap. Each of RCR’s four drivers (Paul Menard, Harvick, Jeff Burton and Brendan Gaughan) competing at Auto Club Speedway this weekend has led laps at the two-mile speedway in their Sprint Cup Series careers.
 
The Collective RCR … Over the season’s first four races, RCR’s Sprint Cup Series entries have notched two top-five and seven top-10 finishes. RCR-prepared Chevrolets have completed 5,065 out of 5,124 total laps (98.85 percent) with drivers Burton, Harvick, Menard, Elliott Sadler and Gaughan. The group has led a combined 125 laps.
 
Get to the Points … Following the race weekend in Bristol Motor Speedway, two of RCR’s three full-time Sprint Cup Series teams climbed the ranks in the point standings. While Harvick remained second, he gained ground and sits nine points out of the top spot. Menard moved up to 10th in the point standings, while Burton jumped four positions, to 11th.

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