Marcelli partners with GP Masonry & Landscaping Supplies for 2009

As Canadian talent Kyle Marcelli continues his drive to success in professional motorsport, he recognizes the importance of his sponsors and the key part they play in striving for victory. Announced today, Kyle would like to welcome GP Masonry and Landscaping Supplies as an official sponsor for 2009.

Marcelli, driving for Intersport Racing, an American LeMans Series LMP1 winning team is signed to a full 14 race schedule for 2009 driving the #37 car in the IMSA Lites championship as well as taking part in multiple testing dates piloting the teams LMP1 race car.

“G.P. Masonry and I enjoyed a great partnership throughout 2008 as they were part of my US F2000 Championship campaign. Owner, Chris Fichaud recognizes the importance and benefits in promoting his business through motorsport and how essential it is to continue during the tough economic times. For 2009 we have a great program put together which will allow for maximum exposure of the GP brand and products. I’m really looking forward to working alongside G.P. en route to another winning season” Said Kyle Marcelli.

G.P. Masonry and Landscaping Supplies is central Ontario’s premier masonry and landscaping supplier, it has been family owned and operated for over 38 years.

“G.P. Masonry is pleased to support Barrie’s own Kyle Marcelli and Marcelli Motorsports again for 2009. As Barrie’s # 1 landscape supplier, we understand the hard work and commitment it takes to reach the top. We want to wish Kyle the best of luck in his pursuit to the checker flag!” Stated Chris Fichaud - Owner of GP Masonry and Landscaping Supplies.

Stay tuned as Marcelli hits the track next May 14th through 17th in Salt Lake City, Utah for rounds 3 and 4 at Miller Motorsport Park.

For more information about GP Masonry visit: www.gpmasonry.ca. For more information on Kyle Marcelli visit: www.kylemarcelli.com. For any sponsorship or marketing inquires contact Kate Walsh at katewalsh@sympatico.ca or 705.835.6969.

FLYER: Toronto Motorsports Park- Victoria Day Long Weekend

 

 http://www.torontomotorsportspark.com/dragway/index.html?p=flash

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Press Conference Transcript - Darlington

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
SOUTHERN 500 / DARLINGTON RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
May 8, 2009

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD/AMP ENERGY IMPALA SS, met with members of the media at Darlington Raceway and discussed the conditions on the track, his feelings about Darlington and more. Full transcript.

HOW’S THE CAR WORKING? “It’s fine. We’re working on it.”

WHAT DOES THE TRACK FEEL LIKE WITH THE SURFACE A YEAR OLDER NOW? “The same. The same as last year.”

WHY DO YOU THINK WE ARE SEEING SO MANY PEOPLE GET OUT OF SHAPE? “The tire is real hard. It’s slick.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF NASCAR’S DRUG TESTING POLICY AS IT RELATES TO ALL THE PROBLEMS THEY ARE HAVING IN OTHER SPORTS? “I don’t know. I don’t do drugs so I don’t have nothing to worry about. I’ve got no opinion otherwise.”

YOU GUYS HAD A CHALLENGE LAST WEEK, CAN YOU TELL US THE REAL DEAL SO IT’S NOT OVER INFLATED? “Well ya'll saw what happened. Why do I got to comment on it? It don’t help nothing to talk about it. Not for me. My team has had enough crap from everybody else. I don’t need to weigh in on it. Ya’ll saw what happened and ya’ll can say what you want to say. We’re working on it and we’re trying to fix it.

“I’m pretty sure that guy will concentrate harder and try not to make that mistake this time. We had three screw jacks in the car, one in the track bar adjustment and one in each screw jack in the right rear. I don’t think anybody would have been able to make all them adjustments correctly under the heat of the fire. I don’t have any hard feelings at all. If the car is not so far off we don’t have to make that many adjustments under one stop.”

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THE RACE WILL BE GIVEN THE TIRES ARE REAL HARD? “Well they were last year and it will be the same race that we had last year.”

I KNOW WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED RACING HERE YOU DIDN’T THINK TOO HIGHLY OF THIS PLACE, BUT NOW AFTER FIVE STRAIGHT TOP-10 FINISHES ARE YOU FEELING A LITTLE BIT MORE LOVE FOR DARLINGTON? “Well it’s alright. I don’t really enjoy it that much. It’s alright. I don’t know. I’ve got to run. It’s my job whether I like it or not.”

WE’RE NOT THAT FAR FROM MYRTLE BEACH SPEEDWAY WHERE YOU SPENT A LOT OF YOUR DEVELOPMENTAL YEAR, WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON THOSE YEARS HOW MUCH FUN WERE THOSE LATE MODEL DAYS? “When you’re doing that kind of stuff you don’t realize how good you’ve got it and how lucky you are. There was a lot of pressure and a lot of worry just like there is today. You don’t understand what opportunity you have at that age. I did poorly in trying to enjoy it. Every week if we didn’t run in the top-three it was a failure just like it is up here.”

ON HIS FANS BEING SO LOYAL THROUGH HIS STRUGGLES THIS YEAR. “That’s what fans are for. That’s what they do. I wouldn’t call a guy a fan if he jumped ship in the middle of the season if a guy is doing poorly or a team is doing poorly in any sport. I don’t need any fair-weather fans. I appreciate the ones that are loyal.”

HIS THOUGHTS ON MARK MARTIN COMING BACK TO RUN FULL TIME NEXT SEASON. “I knew it was coming. It’s good. I’m happy. He’s awesome, an awesome guy.”

IS IT DIFFERENT AT NIGHT AS OPPOSED TO RUNNING NOW? “It will be not as hot to the touch and maybe a little more grip. It’s a tough race track. Its two lanes, one groove and hard to pass. It’s real, real hard. This is the hardest place to pass on the circuit.”

WHAT’S GOT YOU FRUSTRATED? YOU SEEM A LITTLE BIT MORE ON EDGE. “You go sit in that car. It’s not fun.”

From GM

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series... presented by ????

Was just going through some shots from Mopar Day at Delaware Speedway last week and noticed something on one of the driver's suits. Who knew?

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Teams Set to Log Some Pre-Season Track Time at Kawartha Speedway

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series teams are set to take the first official green flag of 2009 when the tour visits Autodrome St. Eustache Saturday, May 23rd.  To give drivers and crew members a chance to shake the cobwebs off their equipment, Kawartha Speedway will host an open practise Wednesday, May 13th.  General Manager and Promoter Derek Lynch – himself a top 10 runner on the country’s only national stock car tour – says he expects a solid turnout for the testing day.

“Many of the teams had asked about getting some track time,” says Lynch, who steers the #77 Dodge.  “We looked at the schedule, checked with NASCAR and now we’re getting the word out to everyone involved.  I know my guys are chomping at the bit to get on the track, so I can only assume the other teams are just as excited!”

Gates will open Wednesday, May 13th at 9:00, with on-track action split into a 2 hour segment from 11:00 to 1:00 and a 3 hour session from 2:00 ‘til 5:00.  Lynch says the morning and afternoon hot laps will allow the teams to experience a variety of weather situations and changing track conditions.

“They’ll get a good baseline set-up that should help them anywhere,” according to Lynch.  “It’ll also give them a ton of notes for when we host the series finale Saturday, September 26th.  The calculators, laptops and notebooks will be getting a real work-out.”

In addition to the on-track sessions, speedway officials have also sent invitations to local and national media members who’ll be covering the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in 2009.  Reporters will get a chance to talk to the drivers and team officials – as well as build a bank of team photographs for use during the upcoming season.

As part of the day-long event, Kawartha Speedway will also provide lunch to the drivers and team members in attendance.  To accommodate everyone, they’re asking teams to confirm their participation and indicate the number of people attending.  Call the track at 705.939.8881, extension 201 or e-mail Jessica Moya-Brown, jessica@kawarthaspeedway.com.

Photo attachments:  (by Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications)

#1).  Scott Steckly’s 2008 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series championship winning ride was displayed at the 2009 Canadian Motorsports Expo in Toronto.

#2).  Jason Hathaway scored his first-ever NASCAR Canadian Tire Series win in last year’s finale.  He participated in a 2008 pre-season test at Kawartha Speedway.

Prepared by:  Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications

Chris Raabe scores third win of 2009

From Craig Revelle – Finish Line Web Design

Sometimes racing can be like a roller coaster ride, filled with ups and downs, twists and turns as we go through the duration of the ride.  This past weekend, Chris Raabe's ride lasted 3 days, and saw many twists and turns in the road as the weekend progressed.

The weekend started of on Friday evening at the Can-Am Motorsports Park in Lafargeville, New York, just minutes from the 1000 Islands Border Crossing. 

Raabe started from the 24th starting position, but swiftly moved his Scott Industrial Services, Kingston RV, Tyroute Telus, Corcoran Excavating, McColman Media, Kwik Load Products, Canadian Tire Cataraqui, Kingston Hyundai, Word for the World Ministries, Aaron’s Sales & Leasing, Endura Paints, Brunet Plumbing, Waste Management and Finish Line Web Design sponsored TEO car up through the field at a blistering pace. 

Through the halfway point of the event, Raabe positioned himself into the top 5.  An unfortunate caution slowed the pace in the closing laps, allowing the field to realign itself for the final shootout.  As the race resumed, The 01 car fought hard for a top 5, but on the final lap, contact with another car locked up the steering, and sent the car spinning towards the infield.

“We made contact with another car and the steering just locked up”, says Raabe.  “It broke a tooth off inside of the steering rack, and once it locks up, I am just along for the ride”.

On Saturday evening, the team headed to the Thunder Alley Speed Park in Evans Mills, New York.  The track is located just outside the Fort Drum Army base, and is just a few miles up the road from its sister track, Can-Am.

Raabe started the race in 13th place, and once again wasted no time making his way towards the front of the field.  Raabe took the lead on lap 19 and held on to win his first of the season at Thunder Alley, and third victory in total for the Napanee, Ontario driver know as the “Teenage Tornado”.

“This is a great way for the team to bounce back.  We were not very good in the heat race, but we made some changes, and got a lot more forward bite for the feature”, says the 18 year old superstar.

On Sunday afternoon, the team headed to Elbridge, New York, and the Rolling Wheels Raceway.  Rolling Wheels is 40 minutes west of Syracuse, and is arguably one of the most challenging tracks on the DIRTcar circuit.

“The track is good shape tonight”, says Raabe.  “There is a lot of tough competition here, and it is tough to win”.

It was a tough night for the Raabe team, fighting an ill-handling racecar the entire night, as well as battling track position, and a fiercely competitive field of cars.  Raabe started the race from last place, and finished 25th.

This coming weekend, the 01 team will be back at Can-Am and Thunder Alley as they look for a smoother ride throughout the weekend.

The team will be unveiling its new line of merchandise later this month.  Don’t forget to stop by the 01 hauler, or visit chrisraabe.com to make your purchase.

Photo Courtesy of Rick Young (www.rickattheraces.com)

Mother's Day Madness at New Humberstone Speedway

Bob Davidson of New Humberstone Speedway is inviting everyone to attend the Mother's Day Madness at the track on Sunday, May 10! Click on the image for a full-size view of the flyer.

www.humberstonespeedway.com

 

Delaware Speedway JBM Auto Leasing Triple Crown 50 Lap Special (Segment 1) Preview

PHOTO: Spencer Lewis with Delaware stock car legend Steve Robblee, taken in January at the Canadian Motorsports Expo. Robblee is one of the stars previewed in Spencer's preview of this weekend's JBM Auto Leasing Triple Crown 50 lapper at Delaware. (photo www.peterbrand.ca)

By Spencer Lewis

With Delaware Speedway’s JBM Auto Leasing Triple Crown 50 Lap Special only days away, what time like the present to take an in-depth look at who will be gunning for the first big win of the 2009 season?

Steve Robblee– A Delaware Speedway legend, it just wouldn't seem right making a list of potential winners and not including the 2008 champion. The Dorchester, ON driver topped the first ever Inside Track Power Rankings last July, after a string of dominant performances at Delaware through the first quarter of the 2008 season. His patient style has done wonders for him thus far, so don’t expect him to change things any time soon. Look for Robblee to conserve his equipment and be around at the end.

Drew Spicer – It’s yet to be confirmed whether Spicer will be present for the first Triple Crown race, but what a wild card he could be should he find himself unloading on Friday afternoon. After 8 seasons of OSCAAR competition, Spicer has decided to test the waters of Delaware Speedway Pro Late Model action for car owner Jeff Sim. With an aggressive style and a general willingness to win, expect Spicer to make a dash for the lead early.

Jason Shaw – The 2007 & 2008 Flamboro Speedway has not been shy when it comes to making trips to Delaware Speedway’s marquee events, however the results have simply not been there for the Spira Fire Protection team. Past performances aside, there’s no denying Shaw has excellent equipment, a capable crew and a soft touch behind the wheel of a race car. After all, he’s already visited victory lane once in 2009, winning Flamboro’s opener in spirited fashion.

Steven Mathews – Fresh off being named Inside Track’s Top Underrated Driver of 2008, New Liskeard, ON’s Steven Matthews is preparing for a step up in competition as he moves from the Ontario Sportsman Series to Delaware’s talent-rich Late Model division. The 18-year old has already shown an inordinate ability to adapt to new race cars very quickly, and already has some insiders picking him for Delaware’s 2009 rookie of the year.

Jonathan Urlin – There aren’t too many drivers that bring the same brand of excitement and charisma to the track each week as ‘Johnny Dangerous’. After a full season on the ultra-competitive ACT tour, Urlin has decided to bring his spectator-friendly style of driving back to his home track. The London, ON prodigy has won at Delaware before, and there’d be no better way for him to announce his return than to snag a win in 2009’s first big event.

‘Pistol’ Pete Vanderwyst – One of the most successful jack-of-all-trades racers to have ever come out of Delaware Speedway, Vanderwyst has picked an excellent season to make his full-time return. There’s no question that ‘Pistol’ Pete knows how to get around Delaware in a hurry, as he has held the track record since 2006. A strong performance on Friday could easily regain Vanderwyst’s status as one of the province’s top-10 drivers.

‘Rocket’ Ron Sheridan – It seems as though this guy won everything but the points championship at Delaware in 2008. For the past season, Sheridan has been money in Delaware’s long distance races, so don’t count him out for a millisecond. Sheridan is still riding the momentum from his enormous win in Ontario’s most prestigious race, the 2008 running of the APC 300; Expect that to carry the Mt Brydges, ON veteran to a strong performance on Friday.

‘Magic Shoes’ Rob Clarke – There’s no questioning Clarke’s prowess in the ranks of Outlaw Bodied Super Late Models, however the multi-time champion remains rather unproven in the world of Pro Late Model racing. A strong performance on Friday would be a terrific way to affirm his dedication and ability to perform in the ‘knock down, drag out’ world of weekly racing.

These are just a few of the names who have been rumoured or confirmed to be in attendance on Friday. There's no doubt Friday's event will have serious Power Rankings ramifications. With Delaware’s roster looking as strong as it has in a decade, there’s no telling who’ll be first to victory lane. An equally balanced group of veterans and prospects could see Delaware provide the best weekly show in Ontario this season.

Brockville, Ontario's Matt 'Hollywood' Billings Shines Under the Speedway Lights

By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications

When you’ve been tagged with a nickname like ‘Hollywood’, you’d better get used to being in the spotlight.  For DIRTcar sportsman modified racer Matt Billings, the 2009 racing season is his time to shine.

The young racer entered the current campaign on the strength of a 5th place finish in points at his hometown track, Brockville Ontario Speedway.  His 1 win – combined with 6 top five and 7 top ten runs – left him hungry for more.  Billings survived some less than perfect track conditions to bring his Billings Automotive/Stealth Racewear/Pastime Motors/Babe Design/Turnone High Performance Steering/Brockville Motors Bicknell home to a 10th place run at the year’s first sportsman Super DIRTcar Series event Sunday, April 5th at Black Rock Speedway in Dundee, New York. 

That performance was followed-up by a 5th place effort in the second round of this year’s tour Friday, April 17th at Can Am Speedway.  The Billings team has a history of travelling to some different tracks during the early part of the season and claimed a 7th place showing Sunday, April 19th on the unfamiliar clay of Weedsport, New York’s Cayuga County Fair Speedway.

Friday, April 24th the #74 ride was back at Can Am – one of their 2 weekly venues for the 2009 season – and came across the line 4th at the checkers, less than 3 seconds behind race winner Chris Raabe.  Billings says he likes the challenge of running at a variety of tracks early in the year.

“In some ways, we have an advantage because Brockville doesn’t open ‘til the middle of May,” says Billings.  “It gives us a chance to get the car into some racing situations and gain additional experience.  When we roll into the pits at some of the shows, no one knows who we are and we don’t know anything about the track.  There are no expectations to live up to and the only thing we can do is pick-up some knowledge.  It’s a lot of fun to race when there really isn’t any pressure to finish in a certain spot.”

Currently in his 2nd season behind the wheel of a sportsman racer, the 15 year-old – who has an 80% average in his 10th grade studies at Brockville’s Thousand Islands Secondary School – is a graduate of the highly competitive go-kart program that has launched the career of many of today’s bright, young stars.

Ever humble, when asked talk about his early season success Billings responded by saying ‘thanks – it’s been a really good start to the year’.  This is one ‘Hollywood’ star that needs to get used to his time in the spotlight.

Photo attachments: (Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications)

#1).  Matt Billings waits for his turn on the track at Brockville Ontario Speedway’s 2008 season opener.

#2).  Billings’ #74 DIRTcar sportsman modified turns a fast lap at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, New York during the ’08 campaign.

#3).  Matt Billings steered his way to 4th place finish Friday, April 24th at Lafargeville, New York’s Can Am Speedway.

Motorsports Showcase for Community Living Haldimand... May 8 in Cayuga

CAYUGA, ONTARIO (May 1, 2009) – The local racing community will be out in force to help kick off the Sixth Annual Motorsports Showcase for Community Living Haldimand, as the facility celebrates 50 years in operation, helping those with special needs.

The event, which will feature race cars, motorcycles and ATVs from several disciplines, will be held at the Marty McSorley Community Pavillion at the Jennie Deagle Complex on River Road in Cayuga on Friday, May 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Highlighting the list of close to 25 race cars will be the IHRA Pro Stock Chevy Cobalt of Mark Martino of Stoney Creek, at 222 mph, one of the quickest cars in its division. Other drag racers devoting their time to display their cars include FJ Smith, Shawn Morrell, Ted Barnes, and Jack Brohman.

Oval track racers will be well represented with several regular competitors from Ohsweken Speedway, including Sprint Car drivers Glenn Styres and Ryan Hunsinger, along with Rob Disher, Robbie Thorne and A.J. Castelein.

"It's incredible how many wanted to be a part this year," said Bill Mehlenbacher, one of the event's organizers.

"The guys are great in wanting to help in the community and most of all Community Living Haldimand."

The event will launch a fundraising draw for some lucky person to win the experience of a thrilling NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway generously donated by NASCAR (Canada), or an NHRA National Event at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC donated by Have Bus Will Travel Racing Tours.

Transportainment and accommodations to both events will be provided by Have Bus Will Travel Racing Tours.

Tickets for the NASCAR/NHRA Motorsports Draw will be $2.00 each, and are on sale at local businesses in the community.

The Motorsports Showcase has become an important fundraiser for Community Living Haldimand, and is one of several notable events this year as it celebrates 50 years of helping those with disabilities.

To honour this special anniversary occasion, Community Living Haldimand will host a special 50th Celebration party at the Fisherville District Lions Club Community Center Tuesday, May 12, in the same town where the organization was formed in 1959.

The NASCAR/NHRA Motorsports Draw will take place Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at the Fourth Annual Community Living Haldimand Golf Tournament at the Freedom Oaks Golf Club in Dunnville.

This fundraising tournament will be a Texas Scramble, limited to the first 144 (36 teams) registrants and will feature golf and a dinner following the Shot Gun Start tee off time at 12:30 p.m.

Book your foursome now. The registration fee is $100.00 per person ($400.00 per foursome) and includes a power cart, 18 holes, dinner, and special prizes. All proceeds from the event will be directed to a special Community Living Haldimand project.

The Third Annual Community Living Haldimand Golf Tournament will host special contest holes, including two - Longest Drives - (Men’s and Ladies), two – Closest to the Pin - (Men’s and Ladies) and Hole-In-One prizes.

For more information on the events, contact Flo Van Leeuwen at (905) 772-3344 Ext. #100 or by email at fvanleeuwen@clhaldimand.com.

In Support of People with an Intellectual Disability

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Bruce F. Mehlenbacher
Telephone: (905) 772-1800 Ext. #22
E-mail: bruce@jajentertainment.com

Warren Burger                                                                                                                                     
Telephone: (905) 768-5687
E-mail: wrbenterp@yahoo.ca

Bill Mehlenbacher
Telephone: (905) 765-3475
E-mail: mehlenbacher@mountaincable.net

Derek Lynch Sets His Sights on the Magic Mile

By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications

The goal of every racer is to keep their eyes on the big prize. Warkworth, Ontario’s Derek Lynch is no exception. In his position as General Manager/Promoter of Kawartha Speedway, some people might think the 38 year-old is in the perfect position to practise his craft. Always the professional, Lynch chooses to avoid any perceived conflict of interest by leaving his racecar parked in the garage when it comes time for action at the 3/8th mile oval at Fraserville, Ontario. Still, when the American-Canadian Tour dangled a big money carrot just inches from his face, Lynch took his driving shoes out of the closet and sent his fire suit to the cleaners.

For the first time in series history, the ACT Tour will take its cars and stars to Loudon’s New Hampshire Motor Speedway – during the weekend that opens the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup – Saturday, September 19th. 36 teams will be invited to be part of the history making event. Drivers can earn a guaranteed starting berth in the ACT Invitational by winning a series event throughout the season or by earning a track championship (or leading the points) at an ACT Tour late model sanctioned venue as of September 19th. Capital City Speedway hosts an tour stop Saturday, June 13th while Kawartha Speedway’s 200 lap Summer Sizzler is Sunday, July 12th.

Lynch will use Ottawa’s Capital City Speedway as his home track throughout the 2009 season and will tow his Dodge to the Stittsville, Ontario oval for a number of events. Earlier in his career, Derek Lynch was a regular on the former NASCAR Busch North tour and ran a number of events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He says he’s looking forward to a chance to return to ‘The Magic Mile’.

“NHMS is a great facility,” says Lynch. “It has done a lot for racing in New England and eastern Canada. It is a lot like Sanair Super Speedway outside of Montreal, with the exception that Sanair has a dogleg backstretch. NHMS is flat and tight and should throw off a great race with the ACT cars. I’m hoping I haven’t forgotten too much of what I learned about the place – but it has been about 8 years since I have been there, so I’m bound to need a refresher. I’ve heard talk about speeds in the 140 mile an hour range which is similar to Sanair, so it should be fun. The Busch North cars are quite a different beast that the American-Canadian Tour machines, so we will have to rely on some good judgement and a little guesswork to be fast out of the box.”

Lynch says racing regularly for points will take him back a bit in his career, but he’s happy to have long-term partner Hasiuk Trailer and Container Rentals from Colborne, Ontario on the sides of his red #15 Dodge.

“The Hasiuk family has been a big supporter of my late model team for about 20 years,” states Lynch. “Before that, they sponsored my father’s cars. Going racing just wouldn’t seem the same without them being involved in our program in some fashion.”

For details on Derek Lynch’s schedule at Capital City Speedway, see www.capitalcityspeedway.ca. To learn more about the ACT Invitational – Saturday, September 19th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – visit www.acttour.com or www.nhms.com.

Photo attachments: (Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications)

#1). Derek Lynch takes a break at the controls of his American-Canadian Tour late model.

#2). Warkworth, Ontario’s Derek Lynch will fly the colours of long-time sponsor Hasiuk Trailer and Container Rentals at Capital City Speedway. He hopes to earn a starting spot in the ACT Invitational Saturday, September 19th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Finding a Place - Todd Stewart Plans His Attack on the 2009 DIRTcar Season

By Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications

You really can’t blame Todd Stewart for being anxious.  The 39 year-old father of 2 from Bath, Ontario is looking forward to getting back into action at his Saturday night racing stop, Brockville Ontario Speedway.  2008 was the season Stewart had been waiting for.  His #72 TEO Pro Car team finished 3rd in points with 1 win, 6 top 5’s and 10 top 10 runs.

“We’re happy with the way things ended-up – especially since there were so many unknowns at the start of the year,” says Stewart.  “The switch to the TEO car meant we began the season with an empty notebook.  The car was fast right out of the box and felt great in a variety of different track conditions.  Its something we should have done a long time ago.”

With Brockville’s 2009 season opener just days away, Stewart is ready to head back to the scene of the crime.  The crew hauled to Merrittville Speedway for the small block tour stop Saturday, April 25th but that event was postponed by rain.  There were also a couple of shakedown sessions at Can Am that allowed the veteran runner, who is entering his 20th year of competition to get some seat-time.  With those shows under his belt, its time for the RAAL Motorsports team to do some serious racing.

“We’ll be using the same TEO Pro Car machine as we ran in 2008,” Stewart says.  “The car was re-skinned during the off season and I think we’re set to go.  We’ll be running Brockville all season, but we’re also talking about racing occasional Friday nights – possibly at Mohawk.  Obviously, I want to do as well as last year – but I try not to set too many goals before the start of the year.  The competition at Brockville is strong and everyone has a shot to win,” he continued.  “If things go well, we’ll likely follow the small block Super DIRTcar Series, but so much will depend on what we do at our regular stops.  If you’re running well at your home track, its easy to build-up your confidence.  That’s something you really need if you’re going to run the tour.  So many of those guys are full-time racers, so you need to have every advantage you can get.”

For 2009, Todd Stewart’s #72 TEO Pro Car is supported by Re/Max Sales Representative Penny Blake, RW Electric, Red Line Oil, McCoy Bus Service and Tours, OSSO Electric Supplies, Fort Glass, M.A, Barr Service Station Maintenance, Stewart Speed Supply and Kwik Kopy Print & Design Centre.  Follow the team’s progress throughout the season at www.toddstewart72.com, a Finish Line web design site.

Todd Stewart is looking forward to the start of the season and once again finding a comfortable place to race.

Photo attachment:  Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications

Todd Stewart’s #72 TEO Pro Car modified shows-off its 2009 colours in the pits at Can Am Speedway in Lafargeville, New York.

ICAR announces the Jacques Villeneuve Academy

MIRABEL (QUÉBEC), May 2nd, 2009 — Jacques Villeneuve and ICAR are proud to announce a new strategic partnership. Together, they are launching the Jacques Villeneuve Academy.

"Setting up my own, high-performance driving school is a great opportunity to give back to racing, mentions Jacques Villeneuve. I chose ICAR because of its ultramodern infrastructures and because their vision and their values perfectly aligned with my own. Along with ICAR, my goal is to transmit my passion for racing and to increase the quality of experience for all the racing fans from around the world, whether they are beginners or experienced professionals. The Jacques Villeneuve Academy will offer a wide range of programmes and packages for all budgets. From novice race driving programmes to advanced high-performance driving courses as well as advanced defensive driving "Roadsafe" programmes."

"We are thrilled that Jacques Villeneuve chose to associate himself with ICAR to create the Jacques Villeneuve Academy. This partnership only confirms the key role ICAR plays in the development of motorsports in Québec," says ICAR's president, Marc Arseneau.

"This partnership is key in establishing an internationally recognized high performance driving school. With such a widely respected name as Jacques Villeneuve attached to our driving school, it is a source of pride and honour for our company," explained Louis-Philippe Gélinas, ICAR vice president.

Saturday May 2nd, ICAR will inaugurate its iKART center with its 1km karting track which was designed by Jacques Villeneuve and will also announce a series of major improvement to the facilities.

About ICAR: ICAR is an ultramodern complex for motorsport located at 20 minutes from Montréal (Québec) offering several ASN/FIA approved car circuits and a 1 km karting track designed by Jacques Villeneuve. Designed to offer multi-purpose entertainment programs to its customers during all the seasons of the year, ICAR offers the most prestigious hospitality services programs including conference and exhibition facilities, catering services and exclusive private membership programs offering its members track time privileges and access to a contemporary club house with conference rooms and a classroom.

Including advanced and controlled environment driving and racing programs, ICAR aims to redefine and become a leader in the driving and motorsport racing industry by offering, throughout the year, a multitude of racing and high-performance driving programmes, exclusive track time and access to the club house. Membership to ICAR Le Club is exclusive and limited to racing enthousiasts from around the world.

- 30-

Relations avec les médias : Sandra Paré 450-979-1838 ou sandra@pare.com

BRIGHTON SPEEDWAY: SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS OPEN FOURTEENTH SEASON ON SATURDAY NIGHT

By Tommy Goudge (May 6, 2009) – A sure sign of spring in Ontario is the opening of Sprint Car racing season.  This Saturday night, the Southern Ontario Sprints tour will return to familiar territory when Brighton Speedway hosts the SOS season opener for the tenth year in a row.

Glenn Styres enters the 2009 season as the driver to beat on the SOS tour.  Styres claimed his second consecutive SOS points championship and third overall last season on the strength of three feature wins and eight top ten finishes.  Overall in his career at Brighton, Styres has claimed seven feature wins, including two last season.

Always a fan favourite at Brighton, Joyceville’s Rick Wilson will try to add to his stellar record at the Northumberland County oval this weekend.  In thirty-one career Sprint Car events at Brighton, Wilson has claimed twelve feature victories, along with eleven runner-up finishes.  The “Joyceville Jet” had a sub-par season by his standards last year, with only two feature wins in sprint car competition – the all time SOS feature win leader’s lowest total in eight years.

Keith Dempster also has seven career feature wins at Brighton, and 2008 championship runner-up Warren Mahoney has three, but neither have visited victory lane at the Rinaldi family’s facility since the 2003 season.  Rick Wilson’s son Kyle is also no stranger to Brighton’s victory lane, since he’s visited that spot on three separate occasions, most recently in 2005. 2008 Rookie of the Year award winner Ryan Hunsinger claimed two feature wins during Labour Day Classic weekend at the Speedway last season.

Finishing the list of active SOS drivers with feature wins at Brighton are Kevin Job, Dick Mahoney and Adam West, each of whom have one career feature win at the track.  Mahoney’s triumph came during the 2007 Labour Day Classic weekend, while Job’s victory came just a few weeks earlier in August 2007.  West has fond memories of Brighton as the site of his first career sprint car feature win, which came during his championship season in 2005.

Others expected in competition on Saturday night and looking to add their names to Brighton’s sprint car win list include; Chris Jones, Bill Baldwin, April Wilson, Justin Martin, Bob Crawford, rookies Tyler Rand and Paul Pekkonen, and more!

Don’t miss the first Sprint Car event of the Ontario racing season on Saturday, May 9th!  Rock 107 and Van Zuylen Tire will present the evening’s activities, featuring the Southern Ontario Sprints season opener presented by Holiday Inn of Trenton, along with Brighton’s popular Canadian Modifieds, Pro Stocks, and Comp 4’s.  Make sure to come early and catch Brighton’s new pre-race show, the Lucas Oil Hot Seat, LIVE in the courtyard starting at 6:20 p.m.

WHAT:
Southern Ontario Sprints 2009 Season, Round #1
www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com

WHERE:
Brighton Speedway
775 County Road 64
Brighton, Ontario
K0K 1H0
Phone: (613)-475-1102 or toll free 1-(866)-681-1102
e-mail: info@brightonspeedway.com
On the Web: www.brightonspeedway.com

WHEN:
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Pit Gates open @ 3:00p.m., Spectator Gates Open @ 5:30p.m., Sprint Car Hot Laps @ 5:50p.m., Racing @ 7:00p.m.
Tickets: $18 Adults, $14 Youth and Seniors, $4 Children Ages 7-12, FREE Children Ages 6 and Under, $45 Family Pass
** Advance ticket sales are available for all SOS events at Brighton Speedway in 2009.  Visit www.BrightonSpeedway.com for details. **

Please visit www.SouthernOntarioSprints.com for more news and information about the Southern Ontario Sprints.  2009 marks the 14th year of operation for the Southern Ontario Sprints.  Nine Championship Points events are on the schedule this season, plus five special non-points events.  Together they create the fourteen race 2009 schedule, brought to you by Wiseco Performance, ASi Racewear, BS&B Radiator, Fatheadz Eyewear, Triple X Race Co., Kenetic Photos, and www.ImageFactor.ca <http://www.ImageFactor.ca> .

SOUTHERN ONTARIO SPRINTS HISTORY
BRIGHTON SPEEDWAY
SEASON OPENER WINNERS
May 6, 2000 - 5k Keith Dempster
May 5, 2001 - 6 Ryan Coniam
May 4, 2002 - 42 Rick Wilson
May 3, 2003 - 16w Kyle Wilson
May 1, 2004 - 6 Cody Geldart
May 7, 2005 - 30 Adam West
May 6, 2006 - 0 Glenn Styres
May 12, 2007 - 42w Rick Wilson
May 10, 2008 - 42w Rick Wilson

PHOTO GALLERY: ACT TOUR event #2

This is a 481 photo gallery from the American-Canadian Tour (ACT)'s Merchants Bank 150 held at Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, VT. The race was held on May 3rd, 2009 and is the second one on the ACT Championship schedule.

Thanks to M.P. Roy for the photos. You can see M.P.'s website here

COMPASS360 RACING MAKES HISTORY IN NEW JERSEY

Courtesy Compass360 Racing Although fans of Grand-Am's KONI Challenge are accustomed to seeing Compass360 Racing's bright orange Honda Civic Si's at the front of the field, they were treated to a rare sight as the team's three cars swept the podium at New Jersey Motorsports Park's Thunderbolt Raceway last Saturday.

C360R, which placed two different cars on the podium in each of the opening races of the 2009 KONI season, brought an exceptionally potent driver line-up to the New Jersey event.

"We definitely stacked the deck in our favor," remarked Team Principal Karl Thomson. Season-long drivers include Canadian karting stars Matt Pritiko and Travis Walker, who share the team's #76 Honda, while Californian Christian Miller starts for road racing legend Randy Pobst in #74.

Indeed, Pritiko and Walker took third place at the season-opening race at Daytona this year, and the Miller/Pobst combination took the team's first win of 2009 at Homestead-Miami. "Although our line-up is already the best in the paddock, we thought it would be fun to add another strong pairing and see if we could get a couple of cars on the box," said Thomson. To accomplish that goal the team's #75 car was run by Thomson and perennial front-running KONI driver Eric Curran.

The race started well, with Miller qualifying 2nd, Pritiko 5th and Thomson 8th. Pit strategy played an important role in the final result, with Pritiko and Thomson pitting under a yellow flag near the 50-minute mark, stopping for fuel, tires and a driver change. Miller, running a strong second, remained out, the team knowing it would have to pit #76 and #75 again for fuel.

With 45 minutes to go, and all of the pit stops completed (Miller having stopped and swapped in Pobst), it was Compass360 cars 1st, 2nd and 3rd, with Walker leading Curran over Pobst. But as always with road racing, it's never over until the checkered flag, and a Porsche, running in the faster GS-class, changed the outcome of the race when the 911 driver attempted an overtaking maneuver on #76 coming onto the front straight.

Walker, leading, was pushed off the track as a result of this, and fell back into the clutches of his C360R team-mates. At this point in the championship, it's still anyone's game and the three Hondas ended up going three-wide into corner one. This certainly made for some amazing racing and television coverage (watch SPEED TV on Saturday May 9th at noon for the full race), but also a very nervous Team Principal.

In the end, Pobst prevailed over Walker, with Curran impressing in his first drive with the team.

"This is a dream result," noted Technical Director Ray Lee. "It's the culmination of years of work with the Hondas and Acuras we've built and run since 2005, and to have our cars all on the box is something we could only have wished for."

Indeed, this is an historic event. The KONI Challenge traces its history through Grand Am Cup, which was Motorola Cup, which was borne from the Firehawk series in the mid-1980's. During this time, no team has taken the entire podium.

"Today's finish is the result of a lot of hard work by the C360R crew," said Miller. "It's an honor to be a part of this amazing team, and have something that will be in the history books."

Noted Thomson, "We've been working towards this for a number of years, and it's gratifying to see it come to fruition. We did a lot of development work with the Civic last year, while we were also running Acura TSXs. We did our best to bring six strong drivers to New Jersey and it paid off!"

The Team returns to its Toronto base for a brief respite before heading to Laguna Seca for the next round on May 16th. Miller and Pobst are narrowly leading the points championship, with Pritiko and Walker in close pursuit.

The New Jersey KONI race airs Saturday May 9th as 12:00 noon ET on SPEED.

Compass360 Racing (C360R) is the motorsports division of Compass360 Marketing Communications, a firm offering branding expertise to clients in diverse industries across North America. For details visit http://www.C360R.com or http://www.compass360.com

Advertiser of the Day - Have Bus Will Travel Racing Tours

FIA: Max Mosley's son found dead in suspected drug overdose

LONDON -- A son of world auto racing boss Max Mosley has been found dead in his London home, police and the racing federation said Wednesday.
The body of 39-year-old Alexander Mosley was found in his west London apartment Tuesday afternoon.
He died of a suspected drug overdose, a London police official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the force was not authorized to disclose details.

Continued here: www.cbssports.com/autoracing/story/11715204/rss

Speed World Challenge: Kuno Wittmer, 4th in New Jersey

New Jersey Motorsports Park – Kuno Wittmer earned his second career pole position at the New Jersey Motorsports Park facility for the second round of the 2009 Touring class SCCA World Challenge season but was denied starting from the first row when the coin toss – a new feature in the series – didn't favour him and relegated the #44 Acura RealTime driver on third row.

Nevertheless, the Montreal driver had a strong start and made up two positions in the first corners of the first lap. He charged to the front with fellow RealTime teammate but could not make ground on the front runners. He was passed once by another car and completed the 27-lap sprint in fourth place. Wittmer is still happy with the outcome since he now stands sixth in the standings, a single point shy from fifth. 

" It's a good result considering how difficult it is to pass in New Jersey", said Wittmer. My RealTime Acura was very strong when I earned the pole. But I lost the coin toss and the top five places were inverted. So instead of keeping my first row start, I took to the track on third row. Our team leader (and defending champion) Peter Cunningham started from pole. But I guess that's the game and some day luck will be on my side."

"I carved my way around a few cars at the start and used the slipstream with Peter (Kleinunbing) to follow the leaders but after a few laps we were some two seconds behind and were never able to catch the leaders. This year, some cars (Mazda et Subaru) benefit from extra power and used it on the Jersey stretch. After the Sebring disapointment because I didn't finish, this result has me tied for sixth place but only one point from fifth with one of my favourite round coming in two weeks at Mosport in Canada."

Double duty in Mosport
Kuno and Nick Wittmer will be reunited in Mosport for the maiden round of the Canadian Touring Championship when they steer Honda Civics for the Lombardi Honda Racing team while Kuno will also be entered in his #44 RealTime Acura for the third race of the season from May 15 to 17. 

The calendar for both Kunick Autosport drivers is known and brothers Kuno and Nick Wittmer have their work cut out for the season. Kuno is set for every round of the 2009 Touring class SCCA World Challenge with RealTime while Nick will be the Lombardi Honda Racing team leader in the Canadian Touring Championship in a new Civic sedan. Kuno will share the second car with veteran Jean-François Dumoulin.

Source : Michel Poirier-Defoy

COMPASS360 RACING MAKES HISTORY IN NEW JERSEY

Although fans of Grand-Am's KONI Challenge are accustomed to seeing Compass360 Racing's bright orange Honda Civic Si's at the front of the field, they were treated to a rare sight as the team's three cars swept the podium at New Jersey Motorsports Park's Thunderbolt Raceway last Saturday.

C360R, which placed two different cars on the podium in each of the opening races of the 2009 KONI season, brought an exceptionally potent driver line-up to the New Jersey event.

"We definitely stacked the deck in our favor," remarked Team Principal Karl Thomson. Season-long drivers include Canadian karting stars Matt Pritiko and Travis Walker, who share the team's #76 Honda, while Californian Christian Miller starts for road racing legend Randy Pobst in #74.

Indeed, Pritiko and Walker took third place at the season-opening race at Daytona this year, and the Miller/Pobst combination took the team's first win of 2009 at Homestead-Miami. "Although our line-up is already the best in the paddock, we thought it would be fun to add another strong pairing and see if we could get a couple of cars on the box," said Thomson. To accomplish that goal the team's #75 car was run by Thomson and perennial front-running KONI driver Eric Curran.

The race started well, with Miller qualifying 2nd, Pritiko 5th and Thomson 8th. Pit strategy played an important role in the final result, with Pritiko and Thomson pitting under a yellow flag near the 50-minute mark, stopping for fuel, tires and a driver change. Miller, running a strong second, remained out, the team knowing it would have to pit #76 and #75 again for fuel.

With 45 minutes to go, and all of the pit stops completed (Miller having stopped and swapped in Pobst), it was Compass360 cars 1st, 2nd and 3rd, with Walker leading Curran over Pobst. But as always with road racing, it's never over until the checkered flag, and a Porsche, running in the faster GS-class, changed the outcome of the race when the 911 driver attempted an overtaking maneuver on #76 coming onto the front straight.

Walker, leading, was pushed off the track as a result of this, and fell back into the clutches of his C360R team-mates. At this point in the championship, it's still anyone's game and the three Hondas ended up going three-wide into corner one. This certainly made for some amazing racing and television coverage (watch SPEED TV on Saturday May 9th at noon for the full race), but also a very nervous Team Principal.

In the end, Pobst prevailed over Walker, with Curran impressing in his first drive with the team.
"This is a dream result," noted Technical Director Ray Lee. "It's the culmination of years of work with the Hondas and Acuras we've built and run since 2005, and to have our cars all on the box is something we could only have wished for."

Indeed, this is an historic event. The KONI Challenge traces its history through Grand Am Cup, which was Motorola Cup, which was borne from the Firehawk series in the mid-1980's. During this time, no team has taken the entire podium.

"Today's finish is the result of a lot of hard work by the C360R crew," said Miller. "It's an honor to be a part of this amazing team, and have something that will be in the history books."

Noted Thomson, "We've been working towards this for a number of years, and it's gratifying to see it come to fruition. We did a lot of development work with the Civic last year, while we were also running Acura TSXs. We did our best to bring six strong drivers to New Jersey and it paid off!"

The Team returns to its Toronto base for a brief respite before heading to Laguna Seca for the next round on May 16th. Miller and Pobst are narrowly leading the points championship, with Pritiko and Walker in close pursuit.

The New Jersey KONI race airs Saturday May 9th as 12:00 noon ET on SPEED.

Compass360 Racing (C360R) is the motorsports division of Compass360 Marketing Communications, a firm offering branding expertise to clients in diverse industries across North America. For details visit http://www.c360r.com/ or http://www.compass360.com/

Autotecnica Press Release - Virginia International Raceway

Autotecnica returns from VIR with two podium finishes and many more points!

Team Autotecnica returned from this past weekend’s Formula BMW races with two 3rd place finishes and many points to boost its standings, as well as its drivers’, in the overall Formula BMW Americas championship.  Despite both Gianmarco Raimondo and Alex Ellis being new to Virginia International Raceway’s full, 3.27 mile, road course around the rolling hills of Alton, VA, they scored valuable points that will help them and the team in their championship battle throughout 2009.

Alex Ellis (17, CAN) and Gianmarco Raimondo (18, CAN) each picked up a 3rd place finish in the Saturday and Sunday races, respectively.  The good race results followed two qualifying sessions that left more to be desired by the young Canadians from St. Catharines, Ontario. In the first qualifying session, Ellis spun and got stuck off the track, thus ending the session early with the 7th fastest time while Raimondo pikced up 6th place.  In the second qualifying session, Raimondo unfortunately went off track and ended his session early with an 8th place time while Ellis got stuck with 7th again.

The drivers made up for their qualifying results with great speed and craft in each of the weekend’s two races.  Race 1 on Saturday saw Raimondo off to his trademark blisteringly fast start where he picked up a position immediately and slotted into 4th place by the 3rd lap.  Ellis followed Raimondo’s lead and worked his way through to 5th place (from 7th), tight on Gianmarco’s gearbox.  The Formula BMW Junior duo from Autotecnica gained ground quickly on Michael Lewis in 3rd place. As Raimondo tried to manoeuvre his way around Lewis, he was forced to withdraw his pass as Lewis closed the door down the pit straight.  Following closely behind, Ellis drove around both of them to quickly snag 3rd place while Raimondo soon got around Lewis to take 4th to the finish. The race winner was Brazil’s Giancarlo Vilharinho, with Gabby Chaves in second.

Sunday’s Race 2 saw Ellis make the lightning start to pick up 3 positions by the first turn. He tried to maintain this momentum a few laps later in passing James Kovacic but contact with the young Australian sent Ellis into the grass, forcing him to play catch-up to the rest of the field. This he did very well and finished in 6th place, thus picking up some good points for himself and Team Autotecnica. It was Raimondo’s turn to make up for a lacklustre qualifying and he was quick to put that behind him by passing two cars on the start and by snatching in 5th place, after an 8th place start, by the second lap.  Raimondo worked his way up to 4th place where he caught up to Kovacic who eventually spun off track on his own and handed off 3rd place to Raimondo just before the end of the race.  Giancarlo Vilharinho again took the honours for this race with Chaves again in second.

With the second event complete, Raimondo moves from 4th in the overall standings to 3rd, behind Gabby Chaves and Giancarlo Vilharinho. Alex Ellis is close behind in 4th, thus moving up two spots. Ellis also now has picked up 1st place in the Rookie standings where he was initially 3rd. Team Autotecnica has now secured its 2nd place in the team standings with a small gap to the leader.  Congratulations go to both Alex and Gianmarco for another great racing weekend!

Next up for Team Autotecnica and the Formula BMW Americas series are two official test days and three races at Miller Motorsports Park near Salt Lake City, Utah, in support of the American LeMans Series (ALMS) weekend on May 15-17.

Team Autotecnica will also be hosting its first open house this weekend at its shop near Toronto on Saturday May 2nd from 10am until 2pm. Friends, family, partners and sponsors are welcome to stop by and meet the drivers and see the cars in person! Snacks, drinks, and Saeco espresso will be provided!

For more details, please visit: www.AutotecnicaGroup.com // www.GianmarcoRaimondo.com // www.AlexEllis.ca // www.FormulaBMWUSA.com

From Team Autotecnica

DRAGS: New teams, new cars for PMRA season opener at Cayuga Dragway

PMRA Pro Modifieds joined by Quick 32 Sportsman Series for Victoria Day Challenge

CAYUGA, ONTARIO ( May 5, 2009) – The Pro Modified Racing Association will begin its fifth season when it headlines the Victoria Day Weekend Challenge at Toronto Motorsports Park’s Cayuga Dragway May 16 and 17.

Several new Pro Modified teams will be ready to do battle on the Cayuga quarter-mile for the first of seven events on this season’s tour. This popular drag racing series features some of the best Pro Modified teams in Ontario, New York, and Michigan, and provide lots of excitement with wild body styles and close to 3000-horsepower engines propelling the cars down the drag strip at speeds up to 240 mph.

And the PMRA will be joined by the new Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, which will pit a doorslammer car against a dragster in the championship round. This is the inaugural event for this new series.

“We’re looking forward to the PMRA opener, and running with the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, the TNT Hot Rod Super Series, as well as a round in the Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Series,” commented PMRA Director of Operations Bruce Mehlenbacher. “This should be a great weekend of racing. Between the four groups we will represent over 100 teams to kick-off the 2009 season at Cayuga.”

He added that a number of PMRA competitors will be debuting new cars at Cayuga. “Several of the PMRA teams have new cars that they have built over the winter, and they’re just itching to get them on the track.”

The track will also host the TNT Hot Rod Super Series, as well as a round in the Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Series.

Last year’s PMRA champion, Bruce Boland, of Hamilton, Ontario, will be returning to defend his title, but in a new car, a 1967 Chevy Nova Pro Modified. Winner of the Grand Bend Labor Day event, Ralph Andreacchi of Maple, Ontario, also has a new car, a 1963 Corvette, for the season opener.

Several new teams will be competing for 2009, including Dave Kulik and Billy Leverentz of Elma, New York, Pete Farber of Otter River, Mass, with his 1969 Dodge Charger, both G-Force Race Cars built entries, and Luis Custodio of Ajax, Ontario, with this nitrous-powered 1969 Camaro.

Returning PMRA teams include Sam Andreacchi from Toronto, Joe Boniferro from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Joe Caruso and Mike Cusimano's "Midlife Crisis" from Rochester, New York, the Grainy Brothers from North Tonawanda, New York, Gary Irving driving Al Hind’s entry from Waterloo, Ontario, Jason Kalso from Clarkston, Michigan, Eric Latino from Scarborough, Ontario, Ike Maier from Schomberg, Ontario, Mark Nielsen from Brantford, Ontario, and Jeff Roth from Kitchener, Ontario.

Event1: Qualifying for the two-day event gets underway for the Pro Modified Racing Association Saturday, May 16, at 2:00 pm, with other sessions at 4:30 and 7:00 p.m. Elimination rounds start Sunday May 17 at 1:00 p.m.

The PMRA, www.PMRA.ca, will compete at several drag strips in 2009, including dates at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario, starting with the season opener on May 16 and 17, June 13 and 14 and the season-closer on September 19 and 20, at St. Thomas Dragway in Sparta, Ontario on July 11 and 12, and the South-western Ontario track of the Grand Bend Motorplex at the 10th Annual MOPAR Canadian Nationals July 17 to 19, the Ideal Supply & NAPA Auto Parts presents Hot August Nationals August 8 and 9  and on September 5 and 6.

Several of the PMRA events will be run in conjunction with the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, www.Quick32.ca, offering fans a great show of drag racing.

For more information, contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher Bruce@PMRA.ca

INDYCAR: Canadian Tagliani one of four rookies to pass Indy 500 rookie orientation program

INDIANAPOLIS (Tuesday, May 5, 2009) - Four rookies passed the Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program as preparations began at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2009 Indianapolis 500. The track was open for six rookies to participate in ROP. Three veterans were allowed to complete "refresher" laps.

Mike Conway, Robert Doornbos, Raphael Matos and Alex Tagliani completed all four phases of ROP, demonstrating consistent driving through four speed ranges beginning at 200 mph and increasing in 5 mph increments.

Paul Tracy, a veteran of five Indianapolis 500s who made his last start in 2002, turned the fastest lap of the day at 40.3426 seconds, 223.089 mph around the historic 2.5-mile oval. Thirteen-time starter Scott Sharp had the second-fastest lap at 221.878 mph.

Rookie Nelson Philippe completed the first three phases of ROP, while Stanton Barrett completed two. An additional ROP session is scheduled for Wednesday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. before the track opens for all drivers.

Also on Tuesday, Sebastian Saavedra topped a Firestone Indy Lights Open Test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Twenty-one drivers had five hours to prepare for the Firestone Freedom 100, which will be run May 22.

Saavedra, who won the April 26 race at Kansas Speedway, turned a best lap of 47.0520 seconds, 191.278 mph. 2006 race winner Wade Cunningham was second at 190.969 mph, Martin Plowman was third and J.R. Hildebrand was fourth.

***

Medical update from Dr. Michael Olinger, director of medical services for the Indy Racing League: Firestone Indy Lights driver Dillon Battistini was re-evaluated at the Clarian Medical Center and has been cleared to drive. He had been hospitalized one night for precautionary reasons at the KU Medical Center following a crash during the Kansas Lottery 100 April 26 at Kansas Speedway.

***

J.R. Hildebrand, driver of the No. 26 Andretti Green Racing/AFS Racing entry, returned to action following his weekend debut in A1GP. Hildebrand competed in the round at Brands Hatch, England, recording a fourth-place finish in the Sprint race and an 11th in the Feature. He had previously participated in three rookie practice sessions for Team USA, but had not competed in a race.

J.R. HILDEBRAND: "Overall, I feel pretty good about the whole weekend, but we would have liked better results today. I'm just proud of the guys on Team USA and all the work they've done. I think I could have done a better job, but I also know that we showed we had the speed to compete. We probably missed a couple of opportunities this weekend to move up in the field, both in qualifying and in the race. But, again, I think we proved we have the pace to run up front."

***

A pair of Indiana natives teamed up for Davey Hamilton/Kingdom Racing for the test. Logan Gomez, a native of Crown Point, Ind., helped the team set up the car for Lafayette, Ind., driver Brandon Wagner, who turned his first laps around the Speedway.

LOGAN GOMEZ: "I'm doing it as a favor to the team because they let me have some free testing for them in the preseason. I'm still trying to put together a deal for the race. It's my home race and I'd hate to miss it."

BRANDON WAGNER: "It's different (than any place I've been). The straightaways are really long, but I know I have a good car and it's capable of being a second faster."

***

Conquest Racing unveiled the paint scheme on the No. 34 entry that will be driven by Alex Tagliani. The car features associate sponsorship from The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, which is promoting the King Tut exhibition "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" as the focal point of the partnership.
The car features King Tut exhibition branding on the engine cover, nose cone and front wings. Additionally, a 25-foot statue of the ancient Egyptian god Anubis will be on display in the outside lot at the Speedway Museum during race week, paving the way for the blockbuster exhibition coming to Indianapolis in June.
"Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs" will complete its U.S. debut run in Atlanta in mid-May and will be on display at the Indianapolis Children's Museum from June 27-Oct. 25. The exhibition is organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The partnership with Conquest includes a show car that will travel to Indiana schools to promote the exhibition and educate the children on this historic collection of 130 artifacts from King Tut's tomb and other ancient Egyptian sites.

ERIC BACHELART (Owner, Conquest Racing): "The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is a must-see for everyone, be it residents of Indiana or visitors to the area, much like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and we couldn't be happier to be associated with them and the King Tut exhibition for the Indianapolis 500. We're excited and honored to be promoting such an extraordinary exhibit."

***

INDIANAPOLI S MOTOR SPEEDWAY CENTENNIAL ERA FACT OF THE DAY: The first Hall of Fame Museum was built on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1956. Originally large enough to display only a few cars, a new museum opened in the present location in 1976. The facility encompasses 96,000 square feet of museum, retail and office space. Approximately 75 vehicles are on display at any one time. Admission is just $3 for adults, $1 for ages 6-15 and free for children younger than 6.

***

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's Mike Conway completed the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon on May 2 in 1 hour, 29 minutes, 49 seconds (finishing 565th overall). Penske Racing's Will Power was 643rd overall. More than 35,000 registered runners participated in the 13.1-mile race. It was the first time either had run a half-marathon distance.

***

Ryan Hunter-Reay last week opened his Dana Point, Calif., house to "Last Call with Carson Daly," with the segment airing before the Indianapolis 500. Check local listings.

RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 21 Vision Racing): "I basically ran down how we're down-to-earth people. I race cars for a living, and you expect a race car driver to live this extravagant lifestyle with a mansion and the Ferraris in the garage. It's a pretty cool piece."

***

Robert Doornbos, driver of the #06 Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Honda/Dallara/Firestone, took the honor of being the first driver on track for the 2009 Indianapolis 500, an honor that sometimes has been hard-fought over the years. The best start by the driver first on track over the last 25 years has been by Raul Boesel, who started second in 1994. The best finish is second, set by Marco Andretti in 2006.

***

Firestone has brought 4,900 tires to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Month of May. Full-month participants receive 35 sets of tires per car. Second-week entrants receive 24 sets. Rookies receive an additional four sets for ROP, and cars participating in the refresher test receive two additional sets.

Firestone is bringing a new tire specification following a successful tire test at Indianapolis in September 2008. The new spec features improved compounds for all four positions and a slight change to the right-front tire body construction to aid in reducing understeer.

One tire stagger of approximately 0.32 of an inch is available for Indianapolis. Stagger helps IndyCar Series cars turn more smoothly on oval tracks and is created by producing the right-rear tire with a slightly larger diameter than the left rear.
AL SPEYER (Executive Director, Firestone Racing): "The racing world will focus on this palace of motorsports for the next three weeks, and with good reason. From rookie orientation through four grueling days of qualifying, to Carburetion Day practice and the great race itself, the Indianapolis 500 is like no other. The traditions, the emotions and the unexpected combine to make Indy the transcending event it has become - and Firestone is proud to play a part. We'll be honored come May 24 to crown the 60th Indianapolis 500 champion on Firestone tires, which is more than all other tire manufacturers put together. To reach that life-changing moment, all the Indy drivers this month will compete on a new Firehawk tire specification. The Firestone Racing engineers and chemists have fine-tuned the tire spec that performed so well and without issue the past two years on this demanding racetrack. We anticipate the newest generation Firehawks will continue that trusted tradition by giving all Indy drivers the reliable durability, consistency and top speeds they have come to expect from their Firestone tires."

***

Nelson Philippe will be driving the No. 00 i drive green HVM Racing-prepared car for the Month of May. Philippe said his brother, Richard, won "a lot of races" with the number, "so hopefully it will be a good number for me, too."

That would be a first; no car No. 00 has won the 500 Mile Race or started from the pole. There are now three cars in 2009 starting with 0 - 02 of Graham Rahal and 06 of Robert Doornbos, both driving for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.

NELSON PHILIPPE: "We're raising awareness of the need to reduce our carbon footprint, and 00 stands for zero emissions. I didn't want to be tied to any number, so now I have no numbers."

***

The IPL 500 Festival Parade, scheduled for noon May 23 in downtown Indianapolis, will once again feature a diverse lineup of celebrities. Katie Stam, Mario Lopez, Melora Hardin, Mary Lynn Rajskub, The Ohio Players and artists Donald Lipski and Thomas Kinkade are the first celebrities and VIP's to be scheduled to join in this year's celebration. The celebrities will join Dick Vitale, the 2009 IPL 500 Festival Parade Grand Marshal.

Stam was crowned Miss America in January. Originally from Seymour, Ind., Stam is a senior communication major at the University of Indianapolis. Stam is Indiana's first Miss America in the pageant's 87-year history.

Lopez has appeared in numerous television series, films and on Broadway. He is the host of the daily television show "Extra," which is the second-longest running entertainment magazine on television. Hardin is best known for her role as Jan Levinson on the NBC television comedy, "The Office." Rajskub plays computer genius Chloe O'Brian in FOX's drama "24," and helped the show win a 2006 Emmy for Best Drama.

Legendary funk band The Ohio Players will headline the 2009 Regions 500 Festival Snakepit Ball, presented by Cindy & Paul Skjodt on May 23. The group combines the genres of funk, rock, jazz and soul to create a sound call "street funk" - which paved the way for the success of rap and hip-hop. Lipski is an internationally renowned artist with public art commissions in Grand Central Terminal, New York; the Miami International Airport; libraries in Minneapolis and Denver; and convention centers in Fort Worth, Texas and Washington D.C.

Kinkade has captured the moments of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Centennial Era by creating the impressionist work that will be displayed on the cover of the Centennial Era Gala Program Commemorative Book and will be the basis of the Studio Masterworks celebrating the 100th Anniversary. More than 300,000 spectators are expected to line the two-mile parade route. The IPL 500 Festival Parade will be televised nationally on Versus from 5-6:30 p.m. EDT.

***

Graham Rahal unveiled the unique helmet that he will be wearing throughout the Month of May and in the Indianapolis 500. The special one-off edition helmet is designed to pay tribute to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the celebration of its Centennial Era as well as the 1986 Indianapolis 500 victory by Graham's father, Bobby. The helmet incorporates the Speedway's Centennial Era logo and an image of Bobby Rahal with the coveted Borg Warner trophy.

The colors chosen and mixed for this helmet give the helmet a vintage look with a modern twist by using different tints of gray, silver, beige, white and red. Just like every one of Graham's Artrotondo.com painted helmets, this helmet was painted using environmentally friendly paints that contain no toxic contents. The Centennial logos and the image of Bobby Rahal were entirely free hand drawn and colored by motorsport artist Art Rotondo before being placed on the helmet.
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 02 McDonald's Racing Team): "The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a race car driver's cathedral, and the Indy 500 is the biggest race of the year. I wanted to do something cool to honor the history of the Speedway and my dad's win in 1986. I think we really hit on it with this helmet design."

***

Firestone Indy Lights driver Richard Philippe was working with a new team at Indianapolis. The French rookie drove Team PBIR's No. 37 entry in hopes of gaining seat time in advance of the Firestone Freedom 100.

RICHARD PHILIPPE: "I got some good mileage in a (Firestone Indy) Lights car on a oval. At Kansas, I got about 20 miles between crashes. It's nice to be here at this track. It's so famous, and I'm happy to be able to drive around here."

***

Another rookie on the move, Ali Jackson, who moved from Guthrie Meyer Racing to RLR Andersen Racing following the Kansas race, missed most of the Open Test as his team worked on preparing the No. 6 car for the test. The car, which was acquired from HVM Racing, still carried the charcoal-and-green livery of its previous owner. Jackson recorded 26 laps.

***

FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS QUOTES:

SEBASTIAN SAAVEDRA (No. 27 AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing, fastest): "We are working hard on our race setup. I think we were able to pick up the pace very early, and throughout the day we made small changes on last year's setup. From there we worked as a team, and we did an awesome job. I can't wait to come back for the race."

WADE CUNNINGHAM (No. 11 Sam Schmidt Motorsports, second): "It's nice being back.  It's good validation to be in a good car, then put up a good result. I had a great car that enabled me to go quick straight away. It was a bit difficult for everyone with tire wear in this first test because there was no rubber down. Obviously, we still have a little bit of work to do because the AGR car is still a little bit quicker, but we've got a couple of weeks before the race where we can sit down and analyze where we can come up with a stronger package and come out race weekend and contend for the win."

MARTIN PLOWMAN (No. 15 Panther Racing, third): "It always nice to see your name at the top of the time sheets, but this is only an Open Test. It's important to come away with a good feeling for the car and the track. I think we achieved that today. I learned a lot. There's still some work for me as I learn the line, but the car is fast. We did some qualifying simulations at the end of the day, and we were very happy. I'm confident that the 15 car will be competitive."

J.R. HILDEBRAND (No. 26 Andretti Green Racing/AFS Racing, fourth): "We were really quick early in the day. We had some trouble with our setup pad, so we didn't run much in the afternoon, but I think we were one of the first or second quickest cars running on our own, so that sets us up for qualifying. We never ran low fuel or put in much tow time. I'm just looking forward to the race. I had a great race weekend last year, and it's such a cool opportunity to race at the Speedway. Any track time you can get is fun."

ANDREW PRENDEVILLE (No. 2 Team Moore Racing, fifth): "It's a beautiful day, which we didn't get last year. The track is in good condition, so everyone has gone quick. I'm very happy. Our car is good. It's good in traffic. We've had quick cars everywhere we've been. We've just had issues that set us back. We just need a trouble-free weekend. I'm sure we'll be there on Race Day."

***

In addition to unveiling the new King Tut livery of its No. 34 Dallara, Conquest Racing announced the return of Northlands and its premier event, the Rexall Edmonton Indy, as title sponsor for the 2009 Indianapolis 500. The team also revealed the signing of AmazingMail and LifeLock for the 2009 Indianapolis 500.
The Rexall Edmonton Indy takes place July 24-26 at City Centre Airport in Edmonton.
ERIC BACHELART (Owner, Conquest Racing): "We're very excited to be announcing new and returning sponsors to the team. We couldn't be happier to continue our partnership with Northlands and the Rexall Edmonton Indy, and we're thrilled to be welcoming new partners AmazingMail and LifeLock. We're thankful for everyone's support this month, and we look forward to making them proud over the next few weeks."

***

INDYCAR SERIES POST-PRACTICE QUOTES:

PAUL TRACY (No. 15 GEICO/KV Racing Technology): "We took advantage of today, with the refresher course. There's rain in the forecast the next couple days possibly - the weather can change here at any time, so I'm pretty happy with where we're at right now." (About fan reaction): "They either love me or hate me. I have a polarizing effect on people. But there was a lot of fan support today, a lot of well-wishes, a couple birds, but in general it was 98 percent to the good, so I was happy about that." (About motivation to come back): "I just want to race. It's all I've ever done. I've been racing since I was 6 years old, and I didn't want my career to just come to an abrupt stop after racing Indy cars for 16 or 17 years. When the merge happened, my team owner decided to stop, and when the music stopped, it kind of left me without any seats to sit in. It's been very frustrating thinking after all this time my career's just going to end like that. That's not the way I wanted it to end. I realize I'm not going to race another 10 years, but I'd like to run a couple more years. I feel I'm competitive. I feel I've got the drive. And hopefully something will open up. I know I'm not going to run forever, but I want to have a couple more years and have a shot at it and have something for my fans to remember."

RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 US Air Force Luczo Dragon Racing): "Today was a great day. The car was very consistent. The team made many aerodynamic changes to the car, which gave us an idea of how the car would run in different situations. The Luczo Dragon team worked very hard, and I was able to build up my confidence a lot. This is very important to set the tone for the rest of the month. I am very positive about going into the second day of practice tomorrow."

SCOTT SHARP (No. 16 Tequila Patron Panther Racing): "It feels great. There was obviously a lot of anticipation and a lot of excitement surrounding the whole opportunity with Patron and Panther Racing. To get out here and finally start doing it today, it was great. It feels so good to be back. By lap one, it felt like I was back in the old shoe again. It really felt good."

MIKE CONWAY (No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing): "The first run was a bit daunting. It's a big place here and a lot of high speed. Once I did the first run, I came back to the garages and sat down and thought about it. I felt a lot more comfortable and relaxed in the second run, which is the way that you have to be in these cars, just relaxed and feel what's going on. Overall, I'm really happy with the runs we had today. We learned a lot with the car and made some good setup changes, so I think we are looking great for tomorrow."

ROBERT DOORNBOS (No. 06 Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing): "I seem to learn fast on the ovals and the team is doing a good job, so I don't see a reason why we shouldn't be in the top 11 (on Pole Day)." (About IMS): "I think this place is great. I sleep at the track, I eat at the track, I drive at the track, do everything at the track. It's going to be an intense month. It's different that when I was here in Formula One in 2005 and 2006. You just fly in for the weekend and fly out. Just from this morning I began to feel some of the history of the track, and the speed down the straight - I just love it. It wasn't intimidating at all as long as you respect the track. If you get to thinking you can be the fastest on the first day, you'll find yourself in the wall. You respect the place, and you build up to it. We got some good speed today. There isn't a big oval feeling to the track. It's more like two long straightaways and four fast corners which are very much alike."

MOSPORT SPEEDWAY: Five-Points Mall Show recap

Mosport’s RaceTour Display visited Oshawa’s Five Points Mall recently to get fans revved up for the start of another season of racing at Mosport. Several drivers from Mosport Speedway were on hand with their race cars for a ‘Meet & Greet’ with fans to sign autographs and take some pictures. A big thanks to all the crew and drivers who brought their cars and participated in this event.

From Lee Bailie / Mosport Media Relations

Winnipeg's Red River Co-Op Speedway flooded... season delayed

A few years back, the track formerly known as Victory Lane Speedway put "Red River" into the speedway's name (Red River Co-Op Speedway). Little did they know the Red River would one day literally be in the speedway itself.

Winnipeg's Red River Co-Op Speedway has pushed back the start of its 2009 racing season until at least May 14 following major flooding at the facility. Click on the link above for other dramatic photos.

Trans-Am set to return to Mosport's Victoria Day Weekend

(BOWMANVILLE, ON – May 5, 2009) Mosport International Raceway will renew one of its grandest traditions during Victoria Day SpeedFest, May 15-17, when the ground-pounding, high-horsepower Corvettes, Camaros, Jaguars and Mustangs of the Muscle Milk SCCA Trans-Am Series makes its return to Mosport for the first time since 2003.

Trans-Am has a long and storied history at Mosport that dates back to 1976. The series became a popular Victoria Day tradition at Mosport in the mid-1990s, and helped launch the careers of many big names in road racing including Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Tommy Kendall, Scott Pruett, Dorsey Schroeder, Scott Sharp, and Canada’s own Ron Fellows. This year marks the series return to competition since shutting down after the 2006 campaign.

Coming into the Mosport round, Tony Ave of Maiden, N.C. leads the eight-race championship after starting on the pole in the first two races and finishing second at Virginia. The Mustang pilot will be in tough against a field that includes Mosport veterans Tony Drissi of Los Angeles, CA. (Jaguar), Edison Lluch, Sr. of Lajas, Puerto Rico (Corvette) and Lluch’s son, Edison Jr. (Corvette). Among the other racers looking to get the top of the podium at Mosport is Simon Gregg of PonteVerdaBeach, FL. (Corvette), son of the late Trans-Am legend and four-time 24 Hours of Daytona champion, Peter Gregg. Klaus Graf (Jaguar), the 2005 Trans-Am champion should also be a contender at Mosport after notching his first win of the season at Virginia.

Joining the Trans-Am cars on track are the SPEED World Challenge GT and Touring Car Championships, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship and the Sundown Grand Prix endurance race into darkness. The traditional Saturday night fireworks show also returns to light up the night sky to help celebrate Canada’s first long weekend of the summer.

In addition to all the on-track action, Mosport’s popular Victoria Day weekend fireworks show returns to light up the night sky on Saturday evening beginning just after dark. Included with paid admission is access to the race team paddock and the Motorsport Expo & Marketplace, which features an interesting mix of racing souvenirs, apparel and displays.

Mosport SpeedFest ticket-holders can use their passes for admission to the adjacent Mosport Speedway half-mile oval for the Auto Workers Community Credit Union Saturday Night Stock Car Racing, presented by PartSource. Racing starts at 6:30 pm. The fireworks show should be visible from the Speedway’s grandstands.

A three-day SuperTicket is just $50 until May 13 ($60 at the Gate) and each ticket includes free parking and access to the fireworks show. Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a paid adult admission. Single day tickets are also available.

For the racing enthusiast who wants to get a little closer to the action, the SpeedFest Corral offers a VIP trackside hospitality package that includes team tech sessions, a meet and greet with the drivers and the opportunity for guests to drive their car on the track in a parade lap for $90.

An advance three-day weekend general camping pass is just $30 (For tents or pop-up trailers). Advance RV passes are $50 for the weekend.

For more information about Mosport tickets and camping, call the Mosport Hotline at 1-800-866-1072 (Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET) or visit online at www.mosport.com. Tickets are also available at Ticketmaster.

-30-

Photo: The season opener for the 2009 Muscle Milk SCCA Trans-Am Series at Road Atlanta.
Credit: Mark Weber/SCCA

For Further Information:
Eric Prill, SCCA, (785) 250-7920 (cell.) or email eprill@scca.com
Lee Bailie, Mosport, (905) 995-8313 (cell.) or email lee@mosport.com
Muscle Milk SCCA Trans-Am Series official site: www.sccatrans-am.com

INDYCAR: Danica Patrick discusses the Indy 500

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – May 5, 2009

Danica Patrick was the guest on today’s Indy Racing League teleconference

About the speakers: Danica Patrick discussed the upcoming Indianapolis 500. This will be her fifth start in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Danica Patrick

· 27-year-old veteran of five seasons in the IndyCar Series

· Drives the No. 7 Motorola entry for Andretti Green Racing

· Opened the 2009 season with two top-five finishes in the first three races, one of only four drivers to do so

· Has made 67 career starts, recording 13 top-five finishes, 38 top-10s and winning three poles

· Became the first woman to win a major closed-course auto race in April 2008 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan

· Has made four starts in the Indianapolis 500, qualifying in the top 10 in each one

· Has three top-10 finishes in the Indianapolis 500

· Won Chase Rookie of the Year honors at Indianapolis in 2005, leading 19 laps en route to a fourth-place finish

***

Select Quotes: Listed below are select quotes from today’s teleconference. The complete transcript and audio MP3 file are posted at www.indycar.com/media.

Q: Danica, a couple of practice days this week before Pole Day on Saturday. You qualified in the top 10 all four years at Indy. What are the things that you try and accomplish the first couple of days of practice and then what are the keys to turning in another solid qualifying effort on Saturday?

DANICA PATRICK: It's a good opportunity to really just focus on qualifying. All the rest of the year we tend to not really be so heavily focused on it, and we kind of do maybe a qualifying practice run or two, but that's about it, and then we kind of fill the car up and work on race stuff from there.

We get a few days to really focus on it. It's about getting the car comfortable. You really want the car comfortable when it has more downforce on it. As you trim it out, the balance changes maybe a little bit, but really you want to start out with a good balanced car, and hopefully you can even take the downforce off and just get faster.

Q: Other than the obvious answer, to finish first after 200 laps, what are the things you need to do this year to win the Indy 500?

DANICA PATRICK: Well, I think that it would be the easiest to start in the front and just stay there. I think that we're going to obviously work hard to qualify well. I think it's a matter of, in the past the qualifying's been reasonably good, but it's a matter of staying there. I think that's going to be the real focus, is just to not drop back and to not lose positions on the track on starts or restarts, to stay on top of the car throughout the race and keep up with the way that the track is changing, and then to have really clean pit stops. I think that's going to have to be a really, really big focus for me, getting in and out of the pits and getting in and out of the box at full speed all the time. If we do those things well, I hope we can qualify well and then I believe that we can stay there. Then it will be a shootout in the end.

There's no doubt that you do have to have a fast car to win the Indy 500, because it usually comes to that last sort of 20 laps or five-lap shootout where it's all about speed.

Q: I wanted to ask you about what I call the kinder, gentler Danica Patrick. The first race you were trying not to be mad all weekend, then (Raphael) Matos took you into the boards at St. Petersburg, you didn't smack him like we thought you might. Where is that all coming from?

DANICA PATRICK: Is it OK, do you think? I hope I'm not boring anybody (laughter).

I've learned from the past. Look, the emotional Danica is still there, but there's a time and a place. The time and place is not every weekend. So it's just easier. I think I always felt in the past like I had to prove to people that I cared and that I wasn't happy being fifth or 12th or something by being mad. It just doesn't really pay off, and it turns people off. It's a lot easier and a lot more fun to be relaxed. It's all bunnies and rainbows around here.

**

The 2009 IndyCar Series season continues May 24 with the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 1 p.m. (EDT) by ABC. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season continues May 22 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be telecast May 22 by VERSUS as part of its Carb Day coverage from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. (EDT).

From IndyCar

IndyCar: Conquest Racing announces title partnership with Rexall Edmonton Indy for 2009 Indianapolis 500

- AmazingMail and LifeLock also on board as associate sponsors of the #34 car -

INDIANAPOLIS (May 5, 2009) – In addition to unveiling the new King Tut livery of its #34 Dallara Tuesday, Conquest Racing announced the return of Northlands and its premier event, the Rexall Edmonton Indy as title sponsor for the 2009 Indianapolis 500. The team also revealed the signing of AmazingMail and LifeLock for the 2009 Indianapolis 500.

After joining Conquest Racing at the season opening race in St. Petersburg, Edmonton-based Northlands, which promotes the Rexall Edmonton Indy that takes place July 24 – 26 at City Centre Airport in Edmonton, will once again have the logo of their signature event outfit the sidepods of Canadian Alex Tagliani’s #34 Rexall Edmonton Indy car.

“Northlands is extremely pleased to play our part in bringing Alex Tagliani to the starting grid for the 2009 Indy 500 through our sponsorship of the #34 Rexall Edmonton Indy car,” said Ken Knowles, Northlands President. “Our sponsorship provides an incredible opportunity to further profile Edmonton and the Rexall Edmonton Indy to the world - reaching unprecedented international audiences through one of the biggest sporting events in the world.”

“We’re very excited to be announcing new and returning sponsors to the team,” said team owner Eric Bachelart. “We couldn’t be happier to continue our partnership with Northlands and the Rexall Edmonton Indy and we’re thrilled to be welcoming new partners AmazingMail and LifeLock. We’re thankful for everyone’s support this month and we look forward to making them proud over the next few weeks.”

Conquest Racing and Rubicon Sports agency are also welcoming a couple of new partners in AmazingMail and LifeLock, which will both be associate sponsors on the #34 Conquest entry. AmazingMail, a company from Scottsdale, Arizona, is a leading provider of personalized digital direct marketing solutions. Much like in racing, AmazingMail is a company that is continuously innovating in order to maintain a competitive advantage for their clients. The AmazingMail logo will be visible on the rear wing of the black, white and gold Conquest car.

"It's great to be able to bring LifeLock back with me to join Eric and the Conquest team this year and to welcome our new partner AmazingMail as well. The combination of these two companies make a great B2B partnership and I am excited to expand on what I have already built with LifeLock in the last 15 months. AmazingMail is an incredible concept as well and can integrate very well with our existing partners on the B2C side as well," stated Jim Freudenberg of Rubicon Sports Agency.

Lifelock, a privately owned company located in Tempe, Arizona, is a leader in proactive identity theft protection, focused on educating consumers about the increasing threats of identity theft. Lifelock’s logo will be featured on the top of the sidepods of the Conquest machine.

Conquest Racing and Tagliani will be on track today for Rookie Orientation, which gets underway at 2 p.m. eastern time. The 2009 Indianapolis 500 takes place Sunday, May 24 and will be broadcast live on ABC starting at noon eastern time.

About Northlands: Northlands rocks Edmonton and Alberta with 2,500 events each year that attract over 4 million visitors to Alberta’s Capital City. Think Rexall Edmonton Indy, Canadian Finals Rodeo, Farmfair International, Capital EX, the best of horse racing, headliner concerts, international events and all the trade shows you can handle. Visit northlands.com to find out more.

About Amazing Mail: For over a decade, AmazingMail has continually led the direct mail marketing industry with technological innovation, cutting edge products, and world-class service and performance. Currently providing three 'solution tiers' from web-to-print, to dedicated account management, to integrated/automated platforms, AmazingMail is unequalled in the digital direct mail marketing space. Leveraging its U.S. Patent No. 6,732,152, AmazingMail can produce a superior mail piece in record time, efficient in quantities as few as one, making true the promise of one-to-one marketing.

About Lifelock: Founded in 2005, LifeLock is the industry leader in proactive identity theft protection. The organization has a strong focus on educating consumers and working with law enforcement and elected officials to better understand the increasing threats of identity theft. A multiple award-winning organization, LifeLock has most recently been recognized as a Best Place to Work by the Phoenix Business Journal. LifeLock (www.lifelock.com) is a private company backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Goldman Sachs and Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.

# # #

From Karina Redmond / Conquest Racing & Darren Krill Senior Communications Manager, Northlands

Photo Gallery: Flamboro Speedway - May 2, 2009 by DaveFranksPhotos.com

This is a 500-photo gallery from Flamboro Speedway on Saturday, May 2, 2009. It includes photos from the first night of stock car racing, Lucas Oil Canadian Vintage Mods, the Lucas Oil Can-Am Midgets, as well as karting shots. Thanks to Dave Franks and Randy Collins for sharing their work. You can see Dave's website here.

CCTCC: JL Racing announces that it has signed P.J. Groenke

JL Racing announces that it has signed P.J. Groenke to drive the number 92 Saab 93 Super Touring Car in the 2009 Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championships. Groenke will start the season at The Mosport Speed Fest in May and will compete in 5 races including the Honda Indy Toronto and the Grand Prix of Trois Rivieres.

“We are very excited to have PJ join the team”, said John Lockhart, Team Principal and Driver for JL Racing, “he brings with him a high level of professionalism and talent that certainly will be an asset to the team and our sponsors. I have raced against PJ for a few years and he is fast and smart on the track. We look forward to working with him and bringing success to both him and JL Racing.”

"I am thrilled to be driving with JL Racing this season. After completing a full season last year in the CCTCC, I've learned the importance of great team work. JL Racing is an accomplished and well-established team and I look forward to posting positive results with the team,” said Groenke 

JL Racing will be competing with 2 cars in the Super Touring division with Groenke in the number 92 Saab 93 while Lockhart will be debuting the all new number 93 2008 Saab 93. “P.J. will handle the driving duties on our tried and true car while I will be developing the new car. I am sure P.J. will finish at the right end of the field while I hope to learn and develop the 2008 car for the future. Needless to say it will be a fun and exciting year”, Lockhart added.

About JL Racing: JL Racing is one of Canada's premier sport sedan racing teams. In 2006, JL Racing formed a partnership with Saab Canada to race and showcase Canada's only Saab 93 race cars. The team has made headlines several times with a first race, first place finish and subsequent podium finishes in the Saab 93. For more information: www.jlracing.net.

About P.J. Groenke: P.J. Groenke has been racing professionally in Canada since 2001.  Highlights of Groenke's racing career include winning the 52nd Annual Indian Summer Trophy and finishing as a semi-finalist on Discovery Channel Canada’s Star Racer in 2006.  Most recently, Groenke finished fifth in The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship, Touring Class in 2008 and will be competing in the Super Touring Class in 2009.

P.J. Groenke is sponsored by Cheung’s Taekwondo and Clairhaven Ltd.  Other supporting sponsors include Affinity Luxury Car Rental, Desson Manufacturing Ltd., Eventscape Inc., Payne Capital Corp., Proprint Services Inc., Ro-ro Property Management Corp., and Studio Property Consultants Ltd.

Media Contact: Phil Reilly – JL Racing
info@jlracing.net / 416 503 8086

CCTCC: JL Racing partners with William Osler Health Centre Foundation

JL Racing and William Osler Health Centre Foundation announced a partnership today that will see JL Racing’s Saab 93 race cars carry the Foundation’s logo for the 2009 Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship season. JL Racing will also serve to promote William Osler Health Centre Foundation through race and non-race activities developed by the Foundation and JL Racing.

“I am very proud and excited to be able to promote such a wonderful hospital and Foundation”, said John Lockhart, Team Principal and Driver of JL Racing. “Our team is located in the Etobicoke/Brampton area and we all live in this growing community. So, it is important that we help in anyway we can so that hospitals such as Brampton Civic, Etobicoke General, and Peel Memorial down the road, can continue to give the best health care our community deserves”.

“We are delighted to be able to partner with John Lockhart and JL Racing for the 2009 season”, says Anne Randell, President & CEO of William Osler Health Centre Foundation. “Through his racing activities and off the track support, we hope to spread the message that outstanding clinical programs and services are available at our hospitals. All of us can help make a difference and John has done his part in a tremendously generous way.”

John Lockhart and P. J. Groenke will be driving a pair of Saab 93 Sport Sedans in the premier Super Touring class of the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship and the highlight of the year will be a two race weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto on July 10 – 12.

Lockhart also has a personal experience that brought home the importance of a strong community health care system. “Late last year, I had a scary life threatening health problem that if not for the quick attention of and access to our local hospitals could have ended tragically. I’m glad, obviously, to be fully recovered and as a result really appreciate what we have in this community. I am very thankful and only too happy to help and give back in the way that we can”.


About JL Racing: JL Racing is one of Canada's premier sport sedan racing teams. Formed in 2000, the team competes in top-rate, competitive, professional racing. In 2006, JL Racing formed a partnership with Saab Canada to race and showcase Canada's only Saab 9-3 race car. The team has made headlines several times with first race, first place finish and subsequent wins and podium finishes in the Saab 9-3. For more information:  www.jlracing.net

About William Osler Health Centre Foundation: William Osler Health Centre Foundation fosters relationships with individuals, corporations and community groups in order to raise funds to support William Osler Health Centre’s capital, education and research priorities at Brampton Civic Hospital, Etobicoke General Hospital and Peel Memorial Hospital (currently closed for redevelopment). www.oslerfoundation.org

Media Contact: Phil Reilly – JL Racing
info@jlracing.net / 416 503 8086

David Ostella VIR Star Mazda Report

After a disappointing opening to the 2009 Star Mazda Championship at Sebring, David Ostella had a much better time at round two and produced his first top-ten finish of the season during the Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway a week ago. Consistently finding time from the first official session on Friday, Ostella worked his way among the fastest in the field by race morning.

“Through practice and qualifying we were still setting up the car and figuring out what would work for the track,” the Canadian teenager said of the AIM Autosport approach to the weekend. “We finally got it on Sunday morning warm-up and at that point I just couldn’t wait for the race!”

What they had was a 1.46.622 second lap which was fourth quickest in the field of 28 cars and a great final step heading into the second race of the championship. After beginning Thursday with a 1:48.8 and P13, Ostella never took a backward step through practice, qualifying, or race day warm-up. He went seven-tenths quicker in practice two for P11, chopped more than a second off his best lap to qualify P10 on Saturday, and with another four-tenths Sunday morning was right where he wanted to be. Sadly for him and the Star Mazda field, the progress would pretty much grind to a halt Sunday afternoon.

“I was so pumped for the race after posting P4 on the result sheet but to be honest it was a pretty boring race,” he said of the caution filled event. “It was full of full-course cautions and we only had a handful of green laps. I was always in traffic and never reached the optimal tire temperature to see what I could really do.

“I had a bad start but held my position and was at pace with the field through the first couple of laps before a caution came out. On the first restart I was caught out by everyone checking up and ended up taking to the grass to avoid someone in front. I dropped back to 15th, but worse I bent something on the car and it was harder to driver afterward. In the green running we had, I managed to work my way back up to finish 9th and was staying right with the people in front so I was happy about that. Once again I’m left thinking I could have been in a higher position, but overall the weekend was great and I am now tenth in the championship and still making progress.”

The Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear resumes May 14 at the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix. Star Mazda will run in support of the American Le Mans Series at Miller Motorsport Park in Tooele, Utah. David will once again be racing with support from Global Precast, Alpinestars, and RAW Integrated Ltd. For more information on David Ostella, please visit www.davidostella.com

Photo Credit: www.otp.ca / Photo Cutline: David had a strong run into the top ten at Virginia International Raceway. // Release from Jason Holland

Saratoga Speedway Opens 29 Season, Soaking Wet

Campbell River BC - After rain greeted racers and race fans last Saturday night to open the 29th season of auto racing at Saratoga Speedway the Black Creek oval will honour a former Bomber car racer this Saturday night with the running of the 2nd annual, Brian Sullivan Memorial for the Bomber car class, their first race of 2009.

Sullivan, who sadly passed away last year was a long time Bomber car driver, was known as one of the friendless drivers ever to race at Saratoga, that was evident on the track, as he was voted by his peers in the division 3 years in a row, as the Sportsman of the year. Sullivan was one of people that everyone looked forward to talking to each and race night, as they always walk away feeling refreshed, and feeling good about racing, he reminded you that racing was for a good time and if you weren’t having fun then you were missing something good.

After his passing in 2007, the Speedway created a Memorial race in his honour for the Bomber division, along with retireing his # 12 car number, that it would never be on any other Bomber car, similar to Western Speedway which retired the #27 for former Victoria racer Billy Foster who was killed in a NASCAR crash while doing practice laps.

The Memorial Trophy which is a lasting memory of who Brian was and what he stood for was won by Campbell River’s Stewart Lee last year, and it goes to the Bomber driver with the most points after the nights racing, and with being their opening race of the season double points while be up for grabs. This season’s Bomber class is expected to be very competitive and will see Kyle Harrison #20 back to defend his 2008 points championship, that was decided last day of the season..

The Bomber cars will be joined by the IMCA Modifides the Motorcycles and the Hornet cars that had 19 cars start last Saturday night’s main event.

Last Saturday night which was sponsored by Campbell River and Courtenay's Fountain Tire Store, was a rain or shine event and the luck of the racers was no where to be seen, after a warm sunny week the rain came Saturday afternoon and never let up, but didn’t dampen the racer’s desire to race, or the race fans who showed up instead of staying home and watching a gut wrenching Canuck loss.

While car numbers where down in the Crash to Pass and Road Runner classes the Figure 8’s and Hornet’s more than made up the short numbes. In the Hornet and Figure 8 classes were dominated by Victoria’s Brandon Steen #37 who raced like the track was not wet, winning 5 out of the 6 races he entered. The amazing part of Steen’s accomplishments was that the wins came in two different classes in his Figure 8 car and his very fast Hornet car. After timing in as the fastest Hornet car he would win the Trophy dash then 10 lap heat race before starting in 18th spot in the main event and 20 laps later he would take the checkered flag to finish ahead of Campbell River's Stuart Lee and Qualicam Beach's Kevin Lawrenuk #01 whose older sister Jennifer #22 earlier won the B heat.

After each Hornet car race Steen would have to quickly jump into his Figure eight car, and after grabbing third fast time and third in the Trophy dash he would go on to take the win in the heat race and main event ahead of #24 Rachael Sawatzky, #02 Brandon Moore and Jocelyn Popowich #12.

The rain which cancelled the Dwarf cars off the nights schedule affected the car counts in both the Crash to Pass and Road Runners classes which saw the Crashers run only a Trophy dash and heat race and they were won by rookie #28 Mike Morningstar in the dash and Dave Starrie #46 in the heat race. In the Road Runner class Ken Davis posted fast time and the Trophy dash win, while rookie driver John Baly #88 of Nanaimo, would win both the heat race and main event. Jumping out of his car, as very pleased driver.

Racing this Saturday night sponsored by United Equipment Rentals of Campbell River, the racing will have gates open at 5.30 followed by qualifying at 6 and racing begins at 7.00 sharp, and those not sure due to the weather if a night’s racing program is still on or rained out, can call the Speedway racing hotline 250-337-5024 will always have updates on the evening races. A reminder to all racers that Thursday night is test and tune night from 6 to 8 pm with race fans welcome to watch from the grandstands with no admission charges.

Advertiser of the Day - Multimatic Technical Center

Kawartha Durham Kart Club: Season opener May 3 report

Kawartha Durham Kart Club Race #1 Review

Kawartha Durham Kart Club hosted their first race of the 2009 Championship year on Sunday, May 3 sponsored by Mill Valley Trophies and the excitement and nervous anticipation could be felt throughout the paddock. With plenty of practice time to set up for the super fast banking, new technical corners and long straights at Kawartha Downs & Speedway, all competitors were confident about their karts and ready to line up and take the green. At the end of the day, the smiles on all the faces and listening to the racers re-create their on-track experiences made it even better. The following are the class winners.

Novice: Andre Fiorini

Junior Lite: Ayrton Wakfer

Junior Heavy: Danny Benedict

Masters: Randy Packham

Senior Lite: Kyle Hope

Senior Heavy: Kevin Barry

Junior Tag: Garett Grist

Senior Tag: Michael Adamovitz

KDKC Race #2 will be held at 3S Go-karts in conjuction with Toronto Kart Club on May 30th. KDKC Race #3 will be hosted by Simcoe Kart Club at 3S Go-Karts on May 31st.

From Paul Evans / www.kawarthadurhamkartclub.com

Merrittville Speedway: Baron's Roofing bonus money makes opening night sweeter

Thorold, Ontario (May 3) Larry Lampman sure has to wish every night was Opening Night at Merrittville Speedway. For the third time in the last four years, the two time L. St. Amand Enterprises 358 Modified Champion has won Merrittville’s Opening Night Features in dramatic fashion.

In the Baron Roofing Windows and Doors sponsored event May 2nd – it was again a dramatic move that took him to Victory Lane after 35 laps. The race began with a dramatic announcement from Race Director Bob St. Amand Jr. to the starting field on the one way radio, “Baron Roofing’s Terry Keagan has posted a $500 Bonus to tonight’s winner.”

In other Lucas Oil Weekly Racing Series Divisions’ inaugural 2009 Main Events on Niagara IceDogs Fan Appreciation Night – Greg Panunte, Billy Hogue, Adam Murphy and Rob Goulding also earned bonuses from Baron Roofing after taking wins in the Original Pizza Logs Sportsman, Hoosier Stocks, Modern Corporation Open Wheel Lites and Turn 4 Collision 4 Cylinder Features respectively.

The top 3 in each feature shared in $3500 in Bonus Money from Baron Roofing Windows and Doors.

“With the economy as it is,” reflected Larry Lampman, “the extra money goes along way … thanks to Baron for it … and all they do for the sport.”

From lap 12 it seemed like the Season Opener was all for Brian Stevens. The second generation driver and former champion took control of top spot after quite an early race battle with an up and coming driver probably half Stevens’ age – Chris Steele.

Steele – the former karter and Open Wheel Lite Driver ran away to a comfortable lead on the full field before Stevens ran him down. Once in control, Stevens settled into a rhythm that wasn’t phased through a number of restarts with red flags needed to clear the track.

With the 10 to go signal given – the driver on the move was Lampman who eventually took second spot from Steele. Pete Bicknell was also on the move in the later stages breaking into the top 3 before a lap 28 caution again slowed the field.

On the ensuing restart – Lampman tried just about every line on the still tacky track to overtake the leader Stevens.

“Sometimes being in second is the best spot to be in,” added Lampman, “you can try things other than what the leader is doing … I’ve got lots of respect for Brian … I even drove once for his dad (Wall of Famer) Ray Stevens … I can’t thank (car owners) Dan and Veronica Miller enough ... they sure do make it fun for me.”

Lampman had one shot to try and overtake Stevens for the lead and that came on the final circuit.

Stevens settled for second with Bicknell third. Scott Wood – who experienced problems with his own car in qualifying drove the Todd Kendrick #55 to 4th spot in quite a run after starting 25th in the field while Chris Steele was 5th.

L. St. Amand Enterprises 358 Modified Heat Winners – First – Chris Steele, Second – Mark D’Ilario, Third – Brian Stevens. Consolation – Chad Brachmann.

For the second time this season, the front row at the start of the Original Pizza Logs Sportsman Feature was all 99’s. In an identical line-up to Humberstone Speedway’s 50th Season Opener just last Sunday – Greg Panunte and Nick Cupolo – who both share # 99 – shared the front row at the drop of Starter Doug Leonard’s Green Flag.

“We sure hope that we can keep this momentum up,” relayed Greg Panunte after running to his 2nd DIRTcar win of 2009, “who knows what the next race will bring … I can’t thank my sponsors and crew enough … and especially everyone at Baron.”

With Panunte out front at the start an early caution on lap 2 collected Cupolo who was able to continue in the 25 lap event.

By the halfway point, Panunte opened up a straightaway lead on the field and as the Port Colborne native came up on lap traffic – his pace never lessened. Former Champion Chad Chevalier made quite a late race charge to take third after coming from the back and began to challenge fourth generation driver Cody McPherson for runner-up spot.

Chevalier made a valiant effort but at the finish came up a mere 8 thousandth of a second short. Following Panunte, McPherson and Chevalier were Rick Bellante and Tyler McPherson.

Original Pizza Logs Sportsman Heat Winners – First – Greg Panunte, Second – Nick Cupolo, Third – Rick Bellante.

The start of the Modern Corporation Open Wheel Lite Feature saw Adam Leslie lead the troops to the green flag in a tribute to Canada’s Fallen Soldiers. Leslie’s special edition Memorial- themed graphics will be used in select events this season.

Leslie remained in top spot through a number of early cautions including a red flag when Jordon Curran flipped his car. Curran walked to the pits under his own power.

Josh Sliter – nephew of defending champion Shawn Sliter soon began to mount a challenge and briefly had the lead in a see saw battle with Leslie. While the two were battling, Adam Murphy soon would close in on the pair. Murphy would pressure Leslie until taking top spot along the back-stretch of lap 16.

A late caution found Murphy able to hold off Jamie Gilbert by half a car length at the finish. Shawn Sliter, Josh Sliter and Adam Leslie closed out the top 5.

Modern Corporation Open Wheel Lite Heat Winners – First – Adam Leslie, Second – Josh Sliter, Third – Paul Klager.

Race Car Drivers follow many superstitions on race day leading up to taking to the track.

Billy Hogue may have started a new tradition.

On his Facebook page, Hogue proclaimed that he would show everyone how it’s done.

He did just that in winning the Hoosier Stock Feature.

Hogue’s car was perfect hugging the bottom groove and after quite a see saw battle with then leader Shayne Pierce – found an advantage to win by at most a few feet.

“Thanks so much for the Baron bonus,” remarked an emotional Hogue in Victory Lane, “ thanks also to my wife and dad … this means a lot to me … I’d like to dedicate it to my late mother-in-law.”

8 time 2008 Feature Winner Dolph McCready was first to lead the 20 lap event and almost immediately was challenged by Pierce.

After a lap 9 restart Pierce charged into the lead along the backstretch with Kevin Knapp also overtaking McCready for the runner-up spot.

Another caution again slowed the field after Rob Disher lost his left rear tire in turn 4. While still under caution, Knapp dropped out of second with a flat tire but was able to return.

With Pierce out front on the restart, McCready, defending champion Rob Murray and Hogue were three wide at times in a furious battle for the runner-up spot that was slowed when Brad Sheehan slowed to a stop along the backstretch with fire under the hood.

Pierce set the pace on the ensuing restart but at the line could not hold off Hogue.

Hoosier Stock Heat Winners – First – Dolph McCready, Second – Kevin Knapp, Third – Brent Begolo.

Garnet Wilson was on the pole for the start of the 15 lap Turn 4 Collision 4 Cylinder Feature and was the first to hear about the Baron Roofing Windows and Doors Top 3 Bonuses as the first green flag fell on the 2009 Season.

Wilson, second year driver Matt Deschamps and veterans Aaron Wiley and Rob Goulding were sometimes 4 wide as the race continued.

Goulding edged by Wilson by with a few inch lead – eventually opening up a three car lead with Deschamps taking second.

Joining the leaders was Rocco Conte who along with Wiley who both were battling Wilson.

At the finish Goulding stretched his lead to 5 car lengths over Deschamps with Conte taking third. Wilson held on for fourth while defending champion Abel Castelein made a late race charge to round out the top 5.

“We battled with this car all last season,” revealed Goulding in Victory Lane, “ we put a lot of research into building (runner-up finisher) Matt Deschamps new car … we finally got these VW’s working.”

Turn 4 Collision 4 Cylinder Heat Winners – First – Matt Deschamps, Second – Garnet Wilson, Third – Aaron Wiley.

The night began with the twice rain-delayed L. St. Amand Enterprises Wall of Fame Inductions from last season hosted by Merrittville’s Reunion Committee Members – Rick Kavanagh, Jeno Begolo, Mark Swartz, Ted Renshaw and Terry Huffman.

Merrittville Announcer Clint Kruchka performed the ceremonies honoring the late Dave Halliwell and Gary Saunders. Dave’s son Brian – a former racer and official in his own right threw the green flag to start the 358 Modified Feature while Saunders dropped the green for the Hoosier Stock Main Event.

The Infield Flags were at half mast to honor Merrittville Alumni Bev MacTavish and Roly Charest who passed away during the off season.

UPCOMING AT MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY: Merrittville Speedway will celebrate Mother’s Day May 9th with a special $8 Grandstand Ticket for all Moms when Global Warranty Corporation presents Canadian Tire Financial Services Employee Night.

The 5 Division Lucas Oil Weekly Racing Series Event will begin at 7:00 PM with the Gates opening at 5:30.

For further info call 905-892-8266 or visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com.

From Jim Irvine / Merrittville Speedway

Alex Tagliani Excited to Take on First Indianapolis 500 Challenge

INDIANAPOLIS (May 4, 2009) – As a kid at the age of 10, when his grandfather bought him his first go-kart, Alex Tagliani never thought that he would one day sit in an indy car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Now, 26 years later, when he straps himself into his Conquest Racing Dallara on May 5 for rookie orientation, that long time dream will become a reality.

The Canadian driver, who was confirmed today by Conquest Racing as the driver of its #34 entry for the 2009 Indianapolis 500, will be turning his first laps around the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval as he begins preparations for this year’s race.

“It’s every drivers dream to be at the Indianapolis 500. As a kid I never thought I would make it here and even later on in my career because of the split, so it has always remained a dream of mine. It’s the one race that has always sat atop my list.

“Finally, more than nine years after my first start in a major open-wheel series race, I will get to experience all that surrounds the famous ‘Month of May’, and get to experience it during the kick off of the Centennial Era Celebrations, which makes it even more memorable,” expressed Tagliani. “I know that the first few laps around the track tomorrow will be quite special and I’m super excited and really looking forward to it.”

While Tagliani has plenty of open-wheel experience under his belt, he will be returning to rookie status this month, as is the rule for any driver competing in his first Indianapolis 500.

“I’ll be sporting my rookie status with pride this month,” added Tagliani. “No matter how much experience you have behind the wheel, when you race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time I think it’s easy to feel like a rookie. It’s such a unique track, there’s nothing else like it.”

One of two Canadians at this year’s race, Tagliani will only be the fourth rookie driver to hail from Quebec, Canada since Jacques Villeneuve took part in his first Indy 500 in 1994.

The talented veteran open-wheel driver will look to continue his strong form during May. The Las Vegas resident put in impressive runs at St. Petersburg and Long Beach in the first two races of the season before different incidents cost him top-five finishes. Despite the setbacks in both races, the Canadian demonstrated his perseverance and fought back to give the team two top-ten finishes.

Conquest Racing and Tagliani will be on track Tuesday May 5 at 2 p.m. eastern time for the IndyCar Series’ Indianapolis 500 Rookie Orientation Program. Sponsorship for the #34 Conquest car will be announced shortly with the unveiling of its new livery on Tuesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

From Conquest Racing PR/Karina Redmond

Sports Car Club of BC: Pit Pass Newsletter - May 2009

"Pit Pass" Pete Weedon has passed along a link to May's edition of the
Sports Car Club of BC's Pit Pass Newsletter for your reading enjoyment.

You can get there by clicking on this link:
http://www.sccbc.net/pitpass/2009/May09pp.pdf

Pumpelly, Ende Take Garden State 250 KONI Sports Car Challenge Race at New Jersey Motorsport Park

MILLVILLE, N.J. (May 2, 2009) - Spencer Pumpelly passed Charles Espenlaub during the final 15 minutes of Saturday's two-and-a-half hour Garden State 250 at Thunderbolt Raceway at New Jersey Motorsports Park, the third round of the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge season, and earned a victory for himself, co-driver Duncan Ende and TRG's No. 39 DigiTrust Group/Adam's Polishes Porsche 997.

Using the inside line of Turn 5, Pumpelly slipped two tires off the track but managed to keep the Porsche 997 out of the side of Espenlaub's No. 91 Imported Car Store/Sparco BMW M3, which belonged to the Automatic Racing team.

In ST, Compass360 Racing swept the Street Tuner podium, with Randy Pobst and Christian Miller gaining the victory in the final four minutes as all three cars led during the final 10 minutes. It was the second straight victory for Pobst and Miller, who also drove the No. 74 Skunk2/034 Motorsport Honda Civic Si won March's Grand-Am Fan Appreciation Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Pumpelly led twice for 22 laps, and made his way through the field as most of the leaders - including James Gue and Todd Lamb - came in for a splash of fuel during the final 20 minutes. Espenlaub had built a multi-second lead when Lamb pitted on Lap 81, but Pumpelly cut deep into that advantage and on Lap 86 of the 93-lap event, drove underneath Espenlaub as the pair was coming up on slower traffic.

After Pumpelly made the pass, he started pulling away, and he took the checkered flag 2.505 seconds ahead of Joey Hand, who moved through the field after stopping 15 minutes from the checkered flag in the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3. Hand, who led three laps midway through the race, teamed with Chris Gleason in the pair's best finish of 2009.

Finishing third were Billy Johnson and Peter Ludwig, who drove the No. 18 Dietz & Watson Porsche 997 that wasn't entered until Friday morning. The car finished second at the track last August.

While Espenlaub and co-driver Charles Putman's car faded to sixth at the checkered flag, the Automatic Racing team's other car, the No. 99 Hands Tool/Imported Car Store BMW M3, was fourth with David Russell and Barry Waddell driving. Gue and Bret Seafuse, driving JBS Motorsports' No. 37 Trumansburg ShurSave Ford Mustang GT, finished fifth, and moved to within three points (83-80) of the lead of Ken Wilden, who finished eighth in the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT he co-drove with Dean Martin.

Pobst's winning pass in the ST race came in a wild three-wide drag race to Turn 1 with less than four minutes remaining. After watching Eric Curran and Travis Walker - who led an ST race-high 45 laps - battle for the lead, Pobst drove to the inside as the trio drove down the main straightaway on Lap 91. Pobst outbraked both drivers, then pulled away slightly to give himself and Miller a second straight victory.

Pobst and Miller also took over the ST point lead, now by six points (89-83) over Kristian Skavnes and Andrew Aquilante, who finished sixth in the No. 111 SRRT Phoenix/Subaru of America Subaru Legacy.

Orange-suited drivers dominated the podium. Walker and co-driver Matt Pritiko finished second in the No. 76 Skunk2/034 Motorsport Honda Civic Si, while Curran and team owner Karl Thomson earned third in the No. 75 Skunk2/034 Motorsport Honda Civic Si. It was the team's first 1-2-3 finish and gave Honda Civic Sis a stranglehold on the top five, as Bret Spaude and David Thilenius finished fifth in Bill Fenton Motorsports' No. 27 Southern Auto Auction/Honda of Keene Honda Civic Si.

Finishing fourth in the ST race was the No. 146 Freedom Autosport Mazda Mazda MX-5, co-piloted by polesitter Andrew Carbonell and Daytona Prototype regular Guy Cosmo, who was added to the car Saturday morning.

Two cautions - both for stalled cars - slowed the race's pace to 83.131 mph, nearly 20 mph faster than last year's inaugural race at the 2.25-mile track.

The next KONI Challenge weekend is the Verizon Festival of Speed at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., with a two-and-a-half hour race Saturday, May 16.

NEWS & NOTES:

- The GS victory was the third career victory for Spencer Pumpelly and first for Duncan Ende. It was also the second victory of the season for Porsche.
- This is the first GS victory of the season for TRG, which last won in KONI Challenge last season at Iowa Speedway.
- Turner Motorsport scored its second podium finish of the season with its No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 and drivers Joey Hand and Chris Gleason.
- Motorsport Technology Group also earned its second podium finish of the season with its No. 18 Dietz 7 Watson Porsche 997 and drivers Billy Johnson and Peter Ludwig, who won at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- Automatic Racing put two cars in the top six.
- BMWs put five cars in the top 10, while Ford earned three top 10s and Porsche two.
- Eleven GS cars finished on the lead lap.
- Nine drivers in nine cars led laps in the race: Matt Bell (28), Spencer Pumpelly (22), James Gue (22), Jack Roush Jr. (8), Charles Espenlaub (5), Joey Hand (3), Todd Lamb (2), Billy Johnson (2), Nic Jönsson (1).
****************
- The ST victory was the sixth career victory for Randy Pobst and second for Christian Miller, who won their second straight race win together. It was also the Honda's second win of 2009, which earned four of the top five positions.
- This is the second victory of the season for Compass360 Racing, which now has eight career team victories in ST.
- This is the first time in the team's history that all three cars earned podium finishes. Only Freedom Autosport had multiple cars in the top 10.
- While Hondas dominated the top five, six different manufacturers finished in the top 10.
- Six ST cars finished on the lead lap.
- Five drivers in five cars led laps in the race: Travis Walker (45), Andrew Carbonell (35), Mike Halpin (6), Randy Pobst (3), Adam Burrows (3).

POST-RACE QUOTES (RACE WINNERS):

Duncan Ende (No. 39 DigiTrust Group/Adam's Polishes Porsche 997; co-winner in GS): "I had a really good stint. I was able to get a good start, even though I was on lined up on the outside. I was able to avoid any type of carnage in the first couple of corners. I was running second pretty comfortably the first 10 minutes or so. I then got boxed by some ST traffic coming on the straight-away and then I lost a few spots. I settled in after that and ran consistent laps. I was able to maintain a gap and gave it to Spencer who ran a great race to bring it home in first place."

Spencer Pumpelly (No. 39 DigiTrust Group/Adam's Polishes Porsche 997; co-winner in GS): "We originally thought that the 91 was going to have to pit for gas. Then Kevin (Buckler) came on the radio and said maybe they won't. I then had to get a little more aggressive, I was able to get a run on him and get by. TRG did an awesome job the last pit stop. It was super fast, we got on and off pit road the best we have all season. I think that was more than the four second gap than we won with, I really have to hand it to them. Duncan did a great first stint and they helped with those four seconds as well."

Randy Pobst (No. 74 Skunk2/034 Motorsport Honda Civic Si; co-winner in ST): "Was that wild? What a great camera opportunity for the Compass360 team. Karl Thompson must have been absolutely biting his nails. From the moment I got in the car - Christian gave me the Honda Civic in great condition - the Hoosier tires were still sticky and I drove as hard as I could every minute. I was seventh or eighth when we got in. Christian stopped a little bit later. I wanted a yellow, because Christian and I don't have our seat belts match, so our stops are little longer as a result, and I don't want to risk doing it under green. That worked out OK for us. I consider myself very lucky. I was just running my pace, and I didn't know Travis (Walker) tangled up with a GS car, which is a shame. He drove a good race. That helped me get to him and Eric Curran in the other Compass360 car. I had a little more tire. If this race had been 10 minutes shorter, I wouldn't have gotten it. But coming on the front straight, I think Eric Curran missed a shift, Travis had to lift a little to miss him, and that gave me a run at both of them."

Christian Miller (No. 74 Skunk2/034 Motorsport Honda Civic Si; co-winner in ST): "My thoughts at the start of the race was don't wreck the car on the first lap, because you can't win it that way. Being on the outside at the start is not the easiest thing, because there are three rights in a row, so I got shuffled back a couple of spots. Matt (Pritiko) who was behind me, gave me some space so I was able to race. I fell in line and the four of us checked out. My job was easy - keep the car clean, keep it out of the dirt, keep brakes and give it to Randy (Pobst). It was a matter of doing that for 45 minutes or an hour, whatever we did. The Compass 360 guys did a great job and I gave it to Randy."

                                                                  -30-

For additional information contact Grand-Am: Michael Harker, PR Coordinator, 386-547-3943, mharker@grand-am.com

Brian Graham / TLM Racing with Grote partner with Amsoil

Brian Graham Racing/TLM Racing with Grote are proud to announce a new partnership with Amsoil. All the team cars will run with Amsoil oil and gear oil as well as the team haulers.
 
We are exited to welcome Amsoil to the team and look forward to the benefits their products will bring to our race team.  We will also have www.syntheticlubricants.ca, an independant Amsoil dealer visiting the tracks this season to offer technical support of the Amsoil product line as well as showcase  what Amsoil can offer the racing community.

The 2009 season begins May 8-10 with the opening rounds of the Ontario Formula Ford Championship, BGR/TLM with Grote will have Stefan Rzadzinski, Fabio Urbano, Kieran Murphy, and Mikhail Goikhberg all making their Fomumla Ford debuts.

From BGR / TLM with Grote