ARCA: Arpin Wins at Texas; Canadian Driver Wins Back-To-Back ARCA Events; Claims Point Lead

FORT WORTH, TX (4-16-10) - Steve Arpin, in the Mike's Hard Lemonade Toyota, earned his second consecutive ARCA Racing Series victory Friday night, winning the Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Arpin, who earned his first career win last Sunday at the half-mile Salem Speedway in Indiana, clinched his second win in less than a week's time after powering by Grant Enfinger off the second turn on a lap 91 restart. Arpin paced the field from there, leading the final 14 circuits around the 1.5-mile Texas tri-oval.

In the end, Arpin outran Craig Goess in a green-white-checkered overtime finish, winning by a mere .326 seconds, taking sole possession of the series championship point lead in the process.

"This is a great, great racetrack," Arpin exclaimed. "We had a really good car all night, and Hoosier gave us a super good tire. What a great way to debut our new sponsor, Mike's Hard Lemonade."

Arpin was also involved in a lap 12, four-car incident between turns three and four, where he spun with Patrick Sheltra, Joey Coulter and teammate Mikey Kile. Aprin's left front fender was slightly damaged, but his Venturini Motorsports team came through for him.

"(Car owner) Billy Venturini and the guys did an awesome job tonite," Arpin explained in victory lane. "We got ourselves in a touchy spot, spun, and the damage affected our aero a bit," Arpin continued. "The team did a great job repairing the car, and giving me a chance."

Arpin, who started 22nd, survived the mishap, and moved into the top-10 by lap 25, where he found himself for most of the night. The Canadian native took the lead on lap 92 and was unchallenged until the last lap when Goess mounted an unsuccessful bid for the top spot.

Goess finished in the runner-up position for the second straight week, and his emotions were both high and low.

"It's great to run good, to run up front, but it's disappointing to be this close and not win," Goess disclosed. "We had a little miscue in the pits, but I don't know whether we could have beat Steve tonight anyway."

Goess led 28 laps during the race before coming to pit road for his second and final pitstop for fresh Hoosier Tires 30 laps from the finish. Goess, in the Greenville Toyota of NC Toyota, came off pitroad in fifth, used the remainder of the race working his way back up to the front. On the final lap, Goess got to the back of Arpin but could not pass, settling for second.

Grant Enfinger, in the BeasleyAllen.com-Stanley Industries Ford, finished third after leading 22 circuits late in the race.

"I think we pretty much made all the right decisions today," Enfinger commented. "I pushed the car a little hard with forty to go, and I think we might have run out of tires. We were running sixth and I felt like it was time to get up there and I really didn't anticipate many guys coming back with tires. Just unfortunate that we were unable to seal the deal again, but we got some good runs in. To come home third without a scratch on the car, and we have done that all four times we have run this car at all the 1.5-mile tracks."

Justin Marks, in the Construct Corps Toyota, finished fourth after leading the first 39 laps, earning the Aaron's Lap Leader award.

"We were having engine trouble, and at the same time, the car was very, very loose," stated Nate Theisse, co-owner of Marks's Win-Tron Racing Toyota. "We over adjusted on the pitstop at halfway, got the car too tight. To finish fourth, despite all that, is a pretty good night."

Robb Brent, in the Orchard Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep Dodge, rounded out the top-five.

"We had a great day today," said Brent. "Our car was awesome; it was really fast. We had a little trouble - we thought an engine was going down, but it was a plug wire on our cylinder. We came in and had to restart 20th halfway throughout. We passed a lot of guys. I got Frank Kimmel and the 29 on the last restart there to get fifth, so we are really pumped. It was a good bounce back from last week."

The field for the Rattlesnake 150 was set by 2009 owner's points when Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell was rained out Thursday afternoon.

Goess earned the Messina Wildlife Halfway Challenge award, with his crew chief Johnny Allen claiming both the Cometic Crew Chief and Klotz Engine Mechaic awards. Arpin claimed the CGS Imaging Hard Charger award, advancing 21 positions. Dakoda Armstrong earned RE/MAX Rookie of the Race honors.

The event was slowed by caution eight times for 43 laps. The most serious looking incident occurred on lap 38 when Tom Berte made hard contact with the inside safer barriers off turn two in a single car spin. Berte was uninjured in the incident.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards heads to Talladega Superspeedway next for the Talladega ARCA 250 Friday, April 23, live on SPEED at 5:00 PM ET. The race will also be carried in live streaming audio at ARCAracing.com.

FULL RESULTS

From ARCARacing.com

IndyCar Series Champion & Indy 500 Winner Dario Franchitti Announced as TW Steel Brand Ambassador

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (16 April, 2010) – TW Steel, the Dutch brand specializing in oversized watches, announced Friday that reigning IZOD IndyCar Series Champion, Dario Franchitti, is to become a Global Brand Ambassador.

Franchitti, IndyCar Series Champion in 2007 and 2009, was announced as TW Steel’s latest ambassador as he began preparations to defend his ‘Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach’ race title with this year’s event once again taking place on the streets of Long Beach, California, Friday 16th – Sunday 18th April.

TW Steel is delighted to announce that in addition to the 36-year-old Scottish racer becoming an ambassador for the brand, he will also be involved in the design and subsequent promotion of the ‘TW Steel Dario Franchitti’ edition – the first watch to sport the 2007 Indy 500 Winner’s name and official logo.

“I think it’s tremendously exciting to have someone with Dario’s record of success associated with TW Steel,” stated Stewart Bain, TW Steel’s Chief Commercial Officer. “The Franchitti name has come to represent excellence in the world of motorsport with Dario renowned amongst his peers, fans and the media for being a sportsman, and gentleman, of significant stature.

“He is also, and critically, extremely knowledgeable about watches so we were delighted with Dario’s reaction to ‘The Watch in Steel’ and we look forward to working with him further on the Franchitti edition. North America is undoubtedly one of the most important territories for the continued growth of TW Steel. We’re naturally relishing the opportunity to partner our brand voice with Dario’s substantial popularity to reach out and continue to engage our consumers.

”Franchitti, who currently drives for Target Chip Ganassi Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series, is equally excited by the new partnership.

“Anyone who knows me will tell you that if I had a passion away from racing, other than my love of cars, it would be for watches,” stated the Scot.

“I’ve always appreciated a fine timepiece and when I was first introduced to TW Steel I was certainly impressed with their commitment to designing something unique but very appealing. As I compete all over the world I’m delighted to be working with them as a brand ambassador here in North America and internationally as well.

”He continued; “The opportunity to work with TW Steel to come up with a ‘Dario Franchitti’ edition was particularly exciting to me. If something’s going to bear your name you have to have complete faith that it’s a true representation of what you stand for. In TW Steel I’ve found the perfect partner. We’re both driven by a pursuit of excellence and a true passion for watch design. I have a new found appreciation for what goes into producing these watches and I’m excited to be unveiling my own edition later next month!

”Details of the ‘TW Steel Dario Franchitti’ execution will be announced next month along with an exclusive ‘Launch Party’ in Indianapolis on Saturday 22nd May.

TW Steel is available in America through leading retail partners including London Jewelers in New York, Reis Nichols in Indianapolis, Hyde Park Jewelers in Denver and Las Vegas, Swiss Fine Timing in Chicago and David Orgell on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.TW Steel, celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2010, continues to develop and lead the oversized watch market. A family-owned company, headed by 27-year-old Chief Executive Officer and co-owner, Jordy Cobelens, ‘The Watch in Steel’, has emerged as an innovative, bold lifestyle brand – now available in over 50 countries worldwide.

www.twsteel.com

Fastline Motorsports and Tim Hortons together again

Jeff Lapcevich will represent Tim Hortons again in Canada’s premier racing series. The Grimsby, Ontario, racer’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series entry will sport Tim Hortons’ logo in one of motorsports’ longest lasting marketing partnerships.
“We’re excited about 2010,” says Lapcevich. “We’ve made some changes to our race team, and we expect great results this year.
“Our relationship with Tim Hortons is something we’re quite proud of. This year marks more than 20 years with them, and that’s quite an accomplishment.”
Tim Hortons first sponsored Lapcevich’s family-owned Fastline Motorsports in 1990 when it competed in the popular Players GM Series of production cars. Canada’s coffee giant maintained the relationship when Fastline switched to the CASCAR Super Series which NASCAR later bought.
Lapcevich’s season opens on June 6th when the series visits Delaware Speedway near London, Ontario. The team will then make nine additional stops on the series including the Honda Indy Toronto in July and Montreal’s NASCAR event in August.
“Delaware Speedway is a great place to start our season,” says Lapcevich. “I’ve always run well at Delaware, and it’s a place we can build momentum. Starting the season strong will be a big boost for the team.
“The road courses also give us a place to showcase our talent. I believe we’ll have a competitive package for Toronto and Montreal.”
Tim Hortons will also appear on Fastline’s quarter midget race cars driven by Jeff’s sons - third generation racers Cayden and Treyten Lapcevich. While five-year-old Treyten is starting just his second competitive season Cayden has many years under his belt at 10 years old.
Cayden has won the sport’s biggest races, and Treyten appears ready to challenge for titles of his own. The team travels throughout North America competing in the most prestigious quarter midget events anywhere.
“The boys are the future of Fastline Motorsports,” says Jeff. “We put a great deal of focus on our quarter midget program. It’s about learning and having fun. Both boys are doing great.”
For more information on Fastline Motorsports visit www.FastlineMotorsports.com.

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Contact: Adam Ross
Fastline Motorsports Public Relations
519-212-8632
adamrossenterprises@gmail.com

Seibert shines in Motoplex Speedway Test Day

April 13, 2010, WILLIAMS LAKE, BC - Ryley Seibert hit the ground running on Sunday turning his first laps behind the wheel of a race car since 2009. The Williams Lake teenager tested both his street stock and an ARCA West Coast Sportsman race car at Motoplex Speedway in Vernon, BC (formerly Sun Valley Speedway).
The charismatic racer showed no signs of rust setting the day’s fastest laps in his street stock. The laps he turned in the ARCA race car were Seibert’s first ever in the faster race machine, and the speed wasn’t the only difference between the ARCA car and Seibert’s street stock.
“The ARCA car was weird to drive at first because in those cars there is alot less visibility then in a street stock,” said Seibert. “I got used to the high speeds and low visibility, and after about 15 laps I felt confident."
The track’s timing system confirmed Seibert’s comfort level. His speeds were among the fastest of anybody as he turned laps just tenths of a second slower than the fastest car.
“My dad was at the track, and he was my spotter talking to me on the radio and helping me with my racing line. It really keeps me calm when he is on the radio. I always race better when I can hear his voice in my helmet.”
Seibert finished fourth in the season point standings at Sun Valley Speedway in 2009, and he hopes to improve on that performance when he challenges for the championship this year.
His plans in the Thomas family ARCA car include Motoplex Speedway on May 1st, and Williams Lake Speedway on May 29th. Beyond those two dates Seibert’s ARCA plans are undecided.
The off-season has been busy for Seibert. He is the student council president at Columneetza Secondary School where he is an honour student. He has also traveled extensively throughout the winter attending a motorsports education program RACE 101. He earned a scholarship to attend the program aimed at helping aspiring racers learn the skills necessary to succeed in motorsports.
While the immediate future includes time in his family-owned street stock and the ARCA car Seibert eventually plans to make a living in the racing industry in one of NASCAR’s premier series in the United States.

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Contact:
Adam Ross
Public Relations for Ryley Seibert
519-212-8632
Adamrossenterprises@gmail.com

Ram Trucks to Offer Factory-Installed Spray-On Bedliners

• New spray-on bedliner option opens for dealer ordering today
  
• Bedliner offered with 3-year, 60,000 Km factory warranty
  
• New spray-on bedliner saves weight versus drop-in liner

Windsor, Ont. , Apr 15, 2010 - The Ram Truck Brand today announced that it would begin offering customers a spray-on bedliner option for its 2010 model year 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks. Dealers will be able to order the factory-installed upgrade beginning immediately. The spray-on bedliner option will be available on all Ram Truck trim levels (ST, SXT, SLT, TRX/TRX4® Off-Road , Sport, Sport R/T, Power Wagon® and Laramie), all cab sizes (Regular, Quad, Crew and Mega) and all bed lengths 1.7 m (5’ 7”); 1.9 m (6’4”) and 2.4 m (8’). Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price is $450 CDN.

"We’ve listened to our customers, how they are using their trucks and what new features they’d like to see and we expect the spray-on bedliner to become one of our most popular Ram Truck options," said Ed Broadbear, Vice President, Marketing, Chrysler Canada Inc. “With this factory-installed, factory-warranteed option we've taken our new lineup of award-winning Ram Trucks and made them even better."

The new Ram Truck factory-installed spray-on bedliners come with a 3-year, 60,000 Km warranty. They offer owners a number of benefits including a 4.5 kg (10 lbs.) weight savings over drop-in bedliners; a reduction in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH); chemical and abrasion resistance; improved in-bed traction and an improvement in perceived value.
Chrysler Group has extensively tested its spray-on bedliners for UV stability and surface adhesion. The protective material is sprayed to a standard thickness of 3mm on horizontal surfaces -- including the tailgate -- and 2mm on vertical surfaces.

About the Ram Truck Brand
With a work-hard, play-hard attitude, the Ram Truck brand offers the boldest, most powerful and capable pickup truck lineup on the planet.

The Ram Truck brand will add to its award-winning truck lineup with the introduction of it all-new 2010 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty trucks, Motor Trend's Truck of the Year. The new heavy-duty trucks provide customers with first-time innovations and features along with new standards of strength, utility and driveability, building on the Ram's leadership in the heavy-duty pickup segment.

Introduced in 2008, the Ram 1500 is a game changer in terms of its ability to "outsmart" and "out-tough" the competition with its bold exterior design, crafted and refined interior, engineering excellence, superb innovation and best-in-class features and amenities. The Ram 1500 also ranks at the top of Strategic Vision Inc.’s (SVI) 2009 Total Quality Index™ (TQI) in the full-size truck segment. According to the survey, the Ram 1500 leads the way with the highest Total Quality score of any truck in the 15-year history of the study. Customers specifically noted that the Ram has the best added storage capability along with the best truck interior ever rated by customers.

The Ram Truck brand will further enhance its commercial vehicle presence with the introduction of a "new crew" of commercial-grade work trucks: the new 2011 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs. Led by an all-new crew cab, the new 2011 Ram Chassis Cabs are built on a proven frame and chassis, and engineered for maximum uptime, optimum performance and enhanced commercial capability.

LUTZ AND EVERSLEY REACH THE PODIUM, THILENIUS AND ASCHENBACH FOURTH

(Leeds, AL) -- Compass360 Racing team-mates Zach Lutz and Ryan Eversley bounced back from disappointment at Miami in March with a strong result at the beautiful Barber Motorsports Park on the outskirts of Birmingham, Alabama. The pair built on Lutz's fifth-place qualifying and stayed close to the leaders throughout the race, bringing the #75 JC Concrete Honda Civic Si home in third place, just ahead of the team's #74 Skunk2/Honda HPD car in fourth. The result marks the pair's best result in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

"I'm so happy. It's just unbelievable," enthused Lutz. "The team gave us a great car and we had an amazing pit stop. (Technical Director) Ray called the strategy perfectly. After the blow-up in Florida, this is amazing and just what we needed. Now we're back in the championship hunt!"
Meanwhile, current championship leaders David Thilenius and Lawson Aschenbach managed to extend their lead by two points, to ten ahead of the #80 Bimmerworld BMW. "This is about the best we could hope for," explained Aschenbach. "We just didn't have the pace of the little Mazda today, and it seemed like the 75 was working a bit better at the end of the race, so we'll take fourth and hope to be back on the box at VIR."

Jesse Combs and Greg Liefooghe brought their #77 Coolgas/Exclusive Management Civic across the line in 14th, keeping that car in the top-five in points. Marv Weidner, making his series debut with the team, was in a good position to hand his #76 Honda to team-mate and fellow rookie Alex Kirby when he was tagged from behind by a lapped car. Thankfully unhurt, Weidner was nonetheless disappointed. "The guys were just great and helped me get up to speed quickly. The car was so much fun to drive and I know Alex would have done a great job. It's tough when someone who is a bunch of laps down wrecks your race, but I'll be back in an orange Honda soon!"

The team's returned to its Toronto base to repair and set the cars up for the next race on April 24th at Virginia International Raceway. "There's not a lot of time between these races, so I know we'll be busy repairing the damage and making some new improvements," reflected Team Principal Karl Thomson. "But as always, we'll be ready."

The Barber race will be broadcast on April 17th at 3:00pm on SPEED.

Compass360 Racing (C360R) is the motorsports division of Compass360 Branding Communications, a firm offering marketing expertise to clients in diverse industries across North America. The Championship-winning race team, with support from Honda of America, fields four front-running Honda Civic Si's in Grand-Am's KONI Challenge, as well as cars in Canadian Touring Car. For details visit http://c360r.com/.

OFFC CAN AM CUP: New sposors, awards and format

The Ontario Formula Ford Championship is pleased to announce new series sponsors, awards, and an exciting new format and date of the 2010 Can Am Cup.

Starting up front is critical in all racing and the coveted pole position is something every driver strives for. New for 2010 is the MG Homes Pole Position award. MG Homes will present to the driver of the most overall pole positions a watch valued at over $500.

Joining the OFFC is also Rod Ends Mechanical. The supplier of Aurora rod ends, will award the B Class Champion a $250 gift certificate and the C Class Champion a $100 gift certificate redeemable with Rod End Mechanical.

MK Technologies is one of North America's most recognized names in race support equipment with a full spectrum of products from car stands to alignment platforms and overhead cranes. MK Technologies will award a product prize at each OFFC double header to "The driver of the event". The criteria will be unveiled prior to the first event.

The 2010 Can Am Cup has moved from it's traditional fall date to the Nascar Canadian Tire weekend June 11-13. It will also feature a new format for awarding the Cup. Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2010 OFFC will be run during the weekend and the driver who accumulates the most points over the two rounds will be the Can Am Cup winner. A tie breaking system will be in place to ensure one winner. With the assistance of Steve Beeler (who co organized the 40th anniversary of Formula Ford at Road America last July), the OFFC has been working at hosting a group of SCCA drivers at the event. BGR Sports and Entertainment will host a Saturday evening get together for some bench racing and general good fun.

Work on developing relationships with series supporters continues and more announcements will be coming.

"We are thrilled to welcome our new partners and are proud to showcase their products and services through the OFFC" says OFFC steering committee member Brian Graham. "The Can Am Cup looks to be a great event and the new date and format will hopefully entice some of our American friends who now should not have to worry about possible snow! The most inexpensive entry fee of the year for our highest profile event is always a good draw. Drivers interested in attending can find out more info at our website or by talking to any of our steering committee members."

http://www.offcseries.com/

PHOTO GALLERY: Thompson Int'l Speedway - 2010 Icebreaker Weekend (NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour)

NPP Late Model Series Schedule Finalized

EDMONTON, AB. (April 13) – The Northern Provincial Pipelines Late Model Series has finalized its schedule for the 2010 season. Two race dates that were on hold for Southern Alberta on the September long weekend have now been removed.

NPP Series announcer Gord Craig says the current economic climate in Western Canada has a lot to do with how the schedule was drawn up this year.

“The economy is still in recovery mode here in Alberta. The NPP Series has adjusted its schedule to help out our teams by cutting back on travel and the number of race dates,” Craig said.

Less is more in 2010. The NPP Series has 14 race dates on its schedule this season and only two road trips.

“In past seasons we’ve had as many as 22 race dates on the schedule with half of those dates away from the home track (Castrol Raceway) in Edmonton,” he said.

The NPP Late Model Series travels to Bridge County Raceway in Lethbridge on the May long weekend. The only other road trip is a one-day show in June at Central Alberta Raceways in Rimbey.

The remainder of the race events will be campaigned at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton. “Many of our teams have young families,” adds Craig. “I’m sure they won’t mind having a few extra weekends off this year.”

The 10th season of the Northern Provincial Pipelines Late Model Series and the Chase for the Championship starts May 8th at Edmonton’s Castrol Raceway.

2010 NPP LATE MODEL SERIES SCHEDULE

Saturday, May 1^st Castrol Raceway test ‘n‘ tune

Saturday, May 8^th Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Saturday, May 15^th Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Saturday, May 22^nd Bridge County Raceway - Lethbridge

Sunday, May 23^rd Bridge County Raceway - Lethbridge

Saturday, June 5^th Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Saturday, June 12^th Central Alberta Raceways - Rimbey

Saturday, July 10^th Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Friday, July 16^th Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Saturday, July 17^th Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Saturday, July 24^th Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Friday, August 20^th Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Saturday, August 21^st Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Saturday, Sept. 11^th Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Saturday, Sept. 18^th Castrol Raceway - Edmonton

Northern Provincial Pipelines Ltd., based in Edson, Alberta, is title sponsor of the NPP Late Model Series, which brings big league racing to Western Canadian race fans. NPP is also proud to be involved with the #81 Dodge in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

The Audette brothers, Remy and Mathieu, are looking forward to a new season with new colour schemes for their Canadian Touring Car and F2000 teams.

April 14 - Toronto ON - Their website, www.audetteracing.com has been redesigned to showcase their new colours as have their transport rigs and Acura RSX Touring Car.

The transport rig will be very easy to spot on the highway. Remy's F2000 will be updated soon.
Over the winter, the RSX also received a complete chassis makeover and mechanical upgrades to make it more reliable. "To win the title we will need to finish all of the races just like I did in 2006," said Mathieu. "Last year we had a good start in CCTCC and were in a good position but after a broken front strut and clutch at ICAR our chances went down."

Pictures with the new paint schemes of the RSX and F2000 will be posted on their website soon.
More Castrol Canadian Touring Car news is available at www.touringcar.ca.

Report: Kahne going to Hendrick

Reports online are saying that Kasey Kahne, currently of Richard Petty Motorsports #9 Ford, will leave the team to join Hendrick Motorsports in 2011.
Entering the final year of his deal, Kahne would have been a hot commodity this off season, but the unconfirmed reports are saying that he will join to eventually sit in Mark Martin's current spot on the team.
The report says that Stewart Haas Racing receives chassis, engines and technical support from HMS, so Kahne could run there for 2011, the final year of Martin's deal.

For more see: ESPN

CSC Racing - Solo Open House - April 11

April 11 - Newmarket ON - Each year, CSC Racing Opens it's doors to Ontario's Solo competitors.

Hundreds were on hand for the deals to be had, get FREE copies of Inside Track Motorsport News, and to join a club like the SPDA, who offered thousands of dollars of coupons towards TOYO tires for the season.

A full gallery of the days event is below.

CSC

www.cscracing.com

Dewildt Honda PowerHouse - Grand Opening - April 10th

Congratulations to Ken Dewildt, and the entire Dewildt Honda Powerhouse staff on the new store.

A Grand opening was held April 10th, with a BBQ, displays from Y108, Parts Canada, and Autographs from Steve Nickerson, and Jordan Szoke.

See below for a photo gallery of the event.

Honda

www.dewildthonda.com

Pit row Grandstands to provide incredible sightlines for Honda Indy Edmonton race fans

EDMONTON – One of the most sought after viewing areas in racing will be even more accessible to race fans at the 2010 Honda Indy Edmonton. A new site layout will position race fans even closer to the on-track action as new grandstands will be located at the start of pit row.

“A great deal of action, and sometimes the winning maneuver, takes place right in the pits,” Northlands’ Director of Major Events Mike Burton said, “and for this year’s race we’ve positioned a new grandstand at the start of pit row.”

“We‘re also going to place a grandstand at the end of the straightaway immediately before the cars enter pit row. Now, our fans will be able to see close up action from several fast-moving vantage points.”

Prior to 2010, both of the new areas for grandstand seating were reserved for suite holders.

“We feel very good about the modifications we’re making to the site for the Honda Indy Edmonton, and we’re convinced that fans who attend this year’s race will instantly notice the positive site changes we’ve made to improve the fan experience.”

During the past two Edmonton Indy races, the grandstand set has been located at the turn one area of the course. Moving it from its previous location to pit row is important for reducing airport runway downtime.

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


Release Prepared by Sandra Pysklywyc

Media Contacts:
Brian Leadbetter
Director, Government & Community Relations
Northlands
Ph: (780) 471-7295
Cell: (780) 902-3723
E-mail: bleadbetter@northlands.com

Sid Priddle
Media Relations Manager
Honda Indy Edmonton
Cell: (780) 886-4929
E-mail: spriddle@northlands.com

The NAPA Rally 5000.... it's back!

After a successful NAPA Rally 5000 in 2009, NAPA Auto Parts is pleased to announce the 2nd edition of Canada’s most intense mechanical rally.

From July 3 to 12, 2010, five pairs of passionate mechanics from across Canada will experience what just might be ten of the most exhilarating days of their lives. This year’s Rally features an all-new route that is riddled with more exciting, more riveting, and more mechanical challenges.

Forcing teams to get their hands dirty, the challenges are designed to really put their mechanical skills and know-how to the test. Each day, teams will have to get from point A to point B all the while overcoming any surprises that lie in their path. As if that wasn’t stressful enough, the entire NAPA Rally 5000 will be filmed. The resulting daily Web-based reality series will be available for viewing throughout the event at www.naparally5000.ca.

Team Registration: Once again this year the NAPA Rally 5000 is looking for passionate auto mechanic enthusiasts to participate in the Rally. Interested parties are invited to fill out a registration form online at www.naparally5000.ca from April 8 to 30, 2010. One team will be selected from each of the five Canadian regions (British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada).

Winning teams will take home a total of $20,000 in prizes, while Rally supporters can register as supporters for a chance at $15,000 in prizes.

For more details, visit www.naparally5000.ca.

Rally Sponsors: The NAPA Rally 5000 is presented by NAPA Auto Parts, a subsidiary of UAP Inc. and the Canadian leader in the distribution, merchandising, and remanufacturing of automotive parts and replacement accessories for cars, trucks, and heavy vehicles. NAPA Auto Parts has close to 600 stores across the country. www.napacanada.com.

The NAPA Rally 5000 is also made possible, in part, by Adaptive One hybrid ceramic disc brake pads, Irwin Tools, NAPA Brakes, NAPA Filters, and NAPA Belts & Hoses.

From Danielle Tardif // Marketing Director // NAPA Canada

Delaware Speedway: Practice Day and Tickets for NCATS opener

The countdown to the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 is officially on, with Tuesday May 18th set aside as Practice Day. It’s free to fans who want to drop by Delaware Speedway and watch NCATS teams to put their cars through their paces on the legendary half-mile track. Canada’s premier NASCAR racing series is kicking off June 5th with the opening race, hosted by Delaware.

Joe Czernai, Delaware Speedway’s General Manager, couldn’t be prouder to host the cream of this country’s racing crop and open the series.

“We’re extremely excited to be kicking off the 2010 NCATS season. Last year it was our biggest event and this year promises to be even bigger. The hype and atmosphere surrounding the festivities is awesome. Our partnership with NASCAR and NASCAR CANADA has allowed us to expand and market our product to people that may not have heard of or been to Delaware Speedway before. We are privileged to be kicking off the season and have some of our weekly competitors and some familiar faces back here at the track competing for the big prize!”

In the series’ 2009 stop at Delaware, local favourite D.J. Kennington rode to Victory Lane and finished the season second in points. Although he’s currently south of the 49th parallel competing in select NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races and possibly some Nationwide races, D.J. will return to his home track to defend his title June 5th. 2009 National Series champ Andrew Ranger will also race in the opener at Delaware.

Series Director Brad Moran can’t wait to get the season started.

“Everything is rounding into shape and it should be another competitive season for the great NASCAR fans in Canada. It’s only fitting that we kick off the season at Delaware Speedway; a place with great history in Canadian stock-car racing. Getting it on the schedule last year was a thrill to everyone associated with the series. The time and effort that everyone put into that race paid off with a tremendous event which I’m sure we’ll have again this year.”

Tickets are now on sale for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, June 5th at Delaware Speedway. There are some nice price breaks for purchasing certain tickets online in advance, via www.delawarespeedway.com. Whether you’re bringing clients, your family or just getting together with some buddies, the kick-off to the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 promises to offer thrills and excitement as race fans from coast to coast turn their attention to the action at Delaware Speedway on June 5th 2010.

From Lisa Brandt / Delaware Speedway

Lady Luck Deserts Multimatic Motorsports at Barber

BIRMINGHAM, AL (Saturday, 10th April, 2010) - The Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang Boss 302R squad took everything but the major prize in round three of the GRAND-AM Continental Tires Sports Car Challenge at Barber Motorsports Park - pole position, fastest lap and most laps lead - but misfortune with yellow flag periods again denied the team a chance of victory.

"Front Row Joe" Foster started from pole position aboard the #15 Mustang and charged into the lead off the start. Foster lead a race-high 44 laps before handing over to teammate Scott Maxwell.

With track position at a premium at the tight and twisty Barber Motorsports Park, the team strategy called for a single pit stop for fuel and tires to minimize the amount of time spent in pit lane.

While many of their rivals elected to pit at the first yellow flag after one hour, both Foster and Frankie Montecalvo aboard the Bayshore Recycling #16 Mustang stayed on track - both cars eight laps short of their projected pit window.

A further yellow several laps later gave Foster the opportunity to hand over to Maxwell while Montecalvo took his turn in the race lead.

Gunnar Jeannette climbed aboard the #16 with a little under an hour to go but both he and Maxwell were unable to make major inroads through the traffic after a series of yellow flag periods enabled many of their opponents to still complete the race with one stop, despite pitting several laps earlier than the Multimatic duo.

Any chance of climbing back into podium contention was eliminated in a late race re-start when Maxwell was delayed after several cars clashed and spun in front of him and Jeannette was penalized with a stop-go penalty for jumping the start after he also took avoiding action - pulling out of line and accidentally passing cars before the start-finish line.

The final yellow-flag period brought the race to a conclusion with Maxwell crossing the line in eighth place and Jeannette in 15th.

In the charge to the finish, Jeannette actually set the fastest lap of the race at 1 minute, 38.250 seconds - nearly 2/10ths of a second faster than the opposition. Although disappointed with 15th place, the result was a positive step forward for the Jeannette/Montecalvo duo who had suffered mechanical problems and failed to finish the first two races of the season.

The Multimatic Motorsports Ford Mustang Boss 302R will now set its sights on turning that speed into outright success at Virginia International Raceway on April 24. The venue is a happy hunting ground for Foster and Maxwell - the duo clinching the 2008 championship at the Virginian track and Maxwell also concluding his 2005 title win at the same venue.


Multimatic Motorsports Quoteboard:

Joe Foster, #15 Ford Mustang Boss 302R
"We had parts of the day that were very good and parts that were very frustrating. Everything we had control over, we did really well.
"The pit strategy gods didn't smile on us which was disappointing after leading from the pole in the Mustang Boss 302R. I had led most of the race and we had a great strategy that enabled us to run to the finish on only one stop.
"We were looking for a lot more green flag running towards the end of the race. But the yellows came out too often and were too long.
"I'm still pleased because the new car is developing really well and it ran very reliably so we are very happy."

Scott Maxwell, #15 Ford Mustang Boss 302R
"The series is just so close and competitive and there are 20 cars that can win on any given day. You have to take chances if you want to win. We didn't take any chances at Homestead and we only rolled the dice a little today.
"You have to do what everyone else is doing - they are gambling big. Once in a while it will pay off to be conservative but there are too many good cars and you can't get back to the front if you are back in the pack.
"In the last two races we've been trying to fight back after our pitstop and you just can't do it.
"If you are going to find yourself in the back, you have to do it earlier because there just isn't time to work your way back."

Frankie Montecalvo, #16 Bayshore Recycling Ford Mustang Boss 302R
"We're very happy to finish and get to the end of our first race of the season. We didn't have any major problems with the car so I think we are coming along well.
"Hopefully next race we can have a lot better luck with the caution periods and that they will work in our favor.
"It was great to run at the front and get some laps in the lead as well. I had to work hard to hold off some guys for a while when I was on old tires.
"It was a lot of fun. The Multimatic and Ford guys are great to work with and hopefully we can keep moving forward to run at the front."

Gunnar Jeannette, #16 Bayshore Recycling Ford Mustang Boss 302R
"It's great to get to finish for the first time with the Boss 302R Mustang. It's not the way we wanted to finish but our strategy didn't work out so well and then I got a penalty while trying to avoid somebody else's drama on a restart and got a stop-go.
"It is nice to get the monkey off our back and get a finish under our belts.
"Frankie did a fantastic job with the guys he was racing with. He was unlucky in qualifying with traffic pushing him back to 10th but he raced really well.
"We'll learn a lot of lessons from today, put our heads down and move forward."

Release Prepared By Multimatic Motorsports
Hao Wang or Sean Mason
Multimatic Motorsports
Phone:905-470-0025
Email: racepr@multimatic.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/multimaticrace

PHOTOS: DIRTcar - Fulton Speedway - Super DIRT Series (April 10 2010)

DIRTcar Super DIRT Series action from New York's Fulton Speedway on April 10, 2010. Thank you to Rick Young (www.rickattheraces.com) for sending them along.