NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
3M PERFORMANCE 400 // MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
JEFF GORDON, DRIVER OF THE NO. 24 DUPONT IMPALA SS, met with members of the media and discussed Steve Letarte heading into the Chase, racing at Kansas, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, and more. Full transcript.
HOW WAS YOUR PRACTICE? “Pretty good. We had one problem with the ignition box and that got us a little bit behind for one run. I feel like we’re a little bit better, I think we ended up tenth. That was pretty good so far.”
LATELY I’VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT EITHER STEVE (LETARTE) OR YOUR PERFORMANCE, IT’S REALLY YOUR FANS THEY LOVE YOU BUT THEY’RE GETTING UP ON THE EDGE OF THE WHEEL, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? “You got to love them for that but at the same time it’s a competitive sport. We focus on everything from how internal communication is, how people are doing their jobs. If making a change was going to fix it then there might have been changes, but that’s not the issue. I think Steve Letarte is doing an awesome job. I feel like last week was not a great performance for us. We’ve had that happen this year. It’s just been one of those years. I believe in what we have. There’s areas where we’re looking to getting stronger and better. The fans have to just be patient and I remind everybody of what we did last year.
“We were an awesome race team last year. Had one of the best years that I’ve ever had and Steve was the guy that was guiding that ship so I believe one hundred percent in him. Your confidence gets down and a lot of things happen. Performances aren’t always there and it’s the toughest thing to rebound from that and that’s kind of the situation we’re in right now. We’re working really hard. We tested this week in Kentucky and we just continue to work hard at it.”
HOW FAR OFF YOU? THEY SAID THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE FAR OFF TO BE WAY OFF. “Not with this car. You can actually have a good car and just lose track position and be done. That was a combination of what happened to us last week. We weren’t very good there at the beginning on the long run and then we had the radio problem. We lost a lot of track position and it’s just so hard to make it up. We didn’t have enough cautions to work on the car.
“All those things contributed to the type of day we had not to mention Robby Gordon spinning me out on the last lap. My favorite part about it was Mark Martin sending me a text, he said hey man we had a tough day but its tough days that make you appreciate the good ones a lot more. You know he’s so right and I appreciated that very much. That’s the way we think and focus.”
IS THERE ANY ONE THING THAT CAN HAPPEN FOR YOU GUYS TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER? “Again, even though we’ve been hit or miss this year, I feel like those last ten races are all good tracks for us other than Texas. Texas is a track that has been our Achilles heel and we’re going to work hard to try to fix that. When you’re looking at a deficit of eighty or ninety points going into it from the way Kyle Busch has been running
this year, that’s a lot to overcome. We know we need some bonus points before we start that Chase and all our focus is on is racing hard and trying to get those wins and get the best finishes that we can.”
CAN YOU TAKE A GAMBLE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS IF THAT WIN IS THERE FOR YOU? “No, we’re not in a position to take a gamble right now. We’re in a tricky position right now because we have one or two bad finishes where we could find ourselves very easily slipping back and not be secure going into Richmond. We want to be secure going into Richmond and so these next couple of weeks if we put good finishes together then we might be in a position to take some more risks. I say risks, it’s experimenting with things that you’re testing, its taking gambles on pit strategy calls, those types of things.”
HOW MUCH ARE YOU WATCHING POINTS NOW? “I pay attention to it. I try not to get too caught up in it because it doesn’t change how we approach things every weekend unless you have a big points lead or if you’re on the outside of the top twelve. If you’re on the outside of the top twelve you’re going for broke right now. You’re taking gambles. When you’re up front, you got nothing to lose. We were in that position last year. Right now we’re pretty much just kind of doing what we normally do which is go out there race hard, clean and put the best average finish we can together.”
KANSAS ASKED FOR A SECOND DATE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A SECOND DATE AT KANSAS AND IF SO WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE LOSE ONE? “I don’t want to see a second date anywhere. I think we need to go everywhere once in my opinion. I don’t know. Kansas has been good to me so it’s not like they don’t deserve it or we wouldn’t like going there. That’s up to them.”
REGARDLESS OF YOU’RE FINISHING POSITION, WHEN YOU GET OUT OF THE CAR SUNDAY WHAT DO YOU NEED THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE MAKING PROGRESS AND HAVE SUCCESS ON SOME OF THESE BIGGER TRACKS? “I think that it’s being able to get to the front. I feel like if you’re talking about us being in championship position we got to go out there and lead a lot of laps and being in contention. It doesn’t necessarily mean we have to win the race which we do need the bonus points. We need to be out front, competitive, contending for the lead and then plan the pit strategy right. All those other things have been good for us, pit stops, communication and the pit strategy. We just lacked a couple of things, track position.
“If you have a car that’s working good you could take a few more gambles to maintain the track position. If your car is not good enough then you’ve got to work on it and put four tires on it. That’s what we need this week is a good enough car to be able to stay out or take two tires and do some of those things that are paying off for those other guys.”
IS THAT MORE HANDLING OPPOSED TO HORSEPOWER? “When have we ever complained about horsepower? Horsepower is not an issue with us, not at all. Power is good.”
WE SEE JIM LONG HERE THIS WEEK, IS HE HERE HELPING YOU GUYS? “Jim comes to a few races a year or several races a year. I’m not really sure on that one.
He’s a part of our research and development team so I’m guessing it’s important that they come and pay attention to what happens at the race track as well. Sometimes you get caught up in your world of testing all the time. You’ve got to see what guys are doing here at the track. So I’m guessing he’s just kind of eyes and ears for Hendrick Motorsports.”
HOW TOUGH IS IT GOING TO BE TO BEAT KYLE IN THE CHASE? “I tell you last week impressed the heck out of me. What he did in Sonoma didn’t impress me as much because they hit the caution just right, he had the track position. Last week he beat one of the best there is out there in Tony (Stewart). He was solid all day long. That shows me what kind of team they have and what kind of driver Kyle is. They got their momentum back. I was saying prior to the race weekend and I wasn’t trying to stir anything up I was just pointing out the way that things were going that I felt like they had lost some momentum but they got it all back in a hurry last weekend.”
DO YOU BELIEVE JUNIOR’S TEAM HAS LOST THEIR MOMENTUM IN THE LAST MONTH? “They’ve been consistent all year long and they continue to be consistent. I would really like to see them, as high up in the points as they’ve been at times, I’d like to see them going out there and doing what I’m talking about, leading more laps and being a little bit more dominant. So I don’t really feel like they’ve lost anything.”
WHEN NASCAR SHOWED YOU THE BLACK FLAG LAST WEEK DID YOU KNOW WHAT THE PURPOSE BEHIND IT WAS? “You know what. I knew exactly what it was because I hadn’t heard anything on my radio for a while and last I heard was pit in five laps. Usually I hear alright two more or one more or something like that and I hadn’t heard anything and I came by and I saw it. I immediately got on the radio and said can you hear me and I knew that’s what it was. We got lucky.
“The car stumbled coming through the bus stop or whatever they call that on the back straightaway and we were lucky just to make it. Even after we left pit road it was stumbling like it was low on fuel. That cost us so much time last week. It was a terrible day don’t get me wrong but had that not happened it was going to be a terrible day where we finished fifteenth not twenty-ninth.”
THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT ADJUSTMENTS TO MAKE ON THE CAR AT THAT POINT DID THEY? “The last they had heard from me I was talking a little bit about where it had been loose but it had gotten tight big time on me toward the end of that run. The last comment I was making was about being tight and they were actually making me tighter. That’s why we came in and made those major adjustments on that one pit stop. It was just one of those days. When I got hit on the last lap by Robby (Gordon) I didn’t even say anything because I was just like this is just one of those days that nothing really goes your way.”
IS BRISTOL LESS OF A WILD CARD THAN IT USED TO BE?
“Yeah, anytime you go to a one-groove race track, especially on a short track, you’re going to have kind of a little bit of Russian roulette. But now, we’ve got multiple grooves there. To me, I love it. I think the racing is three times better. It’s just the crashes don’t happen as much, so if you love crashes, you’re still going to see them at Bristol but you’re not going to see them as often or as much as you used to, because basically when the guys got frustrated with the car in front of them, they just took them out. And that’s not racing, in my opinion. That’s more bumper-cars. Now, we’re going to Bristol and we’re racing and I love it. We haven’t been as good there since they re-did the track, so I’m anxious to get there and be better, but I do like what they’ve done.”
LESS TEMPERS THERE NOW?
“A little bit. The tempers are only because a guy cheap-shots you, you know. That’s more where tempers come from. The tempers just don’t come from driving around Bristol.”
SINCE WE’RE IN DETROIT, DO YOU THINK MUCH ABOUT THE MANUFACTURER BATTLE OR IS THAT JUST FOR BOARDROOMS?
“We definitely have it on our minds. We like to represent them the best we can every weekend. But when you’re here, I think there is a little bit more pride on the line because you know there is more pride on the line for them being near Detroit.”
WHAT SORT OF IMPACT WOULD IT HAVE IF TOYOTA GOT THEIR FIRST CUP WIN HERE?
“They’ve been winning plenty this year so I don’t think it would be any big surprise to any of us.”
WHAT SORT OF TEAMMATES DO YOU THINK TONY STEWART AND RYAN NEWMAN WILL BE?
“It’s going to be interesting. I think that what I look and see now is you take Tony Stewart and you make him a car owner; and look what kind of talent he starts attracting, from drivers to personnel to crew chiefs and car chiefs. It’s just amazing how somebody like Tony Stewart can motivate and change the whole attitude of a garage area to making that into a team worth working for and attracting top people. I think that’s how you get results. That’s how you build a top quality team. So, the fact that we have a partnership with them, we’re only looking at is as a positive.”
AS A CAR OWNER, WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR TONY STEWART?
“I’m sure he’s going to be a lot more involved. His name is on the marquee. It comes first. My name is way down the list. He’s going to take on a lot more responsibility than I am. Mine is more for the future. I think that Tony likes to be involved. That’s the biggest challenge as a driver and an owner of not letting those headaches outweigh the focus on driving the race car. There is nobody out here that I think could do a better job than what Tony can. He’ll do fine. It’s the obvious distractions and issues that can come from trying to operate that business and drive at the same time.”
YOU ARE GOOD AT WEATHERING TOUGH TIMES BECAUSE YOU’VE SEEN IT BEFORE
“Yeah, as I get older, it gets a little bit more difficult. Every race, every year, is crucial and important and you want to do well and you feel like you’ve got the team capable of doing well and it’s always frustrating. It’s just how you show it. I feel like if I go stomping my feet and throwing things around here, it doesn’t make me run good. It doesn’t make it any better. So going back to the fans talking and calling in and stuff, the reason why I don’t really respond to that is because we respond to it internally. We deal with it internally, like any good business should. When you start getting into trying to explain to outsiders, it doesn’t make it any better. I only hope that our fans support me and Steve and the whole team, and I know that they are. They just want us to do good. The funniest thing happened to me in 2000. I had a fan come up to me and said you need to tell Robbie Loomis he needs to get that thing going! And I said, ‘Hey, trust me. We’ve got as much on the line as anybody.’ And he goes, ‘I’m losing a lot of money on all my bets every weekend, because I pick you every weekend.’ And that’s when it hit me how far the fans take it and why they take it so avidly for many different reasons. It could be that type of situation or it could be just that they’ve been a longtime fan and their pride is on the line. But I still promise you, we all have a lot more on the line than anybody else.”
HOW IS DALE JUNIOR AS A TEAMMATE?
“He’s been great. I’ve had a great time working with him. He’s funny, and he knows a lot about the cars. I’ve been able to learn first-hand what a great driver he is.”
WHEN YOU HAVE A WEEK LIKE LAST WEEKEND, HOW NICE IS IT TO GO HOME AND ELLA DOESN’T CARE IF YOU HAD A BAD DAY?
“Yeah, yeah…it was that times ten. She’s been teething this week, so not only does she not care how I ran, but it’s very quick how you don’t even think about what happened at Watkins Glen because all you care about is her trying to get her naps in and eating and having a temperature and all the things that come along with teething. Not to mention I was testing in Kentucky and had a full production day for Pepsi. So, between all those things, I haven’t thought a whole lot about Watkins Glen this week.”
YOU SAID YOU DON’T STOMP AROUND. IS THERE EVER A TIME WHEN THAT MIGHT BE NEEDED FOR A TEAM?
“No, I meant I don’t stomp around and throw things out here (laughter). I do plenty of that. Don’t worry. We handle things the way that I feel like is productive. And you don’t just turn the other cheek. You don’t deny what’s going on. You face it head on. Everybody handles it professionally and you can only have the type of relationship like Steve and I have, where we don’t take things personally. He can criticize me and I can criticize him and we only want to get better and know that he’s the leader of this team and I’m the best tool that he can possibly have to help make the car better. And I have a responsibility; he has a responsibility, and that’s where our focus is.”
WHAT’S COOL IS THAT YOUR TEAM ISN’T EATING ITSELF UP ON THE INSIDE
”No, we’re very fortunate in that sense. We’re not having a terrible year, you know? It’s frustrating because I know we’re capable of running better and we should be. But we still are sixth in the points. We’ve been outside of the Chase before, so we’ve had worse years. So it’s nothing that we need to start quitting our jobs and moving to other teams and all of that type of things. It’s nothing like that. And we’re fortunate that when we do have tough seasons that our guys don’t leave. We’re still able to continue to get quality people at our organization and that’s what gets us through the tough times.”
ARE YOU SURPRISED AT KYLE BUSCH’S SUCCESS THIS YEAR?
“No, I am and I’m not. I always knew how talented he was. But keeping his head on straight and not making mistakes and being able to handle the pressures and all those things are what were unanswered questions. And this year, so far, he’s handling himself extremely well under the pressure. I’m surprised not as much by him, but I’m more surprised at how good that team is. I think it shows just how good they really are by how well he’s done. He did well with us, but now with that team, they’ve both gone to a whole other level.”
DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS HAVE SOMETHING TO COMPETE WITH GIBBS FOR THE TITLE?
“Well, we’re certainly wanting to find that. So far, no. I think Jimmie (Johnson) has, at times. And Carl (Edwards) has, at times. But other than that, nobody has. And we’ve got some work to do before we can.”
Contacts:
Friday, August 15, 2008
NASCAR Sprint Cup at Michigan: Dale Earnhardt Jr Press Conference Transcript
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
3M PERFORMANCE 400 // MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
3M PERFORMANCE 400 // MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
August 15, 2008
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Impala SS, met with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway and discussed scoring a repeat win at Michigan, thoughts of how team is performing as Chase approaches, his crew chief, Tony Eury, Jr., saving gas on-track and other subjects. Full transcript:
HOW WAS PRACTICE TODAY? “It was good. I was pretty happy. I think I could have run a little quicker if we had got back out there. Got a pretty good car. Ran some race stuff early, seems like the qualifying stuff is going to get us up in the top 10. I am pretty happy.”
WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON WITH THE TEAM THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS SINCE YOU WON HERE THAT SEEMS TO HAVE YOUR FRUSTRATED? “Just the race tracks we have been going to. I don’t have good finishes at those race tracks. Couple of road courses, Pocono, It is just typically not a good part of the season where we have run very good. We are always strong at the races the first third and last third of the season.”
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING BACK TO RICHMOND? “Yea, I am looking forward to the last third of the season. We seem to do really well at all them race tracks. We seem to gain a lot of points, or have the ability to gain a lot of points in those two stretches, the first and last part of the season. I figured the summer would be rough and it was. I don’t know why that is other than, there aren’t any favorite race tracks of mine in that little stretch. That is one thing I know for sure. We tried the best we could to get through that stretch pretty good and do better. I don’t know, I wasn’t no happier about it than I have been in the past. Starting here, we will start to see some improvement and start a run like we have been running at the start of the year. Like I think we are capable of doing.”
DO YOU LIKE HOW YOUR TEAM IS RUNNING AS THE CHASE GETS CLOSER? “No, we haven’t been running that good lately. We are coming up on some tracks where we run pretty good. I like the tracks and I like my chances.”
HAVING WON HERE IN JUNE, HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR CHANCES FOR REPEATING? “It would be nice you know. It would be good to get another win to show everybody we can do it on a full tank of gas. It would be a good to get a win anywhere, but Michigan is a good place because of the manufacturers being close. Being close to Detroit, Motor City.”
IS IT UNFAIR TO GET CRITICIZED FOR HOW YOU WIN A RACE? SHOULDN’T JUST WINNING THE RACE BE ENOUGH? “Yes. But, I mean, it depends on what side of the fence you are on, man. If you are on the winning side, you are happy, don’t matter how. If you are the guy who had the fastest car all day, you aren’t real happy about it. I have been on both sides of it, it goes down in the history books however it goes do in there, you know. Everybody would like to just go out there and just out run the hell out of everybody to win races. Sometimes you have to take them how you get them.”
ARE YOU AND JEFF GORDON FACING THE SAME KINDS OF CHALLENGES? “I think we are facing different stuff. I have just never ran good at the tracks that are in the middle of the season. It is funny that they are all together, but maybe that is kind of good. Jeff has just kind of struggled with the car a little bit here and there all year, you know. I think by the time we are in the Chase, they seem to have it turned around. Hopefully we will have that too.”
IS THE “RIBBING” YOUR CREW CHIEF HAS TAKEN THIS WEEK FAIR OR UNFAIR? “It ain’t fair. I mean, I know that nobody always makes the right calls and I know that everyone has to take responsibility for their actions. Everybody has to take responsibility for their job. He is in that position and he knows as good as anybody that there is going to be some criticism. But, I don’t know man; it is pretty harsh at time for a guy for a guy who has given everything he has given to the sport. A guy that has dedicated himself and devoted himself, sacrificed as much as he has, it gets kind of harsh sometimes. I wish it wasn’t like that for Tony, Jr. (Eury) because he don’t deserve it. But, working with me, I guess that is the breaks.
“I can say this, I don’t think the pit stop strategy ruined the race any more than how bad our car was handling or running at that particular part of the race. I was going backwards as it was, so it ain’t like we screwed ourselves on pit strategy. The car wasn’t that good, we just kind of stayed out there longer than anybody else, it was fun to lead. Hell, I didn’t want to pit either. You know what I mean; I was leading the race - that was fun.
“We had some problems with the car. It was very very fast at the start of the race. But, that wasn’t the car I had there the last half of that race, I didn’t have that good of car. I don’t think many people that are very critical of Tony, Jr., knew that. I try to describe how the situation is without trying to take anything away from Tony, Jr. because he is a really really good crew chief and he has done a lot for me and other drivers in this sport. He has helped a lot of crew members and taught a lot of things to a lot of different guys as he has come up. He is not a real volatile personality and he is not the kind of personality that you probably expect to have on this type of team with this magnitude of a team.
“He is just a good ‘ole guy, you know. I wish it was different for him, but oh well. He is pretty tough and I feel like when it comes down to it he will prove to everybody, yea, we are human, we make mistakes, but he is damn sure the guy for the job in my opinion.”
DO YOU THINK HE IS IN ONE OF THE MOST SCRUTINIZED POSITIONS IN THE SPORT? “He is in one of them, sure. Right now, I don’t know if it will be like that for a long, long time, but he has a lot of people to answer to, just like I do and just like the rest of the team. The team itself, when they don’t do right or have a problem or whatever, you know, they have to deal with it. That is part of being in this sport man. You know, you have to live up to all expectations and you have to meet some expectations, you get paid a lot of money to do. There is a lot of good things about it too. He had a bad, he said he didn’t read any of the papers or listen to anybody and so, I said, that was all right, its good. We will move on. When I am in the race car out on the race track, I can’t do the math and try to figure out what the strategy is that he has planned and we don’t’ talk about that before the race. Sometimes the best laid plans never work out. I don’t know what his strategy; I didn’t have a problem with what it was. It was definitely the wrong call to make in hindsight, but again, even if we make the right call and stay on the same strategy with those other guys, we got a 25th or 30th place car at best because he had some issues with the suspension. I like the way the man does his job and I am glad he is helping me. I have his back and he’s got mine. Regardless if he makes that mistake again this week, we will try to learn from it and move on.”
WHEN YOU ARE TOLD TO SAVE FUEL WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS? “Get mad because you don’t want to save, you just want to run hard. It is just a lot of work. It is a pain in the butt really. It is a lot of work and you don’t know if what you are doing is saving gas or not. You don’t know what you are accomplishing and it’s no fun.”
HOW FAMILIAR ARE YOU WITH THE TERM HYPERMILING? “What is that?” ESSENTIALLY WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING ON THE HIGHWAY NOW, COASTING AND STUFF LIKE THAT TO STOP LIGHTS AND EASING AWAY FROM STOP LIGHTS TO TRY AND GET BETTER GAS MILEAGE. “Well, that is cool.”
Contacts:
Dale Earnhardt, Jr., No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Impala SS, met with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway and discussed scoring a repeat win at Michigan, thoughts of how team is performing as Chase approaches, his crew chief, Tony Eury, Jr., saving gas on-track and other subjects. Full transcript:
HOW WAS PRACTICE TODAY? “It was good. I was pretty happy. I think I could have run a little quicker if we had got back out there. Got a pretty good car. Ran some race stuff early, seems like the qualifying stuff is going to get us up in the top 10. I am pretty happy.”
WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON WITH THE TEAM THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS SINCE YOU WON HERE THAT SEEMS TO HAVE YOUR FRUSTRATED? “Just the race tracks we have been going to. I don’t have good finishes at those race tracks. Couple of road courses, Pocono, It is just typically not a good part of the season where we have run very good. We are always strong at the races the first third and last third of the season.”
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING BACK TO RICHMOND? “Yea, I am looking forward to the last third of the season. We seem to do really well at all them race tracks. We seem to gain a lot of points, or have the ability to gain a lot of points in those two stretches, the first and last part of the season. I figured the summer would be rough and it was. I don’t know why that is other than, there aren’t any favorite race tracks of mine in that little stretch. That is one thing I know for sure. We tried the best we could to get through that stretch pretty good and do better. I don’t know, I wasn’t no happier about it than I have been in the past. Starting here, we will start to see some improvement and start a run like we have been running at the start of the year. Like I think we are capable of doing.”
DO YOU LIKE HOW YOUR TEAM IS RUNNING AS THE CHASE GETS CLOSER? “No, we haven’t been running that good lately. We are coming up on some tracks where we run pretty good. I like the tracks and I like my chances.”
HAVING WON HERE IN JUNE, HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR CHANCES FOR REPEATING? “It would be nice you know. It would be good to get another win to show everybody we can do it on a full tank of gas. It would be a good to get a win anywhere, but Michigan is a good place because of the manufacturers being close. Being close to Detroit, Motor City.”
IS IT UNFAIR TO GET CRITICIZED FOR HOW YOU WIN A RACE? SHOULDN’T JUST WINNING THE RACE BE ENOUGH? “Yes. But, I mean, it depends on what side of the fence you are on, man. If you are on the winning side, you are happy, don’t matter how. If you are the guy who had the fastest car all day, you aren’t real happy about it. I have been on both sides of it, it goes down in the history books however it goes do in there, you know. Everybody would like to just go out there and just out run the hell out of everybody to win races. Sometimes you have to take them how you get them.”
ARE YOU AND JEFF GORDON FACING THE SAME KINDS OF CHALLENGES? “I think we are facing different stuff. I have just never ran good at the tracks that are in the middle of the season. It is funny that they are all together, but maybe that is kind of good. Jeff has just kind of struggled with the car a little bit here and there all year, you know. I think by the time we are in the Chase, they seem to have it turned around. Hopefully we will have that too.”
IS THE “RIBBING” YOUR CREW CHIEF HAS TAKEN THIS WEEK FAIR OR UNFAIR? “It ain’t fair. I mean, I know that nobody always makes the right calls and I know that everyone has to take responsibility for their actions. Everybody has to take responsibility for their job. He is in that position and he knows as good as anybody that there is going to be some criticism. But, I don’t know man; it is pretty harsh at time for a guy for a guy who has given everything he has given to the sport. A guy that has dedicated himself and devoted himself, sacrificed as much as he has, it gets kind of harsh sometimes. I wish it wasn’t like that for Tony, Jr. (Eury) because he don’t deserve it. But, working with me, I guess that is the breaks.
“I can say this, I don’t think the pit stop strategy ruined the race any more than how bad our car was handling or running at that particular part of the race. I was going backwards as it was, so it ain’t like we screwed ourselves on pit strategy. The car wasn’t that good, we just kind of stayed out there longer than anybody else, it was fun to lead. Hell, I didn’t want to pit either. You know what I mean; I was leading the race - that was fun.
“We had some problems with the car. It was very very fast at the start of the race. But, that wasn’t the car I had there the last half of that race, I didn’t have that good of car. I don’t think many people that are very critical of Tony, Jr., knew that. I try to describe how the situation is without trying to take anything away from Tony, Jr. because he is a really really good crew chief and he has done a lot for me and other drivers in this sport. He has helped a lot of crew members and taught a lot of things to a lot of different guys as he has come up. He is not a real volatile personality and he is not the kind of personality that you probably expect to have on this type of team with this magnitude of a team.
“He is just a good ‘ole guy, you know. I wish it was different for him, but oh well. He is pretty tough and I feel like when it comes down to it he will prove to everybody, yea, we are human, we make mistakes, but he is damn sure the guy for the job in my opinion.”
DO YOU THINK HE IS IN ONE OF THE MOST SCRUTINIZED POSITIONS IN THE SPORT? “He is in one of them, sure. Right now, I don’t know if it will be like that for a long, long time, but he has a lot of people to answer to, just like I do and just like the rest of the team. The team itself, when they don’t do right or have a problem or whatever, you know, they have to deal with it. That is part of being in this sport man. You know, you have to live up to all expectations and you have to meet some expectations, you get paid a lot of money to do. There is a lot of good things about it too. He had a bad, he said he didn’t read any of the papers or listen to anybody and so, I said, that was all right, its good. We will move on. When I am in the race car out on the race track, I can’t do the math and try to figure out what the strategy is that he has planned and we don’t’ talk about that before the race. Sometimes the best laid plans never work out. I don’t know what his strategy; I didn’t have a problem with what it was. It was definitely the wrong call to make in hindsight, but again, even if we make the right call and stay on the same strategy with those other guys, we got a 25th or 30th place car at best because he had some issues with the suspension. I like the way the man does his job and I am glad he is helping me. I have his back and he’s got mine. Regardless if he makes that mistake again this week, we will try to learn from it and move on.”
WHEN YOU ARE TOLD TO SAVE FUEL WHAT IS YOUR PROCESS? “Get mad because you don’t want to save, you just want to run hard. It is just a lot of work. It is a pain in the butt really. It is a lot of work and you don’t know if what you are doing is saving gas or not. You don’t know what you are accomplishing and it’s no fun.”
HOW FAMILIAR ARE YOU WITH THE TERM HYPERMILING? “What is that?” ESSENTIALLY WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING ON THE HIGHWAY NOW, COASTING AND STUFF LIKE THAT TO STOP LIGHTS AND EASING AWAY FROM STOP LIGHTS TO TRY AND GET BETTER GAS MILEAGE. “Well, that is cool.”
Contacts:
Delaware Speedway: Racing a go for tonight
Tonight's Delaware Speedway racing is ON AS SCHEDULED. No rain has fallen at Delaware Speedway and officials fully expect to be able to complete the program as advertised.
Tonight's racing features the APC Late Models, Peterbilt of Ontario Super Stocks, Challenger Motor Freight Trucks, and Ultimate Sandblasting & Coating Chaos Cars. We expect it to be a very exciting evening of racing.
Some media outlets have been reporting that all outdoor events and racing has been cancelled, this is not the case at Delaware Speedway tonight. Please help us in spreading the word that racing is on as scheduled.
From John Houghton / Announcer / PR / Delaware Speedway
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sauble Results Dash For Cash - Aug 13th 2008
Cobble Beach Presented the: Wednesday Night Dash For Cash at Sauble Speedway Wednesday Aug 13th 2008
National Anthem Singer: Janessa Mulder
National Anthem Singer: Janessa Mulder
Heat Winners
Rain-X 4 Cyl: #2 Ben Merheulst won two Heats, #09 Dean Curry, #34 Lane Hutchin
Street Stocks: #99 James Hunt, #93 Bill Cole
Reg Noble Thunders: #30 Todd Davenport won two, #69 Scott McTeer won two.
Quaker State Late Models: #1 Dan Wright, #31 Shawn McWhirter, #76 Tyler Williams,
#8 Jason Parker
Feature Winners
Rain-X 4 Cyl: #66 Mike Smith
Street Stock: #99 James Hunt
Reg Noble Thunders: #69 Scott McTeer
Quaker State Late Models: #76 Tyler Williams
For More Information: www.saublespeedway.com
TSN2 Coming August 29
More Games, More Sports, More Coverage, More TSN ... TSN2 Launches Aug. 29
-- New 24-hour sports digital network features 800+ hours of live events --
-- Exclusive live coverage of NHL, CFL, NBA, NASCAR, Curling, Tennis and more --
-- Available in both High Definition and Standard Definition --
-- New 24-hour sports digital network features 800+ hours of live events --
-- Exclusive live coverage of NHL, CFL, NBA, NASCAR, Curling, Tennis and more --
-- Available in both High Definition and Standard Definition --
TORONTO (August 14, 2008) – More hockey, more football, more golf, more auto racing, more basketball, more tennis, more soccer. And more TSN!
TSN announced today the launch of its new 24-hour sports digital network, TSN2, which hits Canadian TV airwaves on Friday, Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. ET with a jam-packed lineup featuring 800+ hours of live and exclusive major league sports action. Today’s announcement further illustrates TSN’s leadership and commitment to delivering marquee sports properties and better serving sports fans from coast to coast.
TSN2 will be operating pursuant to an authorization in the TSN broadcast licence from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
“In today’s day and age of immediacy, fans want and crave live coverage of sports. TSN2 will deliver more premium live sports programming while complementing TSN’s already powerful live sports lineup. The days of tape delayed sports coverage on television are over,” said Phil King, President, TSN. “Sports fans have identified a strong need and desire for this complementary service. TSN2 provides additional value to our progressive and passionate sports audience as it allows us to air two live events simultaneously, giving sports fans more choice and diversity.”
TSN2, a premium service available in both High Definition and Standard Definition, is advantageous to sports fans, delivering on three key essentials:
- Live Sports – a total of 800+ hours of live sports coverage, with an average of one exclusive live event/game per day, available only on TSN2.
- Encore Telecasts of Live TSN Programming – TSN2 programming features encore performances of key sports events, which aired live earlier in the day on TSN. For example, European-based sporting events which air live on TSN in the daytime, such as Champions League Soccer and select IIHF tournaments and games, will be repeated later in the day on TSN2.
- Better Timeslots for Western Canada – TSN2 presents better timeslots for Western-based viewers with alternative showings. Events and programming which air in late-afternoon/early-evening in Eastern Canada on TSN will now be repeated in Western prime.
TSN2 launches on August 29 at 7 p.m. ET with exclusive live Canadian coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament. TSN2’s roster features an exciting lineup of exclusive live sports games and events, including the NHL, CFL, NBA, Curling, International Hockey, Golf, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, IndyCar Series, Grand Slam Tennis, Champions League Soccer, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, and NCAA Football and Basketball.
TSN has received an overwhelming positive response from viewers about the TSN alternate feed, which was used on a temporary basis over the past two years to provide simultaneous live coverage of sports events.
“By taking the TSN alternate feed to a full-time service in TSN2, we are better positioned to serve sports fans by being able to consistently provide live coverage of two events taking place concurrently. TSN2 is a must-have for sports fans,” said King
The TSN alternate feed, which has aired more than 300 live events and games since its launch in November 2006, has been a huge ratings success, generating large audiences for marquee events, such as NASCAR, Curling and Tennis.
TSN will execute a comprehensive marketing campaign to build awareness for TSN2 and support participating distributors in growing subscriptions. The integrated campaign will consist of print, radio, web, and outdoor advertising, in addition to a targeted PR campaign and daily promotion on TSN and the CTV Inc. family of networks, including CTV, NHL Network, ESPN Classic, MuchMusic, MTV, Discovery Channel and The Comedy Network.
For more information about TSN2, viewers are encouraged to contact their television provider.
TSN continues to be the overwhelming television destination for sports fans across the country. Results from the 2007/08 Roper Reports Canada national survey revealed that TSN is the top-ranked network among sports viewers in English Canada for Channel Most Enjoy Watching, Best Channel for Watching Sports, Best Sports News, and Best Overall Quality of Sports Coverage. TSN has consistently been voted the No. 1 source for sports from sports viewers across English Canada since the survey’s inception in 1998.
TSN, a division of CTVglobemedia, is Canada's Sports Leader. Setting the Canadian sports broadcasting standard, TSN was voted the No. 1 source for sports coverage and news by sports fans across the country.** TSN's comprehensive broadcast schedule features SportsCentre, the NHL and first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs; International Hockey including the IIHF World Junior Championship; the Olympic Games through 2012; CFL including Friday Night Football; NFL including Sunday and Monday Night Football; PGA TOUR and all four golf Majors; Blue Jays baseball; Raptors basketball and the NBA Finals; Season of Champions Curling; Auto Racing including NASCAR, Formula One and IRL; Tennis and all four Grand Slam events; EURO 2008 and UEFA Champions League Soccer; and HBO World Championship boxing. TSN HD offers more sports coverage, more hours and more events in High Definition than any other network in Canada. TSN is available in 9 million households. TSN's programming and news content is also available online at TSN.ca.
**2007/2008 Roper Reports Canada
-END-
From: Andrea Goldstein / TSN
Brockville Ontario Speedway Schedule Change
BROCKVILLE - Sometimes the challenges mother nature brings can have a silver lining. Such will be the case for local race fans and competitors alike as Brockville Ontario Speedway has put together a special 358 DIRT Modified twin bill that will take to the track at the Beast of the East on Saturday, September 6th.
Track promoters Paul and Cheryl Kirkland have been busy gauging public and competitor opinions on the August 2nd, Lucas Oil Canadian DIRT Challenge Series event that finally succumbed to the rain with 4 laps complete. The original plan was to run the race as part of the Sprint Car Spectacular in October. However, after gaining input from the racing public and going through options with the DIRT sanctioning body, the final 96 laps will now be run on September 6th beginning at 7pm. This will also eliminate a potential conflict with a 358 Tour event in Middletown, New York in October.
That sets up a first of it’s kind twin bill as the 358 Modifieds will take to track a second time in the already scheduled 75 lap Super DIRT Series tour event at the fast three eights of a mile clay oval on the same night. This will save teams and fans alike from making the trip twice to see these two extra length marquee races. Admission is set at 22 dollars for this special show that will also include Brockville’s regular classes in competition.
KONI: Pair of Quebec Brothers Shooting for Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series GS, ST Victories at Trois-Rivières
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 13, 2008) - Jean-Francois and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin call the city home. Kuno and Nick Wittmer dominated the street circuit last season. This weekend, both pairs of brothers from Quebec will look for home victories in Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series action, with the annual Grand Prix de Trois-Rivires next on the 11-round calendar.
The Wittmer brothers, victorious in last year's race around city streets, hail from Hudson, Quebec, and will compete together in Saturday's Street Tuner (ST) race, commencing at 1:30 p.m. ET. Sunday's Grand Sport (GS) race, featuring the Dumoulin brothers from Trois-Rivires, is scheduled to start at 9:10 a.m. ET. Both races are slated for an hour and 45 minutes around the 1.521-mile temporary street circuit.
The Dumoulins have never won the KONI Challenge race at Trois-Rivires - Jean-Francois has a Rolex Series SRP II victory and two wins in Echo Cup, and Louis-Philippe has won in Formula Fords - but this may be their best chance for a KONI triumph as they will compete in the No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997, which visited victory lane last month at Watkins Glen International with drivers Tim Traver and David Murry. Jean-Francois and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin put together a deal to run the car earlier this week. Jean-Francois Dumoulin is tied for fifth with fellow Canadian David Empringham and fellow BGB driver Craig Stanton on the overall KONI Challenge victory list with seven wins. Meanwhile, Stanton and co-driver Jon Miller in the No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997 are coming off a second-place finish in last Sunday's Casey General Stores KONI Challenge at Iowa Speedway.
"I'm very excited to be able to drive with my brother again," Jean-Francois Dumoulin said. "We came together with a last-minute sponsor here in Trois-Rivires, and we are very excited to run in our hometown race. Everybody loves the Grand Prix and that works in our favor. Everything around it is a lot of fun. It's great!"
Everyone will be trying to topple point co-leaders Jep Thornton and Jeff Segal, who hold a 22-point (171-149) advantage over Toronto's Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster in the No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT. Thornton and Segal drive the No. 09 Automatic Racing Imported Car Store/Land Air BMW M3 and have one win, while Maxwell and Foster have two, including at the only other Canadian KONI track, Mosport International Raceway. Automatic Racing is bringing three BMW M3s.
Slowly catching the pair are Bret Seafuse and James Gue, who recorded their fifth straight top-10 finish of the season at Iowa and third top five of the season. Seafuse and Gue drive the No. 37 JBS Motorsports Trumansburg Shursave Ford Mustang GT. Another Mustang duo, Hugh Plumb and Mike Canney, in the No. 60 Rehagen Racing Sunset Hills Vineyard machine, also seek their first victory after four top-10 finishes. That car is one of four Rehagen Racing Ford Mustangs traveling north of the border.
Marc-Antoine Camirand, looking to become the winningest driver in the history of Le Circuit Trois-Rivires, will team with Iowa victor Andy Lally in the No. 79 Kinetic Motorsports BMW M3. Camirand is from Saint Leonard d'Aston, Quebec. Other Canadian GS drivers include Empringham, driving with Tom Nastasi in the No. 5 Blackforest Motorsports USG/DeWalt BMW M3; Vancouver's David Riddle, driving with Kris Wilson in the No. 25 C-Max/Unitech Racing Porsche 997; and Toronto's Sasha Anis in the No. 140 SG-Motorsport Nissan 350Z.
Two-time race winner Bill Auberlen will look to defend his Trois-Rivires victory with Matthew Alhadeff in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3. The pair is coming off a third-place finish at Iowa. Don Salama and Bryan Ortiz will drive the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3. TRG will also bring two cars, including the No. 41 Carlsen Porsche/Cohen Financial Porsche 997 that Scott Schroeder took the pole and co-won with Lally at Iowa. Playboy Racing/Fall-Line Motorsports will bring two BMW M3s while the Motorsport Technology Group is bringing a Porsche 997.
Hudson, Quebec's Kuno Wittmer only eight points out of ST point lead
Kuno Wittmer's best chance at scoring his first KONI Challenge victory of the season might come this weekend in his home race at Trois-Rivires. The Hudson, Quebec native is only eight points behind leaders Chuck Hemmingson and Kristian Skavnes (160-152) after the lead pair finished 10th in last Sunday's race at Iowa Speedway. Wittmer finished ninth at Iowa. He and Nick Wittmer will pilot the No. 32 i-MOTO Racing Cybernation/Alpinestar Acura TSX. Nick Wittmer already has one victory this season - the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway with team owner Glenn Bocchino. Bocchino and co-driver Peter Cunningham, 13 points behind the point co-leaders, will drive the No. 31 i-MOTO Racing Cybernation/Alpinestar Acura TSX.
Based on history, Kuno and Nick Wittmer stand a good chance of repeating last year's triumph. A Quebec-born driver has won the ST race in each season dating to 2005. Kuno Wittmer has several podium finishes in touring car competition, and Nick Wittmer has also earned four poles and won all four races in which he has competed at the track.
"This is probably the biggest weekend for us because of the crowd," Kuno Wittmer said. "We know our way around there. I couldn't ask for anybody better as a co-driver than my brother; he has won there more times than I have. Coming off the victory from there last year, we have good track knowledge, and we know exactly where to turn the wheel. We've already got our baseline setup ready. We're pretty confident, actually. I think we could do some damage there. And I'm sitting high in the point standings because of consistency."
Meanwhile, Hemmingson and Skavnes are trying to avenge their first finish outside the top five since Daytona. They will drive one of two ICY/Phoenix Racing Subaru Legacys at Trois-Rivires. Hot on their heels is former point leader Jamie Holtom, who has three victories this season, including Sunday's race at Iowa with Lawson Aschenbach. Holtom is only five points behind Hemmingson and Skavnes, and will team with Andy Lally in the No. 01 Georgian Bay Motorsports Chevrolet Cobalt SS this weekend.
Bob Beede will lead two Bill Fenton Motorsports Honda Civic Si's to Trois-Rivires. He is sixth in the standings despite scoring no points at Daytona. He is co-driving with Bob Endicott in the No. 29 machine. Defending series champions and No. 76 Honda Civic Si co-drivers Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood are only 28 points out of the lead, and will drive one of four Compass360 Racing machines this weekend. Rounding out the top 10 in points is another ICY/Phoenix Racing driver Andrew Aquilante, who will drive with David Rosenblum in the No. 141 Subaru Legacy.
Like GS, there is no shortage of Canadian drivers in the ST field. Compass360's No. 73 Acura RSX will be occupied by team owner and Toronto native Karl Thomson and American Kevin York, the No. 74 Acura TSX by Boischitel, Quebec's Benoit Theetge and American Christian Miller, and Oakville, Ontario pilots Ken Wilden and Jeremy Willard in the No. 75. London, Ontario driver Matt Pritiko and Ste. Anne Des Lacs, Quebec native Robert Boyer will drive the No. 53 Predator Auto Sport Chevrolet Cobalt SS. Ashley McCalmont and Kirk Spencer, driving the No. 00 Georgian Bay Motorsports Chevrolet Cobalt SS, reside in Ancaster, Ontario, while No. 138 GS Motorsport C&P Cross Border Law/Sun Sport Chevrolet Cobalt SS drivers Andrew Danyliw and Gunter Schmidt reside in Toronto and Midland, Ontario, respectively. 89 Racing Team Honda Civic Si driver Cyril Hamelin resides in Trois-Rivires while co-driver Jocelyn Hebert calls Becancour, Quebec, home.
Also bringing cars to this weekend's races are RSR Motorsports, Freedom Autosport, APR Motorsport, Classic BMW-Plano, Fountain Motorsports, Brass Mitchell Racing, V-Pack Motorsport, Kinetic Motorsports, Team MER, HART and Turner Motorsport.
Practice for the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivires begins at 10:30 a.m. Friday. Qualifying for the ST class is 8:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by GS qualifying at 9 a.m. The 75-lap or one-hour and 45-minute ST race will start at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, with the 80-lap or one-hour and 45-minute GS race at 9:10 a.m. Sunday.
KONI CHALLENGE SERIES WEEKEND SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES EASTERN)
- Friday: KONI Challenge ST Practice (10:30-11:10 a.m.); KONI Challenge GS Practice (11:20 a.m.-Noon); KONI Challenge ST Practice (3:30-4 p.m.); KONI Challenge GS Practice (4:10-4:40 p.m.).
- Saturday: KONI Challenge ST Qualifying (8:30-8:50 a.m.); KONI Challenge GS Qualifying (9-9:20 a.m.); KONI Challenge ST Race (1:30 p.m.; 114.1 miles/75 laps/one-hour and 45-minute time limit).
- Sunday: KONI Challenge GS Race (9:10 a.m.; 121.7 miles/80 laps/one-hour and 45-minute time limit).
2008 IN REVIEW
Through the first seven rounds of the 2008 Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series season, different driving pairs and manufacturers have won races in one of the most diversified forms of racing in North America. And with that comes a tight point battle that is sure to stay that way until the final checkered flag falls in October.
Craig Stanton, the 2004 Grand Sport champion, and Tim Traver started the season off right with an overall and GS victory in the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway in January, as Stanton moved from fourth to first in the waning laps after the top three cars ahead of him suffered from mechanical problems. The pair drove to victory in the No. 83 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997. In the Street Tuner class, Quebec native Nick Wittmer and Glenn Bocchino notched the first victory for the i-MOTO Racing team, guiding the No. 31 Acura RSX to victory for a one-two team finish. However, the top two cars were docked five points for non-compliant fuel tanks.
The second round at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut was split into two class races, with Canadian Jamie Holtom and Yankee Eric Curran taking the victory in the ST race and in the process the point lead in the No. 01 Georgian Bay Motorsports Chevrolet Cobalt SS. Defending GS driver champions Jeff Segal and Jep Thornton earned Automatic Racing's first-ever victory in the No. 09 BMW M3.
At Mosport International Raceway, Scott Maxwell raced through the field to give himself and Joe Foster a come-from-behind victory in GS in the No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT. A fifth-place finish put Segal and Thornton - tied with 89 points - up by 12. Meanwhile, the Curran-Holtom pair backed up their Lime Rock victory with another at Mosport. Chuck Hemmingson and Kristian Skavnes won at Mid-Ohio in their No. 111 ICY/Phoenix Racing Subaru Legacy, an ST-only race, as rain fell for most of the event. The No. 196 Mini Cooper S won its first pole with Owen Trinkler behind the wheel.
Traver and David Murry won in GS and overall at Watkins Glen International in the No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997, beating Bill Auberlen and Matthew Alhadeff to the line in a race that was full of scrapping and paint swapping. Meanwhile, Segal and Thornton's lead ballooned to 14 points. In ST, defending series champs Adam Burrows and Trevor Hopwood won their first career race in the No. 74 Compass360 Racing Acura TSX, holding off Bob Beede and Bob Endicott at the stripe. Hemmingson and Skavnes picked up the point lead with a fifth-place finish in their secondary car, as their primary car was involved in a practice incident. Curran and Holtom did not score any points as a broken rear axle forced them to retire early and without earning points.
Maxwell and Foster added their second victory of the season at the GS-only race at Barber Motorsports Park. Maxwell passed James Gue with three laps remaining to lead a 1-2-3 Ford Mustang GT sweep at what is considered more of a Porsche track. Andy Lally and Scott Schroeder recorded their first victories of the season from the pole at Iowa Speedway, while Holtom topped the podium yet again with co-driver Lawson Aschenbach. So far this season, 117 drivers have been credited with points in GS and 125 drivers with points in ST.
NEWS & NOTES
- Bienvenue (Welcome) to Quebec: Several drivers call Quebec home, including Jean-Francois and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin and Cyril Hamelin (Trois-Rivires), Kuno and Nick Wittmer (Hudson), Marc-Antoine Camirand (Saint Leonard d'Aston), Robert Boyer (Ste. Anne Des Lacs), Benoit Theetge (Boischitel), and Jocelyn Hebert (Becancour).
- Quebec Winner Almost Certain: The Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series has made four trips to Trois-Rivires since 2001, and each season a Quebec-born driver has ended up in victory lane. Sylvain Tremblay, now competing in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 GT class, has GS (2001) and ST (2005) victories to his credit. Marc-Antoine Camirand won the ST race in 2006, and Nick and Kuno Wittmer won the ST race last season. In addition, Jean-Francois Dumoulin won a SRP II race in 2001.
- Three Races in Four Weeks: August is the busiest month on the KONI Challenge Series calendar. In addition to this weekend's races at Trois-Rivires, the series competed last week at Iowa Speedway. Teams will take a few days to regroup before racing Aug. 30 at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
- Tight Point Race in ST: With four races remaining, it's still a tight race in the ST driver point standings. The top eight drivers are separated by only 28 points. Drivers with the third-highest point total in each class - Bret Seafuse and James Gue in GS and Kuno Wittmer in ST - have been consistent all season, and are looking to add their first victories and sixth top 10s this weekend.
KONI CHALLENGE SERIES DRIVER POINT STANDINGS
- Grand Sport: 1. (tie) Jep Thornton, Jeff Segal (171); 3. (tie) Joe Foster, Scott Maxwell (149); 5. (tie) Bret Seafuse, James Gue (148); 7. Craig Stanton (128); 8. (tie) Hugh Plumb, Mike Canney (127); 10. Scott Schroeder (121).
- Street Tuner: 1. (tie) Chuck Hemmingson, Kristian Skavnes (160); 3. Jamie Holtom (155); 4. Kuno Wittmer (152); 5. Peter Cunningham (147); 6. Bob Beede (139); 7. (tie) Adam Burrows, Trevor Hopwood (132); 9. Eric Curran (120); 10. Andrew Aquilante (118).
SELECTED PRE-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
Jamie Holtom (No. 01 Georgian Bay Motorsports Chevrolet Cobalt SS): "Trois-Rivires is a track that I've grown up around, being from Montreal and watching my Dad racing. It's an event that I love to race at and that I get goose-bumps just thinking about. Georgian Bay Motorsports has always been fast here, but for some reason we haven't been able to translate that into a great result. To win here, all of the stars need to be perfectly aligned and we haven't had luck on our side. This year we've done our homework and are looking to rack up another win for the Chevy Cobalt and TTL, and to put on a great show for the fans. Unfortunately, my regular co-driver Eric [Curran] can't make it to the event, so I'll be teamed with an old co-driver of mine; Andy Lally. To win here would be a dream come true".
Jep Thornton (No. 09 Automatic Racing Imported Car Store/Land Air BMW M3): "Trois-Rivires is one of my favorite races. The Saturday night party the town throws is the best we have all season and the crowds are fantastic. I have a lot of laps at Trois-Rivires and am very much looking forward to the race."
Nick Wittmer (No. 32 i-MOTO Racing Acura TSX): "I want to make that five victories; I'm definitely looking forward to that a lot. Right now, the cars are beautiful. They're not wrecked or anything, so it should be good. I'm looking forward to it. It's great, and the fans are great too. It's a one-time thing up there for them, and it's huge. The people love it, and it's a great crowd."
Louis-Philippe Dumoulin (No. 38 BGB Motorsports Porsche 997): "This is something we've looked forward to for a long time. This is the third time J-F and I are driving together. A guy from Trois-Rivires has been sponsoring us for a long time, and we got together with John Tecce and BGB Motorsports to put this deal together. It's be great to finally win a KONI Challenge race, and to do so with my brother, in front of the hometown crowd, would be indescribable, overwhelming. I led a lot of laps last year, but we fell back when I handed the car off to J-F during the pit stop. It was just bad strategy for us. I should have gotten out sooner and given the car over to J-F because we were hoping for a yellow. This year, we won't do that again. We want this victory!"
Hugh Plumb (No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT): "I've won (here) before and we were third there last year. It's really a survival game as far as conserving the car and conserving the brakes. I think we found a brake package that will last in the Mustang. I think it's going to be good for the Mustangs so we'll just have to see. I think we found something for the more twisty, lower-speed corner aspect and I'm very comfortable there. It'll be good."
Karl Thomson (No. 73 Compass360 Racing Acura RSX-S): "Trois-Rivires is one of the season's highlights. The fans are so passionate! This is the only race my wife and kids travel to all year, and they come because the atmosphere is so amazing. The cuisine is like nowhere else, the downtown area is closed off to cars and becomes a carnival, and the surrounding countryside is breathtaking. It's one amazing track and I love it!"
Benoit Theetge (No. 76 Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si): "This is a home track for me. I've won many races here, and I know how hard it is to push every lap, with concrete barriers all around. But it's an awesome track, a place that really separates the men from the boys. You have to give 100 percent commitment every lap. As always, my co-driver Christian Miller and I are going for the win!"
Marc-Antoine Camirand (No. 79 Kinetic Motorsports BMW M3): "I am really excited about the Trois-Rivires KONI race for many reasons. This is a tough road course, it's tight and there is no room for mistakes. This is my home track, I live a half an hour from the Trois-Rivires and my dad owns a BMW shop in the area so I am familiar with the M3's as well. Also, I know Andy (Lally) well and we have the same driving style and both know the track. I think we are a perfect match and along with Kinetic Motorsports, I think we'll have the winning combination."
Andy Lally (No. 79 Kinetic Motorsports BMW M3): ""I am really looking forward to Le Grand Prix de Trois-Rivires this weekend. What makes this one of the best races of the season is that it's a street circuit, which I love and the entire city comes out to support the event on this Holiday weekend. This track is incredible and challenging, from the heat to the braking, you really need to have a successful race strategy. My co-driver for this KONI challenge is Marc-Antoine Camirand, who has spent plenty of time at this track as well as myself, this will mark my 10th year racing at Trois-Rivires and it's always a favorite of mine."
Charlie Putman (No. 91 Automatic Racing BMW M3): "I haven't been to Trois-Rivires yet, but everyone says it's their favorite stop on the KONI Challenge tour because of the enthusiastic fans and the great track, so I'm really looking forward to it. I have to be in Mosport a few days after the race, so my wife and I are going to stay in Canada and play tourist!"
Kristian Skavnes (No. 111 ICY/Phoenix Racing Subaru Legacy): "The layout at Trois-Rivires is unique. It's part fairgrounds access roads, part city streets, including the only turn on any major track in the world where you make a left turn traveling beneath a stone municipal archway at an intersection. Passing an equal competitor on this track can be a multi-lap effort, and if you haven't completed a pass in time, you're now rushing into the next 90-degree turn way too fast."
Frorm Grand-Am / Michael Harker, PR Coordinator
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Run Kelly Run!
Just saw this in an OSCAAR report...
Jeff Hanley's wife Kelly is coming up on $2,000 in pledges for her commitment to participate in "Sophie's Run" on September 1, 2008. It's a run to raise money and awareness in the fight against colorectal cancer. Hanley's #70 OSCAAR has been carrying a Sophie's Run decal on his car during his recent hot streak.
Click here to see how you can donate. Once on the page, look for "Kelly Hanley" and click on her name to support her effort!
Here is a summary of the purpose of Sophie's Run:
Join the Run to create awareness for colorectal cancer!
On September 01, 2008, Nicole Chuchmach and her team will begin an eight-week run from her small hometown of Milton, Ontario to the bright lights of New York City to raise awareness of colorectal cancer in honour of her mother, Sophie, who died from the disease.
When Sophie was first diagnosed in 2005, Nicole began to run as a way to cope with her grief—and run she did. What started out as 5km a week turned into 120km just after Sophie passed away in 2006. Running is now Nicole’s tool to help others; by raising awareness of colorectal cancer, its symptoms, and the importance of screening, she aims to save others from the same fate her mother suffered.
Not many people know it, but colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in Canada and the United States. This doesn’t have to be the case, however. Colorectal cancer is over 90 per cent preventable and curable when detected early through screening. All of the proceeds generated from Sophie’s Run will be donated to the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada which will use the funds to support colorectal cancer patients, increase awareness of the disease, and advocate for screening and timely access to effective treatments.
Runners and walkers may participate in a 4 km walk, 5 km run, 10 km run, or a 19 km run on September 1, 2008. We will be leaving from Ned Devine’s Irish Pub in Milton on September 1, 2008. Although September 1 will be the “send off” for New York City, everyone is welcome to register or sponsor a runner throughout our 8 week journey. (ends)
Jeff Hanley's wife Kelly is coming up on $2,000 in pledges for her commitment to participate in "Sophie's Run" on September 1, 2008. It's a run to raise money and awareness in the fight against colorectal cancer. Hanley's #70 OSCAAR has been carrying a Sophie's Run decal on his car during his recent hot streak.
Click here to see how you can donate. Once on the page, look for "Kelly Hanley" and click on her name to support her effort!
Here is a summary of the purpose of Sophie's Run:
Join the Run to create awareness for colorectal cancer!
On September 01, 2008, Nicole Chuchmach and her team will begin an eight-week run from her small hometown of Milton, Ontario to the bright lights of New York City to raise awareness of colorectal cancer in honour of her mother, Sophie, who died from the disease.
When Sophie was first diagnosed in 2005, Nicole began to run as a way to cope with her grief—and run she did. What started out as 5km a week turned into 120km just after Sophie passed away in 2006. Running is now Nicole’s tool to help others; by raising awareness of colorectal cancer, its symptoms, and the importance of screening, she aims to save others from the same fate her mother suffered.
Not many people know it, but colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in Canada and the United States. This doesn’t have to be the case, however. Colorectal cancer is over 90 per cent preventable and curable when detected early through screening. All of the proceeds generated from Sophie’s Run will be donated to the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada which will use the funds to support colorectal cancer patients, increase awareness of the disease, and advocate for screening and timely access to effective treatments.
Runners and walkers may participate in a 4 km walk, 5 km run, 10 km run, or a 19 km run on September 1, 2008. We will be leaving from Ned Devine’s Irish Pub in Milton on September 1, 2008. Although September 1 will be the “send off” for New York City, everyone is welcome to register or sponsor a runner throughout our 8 week journey. (ends)
NCATS: Hard Fought Weekend For White at Mosport
Round eight of the 2008 NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES was held in Bowmanville Ontario this past weekend, the "FULL THROTTLE ENERGY DRINK 200" was rained out on Saturday afternoon and rescheduled for Sunday. Mosports ½ mile oval was very unpredictable after the substantial rain , especially for Sun Peaks British Columbia driver Jason White. This was Whites first visit to the very technical but super fast track.
"Once again we show up to a place we haven't seen before and get out and start learning", remarked White. "This track has very long straightaways and tight corners, unlike anything I have seen before". With the rain keeping the track time to a minimum, Jason could only hope for a lot of practice. The extra seat time was cut short due to carburetor problems and left Jason in the pits for much of the session.
Sunday threatened rain as well so NASCAR was forced to set the starting grid by championship points and get the race under way. White started 15th in the 21 car field, and was ready for the green to drop. " I was definitely ready to go" said White, "Its been a while since we where on an oval and I was ready for a strong finish". When the race started Jason was holding his own on the lead lap and being patient while trying to stay out of trouble.
It was on lap 45 when the car just seemed to fall out from under him and a flat right rear tire brought the A&W Monte Carlo down pit road under green. This knocked Jason down four laps and put a solid finish out of reach.
The team soldiered on to try and salvage some championship points , but on lap 165 the day got worse for Jason. " Going into turn three, a wreck started and I had no where to go", white said. " It just was typical of our luck this weekend, we want to forget about days like this". The team made some repairs on pit road and got the car back out but this put Jason down another 5 laps.
The team soldiered on to try and salvage some championship points , but on lap 165 the day got worse for Jason. " Going into turn three, a wreck started and I had no where to go", white said. " It just was typical of our luck this weekend, we want to forget about days like this". The team made some repairs on pit road and got the car back out but this put Jason down another 5 laps.
The team found a silver lining in the frustrating weekend, fellow rookie of the year competitors Alex Taglialni and Anthony Simone also had problems and Whites 16th place finish was enough to finish ahead of his freshman competitors. "We had a 7 point gain today on Tagliani in the points race", remarked White. " This kept us 45 points out of the lead and essentially kept our goal realistic".
The Rz Racing team will now head to Trois riviers Quebec this weekend for the fourth and final road course race of the year. Then its back to the ovals where White is more confident, and has some knowledge of the tracks the series will visit.
In a sport where more sponsor dollars equals more speed, the RZ Racing Team is thankful for all of their marketing partners leading into this years NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. Special thanks go out to: A&W, Diamond lils trucking, Zimmer Wheaton GMC, Powder Ventures Excavations, Douglas Lake Equipment, T.A Lubes (Sunoco), KAL TIRE, PRAXAIR, RE/MAX (Paul Toporowski), Peaks Media Inc., RTR Performance, Zimmer Autosport, Sleemans Brewery, Mackdaddys Nightclub, L'Cat Autographics and Thompson Valley Sand and Gravel.
Scott Kelly Memorial 100 set for Aug. 16 at Riverside
JAMES RIVER, NS (August 13, 2008) - After what has turned out to be a three-week hiatus the CARQUEST pro Stock Tour returns to action at Riverside International Speedway Saturday August 16 for the Scott Kelly Memorial 100 presented by Parts for Trucks.
The series event August 3 at Centre for Speed in Shediac, NB, was halted due to rain with only half of the qualifying round completed. And the series was off this last weekend, so the last racing action many of the series competitors has seen was on July 26; they'll be chomping at the bit to get back in the driver's seat as they work toward the series season finale now set for September 13 at Scotia Speedworld - moved from September 6 to accommodate the rescheduled Shediac race.
The fast historic high banks of Riverside - and the event tribute to Scott Kelly - will combine to add extra incentive in getting to Victory Lane. Riverside is a track each and every racer in the Maritimes wants to win at, and Kelly was a racer respected by his peers. Scott Kelly, at just 28 years old, lost a battle with cancer in 1999; the Scott Kelly Memorial 100 is a tribute to him from his longtime sponsor and many good friends at Parts for Trucks.
Rudi Foster, Parts for Trucks, recalled one Friday when Scott was released from the hospital and together with his No. 12 S.K. Racing team drove directly to Prince Edward Island to race in the 100 lap feature in 90 degree heat. It was this kind of determination that made Scott a very special person.
"Scott was a young man who loved to race, and he never let his sickness interfere with his passion for racing," said Foster. "Scott also loved to be around kids and to share with them his love for racing. He and S.K. Racing were always doing everything possible to make sure that kids had a chance to see and sit in the car, even if this meant taking the car to a young man’s house, who was too sick to come out and see the car on display."
Concurrent with Scott Kelly's desire to brighten the lives of young children there will be a fundraiser at the Scott Kelly Memorial 100 with proceeds going to the trust fund established in Scott Kelly's name at the IWK Health Care Centre for Children in Halifax.
In keeping with Scott Kelly's passion for racing, the Scott Kelly Memorial 100 will surely see a race Scott would have enjoyed - at the site where he won the MASCAR season opener in May 1998 - an emotional day for all who were watching this brave young man during a time when he was undergoing cancer treatment.
Scott Kelly's all-too-short racing career started in 1988. He raced three years in the street stock division, then three years in the open wheel division. In 1994 he moved to late model/pro stock and won the MASCAR Rookie of the Year title; in 1995 he was second in MASCAR points; in 1996 he finished third in the prestigious Oxford 250 in Maine; and in 1998 he won the inaugural International Pro Stock Challenge title. Scott's dad, Junior Kelly - the 1985 MASCAR champion, was his mentor.
Thirty-one teams are expected to enter the Scott Kelly Memorial 100 presented by Parts for Trucks including series point leader Wayne Smith (Halifax), defending champion Shawn Tucker (Fredericton, NB), defending rookie of the year and currently second-place in points Lonnie Sommerville (Saint John, NB), the only two-time winner on the series this year and third-place in point standings Shawn Turple (Enfield).
Local racers expected to be vying for a spot on the 26-car starting grid include Donald Chisholm (Antigonish), George Koszkulics (New Glasgow) and Rollie MacDonald (Pictou).
Time trials and qualifying heats will determine the starting lineup for the 100-lap feature. The Highland Home Hardware Sportsman Series will provide support class action.
The Scott Kelly Memorial 100 is round three of four for the 2008 edition of the Parts for Trucks Challenge, a mini-series that will see the top three points getters in the four Parts For Trucks sponsored events each take home a year-end bonus. After two of four races Sommerville leads the mini-series with 400 points, followed by Greg Proude (N. Wiltshire, PEI) with 388 points and Kent Vincent (Crapaud, PEI) with 383 points.
Atlantic Tiltload Time Trials start Saturday at 5:10 p.m. Racing starts at 6 p.m.
Lucas Oil Canadian DIRT Series heads to Autodrome Granby
Cornwall, On РMartin B̩langer РAfter an exciting weekend at Mohawk, Edelweiss, Brockville and Cornwall Speedways, the Lucas Oil Canadian DIRT Series is back at Autodrome Granby this Friday for the makeup date of July 18 after that event was lost because of Mother Nature.
David Hébert heads to Granby in the lead of the point`s race with 397 points, a 52-point advantage over Mario Clair who has 345 points. Clément Therrien follows in third with 332 points, Kayle Robidoux is fourth with 321 points and Joel Doiron comes in fifth with 301 points. Positions 6th to 10th are occupied by Pierre Dagenais, Laurent Ladouceur, Michel Dusseault, Claude Brouillard and Alex Fortier.
The car-count has been really exceptional so far with an average of 43 cars per race. Brockville attracted 49 drivers, which is the new record for the series. Hébert won 2 races at Drummond and Mohawk; Mario Clair was the winner at Edelweiss and Dale Planck at Cornwall.
The 100-lap feature at Granby will be very important for the championship because the leaders knows the track well and Hébert could secure the title and repeat his 2006 championship.
Last year, Martin Roy had won the race at this track and Laurent Ladouceur was declared champion of the series, which had finished at this speedway.
This race should one for the record books as the best drivers of Quebec, Ontario and Northern United-States will be in the pits of Autodrome Granby to compete for this coveted race.
2009 Firestone Indy Lights sked includes Toronto and Edmonton
Just like the IndyCar Series champion, the Firestone Indy Lights champion has to succeed on all types of racing circuits," said Roger Bailey, executive director of the Firestone Indy Lights. "This schedule demands the ability of both drivers and teams to master a variety of venues and the challenges each one brings with the end result being a true champion and a driver that is fully prepared to be an IndyCar Series driver.”
For the seventh consecutive year, the Firestone Indy Lights season will begin competition in the state of
The series will then make its debut on the Streets of Long Beach, Calif., on April 18-19 before beginning a string of four consecutive ovals which includes the series' premier event – the Firestone Freedom 100 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 22, two days before the 93rd running of the
The summer stretch also features a Canadian swing with debut races on the Streets of Toronto on July 11-12 and at
"The opportunity to compete on Carb Day at
For the first time, the season will conclude at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which will host the Firestone Indy Lights for the seventh-consecutive season.
“Firestone Racing is quite pleased with the 2009 schedule," said Al Speyer, executive director of Firestone Racing. "It will be absolutely fantastic to see the Firestone Indy Lights name back on the streets of
The Firestone Indy Lights is the premier ladder series for drivers and teams striving to compete in the IndyCar Series and the
The complete 2009 Firestone Indy Lights schedule:
Date Track
April 4 Streets of
April 5 Streets of
April 18 or 19 Streets of
April 25 or 26
May 22
May 30 or 31
June 20 or 21 Iowa Speedway
July 4 or 5 Watkins Glen International
July 11 or 12 Streets of Toronto
July 25 or 26 Edmonton City Centre Airport
Aug. 1 Kentucky Speedway
Aug. 8 or 9 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Aug. 22 or 23 Infineon Raceway
Aug. 29 Chicagoland Speedway
Oct. 10 or 11 Homestead-Miami
* Subject to change
From John Griffin, Indy Racing League
RON FELLOWS' MOSPORT HOCKEY CHALLENGE TO REV UP BIG RACE EXCITEMENT ON ICE
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BOWMANVILLE, ON (July 31, 2008) - He’s more accustomed to driving exotic high-performance race cars at breath-taking speeds on tracks across North America than lacing up his skates and chasing after a black rubber disc. But next month Canadian racing icon Ron Fellows - a passionate hockey fan - will be joined by other race drivers and crew, along with some current and former hockey pros, to play in a fun game of hockey for a serious cause.
The Ron Fellows-Mosport Hockey Challenge, in support of the Canada Hemophilia Society, will be held at the Campus Ice Centre (on the grounds of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology) in Oshawa, ON, Wednesday, August 20, with the puck dropping at 7:30 pm. This event is part of the Mobil 1 presents The Grand Prix of Mosport race week festivities.
“Mosport’s my home track and the Grand Prix’s American Le Mans Series weekend is by far the biggest race of the season. I’d expressed an interest in working with Mosport to organize a fun event in the days leading up to the race,” said Fellows, who has been a factory driver for the ALMS Corvette team since the Series launched in 1999. “I remembered a hockey game that I played in two years ago with racers and some real hockey players. Everyone had a blast and I thought it would be fun to try to revive that game. We’re really looking forward to putting on a great evening of entertainment and to generating some much-needed funds for the Canadian Hemophilia Society.”
For the Canadian Hemophilia Society (CHS), teaming up with Fellows and Mosport to stage this charity fundraiser on ice was a natural extension of a national program – also with a motorsports theme - launched in 2007.
“Recognizing that the Canadian Hemophilia Society plays a pole position role in the lives of the thousands of people that it supports and informs, we launched the Dare to Dream fundraising initiative last year, providing donors with a unique chance to win a day at a racing school at Mosport and it has been a big success,” said Deborah Currie, National Director of Resource Development for the Canadian Hemophilia Society. “We’re thrilled to be associated with the Hockey Challenge and to have this opportunity to partner with Ron and Mosport to raise awareness and funds for the CHS.”
The Canadian Hemophilia Society serves people with inherited bleeding disorders. These bleeding disorders include hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, rare factor deficiencies and platelet disorders.
One of the pro hockey players committed to play in the Fellows-Mosport game next month is 14-year NHL veteran and current Toronto Marlie, Bryan Muir, who first met Fellows in a similar game two years ago.
“I had a lot of fun when I played with Ronny a few years ago, and from that meeting, I’ve had the chance to get out and see him race a couple of times,” said the 35-year old defenseman who played with the Stanley Cup winning Colorado Avalanche in 2001.
“I’m in awe of what Ron and the other drivers can do on a race track and have become a big motorsports fan. I’m looking forward to getting the racers on a rink and show them how we corner and brake on ice. It’ll be a good evening.”
More player announcements will be made in the coming weeks. Tickets are $50 for Corporate VIP packages, $15 for adults and $10 for children 16 and under. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.hemophilia.ca/en or www.mosport.com.
Photo: Canadian racing icon, Ron Fellows will be on the ice on Aug. 20 for the Ron Fellows-Mosport Hockey Challenge, in support of the Canadian Hemophilia Society.
Credit: PeterBrand.ca // From: Jerry Priddle, Mosport
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