DJ Kennington finishes 17th in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona (2/14/09)

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - Canadian DJ Kennington finished 17th in today's NASCAR Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. The St. Thomas, ON racer started 16th in the field of 43 but quickly fell back into the mid-20s with a severe loose-handling condition on the #81 DH Griffin Dodge.

After three rounds of pit stops - each for tires, fuel and significant setup adjustments - Kenningon's car finally tightened up and he was able to advance, making it as high as 12th with 23 laps to go. Eventually, the MacDonald Motorsports Dodge came home in 17th spot.

Tony Stewart won the race, driving for Rick Hendrick. Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer were second and third, respectively.

Photos by Greg MacPherson / Inside Track

A million years ago...

September 1998 at Delaware Speedway... J.R. and John Fitzpatrick prior to a CASCAR Junior race during the McKerlie Millen 300 race weekend.

photo by davefranksphotos.com

PHOTO GALLERY: Another view... J.R. Fitzpatrick's fourth-place run, as seen from his pit

(blurry) Photos by G. MacPherson / Inside Track

JR Fitzpatrick: Video from post-race press conference at Daytona

Following his impressive fourth-place showing in the Feb. 13 NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway, Canadian J.R Fitzpatrick (the top-finishing rookie) took part in the post-race press conference in the Infield Media Centre.

New Smyrna Speedway: Christopher Leads The Winners on Night 8 of the 43rd World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing

From Matt Kentfield, 51 Sports

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL (February 14, 2009) – Some of best short track racing anywhere took place with the running of the Richie Evans Memorial 100 for the Tour-type Modifieds as part of Night Eight of the 43rd Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway (FL) on Friday night.

Ted Christopher and Ronnie Silk exchanged the lead several times in the closing laps of the race, with Christopher taking the victory by a thin margin.  It was the fourth time in his career that Christopher won the prestigious event and the third Tour-type Modified race that he has won at New Smyrna during the 2009 running of the series.

Finishing behind Christopher and Silk in the Richie Evans Memorial 100 were Bobby Grigas, Matt Hirschman and Kevin Goodale.

Wayne Anderson won Friday night’s 30-lap Super Late Model feature over David Rogers, Jack Landis, Jeff Choquette and Jeremy Colangelo.  Unofficially, this will tie the Super Late Model point standings between Jeff Choquette and David Rogers with only one night of racing left.

The Crate Late Models ran their final event of this year’s World Series with Stephen Nasse winning the extended distance 50-lap event. David Wagner finished second and is the 2008 New Smyrna World Series of Short Track Racing Crate Late Model champion.

Jimmy Blewett won the SK Modified feature race and remains defeated in that division during the 2009 World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.  His current win streak is set at seven.

In other racing action at New Smyrna, Travis Hanson won the Limited Late Model feature event and Austin Pickens won the FASCAR Pro Truck main event.

The ninth and final night of Florida Speedweeks at New Smyrna Speedway will take place Saturday, February 14th.  The Tour-Type Modifieds, SK Modifieds, Crate Late Models and Late Model Trucks will all see action.  The night will be highlighted though by the running of the Pete Orr Memorial 100 for the Super Late Model division.

The green flag for the first feature event is scheduled for 7:30pm ET.

For all the latest news and happenings throughout Smyrna Speedweeks, be sure to check out Speed51.com and NewSmyrnaSpeedway.org.  For more information on Speed51.com, please contact Matt Kentfield at 51 Sports by calling (704) 788-2134.

PHOTO GALLERY: J.R. Fitzpatrick finishes fourth in NASCAR Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway

This is a 200+ photo gallery from the NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 13, 2009. Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick finished fourth in just his fourth-ever Truck Series outing. Thanks to Dave Franks for sharing his work. You can see Dave's website here.

Canadian JR Fitzpatrick finishes fourth in NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway

Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick exploded onto the NASCAR stage with a stunning fourth-place run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway on Friday night.

The 21-year-old from Ayr, Ontario (Canada) started 14th in the Nextera Energy Resources 250 at the Daytona Beach, FL superspeedway and led 17 laps (71 through 87) before losing the lead and being forced to pit for new tires with less than 10 laps to go in the 100-lap race.

After his pit stop, Fitzpatrick's Mammoet Chevy Truck took the final restart in 13th place with seven laps to go. From there, he charged through the pack to finish fourth. Fitzpatrick was the top finishing rookie and his finish was the best for a Daytona rookie since Ricky Hendrick took second in 2001.

Fitzpatrick received several awards for his performance, including the Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award (28 places); The Raybestor Rookie of the Race Award, and the Wix Filters Lap Leader Award (17 laps).

Todd Bodine won the race for the second year in a row and was followed across the finish line by Kyle Busch and Terry Cook.

NASCAR Trucks: JR Fitzpatrick among the leaders halfway at Daytona

Canadian JR Fitzpatrick is currently running third in the NASCAR Truck race at Daytona International Speedway.

JR has been able to come back to the top 3 on several occasions after falling back to 10th. The field is under caution at lap 51 after a big crash involving Ricky Carmichael and several others. Fitzpatrick threaded the needle into turn 1 to avoid the wreck.

DJ Kennington qualifies 16th for Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona

Canadian DJ Kennington posted the 16th-fastest lap during qaulifying for Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona Int'l Speedway. The full results from time trials are here: www.nascar.com/races/leaderboard/bg/qual/

Later this evening, Canadian JR Fitzpatrick will take part in the NASCAR Truck Series race at DIS.

Photos by G. MacPherson / Inside Track.

FW: Laperle crashes in the 43rd World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing

From Marc Patrick Roy

New Smyrna Beach, Florida - 2009-02-12 – Canadian Patrick Laperle crashed violently while participating in the sixth of sevent ASA / Crate Late Model stock car feature event taking place as part of the 43rd World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing championship held at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

Laperle, from St-Denis, Québec, Canada, started the race from the third starting spot and had been battling Stephan Nasse of Pinellas Park, Florida.  On the tenth circuit Laperle came out ahead of Nasse out of turn 3, but as they crossed the stripe contact between the two cars sent Laperle spinning down the long front stretch and came to a brutal halt driver's side first in turn number one outside wall.

"I don't understand.  Everyone came to me Wagner, Cassill, Maynard and they all told me how great it was racing with me as I could have run them high or dumped them and I didn't.  Tonight and it's not only me saying it, but a dozen of spotters and car owners: I got dumped" said Laperle.

"We will work on it all night if we have to.  The list of things that are junk is pretty long: shocks, lower control arms, rear end, front and rear clip show damage.  We will do everything to keep Patrick in the championship" declared twin-brother and crew chief Eric Laperle.

After the restart, the race went green the rest of the distance and David Wagner scored his first World Series victory after knocking on the door every other night of racing.  Behind him was Stephan Nasse, Kyle Menard, Joey Gase and Eric Chase rounded out the top five.  Laperle was credited with the 22nd finishing position.

The championship standing after the event is now: David Wagner (246 pts) who is leading Patrick Laperle (222 pts) by 24 points. Stephan Nasse (182 pts), Joseph Gase (182 pts) and Landon Cassill (178 pts). 

With only one 50 lap race remaining, tonight at 7:00pm the championship can only go to Wagner or Laperle as mathematically they are the only two who have a chance.  For Laperle to win the championship he must overcome his 24 point deficit over Wagner which means he must finish no worse than fourth in tonight's race.  Meanwhile Wagner needs to be tenth or worse.

"We knew the risk.  We had planned a conservative finish to secure the points towards the Championship.  With the car patched up as best as we can we don't know what is going to happen for the 50 lap race.  One thing is for sure we came here with the expectation to showcase what we can do and with 3 wins, a 3rd place finish I am going home with my head high." said Laperle.

For more information please contact Marc Patrick Roy 514-942-6843 (cellular phone at the track) or via email: mproy@lesentreprisesmproyinc.com.

Picture credit: Marc Patrick Roy // Additional pictures can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/marc.patrick.roy

43rd World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing Facts:
Laperle performance:
Position Finished       Position Started        Cars entered in competition
Feature race event #1 (2009-02-06)      7       4       28
Feature race event #2 (2009-02-07)      3       8       26
Feature race event #3 (2009-02-09)      1       4       27
Feature race event #4 (2009-02-10)      1       5       25
Feature race event #5 (2009-02-11)      1       1       25
Feature race event #6 (2009-02-12)      22      3       23
Feature race event #7 (2009-02-13)      Tbd     Tbd     Tbd

Championship Standing
Position        Driver       City, State        Points  Behind
1          David Wagner    Akron OH     246     Leader
2          Patrick Laperle              222     -24
3          Stephen Nasse           Pinellas Park FL     182     -64
-          Joseph Gase     Cedar Rapids IA      182     -64
5          Landon Cassill               178     -68

SMITH: MUST HAVE KENTUCKY DATE IN 2010

By Stan Creekmore

Should the stars align properly Kentucky Motor Speedway will have a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series date in 2010; this according the Chairman and CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., Bruton Smith.

Smith picked his words carefully, as is expected from a executive running a publicly traded company. He juked and jived his way down a road populated by land mines while holding court outside the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series transporter/offices Friday afternoon.

He was however adamant about running a Sprint Cup Series event in Kentucky in 2010.

"I have to have a date there," he said.

Smith, although not directly saying so, would prefer the date not come from his existing inventory - Lowe's (2), Atlanta (2), Texas (2), Bristol (2), New Hampshire (2), Infineon (1) and Las Vegas (1).

The billionaire businessman likes the current lineup of tracks on the Sprint Cup schedule, with one exception. He hints the sport is not well served by the dates currently held by Pocono Speedway.

"The life of an automobile dealership is about 25 years," he said, drawing an analogy to the loss of tracks in North Wilkesboro and Rockingham. "As the bedroom community moves the dealership has to move with it. As racing has grown tracks get left behind.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," he quickly added. "But, as the sport grows tracks get left behind."

Without forming the words, Smith's intent was clear. He would be happy to pay for the Long Pond (PA) facility and move the dates to stronger markets.

If unable to make the purchase, Smith will do what is necessary to get a date for Kentucky. He'll move a date already in inventory.

Why is it critical to Smith to have a date in Kentucky? Money is the answer. Kentucky Motor Speedway came at a premium price for a track with no existing race date. The improvements, which are already underway, are extensive. Getting those improvements done isn't cheap, however one benefit of the current economy, has been competition for the jobs. Smith stated that 13 companies bid on the earth moving work alone.

"When you get that many companies bidding on work you get a better price," said Smith.

One unknown at this point, the price of making sure Kentucky Motor Speedway is on the 2010 Sprint Cup schedule. Will the economy of Long Pond suffer the price of progress or will one the current SMI facilities feel the pinch? Time will certainly tell.

NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY: Night #7 of the 43rd Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing

From Matt Kentfield, 51 Sports

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL (February 12, 2009) –There was plenty of action and six faces in victory lane on Night Seven of the 43rd Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway (FL) on Thursday night.

The Super Late Models were the headlining division on Thursday night with a 50 lap feature on tap.  Ohio driver Jack Landis visited victory lane at New Smyrna for the first time this year after early contenders Jeff Choquette and Jeff Scofield tangled on the racetrack before the halfway point.  Landis inherited the land at that point and then cruised to victory lane.  David Rodgers, Tim Russell, Choquette and Wayne Anderson rounded out the top five finishers.

Connecticut’s Ted Christopher was victorious in the Tour-type Modified feature after fighting a sprited battle with Ronnie Silk for the lead.  Christopher came out on top when the dust settled.  Bobby Grigas finished second and the top five finishers were rounded out by Silk, Matt Hirschman and Chuck Hossfeld.

Jimmy Blewett won the SK Modified feature race and remains defeated in that division during the 2009 World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.  His current win streak is set at six.

In other racing action at New Smyrna, Drew Brannon won the Limited Late Model feature event, David Wagner won the Crate Late Model feature and Austin Pickens won the FASCAR Pro Truck main event.

The eighth night of Florida Speedweeks at New Smyrna Speedway will take place Friday, February 13th.  The Tour-Type Modifieds, Super Late Models, Late Models, Crate Late Models and Late Model Trucks will all see action.  The night will be highlighted by the Richie Evans Memorial 100 for the Tour-type Modifieds.  2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, who won in Modified action at New Smyrna earlier in the week, is expected to enter the race.  The green flag for the first feature event is scheduled for 7:30pm ET.

For all the latest news and happenings throughout Smyrna Speedweeks, be sure to check out Speed51.com and NewSmyrnaSpeedway.org.  For more information on Speed51.com, please contact Matt Kentfield at 51 Sports by calling (704) 788-2134.

NASCAR TRUCKS: J.R. Fitzpatrick Qualifies 14th for Camping World Truck Daytona Opener

J.R. Fitzpatrick Qualifies 14th for Camping World Daytona Opener
       
Daytona Beach, Florida (February 12, 2009)  - John Ryan (J.R.) Fitzpatrick qualified his No. 7 Mammoet Chevrolet Silverado in 14th for tomorrow's running of the season opening NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NextEra Energy Resources 250.

Running under the lights Fitzpatrick, from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, used just one of his two laps to post a time of 51.568 and a speed of 175 mph which will have him start from the seventh row.  TRG Motorsports crew chief, Butch Hylton, called off the second run due to increasing engine temperature.

"It doesn't really have the speed we were looking for in qualifying, but it drives so nice," Fitzpatrick said.  "There is some give and take on whether to go for it in qualifying or just stick to the race program, we chose to stick to the race program.  I am excited we qualified 14th and we will take that.  Qualifying here doesn't really matter so we will pick ourselves up in the race."

"I think we might have had a tenth or so in the truck if we ran the second lap.  We were a little bit on the hot side with the motor so there is no use jeopardizing the truck when you were just trying to gain a couple more spots.  We probably would have had to gain two-tenths to move up a spot.  All in all the truck is real good.  There are some guys in front of us who were doing a lot of single truck runs and they will probably fall back tomorrow.  We will take advantage of that in the race."

Kevin Buckler, TRG Motorsports, team owner likes what he is seeing from J.R. so far at Daytona.

"J.R. has grown up over the off season," Buckler said.  "I see more maturity in him behind the wheel and out of the truck as well.  We have a really good truck under him and we are looking to have a great run tomorrow night."

The season opening NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race will be run under the lights on Friday, February 13 and televised live on the SPEED Channel starting at 8 p.m.

TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina where they run a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team as well as an ARCA RE/MAX Series effort.  2008 marked the first full season of competition for TRG in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where they recorded one win, one top-five and ten top tens overall.  The team's sister company, The Racer's Group, was founded in 1993 has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since.  TRG has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For more information contact please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com.   Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com. 

Viewable Web Video can be found at: http://www.trgmotorsports.com/media/sprintcup.php
Downloadable high-res video: http://www.trgmotorsports.com/media/sprintcup-hi-res.php
Electronic press kit: http://trgmotorsports.com/media/TRG_Motorsports/
From Kyle Chura / TRG

PHOTO GALLERY: NASCAR Sprint Cup - Feb. 12, 09 - Duel #2 - davefranksphotos.com

Kyle Busch held off Mark Martin to win the 2nd Gatorade Duel at Daytona Int'l Speedway on Thursday afternoon (Feb. 21, 2009). NASCAR.COM has the story summarizing both Duels here.

This is a 85-photo gallery. Thanks so much to Dave Franks for all his work in getting photos for Inside Track's readers. Dave's having a blast capturing the action at Daytona and New Smyrna Speedways. You can see Dave's website here.

PHOTO GALLERY: NASCAR Sprint Cup - Feb. 12, 09 - Duel #1 - davefranksphotos.com

This is a 151-photo gallery from the first Gatorade Duel at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday, February 12, 2009. Thanks to Dave Franks for sharing his work. You can see Dave's website here.

PHOTO GALLERY: New Smyrna Speedway - Feb. 6 2009 - davefranksphotos.com

This is a 98-photo gallery from New Smyrna Speedway on February 6, 2009. Thanks to Dave Franks for sharing his work. You can see Dave's website here.

Daytona 500 party at The Dizzy

Calling all race fans, come out and support a great cause. I have raised $400 to date for http://www.projecttrackchampion.com;our goal is to raise $1000.

Everyone who walks in the door will get something to take home, from custom hoodies to ball caps to die cast cars and a Budweiser bar and stool set. I will be putting out wings (best in Toronto) and mini burgers (fresh ground N.Y Striploin) for free, all we are asking for is a $5 donation.

Did I mention I have 9 HDTV's with full surrond sound? I would like to thank John Edgar of http://www.cayugamotorsports.ca/ for his generous donation.

Cheers,

Scott / The Dizzy Gastro Sports Pub / www.thedizzy.ca

NASCAR at Daytona: Jimmie Johnson Press Conf. Transcript

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
February 11, 2009
 
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S IMPALA SS met with media and discussed the bumps on the race track, teammate Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards being picked to win the next championship, how the new teams stack up, and more. Full Transcript:

HOW IS YOUR FINGER?
“It’s doing fine. It’s getting better and better every day. It’s still going to be a couple of months before I can do everything that I want to with the tendon and what I did to it. But inside the car, everything that I do there is going well.”

YOU WON’T NEED A BRACE?
“No, I tried the brace at first, but it just didn’t work with the glove. I wear a brace at night so while sleeping I don’t roll over and bend my finger back and hurt the tendon. But outside of that, we’re in good shape. I whacked my wife in the head with it the other day (laughs) so I’m sure she’s excited to see the brace go away.”

IS IT METAL?
“No, it’s a plastic one. I clobbered her man, and she came back swinging. I got her pretty good.”

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 500, CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE BUMPINESS AT HIGH SPEEDS RACING SIDE-BY-SIDE?
“The track, I don’t know if it’s gotten rougher or if it’s more the function of these cars, but the combination, either way, really leads to the cars moving around a lot. The track is certainly rough in certain spots and then with the wake of air up off the cars around you, the car just moves around a lot. There are times when guys will just break the plane of your rear bumper and pull up next to you and it completely changes the balance of your car and you’re in a slide. You don’t even need contact. So, I think the Shootout showed when we’re ready to really race, that it can be exciting. But I don’t expect to see a lot of that stuff in the Duels or in the 500 until the end of the race. Everybody knows that points are on the line in the 500 and we don’t want to make mistakes that are going to take us out of a good points paying position.”

WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN FROM YOUR GROUP THIS WEEK THAT INDICATES YOU WILL GET OFF TO A BETTER START THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR?
“Truthfully I haven’t seen anything yet. Daytona is so different than the rest of the races we run. At least last year we could test and we were in Las Vegas and California with the rest of the field. We knew that we weren’t up to speed then. We were trying to work on it and correct it then when we knew we were off. This year, we don’t have a clue. We haven’t tested. My fingers are crossed, but I have to have the mindset that we’re going to be off and just go to Fontana and learn from there. I think it’s going to be a very challenging year for the teams. They’re bringing new technology to the track.

“They’re going to have to sacrifice the practice sessions on Friday and the potential for a good qualifying position, which will lead to problems on pit road. Things are a little different in areas that we worked hard to be good at in qualifying so we have track position and so we have a good pit stall. That dynamic is going to change a lot this year.”

HOW IMPORTANT TO THE DUEL RACE BECOME IN JUST GETTING OUT ON THE TRACK AND GET SOME LAPS IN?
“Laps are important and my goal is to finish in the top two or three in the Duels so that I have a good pit stall pick. It’s so tough here. And everybody is usually on the lead lap when everybody comes to pit road and you’re blocked in the pits, it can really affect your position in getting out of the pits. So I need to finish well in the Duel so I can prevent that from happening.”

ARE YOU A BIT OF A KLUTZ?
“Yeah, I’ve been accused of that, especially if you talk to my wife. She believes that I’m a klutz. I’ve always been good at controlling a vehicle and where it ends up and how to go fast in a car. But if it was basketball, or baseball, or football, there are funny stories after funny stories. I’ve tried to play the game but not being coordinated to do whatever discipline it was. On top of that, I’ve always been injured. If you look through my grade school photos, I’m the kid on the side with the cast on or in a wheelchair or whatever it may be. I’ve always been accident prone (laughs).”

BASED ON THE SUCCESS YOU’VE HAD AND SOME OF THE STRUGGLES JEFF GORDON HAD LAST YEAR, IS THERE MUCH YOU CAN DO AS A TEAMMATE TO HELP HIM?

“Here, at Daytona, it’s so different. There’s not much. But when we get to the downforce tracks, I think through the course of last year, if you just looked at our set-ups on paper and the driving styles that we have, it would be easy for Jeff to think we shouldn’t go that direction; the car will be looser than I would like. As we’re learning with this car, so much of it is the package. Unlike the old car, you can really just look at the spring and shocks and form an opinion of how loose or tight the car would be. Now but geometry is so sensitive, the bump stop loads, which bump stop you’re sitting on, if not both, and there are just so many other factors to it that it’s tough to take a quick glance at a sheet of paper and form an opinion. I think that the start of this year is a good time for everybody inside of Hendrick Motorsports to re-rack and be as close together as we’ve probably ever been. And then we’ll go out from there and find our own styles.”

DOES HE HAVE JUST AS GOOD A CHANCE AS ANY IN THE FIRST FEW SINCE THIS IS A DIFFERENT STYLE OF RACING THAN WHAT YOU’LL SEE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS?
“Yeah, he’s awesome in the draft. I think so. But I mean, it’s hard for me not to think of Jeff Gordon as being the guy to beat at any of the tracks. I know last year wasn’t the year that we would have all expected or what he wanted to have. But I think of California last year in the spring when he had probably the fastest car out there and then Carl (Edwards) came on late in the race and won the race. He was very competitive in Vegas before the big crash. Hopefully he comes out rolling and taking trophies home.”

ON THE BIG CRASH ON LAST LAP OF THE BUD SHOOTOUT
“The crash, for me, my pusher disappeared. Something happened with the No. 18 off of (Turn) 4, coming to the white (flag). I saw the videos and he was down like 15 lanes below the yellow line off of (Turn) 4. I don’t know how he got there, but I knew my pusher was gone. I thought I was dead in the water but by the time we got back to the exit of Turn 2, the No. 14 (Tony Stewart) was close and I thought, all right, I might have a shot here. So I set up my move and the No. 14 gave me a great push and there was a little hole that developed between the No. 26 and the No. 11 down the back straightway and I thought that with the run I had, I could get through the middle of those guys and hope somebody would follow and try to win the race. Well, little did I know that in the outside lane, the No. 24 was bump-drafting the No. 07 and they were coming with a head of steam and I think the No. 07 got a good shot from the No. 24 and lost control a little bit, and we were both aiming for that middle lane. We just came together at the wrong time and that big wreck happened.”

YOU SAID YOU THOUGHT JEFF GORDON WAS FRUSTRATED FROM LAST YEAR. HOW HAS IT MANIFESTED ITSELF? WHAT HAS HE SAID OR DONE THAT HAS INDICATED TO YOU THAT HE’S BEEN FRUSTRATED?
“Oh, just knowing him like I do and at times after races, I could just see the expression on his face and how he’s carrying himself. He does such a great job of letting things roll off his back and moving forward, that you don’t see it long. You’ve got to look for it because it’s only going to be there a short period of time. But when I look at things that he’s doing now, he actually has a trainer and he’s training and working hard on that stuff. When I talk to him, I see the intensity he has to test, to be on the race track, and there are just little warning signs there that I think he’s more committed than he’s ever been, this year. And certainly, going for 16 some years in this sport and winning and doing all that he did, I guess I’m also putting my opinion in there in trying to imagine what it would feel like. Certainly he was frustrated and the team was. But I see a lot of good things going on for this year and those guys will be right in the thick of it.”

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PIT STALL AND THE FINISH OF THE DUEL RACES, IS THERE A LINE TO WALK TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T WAD UP YOUR PRIMARY CAR?
“Yeah, there’s definitely a line to walk. I think there are situations you put yourself in, in plate races, and moves that you make that are safe. In the Shootout, everybody was taking every run they had or every push they had and trying to go somewhere with it. And when you get back to normal plate racing, you sit on those moves and you almost wait for the guy in front of you to make a mistake. You kind of give him the bait. Instead of pulling out, you go up and push him and see where he goes from there. So you’re playing much more of a defensive role than what you saw in the Shootout and I think that type of racing will come back. There will be a lot more staying in line.

“I think where the transfer position is, you’ll see a lot of guys being crazy and doing what they need to to get into the Daytona 500, but toward the front you’ll see a lot of single file and trying to loosen each other up with air and trying to maybe push the guy in front of you to get him to pull out and then you don’t follow him. You’ll see those things coming back.”

ON THE MERGERS AND DRIVER CHANGES, AND NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN ON THE TRACK A LITTLE BIT, HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU STACK UP?
“I think we’re good. Next weekend is going to be a better test of things. The rules that NASCAR has for us on these plate tracks are so tight, that it’s really tough to get a feel for things. There are only four of these plate races versus all the others. So I feel good about where we’re at, but I don’t think we have a good indication of where everybody is going to be. The Roush cars typically don’t qualify well, which we saw. But they’re going to race well, which we saw in the Shootout. I still think that based on the way things finished up last year, the Roush cars were pretty good on the high-banked 1.5-miles. I think we had them covered on the short tracks and some of the flatter tracks. I think Vegas might be a Roush track, which it’s typically been.

“I think at California, we should have something for them and hopefully be the favorite there based on what we did last fall. In some ways I can form an opinion, but when I really think about it, we haven’t seen anybody on track yet on those types of tracks. So, I just don’t know.”

ARE YOU LOOKING AT SOME OF THE NEW MERGERS AND THINKING THEY MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING THERE?
“I think these mergers are making the race teams stronger. They are able to keep the best guys from each team and take their best race cars and their best engines and really consolidate that stuff. So, it’s sad to see some of the mergers. You’d hope that they could be stand-alone race teams, but in the end it may make them more competitive.”

GIVEN THE ECONOMY, HOW BLESSED TO YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING AT HENDRICK?
“It’s one of the great benefits, driving for Rick (Hendrick). He’s a people person and built this race team and put the right people in place and people that get along. In that aspect, it’s great. This is home and I’m very proud of that. At the same time, he’s a very smart businessman. He always prepares for a rainy day and no one knows how long this economy situation will last. Rick has done a very good job to make sure his race teams can weather the storms.”

HOW MUCH DID YOU LEARN FROM THE SAFETY MEETING TODAY?
“Um, that there was one (laughs). I didn’t go; I didn’t know there was one. In the past, they typically go through and recap different things and new technology. At the same time, they pass out a memo. Hopefully I’ll see the memo soon and see what’s out there.”

HOW DID YOU FEEL AFTER THE IMPACT OF SATURDAY’S SHOOTOUT CRASH?
“You know, it wasn’t bad. It reminds me again how good those soft walls are and how good the car crushes. The car is done, unfortunately. It’s going to the scrap yard. But the impact wasn’t all that bad.”

ON GOING TO CALIFORNIA, DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT IS HOME OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE A SOUTHERN BOY NOW?
“Charlotte is home. I’ve lived there almost as long as I lived in California for that matter. It’s where I chose my house and friends and restaurants and that stuff. But California has a special place in my heart; especially El Cajon. It’s neat to go back and let my mind go down memory lane and all the experiences that come with it. Maybe some day I can end up back in California when my Cup career is done. But as of now, I’ve been in Charlotte since 1997 so it’s been a while.”

ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING SPECIAL BEFORE THE FONTANA RACE?
“We’re going to go to the houses and just wander around a bit. We’ll go to the dealership and see everybody there. We’ll spend a say in Southern California before we head up to Fontana.”

LIKE SOME DRIVERS, HAVE YOU CHANGED OR CUT BACK ON FLYING BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMIC PRESSURES?
“In general, I’m always trying to be smart with what I do, so nothing has changed. The situations we find ourselves in with the planes that we have are really out of necessity for our jobs. In talking to Jeff’s (Gordon) situation, I think he’s made a smart move in the way his situation works and the ownership of his plane and where it’s based and it has to go back to New York. It makes a lot of sense with what he’s doing. With my situation, it would end up costing me more money to look at that route. Once you own the plane and you have it and you’re paying the insurance and you’re paying for the pilots and you’re paying for all that stuff, you need to use it.

“And I don’t have my plane in service like he does. So it doesn’t make sense yet. I’m not saying it won’t at some point. But my motto is always been to save and to be smart with my money.”

WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL REACTION WHEN YOU FOUND OUT CARL EDWARDS WAS PICKED TO WIN THE 2009 CHAMPIONSHIP?
“Well, what about me? (laughs)”

WERE YOU ANGRY OR ANNOYED?
“No, the funny thing is from a racer’s standpoint is that we still have to go out and prove it. It’s flattering to hear that stuff, and I just thought well darn, if you’ve won three championships in a row, you’d think that you’d be a favorite. We all have to go to the track and prove it out. So it was more of a funny moment where I’m like, really? What’s a guy have to do to be considered the favorite?

A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE LONG GONE OR RETIRED BEFORE PEOPLE RESPECT OR APPRECIATE WHAT YOU’VE DONE. DO YOU SEE IT THAT WAY?

“From everything I’ve seen, from fan support I look at people that I’ve met that I wouldn’t expect to know about NASCAR and what we’ve done, and souvenir sales and all the markers that we put out there to show us what our sport is doing and the level of recognition. Everything is pegged on the good side. I’ve been overwhelmed by a variety of situations. So from my standpoint I think it’s running a great course. I think I’ve been paid a great deal of respect for what we’ve done. In general, it’s tough to appreciate things that are taking place now. It usually takes a while to get ahead of it and reflect back. So I feel great about everything and where it’s at.”

DO YOU FEEL UNAPPRECIATED IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM?
“Heck, no. Things have gone great for me. The race wins and everything that comes with those, I don’t know where that whole idea ever came from about not being appreciated. It’s going well. I think a lot has changed from last year to this year, there is one big indicator. If you look at souvenir sales and the fan’s opinion, it seems to really direct a lot of our opinions on all this. I rivaled Junior in sales through the off-season and moved from fifth to second in sales. On that side, and by people going out and buying hats and things, it’s always been something we’ve used as a reference point. That’s been going the right way. It’s increased 100 percent.”

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM DALE EARNHARDT JR AS A DRIVER AND OFF THE TRACK?
“I’ve been really amazed how focused he is on racing. When he was at DEI, I think we all wondered is he focused on racing? Does he want to be a racer? That’s all the guy does. That’s all he wants to be. He spends a lot of time with his Nationwide team and with what he does on the Cup side. He’s really impressed me (with) his work ethic, his dedication, and then his sense of humor. He does keep things light around the transporters, which is fun.”

JUNIOR SEEMS LIKE HE’S BEEN IN A BAD MOOD LATELY ABOUT NOT DOING THINGS FOR THE TRACKS AND PROMOTING THE SPORT. HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT HE’S MORE FOCUSED ON TRYING TO WIN AND TO GET A CHAMPIONSHIP?
“I’m not sure. The conversations I’ve had with him; Jeff and I, we’ve all talked about how we need to make sure we’re doing all we can for our sponsors and for our fans and for our teams, so at least in conversation, I’ve heard the opposite. I don’t know by his actions, what he’s done. But before the season started, in conversations we had he was saying all the right things.”

WHAT MAKES FOR A GOOD LOOKING RACE CAR?
“I think the number is an important part of it. And the number itself; some numbers look better than others.  All of the body lines of the vehicle in the paint scheme itself is very important.”

HOW INVOLVED DO YOU GET IN THE DESIGN OF YOUR CAR AND HOW IT LOOKS?
“I’m able to see a couple of the final versions of what it’s going to be and look like. But that’s something that Lowe’s is very involved with and spends a lot of time making sure the paint schemes look like they want them.”

KEEPING THE BEARD?
“Yeah, it’ll be around for a while.”

From Nancy Wager & Judy Dominick / Chevy Racing / GM Racing Communications

New Smyrna Speedway: Hooker Brothers Update #4

NEW SMYYRNA, FL - The Hooker Brothers Team arrived at the track (New Smyrna Speedway) after a night off from racing, however, they did get their fix of speed as they went to watch the late models run at the dirt track in Volusia. The #38 Lucas Oil Chevy was handling well during practice and Kirk was very happy with the car so the crew returned to the condo where they enjoyed an afternoon around the pool and in the hot tub under the hot Florida sunshine. After a good mid afternoon meal at a local Italian restaurant, they returned to the track to ready for their race that was to run as the last feature of the evening.

Kirk Lined up in the 6th starting position in the dwindling 14 car field for the 25 lap feature behind the #08, #4b, #26x, #26 and the #2. Taking the green flag on the outside row, the #63 was able to get a run on the first lap putting Kirk back to 7th however; Kirk was able to get in behind him and thus protect the inside lane from oncoming cars.

The #08 pulled well ahead of the field followed by the #4b and then a gaggle of cars that were in a group fighting for position through lap 5. On the 10th lap, the #08 increased his lead on the pack as the #63 who passed Kirk on the first lap had moved through the field and passed the #4b for second. At the half way mark, Kirk was still running 7th and keeping up with the lead cars as the #119 behind him posed no threat for the position.

The #38 Ray Mac Chevy started to feel out the #26x for a pass with 10 laps to go and just as it looked like the opponent was getting higher on the track in the corners to allow Kirk to get under her for 6th, the caution came out for the #26 who got into the #4b coming off of turn two, sending the two front runners to the back of the field and putting the #38 up to 5th. Eleven cars remained for the restart with the #08 leading the field followed by the #63, #2, #26x and the #38. The remaining laps were caution free and the field remained unchanged as the #08 took the checkered flag with the #38 Chrysler Shillington Chevy finishing 5th uncontested from behind.

Kirk was very happy with the car and with a little luck felt like they could move up for a top three finish before the end of the 9 nights of racing at the 1/2 mile Florida speedway. The crew quickly went to work recording tire temperatures and pressures that would be analyzed for possible adjustments that could better that cars performance for the next night of racing. Large hunks of soft rubber from the track were cleaned off the cars chassis and due to a quick night of racing with very few cautions in all classes, the crew were able to load the car in the trailer and get back to their local watering hole at Pub 44 before returning to the condo at a reasonable hour despite being the last race of the night.

From Ken Spira

NASCAR: J.R. Fitzpatrick fastest during Truck rookie practice at Daytona

J.R. Fitzpatrick was the top Raybestos Rookie in today’s first practice session for the NextEra Energy Resources 250, logging the fifth-best overall speed.  The rest of the class:  Tayler Malsam (7th), Johnny Sauter (13th), James Buescher (15th) and Ricky Carmichael (21st).     

J.R. FITZPATRICK, No. 7 MAMMOET CHEVROLET:  “The whole TRG bunch is working their butts off on the Mammoet Silverado.  We had one little small problem when we went out the first time.  We were dragging the bottom a bit but it sounds like a lot of people are.  I’m excited.  It’s driving like a dream and it’s got good speed.  It’s all going good so far.” 

HAVE YOU FOCUSED ON MAKING A QUALIFYING RUN OR DRAFTING PRACTICE?  “I mean, it’s 50-50 ‘cause I mean we had good practice time when we were here with the ARCA car and that thing couldn’t qualify but it was really good in the race, so that made us change our game plan a little bit.  We’re going to work on drafting here a bit to see how it moves around and everything else and we’re going to go over to qualifying.  Obviously the drafting is more important but we want to be able to start closer to the front where I don’t have the same problem that I had in the ARCA race.” 

IS THERE A LOT OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ARCA CARS AND THE CAMPING WORLD TRUCKS?  “Big time.  And even for a tall guy like me, I don’t know how Michael Waltrip could ever fit in one of those cars ‘cause I had an old Cup car and oh man, I feel so squished in there.  These things here, they’ve got more downforce on the front end.  They’re a lot more fun to drive, if you ask me, and lots more room.  I like the room.  Everything’s going really smooth, fantastic right now, and I’m just pumped right up.” 

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE 2009 SEASON?  “We found out yesterday that, if I heard it all correctly, we’re going up to Talladega.  Not that’s three-quarters of the races, I believe, so we’re really going to try our best.  We’re going to keep working in that mindset that we’re going to go for Raybestos Rookie of the Year and just keep plugging away and maybe we can get a couple of deals on the side here just to put on the trunk or whatever just to help us get to the end.  I think we have a really good chance.  There’s a lot of good contenders going for rookie of the year and I really want that Raybestos hat [smiles].” 

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THEN FOR YOU AND THIS TEAM TO HAVE A GOOD RUN HERE IN DAYTONA?  “It really helps but in way, for someone trying to get into the Camping World trucks or Nationwide or anything like that, now is kind of the best time to get in but the sponsorship is getting hard to find so it kind of balances out.  But for us to have a good run at Daytona is going to help us a lot to move on to California.  It’s like everything else: every time someone goes for a championship or Raybestos Rookie of the Year, he’s got to keep plugging away race by race and take it at that.”  

TAYLER MALSAM, No. 81 ONE EIGHTY TOYOTA:  “This One Eighty Tundra is doing good.  These guys have had short hours to put this truck together but they’ve done an amazing job of getting ready to run and I’m really happy for ‘em.  I think we’ll have a good chance of coming out in the top-five or maybe win this weekend.  It’s a solid truck.” 

DID YOU FOCUS ON DRAFTING PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING?  “We did all single runs and we did go out in one session and did drafting.  We’ll probably work on drafting in the next session.” 

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO GET USED TO THE TRUCK BOUNCING AROUND HERE?  “I mean, I ran here in the ARCA race and they don’t move around but these things move around quite a bit.  I come from dirt sprint cars so I’m kind of used to the sideways deal, just not on a big track like this.  It’s a handful but it’s a fun handful.  I’ve just got to give it up for these Randy Moss guys.  They’ve worked their butts off in the shop and put everything together.  It’s not much of a driver track out here, just hold it wide open.  These guys do the rest of the work.” 

WHAT IS YOUR FOCUS GOING TO BE ON DURING THE FINAL PRACTICE THIS AFTERNOON?  “Just getting the car comfortable.  We’re a little bit loose.  Tighten it up a little bit and we’ll be good to go.”

From Jimmy White / Camp & Associates, Inc.

NASCAR at Daytona: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Press Conference Transcript

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
DAYTONA SPEEDWEEKS
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
WEEKLY TOP 12 DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE
February 11, 2009

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS, met with members of the media at Daytona International Speedway and discussed not feeling well the last few days, racing at Daytona, condition of the Speedway, entering second year with Hendrick Motorsports and other topics.  Full transcript:

TALK ABOUT NOT FEELING WELL THE LAST COUPLE DAYS: “I got a sinus infection Sunday night and lay in bed all day Monday, Tuesday -- which I was going to do anyways.  I’m feeling better getting in the race car -- getting sweaty helps you feel better.”

“I really ain't took a pole, man.  I just know I’ve got some medicine and its making me feel better.  I should be all right.  Yesterday was the worst -- I feel way better today.”

“What everybody else does -- just lay there and complain, cuss out everybody who comes around you.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN PRACTICE THIS MORNING? “My car’s real good.  We’re a little tight -- we’re going to work on that and try to get a little better for the second practice here today.  Man, on a straight-away, we’ve got plenty of power -- really, really good horsepower.  It’s the same motor we had in our car for qualifying, obviously I was real happy with it then.  I’m pretty excited.  We tore the right-front tire up pretty bad, real bad so we’re going to work on getting it turning in the center and we’ll be all right.”

DO YOU EXPECT PEOPLE TO BE PRETTY ‘RACY’ TOMORROW? “The way tires are tearing up, you have to be careful.”

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR TIRE? “I tore a tire up just now -- that’s all I know.”

WHAT IS YOUR GOAL FOR TOMORROW? “Just don’t tear my car up -- that’s probably the first thing.  No banging around, hitting the walls, hitting people, spinning out.  Other than that, just have some fun, make a cool pass for the lead a couple times, but I like finishing around the top-three if I can’t win it.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE BUMPS IN THE TRACK? “This car and the way we set them up is different than the old car.  We coil bound with the old car, which is real similar to bump stops, but not quite.  We had the coil binding down to a science to where the spring and the coils would actually collapse inside the spring to you never were actually solid.  When you see it on TV and they show you what coil binding is and they have that spring that’s all welded together -- that’s not exactly what it looks like.  It actually collapses inside itself so its never really harsh.  It was a little smoother and more comfortable. 

“With these cars we’re riding on the bump stops and the bump stops are real solid, but you have to get your car down and that’s fast.   The track is old, I don’t know when they paved it last -- anybody know?  1978 -- that’s a long, damn time ago.  It’s a terrible time to ask anybody to pave a race track.  If anyone needs it -- its probably Daytona.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEW RESTART RULE? “It will just change it up a little bit.  It wont be different really on the restarts.  They are just trying to keep people from waiting way, way long before the flag stand.  They are trying to keep people from making it confusing for everyone else, not only the other drivers on the track, but the fans and everybody else.  They gave us a little window and now we all know when to go.”

IS THE RACE TRACK UNSAFE AND NEEDS TO BE RE-SURFACED? ”It’s not unsafe.  It just don’t put on a good show.  I like the bumps.  You’re going to ask guys in here and they’re going to say the bumps are cool -- they are cool, but they’ll be back.  Hell, every track -- when you pave a track the earth underneath it always settles and it will create new bumps.  ’78 was a long time ago, man -- 30 years.  Highways get paved more often than that and they are only going 55 or 65 down them.  I’m sure if I owned a race track I would pave that damn thing at the last minute because it costs a lot of money to pave it.  I can understand why it doesn’t happen more often -- paving a race track, but they did pave Talladega and that got great reviews.  Everybody was real happy about it -- its real smooth, puts on good races I think.  Maybe we’ll get this thing paved before I retire.”

WHAT MAKES KURT BUSCH GOOD ON THE PLATE TRACKS? “At a lot of races that I’ve run good in -- ’01, ’03, ’02 -- Kurt was always there for the win.  It takes a certain mentality I guess because it always is the same people.  Certain people are good at it and you know that by the regularity of them being in the top-10 and finishing in the top-10 all the time.  Kurt is definitely a good plate guy.  Jamie McMurray is real good -- a little erratic and a little crazy sometimes, changing lanes a lot, but he’s fast and he knows how to get his car up through there and work the draft real good.”

CAN YOU GAUGE YOURSELF AGAINST THE COMPETITION? “I need more practice.  It’s early.”

IS IT TOUGH TO GET IN THE CAR FEELING BAD? “No.  Getting in the car will make you feel better -- sweating it out.  I tried to put on more clothes and sleep under the covers last night to try to break a fever, but its hard.  I have to drive a race car and we don’t drink alcohol the night before a race.  Not even Nyquil.  Getting it the car and getting sweaty and stuff helps you a lot, a whole lot -- makes you feel way better.”

ARE YOU EXPECTING BIG THINGS THIS YEAR OUT OF YOUR CAR AND TEAM?

“Absolutely.”

WHO DO YOU RESPECT IN THE DRAFT? “Me and Tony (Stewart) work well together.  Jimmie (Johnson) -- all my teammates probably.  There’s a handful of drivers, I could sit here all day and name a bunch of them. Kurt’s (Busch) good, Mike Wallace.  The guys that are really good and finish up front and have been around for a long time are normally the ones that know what to do and know how to help you and help themselves at the same time.  A lot of people wont help you because they thing they’re going to get screwed, but if you know what you’re doing, you can help a guy and help yourself at the same time and there are some people out there that know how to do that.”

DO YOU FEEL ANYTHING ABOUT THE DEMISE OF DEI? “None.  I guess me and you could probably sit in front of a psychiatrist and they could explain it, but I don’t know why -- I don’t.  It don’t bother me.  I’ve got my own little life going on, my own problems that I deal with that keep me pretty damn busy.  Really busy -- I just don’t think about it.  A lot’s changed, people come and go.  I learned a long time ago when I was racing late models that when you meet somebody you like and you’re working with them and you’re having fun -- you just assume they’re going to be there forever and they’re not.  Two years later they’re going to work for somebody else and that’s the way the damn thing goes.  People come and go in your life and you don’t always get things the way you want them and that’s just another case of it.”

ABOUT FEMALE ON THE RACE TEAM, KATIE MUIR.  “She’s been on our team, she came from the Hooters Pro Cup Series, she was building shocks for the whole series and just wanted to move up and wanted to do better.  She works her butt off so we put her in a position to where she’s excelled and she’s got a lot of tough competition around her in the shop, but she hangs in there.”

DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM THE SAFETY MEETING?“I wasn’t there today.  Why the hell would you have a meeting at nine o’clock on a Wednesday?  I didn’t even know about it till I got here.  I was glad it was only for the Nationwide Series.  I would have a harder time explaining why I didn’t know there was one for the Sprint Cup.”

HOW MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE ARE YOU THIS YEAR? ”I feel good.  I’m ready to work.  I have good bosses and they feel comfortable.  My teammates are excited.  We’re all getting along good and having a good time.  Everybody’s confident and it feels good.  The team seems confident.  They’re kind of a quiet bunch, but they seem like they’re ready and they talk about how well put together all the cars are and how ahead of schedule they are this year compared to last year in the shop.  I’m looking forward to it -- I feel real comfortable.”

WAS DEI MISSING AN OWNER PRESENCE AT THE SHOP?
”I think you all know just as well as I know what that was like and what was going on over the last several years.  I don’t care to really comment about it and get my name in that article about it.  Chip (Ganassi) will provide Martin (Truex Jr) and Martin’s team with something they haven’t had in a while and that’s definitely a race owner and a guy that’s in tune with what’s being done and what changes are being made and what direction they’re going.  Teresa (Earnhardt) -- it’s not a knock on her.  She had that thrown in her lap and its up to her and only her what she wanted to do with it and how involved she wanted to be.  It doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks or how everybody else feels about her either being at the track or not being at it.  If she don’t want to be there -- its her life and her decision.  You cant get too critical of her on that.  It was tough for Martin (Truex Jr) and his team to see Richard Childress and other owners and how they were compared and think that would be nice. He’s got that this year and I am excited for them.”

DO YOU ENJOY HAVING A NEW ORGANIZATION? “Oh yeah, it’s awesome.  Rick (Hendrick) knows everything about what’s happening with my race tam.  I can go up to him and ask if he heard about ‘such and such’ and he was part of making that decision two weeks ago.  It’s just awesome.  It’s really good and a really good feeling because you know when you’re discussing your career and your contract and how well you’re doing or how well you’re not doing -- you know the guy’s going to shoot you straight and give you a sincere answer because he knows what’s going on because he know everything about the team and whose fault it is when it ain’t running good.”

From GM

Yokohama sponsors Québec ‘gazelles’ in all-female international off-road adventure

LANGLEY, February 12, 2009 – Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. will be the title sponsor of a Québec duo in the 19th annual, all-female, international Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles to be held in March in Morocco, the company has announced.

The Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles is a premier extreme-sports event and the first all-female rally in the world. First-time competitors Julie Lévesque (driver) and Geneviève Bachand (co-driver) – Team 172 – will carry the Yokohama banner this year (www.gazelles2009.ca ).

It is the first time Yokohama has been a sponsor at the event. Team 172 will be one of a field of more than 200 teams from over a dozen countries, including 12 others from Québec/Canada and one from the United States (entries close February 20, 2009). Lévesque and Bachand decided to participate as an extension of their passion for outdoor adventure. They also have a humanitarian reason: they want their efforts to help fight breast cancer.

Through a partnership with the Cure Foundation in Québec, 10 per cent of the proceeds they earn through fund-raising events will be donated for research on breast cancer. “Yokohama is well-known for it’s rally involvement,” said Jonathon Karelse, manager of marketing for Yokohama Canada, “but the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles is unique because it’s an all-female competition and its focus is not on speed but on resourcefulness and navigational abilities.”

Over the course of two weeks, the teams – or “gazelles” – must navigate through 2500 km of grueling terrain in the heart of the Sahara desert using only a compass, map and their navigational skills. Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite navigation is not allowed. Competitors are given specific coordinates each day for a number of checkpoints and the final destination. It is up to each team to determine the routes it must take. No team can be assured that another has the same checkpoint coordinates, so following the vehicle in front is not an option. The winners at the end of each day are the teams that complete the daily course with the minimum number of kilometres.

The event has a humanitarian objective and financially supports medical and children’s causes in Morocco through the Heart of Gazelles Association. “It is also the first desert navigation rally to adopt an eco-friendly mandate, and this is important to us,” Karelse said.

The 2009 Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles will be take place from March 14 to March 28. Lévesque/Bachand will drive a Nissan Navara (Frontier in Canada) during the event. It will be equipped with Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S tires. News and updates on the team’s progress will be posted on Yokohama Canada’s website (www.yokohama.ca ).

Yokohama Tire (Canada) Inc. markets and distributes a full line of tires for high performance, passenger car, light truck and commercial truck applications as well as off-the-road tires for mining, forestry and construction applications. It maintains distribution centres across Canada to serve more than 700 independent tire dealers.

NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY: Laperle one of six winners on Night Six

From 51 Sports Press Releases / Matt Kentfield, 51 Sports
Six Winners Celebrate on Night Six of the 43rd Annual World
Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway
Ronnie Silk Leads the Way With a Victory in John Blewett, III Memorial 50 Race

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL (February 11, 2009) –There were six winners on Wednesday night after 200 laps of green flag racing on Night Six of the 43rd Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway (FL). 

The Tour-type Modifieds took part in the John Blewett, III Memorial 50 feature event and it was Ronnie Silk who dominated on his way to the win.  At one point, Silk enjoyed a lead off over one full straightaway over the field.  Point leader Ted Christopher finished second and was top five was rounded out by Matt Hirschman, Jimmy Blewett and Kevin Goodale.

The Florida Modifieds also ran a 50-lap extended distance feature race.  Wayne Jefferson dominated that event and emerged as its victor.  Jefferson was followed to the finish line by Larry Collins, Nick Diano and Jerry Symons.

Choquette won his fourth Super Late Model feature event so far of Speedweeks 2009.  With the victory, he further extended his point lead in the division.  The top five finishers in the Super Late Models on Wednesday night were rounded out by Tim Russell, David Rodgers, Jeff Schofield and Johanna Long.

For the third night in a row, Canadian racer Patrick Laperle won the Crate Late Model feature.  Laperle and David Wagner battled hard for the lead before Laperle was able to pull away in the closing laps and take the victory.

Jimmy Blewett won the SK Modified feature race and remains defeated in that division during the 2009 World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.

A.J. Curelli won the Limited Late Models feature event.

The seventh night of Florida Speedweeks at New Smyrna Speedway will take place Thursday, February 12th.  The Tour-Type Modifieds, Super Late Models, Late Models, Crate Late Models and Late Model Trucks will all see action.  Special 50-lap events will be on tap for the Super Late Models and the Limited Late Models.  Green flag for the first feature event is scheduled for 7:30pm ET.

Danica does SI (again)

For all who are interested, Danica Patrick has made a return trip to the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
In it she answers the important questions such as: "You're a professional athlete. Do you think modeling is hard?" and "Who's your dream guy?" or even "The world's hottest athlete is..."
Of course for most people, the big surprise is that there's interviews.

LUCAS OIL CANADA BECOMES THE “OFFICIAL OIL” OF GRAND BEND MOTORPLEX

Grand Bend Motorplex is pleased to announce that Lucas Oil Canada has signed a multi-year contract to become the “Official Oil” of the storied racing facility.

“We’re absolutely thrilled that Lucas Oil has stepped up here at GBM!” enthused GBM owner, Paul Spriet. “It really shows you where the heart is at Lucas Oil.” He continued, “While traditional Mega-brands are abandoning the motorsports industry, Lucas is actually increasing their support. They really mean it when they say they care about the performance enthusiasts that make their business strong.”

Motorplex General Manager, Ron Biekx, jumped in at this point; “This is a cool deal for us at GBM. Lucas makes a great range of products to suit every level of performance, all the way up to Top Fuel and they show their support through
every level as well.”

Steve Snowden, of Lucas Oil Canada; “Lucas Oil has always been a part of the performance industry. Our product line is specifically engineered, tested and proven to keep high performance and Heavy-duty wheels turning. This is a tough economic climate for everyone right now, but our focus and our commitment to the people that helped make us the success we are today, doesn’t go down with the Stock Market. We believe in the people in this sport, we believe in Grand Bend Motorplex and we believe in our product, because it works.”

Grand Bend Motorplex, located on the shores of Lake Huron in Grand Bend, Ontario, is home of the 10th Annual IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals and is Canada’s largest Drag Racing facility. they can be found at www.grandbendmotorplex.com

Lucas Oil Canada is growing in product assortment and availability. It is becoming a truly national company with representation and sponsorship in every province. As sales in Canada increase, so does Lucas Oil's commitment to motorsport sponsorship and community events. Lucas Oil remains committed to producing only the highest quality premium automotive, heavy duty, industrial and specialty oil products. Lucas's success is built upon hard work, an unparalleled line of premium products and an unwavering commitment to
customer satisfaction. This single formula for success will continue to guide Lucas Oil Products. www.lucasoil.ca

Northumberland County Moving Company Rewards Kawartha Speedway's Biggest Movers

Northumberland County Moving Company Rewards Kawartha Speedway’s Biggest Movers

Story and photo by Jim Clarke, Kawartha Speedway PR

Digging, scratching or clawing. Whichever term you use, every driver wants to get the front on race day. Now, the runners in Kawartha Speedway’s Mini Stock and Thunder Car divisions will have even more incentive to make their move. Northumberland County Moving Company has introduced a program that will reward the driver to gain the most positions in their feature event.

The Big Move of the Race bonus will see the Mini Stock driver who advances the most spots from their starting position with an extra $25 cash. The Thunder Car runner who gains the most positions will take home an addition $35. Rob Valois of Northumberland County Moving Company and Kawartha Speedway’s Promoter and General Manager Derek Lynch are pleased to announce this exciting new promotion for 2 of the track’s weekly divisions.

“Each week, there’s at least one driver in each division who starts deep in the pack then runs extra-hard to get to the front,” says Valois. “A charge like that is always thrilling to watch and Northumberland County Moving is lucky to be involved in this ground-breaking promotion”.

“The Mini Stock and Thunder Car runners put-on some of the best shows week-in and week-out,” added Lynch. “It’s a great opportunity and our drivers are looking forward to the extra incentive of some bonus bucks on the table. To be eligible, drivers in each class will need to display a Northumberland County Moving decal on their car. It’s as simple as that.”

Now in their 4th year of operation, Northumberland County Moving Corporation won Northumberland County’s emerging business award in 2007. A proud supporter of Norm Mayhew – a weekly racer in Kawartha’s Late Model division – Northumberland County Moving invites race fans to call 905.373.4668 or visit www.northumberlandmover.ca for information on local or long-distance moves.

Kawartha Speedway’s 2009 racing season takes the green flag Friday, May 29th with a full night of action – plus the OSCAAR Outlaw Super Late Models. For all the details, see www.kawarthaspeedway.com.

Northumberland County Moving Company sponsors the #60 Late Model of Norm Mayhew and will offer extra cash to drivers in Kawartha Speedway’s Mini Stock and Thunder Car divisions during the 2009 season.

Ryan Newman Leads the Way on Night Four of the 43rd Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing

From  Matt Kentfield, 51 Sports

Ryan Newman Leads the Way on Night Four of the 43rd Annual
World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing
Multiple Winners Celebrate Victories at New Smyrna Speedway

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL (February 9, 2009) – A strong crowd was on hand Monday evening for Night Four of the 43rd Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway (FL).  Six divisions raced throughout the evening with six different drivers taking home victories.

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and defending Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman showed the way in the 25-lap Tour-type Modified feature.  Newman and 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ted Christopher exchanged the lead several times in the closing laps, with Newman taking the victory.  Christopher maintained second place at the finish line.  Eric Goodale, John Jensen and Jon McKennedy rounded out the top five finishers in that feature event.

Canadian racer Patrick Laperle won a wild Crate Late Model event that was shortened to 11 laps after several early wrecks and caution periods.  2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Landon Cassill finished second.  David Wagner, David Rigin and Joseph Gase rounded out the top five finishers.

Jimmy Blewett won his third straight SK Modified feature of the week.  He remains unbeaten so far in that division at New Smyrna during Speedweeks 2009.

Other winners were Dave Steele in the winged Sprint Cars, Buddy Griffin in the Vintage Racecars and Jerry Symons in the Florida Modifieds.

The fifth night of Florida Speedweeks at New Smyrna Speedway will take place Tuesday, February 10th.  The Tour-Type Modifieds, Super Late Models, Late Models, Crate Late Models and Florida Modifieds will all see action.  Green flag for the first feature event is scheduled for 7:30pm ET.

For all the latest news and happenings throughout Smyrna Speedweeks, be sure to check out Speed51.com and NewSmyrnaSpeedway.org.  For more information on Speed51.com, please contact Matt Kentfield at 51 Sports by calling (704) 788-2134.

NEW SMYRNA SPEEDWAY: Hooker Brothers Post Race Update #3 (Feb. 8, '09)

NEW SMYRNA, FL - The Hooker crew discovered that they had too much front sway bar as a heavier crew member than the usual one had set it and that may have contributed to the steering problem on the previous night of racing. The camber and caster were checked and adjusted as well as the sway bar was replaced with a lighter one in preparation for the third night of racing at New Smyrna Speedway.

The practice session proved that the adjustments were just what the car needed to get around the corners with a little more speed and the team looked forward to a good run. Prior to getting in the car for the nights race, Kirk and the crew helped out fellow Ontarians, Justin McLellan and Shawn McWhirter with a bent rear end housing that was affecting their car. With a little heat and ice, the rear end housing came into line and it was hoped that it would help the team advance from their 8th and 13th place finishes on their two nights of racing in the crate late model class with Justin behind the wheel.

The #38 Bai Cor Logistics Chevy lined up 11th in a field of 15 cars for the 3rd race in three nights and as the green flag was brought out, the #08 and #51 got together on the main straightaway putting up a cloud of smoke that covered the track at the starters stand. Kirk piloted the car through the smoke with closed eyes and to his benefit there were no cars hidden and he came cleanly through the smoke without a scratch.

The #38 would now start 5th behind the #26x, #63, #26 and #4b on the inside lane. On the first lap of the restart as Kirk got past the #63, the #27 and #2 managed a pass him on the outside before the caution returned for the #92 who spun on his own in turn two. On the restart, Kirk was pulling away from the #60 behind him however; the #08 and #63 were coming on strong. The top six cars including the #38 pulled away from the rest of the field by the 5th lap and the #63 behind Kirk looked like he was not gaining any ground. At the half way mark, the leaders were running two and three wide allowing Kirk to gain a little ground on the front runners.

The crew were all on the radio giving encouragement to their driver as the caution came out for the #63 who spun on the backstretch on lap 19, putting the field together. Under caution, Kirk reported that the car was starting to come in real good and that he was ready for the final 6 lap shootout. With 5 laps to go the #08 got on the outside or Kirk to make the pass as the #2 got past the #26 for the lead. With three laps remaining it was the #2, #26, #26x, #4b, #27, #08 and the #38 Dig R Wright Chevy who would maintain their positions to the checkered flag bringing the #38 Hooker Brothers Team home with a respectable 7th place finish and a damage free car. 

From Ken Spira

PHOTO GALLERY: Daytona NASCAR Pole Qualifying - Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009 - davefranksphotos.com

This is a 97-photo gallery from pole qualifying for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 8, 2009. Thanks to Dave Franks for sharing his work. Fans of Canadian racing will recognize Bob Barron in several of the photos. Bob is the head of CARQUEST's motorsports program. CARQUEST is a co-sponsor of the #5 Hendrick car driven by Mark Martin (who qualified 2nd fastest on Sunday). Martin Truex Jr. posted the fastest time. You can see Dave Franks' website here.

PHOTO GALLERY: Bud Shootout NASCAR Sprint Cup - Feb. 7, 2009 - davefranksphotos.com

This is a 211-photo gallery from the Bud Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 7, 2009. Thanks to Dave Franks for sharing his work. You can see Dave's website here.

New Smyrna Speedway: Hooker Brothers Post Race Update #1

NEW SMYRNA, FL - Hooker Brothers Racing has returned to Florida for their 9th year of racing at New Smyrna Speedway. The crew arrived almost a week early to get in some golfing in the Florida sunshine prior to the 43 Annual World Series of Asphalt. The #38 Smith & Wilson Chevy arrived with a new Florida spec motor to narrow the gap against the local teams that in the past, ran with more horsepower than the Hooker Brothers Team. The motor was built by Jimmy Cope in Pinellas Park, Florida and shipped to Ontario where it was installed and tested prior to the long drive south of the border. 

The crew made minor changes at the track during practice day on Thursday as the car was running well and the new motor looked like it was just what the team needed to be more competitive at the high banked half mile speedway. Late afternoon, Kirk piloted the #38 for the two lap time trials used to set the qualifying order for the 25 lap feature that was to run in the evening. Kirk was happy to qualify 9th and said the car was fair however, they should have used scuffed tires instead of new sticker ones as it takes more than a couple of laps for them to come in and get the grip required to pick up the best speed.

Before the first lap could be completed, one of the front running cars entered the pits helping Kirk gain 3 positions on the first lap. The #47 went into the wall in turn one to bring out the first caution on lap 2 and Kirk was now in the top 5 in 5th behind the #08, 4, 63 and 60. The #08 pulled away from the field as Kirk ran uncontested as the #26 behind him fell back in the field. A hard charging #51 was now gunning for the #38 and by lap eight, it was obvious that he had a faster car so Kirk wisely gave up the lane and fell back to 6th, well ahead of the 7th place car. Just past the half way mark, the #38 slowed on the track and as the caution came out, Kirk informed the crew that he suddenly lost all power in the motor.

Electrical power seemed fine and as the tow truck pushed the silent Waste Management Chevy into the pits, the crew readied to diagnose the problem. As the field returned to green flag racing, the crew determined that it was a broken fuel pump and that the night was done for the Hooker Brothers team. A disappointed crew watched as the #8 held off challenges to finish with a win on the first night of racing ahead of the #63 and #51 who rounded out the top 5.                  

Kirk was happy with the handling of the car as it was fast and capable of finishing in the top 5 A disappointed crew replaced the fuel pump, checked over the car and loaded it in the trailer in anticipation of better results the next day.                                                         

From Ken Spira

A National Victory for Mitsubishi

Maniwaki (Québec), February 9, 2009.– Quebec driver Antoine L’Estage, co-driven by Nathalie Richard, both from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu (QC), didn’t waste any time taking home a win in their brand new Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X at the Rallye Perce Neige, the inaugural round of the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship.

Antoine L’Estage, who sat in the new car for the very first time only 12 hours before the start of the rally, was thrilled with the event’s results : it’s truly an exceptional victory for us. With a newly built car, we’d normally expect teething problems. But not this time! Our Rockstar/Royal Group Evo X drove amazingly well in its first rally explains the 2008 North American Champion. We started the event at an easy pace. Our initial objective was to learn the car and to finish in a respectable position so we could earn important championship points adds Antoine. Slowly, their goal changed as the duo saw the victory within reach.

As Antoine became more comfortable with the new car and quickened his pace, problems started plaguing the other top teams. last year we lead every Canadian rally but bad luck prevented us from fighting for our third consecutive national title. This time, our luck changed. The opportunity arose for us to go for the win and we did. Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard crossed the finish line 4 seconds ahead of the Erickson brothers to win their second Rallye Perce Neige in a row.

To win, L’Estage did not just need luck on his side – skillful driving and the team’s Yokohama tires enabled the team to bring the car home without a single scratch. The Yokohama tires were once again exactly what I needed on these extremely difficult road surfaces of ice, snow, and freezing rain, commented L’Estage.

Nathalie Richard was also extremely pleased with the turn of events : huge accolades go out to John Buffum and the entire crew for their hard work in building us this great new car. We first laid eyes on it on Friday night and then put it to the real test the next day! We couldn’t have asked for anything more exclaimed the co-driver.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X is the latest version of the Lancer Evo line, cars that are particularly efficient for rally competition around the world. For Antoine and Nathalie, two-time Canadian and North American champions, the results from Perce Neige leave them as favourites in the hunt for the 2009 title.

The Rocky Mountain Rally, round two of the Canadian series, takes place in Calgary, Alberta on May 29 – 30. The team won this rally together in 2007 as well as once each with other partners.

Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard participate in the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship with the support of Rockstar Energy Drink, Royal Group, Mitsubishi Canada, Yokohama Tires, Mobil, Énergie Cardio, Libra Racing, OMP Racewear and MBF Racing. For more information on the team or on rallying in general, visit Coyote Rallye

Source : Coyote Rallye Media Services, (514) 825 - 4332

PHOTO GALLERY: ARCA Daytona Qualifying - Feb. 7, 2009 - by davefranksphotos.com

This is a photo gallery from Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 7, 2009, featuring ARCA qualifying. Thanks to Dave Franks for sending them along. You can see Dave's website here.

NASCAR: Kevin Harvick Captures Budweiser Shootout & ARCA summary

From Andrew Booth, DIS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 7, 2009) – Kevin Harvick and his No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet team fought their way from the back of the field to capture the win in a green-white-checkered finish in the 31st annual Budweiser Shootout at historic Daytona International Speedway Saturday night.

            Harvick, the 2007 Daytona 500 champion, brushed his Chevrolet against the wall in the first segment, battled an ill-handling car throughout the race and almost lost the draft multiple times. His crew was able to make adjustments and put Harvick in a position to win the race in the closing laps.

            “I got a little bit behind there early,” Harvick said. “I lost the draft. I just came back up through there, and I was thinking, ‘We won a Daytona 500 the exact same way.’ We just never gave up.

            “It just seemed like I was in the wrong spot for the whole race and then there at the end wound up being in all the right places at the right time and had a good car to go with it.”

            Fans witnessed an exciting, record-breaking night – a record number of cars starting the race (28), a record number of leaders (14), a record number of lead changes (23) and a record number of cautions (8).

            Second-place finisher Jamie McMurray kept his No. 26 Crown Royal Ford near the front for most of the race and had the lead on the final restart. Harvick was able to catch and pass McMurray in Turn 3, and with a wreck happening behind them, was awarded the win.

            “It will be a long night,” McMurray said. “I’ll think about what I should have done differently as I go to sleep tonight. I moved up to block Kevin and when I did I didn’t go all the way up against the wall. I thought I was far enough up against the wall that he couldn’t fit.”

            Tony Stewart rounded out the Top 3, running his first race as a driver/owner in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet.

            “I had a blast tonight,” Stewart said. “I don’t know if we had the fastest car, but we had one of the best-handling cars. We could put this thing anywhere on the race track we wanted to go tonight.”

            Logano, who pulled double-duty Saturday night at DIS, finished second in the 46th annual Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series – his first race on the high banks of Daytona. In the Budweiser Shootout, he was caught up in the first caution of the night on the fifth lap and finished the race in last position.

            Country music star Dierks Bentley, whose album “Feel That Fire” was released this past Tuesday, performed a pre-race concert on the football field and a post-race concert on the Sprint FANZONE Entertainment Stage.

Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona

James Buescher held off NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie driver Joey Logano to win the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series race Saturday night.

“It definitely means a lot,” Buescher said. “Daytona is on the top of everyone’s list, and it’s definitely on top of mine.”

Buescher’s No. 32 Wolfpack Rentals Toyota held the lead when the lone red flag of the night came out with five laps to go. Buescher remained in front on the restart and was able to hold off Logano’s late push to pull out the win.

“I knew Joey was going to try and get me down in Turn 3,” Buescher said. “I just told my spotter not to be quiet the entire last lap. He didn’t, and he let me know when he (Logano) was coming; I went up on the track and blocked him, and he didn’t get another run.”

Justin Lofton, driver of the No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota finished in 3rd place. He had earned the pole position for the 2009 Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 earlier in the week.

Daytona Beach-native and Atlantic High-graduate Alli Owens was involved in one of the first multiple-car accidents of the race but did not finish after earning the outside pole.

Supercross legend and No. 33 Monster Energy Chevrolet driver Ricky Carmichael finished 21st after being involved in a multi-car accident early in the race.

Tickets for DIRECTV Speedweeks 2009 and next weekend’s 51st annual Daytona 500 are still available online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.

Canadian Rally Championship: Antoine L'Estage wins season opening showdown at Rallye Perce Neige

MANIWAKI, Quebec (CARS Media) – Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard of St Jean-sur-Richlieu, Que., started the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship presented by Subaru and supported by Yokohama, with a win at the legendary Rallye Perce Neige  The rally featured an exceptionally strong field that included six former winners, and some of the most trying conditions this rally has ever seen.

Antoine L’Estage and co-driver, Nathalie Richard, came to the event with their brand new Rockstar Royal Group Mitsubishi EVO X and planned to use the event to develop the car. After almost 200kms of competition, the reigning North American Rally Champions had a winning margin of just four seconds.

“It’s absolutely amazing, unbelievable,” said L’Estage at the finish. “We came here expecting to be slower, and just learn the car, but other people had problems and we got faster. I'm very, very happy with the result.”

Second place went to Sylvain and Philip Erickson of Gatineau, Que. Showing his traditional aggressive driving style, Erickson pulled into the lead in the afternoon, but slipped to their final podium position behind L’Estage after encountering engine trouble and pacenote problems.

“I am very happy to have finished on the podium,” said Sylvain Erickson.”It was a tough event and not everything went how we wanted, but we've made it here to the podium as the fastest Subaru.”

Third place goes to Peter Thomson of Toronto, and Rod Hendricksen of Clinton, N.J. The two have not run very many events this past year, but were able to stay clean the entire event and finish up on the podium.

“It's a bit unexpected, but it's great to get the podium,” said Thomson. “We just tried to do our own thing and let everyone else make mistakes.”

The 2009 Rallye Perce Neige Maniwaki featured a strong and very deep field. Multiple champions including Antoine L'Estage, Pat Richard, Frank Sprongl and Peter Thomson as well as others to watch in the form of Craig Henderson, Nick Mathew and Chris Martin were on hand to contest the Rallye Perce Neige. Many of these drivers are expected to contest the full Canadian Rally Championship.

Former Canadian Rally Champion, Frank Sprongl of Georgetown, Ont., took the early lead and won nearly every stage. A time penalty was assessed in the early afternoon and Sprongl was fighting to make up the time but crashed late in the day, ending his rally.

Defending Canadian Rally Champions, Subaru Rally Team Canada’s Pat Richard of Squamish, B.C., and Alan Ockwell of Toronto were leading the event when their engine blew near the end of the rally.

Brothers Jan and Jody Zedril, from Winnipeg, were the fastest two-wheel drive car, finishing 14th overall in their 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. The duo run in the Group 2 class, reserved for modified two wheel drive cars.

The Rallye Perce-Neige Maniwaki is the only true winter rally in the Canadian Rally Championship and is home to some of the longest stages on the continent. The event included a grueling 195 kilometers of fast competitive stages over ice and snow.

“It’s a fantastic start to the season, we had a really deep field here. That we had six drivers who have all won here before is pretty amazing,” said Terry Epp, the National Series Manager for the Canadian Association of Rallysport.

Rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” The all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over closed-road courses that typically cover more than 150 kilometers of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Fans can get up close to the cars in the service areas and catch all the action from specially designated spectator points located at the best spots on the route.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by Yokohama Canada and features contingency programs from Subaru Canada and Mitsubishi Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in Canada.

The series moves west for the next round of the championship, the Rocky Mountain Rally, May 29-30 in Calgary, Alberta.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings.

Rallye Perce Neige Maniwaki Final Results (full results at www.rallyscoring.com)

1) Antoine L’Estage – Nathalie Richard (Mitsubishi EVO X) – 1 hours 59 min. 17 sec.
2) Sylvain Erickson – Philip Erickson (Subaru Impreza STI) – 1:59:21
3) Peter Thomson – Rod Hendricksen (Mitsubishi EVO IX) – 2:03:26
4) Bruno Carre – Yvan Joyal (Subaru Impreza STI) – 2:04:26
5) Jean-Sebastien Besner – Jacques Besner (Mitsubishi EVO VIII) – 2:12:03
6) Craig Henderson – Lyne Murphy (Subaru Impreza STI) – 2:12:37
7) Rejean Losier – Francois Morin  (Mitsubishi EVO VIII) – 2:13:35
8) Martin Losier – Patrick Losier (Mitsubishi EVO V) – 2:13:41
9) Chris Martin – Phil Narini (Subaru Impreza) – 2:16:23
10) Andrew Wallbank – Robin Fleguel (Subaru Impreza STI) – 2:18:09

NASCAR: Truex Jr., Martin Secure Front Row For Daytona 500

From Booth, Andrew / DIS

Truex Jr., Martin Secure Front Row For Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2009) – Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin captured prestigious front row starting spots on Sunday afternoon for next weekend’s 51st annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Truex Jr., in the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet for the newly merged Ganassi-Dale Earnhardt Inc. team, posted a fast lap of 188.001 mph on the legendary 2.5-mile tri-oval to capture the pole while Mark Martin turned a lap of 187.817 mph in the No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports to earn the outside pole.

“I’m just real proud of all my guys and all their hard work and efforts this winter,” Truex Jr. said. “Moving to a new shop and putting two teams together and they were able to keep their heads down and keep moving forward. So I’m real proud of them. It’s a great lap and a great way to start off the week here in Daytona.”

Truex Jr., in his fifth Daytona 500 start, will try to become the first driver to win the Daytona 500 from the pole position since Dale Jarrett back in 2000.

Martin, who is returning to full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition with Hendrick Motorsports in 2009, is anxious to get racing in what will be his 25th career Daytona 500 start.

“I can’t wait to get this (car) out there in the draft,” said Martin, who is still seeking his first career Daytona 500 triumph. “It’s so fast. Everybody on this race team is so charged up. It’s just so fun to go to work every day and I’m glad it’s just about ready to start.”

The outside pole is Martin’s best start in the Daytona 500 with previous best starting position being a fifth in 1989 and 1992.

Only the front-row starting positions in the Daytona 500 are locked in. In addition, the top 35 on owner’s points from 2008 are also guaranteed a starting spot in the Daytona 500.

Bill Elliott (187.739, fifth fastest), Travis Kvapil (187.574, eighth fastest) and Tony Stewart (187.336, 10th fastest) have qualified for the Daytona 500 as they were fastest among teams not in the top 35 in 2008 owner’s points. Also securing a Daytona 500 starting spot was Terry Labonte through the champion’s provisional.

The remainder of the Daytona 500 field will be finalized in Thursday’s Gatorade Duel At Daytona 150-mile qualifying races.

Tickets remain available for NASCAR’s biggest, richest and most prestigious race. For tickets, Sprint FANZONE/Pre-Race access packages and more information for the 51st annual Daytona 500, call 1-800-PITSHOP or visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com. 

NASCAR: Martin Truex Wins the Pole at Daytona - Press Conf. Trans

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
POST QUALIFYING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
February 8, 2009

Martin Truex, Jr. and Mark Martin Make All Chevy Front Row for the Daytona 500

Eight of Top-10 Qualifiers are Team Chevy Impala SS Drivers

Daytona Beach, FL - Martin Truex, Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Impala SS will lead the 43-car field of the 51st running of the Daytona 500. This is Truex's first pole for the 500 and the second of his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.

By winning the pole today, Truex won the first Daytona 500 pole for the newly formed Earnhardt Ganassi Racing (EGR) and both team owners, Teresa Earnhardt, Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates. It is also the first Great American Race pole for Earnhardt Childress Racing who builds the engines for both EGR and Richard Childress Racing.

Truex turned a lap of 47.872 seconds, 188.001 M.P.H. to best the 56 cars vying for a solid starting spot for Thursday's Gatorade Duel at Daytona International Speedway to finalize the field for Sunday's race.

Mark Martin powered his No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Impala SS to the outside of the front row, to become the second driver locked into the Daytona 500. 

Martin, who joined Hendrick Motorsports to compete the full-season for the championship, turned a lap of 47.919 seconds, 187.817 M.P.H.

Ryan Newman, No. 39 U.S. Army Impala SS qualified third with Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 42 Target Impala SS landing the fourth quickest spot.

Three time and defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) champion Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowe's Impala SS qualified sixth and Aric Almirola, No. 8 Guitar Hero Impala SS scored the seventh fastest time.

Jeff Gordon, No. 24 DuPont Impala SS and four-time NSCS champion, laid down the ninth quickest time and two-time NSCS champion Tony Stewart qualified in the 10th position.

The Gatorade Duels at Daytona, twin 150-mile races to set starters 3-43, are scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m Eastern on Thursday, February 12, 2009 with live coverage on SPEED, MRN Radio and Sirius Satelitte Radio.

MARTIN TRUEX JR., KEVIN “BONO” MANION, NO. 1 BASS PRO SHOPS IMPALA SS, OWNERS CHIP GANASSI AND FELIX SABATES – POLE WINNER

MARK MARTIN, NO. 5 KELLOGG’S / CARQUEST IMPALA SS – Qualified 2nd

MODERATOR: We are joined by Martin Truex Jr., his crew chief, Kevin Manion, team owners Chip Ganassi and Felix Sebates. Congratulations.  Martin, this is your second career pole. How does it feel to be sitting on the pole for the Daytona 500?

TRUEX JR:  “It feels great. I’ve just got to thank everybody back at the shop; Bono and all the guys, for their efforts over the winter. I think since July last year when our car had to stay down here and we didn’t get to run it, this has been circled on our calendar. Qualifying day we felt like we had a shot at it then and they guys have worked hard and felt good about this all winter. They’ve felt like they’ve had a shot at coming down here and sitting on the front row for the 500. I’m just the lucky guy who gets to sit in that seat and drive that thing. It’s pretty awesome.”

KEVIN, TALK ABOUT THE LAP HE TURNED TODAY

MANION: “You know the car has had great speed all weekend. Not being able to test down here in Daytona, we took advantage of testing at DPG with Chevrolet and pretty much every Chevrolet team was there. We had good speed so the set up is just something that we’ve dreamed up and it’s good for two laps and it feels really good after unfortunate happenings in July ’08 to come down here and sit on the pole. It means everything.”

CHIP AND FELIX, CONGRATULATIONS. YOU’VE GOT TO FEEL GOOD. YOUR THOUGHTS?

GANASSI: “As you know, it was an interesting winter for most of us in the community and it’s just rewarding to come here with a lot of hard work put in by a lot of people, bringing two companies together is a difficult task and was a painful thing for a lot of people on all sides of it. My hat’s off to these guys because there was a core group of people that never wavered, never lost focus on what they wanted to do and today, putting three cars in the top seven spots is quite a reward for that. My hat’s off to all the people back in the shop and in the trenches doing the work and the guys wheeling these things around here.”

SABATES: “A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. And I think that’s the motto for our race team. We never give up. We had a tough year last year and when we got together with DEI it was a blessing for everybody because the core group of people that came from DEI are true racers.”

BONO, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU GUYS DID TO TEST SINCE THERE WAS NO TESTING; TALK ABOUT THE SIMULATION PACKAGES THAT HELPED YOU GET THE CAR DIALED IN FOR THIS

MANION: “One thing with joining another organization or merging, we were able to see how Chip and his folks have done it and they were able to see how we did it as far as things we can do. Chip has a great group of engineers. They are different from DEI. I think Chip’s racing background with his other teams, it’s very engineered driven. I think through simulation, maybe not so much for Daytona, but for California and the open tracks to come up, I think it’ll help.”

WITHOUT THE TESTING, USUALLY YOU COME IN HERE TO KNOCK OFF THE RUST FROM THE OFF-SEASON. WAS THERE MORE RUST? LESS RUST?

MANION: “No, I think that a little bit more time off gets you prepared better. We came down here with a better race car than we’ve ever come down here with, without even testing. It gave the guys time. With all that went on this winter with us, with our team, with moving shops and combining our efforts, I think testing would have hurt us more than helped us. I think it was to our advantage that nobody could test because I think we would have been a little behind if we had to. I think that it would have taken away from our efforts at the shop and getting everything prepared just right. As far as coming down here and testing, I think it hurts not going to the downforce tracks a little bit as a driver, but I think I did enough racing online to keep the rust off.”

KNOWING YOU ARE LOCKED INTO THE FRONT ROW, HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE WAY YOU APPROACH THE GATORADE DUELS?

MANION: “It’s just one step. Next step is to win the Duel and then next step is to win the 500. This is the time. We’ve got a great car and great motors with the ECR. It’s time to actually attack and strike and hit the ball and it’s time. It’s our time and today was our first step.”

YOU ARE VERY EVEN-KEELED. SEEING OTHER DRIVERS LEAVE THE TEAM, HOW DID YOU MANAGE YOUR CONCERN?

TRUEX JR: “Well anytime there are changes coming about or things that I’m uncertain about, I just look to the guys on my team. Bono has helped me a lot. I look to the guys up in the front office, the people that have led DEI, to Chip when we merged our programs, and tried just to be a part of everything I could. I tried to give my input and make sure I knew what was going on. If you sit back and just listen to what everybody has to say and believe that you’ll be in a lot worse shape that you will be if you just ask the questions. And so I just try to be a part of it as much as I could. But one thing that’s never changed is having Bono and the guys on my team on my side. That’s a comfortable feeling for me. I know how good they are. I know that we can get through a lot together and I just put a lot on their shoulders and they’ve helped carry me through all of it.”

HAVE YOU EVER ENVISIONED SITTING ON THE DAYTONA 500 POLE?

TRUEX JR: “Well, I’ve thought about it. The last few years, with the way we’ve qualified down here, I probably never though there would be a chance. But we came down here in 2004 the first time I ever came into this race track to race and sat on the pole with Bono in the Busch car, and I thought that was the coolest things I’d ever done. To be back here a few years later and sit on the pole for the Cup race, has just been amazing. I’ve been very fortunate to be involved and be a part of great race teams and great people and it’s always a lot of fun to come to Daytona. But to sit on the pole and be the fastest guy here for a whole week is a pretty cool feeling.”

THIS IS A PRETTY STRONG STATEMENT FOR YOU GUYS.

TRUEX JR: “I think it feels good. It shows how hard the guys have worked. They never wavered in their commitment and at the same time, it’s just one step along the way. It’s just qualifying and we still have Wednesday practice to get ready for the Duels; we have to get our car prepared and handling good. As we saw last night, it’s going to be wild and the cars are going to be a handful and they’re going to need to handle good to race well. This is just the first step. But we’ve never had a car this fast down here. That gives me a lot of confidence that if we can get it handling good that we can run up front and I’m more excited about this week than I have been coming down here in a long time.”

HAVE YOU HEARD FROM TERESA EARNHARDT TODAY?  HAS SHE CALLED YOU?

TRUEX JR: “I don’t know. I haven’t had my phone with me. I’ll let you know when I get back to the coach and get it.”

GANASSI: “Well, that was her calling when we came in to sit down (for the press conference). I put a return call into her right away and she was just calling back.”

WHAT ARE YOU DOING DIFFERENTLY THAN WHAT RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING IS DOING. YOU AND YOUR ECR ENGINES HAVE THREE OF THE TOP-10, BUT RCR IS FARTHER DOWN IN THE ORDER?

MANION: "I don't know. I don't know the Childress side of the department is doing. If you look past a past history, when we have all had same equal motors on equal ground, we've always kind of out-qualified them. There is a lot that goes in to it. It makes me proud and the big motor is a very big part of it, but also the preparation, the car, the driveline, the wax used on it. The simple things. Just the finish of the car is the other half of it. It does make you proud knowing that the Childress guys have the same power or maybe more than you have got is a good feeling."

CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT THE PAIN THAT EVERYONE FELT DURING THE MERGING OF THE OPERATIONS. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE INDY 500 WINNER, INDY 500 POLE WINNER AND NOW THE DAYTONA 500 POLE WINNER?

GANASSI: "In answering your second question first, I didn't really think about that until it just came out of your mouth. It is obviously pretty exciting.

"In terms of putting the companies together, I have some people around Pittsburgh in the business community, they read about the merger. They asked how long did I think it would take to merge our companies together. I said the first race is in February and they said geez, if you merge two companies that are, two $50 million companies or something, it usually takes six or eight months. I am really proud of the people. It is still a work in progress putting the two together. But the important thing is that, I think, is everyone has the right frame of mind and they are keeping it open. It is open book, it is keeping an open mind, it is listening a little more than talking, maybe. So far, it has gone better than anyone could have imagined.

"Things like today will, again, make it that much more easier."

IS THIS CAR AN OLD DEI CAR?

MANION: "This is an old DEI car. It is actually the car that Aric (Almirola) ran at Talladega last fall this will be its second race. Last fall we had to throw ours away after the race literally. We cut it up and put it in the dumpster. Brian (Pattie) has a full Ganassi car and the No. 8 car is a full DEI car. Coming in to the merger, we said Daytona is the first race, let's do our own deal, go down our own path and California and so on and so forth we are going to start to merge. Working under the same roof, we tested together. We used, I would have to just say 50/50. We used as simple as used the top of our airbox, we used Chip and Felix bottom of the airbox, that was the best combination. When you take two great companies and we all know that Brian Pattie is a great speedway racer, he has great ideas, and we had great ideas. We put them together and I owe as much credit to Brian and Chip and them guys. This is one pole for the one company for sure."

MODERATOR: WE ARE JOINED BY MARK MARTIN, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 KELLOGG’S / CARQUEST IMPALA, WHO QUALIFIED SECOND TODAY. 

WHAT’S IT FEEL LIKE TO BE ON THE FRONT ROW?
“It’s an amazing feeling -- I feel so grateful to Rick Hendrick because that’s where it all starts.  What an incredible person that he is for giving me this opportunity.  Alan Gustafson and this entire Car Quest team because everybody works hard in this business.  They just worked a little smarter think with the time that they had.  They put me in a really fast race car and it’s all about them.  It’s so much fun to go to work everyday with a group that is so fired up and excited as these guys.  I actually wish that we were starting in about five minutes.  It would just give me enough time to get strapped in and start the 500.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF MARTIN TRUEX JR.’S TEAM TO GET THE POLE?

“I want to say that working closely with the 1 and the 8 last year, they are racers.  When I was saying about how much fun it was to go to the race track and work with the group with such a great attitude, we had that last year as well.  I think that shows so much because the 8 is right up there as well.  That 1 team, they just buckled down and kept the blinders on and worked on their program, worked on their cars and kept everything together.  That’s impressive, but those guys are impressive.  That was really a group of die hard racers over there that I worked with and I obviously admire that.”

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT MARTIN TRUEX JR. BEATING YOU FOR THE POLE?
“I’m just Mr. Outside Pole -- if I’m not mistaken I sat on the outside pole six times last year and didn’t get one so I’ll take that because I have sat on the back pole a few times in my career and I don’t like that at all.  I’ll take second.  This is my first time -- I don’t know how many Daytona 500s I’ve done, but I think its 25, that’s a good, close number anyway or in the ball park.  I’ve never been on the front row.  It seems like, my memory may serve me different, but it seems like it time trials it was a very rare occasion when I had a top-10 in time trials car.  My guys always told me after time trials were over with that I would race good and ‘don’t worry about it.’  I always said I would race better if that thing was fast.  We’ve got a fast race car -- I’m really excited.”

WHAT HAS CHANGED TO MAKE YOU ENJOY RACING AT DAYTONA NOW?
“To be real honest with you, its trying to get my arms around the crown jewel and I didn’t let that eat at me a lot, but when it started dwindling down to where you could count on one hand your shots at the Daytona 500 and then it started going down -- four, three, we don’t know anymore.  In ’07, really what I wanted to do was win the Daytona 500 and-or the Brickyard.  We got close here and we went to the Brickyard and ran sixth with a broken transmission.  Mission was almost accomplished and those are crown jewels.   I put the focus on that rather than worrying about points or anything else.  To answer your question, this is the crown jewel of stock car racing and I’ve had a little bit of success in it.  Everything else that I’ve done in my career would fit around this.  I’m a one-step-at-a-time guy, but this is definitely the best stuff that I’ve had -- the best group of people and the best stuff that I’ve had.  I’m grateful for that and as you remember in 2007, I was thankful for the opportunity.  I wasn’t mad because I didn’t win -- I was glad that I had a chance.  If things go our way then maybe we’ll have a chance again here Sunday.”

DOES THIS CHANGE YOUR WEEK FROM WHAT IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST?
“Absolutely, but its even more than that because things have changed so much without testing.  Feeling like the odd-man out with the Shootout and I haven’t driven Alan’s (Gustafson) cars at a place like this -- we’ve done limited testing a few times in a race car at a few places, but nothing like this.  Missing Friday and Saturday’s practices in race trim I feel is spotting our competition and boy, I don’t like doing that.  It probably won’t make a hill-of-beans difference after 15 minutes on the race track we’ll probably be read to go.  But I still, right now, we are behind.  After 15 minutes or 30 minutes or an hour or whatever, we may not be behind anymore, but right now we are and it takes a lot of pressure off of Thursday.  We can go out there and I feel a lot more comfortable about going for the win.  Meaning fuel mileage or tires or no tires -- heck, if we’re running fifth we would have to stay out maybe at the end on a deal where now maybe we can come in and get tires and it doesn’t matter.  It just takes the pressure off because of the pit selection and the starting position we would have to race for and be more conservative if we had to start where we finished up there.  Even bigger than that, I can’t even remember all the really cool things that Rick Hendrick has done in his career in racing, but to give me this opportunity is as huge to me as when he gave Tim Richmond an opportunity to win a race again after he got sick -- that was a big deal.  He’s done some other very big deals in his career like winning the Daytona 500 with Darrell Waltrip and putting Benny Parsons in the 25 car years ago.  For me, this is just the start.  This is just the first competition that we’ve had -- just the first one of the year and already it’s turned out really sweet.  I hope that we can continue to have some really bright days together.”

IS IT GOOD THAT FORMER DEI CARS DID WELL TODAY?
“I’m really happy for Aric (Almirola), he qualified great and he will do a great job here Sunday I’m sure.  I’m happy for all those guys.  That is a group of hardcore racers and today you see less of that.  You see more career guys and career racers rather than just the hardcore racers.  It’s special to me just to see them do well and I know they’re going to be fun to watch this year -- all of them.  I’m happy for them.  Still would have liked to have been on the pole, but I’m not going to complain.  It’s a big deal to be on the front row for me because I’ve been down here so many times and went home after qualifying mad.  Someone’s always up there and I’m in the back end and I have to race my way in on Thursday.  This is just the other side of that coin.”

IS YOUR MOTTO ‘IT’S NIFTY TO BE 50?’
“I’ve seen that and it beats the alternative.  I’m loving it.  I think everybody goes through all sorts of experiences in life, but it is really, really critical to be really happy with what you’re doing.  In the way you see thing and the way you perceive things and the way you feel about life.  It’s the best it’s ever been for me.  I wish that for everyone.”

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM HARD TIMES IN THE PAST?
“I think that whatever your life experiences are shape you.  My failing and going broke in 1982 was important.  I was on track to be one of the young guns in the sport at 23-years old or 22-years old and already sat on a couple poles.  I’m glad I didn’t succeed the first time, I’m glad that I had the hard times because that’s what humbled me and that’s what made me.  That had an impact on who I am today.  We have seen a lot of different things. We’ve seen the sport grow so much for so long that with a minor contraction or even a good size contraction that we’re seeing right now, it’s still not bad.  There’s still 10-times as many great sponsors out here as there were in the 1980s.  There’s still nearly 10-times as many great opportunities to drive for great teams as there was in the 1980s.  In the 80s, it happened all the time -- third-place was five laps down or three laps down or whatever.  In Martinsville in 1981, I ran third one-lap down.  Darrell (Waltrip) and Harry (Gant) were first and second and I was a lap down in third.  The racing is way better than it was in the 80s; I don’t care what anybody says.  It’s way more competitive, it’s way better, we have a lot more sponsors, and we have a lot more jobs.  There’s a lot of things positive in this thing even though we maybe have lost some sponsors and have lost some jobs.  We’re not experiencing anything different than the whole world -- everybody is feeling the pain, every person, I don’t care what they do feels the pain of the economy right now to some degree.  To be real honest with you, I think NASCAR is feeling less of it than the average.”

DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING IN 2007 IN THE CLOSING LAPS WITH KEVIN HARVICK GOING FOR THE 500 WIN? "Well, I hesitate to really comment on that, because if I did, I don't want to advertise it. I wouldn't want the competition to know that I did and I might do something different next time. I think keeping everyone guessing is the best thing that you can do on those things. The thing about it is, and I have always had a problem with so and so made a brilliant move at Daytona and Talladega. That move would not be brilliant if the guys out there did something different. You can't control what everybody else does. And that is what makes what you do right or wrong is what they do. I am going to tell you right now that I am thrilled to have a fast race car, but I will take luck come Sunday. If I could be lucky, you watch the finish of that race last night, it was similar to '07 and sometimes there is not anything you can do. But, I look forward to the challenge and if I did learn anything, I really wouldn't share the details with you."

WHAT MAKES THIS A HAPPIER TIME THAN YOU WERE FIVE OR TEN YEARS AGO? IS IT ACCURATE TO SAY YOU REALLY SENSE THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY? "That is probably what makes me happy. I had to have a break. I was tired, burned out and frustrated. I'd put every ounce that I had in to my career from the time from the time I graduated high school until the last day at Homestead in '06 in the No. 6 car. I had to step back and catch my breath and let myself out from under that gun and do some things that I really wanted to do that I felt like racing was standing in the way of.  And I did those. And I caught my breath. And it took a year or a year and a half for me to get caught up and get in the right frame of mind. But mentally right now, I am in so much better frame then I was then. I have experienced some disappointment, I don't know how much but your expectations are pretty high when you have as much success as I had. I worked as hard as I could possibly work. It seemed like it was just time. I had to have a break; I had to get out from under it because I wasn't having fun. I was tired, I was burned out, I was wanting to go racing with my son and help him do that. I wanted to spend time with my family and I needed a break.

"After I got that and I looked around and I figured out that really racing is my life and I am in deep trouble when I can't do it any more, I have no idea what I want to do when I can't wheel one of these things any more. The No. 8 car gave me a shot to win about three times last year. I could taste the blood, I wanted it so bad. When I realized that I might have a chance to win some races in the No. 5 car. I am all over it. That is what I really want to do. I took the time to do the things I wanted to do and now, once again, I am doing what I really want to do and that is I want to go to the race track. Drive these race cars, work with this race team and be around these people. That is what I have done since I was 15 years old and I don't know what I will do when I can't do it.

"I try not to get too far ahead of myself right now. We have drafting practice on Wednesday. We will see how it goes on Thursday then we have got a few more practices. If you put me in a position that I was in with 20 to go in 2007, I was willing that race, I could taste it, and I was willing to wreck to win. I felt like I was very close there a few times. I did everything there I could possibly do. I am very motivated. Probably more motivated than I was in 2000 or 2005 because I know that there is only, it started five, four, I don't know, I don't know. So every time I get a chance to do this, the Daytona 500 for example, I don't know how many more I will get.

"In 2000 I thought, I didn't know, I thought I was going to get to do this stuff forever. You don't think about it. You know? You are in the middle of a haze of just racing and digging and racing and doing everything you can do. Now I can see as clear as a bell I don't know how many more chances I will have like this. So I am going to try really hard to make the most of it."

HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO BRETT FARVE OR ANY OTHER ATHLETES WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH WHAT YOU HAVE GONE THROUGH? "I haven't. But I am not a football fan or any other sports unless it is racing. But, I have watched Brett deal from afar, because I identified with him. I was really happy when he got released so he could go do what he really wanted to do because I could identify with that. It is one thing to try and keep doing something when you are really in a steep decline let's say, but when you can perform like he can perform. Or when you can drive a race car like I was able to get the kind of results I got in 2008 in the No. 8 car, there is absolutely....it is all I have done since I was 15 years old. Why in the world would I want to go sit at home?"

From Nancy Wager & Judy Kouba Dominick (GM)

J.R. Fitzpatrick Involved in Early ARCA Crash at Daytona

J.R. Fitzpatrick Involved in Early ARCA Crash at Daytona
       
Daytona Beach, Florida (February 7, 2009)  - Canadian J.R. Fitzpatrick was involved in a lap 14 crash in the season opening Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA RE/MAX race at Daytona International Speedway ending his day early.

Fitzpatrick, from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, started the race from the 42nd grid position.  In the opening laps of the event he was bidding his time and getting the TRG Motorsports Chevrolet up to temperature and speed.  On lap 14 an incident started in turn three and continued into turn four when Fitzpatrick was caught up in the wreck ending his day just 14-laps into the event.

Prior to the incident Fitzpatrick had moved up some 10 places and was getting faster as the laps clicked down running in 34th place.

"The car would go through the center of the corner like a bat out of hell," Fitzpatrick said.  "I was one of the few cars that could hold the bottom of the corner.  The car felt like it was progressively getting better as the race went on."

"When I came through turn three there was a lot of smoke across the track and I couldn't see a thing until I hit the No. 1 car.  I looked up top and looked down and just didn't see a way through.  I bit my tongue in the crash, so tomorrow I will probably have an American accent."

"We had the right plan," Kevin Buckler, TRG Motorsports team principal said.  "We had a handling setup on the car and J.R. was getting in the groove when we got caught up in that wreck.  We will put this behind us and get ready for the truck race next Friday."

Fitzpatrick will be back on Wednesday to drive the No. 7 Mammoet Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for TRG Motorsports.

TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina where they run a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team as well as an ARCA RE/MAX Series effort.  2008 marked the first full season of competition for TRG in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series where they recorded one win, one top-five and ten top tens overall.  The team's sister company, The Racer's Group, was founded in 1993 has been competing at the top level of motor racing ever since.  TRG has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 26, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For more information contact please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com.   Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com or www.theracersgroup.com. 

From Kyle Chura / TRG