TSN says two-time F1 world champ Fernando Alonso - fresh off his disastrous one-year stint with McLaren - is close to returning to Renault. The report says the team has lined up support to be able to pay the Spaniard $20 million/year.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Rick Young's 'Rick @ the Races... Retro #17
PIC 1 The Les Mitchell # 238 F80 at a pre season Brafield Practice day
PIC 2 The faithful old Austin 3 Litre in the Netherlands in February 1980
PIC 3 The ex Finnikin Alan Young # 393 built car of Willy Neiling # 48 at Baarlo Feb 1980
PIC 4 The 455 cu Buick powered F1 of Baarlo final winner Friedhelm Welters # 8 at Baarlo.
PIC 5 A smart # 50 Superstox ( the name esapes me) in the Ipswich pits Feb 1980
PIC 6 The ex JohnCayzer # 495 BriSCA F1 of Pete Mayhew # 94 in the Brafield pits
PIC 7 The ex Bryan Warner # 90 BriSCA F1 of Stan Cole # 432 in the Brafield pits
PIC 8 Stan Cole Snr # 506 on the pre-meeting Grand Parade at Brafield mid 60's ( Stan Jnr driving) UNKNOWN PHOTOGRAPER
PIC 9 Stu Ralls # 379 in the loaned Ray Scriven # 110 Ford Capri bodied car at Brafield
PIC 10 Bob Hall # 380 in the ex Barry Bye # SCOTA/FISCA # 41, Ray Scriven # 110 car at Brafield
PIC 11 Ian Hall # 381 in the loaned Ray scriven # 110 Ford Capri bodied car at Brafield
PIC 12 Colin Casserley # 176 in his ex Glyn Pursey # 175 car at Brafield
PIC 13 "Big Abe " Dave Abraham # 93 in my old car at Brafield
PIC 14 Bill West # 39 in trouble at Brafield
PIC 15 My Ford Capri 2 Litre ( Wish I was still that slim ! )
PIC 16 Pat in her Fiat X19
PIC 17 Pete Doran lines up on the grid at that fateful Baarlo meeting in May
RICK @ the RACES 'RETRO' is an ongoing story of my life and times at the races. My first taste of stock car racing was at the Foxhall Stadium (Ipswich UK) when I was taken there by my parents as a 'toddler' in the late 1950's. I became a regular race fan during my school days in the 60's and raced my first BriSCA F1 Stock Car at the age of 20. Since then I've moved to Ontario, Canada where, at present, I'm heavily involved in the media side of the DIRT Modified scene. RICK YOUNG
The last installment ( # 16) took us to the end of 1979
First Half of 1980
The winter of 79/80 turned out to be one of the shortest off-season's ever for me. There was enough racing going on right up to the end of 1979 to keep me happy and on January 26 , I attended my first event of 1980. I went along to the Wimbledon Stadium in South London to get my first look at the new Formula 80 stock cars that Spedeworth had introduced to replace the FISCA/SCOTA variety of Formula 1's . Like I said in my last report these were similar to the northern Hot Stox, and a less powerful scaled down version of the 'real thing'. I could never see the point of Hot Stox and the F80's didn't impress me either. I felt at the time , there were far too many different divisions/classes in UK oval racing and this just served to confuse the general public even more. There was already a good alternative in place as a smaller stock car division, with BriSCA F2, the Spedeworth Superstox, or PRI F3 ( which were all basically the same thing) A few of the original FISCA/SCOTA drivers had built cars to conform, but others had moved over to BriSCA F1.
On February 10 , I set off on another of my trips across the North Sea to the Baarlo AutoSpeedway in the Netherlands. Once again I went by my preferred crossing of Dover to Ostende (Belgium) where it was only about a three hour drive to the track via Gent, Antwerp and Eindhoven. Sealink , the ferry operators did a special 60 hour return fare which worked out well. It was easy to leave home on a Friday , see two days of racing , then catch a Sunday night boat back to the UK. On my previous trip in December , I'd applied for a truck driving job at RAF Bruggen but nothing ever came of it. I'm pretty sure that when position's came available, they were offered to locals, in preference to someone like myself , who wasn't even living in the country. So I didn't pursue it any further.
By now word had got around that I did the 'Baarlo' trip quite regularly and it wasn't difficult to fill my car with friends, who wanted to sample the Dutch style of racing, which of course made the traveling costs cheaper for me. This turned out to be one of the last trips 'across the water' for my Austin 3 Litre. Not long after the trip I sold it and bought a Ford Capri V4 2 Litre. It was still not an ideal time of the year to be camping , so for the first time I stayed in small Hotel/Bed & Breakfast in Roermond.
I remember it well, because this is where I picked up my first ( and only) parking ticket. There was very little parking available at the Hotel and I woke up too late in the morning to feed the meter. Rather than 'make a run for it' back to the UK with out paying , I figured because of the high frequency of my visits I should be a 'good boy'. The very same day, I 'payed up' at the relevant office and was able to keep a clear conscience.
One of the surprises in the Baarlo pits was the former Bert Finnikin # 55 , Alan Young # 393 built car, still with the distinctive BMC Mini body and the long bonnet/hood. It was now in the hands of Dutchman, Willy Neiling # 48 .
Alan Young , not related, lived near to me in Bedfordshire , and was a former BriSCA F2 driver. He had a brief spell in F1 before he became a noted car builder. I got to know him quite well when he became a key member of the Glyn Pursey # 175 crew, and later, in the early 90's when he worked next to where I did in Milton Keynes.
The winner of the Baarlo Final was Friedhelm Welters # 8 in a 455 cu in Buick powered UK style car. . He was always one of the best NACO drivers and this was the first time I'd seen him get a big win.
Before the BriSCA F1 season got into full swing ( March) , I went along to see the Spedeworth Superstox in action at Wimbledon, Ipswich and Aldershot. If my records are correct, February 24 was the last time I saw racing at the Foxhall Stadium in Ipswich.
History is tentatively scheduled to take place on Saturday , 20 September, 2008, when the World Final for BriSCA F1 Stock Cars, which are Europe's premier oval racing division, take place for the first time ever at Ipswich. I plan to be there !
Once, the 1980 BriSCA F1 season did get underway, I found myself on many long distance trips to the North of England, regularly attending such places as Bradford, BelleVue, Long Eaton, Hartlepool and Sheffield. These were in addition to my local tracks of Brafield, Coventry and Leicester.
1980, was a year when a few of my 'race fan' buddies decided to try their hand at F1 racing for the first time. These included, Pete Mayhew # 94 (Barking , Essex) , Stan Cole # 432 ( Flitton, Beds) , Stu Ralls # 379 ( Southampton, Hants), Bob Hall #380 and Ian Hall # 381 ( Billericay Essex). Pete made his debut in an ex John Cayzer car and Stan , in an ex Bryan Warner car , where as Stu, Bob and Ian used loaned cars from Ray Scriven . The latter trio who are brothers and long time friends, were known around the raceways as "Halls & Ralls". All five of the guys mentioned above , are still good friends of mine and are on my "RICK @ the RACES" mailing list. Pete, after living for a few years in Hamburg, New Jersey ( close to the Orange County Fair Speedway NY ) now lives back in the UK in Cheshire. Stan is in Northamptonshire, Bob in South Yorkshire, Ian in West London (Middlesex), and Stu is still in Southampton. Stan was a second-generation driver, his Dad, Stan Cole (Snr) # 506 who I also knew well, was an F2 racer at Brafield in the mid sixties when I first started going racing .
Two other old friends, who were back racing with BriSCA, and are recipients of my RICK @ the RACES reports , were Bob Boddington # 196 of Haddenham , Buckinghamshire, and Colin Casserley # 176 of Stevenage in Hertfordshire. Colin had started his racing career with the FISCA/SCOTA F1's and was one of the first to switch over to BriSCA. In 1980 he was driving a potent ex Glyn Pursey # 175 Chevy. These days. like me he's heavily involved in the media side racing and in 2007 is one of the sports leading photographers. He and I are also members of the TRACKCHASERS group. As I prepare this report in November 2007 he is currently Europe's # 3 rated TRACKCHASER behind Roland Vanden Eynde of Belgium and Steve 'Spike' Rixon of Watford in the UK.
The Abraham brothers were also out on the track with the '390' cu in Ford Thunderbird powered car I sold to them in late 1979. They took it in turns to drive , Dave was issued with # 93 and Paul had # 393.
For quite a while, on most of my Monday night excursions to Sheffield I would travel up, with the two 'Micks' that I'd known for many years. Mick 'the beard' Lovett who I first met on the 'Bed Pan Line' gong to Harringay in the 60's and Mick 'Blacky' Black who was crew man/mechanic to Chris Pickup and myself when we first started racing.
While mentioning Chris, ... he was absent for the first part of 1980 as he was building something 'special' and it wasn't finished yet .. More about this in RICK @ the RACES (RETRO # 18)
In 1979 a Daily Mirror Grand Prix Series had been set up and was running again in 1980. Someone had the 'bright idea' ( I say that sarcastically ! ) to run the races in an unconventional way. The general concept of UK stock car racing was ( and still is) to make the top drivers start at the back of the pack. This makes the racing more interesting as they have to work ( or push) their way to the front. The format for the Grand Prix Series did away with this, and often the top drivers would start at the front, making for some pretty boring races.
Because of this, we chose to miss the Sheffield Grand Prix round that was scheduled for May 19, a decision which was to change the direction of my life...
I was still truck driving for a living , engaged on the same paper company contract in the Dunstable area and in the course of my travels I often spotted a good looking blonde driving a green Fiat X19 two seater ( similar looking to the Pontiac Fierro) . When ever we saw each other we'd usually smile and wave ... I was 26 years old and still single !
One the buddies I knew from my engineering ( apprenticeship) days had changed careers and was now a local police officer. Quite often , when I wasn't at the races , we'd both go out to the pubs and night spots in our area, where I'd check out the 'talent'. On the night of the Sheffield Grand Prix round , (which I'd decided to miss) , my 'cop buddy' phoned me to see if I fancied going out for 'a jar'. Well, we were standing at the bar in one of the local 'watering holes' when in walked the girl in the green Fiat X19.... To cut a long story short, her name was Pat, we got along very well, and within the space of about four weeks, we were seriously dating. She later become my wife who I was married to for sixteen years.
Luton's Bill West # 39 was a regular racer at my local tracks, and along with my old buddy ( another fellow TRACKCHASER) ,Colin Herridge we started helping him out at the meetings. At about the same time, Colin started dating Kim, who he married and this year ( 2007) they celebrated their Silver Wedding.
Colin, who I've known since the mid 70's when our 'stock car gang' was based at the Plume of Feathers in Markyate ( Herts) , joined me on my second Baarlo (May 24/25) trip of the year.
This two day event ended prematurely when one of our friends, Pete Doran # 428 , a UK driver competing was involved in a serious accident. His car rolled several times, then went over the safety fence and into the spectator area. Pete luckily escaped injury, but sadly there was one fatality in the crowd . The meeting was brought to a close, as the investigations took place. It was bleak and sad ending to this trip.
The Remainder of 1980 to follow...
- Rick Young
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
What? No China?!
Champ Car unveiled its 2008 schedule on Monday.
Gone is the annual pretend race in China (among others).
But there are two trips to Europe on the '08 sked.
The Canadian Triple Crown returns with consecutive events at Mt. Tremblant (June 29), Toronto (July 6... still called 'Steelback GP of Toronto, by the way), and the GP of Edmonton on July 20. In all, there are 14 races on next season's Champ Car World Series schedule.
One quote from the series' website: "We have succeeded in improving our schedules for next season, offering Champ Car fans, sponsors, teams, drivers, TV broadcasters and other stakeholders a cohesive, strong calendar of events," said Champ Car CEO and President Steve Johnson. "We will stabilize our base in North America, begin a steady growth plan for Europe, and provide a balance of temporary and permanent circuits."
The Champ Car press release is here.
The actual schedule is here.
TSN's reaction is here.
All that remains now is to see who turns out to race, and how many turn out to watch. I just read a piece by NSSN's John Oreovicz (traditionally one of Champ Car's most reliable defenders). In it, he documented the series' troubles in terms of it becoming a primarily 'pay to race' series, among other things.
It ended: "The continuing saga of massive turnover of drivers, teams and races and the lack of significant sponsorship has some observers wondering whether Champ Car is going to answer the bell for the 2008 season. And even worse, the series staunchest supporters are starting to wonder: Why bother?"
Gone is the annual pretend race in China (among others).
But there are two trips to Europe on the '08 sked.
The Canadian Triple Crown returns with consecutive events at Mt. Tremblant (June 29), Toronto (July 6... still called 'Steelback GP of Toronto, by the way), and the GP of Edmonton on July 20. In all, there are 14 races on next season's Champ Car World Series schedule.
One quote from the series' website: "We have succeeded in improving our schedules for next season, offering Champ Car fans, sponsors, teams, drivers, TV broadcasters and other stakeholders a cohesive, strong calendar of events," said Champ Car CEO and President Steve Johnson. "We will stabilize our base in North America, begin a steady growth plan for Europe, and provide a balance of temporary and permanent circuits."
The Champ Car press release is here.
The actual schedule is here.
TSN's reaction is here.
All that remains now is to see who turns out to race, and how many turn out to watch. I just read a piece by NSSN's John Oreovicz (traditionally one of Champ Car's most reliable defenders). In it, he documented the series' troubles in terms of it becoming a primarily 'pay to race' series, among other things.
It ended: "The continuing saga of massive turnover of drivers, teams and races and the lack of significant sponsorship has some observers wondering whether Champ Car is going to answer the bell for the 2008 season. And even worse, the series staunchest supporters are starting to wonder: Why bother?"
Jimmie Johnson Phoenix Preview
Jimmie Johnson and the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series travel to Phoenix International Raceway for Sunday�s ninth of the ten-race 2007 �Chase for the Nextel Cup.� After posting his 32nd career victory at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Johnson leads teammate Jeff Gordon by 30 points. Johnson hopes to drive his Chevrolet Impala SS �Car of Tomorrow� to his fourth consecutive victory this weekend equaling a modern era record held by seven drivers. Johnson has won 10 of the 38 �Chase� races since NASCAR created the new format four years ago. Only Phoenix and Homestead remain on the 2007 �Chase� schedule.
JIMMIE JOHNSON ON RECENT STRING OF SUCCESS: �I think that we've been on quite a roll here and going to victory lane does something for the crew and the shop that you couldn�t do any other way. When you go to victory lane, there's just a buzz that goes through all of Hendrick Motorsports and really on the 48 team.�
OUTLOOK: �We have momentum going our direction right now but it's only 30 points and if you look at the last two weeks, I've been able to make up roughly 60 points. Jeff hasn't had bad races the last two events. He's had strong he finishes. So it's not like he's had bad nights. I can finish tenth, he can win, and I'm back in second. So we have a lot of work ahead of us and are happy to be in a position to race for the championship. With good racetracks coming up for us, good race cars in the lineup and momentum from the victories, and our guys are showing up hungry every week, we�re trying to get as many points as we can.�
SECOND HALF �CHASE� SURGES: �I think tracks have something to do with it. There are good tracks that we see in the spring and fall and that has a lot to do with it. I feel that we have no idea. We just show up and we do the same job every week that we always do but there are certain tracks that we are better at.�
RACING AND FRIENDSHIP WITH JEFF GORDON: �This is racing. You have to check your emotions at the gate when you come in here. Motorsports is such a humbling experience and I've been very fortunate to experience in my career a lot of great things but the road getting here was a tough one and I think a lot of people know the career that I've had, and things that I've had to do to get to this point and it's been a long battle. Motorsports will eat people up and spit them out, and I just want to capitalize on this opportunity that I have. Jeff is a great friend and great teammate, but he's also the most challenging guy out there for me to beat. And that's with all the respect in the world. But I don't feel bad for him and I know he wouldn't, either. If something happened where he had bad luck and we ended up winning the championship, that's where I would feel bad. But the fact that we are racing as hard as we are for it right now, it's racing.�
From Kristine Curley / kcurley@gmrlivepr.com
JIMMIE JOHNSON ON RECENT STRING OF SUCCESS: �I think that we've been on quite a roll here and going to victory lane does something for the crew and the shop that you couldn�t do any other way. When you go to victory lane, there's just a buzz that goes through all of Hendrick Motorsports and really on the 48 team.�
OUTLOOK: �We have momentum going our direction right now but it's only 30 points and if you look at the last two weeks, I've been able to make up roughly 60 points. Jeff hasn't had bad races the last two events. He's had strong he finishes. So it's not like he's had bad nights. I can finish tenth, he can win, and I'm back in second. So we have a lot of work ahead of us and are happy to be in a position to race for the championship. With good racetracks coming up for us, good race cars in the lineup and momentum from the victories, and our guys are showing up hungry every week, we�re trying to get as many points as we can.�
SECOND HALF �CHASE� SURGES: �I think tracks have something to do with it. There are good tracks that we see in the spring and fall and that has a lot to do with it. I feel that we have no idea. We just show up and we do the same job every week that we always do but there are certain tracks that we are better at.�
RACING AND FRIENDSHIP WITH JEFF GORDON: �This is racing. You have to check your emotions at the gate when you come in here. Motorsports is such a humbling experience and I've been very fortunate to experience in my career a lot of great things but the road getting here was a tough one and I think a lot of people know the career that I've had, and things that I've had to do to get to this point and it's been a long battle. Motorsports will eat people up and spit them out, and I just want to capitalize on this opportunity that I have. Jeff is a great friend and great teammate, but he's also the most challenging guy out there for me to beat. And that's with all the respect in the world. But I don't feel bad for him and I know he wouldn't, either. If something happened where he had bad luck and we ended up winning the championship, that's where I would feel bad. But the fact that we are racing as hard as we are for it right now, it's racing.�
From Kristine Curley / kcurley@gmrlivepr.com
Jacques Villeneuve's Texas Truck Recap
Jacques Villeneuve – Unicef Tundra
Post Race Report
Race: Silverado 350K
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Date: Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
Started: 16th
Finished: 25th
Laps Completed: 141
Total Laps: 149
After scoring his career best NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series finish last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jacques Villeneuve and his No. 27 UNICEF team hoped to better that mark this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, a similar track to Atlanta.
Prior to this weekend, Villeneuve had never visited the Texas track. He took it easy throughout the first practice session Thursday morning in an effort to adapt to the racetrack. He picked up the pace during the rookie practice and final practice sessions, and the No. 27 team had its Tundra running well.
Like his past NCTS starts, Villeneuve was one of the first drivers to qualify. He did all he could to muster a good qualifying lap. His lap of 29.636 seconds was good enough for the 16th position on the starting grid for Friday night's race.
After the green flag waved to start the race, Villeneuve immediately let crew chief Doug Wolcott know that the handling of his UNICEF Tundra was tight. He fought his truck through the first 10 laps of the race before coming to pit road under caution. The crew pulled tape from the grille of the No. 27 Tundra, in addition to changing the rear tire pressure, before sending Villeneuve back onto the track.
Within a few laps, Villeneuve let his crew know that his truck was improving. He maintained his position well before reporting to the pits again under caution on lap 40. The crew made a wedge adjustment during the four-tire stop, and Villeneuve restarted 18th on lap 44.
Just when it appeared Villeneuve was on the move to the front, he felt something unusual and drove to the attention of his crew. The unusual feeling was the result of a flat tire, which the crew quickly changed. Villeneuve lost one lap to the leader because of the unscheduled green flag pit stop.
Things just got worse for Villeneuve. His Tundra grew tighter by the lap. He was forced to keep pitting throughout the next 100 laps for adjustments, as he could no longer handle his ill-fighting truck. He finished the race in the 25th position, six laps behind the race winner.
Villeneuve join the rest of the Craftsman Truck Series drivers this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. He will also attempt to qualify for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race this weekend.
From Amanda Smith Mathis / Bill Davis Racing
Post Race Report
Race: Silverado 350K
Track: Texas Motor Speedway
Date: Friday, Nov. 2, 2007
Started: 16th
Finished: 25th
Laps Completed: 141
Total Laps: 149
After scoring his career best NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series finish last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jacques Villeneuve and his No. 27 UNICEF team hoped to better that mark this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, a similar track to Atlanta.
Prior to this weekend, Villeneuve had never visited the Texas track. He took it easy throughout the first practice session Thursday morning in an effort to adapt to the racetrack. He picked up the pace during the rookie practice and final practice sessions, and the No. 27 team had its Tundra running well.
Like his past NCTS starts, Villeneuve was one of the first drivers to qualify. He did all he could to muster a good qualifying lap. His lap of 29.636 seconds was good enough for the 16th position on the starting grid for Friday night's race.
After the green flag waved to start the race, Villeneuve immediately let crew chief Doug Wolcott know that the handling of his UNICEF Tundra was tight. He fought his truck through the first 10 laps of the race before coming to pit road under caution. The crew pulled tape from the grille of the No. 27 Tundra, in addition to changing the rear tire pressure, before sending Villeneuve back onto the track.
Within a few laps, Villeneuve let his crew know that his truck was improving. He maintained his position well before reporting to the pits again under caution on lap 40. The crew made a wedge adjustment during the four-tire stop, and Villeneuve restarted 18th on lap 44.
Just when it appeared Villeneuve was on the move to the front, he felt something unusual and drove to the attention of his crew. The unusual feeling was the result of a flat tire, which the crew quickly changed. Villeneuve lost one lap to the leader because of the unscheduled green flag pit stop.
Things just got worse for Villeneuve. His Tundra grew tighter by the lap. He was forced to keep pitting throughout the next 100 laps for adjustments, as he could no longer handle his ill-fighting truck. He finished the race in the 25th position, six laps behind the race winner.
Villeneuve join the rest of the Craftsman Truck Series drivers this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. He will also attempt to qualify for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race this weekend.
From Amanda Smith Mathis / Bill Davis Racing
Monday, November 05, 2007
A1GP: Wickens Shines in Euro Adventures
The 18-year-old's European travels kicked off with A1 Team Canada at the Brno Auto Motodrom in the Czech Republic, the second round of the 2007-08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. Wickens wasn't about to let his inexperience behind the wheel of the 550bhp A1GP car or his lack of track knowledge get in the way of his first outing for the Canadian team since a one-off pre-season test at Silverstone in August.
The 2006 Formula BMW USA Champion wasted little time in getting up to speed and in the second 25-minute session for rookie drivers the Canadian captured P1 before handing over qualifying and race duties to sophomore driver James Hinchcliffe. Buoyed by a sterling performance in Brno, Wickens headed to Portugal and the Estoril circuit, former home of the Portuguese Grand Prix, to make his debut in the World Series by Renault driving the Red Bull-backed #8 Carlin Motorsport entry.
Following in the footsteps of fellow A1 Team Canada alum, Vancouver's Sean McIntosh - who finished sixth overall in the 2006 World Series by Renault, Robert proudly flew the maple leaf flag in the category that's produced a host of next generation F1 talent including Poland's Robert Kubica (BMW), Finland's Heikki Kovalainen (Renault) and Germany's Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso).
Scoring a 12th place finish in the first of the weekend's double-header races, having started 18th due to a flat-spotted tire in qualifying, Wickens backed that up with a 10th place finish in Race 2 to score a point on his debut weekend - a goal he'd earlier set himself. With a race weekend under his belt Wickens headed to Spain's Circuit de Catalunya outside Barcelona the following weekend for the season finale at the end of October.
Showcasing his confidence behind the wheel of the Dallara-Renault, Wickens captured sixth on the grid and duly scored more points with a seventh place finish at the flag. The second race saw him start fourth thanks to the inverted top-ten used by the World Series by Renault and a podium finish was the target. A great start was quickly eradicated by a spin caused by contact from behind - Robert able to get back on track but stuck down in 18th. A solid recovery drive saw Wickens just miss out on the points with an 11th place finish, his lap times as he stormed the field the equal of the race leaders.
"It was pretty satisfying to score points in both Portugal and Spain," Wickens reflected on his first career starts in the World Series by Renault. "I knew that I had the pace to get a podium in the second race in Spain so it was a bit of a bummer that I was taken out at the first corner but overall both events were good experiences for me."
On the differences between the A1GP and World Series race cars Robert stated, "Well they're both quite different. The A1GP car's fun to drive as you're sliding it around and working on the balance whereas the World Series car has phenomenal grip in comparison. The two are complete opposites to drive but I had a blast in both cars. I thoroughly enjoyed my debut with A1 Team Canada earlier in October and I hope my efforts in the rookie session helped the team. We might not always get to go P1 in every session but as long as we're improving our competitiveness that's what counts!"
Photo Credit: 'A1 Team Canada's Robert Wickens pictured in the Czech Republic' - Jakob Ebrey Photography
From A1 Team Canada Media Relations: Stuart Morrison - PR & Media Manager
Please tell me they're not planning on using $1 million Jags this time....
MOORESVILLE, NC - If you are a race fan, especially an old school race fan, you will want to mark May 18, 2008, on your calendar. Old school and everyday race fans will be able to see their favorite old school drivers back on the track.
Racing legends David Pearson, Dave Marcis, Harry Gant, James Hylton, Geoff Bodine and more have signed up to race in The Old School Racing Champions Tour (OSRCT) in 2008.
The OSRCT will debut at the Concord Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina with a 10 race schedule. A champion will be crowned at the New Smyrna Speedway in February of 2009 during a Last Chance and Championship Race.
"I have been an ARCA Truck Series Team owner for many years, have a few wins under our belt, but OSR is the most exciting thing I have ever been involved with in racing,” said Gene Weaver a Managing Partner of the OSRCT.
The OSRCT is for former winners in any of NASCAR’s top three series, former ARCA, CART and Indy Car Champions, or previous Indianapolis 500 winners that are not currently competing full-time in any of the above listed series.
“These drivers are legends in auto racing and I hope that OSR can provide a platform that will allow us to show them how much we appreciate what they have done for this sport,” added Weaver. “They deserve recognition as the pioneers of racing and it is the least we can do for them at this stage of their lives."
Driver safety is priority number one with the OSRCT. All tracks on the schedule are ¾ a mile or less and include such venues as two-time Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway, the Music City Motorplex, Southside Speedway, Hickory Motor Speedway, South Boston Speedway, Flat Rock Speedway and the Springport Speedway.
The night of the race to these legendary drivers delight they will strap into equally prepared, maintained cars, provided to the drivers by OSRCT. While the drivers are excited about another turn around the track, the competitive spirit that made them Champions will compel them to drive for the win. Two time Busch Series Champion Larry Pearson probably summed it up best saying, “I can’t wait to do this.”
Adding a twist to traditional racing where drivers show up to qualify for every race, in the OSRCT drivers will only be eligible to race in 6 of the 10 races on the schedule and points will be based on the driver’s five best finishes.
To make things even more exciting, only about 15 drivers will be able to compete in any regular season race and only 20 or so drivers in the championship races. With all race sign-ups being on a first come first serve basis all drivers must select their races not only early but also wisely.
As the drivers race for each win and the championship, the car will display the logo of the drivers chosen charity. Half of all the driver’s winnings will go to that charity, including half of the half million dollar Championship purse. This will give recognition to each charity as well as a generous donation on behalf of every driver that competes in the OSRCT.
Mark your calendars and get ready for the most exciting racing series to debut in years.
“Competitiveness is bred within and Remains for Life” as these legends will exhibit starting May 18th 2008.
Summing up the excitement surrounding the series debut, managing partner Norm Weaver said “Hold on to your hats, it’s going to be something.”
For further information on the OSRCT please visit the OSRCT website at http://www.osrct.com/.
From Matthew Blaylock / Media Relations
***
UPDATE: For anyone who isn't familiar with the reference in the title of this post, click here.
Racing legends David Pearson, Dave Marcis, Harry Gant, James Hylton, Geoff Bodine and more have signed up to race in The Old School Racing Champions Tour (OSRCT) in 2008.
The OSRCT will debut at the Concord Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina with a 10 race schedule. A champion will be crowned at the New Smyrna Speedway in February of 2009 during a Last Chance and Championship Race.
"I have been an ARCA Truck Series Team owner for many years, have a few wins under our belt, but OSR is the most exciting thing I have ever been involved with in racing,” said Gene Weaver a Managing Partner of the OSRCT.
The OSRCT is for former winners in any of NASCAR’s top three series, former ARCA, CART and Indy Car Champions, or previous Indianapolis 500 winners that are not currently competing full-time in any of the above listed series.
“These drivers are legends in auto racing and I hope that OSR can provide a platform that will allow us to show them how much we appreciate what they have done for this sport,” added Weaver. “They deserve recognition as the pioneers of racing and it is the least we can do for them at this stage of their lives."
Driver safety is priority number one with the OSRCT. All tracks on the schedule are ¾ a mile or less and include such venues as two-time Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway, the Music City Motorplex, Southside Speedway, Hickory Motor Speedway, South Boston Speedway, Flat Rock Speedway and the Springport Speedway.
The night of the race to these legendary drivers delight they will strap into equally prepared, maintained cars, provided to the drivers by OSRCT. While the drivers are excited about another turn around the track, the competitive spirit that made them Champions will compel them to drive for the win. Two time Busch Series Champion Larry Pearson probably summed it up best saying, “I can’t wait to do this.”
Adding a twist to traditional racing where drivers show up to qualify for every race, in the OSRCT drivers will only be eligible to race in 6 of the 10 races on the schedule and points will be based on the driver’s five best finishes.
To make things even more exciting, only about 15 drivers will be able to compete in any regular season race and only 20 or so drivers in the championship races. With all race sign-ups being on a first come first serve basis all drivers must select their races not only early but also wisely.
As the drivers race for each win and the championship, the car will display the logo of the drivers chosen charity. Half of all the driver’s winnings will go to that charity, including half of the half million dollar Championship purse. This will give recognition to each charity as well as a generous donation on behalf of every driver that competes in the OSRCT.
Mark your calendars and get ready for the most exciting racing series to debut in years.
“Competitiveness is bred within and Remains for Life” as these legends will exhibit starting May 18th 2008.
Summing up the excitement surrounding the series debut, managing partner Norm Weaver said “Hold on to your hats, it’s going to be something.”
For further information on the OSRCT please visit the OSRCT website at http://www.osrct.com/.
From Matthew Blaylock / Media Relations
***
UPDATE: For anyone who isn't familiar with the reference in the title of this post, click here.
Bourque raises morale of Canada's military members and funds for their families
Folks,
The General holding my helmet is Rick Hillier, Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff, photo taken while in Afghanistan two weeks ago. The banner, signed by all drivers and available NASCAR officials at Cayuga Speedway in September, is permanently stationed at Base Camp in Kandahar. A complete set of races from the 2007 Canadian Tire season was donated by James Robinson & Associates and is also permanently stationed at Base Camp.
My helmet was auctioned last night at a black tie affair at the Canadian War Museum attended by over 750 people. It went for $5,000, proceeds going to a charity to aid the families of our serving
military members, and was donated back to the Chief of the Defence Staff, who promised to find an appropriate home for it at National Defence HQ in Ottawa.
You all had a part in this, I can't tell you how proud I was last night on behalf of our team and our sport. Thank you all very much.
- Pierre
BUSCH CHAMP Carl Edwards, Pierre Kuettel and Jack Roush discuss their title
Ford Racing Notes from Texas Motor Speedway after Carl Edwards clinched the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series title
CARL EDWARDS – No. 60 Dish Network Ford Fusion –HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE 2007 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES CHAMPION? "It feels great. In 2005, we went out to run the Busch Series full time. At the beginning of the year, we didn't have a full time sponsor for the Cup side and I was really excited about running for a championship in 2005. We got close, then in '06 we got a little bit closer. This year, especially the first half of the year was just so spectacular, PK [Pierre Kuettel] and all of the guys did such a great job and we had luck on our side. It just feels great to be a championship. I won championships at my local dirt tracks and I won two, then I won the Baby Grand Stock Car Racing Association Championship in 2002. It feels great."
PIERRE KUETTEL – No. 60 Crew Chief – HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE CHAMPIONSHIP CREW CHIEF? "It feels really good. I finished in the Cup series a couple of times in the top five. I finished second in the sports car championships and finally getting to be a champion is a really good feeling."
JACK ROUSH, OWNER ROUSH FENWAY – TALK ABOUT THIS CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON WITH CARL? "We, of course, had a great start. The rhythms in this business will just drive you crazy as a driver or crew chief, mechanic or an owner. We had an unbelievable start to the year and of course it was unbelievable that we had to get a lot of it back. I would not been surprised after it started to the turn if we would kept breaking things, kept crashing and kept having things go wrong. When that monkey gets on your back, he rides hard and he's got sharp claws. It means a lot to me to be able to watch Carl win his championship in NASCAR and to watch PK win his. We moved Carl around the Busch Series. He didn't stay long enough in the truck series to win the championship there which he certainty could have. We didn't keep him in the Busch Series before we moved him into Cup. Every time for everything we tried to do with Carl, we really put some amount of risk to his career. When he came back a couple of years ago and tied for second with Greg Biffle for the Cup championship, I felt that we hadn't made a mistake for Carl. It was going to be okay. Then Mark Martin never did win a championship with us in 19 years. For us to win a championship now with Carl and get that behind us is really big."
EDWARDS – JACK MENTIONED HOW THE RHYTHM LEFT. HOW DID IT GO AND WOULDN'T COME BACK? "I just couldn't believe it. I'll never forget Kentucky. We were dominant. We were half a second faster than the field and just doing great leading. On a late restart, I'd already decided who I was going to give the trophy to. I was thinking this is going to be great and sure enough, we got wrecked there. Then, it just seemed like it wouldn't stop all the way up to Memphis last week. That monkey does have some sharp claws. I don't know. That's just the way racing goes though. I think it was Jimmie Johnson who said that momentum was an unbelievable thing. When it's going great it's unbelievable, when it's going bad it's unbelievable. We've had both this season. Hopefully we can just finish these last two races and get a couple of wins and keep going."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU AT THIS POINT IN YOUR CAREER? "It's just amazing. I say this a lot, but I've lived two completely different lives. I've been to Texas Motor Speedway. I was here in 2000 with Mike Mittler working on his truck. I drove in the right seat of the semi here from Missouri. I don't remember where I stayed, probably is somebody's roll away in the hotel. I came here and carried ice bags. I just helped out. I did that and to be staying there on pit road with the championship trophy in the NASCAR Busch Series, it's amazing. A lot of good people have helped me. These two up here [Jack Roush and Pierre Kuettel] have done an amazing amount of work for me and I'm extremely grateful. It's a great feeling. I can't wait to start the season next year as a defending champion and hopefully do it again."
DO YOU THINK YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM FROM HAVING TO GO BACK AND FORTH FROM BUSCH TO CUP? "No, there really was nothing. It doesn't matter to me to race three times a day, seven days a week. That doesn't affect me. The deal is, it was just terrible luck. Charlotte for example, of all the people to spin out by themselves and collect us, I never in a million years thought Jimmie Johnson would have done it. We had a dominant car all day, so here we go. We led most of the race, we got caught up in a wreck that was a complete fluke and the 29 car wins the race and we finish 40th or whatever. It's just like the luck was astoundingly bad. I don't think there was anything we really could have done. We had the stuff that happened at the road course that was spectacular, welds breaking and parts failing, it was just amazing. I think we just had a lot of bad luck. I'm glad we could still overcome it and win this driver's championship."
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ROUSH FENWAY UP TO THIS. "I'm going to write a book, but I guess I could give you the short version. I decided when I was about 13 or 14 that I wanted to drive race cars and from then on I bothered every person that had a race car that I came in contact with. I had business cards to hand out. I never actually handed one to Jack Roush but I'm sure I handed one to 50 or 60 people that he knew or came into contact with. And eventually, some how Max Jones and those folks called me up. I didn't know whose number it was when my phone rang. I knew it was a 704 area code and that was from North Carolina. I remember right where I was standing when Max Jones called me. I remember about six or eight months later exactly what I was doing and where I was when they called me up and said 'hey, you can come and drive this Craftsman Truck. We don't have a sponsor or anything but you can come drive it.' I just remember how amazing that feeling was. It's amazing."
ROUSH - "The unsung hero sponsor for Carl, outside his mother and father and family not withstanding, but Mike Mittler. He probably made a great person investment percentage-wise in terms of what it meant to him, to Mike, then certainly that I have. And Mike Mittler is a guy that I thank for giving Carl a shot and bringing him to our attention."
EDWARDS – "You're exactly right. If Mike didn't have that truck and wasn't within driving distance of my house and I couldn't go up there everyday, I definitely wouldn't be here. I'd be doing something else."
ROUSH – DOES IT TAKE ANYTHING AWAY NOT GETTING THE OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP LOCKED UP WITH THIS? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT IN HAVING THE DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP FOR YOU? "I feel like a second-class owner if I didn't manage to do that."
EDWARDS – "You're not."
ROUSH – "I thought about this question. In fact, I thought about it earlier today that somebody is going to ask me what I feel like tonight when Carl wins as a driver. If I want to be argumentative, I could pick the best road race driver and the best flat track driver and the best mile-and-a-half driver and have those in my car at different times. Then if I was lucky, you would do better that than you would do with either one of those drivers driving in all three of those different cars. But it isn't that simple. We're third behind Denny Hamlin, too and Denny's done most of his own driving. The Childress organization did a great job putting great drivers in the Busch cars and they had good fortune to go with that. They've just done a great job. And Carl's done a great job. I managed to put him in road race cars and PK helped me with some of that. But I managed to put him in road race cars that broke twice and we lament that and we'll thrash ourselves for that over the winter. But that's not the only reason we got beat. We were unlucky on the race track. We just got caught up in wrecks that we're anybody's fault. So some of the things we could have avoided and that was my fault. Others we couldn't. Like I said, there's a rhythm to this thing. When Matt Kenseth won his championship in 2003, there was a good part of that year when it looked like he was going to win that championship when it looked like he was not going to win a race. Of course, we could do no wrong. We couldn't break a part, we didn't have a flat tire, no body wrecked in front of us, and we didn't cause a wreck. That's just the way it goes. I certainly will do a better job in providing the leadership that will help PK and help the team put Carl in stuff and all the drivers in stuff, the cars and trucks that don't break. That's my primary responsibility. And I assume the responsibility of falling short on that this year."
EDWARDS – CAN THIS EXPERIENCE CARRY OVER TO OTHER THINGS? "Yeah, it's an accomplishment that I will be able to take with me for the rest of my career. It definitely feels good. I've learned a lot this season and I feel like I learn a lot every year and every race, for that matter. This is something that is a great feeling. Years from now, hopefully this will be one championship of many. I'm just excited to get the first one done."
ROUSH – AT WHAT POINT DID YOU SEE THE TALENT IN CARL? HOW MUCH DID YOU SEE? DID YOU EVER THINK THIS WOULD BE THE OUTCOME? "You consider what a person does on a race track and you consider who would speak for them and the recommendations will come. I enjoyed Benny Parsons when he was around. He was always watching for talent and he would help me with that. And he brought Greg Biffle to us and for which I'm eternally grateful. So you look at who would speak up for somebody, try to make an assessment as how good you think their equipment is. Different times we've had drivers in our programs that have not been as well thought of as they should have been because our cars weren't as good as they should have been for a period of time. Then I'm inclined to make an assessment of where I think somebody else's program is. Then past that, not everybody that can technically drive a race car has got the determination, the motivation and the inclination to be able to close the deal and win. A driver needs to be a gun fighter. A driver needs to be somebody that you wouldn't like to stand between him and something he needs because when it's really important. I've seen some people mad and me and I've seen some people that see me as a burden or somebody that is in the way. The gun fighter's look in a driver's eye is very important. Your really good drivers are drivers that close the deal. They give you a look like a red-tailed hawk when it's really important. Then they close the deal."
EDWARDS – ANY THOUGHTS ON BEING THE LAST BUSCH SERIES CHAMPION? EVEN THOUGH IT'S A NAME CHANGE, WILL IT FEEL DIFFERENT NEXT YEAR? "I hadn't thought about it much. But, the other day they unveiled the logo and I got to be part of that for the Nationwide Series. Anheuser Busch has done a lot for this series. To be involved for so long and doing so much, I'm very grateful for that. It's a great company. From what I see, they've done their best to support the series and it's nice to win a Busch Series Championship. But I look forward to Nationwide being the in the series. They're really excited about it and in a few years, it'll be just like NEXTEL coming in and stuff. I think the name will be just as synonymous with racing and the performance that everybody sees on the track. Hopefully we can get one of each, it will be great."
EDWARDS – HOW WOULD NASCAR'S CHANGES IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES AFFECT YOUR DECISION TO RUN? "It will make it more uncomfortable because I'll have to wear all that make-up for my disguise. It will be tough, all the logistics. I hope that I can race. They way I look at it, if I go to the local dirt track, there's a dirt track that runs on Wednesday nights and I want to go build a late model and go race for points, I can go do that and I'm glad that I can. And I feel that way about the Busch Series as I've got a great team and we've got sponsors that are excited and I'm grateful that I get to run for points in that. If NASCAR feels that they need to change for the good of the series, then I'll do whatever I need to do. If it turns out that I can't race or whatever, that's what I'll do. I just hope I can still race in these Busch races when I want to."
EDWARDS – HOW PHYSICALLY DEMANDING IS IT TO DO BOTH SERIES? OR DO YOU THINK YOU'LL TAKE A STEP BACK AND CONCENTRATE ON THE CUP CHAMPIONSHIP NEXT YEAR? "Jack and I actually talked about that a little bit. We might try to experiment a little bit next year in focusing more on the Cup Series if it can help. I'm really at a point in my life, I'm 28 years old, I've wanted to race cars for 10 or 15 years now worse then anything and now I have an opportunity to go do it. Really, all I have to do is eat, sleep and drive race cars and I'm going to do that for a while. To me it's not physically difficult or anything. I try to be in the best shape I can be and go to sleep at night and make sure I right and things like that. It hasn't been very demanding. Jack's made it very easy flying me around in the jets and it's really not that bad."
ROUSH – "One thing that we have talked about, there has been a temptation to go to a Busch race on Friday and go back and forth a couple of times on a weekend. I think that's pretty much out of the question going forward. Because you do wind up not doing the best you probably could do in the Busch car for yourself and certainly not as good you could do in the Cup car on those weekends where the races are apart. Carl and I are racing dogs. And most of the people who really carry their energy to the limit are in this business. If they'll let us race for a championship in the Busch Series, that's just fine. If they don't let us race in the Busch Series for a championship, that is also just fine. As long as we can carry sponsors that have the interest in promoting it and I can afford to make a viable business out of it, we'll be there."
ROUSH – WITH EVERYTHING BEING ALL CHEVY FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND NOW YOU HAVE A CHAMPIONSHIP, IS IT A REAL SHOT IN THE ARM FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO SAY TO FORD, 'LOOK WHAT WE DID, WE GOT YOU A CHAMPIONSHIP'? "We'll Ford expect us to race for the championships. There was a time when Ford had a third of the field. And you would expect in those times to win every third year. We don't have a third of the field now with Toyota in and Dodge in and with Chevrolet in; at the most it's like 20-25%. We don't expect to win more than our share, as much as you'd like to win all the time. Ford will certainly celebrate this. But there's no reason to believe that we can't win the Cup championship in the same year."
KUETTEL – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU TO REACH THIS LEVEL? HOW DID YOU HANDLE EVERYTHING THIS YEAR? "Being in this a long time and finally getting to this point, it's quite and accomplishment. Fifteen years ago or so whenever I saw this on TV for the first time and thought this was pretty cool and thought maybe I'd like to do this. So the hard work doing all sorts of different jobs from driving the truck to doing everything and getting to this point is great. I've worked with a lot of different guys and people. Jack was nice enough to give me a job back in '99. I worked with Jeff Burton for a number of years and won a lot of races. I've had a lot of great equipment and a lot of great people to work for. It's been pretty easy with Jack. If you apply yourself and keep you nose to the grindstone, he sees that and he moves you around which is very nice. Thank you, Jack. Yeah, you have a hard time not getting down when you don't have the luck go your way. It was pretty frustrating at Charlotte. I know we that had an outstanding race car and we didn't come away with a win. Last year, we had let the championship get away from us and I think there was one stretch there we had six weeks we were leading with less than 10 laps at the end and we didn't get the wins. So, to have four wins last and four wins this year, you can't take that away. That's a great accomplishment but I'd still like to get a couple more before the year's out that's for sure."
CARL EDWARDS – No. 60 Dish Network Ford Fusion –HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE 2007 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES CHAMPION? "It feels great. In 2005, we went out to run the Busch Series full time. At the beginning of the year, we didn't have a full time sponsor for the Cup side and I was really excited about running for a championship in 2005. We got close, then in '06 we got a little bit closer. This year, especially the first half of the year was just so spectacular, PK [Pierre Kuettel] and all of the guys did such a great job and we had luck on our side. It just feels great to be a championship. I won championships at my local dirt tracks and I won two, then I won the Baby Grand Stock Car Racing Association Championship in 2002. It feels great."
PIERRE KUETTEL – No. 60 Crew Chief – HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE CHAMPIONSHIP CREW CHIEF? "It feels really good. I finished in the Cup series a couple of times in the top five. I finished second in the sports car championships and finally getting to be a champion is a really good feeling."
JACK ROUSH, OWNER ROUSH FENWAY – TALK ABOUT THIS CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON WITH CARL? "We, of course, had a great start. The rhythms in this business will just drive you crazy as a driver or crew chief, mechanic or an owner. We had an unbelievable start to the year and of course it was unbelievable that we had to get a lot of it back. I would not been surprised after it started to the turn if we would kept breaking things, kept crashing and kept having things go wrong. When that monkey gets on your back, he rides hard and he's got sharp claws. It means a lot to me to be able to watch Carl win his championship in NASCAR and to watch PK win his. We moved Carl around the Busch Series. He didn't stay long enough in the truck series to win the championship there which he certainty could have. We didn't keep him in the Busch Series before we moved him into Cup. Every time for everything we tried to do with Carl, we really put some amount of risk to his career. When he came back a couple of years ago and tied for second with Greg Biffle for the Cup championship, I felt that we hadn't made a mistake for Carl. It was going to be okay. Then Mark Martin never did win a championship with us in 19 years. For us to win a championship now with Carl and get that behind us is really big."
EDWARDS – JACK MENTIONED HOW THE RHYTHM LEFT. HOW DID IT GO AND WOULDN'T COME BACK? "I just couldn't believe it. I'll never forget Kentucky. We were dominant. We were half a second faster than the field and just doing great leading. On a late restart, I'd already decided who I was going to give the trophy to. I was thinking this is going to be great and sure enough, we got wrecked there. Then, it just seemed like it wouldn't stop all the way up to Memphis last week. That monkey does have some sharp claws. I don't know. That's just the way racing goes though. I think it was Jimmie Johnson who said that momentum was an unbelievable thing. When it's going great it's unbelievable, when it's going bad it's unbelievable. We've had both this season. Hopefully we can just finish these last two races and get a couple of wins and keep going."
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU AT THIS POINT IN YOUR CAREER? "It's just amazing. I say this a lot, but I've lived two completely different lives. I've been to Texas Motor Speedway. I was here in 2000 with Mike Mittler working on his truck. I drove in the right seat of the semi here from Missouri. I don't remember where I stayed, probably is somebody's roll away in the hotel. I came here and carried ice bags. I just helped out. I did that and to be staying there on pit road with the championship trophy in the NASCAR Busch Series, it's amazing. A lot of good people have helped me. These two up here [Jack Roush and Pierre Kuettel] have done an amazing amount of work for me and I'm extremely grateful. It's a great feeling. I can't wait to start the season next year as a defending champion and hopefully do it again."
DO YOU THINK YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM FROM HAVING TO GO BACK AND FORTH FROM BUSCH TO CUP? "No, there really was nothing. It doesn't matter to me to race three times a day, seven days a week. That doesn't affect me. The deal is, it was just terrible luck. Charlotte for example, of all the people to spin out by themselves and collect us, I never in a million years thought Jimmie Johnson would have done it. We had a dominant car all day, so here we go. We led most of the race, we got caught up in a wreck that was a complete fluke and the 29 car wins the race and we finish 40th or whatever. It's just like the luck was astoundingly bad. I don't think there was anything we really could have done. We had the stuff that happened at the road course that was spectacular, welds breaking and parts failing, it was just amazing. I think we just had a lot of bad luck. I'm glad we could still overcome it and win this driver's championship."
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ROUSH FENWAY UP TO THIS. "I'm going to write a book, but I guess I could give you the short version. I decided when I was about 13 or 14 that I wanted to drive race cars and from then on I bothered every person that had a race car that I came in contact with. I had business cards to hand out. I never actually handed one to Jack Roush but I'm sure I handed one to 50 or 60 people that he knew or came into contact with. And eventually, some how Max Jones and those folks called me up. I didn't know whose number it was when my phone rang. I knew it was a 704 area code and that was from North Carolina. I remember right where I was standing when Max Jones called me. I remember about six or eight months later exactly what I was doing and where I was when they called me up and said 'hey, you can come and drive this Craftsman Truck. We don't have a sponsor or anything but you can come drive it.' I just remember how amazing that feeling was. It's amazing."
ROUSH - "The unsung hero sponsor for Carl, outside his mother and father and family not withstanding, but Mike Mittler. He probably made a great person investment percentage-wise in terms of what it meant to him, to Mike, then certainly that I have. And Mike Mittler is a guy that I thank for giving Carl a shot and bringing him to our attention."
EDWARDS – "You're exactly right. If Mike didn't have that truck and wasn't within driving distance of my house and I couldn't go up there everyday, I definitely wouldn't be here. I'd be doing something else."
ROUSH – DOES IT TAKE ANYTHING AWAY NOT GETTING THE OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP LOCKED UP WITH THIS? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT IN HAVING THE DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP FOR YOU? "I feel like a second-class owner if I didn't manage to do that."
EDWARDS – "You're not."
ROUSH – "I thought about this question. In fact, I thought about it earlier today that somebody is going to ask me what I feel like tonight when Carl wins as a driver. If I want to be argumentative, I could pick the best road race driver and the best flat track driver and the best mile-and-a-half driver and have those in my car at different times. Then if I was lucky, you would do better that than you would do with either one of those drivers driving in all three of those different cars. But it isn't that simple. We're third behind Denny Hamlin, too and Denny's done most of his own driving. The Childress organization did a great job putting great drivers in the Busch cars and they had good fortune to go with that. They've just done a great job. And Carl's done a great job. I managed to put him in road race cars and PK helped me with some of that. But I managed to put him in road race cars that broke twice and we lament that and we'll thrash ourselves for that over the winter. But that's not the only reason we got beat. We were unlucky on the race track. We just got caught up in wrecks that we're anybody's fault. So some of the things we could have avoided and that was my fault. Others we couldn't. Like I said, there's a rhythm to this thing. When Matt Kenseth won his championship in 2003, there was a good part of that year when it looked like he was going to win that championship when it looked like he was not going to win a race. Of course, we could do no wrong. We couldn't break a part, we didn't have a flat tire, no body wrecked in front of us, and we didn't cause a wreck. That's just the way it goes. I certainly will do a better job in providing the leadership that will help PK and help the team put Carl in stuff and all the drivers in stuff, the cars and trucks that don't break. That's my primary responsibility. And I assume the responsibility of falling short on that this year."
EDWARDS – CAN THIS EXPERIENCE CARRY OVER TO OTHER THINGS? "Yeah, it's an accomplishment that I will be able to take with me for the rest of my career. It definitely feels good. I've learned a lot this season and I feel like I learn a lot every year and every race, for that matter. This is something that is a great feeling. Years from now, hopefully this will be one championship of many. I'm just excited to get the first one done."
ROUSH – AT WHAT POINT DID YOU SEE THE TALENT IN CARL? HOW MUCH DID YOU SEE? DID YOU EVER THINK THIS WOULD BE THE OUTCOME? "You consider what a person does on a race track and you consider who would speak for them and the recommendations will come. I enjoyed Benny Parsons when he was around. He was always watching for talent and he would help me with that. And he brought Greg Biffle to us and for which I'm eternally grateful. So you look at who would speak up for somebody, try to make an assessment as how good you think their equipment is. Different times we've had drivers in our programs that have not been as well thought of as they should have been because our cars weren't as good as they should have been for a period of time. Then I'm inclined to make an assessment of where I think somebody else's program is. Then past that, not everybody that can technically drive a race car has got the determination, the motivation and the inclination to be able to close the deal and win. A driver needs to be a gun fighter. A driver needs to be somebody that you wouldn't like to stand between him and something he needs because when it's really important. I've seen some people mad and me and I've seen some people that see me as a burden or somebody that is in the way. The gun fighter's look in a driver's eye is very important. Your really good drivers are drivers that close the deal. They give you a look like a red-tailed hawk when it's really important. Then they close the deal."
EDWARDS – ANY THOUGHTS ON BEING THE LAST BUSCH SERIES CHAMPION? EVEN THOUGH IT'S A NAME CHANGE, WILL IT FEEL DIFFERENT NEXT YEAR? "I hadn't thought about it much. But, the other day they unveiled the logo and I got to be part of that for the Nationwide Series. Anheuser Busch has done a lot for this series. To be involved for so long and doing so much, I'm very grateful for that. It's a great company. From what I see, they've done their best to support the series and it's nice to win a Busch Series Championship. But I look forward to Nationwide being the in the series. They're really excited about it and in a few years, it'll be just like NEXTEL coming in and stuff. I think the name will be just as synonymous with racing and the performance that everybody sees on the track. Hopefully we can get one of each, it will be great."
EDWARDS – HOW WOULD NASCAR'S CHANGES IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES AFFECT YOUR DECISION TO RUN? "It will make it more uncomfortable because I'll have to wear all that make-up for my disguise. It will be tough, all the logistics. I hope that I can race. They way I look at it, if I go to the local dirt track, there's a dirt track that runs on Wednesday nights and I want to go build a late model and go race for points, I can go do that and I'm glad that I can. And I feel that way about the Busch Series as I've got a great team and we've got sponsors that are excited and I'm grateful that I get to run for points in that. If NASCAR feels that they need to change for the good of the series, then I'll do whatever I need to do. If it turns out that I can't race or whatever, that's what I'll do. I just hope I can still race in these Busch races when I want to."
EDWARDS – HOW PHYSICALLY DEMANDING IS IT TO DO BOTH SERIES? OR DO YOU THINK YOU'LL TAKE A STEP BACK AND CONCENTRATE ON THE CUP CHAMPIONSHIP NEXT YEAR? "Jack and I actually talked about that a little bit. We might try to experiment a little bit next year in focusing more on the Cup Series if it can help. I'm really at a point in my life, I'm 28 years old, I've wanted to race cars for 10 or 15 years now worse then anything and now I have an opportunity to go do it. Really, all I have to do is eat, sleep and drive race cars and I'm going to do that for a while. To me it's not physically difficult or anything. I try to be in the best shape I can be and go to sleep at night and make sure I right and things like that. It hasn't been very demanding. Jack's made it very easy flying me around in the jets and it's really not that bad."
ROUSH – "One thing that we have talked about, there has been a temptation to go to a Busch race on Friday and go back and forth a couple of times on a weekend. I think that's pretty much out of the question going forward. Because you do wind up not doing the best you probably could do in the Busch car for yourself and certainly not as good you could do in the Cup car on those weekends where the races are apart. Carl and I are racing dogs. And most of the people who really carry their energy to the limit are in this business. If they'll let us race for a championship in the Busch Series, that's just fine. If they don't let us race in the Busch Series for a championship, that is also just fine. As long as we can carry sponsors that have the interest in promoting it and I can afford to make a viable business out of it, we'll be there."
ROUSH – WITH EVERYTHING BEING ALL CHEVY FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND NOW YOU HAVE A CHAMPIONSHIP, IS IT A REAL SHOT IN THE ARM FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO SAY TO FORD, 'LOOK WHAT WE DID, WE GOT YOU A CHAMPIONSHIP'? "We'll Ford expect us to race for the championships. There was a time when Ford had a third of the field. And you would expect in those times to win every third year. We don't have a third of the field now with Toyota in and Dodge in and with Chevrolet in; at the most it's like 20-25%. We don't expect to win more than our share, as much as you'd like to win all the time. Ford will certainly celebrate this. But there's no reason to believe that we can't win the Cup championship in the same year."
KUETTEL – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU TO REACH THIS LEVEL? HOW DID YOU HANDLE EVERYTHING THIS YEAR? "Being in this a long time and finally getting to this point, it's quite and accomplishment. Fifteen years ago or so whenever I saw this on TV for the first time and thought this was pretty cool and thought maybe I'd like to do this. So the hard work doing all sorts of different jobs from driving the truck to doing everything and getting to this point is great. I've worked with a lot of different guys and people. Jack was nice enough to give me a job back in '99. I worked with Jeff Burton for a number of years and won a lot of races. I've had a lot of great equipment and a lot of great people to work for. It's been pretty easy with Jack. If you apply yourself and keep you nose to the grindstone, he sees that and he moves you around which is very nice. Thank you, Jack. Yeah, you have a hard time not getting down when you don't have the luck go your way. It was pretty frustrating at Charlotte. I know we that had an outstanding race car and we didn't come away with a win. Last year, we had let the championship get away from us and I think there was one stretch there we had six weeks we were leading with less than 10 laps at the end and we didn't get the wins. So, to have four wins last and four wins this year, you can't take that away. That's a great accomplishment but I'd still like to get a couple more before the year's out that's for sure."
NHRA NEWS: POWERADE SERIES WORLD CHAMPIONS CROWNED IN POMONA
SCHUMACHER, PEDREGON, COUGHLIN AND SMITH WIN NHRA POWERADE SERIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CROWNS
POMONA, Calif. -- Tony Schumacher and Matt Smith needed wins in the final round of Sunday's 43rd annual Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals to clinch Countdown to the Championship titles in the POWERade Drag Racing Series. New Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon sweated it out until the semifinals before securing his second crown, while Jeg Coughlin wrapped up his third Pro Stock title in the quarterfinals.
For the second year in a row, Schumacher waited until the final pass of the season to steal the title away, this time from "Hot Rod" Fuller. He defeated Bob Vandergriff with the quickest pass of the race, a 4.486 at 328.30 mph. Robert Hight beat fill-in teammate Phil Burkart in the Funny Car final when Burkart's car lost traction 200 feet out.
In Pro Stock, Coughlin punctuated his title with his 38th career win, this one over first-time finalist Justin Humphreys. Smith beat fellow Buell rider Chip Ellis in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final.
Schumacher becomes the first Top Fuel racer to win four championships in a row with his second Cinderella finish in as many years. Entering this weekend in fourth place and needing help on many fronts, Schumacher danced his way through to the final in his U.S. Army dragster and blistered Vandergriff's UPS dragster 4.486 to 4.681 to win his fifth POWERade championship by just 19 points.
"After the second round it was like déjà vu," Schumacher said. "My knees started shaking and I had that feeling like maybe we could do it again. The guys on this team are unbelievable when the pressure is on. They showed it again today."
Temporary teammates Hight and Burkart had little to race for in the final besides bragging rights and an event trophy as the Funny Car title had already been decided one round earlier when Hight couldn't run quick enough to set a national record, depriving him of a chance at the 20 bonus points he would have needed to pass Pedregon.
Hight still shined in the final with the best pass of the weekend, a 4.731 at 326.71 mph in his Auto Club Ford Mustang.
"We pushed as hard as we could in the semifinals to try and at least get the back-up for a record but we broke a couple of lifters and it was a handful just to keep it off the wall," Hight said. "It would have been close but it didn't happen. If we had won the championship it wouldn't have made this a great year. Winning the race didn't make it a great year. We lost our teammate [Eric Medlen] this year and nothing will make up for that. We all miss him like you can't believe. I'm gonna go home and have a little ice cream, and like Eric always said, that is sure to make you happy."
Pedregon was relieved and emotional after finally securing the championship in his Q Horsepower Chevy Impala.
"This is racing, and we want to win races, but we have to remember we're putting on a show, and I think the NHRA did a great job with this Countdown," Pedregon said. "The biggest difference between this year and 2003 when I won a title with John Force Racing was the amount of media coverage. The stress is through the roof but in the end, I think we have a better product now. I had people doubting my sanity when I left John but I wanted to race with my brother and I wanted to see if I could do it on my own. I know how difficult it is to race a team like that. I know what they have over there. And to be able to beat them is special. Winning our first race on my own was huge. To win this championship, I can't describe it."
Two rounds after clinching his third NHRA title, Coughlin won his 38th national event by barely catching and passing Humphreys. The former NHRA Sport Compact champion was ahead of Coughlin at every timer except the finish line, but Coughlin's Jegs.com Cobalt had just enough steam to win with a 6.638 at 207.98 mph to Humphrey's 6.662 at 207.27 mph in his Knoll Gas & Energy Pontiac GTO.
"This goes back to last week in Las Vegas when I woke up on Sunday morning and said to myself that if I was gonna win the championship it was time to get after it," Coughlin said. "No matter what car I had under me, I needed to get it done. We made it to the final but lost to Greg and came in here almost two rounds behind him. I had to have that talk with myself again and I don't know if I was buying it this time.
"It was amazing to see how it came out in Round 1 with Greg Anderson and Dave Connolly, two of the best in the business, both losing like that. We knew we needed some help and we got it right away. Then I just dug down deep and got that second round win and clinched it. It's a phenomenal feeling."
The Pro Stock Motorcycle championship came down to the final round and Smith was superb under the intense pressure, rocketing off the starting line on his Torco Race Fuels Buell and never looking back, defeating Ellis's S&S Buell with a 6.944 at 191.191.08 mph to Ellis' 6.957 at 192.17 mph.
"I don't know if words can describe this feeling," Smith said. "I've had some big races before but nothing like this. My goodness, it was all or nothing there.
"This is pretty special, especially with my dad here helping us. We felt like we had such a great bike all year and we had times where we just couldn't punch it through when we probably should have won some races, but we never gave up and just kept fighting."
The championship was put up for grabs after leader Andrew Hines rolled the lights in the quarterfinals and red-lighted. Had Hines won that round, he would have clinched his fourth straight title. Instead, he was relegated to second place.
* * *
POMONA, Calif. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 43rd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the final of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Tony Schumacher; 2. Bob Vandergriff; 3. J.R. Todd; 4. Brandon Bernstein; 5. Larry Dixon; 6. Morgan Lucas; 7. Doug Herbert; 8. David Grubnic; 9. Hillary Will; 10. Melanie Troxel; 11. Doug Foley; 12. David Baca; 13. Rod Fuller; 14. Cory McClenathan; 15. Alan Bradshaw; 16. Doug Kalitta.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang; 2. Phil Burkart, Mustang; 3. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Impala; 4. Mike Ashley, Dodge Charger; 5. Jack Beckman, Charger; 6. Ashley Force, Mustang; 7. Jerry Toliver, Toyota Solara; 8. Jeff Arend, Impala; 9. Ron Capps, Charger; 10. Tony Pedregon, Impala; 11. Kenny Bernstein, Charger; 12. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo; 13. Mike Neff, Mustang; 14. Gary Scelzi, Charger; 15. Del Worsham, Impala; 16. Gary Densham, Impala.
PRO STOCK:
1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt; 2. Justin Humphreys, Pontiac GTO; 3. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt; 4.Mike Edwards, GTO; 5. Jason Line, GTO; 6. Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus; 7. Allen Johnson, Stratus; 8. Greg Stanfield, GTO; 9. Greg Anderson, GTO; 10. Warren Johnson, GTO; 11. Dave Connolly, Cobalt; 12. V. Gaines, Stratus; 13. Max Naylor, Stratus; 14. Larry Morgan, Stratus; 15. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt; 16. Ron Krisher, Cobalt.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Matt Smith; 2. Chip Ellis; 3. Antron Brown, Suzuki; 4. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki; 5. Peggy Llewellyn; 6. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson; 7. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki; 8. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson; 9. Matt Guidera; 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki; 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki; 12. Craig Treble, Suzuki; 13. Hector Arana; 14. Angie McBride, Suzuki; 15. Shawn Gann, Suzuki; 16. Junior Pippin.
POMONA, Calif. -- Sunday's final results from the 43rd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the final of 23 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Tony Schumacher, 4.486 seconds, 328.30 mph def. Bob Vandergriff, 4.681 seconds, 317.19 mph.
Funny Car -- Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.731, 326.71 def. Phil Burkart, Mustang, 8.314, 104.31.
Pro Stock -- Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.638, 207.98 def. Justin Humphreys, Pontiac GTO, 6.662, 207.27.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Matt Smith, Buell, 6.944, 191.08 def. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.957, 192.17.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Bill Reichert, 5.191, 275.22 def. Duane Shields, 13.445, 87.32.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Jay Payne, Ford Mustang, 5.607, 257.24 def. Von Smith, Chevy Camaro, 7.034, 129.85.
Competition Eliminator -- Tom Mettler, Dodge Dakota, 7.456, 180.12 def. Dean Carter, Dragster, 6.954, 177.35.
Super Stock -- Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 9.361, 137.51 def. Michael Iacono, Camaro, 9.937, 125.10.
Stock Eliminator -- Jody Lang, Chevy Malibu, 13.180, 79.89 def. Toby Lang, Chevelle, 11.681, 111.97.
Super Comp -- Shawn Langdon, Dragster, 8.924, 167.24 def. Gary Stinnett, Dragster, 8.946, 174.21.
Super Gas -- Steve Parsons, Chevy Camaro, 9.906, 157.50 def. Randy Balough, Chevy Corvette, 9.916, 155.17.
POMONA, Calif. -- Final round-by-round results from the 43rd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Morgan Lucas, 4.562, 322.04 def. Doug Foley, 4.572, 325.92; Larry Dixon, 4.522, 323.81 def. Hillary Will, 4.524, 330.07; Brandon Bernstein, 4.557, 327.11 def. Cory McClenathan, 12.109, 75.31; J.R. Todd, 4.496, 334.24 def. Doug Kalitta, foul; Tony Schumacher, 4.508, 325.69 def. Alan Bradshaw, 12.480, 75.09; Doug Herbert, 4.624, 296.05 def. David Baca, 4.574, 327.19; David Grubnic, 4.542, 326.00 def. Melanie Troxel, 4.549, 330.15; Bob Vandergriff, 4.540, 331.28 def. Rod Fuller, 10.998, 78.01; QUARTERFINALS -- Vandergriff, 4.570, 310.63 def. Herbert, 4.681, 294.11; Bernstein, 4.549, 322.19 def. Grubnic, 5.020, 305.77; Schumacher, 4.501, 330.96 def. Lucas, 4.552, 327.90; Todd, 4.508, 330.88 def. Dixon, 4.549, 318.84; SEMIFINALS -- Vandergriff, 4.585, 331.94 def. Todd, foul; Schumacher, 4.520, 325.53 def. Bernstein, 4.637, 319.14; FINAL -- Schumacher, 4.486, 328.30 def. Vandergriff, 4.681, 317.19.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.797, 324.90 def. Gary Densham, Chevy Impala, 7.076, 123.67; Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.762, 321.50 def. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.931, 318.47; Ashley Force, Ford Mustang, 4.843, 296.31 def. Del Worsham, Impala, 7.037, 132.24; Jeff Arend, Impala, 4.849, 318.02 def. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.853, 319.98; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.902, 307.09 def. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 5.632, 176.90; Jerry Toliver, Toyota Solara, 4.871, 322.34 def.
Kenny Bernstein, Charger, 4.915, 316.75; Mike Ashley, Charger, 4.802, 328.62 def. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.938, 284.56; Phil Burkart, Mustang, 4.861, 317.57 def. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.822, 323.35; QUARTERFINALS -- Ashley, 4.795, 329.91 def. Beckman, 4.799, 320.81; Wilkerson, 4.792, 322.42 def. Force, 4.812, 322.50; Burkart, 4.891, 301.81 def. Arend, 5.596, 223.91; Hight, 4.796, 319.29 def. Toliver, 4.839, 323.58; SEMIFINALS -- Hight, 4.877, 255.05 def. Ashley, 4.951, 324.51; Burkart, 4.796, 324.20 def. Wilkerson, 4.859, 312.06; FINAL -- Hight, 4.731, 326.71 def. Burkart, 8.314, 104.31.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.669, 208.01 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.681, 206.70; Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.671, 206.92 def. Max Naylor, Stratus, foul; Tom Hammonds, Chevy Cobalt, 6.693, 206.76 def. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.739, 206.70; Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.671, 206.80 def. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.844, 205.38; Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.699, 206.39 def. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.663, 207.85; Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.703, 206.10 def. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, foul; Justin Humphreys, GTO, 6.669, 207.18 def. Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.658, 208.42; Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.650, 207.34 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.692, 206.80;
QUARTERFINALS -- Hammonds, 6.693, 206.64 def. Stanfield, 6.742, 206.57; Humphreys, 6.647, 207.50 def. A. Johnson, 6.676, 207.02; Edwards, 6.712, 206.57 def. Line, foul; Coughlin, 6.646, 207.88 def. Stevens, 6.672, 206.80;
SEMIFINALS -- Humphreys, 6.674, 206.70 def. Hammonds, 6.699, 206.73; Coughlin, 6.654, 207.88 def. Edwards, foul;
FINAL -- Coughlin, 6.638, 207.98 def. Humphreys, 6.662, 207.27.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE -- Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.116, 185.77 def. Craig Treble, Suzuki, foul; Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.996, 189.50 def. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.263, 180.94; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.990, 188.62 def. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.035, 188.20; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.019, 189.47 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.052, 189.26; Peggy Llewellyn, Buell, 7.075, 187.57 def. Hector Arana, Buell, foul; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.984, 191.46 def. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.182, 175.46; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.993, 190.24 def. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.068, 189.36; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.994, 188.78 def. Angie McBride, Suzuki, 7.152, 165.68;
QUARTERFINALS -- Smith, 6.969, 188.73 def. Llewellyn, 7.005, 189.28; Sampey, 6.979, 190.48 def. Stoffer, 7.078, 187.78; Ellis, 6.979, 190.30 def. Krawiec, 7.053, 187.08; Brown, 7.078, 184.95 def. Hines, foul;
SEMIFINALS -- Ellis, 6.987, 191.02 def. Sampey, broke; Smith, 6.956, 190.30 def. Brown, foul;
FINAL -- Smith, 6.944, 191.08 def. Ellis, 6.957, 192.17.
POMONA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 43rd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Tony Schumacher, 3,186; 2. Rod Fuller, 3,167; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 3,149; 4. Larry Dixon, 3,135; 5. Bob Vandergriff, 2,358; 6. Doug Herbert, 2,292; 7. J.R. Todd, 2,273; 8. Whit Bazemore, 2,182; 9. Melanie Troxel, 1,173; 10. Doug Kalitta, 1,045.
Funny Car
1. Tony Pedregon, 3,178; 2. Robert Hight, 3,159; 3. Gary Scelzi, 3,092; 4. Ron Capps, 3,067; 5.
Jack Beckman, 2,358; 6. Mike Ashley, 2,337; 7. John Force, 2,191; 8. Jim Head, 2,163; 9. Del Worsham, 1,050; 10. Ashley Force, 960.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 3,217; 2. Greg Anderson, 3,173; 3. Dave Connolly, 3,126; 4. Allen Johnson, 3,086; 5. Jason Line, 2,292; 6. Kurt Johnson, 2,278; 7. Larry Morgan, 2,233; 8. Warren Johnson, 2,180; 9. Richie Stevens, 1,056; 10. V. Gaines, 1,025.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Matt Smith, 3,211; 2. Andrew Hines, 3,205; 3. Chip Ellis, 3,204; 4. Peggy Llewellyn, 3,108; 5. Angelle Sampey, 2,309; 6. Craig Treble, 2,283; 7. Eddie Krawiec, 2,244; 8. Karen Stoffer, 2,242; 9. Steve Johnson, 746; 10. Antron Brown, 708.
From NHRA
POMONA, Calif. -- Tony Schumacher and Matt Smith needed wins in the final round of Sunday's 43rd annual Auto Club of Southern California NHRA Finals to clinch Countdown to the Championship titles in the POWERade Drag Racing Series. New Funny Car champion Tony Pedregon sweated it out until the semifinals before securing his second crown, while Jeg Coughlin wrapped up his third Pro Stock title in the quarterfinals.
For the second year in a row, Schumacher waited until the final pass of the season to steal the title away, this time from "Hot Rod" Fuller. He defeated Bob Vandergriff with the quickest pass of the race, a 4.486 at 328.30 mph. Robert Hight beat fill-in teammate Phil Burkart in the Funny Car final when Burkart's car lost traction 200 feet out.
In Pro Stock, Coughlin punctuated his title with his 38th career win, this one over first-time finalist Justin Humphreys. Smith beat fellow Buell rider Chip Ellis in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final.
Schumacher becomes the first Top Fuel racer to win four championships in a row with his second Cinderella finish in as many years. Entering this weekend in fourth place and needing help on many fronts, Schumacher danced his way through to the final in his U.S. Army dragster and blistered Vandergriff's UPS dragster 4.486 to 4.681 to win his fifth POWERade championship by just 19 points.
"After the second round it was like déjà vu," Schumacher said. "My knees started shaking and I had that feeling like maybe we could do it again. The guys on this team are unbelievable when the pressure is on. They showed it again today."
Temporary teammates Hight and Burkart had little to race for in the final besides bragging rights and an event trophy as the Funny Car title had already been decided one round earlier when Hight couldn't run quick enough to set a national record, depriving him of a chance at the 20 bonus points he would have needed to pass Pedregon.
Hight still shined in the final with the best pass of the weekend, a 4.731 at 326.71 mph in his Auto Club Ford Mustang.
"We pushed as hard as we could in the semifinals to try and at least get the back-up for a record but we broke a couple of lifters and it was a handful just to keep it off the wall," Hight said. "It would have been close but it didn't happen. If we had won the championship it wouldn't have made this a great year. Winning the race didn't make it a great year. We lost our teammate [Eric Medlen] this year and nothing will make up for that. We all miss him like you can't believe. I'm gonna go home and have a little ice cream, and like Eric always said, that is sure to make you happy."
Pedregon was relieved and emotional after finally securing the championship in his Q Horsepower Chevy Impala.
"This is racing, and we want to win races, but we have to remember we're putting on a show, and I think the NHRA did a great job with this Countdown," Pedregon said. "The biggest difference between this year and 2003 when I won a title with John Force Racing was the amount of media coverage. The stress is through the roof but in the end, I think we have a better product now. I had people doubting my sanity when I left John but I wanted to race with my brother and I wanted to see if I could do it on my own. I know how difficult it is to race a team like that. I know what they have over there. And to be able to beat them is special. Winning our first race on my own was huge. To win this championship, I can't describe it."
Two rounds after clinching his third NHRA title, Coughlin won his 38th national event by barely catching and passing Humphreys. The former NHRA Sport Compact champion was ahead of Coughlin at every timer except the finish line, but Coughlin's Jegs.com Cobalt had just enough steam to win with a 6.638 at 207.98 mph to Humphrey's 6.662 at 207.27 mph in his Knoll Gas & Energy Pontiac GTO.
"This goes back to last week in Las Vegas when I woke up on Sunday morning and said to myself that if I was gonna win the championship it was time to get after it," Coughlin said. "No matter what car I had under me, I needed to get it done. We made it to the final but lost to Greg and came in here almost two rounds behind him. I had to have that talk with myself again and I don't know if I was buying it this time.
"It was amazing to see how it came out in Round 1 with Greg Anderson and Dave Connolly, two of the best in the business, both losing like that. We knew we needed some help and we got it right away. Then I just dug down deep and got that second round win and clinched it. It's a phenomenal feeling."
The Pro Stock Motorcycle championship came down to the final round and Smith was superb under the intense pressure, rocketing off the starting line on his Torco Race Fuels Buell and never looking back, defeating Ellis's S&S Buell with a 6.944 at 191.191.08 mph to Ellis' 6.957 at 192.17 mph.
"I don't know if words can describe this feeling," Smith said. "I've had some big races before but nothing like this. My goodness, it was all or nothing there.
"This is pretty special, especially with my dad here helping us. We felt like we had such a great bike all year and we had times where we just couldn't punch it through when we probably should have won some races, but we never gave up and just kept fighting."
The championship was put up for grabs after leader Andrew Hines rolled the lights in the quarterfinals and red-lighted. Had Hines won that round, he would have clinched his fourth straight title. Instead, he was relegated to second place.
* * *
POMONA, Calif. -- Final finish order (1-16) for professional categories at the 43rd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the final of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.
TOP FUEL:
1. Tony Schumacher; 2. Bob Vandergriff; 3. J.R. Todd; 4. Brandon Bernstein; 5. Larry Dixon; 6. Morgan Lucas; 7. Doug Herbert; 8. David Grubnic; 9. Hillary Will; 10. Melanie Troxel; 11. Doug Foley; 12. David Baca; 13. Rod Fuller; 14. Cory McClenathan; 15. Alan Bradshaw; 16. Doug Kalitta.
FUNNY CAR:
1. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang; 2. Phil Burkart, Mustang; 3. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Impala; 4. Mike Ashley, Dodge Charger; 5. Jack Beckman, Charger; 6. Ashley Force, Mustang; 7. Jerry Toliver, Toyota Solara; 8. Jeff Arend, Impala; 9. Ron Capps, Charger; 10. Tony Pedregon, Impala; 11. Kenny Bernstein, Charger; 12. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo; 13. Mike Neff, Mustang; 14. Gary Scelzi, Charger; 15. Del Worsham, Impala; 16. Gary Densham, Impala.
PRO STOCK:
1. Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt; 2. Justin Humphreys, Pontiac GTO; 3. Tom Hammonds, Cobalt; 4.Mike Edwards, GTO; 5. Jason Line, GTO; 6. Richie Stevens, Dodge Stratus; 7. Allen Johnson, Stratus; 8. Greg Stanfield, GTO; 9. Greg Anderson, GTO; 10. Warren Johnson, GTO; 11. Dave Connolly, Cobalt; 12. V. Gaines, Stratus; 13. Max Naylor, Stratus; 14. Larry Morgan, Stratus; 15. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt; 16. Ron Krisher, Cobalt.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Matt Smith; 2. Chip Ellis; 3. Antron Brown, Suzuki; 4. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki; 5. Peggy Llewellyn; 6. Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson; 7. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki; 8. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson; 9. Matt Guidera; 10. Steve Johnson, Suzuki; 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki; 12. Craig Treble, Suzuki; 13. Hector Arana; 14. Angie McBride, Suzuki; 15. Shawn Gann, Suzuki; 16. Junior Pippin.
POMONA, Calif. -- Sunday's final results from the 43rd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. The race is the final of 23 in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel -- Tony Schumacher, 4.486 seconds, 328.30 mph def. Bob Vandergriff, 4.681 seconds, 317.19 mph.
Funny Car -- Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 4.731, 326.71 def. Phil Burkart, Mustang, 8.314, 104.31.
Pro Stock -- Jeg Coughlin, Chevy Cobalt, 6.638, 207.98 def. Justin Humphreys, Pontiac GTO, 6.662, 207.27.
Pro Stock Motorcycle -- Matt Smith, Buell, 6.944, 191.08 def. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.957, 192.17.
Top Alcohol Dragster -- Bill Reichert, 5.191, 275.22 def. Duane Shields, 13.445, 87.32.
Top Alcohol Funny Car -- Jay Payne, Ford Mustang, 5.607, 257.24 def. Von Smith, Chevy Camaro, 7.034, 129.85.
Competition Eliminator -- Tom Mettler, Dodge Dakota, 7.456, 180.12 def. Dean Carter, Dragster, 6.954, 177.35.
Super Stock -- Dan Fletcher, Chevy Camaro, 9.361, 137.51 def. Michael Iacono, Camaro, 9.937, 125.10.
Stock Eliminator -- Jody Lang, Chevy Malibu, 13.180, 79.89 def. Toby Lang, Chevelle, 11.681, 111.97.
Super Comp -- Shawn Langdon, Dragster, 8.924, 167.24 def. Gary Stinnett, Dragster, 8.946, 174.21.
Super Gas -- Steve Parsons, Chevy Camaro, 9.906, 157.50 def. Randy Balough, Chevy Corvette, 9.916, 155.17.
POMONA, Calif. -- Final round-by-round results from the 43rd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series:
TOP FUEL:
ROUND ONE -- Morgan Lucas, 4.562, 322.04 def. Doug Foley, 4.572, 325.92; Larry Dixon, 4.522, 323.81 def. Hillary Will, 4.524, 330.07; Brandon Bernstein, 4.557, 327.11 def. Cory McClenathan, 12.109, 75.31; J.R. Todd, 4.496, 334.24 def. Doug Kalitta, foul; Tony Schumacher, 4.508, 325.69 def. Alan Bradshaw, 12.480, 75.09; Doug Herbert, 4.624, 296.05 def. David Baca, 4.574, 327.19; David Grubnic, 4.542, 326.00 def. Melanie Troxel, 4.549, 330.15; Bob Vandergriff, 4.540, 331.28 def. Rod Fuller, 10.998, 78.01; QUARTERFINALS -- Vandergriff, 4.570, 310.63 def. Herbert, 4.681, 294.11; Bernstein, 4.549, 322.19 def. Grubnic, 5.020, 305.77; Schumacher, 4.501, 330.96 def. Lucas, 4.552, 327.90; Todd, 4.508, 330.88 def. Dixon, 4.549, 318.84; SEMIFINALS -- Vandergriff, 4.585, 331.94 def. Todd, foul; Schumacher, 4.520, 325.53 def. Bernstein, 4.637, 319.14; FINAL -- Schumacher, 4.486, 328.30 def. Vandergriff, 4.681, 317.19.
FUNNY CAR:
ROUND ONE -- Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 4.797, 324.90 def. Gary Densham, Chevy Impala, 7.076, 123.67; Tim Wilkerson, Impala, 4.762, 321.50 def. Tony Bartone, Chevy Monte Carlo, 4.931, 318.47; Ashley Force, Ford Mustang, 4.843, 296.31 def. Del Worsham, Impala, 7.037, 132.24; Jeff Arend, Impala, 4.849, 318.02 def. Tony Pedregon, Impala, 4.853, 319.98; Robert Hight, Mustang, 4.902, 307.09 def. Gary Scelzi, Charger, 5.632, 176.90; Jerry Toliver, Toyota Solara, 4.871, 322.34 def.
Kenny Bernstein, Charger, 4.915, 316.75; Mike Ashley, Charger, 4.802, 328.62 def. Mike Neff, Mustang, 4.938, 284.56; Phil Burkart, Mustang, 4.861, 317.57 def. Ron Capps, Charger, 4.822, 323.35; QUARTERFINALS -- Ashley, 4.795, 329.91 def. Beckman, 4.799, 320.81; Wilkerson, 4.792, 322.42 def. Force, 4.812, 322.50; Burkart, 4.891, 301.81 def. Arend, 5.596, 223.91; Hight, 4.796, 319.29 def. Toliver, 4.839, 323.58; SEMIFINALS -- Hight, 4.877, 255.05 def. Ashley, 4.951, 324.51; Burkart, 4.796, 324.20 def. Wilkerson, 4.859, 312.06; FINAL -- Hight, 4.731, 326.71 def. Burkart, 8.314, 104.31.
PRO STOCK:
ROUND ONE -- Jason Line, Pontiac GTO, 6.669, 208.01 def. V. Gaines, Dodge Stratus, 6.681, 206.70; Allen Johnson, Stratus, 6.671, 206.92 def. Max Naylor, Stratus, foul; Tom Hammonds, Chevy Cobalt, 6.693, 206.76 def. Kurt Johnson, Cobalt, 6.739, 206.70; Richie Stevens, Stratus, 6.671, 206.80 def. Ron Krisher, Cobalt, 6.844, 205.38; Greg Stanfield, GTO, 6.699, 206.39 def. Warren Johnson, GTO, 6.663, 207.85; Mike Edwards, GTO, 6.703, 206.10 def. Dave Connolly, Cobalt, foul; Justin Humphreys, GTO, 6.669, 207.18 def. Greg Anderson, GTO, 6.658, 208.42; Jeg Coughlin, Cobalt, 6.650, 207.34 def. Larry Morgan, Stratus, 6.692, 206.80;
QUARTERFINALS -- Hammonds, 6.693, 206.64 def. Stanfield, 6.742, 206.57; Humphreys, 6.647, 207.50 def. A. Johnson, 6.676, 207.02; Edwards, 6.712, 206.57 def. Line, foul; Coughlin, 6.646, 207.88 def. Stevens, 6.672, 206.80;
SEMIFINALS -- Humphreys, 6.674, 206.70 def. Hammonds, 6.699, 206.73; Coughlin, 6.654, 207.88 def. Edwards, foul;
FINAL -- Coughlin, 6.638, 207.98 def. Humphreys, 6.662, 207.27.
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
ROUND ONE -- Antron Brown, Suzuki, 7.116, 185.77 def. Craig Treble, Suzuki, foul; Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.996, 189.50 def. Junior Pippin, Buell, 7.263, 180.94; Eddie Krawiec, Harley-Davidson, 6.990, 188.62 def. Matt Guidera, Buell, 7.035, 188.20; Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.019, 189.47 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 7.052, 189.26; Peggy Llewellyn, Buell, 7.075, 187.57 def. Hector Arana, Buell, foul; Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.984, 191.46 def. Shawn Gann, Suzuki, 7.182, 175.46; Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.993, 190.24 def. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 7.068, 189.36; Matt Smith, Buell, 6.994, 188.78 def. Angie McBride, Suzuki, 7.152, 165.68;
QUARTERFINALS -- Smith, 6.969, 188.73 def. Llewellyn, 7.005, 189.28; Sampey, 6.979, 190.48 def. Stoffer, 7.078, 187.78; Ellis, 6.979, 190.30 def. Krawiec, 7.053, 187.08; Brown, 7.078, 184.95 def. Hines, foul;
SEMIFINALS -- Ellis, 6.987, 191.02 def. Sampey, broke; Smith, 6.956, 190.30 def. Brown, foul;
FINAL -- Smith, 6.944, 191.08 def. Ellis, 6.957, 192.17.
POMONA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 43rd annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, the final of 23 events in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series -
Top Fuel
1. Tony Schumacher, 3,186; 2. Rod Fuller, 3,167; 3. Brandon Bernstein, 3,149; 4. Larry Dixon, 3,135; 5. Bob Vandergriff, 2,358; 6. Doug Herbert, 2,292; 7. J.R. Todd, 2,273; 8. Whit Bazemore, 2,182; 9. Melanie Troxel, 1,173; 10. Doug Kalitta, 1,045.
Funny Car
1. Tony Pedregon, 3,178; 2. Robert Hight, 3,159; 3. Gary Scelzi, 3,092; 4. Ron Capps, 3,067; 5.
Jack Beckman, 2,358; 6. Mike Ashley, 2,337; 7. John Force, 2,191; 8. Jim Head, 2,163; 9. Del Worsham, 1,050; 10. Ashley Force, 960.
Pro Stock
1. Jeg Coughlin, 3,217; 2. Greg Anderson, 3,173; 3. Dave Connolly, 3,126; 4. Allen Johnson, 3,086; 5. Jason Line, 2,292; 6. Kurt Johnson, 2,278; 7. Larry Morgan, 2,233; 8. Warren Johnson, 2,180; 9. Richie Stevens, 1,056; 10. V. Gaines, 1,025.
Pro Stock Motorcycle
1. Matt Smith, 3,211; 2. Andrew Hines, 3,205; 3. Chip Ellis, 3,204; 4. Peggy Llewellyn, 3,108; 5. Angelle Sampey, 2,309; 6. Craig Treble, 2,283; 7. Eddie Krawiec, 2,244; 8. Karen Stoffer, 2,242; 9. Steve Johnson, 746; 10. Antron Brown, 708.
From NHRA
DIRTcar NorthEast Adds To Headlines In Trip Down South!
Concord, NC – November 4, 2007 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast PR Director
It was billed all year long as the 'Outlaws World Finals' with the action-packed three-day event at the Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the first time ever uniting the World of Outlaws Late Models and Sprint Cars on the same program. Although not scheduled on the race card, the Big-Block Modifieds were not forgotten as sprinkled throughout both the pits and grandstands were hundreds of racers and fans boasting ties to DIRTcar Racing NorthEast's premier division.
The biggest show of the year for the World Racing Group attracted a handful of stars from the DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Region. And when history was made over the weekend in Concord, North Carolina, among those taking part in the trackside activity were 2005 Mr. DIRTcar Modified Champion Tim Fuller and 1992 DIRTcar NE Big-Block Rookie of the Year Ricky Elliott.
Dubbed the 'Empire Executioner,' Edwards, New York native Fuller arrived at The Dirt Track having already clinched the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award. He didn't enter the Jani-King Southern Showdown at Lowe's held earlier in the season because of commitments with the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds and failed to qualify for the Circle K Colossal 100, so he was looking to find the fast lane at Lowe's where he won the last Big-Block tour event staged there in 2005.
"All I ever knew was Modified racing. We dabbled with the Late Model in the past so this year we gave it our best shot and things just worked out," said Fuller, who turned 40 on Oct. 28. "John (Wight) gave us this opportunity so we moved all the equipment to our shop when the season started and just kept plugging away. I told the guys if we don't get any better this year we'd go back to Modified racing and never come back."
Fuller not only scored his first career WoO LM Series A-Main victory in 2007, he came 20 points short of capturing his second overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Modified Championship while taking three checkered flags in the demanding 32-race Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series.
"It seemed easier picking up a Late Model win than my first one in the Modifieds," figured Fuller, after ending the '07 DIRTcar NE campaign with four Big-Block feature wins and two more in the Small-Block ranks. Updated career totals include 79 BB and 40 SB victories, with 17 Advance Auto Parts Series and 14 358 tour wins affording him overall Mr. DIRTcar titles in the Modified (2005) and 358-Modified (1993 & '03) divisions. "Experience allowed me to bluff my way through a few times. Next year that won't happen as you have to be consistent to make any kind of run at the title."
"Looking back I never would've thought I'd be where I am today …. starting out with an Enduro car, even pulling it to the track with an old ambulance. Running a Big-Block was really just a pipe dream not too long ago. We're already looking forward to next year, you can't really talk about a championship but I think we can be a contender. We took real good notes and know what to work on over the winter. Best of all the family will be traveling along more. You want to race and need to run good to make a living. I want to see my kids grow up and having them around will make the schedule a little more tolerable," added Fuller, who failed to make the 'World Finals' starting grid on opening night yet put on the best performance in the nationally televised SPEED show Saturday steering the no. 19 Gypsum Wholesalers-JL Motorsports/Rocket machine from 22nd to third in 50-laps of nail-biting action.
Eventual race runner-up Elliott was far more successful, leading laps 31-43 in Friday night's 50-lap finale before all-time WoO LM race winner Scott Bloomquist put an exclamation point on his crowd-pleasing rally from the rear of the 26-car full-fender field. Elliott settled for 14th in the Saturday finale.
"I wish I could've started a little earlier in the Late Models," said Elliott, 42, prior to matching his best career WoO LM finish amidst a stellar field of 82 Late Model cars that signed to requirie six qualifying heats and a C-Main. The Seaford, Delaware driver dominated the Advance Auto Parts Series showdown at Lowe's in April of 2004 piloting the potent no. 85 J&M Roofing & Builders-Art Collins Trucking/TEO entry.
"I still love the Big-Blocks, but where I live is so much more conducive to Late Model racing. I think the open tire rule keeps a lot of teams coming back and there are a lot of high-paying events spread out with different groups. I still follow the Modifieds and have a lot of friends involved but right now this is the place I want to be," added Elliott, as he prepped the blue no. 45 Seaside Builders-Ocean RV Center/Rocket for the memorable night ahead.
SKIDMARKS
More DIRTcar NE influence came right from the top as all events held at Lowe's Dirt Track continue to be under the direction of personable Roger Slack, a 33 year-old native of York, Ontario, Canada. Slack is the son of former DIRT Modified driver Randy Slack and grandson of Bob Slack, the previous owner of Cayuga Speedway in Nelles Corners, Ont., site of the inaugural Advance Auto Parts Series DIRT/Asphalt Challenge event in 1988…..Complementing Slack throughout the week were Merrittville Speedway mainstays Pete & Nancy Bicknell and Howard Schram, head of track prep at the 56 year-old speedplant located in Thorold, Ontario. Nancy was even seen navigating the spacious red-clay 4/10-miler with the 'sheep's foot' in control as husband Pete ---DIRTcar NorthEast's all-time 358-Modified winner--- and Schram shared time pressing the water truck, tiller and grader into operation under the guidance of Randy Grove. Daughter Erica Bicknell joined DIRT Hall of Fame award winner Jean Lynch in providing pit pass upgrades at the ticket trailer throughout the weekend while former Lebanon Valley Speedway and Super DIRT Week handicapper John Harper assisted with scoring in the track tower…..Western Pennsylvania Big-Block standout and '03 Advance Auto Parts Series winner at Lowe's Kevin Bolland was also in the pits checking out the latest LM creations along with fellow Keystone State veterans Rick Laubach and Dave Schrader, current Advance Auto Parts Series star Dale Planck, plus former DIRT Modified-sportsman drivers Tim Clemons and Kent Peckham…..Jessica Zemken was the only female among 48 winged warriors that attempted to qualify for the WoO Sprint Car portion of the World Finals, time trialing 28th and 26th-quickest with the no. 1z Maxim in Thursday qualifying before falling just short in her bid to make both 30-lap A-Mains. "I'd love to follow the Outlaws tour with the right deal, right now we're about 100 horsepower short and that's a lot on this track against these guys," summed up Zemken, 21, a student at Hudson Valley College in Troy, NY who owns nine DIRTcar Sportsman feature wins with two scored on the Mr. DIRTcar Championship trail. On June 2, 2007 she made history, taking the lead with seven laps to go in the 25-Lap A-Main to win her first career ASCS Patriot feature at Brockville Ontario Speedway, becoming the first woman to accomplish such a feat…..Crew chief of Nextel Cupper Clint Bowyer's Dirt Late Model etam, Tommy Greco was also visitor to Lowe's over the weekend…..A media gathering at the neighboring National Speed Sport News headquarters ---in viewing distance of Lowe's superspeedway--- on Saturday morning announced the return of Rite Aid as the primary sponsor of the Advance Auto Parts Series' premier 200-lapper during Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds next October, along with title sponsorship of the Outlaw Showdown at Lowe's Dirt Track in May of 2008. The NSSN office building featured more than a dozen framed collages that were stuffed with a collection of legendary publication editor Chris Economaki's numerous press credentials, VIP passes, track licenses and special event buttons acquired over the past half-century. Included in the unique display area were a 1973 Weedsport (now Cayuga County Fair) Speedway press pass and a decal of the Schaefer International 100 --- today recognized as the Rite Aid 200 on the Syracuse Mile.
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., Rite Aid Corporation and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks and Wrisco Industries.
It was billed all year long as the 'Outlaws World Finals' with the action-packed three-day event at the Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the first time ever uniting the World of Outlaws Late Models and Sprint Cars on the same program. Although not scheduled on the race card, the Big-Block Modifieds were not forgotten as sprinkled throughout both the pits and grandstands were hundreds of racers and fans boasting ties to DIRTcar Racing NorthEast's premier division.
The biggest show of the year for the World Racing Group attracted a handful of stars from the DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Region. And when history was made over the weekend in Concord, North Carolina, among those taking part in the trackside activity were 2005 Mr. DIRTcar Modified Champion Tim Fuller and 1992 DIRTcar NE Big-Block Rookie of the Year Ricky Elliott.
Dubbed the 'Empire Executioner,' Edwards, New York native Fuller arrived at The Dirt Track having already clinched the 2007 WoO LMS Rookie of the Year Award. He didn't enter the Jani-King Southern Showdown at Lowe's held earlier in the season because of commitments with the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds and failed to qualify for the Circle K Colossal 100, so he was looking to find the fast lane at Lowe's where he won the last Big-Block tour event staged there in 2005.
"All I ever knew was Modified racing. We dabbled with the Late Model in the past so this year we gave it our best shot and things just worked out," said Fuller, who turned 40 on Oct. 28. "John (Wight) gave us this opportunity so we moved all the equipment to our shop when the season started and just kept plugging away. I told the guys if we don't get any better this year we'd go back to Modified racing and never come back."
Fuller not only scored his first career WoO LM Series A-Main victory in 2007, he came 20 points short of capturing his second overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Modified Championship while taking three checkered flags in the demanding 32-race Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series.
"It seemed easier picking up a Late Model win than my first one in the Modifieds," figured Fuller, after ending the '07 DIRTcar NE campaign with four Big-Block feature wins and two more in the Small-Block ranks. Updated career totals include 79 BB and 40 SB victories, with 17 Advance Auto Parts Series and 14 358 tour wins affording him overall Mr. DIRTcar titles in the Modified (2005) and 358-Modified (1993 & '03) divisions. "Experience allowed me to bluff my way through a few times. Next year that won't happen as you have to be consistent to make any kind of run at the title."
"Looking back I never would've thought I'd be where I am today …. starting out with an Enduro car, even pulling it to the track with an old ambulance. Running a Big-Block was really just a pipe dream not too long ago. We're already looking forward to next year, you can't really talk about a championship but I think we can be a contender. We took real good notes and know what to work on over the winter. Best of all the family will be traveling along more. You want to race and need to run good to make a living. I want to see my kids grow up and having them around will make the schedule a little more tolerable," added Fuller, who failed to make the 'World Finals' starting grid on opening night yet put on the best performance in the nationally televised SPEED show Saturday steering the no. 19 Gypsum Wholesalers-JL Motorsports/Rocket machine from 22nd to third in 50-laps of nail-biting action.
Eventual race runner-up Elliott was far more successful, leading laps 31-43 in Friday night's 50-lap finale before all-time WoO LM race winner Scott Bloomquist put an exclamation point on his crowd-pleasing rally from the rear of the 26-car full-fender field. Elliott settled for 14th in the Saturday finale.
"I wish I could've started a little earlier in the Late Models," said Elliott, 42, prior to matching his best career WoO LM finish amidst a stellar field of 82 Late Model cars that signed to requirie six qualifying heats and a C-Main. The Seaford, Delaware driver dominated the Advance Auto Parts Series showdown at Lowe's in April of 2004 piloting the potent no. 85 J&M Roofing & Builders-Art Collins Trucking/TEO entry.
"I still love the Big-Blocks, but where I live is so much more conducive to Late Model racing. I think the open tire rule keeps a lot of teams coming back and there are a lot of high-paying events spread out with different groups. I still follow the Modifieds and have a lot of friends involved but right now this is the place I want to be," added Elliott, as he prepped the blue no. 45 Seaside Builders-Ocean RV Center/Rocket for the memorable night ahead.
SKIDMARKS
More DIRTcar NE influence came right from the top as all events held at Lowe's Dirt Track continue to be under the direction of personable Roger Slack, a 33 year-old native of York, Ontario, Canada. Slack is the son of former DIRT Modified driver Randy Slack and grandson of Bob Slack, the previous owner of Cayuga Speedway in Nelles Corners, Ont., site of the inaugural Advance Auto Parts Series DIRT/Asphalt Challenge event in 1988…..Complementing Slack throughout the week were Merrittville Speedway mainstays Pete & Nancy Bicknell and Howard Schram, head of track prep at the 56 year-old speedplant located in Thorold, Ontario. Nancy was even seen navigating the spacious red-clay 4/10-miler with the 'sheep's foot' in control as husband Pete ---DIRTcar NorthEast's all-time 358-Modified winner--- and Schram shared time pressing the water truck, tiller and grader into operation under the guidance of Randy Grove. Daughter Erica Bicknell joined DIRT Hall of Fame award winner Jean Lynch in providing pit pass upgrades at the ticket trailer throughout the weekend while former Lebanon Valley Speedway and Super DIRT Week handicapper John Harper assisted with scoring in the track tower…..Western Pennsylvania Big-Block standout and '03 Advance Auto Parts Series winner at Lowe's Kevin Bolland was also in the pits checking out the latest LM creations along with fellow Keystone State veterans Rick Laubach and Dave Schrader, current Advance Auto Parts Series star Dale Planck, plus former DIRT Modified-sportsman drivers Tim Clemons and Kent Peckham…..Jessica Zemken was the only female among 48 winged warriors that attempted to qualify for the WoO Sprint Car portion of the World Finals, time trialing 28th and 26th-quickest with the no. 1z Maxim in Thursday qualifying before falling just short in her bid to make both 30-lap A-Mains. "I'd love to follow the Outlaws tour with the right deal, right now we're about 100 horsepower short and that's a lot on this track against these guys," summed up Zemken, 21, a student at Hudson Valley College in Troy, NY who owns nine DIRTcar Sportsman feature wins with two scored on the Mr. DIRTcar Championship trail. On June 2, 2007 she made history, taking the lead with seven laps to go in the 25-Lap A-Main to win her first career ASCS Patriot feature at Brockville Ontario Speedway, becoming the first woman to accomplish such a feat…..Crew chief of Nextel Cupper Clint Bowyer's Dirt Late Model etam, Tommy Greco was also visitor to Lowe's over the weekend…..A media gathering at the neighboring National Speed Sport News headquarters ---in viewing distance of Lowe's superspeedway--- on Saturday morning announced the return of Rite Aid as the primary sponsor of the Advance Auto Parts Series' premier 200-lapper during Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds next October, along with title sponsorship of the Outlaw Showdown at Lowe's Dirt Track in May of 2008. The NSSN office building featured more than a dozen framed collages that were stuffed with a collection of legendary publication editor Chris Economaki's numerous press credentials, VIP passes, track licenses and special event buttons acquired over the past half-century. Included in the unique display area were a 1973 Weedsport (now Cayuga County Fair) Speedway press pass and a decal of the Schaefer International 100 --- today recognized as the Rite Aid 200 on the Syracuse Mile.
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., Rite Aid Corporation and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks and Wrisco Industries.
NEXTEL CUP: The Jimmie Johnson show continues...
FT. WORTH, TX - Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's/Kobalt Monte Carlo SS, came to Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) with two goals - to capture his career-first victory at the track and take the lead in the Chase for the Nextel Cup standings. He accomplished both in the Dickies 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series (NNCS) race with a dramatic late-race, side-by-side battle with Matt Kenseth to claim in his ninth win of the 2007 season.
Johnson's victory was the 25th win of the season for Chevrolet, tying the all-time record set for the Bowtie Brand back in 1958.
"This has been an incredible and exciting year for Chevrolet in NASCAR Nextel Cup competition," said Alba Colon, NNCS program manager for GM Racing. "To score 25 wins in one season is a mark that we at GM Racing and Chevrolet could only have hoped to achieve.
"We are proud of each of our teams and drivers for their efforts this season to achieve this monumental feat. Competition in the NNCS is at an all-time high and we know the bar will continue to rise.
"Hendrick Motorsports is having an awesome year with 17 wins to date. Congratulations to Jimmie, Chad and everyone associated with the No. 48 team for their victory at Texas, and for the nine wins they have scored so far this season."
Johnson's win was his ninth of the season, third consecutive victory and 32nd of his NNCS career. In addition to the wins, he has an amazing 2007 record of three poles, 19 top-five and 22 top-10s finishes.
Johnson now sits atop the standings with two races remaining in the season holding a 30-point advantage over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Monte Carlo SS, who battled to finish seventh in the Dickies 500.
"This is amazing," said Johnson from TMS victory lane. "Wow what a car race car. We didn't have a great race car at the start of the race. We just kept working away at it and working at it until we got what we needed there at the end. Chad's (Knaus, crew chief) four-tire call really worked out well for us.
"I was really disappointed that Matt (Kenseth) was able to hang on so long with two tires. But we were able to battle him for the win and put on a hell of a show for the fans, just great hard racing. When I got close to him the first time and he pulled out ahead of me, I knew I had to drop back and regroup and start again, a get momentum because he had the advantage on the bottom. He let me go and drop back behind him, then got a run on him and got him cleared off of (turn) two.
"I don't want this groove we are in right now to go anywhere. So hopefully we can keep things together and be the champion again this year. Regardless of what happens, Hendrick Motorsports is such a great organization and has given us this opportunity. There are two races to go, 30 points can come and go pretty easily. Not a big margin by any means but better than being second."
Martin Truex, Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Monte Carlo SS, started the race from the pole, his career-first and took the checkered flag in third place. The Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver is 12th in the standings, 524 points down to Johnson.
Kyle Busch's fourth place finish in the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Monte Carlo SS moved him to fourth in the standings.
Jeff Burton, No. 31 AT&T Monte Carlo SS, was the highest finisher of he three Richard Childress Racing drivers, crossing the finish line in sixth place. Burton moved up to seventh in the standings, 431 points down to the leader.
Kevin Harvick, No 29 Shell-Pennzoil Monte Carlo SS, finished 10th to score his 14th top-10 of the season. He is eighth in the standings in a tight battle with Burton for the coveted points positions.
Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Monte Carlo SS, finished 11th and dropped to sixth in the Chase standings.
Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel's Monte Carlo SS, finished a disappointing 19th after being forced to pit under green for a loose wheel. Bowyer remains third in the standings but now is 181 points down to the leader.
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Kinko's Monte Carlo SS, finished 29th and dropped to 11th in the standings with two races remaining in the season."
The 35th round of the season and next-to-last race in the Chase will be November 11, 2007 at Phoenix International Raceway.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT MONTE CARLO SS , Started 2nd, Finished 7th: YOU CAME HOME SEVENTH. IT WAS A DIFFICULT NIGHT BUT A GOOD FINISH: "Yeah, that's a hard-fought seventh. I couldn't be more proud of this team and the effort they're putting out there and with good communication. We're not getting close enough. And we're getting beat. It was a pretty disappointing day right there. We want to be fighting that hard for wins and up there battling in the top three. You've got to take your hat off to Jimmie (Johnson, race winner) and those guys. They did an excellent job. They won the race and their pit strategy and car and all those things were right where they needed to be. We got the car really good there at the end, but it was too late by then."
YOU ARE 30 POINTS DOWN IN THE CHASE WITH TWO RACES TO GO. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? "Thirty isn't much. The biggest thing right now is that we're just getting beat and those guys are winning races. We've got to go put some pressure back on them and out perform them. We thought our qualifying run we had there was going to get us the track position we needed but we just couldn't maintain it. And Phoenix is a good track for us and we'll go there and fight hard just like we did tonight. Hopefully we can get those points back."
ON STRUGGLING WITH THE CAR: "The car was good there at the end. We just couldn't ever get it right earlier in the night. I'm disappointed with that. But we gave it everything we had and came home seventh. That's all you can do."
THIRTY POINTS IS STILL CLOSE: "Yeah, it's still close, but they're spanking us. They're putting it to us. I don't like it. We're very competitive and we're just getting beat. We've got to go to work. We've got to get it back. Those guys have done an excellent job coming from behind there a little bit when we won those couple of races, and now here they are with three in-a-row and they're on a great roll. We've got to answer back. That's all there is to it."
YOU'VE GOT ONE MORE RACE IN THIS TYPE OF CAR. THE LAST TWO RACES YOU'RE REALLY STRUGGLED THROUGH. LOOKING AHEAD TO HOMESTEAD, WHAT DO YOU NEED? "Yeah, that's a good question. We were great at Charlotte and we were great at times in Atlanta. This is really probably one of my worst tracks. This place is just so finicky. I have a real hard time trying to judge what we need to go fast here. And I'm glad to get out of here with a seventh place finish, to be honest with you. There were several times I thought I was going to be backed into the wall. Homestead, we've been great there and we've been terrible there. So I don't really know. I think the car is capable of doing it. We've just got to get the right set-up that makes me comfortable."
HOW IMPORTANT IS A STRONG FINISH OR EVEN A WIN NEXT WEEK AT PHOENIX, JUST FOR MOMENTUM'S SAKE? "You know what? All we can do is go out there and perform the best we possibly can just like we did tonight and hope that it's enough to be ahead of the guys we are racing like Jimmie. We can't control when they're doing what they're doing. They're doing a great job. And you can't take anything away from that. It's hard for anybody right now to step up and beat them, let alone us. If it comes down to that then, I don't know. It's going to be tough to beat them.
"I think we might be able to beat them next week (Phoenix) if we're just talking sheer performance. But he's pretty tough there too. I don't know. If it comes down to that, I think we've just got to keep playing it smart and being consistent and keep doing the things that we've been doing all year long."
HOW SIGNIFICANT COULD HAVE BEEN HIS PASS JUST IN THE LAST COUPLE LAPS IN THAT BATTLE WITH MATT KENSETH? THAT'S 15 EXTRA POINTS "Yeah, that's a lot of points. I don't know what happened there. I knew Jimmie had fresher tires and when I saw that on the restart I pretty much thought he was probably going to be able to pull it off."
THE REAR END ISSUES ON THE CAR YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ON THE RADIO, IS THIS THE SAME THING YOU WERE FIGHTING IN PRACTICE YESTERDAY? "Yeah, we never hit it right from the time we started race practice. We were awesome on Friday. We just never hit it the rest of the way. There at the end (today) we were pretty good. So we've got to look at it and evaluate some things. Once you get back in traffic here, it's almost impossible to read what the car is doing. This is a very aero-dependent track and the aero push and turbulent air back there is terrible. Once we couldn't maintain that good track position up front, we had to go to work on it and it was a fight. But I'm pretty proud of the fact that we came back to finish seventh. It could have been a lot worse than that."
WHEN YOU SAY YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AT SOME THINGS, DO YOU MEAN NEXT WEEK FOR PHOENIX? ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WENT WRONG THIS WEEKEND AT TEXAS? "Oh no, no, no. Nothing applies to anywhere else other than right here in Texas. It might apply a little bit to Homestead, but I mean where we could have been better here and what we could have done differently. And even with that said, we've got the Car of Tomorrow here next year so it won't matter because it'll be so much different."
IT WAS A HARD RACE BETWEEN JIMMIE JOHNSON AND MATT KENSETH. SOMEBODY COULD HAVE LOST IT. IS THAT AN INDICATION OF HOW IT'S GOING TO BE TO THE END? "No, there is not enough of a point deficit happening right now for anybody to race other than to race for a win. Nobody is trying to protect points. But you've got to be smart at the same time. Jimmie is an excellent driver but he's smart and knows what he's doing. I saw him get it sideways a couple of times and just moments like that could have been devastating. But we all deal with that every weekend and you've got to manage that and when you get yourself in position to win, you've got to pull it off."
IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WERE A COUPLE OF TIMES THERE WHEN JIMMIE DID GET LOOSE AND TOOK A STEP BACK. ON TV, THEY WERE SAYING HE WAS COOLING HIS TIRES TO SET UP THE NEXT RUN. WHAT DID THAT MEAN? "His car just started off really loose on new tires. So he just couldn't push it but that's what made him so strong on the long runs. Once they started getting the track position and he got to where he could figure out how to maintain it at the beginning, because I watched him a couple of times, it looked like he was going to lose a lot of positions. But then two laps later, boom, he was going right back to the front. That was the exact opposite of what we had. We could run pretty good for a couple of laps and then we just struggled from there."
YOU'VE BEEN LEADING THE POINTS AND ALSO CHASING THE LEADER: "It's no different. We've been battling as hard as we can to get the best finishes we can. It's disappointing we've gotten beat the last three weeks. All we can do is go to the next race and hope that we can turn it around and get some momentum back on our side. There is really no other way to put it other than they've been performing excellent. And we haven't stepped up where we need to. If this thing comes down to performance, they've out-performed us. If it comes down to staying out of trouble and being smart, I still think we've got a great shot at it."
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING IT'S GOING TO COME DOWN TO JIMMIE AND JEFF WITH CLINT BOWYER KIND OF HANGING IN THERE. HE HAD A BAD NIGHT. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT COMING DOWN TO YOU AND YOUR TEAMMATE?"Even with Bowyer there, one of us was going to have to have trouble because with Jimmie running as good as he's running, we're always solid with top five's and top 10's and it's hard to gain over 100 points on either one of us, so you're pretty much looking at both of us having to have trouble for those guys to have been a factor. I think now that he had trouble tonight, it really is going to come down to one of the two of us."
AND YOU HATE GETTING BEAT "I'm just mad that we sucked tonight, that's all."
WHAT DO YOU DO NOW? DO YOU PUT IT IN THE HANDS OF STEVIE (LETARTE) OR WHAT? "I'm going to celebrate my anniversary of being married for one year, and my wife's birthday, and go to Phoenix."
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS MONTE CARLO SS, STARTED 1ST, FINISHED 3RD: "It was a great day for us, we finally got to finish one off. I have to thank all the guys on the crew of my Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet; they really did a great job. Our car wasn't as good as it could have been all day but they never gave up and we got a decent finish. We have had good cars every race and we just haven't been able to finish where we have ran, so it feels good."
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S/KOBALT MONTE CARLO SS, STARTED 8TH; FINISHED 1ST: "This is amazing. Wow what a car race car. We didn't have a great race car at the start of the race. We just kept working away at it and working at it until we got what we needed there at the end. Chad's (Knaus, crew chief) four-tire call really worked out well for us.
"I was really disappointed that Matt (Kenseth) was able to hang on so long with two tires. But we were able to battle him for the win and put on a hell of a show for the fans, just great hard racing. When I got close to him the first time and he pulled out ahead of me, I knew I had to drop back and regroup and start again, a get momentum because he had the advantage on the bottom. He let me go and drop back behind him, then got a run on him and got him cleared off of two.
"I don't want this groove we are in right now to go anywhere. So hopefully we can keep things together and be the champion again this year. Regardless of what happens, Hendrick Motorsports is such a great organization and give us this opportunity. There are two races to go, 30 points can come and go pretty easily. Not a big margin by any means but better than being second."
From Judy Kouba Dominick and Nancy Wager, for GM
Johnson's victory was the 25th win of the season for Chevrolet, tying the all-time record set for the Bowtie Brand back in 1958.
"This has been an incredible and exciting year for Chevrolet in NASCAR Nextel Cup competition," said Alba Colon, NNCS program manager for GM Racing. "To score 25 wins in one season is a mark that we at GM Racing and Chevrolet could only have hoped to achieve.
"We are proud of each of our teams and drivers for their efforts this season to achieve this monumental feat. Competition in the NNCS is at an all-time high and we know the bar will continue to rise.
"Hendrick Motorsports is having an awesome year with 17 wins to date. Congratulations to Jimmie, Chad and everyone associated with the No. 48 team for their victory at Texas, and for the nine wins they have scored so far this season."
Johnson's win was his ninth of the season, third consecutive victory and 32nd of his NNCS career. In addition to the wins, he has an amazing 2007 record of three poles, 19 top-five and 22 top-10s finishes.
Johnson now sits atop the standings with two races remaining in the season holding a 30-point advantage over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Monte Carlo SS, who battled to finish seventh in the Dickies 500.
"This is amazing," said Johnson from TMS victory lane. "Wow what a car race car. We didn't have a great race car at the start of the race. We just kept working away at it and working at it until we got what we needed there at the end. Chad's (Knaus, crew chief) four-tire call really worked out well for us.
"I was really disappointed that Matt (Kenseth) was able to hang on so long with two tires. But we were able to battle him for the win and put on a hell of a show for the fans, just great hard racing. When I got close to him the first time and he pulled out ahead of me, I knew I had to drop back and regroup and start again, a get momentum because he had the advantage on the bottom. He let me go and drop back behind him, then got a run on him and got him cleared off of (turn) two.
"I don't want this groove we are in right now to go anywhere. So hopefully we can keep things together and be the champion again this year. Regardless of what happens, Hendrick Motorsports is such a great organization and has given us this opportunity. There are two races to go, 30 points can come and go pretty easily. Not a big margin by any means but better than being second."
Martin Truex, Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Monte Carlo SS, started the race from the pole, his career-first and took the checkered flag in third place. The Dale Earnhardt, Inc. driver is 12th in the standings, 524 points down to Johnson.
Kyle Busch's fourth place finish in the No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Monte Carlo SS moved him to fourth in the standings.
Jeff Burton, No. 31 AT&T Monte Carlo SS, was the highest finisher of he three Richard Childress Racing drivers, crossing the finish line in sixth place. Burton moved up to seventh in the standings, 431 points down to the leader.
Kevin Harvick, No 29 Shell-Pennzoil Monte Carlo SS, finished 10th to score his 14th top-10 of the season. He is eighth in the standings in a tight battle with Burton for the coveted points positions.
Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Monte Carlo SS, finished 11th and dropped to sixth in the Chase standings.
Clint Bowyer, No. 07 Jack Daniel's Monte Carlo SS, finished a disappointing 19th after being forced to pit under green for a loose wheel. Bowyer remains third in the standings but now is 181 points down to the leader.
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 FedEx Kinko's Monte Carlo SS, finished 29th and dropped to 11th in the standings with two races remaining in the season."
The 35th round of the season and next-to-last race in the Chase will be November 11, 2007 at Phoenix International Raceway.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DUPONT MONTE CARLO SS , Started 2nd, Finished 7th: YOU CAME HOME SEVENTH. IT WAS A DIFFICULT NIGHT BUT A GOOD FINISH: "Yeah, that's a hard-fought seventh. I couldn't be more proud of this team and the effort they're putting out there and with good communication. We're not getting close enough. And we're getting beat. It was a pretty disappointing day right there. We want to be fighting that hard for wins and up there battling in the top three. You've got to take your hat off to Jimmie (Johnson, race winner) and those guys. They did an excellent job. They won the race and their pit strategy and car and all those things were right where they needed to be. We got the car really good there at the end, but it was too late by then."
YOU ARE 30 POINTS DOWN IN THE CHASE WITH TWO RACES TO GO. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? "Thirty isn't much. The biggest thing right now is that we're just getting beat and those guys are winning races. We've got to go put some pressure back on them and out perform them. We thought our qualifying run we had there was going to get us the track position we needed but we just couldn't maintain it. And Phoenix is a good track for us and we'll go there and fight hard just like we did tonight. Hopefully we can get those points back."
ON STRUGGLING WITH THE CAR: "The car was good there at the end. We just couldn't ever get it right earlier in the night. I'm disappointed with that. But we gave it everything we had and came home seventh. That's all you can do."
THIRTY POINTS IS STILL CLOSE: "Yeah, it's still close, but they're spanking us. They're putting it to us. I don't like it. We're very competitive and we're just getting beat. We've got to go to work. We've got to get it back. Those guys have done an excellent job coming from behind there a little bit when we won those couple of races, and now here they are with three in-a-row and they're on a great roll. We've got to answer back. That's all there is to it."
YOU'VE GOT ONE MORE RACE IN THIS TYPE OF CAR. THE LAST TWO RACES YOU'RE REALLY STRUGGLED THROUGH. LOOKING AHEAD TO HOMESTEAD, WHAT DO YOU NEED? "Yeah, that's a good question. We were great at Charlotte and we were great at times in Atlanta. This is really probably one of my worst tracks. This place is just so finicky. I have a real hard time trying to judge what we need to go fast here. And I'm glad to get out of here with a seventh place finish, to be honest with you. There were several times I thought I was going to be backed into the wall. Homestead, we've been great there and we've been terrible there. So I don't really know. I think the car is capable of doing it. We've just got to get the right set-up that makes me comfortable."
HOW IMPORTANT IS A STRONG FINISH OR EVEN A WIN NEXT WEEK AT PHOENIX, JUST FOR MOMENTUM'S SAKE? "You know what? All we can do is go out there and perform the best we possibly can just like we did tonight and hope that it's enough to be ahead of the guys we are racing like Jimmie. We can't control when they're doing what they're doing. They're doing a great job. And you can't take anything away from that. It's hard for anybody right now to step up and beat them, let alone us. If it comes down to that then, I don't know. It's going to be tough to beat them.
"I think we might be able to beat them next week (Phoenix) if we're just talking sheer performance. But he's pretty tough there too. I don't know. If it comes down to that, I think we've just got to keep playing it smart and being consistent and keep doing the things that we've been doing all year long."
HOW SIGNIFICANT COULD HAVE BEEN HIS PASS JUST IN THE LAST COUPLE LAPS IN THAT BATTLE WITH MATT KENSETH? THAT'S 15 EXTRA POINTS "Yeah, that's a lot of points. I don't know what happened there. I knew Jimmie had fresher tires and when I saw that on the restart I pretty much thought he was probably going to be able to pull it off."
THE REAR END ISSUES ON THE CAR YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ON THE RADIO, IS THIS THE SAME THING YOU WERE FIGHTING IN PRACTICE YESTERDAY? "Yeah, we never hit it right from the time we started race practice. We were awesome on Friday. We just never hit it the rest of the way. There at the end (today) we were pretty good. So we've got to look at it and evaluate some things. Once you get back in traffic here, it's almost impossible to read what the car is doing. This is a very aero-dependent track and the aero push and turbulent air back there is terrible. Once we couldn't maintain that good track position up front, we had to go to work on it and it was a fight. But I'm pretty proud of the fact that we came back to finish seventh. It could have been a lot worse than that."
WHEN YOU SAY YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AT SOME THINGS, DO YOU MEAN NEXT WEEK FOR PHOENIX? ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WENT WRONG THIS WEEKEND AT TEXAS? "Oh no, no, no. Nothing applies to anywhere else other than right here in Texas. It might apply a little bit to Homestead, but I mean where we could have been better here and what we could have done differently. And even with that said, we've got the Car of Tomorrow here next year so it won't matter because it'll be so much different."
IT WAS A HARD RACE BETWEEN JIMMIE JOHNSON AND MATT KENSETH. SOMEBODY COULD HAVE LOST IT. IS THAT AN INDICATION OF HOW IT'S GOING TO BE TO THE END? "No, there is not enough of a point deficit happening right now for anybody to race other than to race for a win. Nobody is trying to protect points. But you've got to be smart at the same time. Jimmie is an excellent driver but he's smart and knows what he's doing. I saw him get it sideways a couple of times and just moments like that could have been devastating. But we all deal with that every weekend and you've got to manage that and when you get yourself in position to win, you've got to pull it off."
IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WERE A COUPLE OF TIMES THERE WHEN JIMMIE DID GET LOOSE AND TOOK A STEP BACK. ON TV, THEY WERE SAYING HE WAS COOLING HIS TIRES TO SET UP THE NEXT RUN. WHAT DID THAT MEAN? "His car just started off really loose on new tires. So he just couldn't push it but that's what made him so strong on the long runs. Once they started getting the track position and he got to where he could figure out how to maintain it at the beginning, because I watched him a couple of times, it looked like he was going to lose a lot of positions. But then two laps later, boom, he was going right back to the front. That was the exact opposite of what we had. We could run pretty good for a couple of laps and then we just struggled from there."
YOU'VE BEEN LEADING THE POINTS AND ALSO CHASING THE LEADER: "It's no different. We've been battling as hard as we can to get the best finishes we can. It's disappointing we've gotten beat the last three weeks. All we can do is go to the next race and hope that we can turn it around and get some momentum back on our side. There is really no other way to put it other than they've been performing excellent. And we haven't stepped up where we need to. If this thing comes down to performance, they've out-performed us. If it comes down to staying out of trouble and being smart, I still think we've got a great shot at it."
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING IT'S GOING TO COME DOWN TO JIMMIE AND JEFF WITH CLINT BOWYER KIND OF HANGING IN THERE. HE HAD A BAD NIGHT. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT COMING DOWN TO YOU AND YOUR TEAMMATE?"Even with Bowyer there, one of us was going to have to have trouble because with Jimmie running as good as he's running, we're always solid with top five's and top 10's and it's hard to gain over 100 points on either one of us, so you're pretty much looking at both of us having to have trouble for those guys to have been a factor. I think now that he had trouble tonight, it really is going to come down to one of the two of us."
AND YOU HATE GETTING BEAT "I'm just mad that we sucked tonight, that's all."
WHAT DO YOU DO NOW? DO YOU PUT IT IN THE HANDS OF STEVIE (LETARTE) OR WHAT? "I'm going to celebrate my anniversary of being married for one year, and my wife's birthday, and go to Phoenix."
MARTIN TRUEX, JR., NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER BOATS MONTE CARLO SS, STARTED 1ST, FINISHED 3RD: "It was a great day for us, we finally got to finish one off. I have to thank all the guys on the crew of my Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet; they really did a great job. Our car wasn't as good as it could have been all day but they never gave up and we got a decent finish. We have had good cars every race and we just haven't been able to finish where we have ran, so it feels good."
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S/KOBALT MONTE CARLO SS, STARTED 8TH; FINISHED 1ST: "This is amazing. Wow what a car race car. We didn't have a great race car at the start of the race. We just kept working away at it and working at it until we got what we needed there at the end. Chad's (Knaus, crew chief) four-tire call really worked out well for us.
"I was really disappointed that Matt (Kenseth) was able to hang on so long with two tires. But we were able to battle him for the win and put on a hell of a show for the fans, just great hard racing. When I got close to him the first time and he pulled out ahead of me, I knew I had to drop back and regroup and start again, a get momentum because he had the advantage on the bottom. He let me go and drop back behind him, then got a run on him and got him cleared off of two.
"I don't want this groove we are in right now to go anywhere. So hopefully we can keep things together and be the champion again this year. Regardless of what happens, Hendrick Motorsports is such a great organization and give us this opportunity. There are two races to go, 30 points can come and go pretty easily. Not a big margin by any means but better than being second."
From Judy Kouba Dominick and Nancy Wager, for GM
The New Humberstone Speedway Honors Its Champions at Annual Banquet
On November 4th, The New Humberstone Speedway honored their champions and drivers at their 3rd Annual banquet. Over $11,000 was given out in money and prizes over the course of the night.
Awards given out were as follows:
2007 Season Champions:
ABCD (Above and Beyond the Call of Duty) Award: Staff Member - Tom Beales (Pit Steward)
Jim Simpson Crew Chief of the Year: Dan Hatt (13 Cosco Haulage Sportsman)
Trevor Wilkens Driver of the Year: Brians Tire Repair Streetstock Driver – Brad Sheehan
Winner of the Complete Outer Body donated by RFC (Racing Fabrication Company): Travis Braun
Special thanks to all the sponsors throughout the 2007 season, and everyone in attendance for a great night and a terrific 2007 season.
Awards given out were as follows:
2007 Season Champions:
- Cosco Haulage Sportsman- Wayne Conn (8)
- Brians Tire Repair Streetstock- Brad Sheehan (M1)
- Niagara Auto Sales Pro 4 Truck- Ed McNamara (K51)
- Kendall Oil Ministock Division- James Small (10S)
- Dirt Track Digest 360 Sprint Class- Rob Pietz (69)
- Weekend Warriors- Lenie Sliter (6)
- Cosco Haulage Sportsman- Darren Peters (1P)
- Brians Tire Repair Streetstock- Jamie Akers (360)
- Niagara Auto Sales Pro 4 Truck- Ed McNamara (K51)
- Kendall Oil Ministock Division- Len Wiley (360)
- Cosco Haulage Sportsman- Rick Bellante (62)
- Brians Tire Repair Streetstock- Bill Bleich Jr (108)
- Niagara Auto Sales Pro 4 Truck- Robin Lessard (38)
- Kendall Oil Ministock Division- Damian Gore (3)
- Cosco Haulage Sportsman- B.J Willard (77)
- Brians Tire Repair Streetstock- Vince Fargnoli (55)
- Niagara Auto Sales Pro 4 Truck- Don Lessard (64)
- Kendall Oil Ministock Division- Brandon Iudiciani (79)
- Cosco Haulage Sportsman- Tyler McPherson (777)
- Brians Tire Repair Streetstock- Cody McPherson (777)
- Niagara Auto Sales Pro 4 Truck- Doug Banner (29)
- Kendall Oil Ministock Division- Dave Small (67s)
- Cosco Haulage Sportsman- Greg Panunte (99P)
- Brians Tire Repair Streetstock- Bill Hogue (48H)
- Niagara Auto Sales Pro 4 Truck- John Low (S10)
- Kendall Oil Ministock Division- Katie Cosco (14K)
- Cosco Haulage Sportsman- Tom Flannigan (7)
- Brians Tire Repair Streetstock- Rick Beales (117)
- Niagara Auto Sales Pro 4 Truck- John Low (S10)
- Kendall Oil Ministock Division- Len Wiley (360)
- Cosco Haulage Sportsman- Dennis Giancola (13)
- Brians Tire Repair Streetstock- Rick Beales (117)
- Niagara Auto Sales Pro 4 Truck- Rob Anthes (13)
- Kendall Oil Ministock Division- Dave Small (67S)
ABCD (Above and Beyond the Call of Duty) Award: Staff Member - Tom Beales (Pit Steward)
Jim Simpson Crew Chief of the Year: Dan Hatt (13 Cosco Haulage Sportsman)
Trevor Wilkens Driver of the Year: Brians Tire Repair Streetstock Driver – Brad Sheehan
Winner of the Complete Outer Body donated by RFC (Racing Fabrication Company): Travis Braun
Special thanks to all the sponsors throughout the 2007 season, and everyone in attendance for a great night and a terrific 2007 season.
Coughlin captures 2007 POWERade World Championship (NHRA/JEGS)
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 4) -- Jeg Coughlin Jr. clinched the 2007 POWERade Drag Racing Series World Championship Sunday by reaching the semifinal round of the 43rd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals. Coughlin's second-round win over Richie Stevens combined with Greg Anderson and Dave Connolly's first-round exits solidified Coughlin's fourth world title and third in the Pro Stock category.
"What a feeling!" Coughlin said. "To win another championship for JEGS.com and all of our employees and fans is special. It's such a cool deal to win the first championship under the NHRA's new Countdown playoff system. It was a tough battle against the best racers in the world but we got it done as a team and I couldn't be prouder of the entire Victor Cagnazzi Racing organization."
Coughlin opened the final day of the season trailing Anderson by 36 points. Each elimination round is worth 20 points, meaning Coughlin had to advance two rounds further than his rival. With Anderson on the opposite side of the ladder, Coughlin needed some help and he got it when newcomer Justin Humphreys left on Anderson by a whopping .053 seconds, which translated to a stunning 6.669 to 6.658-second holeshot win at the top end.
The only other person able to spoil the day for Coughlin was his teammate at Victor Cagnazzi Racing, Dave Connolly, but he inexplicably red-lighted away his chance against Mike Edwards by leaving the starting line -.013 seconds early.
"It's incredible how it all fell into place," Coughlin said. "The pressure was enormous for all of us and I think my previous experience might have really helped me there. Last year I only ran three Pro Stock events at the end of the season. The rest of the time I was running a bunch of those high-dollar bracket races and those things are so intense. That's kind of what it felt like these past two races.
"This is such a charge. To be able to give Victor and Brita (Cagnazzi) their first championship means a lot to me. They had a plan to put together a race team capable of winning a championship and through a lot of perseverance and hard work they got it done.
"Like any racer that wins a championship, I have a fantastic team behind me. Roy Simmons, my crew chief, my father Jeg Sr., the crew guys, the boys building the motors back at the shop, the chassis department, they all share in this moment. This is for all of us."
Information regarding JEGS Mail Order can be found at www.jegs.com and for media/fan resources check out www.teamjegs.com.
Media Contact: Scott "Woody" Woodruff // JEGS, Director of Media & Motorsports
"What a feeling!" Coughlin said. "To win another championship for JEGS.com and all of our employees and fans is special. It's such a cool deal to win the first championship under the NHRA's new Countdown playoff system. It was a tough battle against the best racers in the world but we got it done as a team and I couldn't be prouder of the entire Victor Cagnazzi Racing organization."
Coughlin opened the final day of the season trailing Anderson by 36 points. Each elimination round is worth 20 points, meaning Coughlin had to advance two rounds further than his rival. With Anderson on the opposite side of the ladder, Coughlin needed some help and he got it when newcomer Justin Humphreys left on Anderson by a whopping .053 seconds, which translated to a stunning 6.669 to 6.658-second holeshot win at the top end.
The only other person able to spoil the day for Coughlin was his teammate at Victor Cagnazzi Racing, Dave Connolly, but he inexplicably red-lighted away his chance against Mike Edwards by leaving the starting line -.013 seconds early.
"It's incredible how it all fell into place," Coughlin said. "The pressure was enormous for all of us and I think my previous experience might have really helped me there. Last year I only ran three Pro Stock events at the end of the season. The rest of the time I was running a bunch of those high-dollar bracket races and those things are so intense. That's kind of what it felt like these past two races.
"This is such a charge. To be able to give Victor and Brita (Cagnazzi) their first championship means a lot to me. They had a plan to put together a race team capable of winning a championship and through a lot of perseverance and hard work they got it done.
"Like any racer that wins a championship, I have a fantastic team behind me. Roy Simmons, my crew chief, my father Jeg Sr., the crew guys, the boys building the motors back at the shop, the chassis department, they all share in this moment. This is for all of us."
Information regarding JEGS Mail Order can be found at www.jegs.com and for media/fan resources check out www.teamjegs.com.
Media Contact: Scott "Woody" Woodruff // JEGS, Director of Media & Motorsports
East-West Supermodified Shootout Photos
Photos by Jim Feeney
0014 AJ Russell of Clovis, CA celebrates his win in the inaugural Wirtgen East-West Supermodified Shootout in Concord, NC on Saturday.
0041 AJ Russell, Clovis, CA was the winner of the first annual East-West Supermodified Shootout on Saturday at Concord Motorsports Park. Russell beat out supermodified dominator Chris Perley for the win.
3226 East-West Shootout early leader, Rich Reid feels the pressure from eventual winner AJ Russell at Concord Motorsports Park on Saturday. Reid, an MSA regular, settled for fifth.
3233 MSA regular Charlie Schultz in the May Motorsports 17 fights off 2007 ISMA champion Chris Perley in the East-West Supermodified Shootout on Saturday at Concord Motorsports Park. Californian AJ Russell won the event with Perley second followed by Schultz in third.
3243 ISMA champion Chris Perley tries to hunt down West Coast driver AJ Russell with 14 to go in the East-West Shootout at Concord Motorsports Park on Saturday. Russell held on for the win.
3244 ISMA racers Mike Lichty and Mike Ordway Jr. battle for top ten spots at the John Blewett III Memorial East-West Supermodified Shootout Saturday. The winner of the Wirtgen sponsored 50 lapper was AJ Russell of Clovis, CA
3245 MSA driver Rich Reid (55) tries to fend off the advances of ISMA regular Mike Lichty at the Concord Motorsports Park on Saturday during the first annual East-West Supermodified Shootout.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame 2007 Inductees Announced
Canadian Motorsport Hall Of Fame Announces 2007 Inductees... Motorsport Competitors and Builders to be Honoured
NOVEMBER 2007 (Halton Hills) The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CMHF) is pleased to announce the seven individuals to be inducted at the 15th annual Gala on Saturday, February 23, 2008 in Toronto.
This year's inductees come from a variety of racing disciplines and are being recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to Canadian racing. Inductees survive scrutiny by the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame's Nomination Committee which carefully analyses all submissions for accuracy and completeness. A broad range of up to 20 candidate nominations are then forwarded to the Selection Committee, comprised of a national panel of automotive and racing journalists and historians, who make their selection based on overall accomplishments and contributions to Canadian motorsport.
The 2007 inductees are:
Jack Christie Builder
Scott Fraser
Geoff Goodwin Competitor/Builder Drag Racing
Ted Gryguc
Alan Labrosse Competitor/Builder
Billy Mathews Motorcycle Racing
Tony Novotny Builder
Thom Dickinson, President of the Canadian Automotive Collection says, "The reason the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame exists is to honour the special men and women who have contributed to making Canada one of the world's great racing nations. We are very excited to announce the newest list of outstanding Canadians, who, through their notable achievements over the last century, have contributed to Canada's racing heritage and have left their stamp on Canadian motorsport."
The Induction ceremony and Gala dinner, including a Silent Auction, will be held at the Canadian International Auto Show within the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday February 23, 2008. Individual tickets are $220 each, and a table of 10 can be purchased for $2,200. Tickets purchased prior to December 31, 2007 are $195 each and a table of 10 is $1,950. Tickets may be purchased by calling 905-876-2454, or by visiting the CMHF website at http://www.cmhf.ca/. Join us for the celebrations. A past Inductee said, "This takes my breath away! I wasn't prepared for this evening. This is my best motorsport memory!"
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame was established in 1993 to honour and recognize the achievements of Canadians who have made significant contributions to Canada's rich and colourful motorsport history. Since its inception, more than 125 people have been inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame including Greg Moore, Scott Goodyear, Earl Ross, Ross Petersen, Guy Lombardo, Frank Hawley and the legendary Gilles Villeneuve.
Since 1999 the Canadian Automotive Collection, a charitable organization funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships and special events, has presented the Canadian Motorsport Museum, one of the largest motorsport collections in Canada, presenting racing cars, boats and motorcycles, The Canadian Motorsport Archives, an extensive archival collection, and the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, the pinnacle of motorsport recognition in Canada.
From the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame // George Daszkowski
NOVEMBER 2007 (Halton Hills) The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CMHF) is pleased to announce the seven individuals to be inducted at the 15th annual Gala on Saturday, February 23, 2008 in Toronto.
This year's inductees come from a variety of racing disciplines and are being recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to Canadian racing. Inductees survive scrutiny by the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame's Nomination Committee which carefully analyses all submissions for accuracy and completeness. A broad range of up to 20 candidate nominations are then forwarded to the Selection Committee, comprised of a national panel of automotive and racing journalists and historians, who make their selection based on overall accomplishments and contributions to Canadian motorsport.
The 2007 inductees are:
Jack Christie
Scott Fraser
Geoff Goodwin
Ted Gryguc
Alan Labrosse
Billy Mathews
Tony Novotny
Thom Dickinson, President of the Canadian Automotive Collection says, "The reason the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame exists is to honour the special men and women who have contributed to making Canada one of the world's great racing nations. We are very excited to announce the newest list of outstanding Canadians, who, through their notable achievements over the last century, have contributed to Canada's racing heritage and have left their stamp on Canadian motorsport."
The Induction ceremony and Gala dinner, including a Silent Auction, will be held at the Canadian International Auto Show within the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday February 23, 2008. Individual tickets are $220 each, and a table of 10 can be purchased for $2,200. Tickets purchased prior to December 31, 2007 are $195 each and a table of 10 is $1,950. Tickets may be purchased by calling 905-876-2454, or by visiting the CMHF website at http://www.cmhf.ca/. Join us for the celebrations. A past Inductee said, "This takes my breath away! I wasn't prepared for this evening. This is my best motorsport memory!"
The Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame was established in 1993 to honour and recognize the achievements of Canadians who have made significant contributions to Canada's rich and colourful motorsport history. Since its inception, more than 125 people have been inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame including Greg Moore, Scott Goodyear, Earl Ross, Ross Petersen, Guy Lombardo, Frank Hawley and the legendary Gilles Villeneuve.
Since 1999 the Canadian Automotive Collection, a charitable organization funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships and special events, has presented the Canadian Motorsport Museum, one of the largest motorsport collections in Canada, presenting racing cars, boats and motorcycles, The Canadian Motorsport Archives, an extensive archival collection, and the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, the pinnacle of motorsport recognition in Canada.
From the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame // George Daszkowski
Shocking News!
By James NeilsonIn what might be a more shocking divorce than Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, McLaren-Mercedes and Fernando Alonso have agreed to part ways after what seemed like a harmonious relationship between him, the team and Lewis Hamilton in '07. Alonso is now a free agent and can sign with whatever team has a mutual interest in his services.
"Since I was a boy I had always wanted to drive for McLaren, but sometimes in life things do not work out," said Alonso. "I continue to believe that McLaren is a great team. Yes, we have had our ups and downs during the season, which has made it extra-challenging for all of us, and it is not a secret that I never really felt at home."
Clearly unsatisfied by the mount of Bullsh**, Dennis added "He is a great driver but for some reason the combination of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Fernando has not really worked out, and in the end we reached a stage where none of us could find a way to move forward."
Here's what I think they really meant:
"I was supposed to be the #1 guy and those two-faced englishmen made me share equipment with a child," said Alonso. "Manche puercos!"
"Thank god that's over with, good riddance you spoiled brat," said Dennis. "I'll make sure to have Lewis wave to you when he laps your stricken Toyota!"
The most-discussed destination for the two-time world champion has been his former team, Renault. Ferrari removed themselves from the list after recently inking Massa to an extension, not to mention the fact Ferrari can;t provide Alonso with the clear-cut #1 driver role he craves.
The situation is complicated, however. Renault is easily the most money-conscious team at the sharp end of the grid and might need help to sign him to the estimated $25 million US he will most likely be asking for.
Honda and Toyota have been mentioned as possible destinations as well. Neither teams has the car Alonso would be looking for but they both have a lot of Yen to throw at a #1 driver, something both teams, particularly Toyota, lack.
Commentary: Why not BMW? They're improving every year, have the budget and are strong on the technical side. Alonso would as, surely, be the #1 guy on a team that currently employs Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica.
BTW: That's a photo of Alonso's wife, poor guy.
... thus freeing him up to concentrate on his goaltending career
Charasmatic beer pitchman Frank D'Angelo has sold majority interest his brewery and juice business to his business partner, Barry Sherman.This story has a racing angle because Steelback is the title sponsor of Toronto's Champ Car race and is currently running ads about its backing of Targa Newfoundland.
Upon taking control, Sherman promptly installed his young son (23 or 24 years old, depending on whether you believe the Nat'l Post or the Toronto Star) as CEO.
The National Post's story appears here. Toronto Star Business Columnist Jennifer Wells speculates in her column that under D'Angelo, the company had become "a vast, over-leveraged, money-losing mess." and that the decision for D'Angelo to step aside came as a result of his partner running out of patience, causing him to "pull the trigger."
No word on whether young Jonathon Sherman is a racing fan. I guess we'll find out.
Star Mazda Season Overview
From Peter Frey / StarMazdaPR
2007 was another banner year for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. The deep talent pool included drivers from four continents and seven countries, with eight different winners in twelve races and just four points separating the 4th and 8th-place finishers in the championship. Records were set, including the first-ever back-to-back podium finishes by a female driver in the series. And, claiming the champion's share of a prize fund approaching $1.5 million, another rising star took his next step up the Mazda Motorsports Ladder.
The Champion
Dane Cameron, a 19-year-old series rookie from Sonoma, CA, won the 2007 Star Mazda Championship becoming only the second rookie champion in the 17-yeear history of the series (Ian Lacy won in his first season, in 1998). Driving the #19 JDC Motorsports/Finlay Motorsports Mazda, he clinched the championship in Round Eleven at Road Atlanta on his way to a record of three wins, six pole positions, and seven top-5 finishes, including five podiums. Cameron will follow the path established by 2005 champion Raphael Matos and 2006 winner Adrian Carrio, moving up the Mazda Motorsports Ladder to a full-season drive in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.
The Winners
In addition to Cameron's three victories (Houston, VIR and Toronto), seven other drivers also stood on the top step of the podium in 2007. Ron White of Santa Clara, California (#69 Wunder-Bar Mazda) drove for three teams during the season, starting out with Team G.FRO, moving to Maxwell Racing mid-season and fielding his own car for the last two races. He scored back-to-back wins for at Road America and Trois Rivières, finishing third in the championship. Also scoring two wins (Salt Lake City and Road Atlanta) was Burnaby, B.C. driver Lorenzo Mandarino. He finished 8th in the championship driving the #15 Team G.FRO/Newway Forming Mazda.
Single-race winners included Australian racer James Davison, who finished 2nd in the championship. He won at Mosport in the #7 Velocity Motorsports/Easternats Mazda. Jonathan Goring of Norfolk, CT finished 5th in the championship and won at Cleveland in the #14 Andersen Racing/Skip Barber Racing Mazda. Sixth in the championship, and winning his first race of the season in the final round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca driving the #51 Mundill/Oral and Facial Surgery Center Mazda was Lafayette, Louisiana native Alex Ardoin.
Saint-Bruno, Quebec's Devin Cunningham won the 2006 Discovery Channel 'Star Racer' competition to find Canada's next open-wheel racing star, and won in the rain at Portland in the #33 AIM Autosport/Discovery Channel Mazda. He finished 7th in the championship. Rounding out the list of 2007 race winners was Toronto's Marco Di Leo; he qualified on the front row for more than half of the races, won the season-opener at Sebring and finished 9th in the championship driving the #21 Maxwell Racing/Nugget Mazda.
While it is not known at this point how many of these drivers will return for another season of Star Mazda Championship racing in 2008, those who do and finished in the top-10 will get to use that number on their car. If the driver moves on to another series, the team that fielded the car will retain the number.
Expert and Masters Series
The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is one of the only open-wheel racing series in the world to feature a championship-within-a-championship for more mature drivers in whom the competitive fire still burns brightly. The Expert Series, for drivers aged 30 to 44, was won by Dallas, Texas racer Dan Tomlin III. Driving the #56 Team Tomlin Mazda, he scored three class wins, including the season finale at Mazda Raceway (where his father, Dan Tomlin Jr., won the Master class event), and four class top-3 finishes. The Master Series for driver 45 and older, was won by Steve Hickham of Corpus Christi, Texas. Racing the #17 Maxwell Racing/HB Turbo Mazda, he complied a record of five class wins and six top-3 class finishes.
The Prizes
With the 2007 prizes approaching $1.5 million, Cameron claimed the lion's share; including a Mazda-sponsored 2008 season in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. Cameron has elected to race with the 2007 championship-winning Sierra Sierra/ProWorks team. He also collected $100,000 and a new Mazda RX-8 for winning the championship and $10,000 for winning Rookie of the Year. The rest of the $500,000 in cash prizes was paid deep into the field, from $70,000 for 2nd-place to $10,000 for 15th.
The season-ending banquet, ably hosted by SPEED Channel commentators Brian Till and Calvin Fish, included not only championship prizes for the top-15 drivers, but also a number of other awards:
The Team Championship for the Star Mazda team scoring the most points based on finishes throughout the season by their top two cars: JDC Motorsports ($10,000)
Racing for Kids Award for the driver making visits to children's hospitals and scoring the most points at designated Racing for Kids events: Alex Ardoin ($1,000 and $1,000 donated to the hospital of his choice)
Quartermaster Clutch Performer Award for the driver gaining the most positions in the championship during the final six races of the year: Dan Tomlin III ($5,000 and trophy)
BBS Hard Charger Award for the driver who gained the most places from start to finish in every race of the year: Ron White (Custom-made coffee table and set of BBS road wheels)
VP Fuel Most Improved Driver Award, a consensus award among all series participants for the individual who has shown the most progress as a driver from the beginning to the end of the season: Alex Ardoin ($5,000 and trophy)
Performance Friction Crew Member of the Year Award, a consensus award for the most valuable member of a particular team who's efforts have also benefited other teams and the series: Kate Gundlach of John Walko Racing ($1,500)
President's Cup / The Spirit of Star Mazda, a consensus award for the person who best typifies the qualities and character that represent the Star Mazda Championship: Dan Tomlin Jr. ($2,500)
Records and Notable Achievements
Natacha Gachnang of St. Gingolph, Switzerland, set a series record for female racers with back-to-back podium finishes driving the #35 AIM Autosport Mazda. Gachnang only ran seven of twelve races, but still finished 15th in the championship.
Nick Haye, the Hollywood, California-based driver of the #37 JDC Motorsports/ Quantum Sphere Mazda, had an up-and-down season that included two 15th-place finishes, but also two podiums, two top-5s and five top-10s. He finished 4th in the championship and is planning a return to the Star Mazda Championship in 2008 with his eye on the big prize.
At Trois Rivières, a street circuit barely two race cars wide in most places, Dallas, Texas driver Russell Walker, put on an aggressive and substantial display of car control in the #29 Pavecon/John Walko Racing Mazda. He turned only one lap in qualifying, started last and was still able to slice and dice his way up through the field to finish 4th. And in the same race, Quebec newcomer Yannick Hofman, driving his first-ever Star Mazda race after two seasons in Formula BMW, showed he will be a force to be reckoned with when he joins the series full-time next season after qualifying 8th on the starting grid and finishing 5th in his #00 Jig-A-Loo/Andersen Racing Mazda.
Graduates on the Gas
After 17 years as one of the premier open-wheel driver development series in North America, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear can lay claim to a long and distinguished list of alumni, including the America's most recent F1 driver, Scott Speed, rising Champ Car star Graham Rahal, and IRL standout Marco Andretti. 2005 Star Mazda champion Raphael Matos won the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic championship with Sierra Sierra (which got its start as a Star Mazda team) and will be moving up to Champ Car in 2008.
And such is the quality of education provided by the Star Mazda championship that the 2004 champion, Michael McDowell, after racing both Champ Cars and Daytona Prototypes, has moved over to NASCAR and is making his mark there as well. In 2007, his rookie year in the ARCA RE/MAX series, he scored nine pole positions, led a series-high 822 laps, scored fifteen top-10 finishes and won four races on his way to a 2nd-place finish in the championship. He has signed to race in the Nextel Cup series for Michael Waltrip and ran his first Craftsman Truck race at Martinsville on October 20th. His race was cut short by an accident on lap 181 of the 200-lap event, but he still finished ahead of former Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti and Grand-Am Rolex Series 'phenom' Colin Braun (another Star Mazda Championship graduate).
Other Feet on the Ladder
Zameron, Matos and McDowell aren't the only Star Mazda Championship graduates taking another step up the ladder this year. A number of drivers are taking advantage of career opportunities resulting from their performance in the Star Mazda Championship.
In partnership with Star Mazda sponsor Performance Friction, Walker Racing (which runs both Team Australia in the Champ Car World Series and a Champ Car Atlantic team) tested Star Mazda drivers Ron White and Alex Ardoin at Putnam Park Road Course in Mount Meridian, Indiana in late September. And James Davison recently bested four other hot young drivers including an A1GP pole winner and the IMSAA Lites champion -- in a two-day Indy Pro Series test at Sebring International Raceway with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Jonathan Goring and Jonny Baker, Andersen Racing's two full-time Star Mazda drivers this year, also both received Indy Pro Series tests as part of the team's incentive program.
Also, just as some of the Star Mazda Championship drivers are climbing the ladder, some Star Mazda teams are moving on to other forms of racing. In previous years, the Atlantic championship-winning Sierra Sierra team started in Star Mazda, as did B-K Motorsports, the team currently fielding the Mazda-powered American Le Mans series LMP2 prototype. For next year, Hickham Motorsports, which fielded the father/son team of Steve Hickham Jr. and Steve Hickham Sr. (the Masters Series champion), will move up in 2008 to a Mazda RX-8 endurance racing effort. The duo hopes to make their debut as co-drivers at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
New Stars Begin to Shine
Even as this year's rising stars begin to shine in new directions, the light from a new set of stars is beginning to illuminate the 2008 Mazda Motorsports Ladder.
Joel Miller, the 19-year-old racer from Hesperia, California, who scored five wins and finished on the podium in all 14 of the 2007 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda Series races, has won a fully-sponsored ride in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship. He has already tested with one top team, is talking with others and will make his decision in the near future.
And two standouts from the 2007 Snap-On Stars of Karting Presented by the Indy Racing League, Tyler Dueck and Scott Jenkins (who won the overall Stars of Karting championship) have both been awarded tests later this year with a top Star Mazda Championship team.
While plans are still being finalized, there will be both new teams and new sponsors coming into the Star Mazda Championship in 2008, as well as a number of talented new drivers. This, in addition to changes announced at the season-ending banquet regarding the series' switch to new Goodyear radial racing tires and the implementation of standing starts next season, makes it clear that 2008 will be another step up the ladder for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.
For more information on the Star Mazda Championship and its drivers, as well as the Mazda Motorsports ladder system, please visit www.starmazda.com and www.mazdausa.com .
2007 was another banner year for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear. The deep talent pool included drivers from four continents and seven countries, with eight different winners in twelve races and just four points separating the 4th and 8th-place finishers in the championship. Records were set, including the first-ever back-to-back podium finishes by a female driver in the series. And, claiming the champion's share of a prize fund approaching $1.5 million, another rising star took his next step up the Mazda Motorsports Ladder.
The Champion
Dane Cameron, a 19-year-old series rookie from Sonoma, CA, won the 2007 Star Mazda Championship becoming only the second rookie champion in the 17-yeear history of the series (Ian Lacy won in his first season, in 1998). Driving the #19 JDC Motorsports/Finlay Motorsports Mazda, he clinched the championship in Round Eleven at Road Atlanta on his way to a record of three wins, six pole positions, and seven top-5 finishes, including five podiums. Cameron will follow the path established by 2005 champion Raphael Matos and 2006 winner Adrian Carrio, moving up the Mazda Motorsports Ladder to a full-season drive in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda.
The Winners
In addition to Cameron's three victories (Houston, VIR and Toronto), seven other drivers also stood on the top step of the podium in 2007. Ron White of Santa Clara, California (#69 Wunder-Bar Mazda) drove for three teams during the season, starting out with Team G.FRO, moving to Maxwell Racing mid-season and fielding his own car for the last two races. He scored back-to-back wins for at Road America and Trois Rivières, finishing third in the championship. Also scoring two wins (Salt Lake City and Road Atlanta) was Burnaby, B.C. driver Lorenzo Mandarino. He finished 8th in the championship driving the #15 Team G.FRO/Newway Forming Mazda.
Single-race winners included Australian racer James Davison, who finished 2nd in the championship. He won at Mosport in the #7 Velocity Motorsports/Easternats Mazda. Jonathan Goring of Norfolk, CT finished 5th in the championship and won at Cleveland in the #14 Andersen Racing/Skip Barber Racing Mazda. Sixth in the championship, and winning his first race of the season in the final round at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca driving the #51 Mundill/Oral and Facial Surgery Center Mazda was Lafayette, Louisiana native Alex Ardoin.
Saint-Bruno, Quebec's Devin Cunningham won the 2006 Discovery Channel 'Star Racer' competition to find Canada's next open-wheel racing star, and won in the rain at Portland in the #33 AIM Autosport/Discovery Channel Mazda. He finished 7th in the championship. Rounding out the list of 2007 race winners was Toronto's Marco Di Leo; he qualified on the front row for more than half of the races, won the season-opener at Sebring and finished 9th in the championship driving the #21 Maxwell Racing/Nugget Mazda.
While it is not known at this point how many of these drivers will return for another season of Star Mazda Championship racing in 2008, those who do and finished in the top-10 will get to use that number on their car. If the driver moves on to another series, the team that fielded the car will retain the number.
Expert and Masters Series
The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear is one of the only open-wheel racing series in the world to feature a championship-within-a-championship for more mature drivers in whom the competitive fire still burns brightly. The Expert Series, for drivers aged 30 to 44, was won by Dallas, Texas racer Dan Tomlin III. Driving the #56 Team Tomlin Mazda, he scored three class wins, including the season finale at Mazda Raceway (where his father, Dan Tomlin Jr., won the Master class event), and four class top-3 finishes. The Master Series for driver 45 and older, was won by Steve Hickham of Corpus Christi, Texas. Racing the #17 Maxwell Racing/HB Turbo Mazda, he complied a record of five class wins and six top-3 class finishes.
The Prizes
With the 2007 prizes approaching $1.5 million, Cameron claimed the lion's share; including a Mazda-sponsored 2008 season in the Cooper Tires Presents the Champ Car Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda. Cameron has elected to race with the 2007 championship-winning Sierra Sierra/ProWorks team. He also collected $100,000 and a new Mazda RX-8 for winning the championship and $10,000 for winning Rookie of the Year. The rest of the $500,000 in cash prizes was paid deep into the field, from $70,000 for 2nd-place to $10,000 for 15th.
The season-ending banquet, ably hosted by SPEED Channel commentators Brian Till and Calvin Fish, included not only championship prizes for the top-15 drivers, but also a number of other awards:
The Team Championship for the Star Mazda team scoring the most points based on finishes throughout the season by their top two cars: JDC Motorsports ($10,000)
Racing for Kids Award for the driver making visits to children's hospitals and scoring the most points at designated Racing for Kids events: Alex Ardoin ($1,000 and $1,000 donated to the hospital of his choice)
Quartermaster Clutch Performer Award for the driver gaining the most positions in the championship during the final six races of the year: Dan Tomlin III ($5,000 and trophy)
BBS Hard Charger Award for the driver who gained the most places from start to finish in every race of the year: Ron White (Custom-made coffee table and set of BBS road wheels)
VP Fuel Most Improved Driver Award, a consensus award among all series participants for the individual who has shown the most progress as a driver from the beginning to the end of the season: Alex Ardoin ($5,000 and trophy)
Performance Friction Crew Member of the Year Award, a consensus award for the most valuable member of a particular team who's efforts have also benefited other teams and the series: Kate Gundlach of John Walko Racing ($1,500)
President's Cup / The Spirit of Star Mazda, a consensus award for the person who best typifies the qualities and character that represent the Star Mazda Championship: Dan Tomlin Jr. ($2,500)
Records and Notable Achievements
Natacha Gachnang of St. Gingolph, Switzerland, set a series record for female racers with back-to-back podium finishes driving the #35 AIM Autosport Mazda. Gachnang only ran seven of twelve races, but still finished 15th in the championship.
Nick Haye, the Hollywood, California-based driver of the #37 JDC Motorsports/ Quantum Sphere Mazda, had an up-and-down season that included two 15th-place finishes, but also two podiums, two top-5s and five top-10s. He finished 4th in the championship and is planning a return to the Star Mazda Championship in 2008 with his eye on the big prize.
At Trois Rivières, a street circuit barely two race cars wide in most places, Dallas, Texas driver Russell Walker, put on an aggressive and substantial display of car control in the #29 Pavecon/John Walko Racing Mazda. He turned only one lap in qualifying, started last and was still able to slice and dice his way up through the field to finish 4th. And in the same race, Quebec newcomer Yannick Hofman, driving his first-ever Star Mazda race after two seasons in Formula BMW, showed he will be a force to be reckoned with when he joins the series full-time next season after qualifying 8th on the starting grid and finishing 5th in his #00 Jig-A-Loo/Andersen Racing Mazda.
Graduates on the Gas
After 17 years as one of the premier open-wheel driver development series in North America, the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear can lay claim to a long and distinguished list of alumni, including the America's most recent F1 driver, Scott Speed, rising Champ Car star Graham Rahal, and IRL standout Marco Andretti. 2005 Star Mazda champion Raphael Matos won the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic championship with Sierra Sierra (which got its start as a Star Mazda team) and will be moving up to Champ Car in 2008.
And such is the quality of education provided by the Star Mazda championship that the 2004 champion, Michael McDowell, after racing both Champ Cars and Daytona Prototypes, has moved over to NASCAR and is making his mark there as well. In 2007, his rookie year in the ARCA RE/MAX series, he scored nine pole positions, led a series-high 822 laps, scored fifteen top-10 finishes and won four races on his way to a 2nd-place finish in the championship. He has signed to race in the Nextel Cup series for Michael Waltrip and ran his first Craftsman Truck race at Martinsville on October 20th. His race was cut short by an accident on lap 181 of the 200-lap event, but he still finished ahead of former Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti and Grand-Am Rolex Series 'phenom' Colin Braun (another Star Mazda Championship graduate).
Other Feet on the Ladder
Zameron, Matos and McDowell aren't the only Star Mazda Championship graduates taking another step up the ladder this year. A number of drivers are taking advantage of career opportunities resulting from their performance in the Star Mazda Championship.
In partnership with Star Mazda sponsor Performance Friction, Walker Racing (which runs both Team Australia in the Champ Car World Series and a Champ Car Atlantic team) tested Star Mazda drivers Ron White and Alex Ardoin at Putnam Park Road Course in Mount Meridian, Indiana in late September. And James Davison recently bested four other hot young drivers including an A1GP pole winner and the IMSAA Lites champion -- in a two-day Indy Pro Series test at Sebring International Raceway with Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Jonathan Goring and Jonny Baker, Andersen Racing's two full-time Star Mazda drivers this year, also both received Indy Pro Series tests as part of the team's incentive program.
Also, just as some of the Star Mazda Championship drivers are climbing the ladder, some Star Mazda teams are moving on to other forms of racing. In previous years, the Atlantic championship-winning Sierra Sierra team started in Star Mazda, as did B-K Motorsports, the team currently fielding the Mazda-powered American Le Mans series LMP2 prototype. For next year, Hickham Motorsports, which fielded the father/son team of Steve Hickham Jr. and Steve Hickham Sr. (the Masters Series champion), will move up in 2008 to a Mazda RX-8 endurance racing effort. The duo hopes to make their debut as co-drivers at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
New Stars Begin to Shine
Even as this year's rising stars begin to shine in new directions, the light from a new set of stars is beginning to illuminate the 2008 Mazda Motorsports Ladder.
Joel Miller, the 19-year-old racer from Hesperia, California, who scored five wins and finished on the podium in all 14 of the 2007 BFGoodrich/Skip Barber National Presented by Mazda Series races, has won a fully-sponsored ride in the 2008 Star Mazda Championship. He has already tested with one top team, is talking with others and will make his decision in the near future.
And two standouts from the 2007 Snap-On Stars of Karting Presented by the Indy Racing League, Tyler Dueck and Scott Jenkins (who won the overall Stars of Karting championship) have both been awarded tests later this year with a top Star Mazda Championship team.
While plans are still being finalized, there will be both new teams and new sponsors coming into the Star Mazda Championship in 2008, as well as a number of talented new drivers. This, in addition to changes announced at the season-ending banquet regarding the series' switch to new Goodyear radial racing tires and the implementation of standing starts next season, makes it clear that 2008 will be another step up the ladder for the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.
For more information on the Star Mazda Championship and its drivers, as well as the Mazda Motorsports ladder system, please visit www.starmazda.com and www.mazdausa.com .
NASCAR's Brian France reacts to SMI's purchase of NHIS
Statement from Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 2, 2007) – Today's announcement that Speedway Motorsports Inc. has purchased New Hampshire International Speedway is yet another indication that the NASCAR industry continues to grow and thrive. Capitalizing on NASCAR's national appeal and growth, the Bahre family created a passionate fan base and developed a valuable venue that has hosted the largest sporting events in New England including 26 consecutive sellouts.
The success of NHIS, and the desire of the Bahre family to sell, made the track very attractive to SMI and several other interested buyers. SMI has a highly regarded record for hosting some of the most successful and enjoyable race events in all of NASCAR, and there's no doubt that will continue.
While we don't have any details about SMI's plans for NHIS, all sanctions for 2008 have been signed and finalized. As a result, there will be no location changes to the 2008 schedule that was released last month. This is important to the fans, competitors, broadcast partners and sponsors who have already made plans for the 2008 races.
Looking beyond 2008, NASCAR will continue to consider requests by any track operator, including SMI, to relocate race dates. Under NASCAR's "realignment" plan, we have worked with track owners to relocate race dates to meet the needs of our growing national fan base. Ultimately, any change must meet NASCAR's objectives and serve our fans.
The industry owes Bob and Gary Bahre a debt of gratitude for their leadership and commitment to NASCAR. All of NASCAR wishes the Bahre family well during this time of transition. They will always be considered pioneers in NASCAR.
From Ramsey Poston, NASCAR Public Relations
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 2, 2007) – Today's announcement that Speedway Motorsports Inc. has purchased New Hampshire International Speedway is yet another indication that the NASCAR industry continues to grow and thrive. Capitalizing on NASCAR's national appeal and growth, the Bahre family created a passionate fan base and developed a valuable venue that has hosted the largest sporting events in New England including 26 consecutive sellouts.
The success of NHIS, and the desire of the Bahre family to sell, made the track very attractive to SMI and several other interested buyers. SMI has a highly regarded record for hosting some of the most successful and enjoyable race events in all of NASCAR, and there's no doubt that will continue.
While we don't have any details about SMI's plans for NHIS, all sanctions for 2008 have been signed and finalized. As a result, there will be no location changes to the 2008 schedule that was released last month. This is important to the fans, competitors, broadcast partners and sponsors who have already made plans for the 2008 races.
Looking beyond 2008, NASCAR will continue to consider requests by any track operator, including SMI, to relocate race dates. Under NASCAR's "realignment" plan, we have worked with track owners to relocate race dates to meet the needs of our growing national fan base. Ultimately, any change must meet NASCAR's objectives and serve our fans.
The industry owes Bob and Gary Bahre a debt of gratitude for their leadership and commitment to NASCAR. All of NASCAR wishes the Bahre family well during this time of transition. They will always be considered pioneers in NASCAR.
From Ramsey Poston, NASCAR Public Relations
Thursday, November 01, 2007
A1GP: No Rest for Canada's Hinchcliffe
Hinchcliffe, with a total of 18 race starts under his belt for A1 Team Canada, has been kept busy since the Brno event, primarily with his TV commitments. In addition to being an accomplished open-wheel racer, the 20-year-old is quickly forging a reputation as a talent behind the microphone co-commenting on the Champ Car World Series for Eurosport TV.
His colorful commentary skills haven't gone unnoticed and when the Champ Car World Series headed down-under to Australia two weeks ago Hinchcliffe was invited by the local broadcaster, Network 7 Television, to fulfill commentary duties on the Surfer's Paradise race. While it literally meant hopping out of his A1GP car in the Czech Republic, flying back to Canada for less than a day then hopping back on a plane to Australia, it was an opportunity too good to turn down for 'Hinch'!
"It was a mega experience," reflected Hinchcliffe upon his return. "They wanted someone who had up-to-date knowledge of Champ Car to help out with the broadcast and the people at the series kindly recommended me to Network 7 as they knew I'd been following everything through my work with Eurosport. The Australian operation was huge and instead of having to work off of the feed given to us, which is usually the case, we got to call the shots of the coverage which was just fantastic as a commentator!"
He continued, "From a professional point of view it was a really cool experience for me and recreationally it was great to fit in another trip to Australia. Last time I was there I ended up barrel-rolling the A1GP car at Eastern Creek so this was a bit more pleasurable in that I didn't cause any damage and was able to commentate on the drama on-track as opposed to being the drama!"
Having returned to Canada and readjusted himself to the various time-zone changes, James finds himself preparing to pack his bags once again. Visiting another A1GP destination, Hinchcliffe is heading back to Mexico City and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez next weekend to commentate on the final round of the Champ Car World Series for Eurosport.
Looking to fit in a couple of well-earned days off in Mexico following the race, James will be reaching for his passport shortly after his return to Canada as he plans to relocate temporarily to England in mid-November to lessen the travel demands on him during the A1GP season.
With 'The World Cup of Motorsport' heading to the Far East visiting Malaysia and China before Christmas, and New Zealand and Australia in January, James, along with the rest of the Canadian crew will be well versed in the art of long-haul travel!
Round 3 of the 2007-08 A1GP season is hosted at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th November - www.a1gp.com
ENDS - www.a1teamcan.com
Photo Credit: 'A1 Team Canada's James Hinchcliffe' - Jakob Ebrey Photography
A1 Team Canada Media Relations: Stuart Morrison - PR & Media Manager
Tel: +1 514 684 3253, Cell: +1 514 945 3253 / Email: stuart@sm-pr.com
Série ACT Castrol St-Eustache 300 Coverage Broadcast on RDS Television
ST-EUSTACHE, QC - The 13th annual St-Eustache 300 stock car race, the twelfth and final event of 2007 for the American-Canadian Tour (ACT)'s Série ACT Castrol, will be featured in a one-hour highlight program on French language RDS Television in Canada. Won by local hero Sylvain Lacombe of Terrebonne, the event was run in September at Autodrome St-Eustache near Montréal.
RDS will broadcast highlights from the St-Eustache 300 beginning Wednesday, November 7 at 5:00pm. The show will repeat at midnight on Thursday, November 8, at 10:30am on Friday, November 9, and at 9:00am on Saturday, November 10.
The victory in the 13th annual St-Eustache 300 was Lacombe's third-straight in the event, and his fifth overall. Patrick Laperle of St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, QC was crowned the 2007 Série ACT Castrol Champion, and finished a close second to Lacombe in the St-Eustache 300 after leading near the halfway point. Alexandre Gingras of Québec finished in third place, ahead of Jean-François Déry of Val-Bélair and Jacques Laperle of St-Charle-sur-Richelieu.
For more information on the Série ACT Castrol, visit www.laserieactcastrol.com. For information on the American-Canadian Tour, visit www.acttour.com or call (802) 244-6963.
13th annual St-Eustache 300 – Série ACT Castrol
RDS Television Broadcast Schedule
Wed., November 7 – 5:00pm
Thu., November 8 – 12:00 midnight
Fri., November 9 – 10:30am
Sat., November 10 – 9:00am
From Justin St. Louis // ACT
RDS will broadcast highlights from the St-Eustache 300 beginning Wednesday, November 7 at 5:00pm. The show will repeat at midnight on Thursday, November 8, at 10:30am on Friday, November 9, and at 9:00am on Saturday, November 10.
The victory in the 13th annual St-Eustache 300 was Lacombe's third-straight in the event, and his fifth overall. Patrick Laperle of St-Denis-sur-Richelieu, QC was crowned the 2007 Série ACT Castrol Champion, and finished a close second to Lacombe in the St-Eustache 300 after leading near the halfway point. Alexandre Gingras of Québec finished in third place, ahead of Jean-François Déry of Val-Bélair and Jacques Laperle of St-Charle-sur-Richelieu.
For more information on the Série ACT Castrol, visit www.laserieactcastrol.com. For information on the American-Canadian Tour, visit www.acttour.com or call (802) 244-6963.
13th annual St-Eustache 300 – Série ACT Castrol
RDS Television Broadcast Schedule
Wed., November 7 – 5:00pm
Thu., November 8 – 12:00 midnight
Fri., November 9 – 10:30am
Sat., November 10 – 9:00am
From Justin St. Louis // ACT
Aerial photos from the NASCAR race at Riverside Int'l Speedway
Riverside Int'l Speedway (Antigonish, NS) has circulated a few aerial shots taken during its recent NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race in mid-September. The event was originally scheduled for the Saturday but was rained out until Sunday. Not even foul weather or a nearby Nextel Cup race (at NHIS) could deter thousands of die-hard Maritime racing fans from showing up at this beautiful new facility. Thanks to Paul McLean of Riverside Int'l Speedway for the use of the shots.
RICK @ the RACES (RETRO # 16)
- PIC 1 The Bill West # 39 car vaults the fence at Bristol
- PIC 2 Bill West # 39 ( centre) admires his handy-work at Bristol
- PIC 3 Lionel Shaw # 362 in Chris Pickups Jaguar powered , triumph GT6 bodied car
- PIC 4 1979 BriSCA F1 World Champion, Frankie Wainman # 212 with his 'gold roof'
- PIC 5 Dutchman John VT Veer # 16 at Brafield
- PIC 6 John VT Veer in trouble at Brafield
- PIC 7 The Ray Scriven owned car of Texan Frank Zett # 420
- PIC 8 My BriSCA F1 on a truck after being sold to the Abraham Bros
- PIC 9 Another shot of my F1 on the Abraham Bros truck.
- PIC 10 My Austin 3 Litre and caravan on a Dutch campsite in December 69
- PIC 11 A billboard advertizing the December 9 Baarlo meeting
- PIC 12 The imaculate Ford Thunderbird NACO Pace Car at Baarlo
- PIC 13 The # 104 F1 Stock car of Lambert Keulen on his transporter truck at Baarlo
- PIC 14 The # 217 F1 of George Kroonder at Baarlo
- PIC 15 Rien Rutgens # 15 in Victory Lane at Baarlo.
Just to recap, My �RETRO' reports are now up to 1979, which was the Silver Jubilee year of UK stock car racing . I started the year , racing my ex Roger Gunnell ('390' cu in Ford Thunderbird powered) BriSCA F1 stock car, then after a few disillusioned outings had put it up for sale with ideas in my head about moving to the Netherlands. My last report ( # 15) brought us up to the end of August 1979, where I'd just returned to the UK from a European racing vacation with my buddies Nigel Harradine and Martin Budgell. We'd seen Superstox at the Kaldernkirchen track in Germany and the F1 Stock Car Long Track World Final at the Baarlo Auto Speedway ( Netherlands). If you missed any of the previous fifteen RICK @ the RACES (RETRO) reports and would like them sent, please let me know (stox@ican.net), as I have them saved.
RICK @ the RACES (RETRO # 16)
The final part of 1979
After returning from the Netherlands ( Aug 13) I carried on visiting my usual haunts of Leicester, Brafield, Sheffield, Rochdale and Bristol ( the Mendips Raceway) in the role of spectator, to watch my preferred diet of BriSCA F1 Stock Cars. At Bristol I was pleased to see that one of my photos had appeared in the race day program. ( this must have been my first racing photo to be published) . Earlier in the year one of my Beds & Herts buddies, Bill West # 39 from Luton, was involved in a spectaular crash where his car vaulted the safety fence, and I was there with my Kodak Instamatic to capture it. The Beds and Herts Club was now in it's 'final days' and it was around this time that it eventually folded.
A few of the original 'B&H' F1 drivers were still active including Chris Pickup # 50 and Glyn Pursey # 175 . A new addition to the clan was Lionel Shaw # 362, from Luton who was driving Chris's old Triumph GT6 Spitfire bodied car.
On Sept 9 the BriSCA F2 World Final was held at the Newton Abbott Racecourse in Devon, and was won for the third time by Dave Brown # 583 of Looe (Cornwall). I chose to miss this one and instead went to a regular BriSCA F1 meeting at Rochdale.
Unknowingly at the time, on Sept 22 , I attended what was to be a very historic event at the Harringay Stadium in North London. This famous old track which I'd visited regularly since the 1960's , was located on prime development land and by now, it was living on 'borrowed time'. Already much of the site was starting to look neglected and we all knew it was just a matter of time before it would succumb. This date turned out to be the last ever meeting for BriSCA F1 stock cars and sadly not long after , it was demolished to make way for a giant retail outlet. The meeting final that night was won by Richie Ahern # 18.
The BriSCA F1 World Final this year was being held at the White City Stadium in Manchester (29 Sept) , and of course I was there to see Frankie Wainman # 212 win the 'gold'. There were six overseas entrants which included Harry Van der Spuij from South Africa, with Jim Hopkinson, Larry Burton and Gene Welch representing the USA. They were racers from the All American Speedway, at Roseville, near Scaramento, California, and like Van Der Spuij were using loaned cars. Completing the line up of foreigners were, Rien Rutgens and John VT Veer from the Netherlands who brought their own cars.
The day after White City, I, like many other race fans drove two and a half hours back down the M6 / M1 for the following days races at Brafield. Both Dutch of the drivers that had been racing the night before were there too.
While on the subject of overseas drivers, I must mention a USA driver that made his debut during the 1979 season. Frank Zett # 420, who used one of Ray Scrivens # 110 cars. Ray , from Fairford in Gloucestershire lived close to the USAF Air Base where Frank was stationed. According to race day programs , Frank was from Austin, Texas . ( In Sept 2007 , I visited my daughter who lives in Austin , and prior to the trip I tracked down Frank's address with an intention of trying to meet up. I found out he now lives in Abilene, unfortunately some distance away, so never pursued the plan )
From the World Final onwards to the end of the regular season ( Long Eaton Nov 10) I attended weekly races where ever the BriSCA F1's were appearing as well as a few Spedeworth events. The FISCA/SCOTA F1 Stock Cars that had raced on their circuits were in their final days, as plans were afoot for a new smaller and less powerful class for the coming year to be named FORMULA 80. They were similar to a type of stock car that had been introduced in the North of England , called Hot Stox, which were lighter than F1's , and used Rover V8 engines.
I can't remember exactly when, but it was about this time that I sold my stock car. It was bought by two brothers, Dave and Paul Abraham from Gt Barford ( Bedfordshire). Neither of them had raced before and were to make their debut in the coming season. They went under the nick-name of the �Big Abe's�.
As mentioned before, I had ideas about moving to the Netherlands, and on my previous trips had found out that the big British RAF base that was located at Bruggen just outside Roermond hired civilian truck drivers. I made inquiries and was told to come in an fill out an application form. There was a race meeting at Baarlo on December 9, so I thought this would be an ideal opportunity. It was the wrong time of the year to be under canvass , so instead of taking my tent, I borrowed an old caravan/travel-trailer that belonged to my mum and dad and towed it behind my Austin 3 Litre.
This was another of my solo trips and because my regular camp site at Roermond was closed for the season I had to find an alternative site to stay. The job application form was filled in at RAF Bruggen and then I took full advantage of my NACO season pass and attended the races at Baarlo. As usual all the NACO divisions were there and the headline F1 Stock Car final was won by Rien Rutjens.
On my return to the UK, the season was not done yet, as group of us made the usual trip to the North of England for the Christmas meetings.
For some reason the Belle Vue track was not available for it's annual Boxing Day extravaganza and the fixture was moved across Manchester to the White City Stadium. After stopping over night in a city hotel we all traveled across the Penine Mountains ( hills) to the Owlerton Stadium at Sheffield for the second of the festive double.(27 Dec).
My 1979 racing calender finally came to end a few days later at my local Brafield Stadium (Northamptonshire) where a rare meeting for BriSCA F1's was held on Dec 30.
KARTING: FIRSTKART.COM LAS VEGAS REVIEW
Langlois headed to �Sin City� as the East division champion and after a tough qualifying session progressed through the heat races to start both feature events in P11. Moving forward in final one, the British Columbia resident was battling with other championship contenders was a clutch clip failure occurred ruining his championship hopes. Langlois shook off the frustration and came back in final two to take a dominating victory and claim third overall in the series title chase.
Rookie pilots Spencer Pigot and Phil De La O also competed in the JICA class and faired extremely well throughout the season. Pigot scored a victory at USA International Raceway (USAIR) in Wisconsin and garnered another podium result at Moran raceway. De La O scored several fast lap awards was also on the podium at USAIR. Both drivers battled hard through the heat races to set up quality starting positions for both finals. Pigot managed to work forward from his P18 starting spot to score a top five result in final one and 13th in final two setting him up for a fifth place finish in the overall series title. De La O, the Arizona pilot had a tough battle in both finals as contact took him out of contention for two top ten results.
�07 King of the Street Champion and Stars of Karting front runner Alan Rudolph came home with two top fifteen results from the challenging temp circuit. Rudolph was involved in an incident in one of the heat races that setup a tough starting spot for both finals. The veteran pilot used his experience to overcome this setback and progressed forward to score 11th and eighth place results in the series final races.
Spec Racer pilot Zach Beard battled through the Vegas weekend but managed to secure a top five result in the series championship. After damaging a frame in the heat races. Beard was forced to rebuild his machine before Sunday�s on track action. Working with a different chassis, Beard garnered ninth and tenth place results to end the �07 Snap-on Stars of Karting season.
Intercontinental A (ICA) pilot Derek Wagner had a good weekend going until Sunday afternoon�s feature events. Wagner was forced to retire from both finals early but will be back to get revenge on the TaG class at the in two weeks time at the SKUSA SuperNationals.
Colorado pilot James Michael Sullivan had a very promising weekend. Sullivan was fast in Friday�s action and was able to secure the second quickest time of the day. Sullivan progressed through the heat races nicely and was setting himself up for a solid run in both finals before early race contact ruined any chances. On lap four in final two, Sullivan was involved in a scary incident that saw him go over at the end of the long back straight but was fortunate to walk away from the incident.
The FirstKart.com Race team enjoys very little time off as the team will travel back to Las Vegas to compete at the SuperKarts! USA (SKUSA) SuperNationals.
For more information on First Kart North America, product sales and exciting dealership opportunities including information on how to get into kart racing and the Firstkart.com Race Team please contact First Kart President Tony Ventresca at 519-824-4343. For information on First Kart USA please contact Director of Operations Mike Maurini at 317.858.3705 or visit them online at www.firstkart.com .
From Mike Maurini / Autosports Media
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