NASCAR: Sadler On Pole, Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualifies Third for Aaron's 312 at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Kevin Harvick Inc. continued its restrictor-plate mastery by sweeping the front row during qualifying for Saturday’s running of the Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Elliott Sadler captured the pole position during qualifying Friday with a speed of 179.558, edging out KHI teammate Clint Bowyer, who turned a fast lap of 179.373. At the season-opening Nationwide race at Daytona International Speedway, KHI cars finished first and second and sat on the pole as well.

“There’s no secret how good these restrictor-plate cars have been the last couple of years,” Sadler said. “It shows a lot of hard work by Kevin Harvick and everybody on his race team.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has had plenty of restrictor-plate success of his own over the years, qualified third with a run of 179.115. Earnhardt has started only two of the first six Nationwide races this season but has finished in the top-five both times, including a fourth-place showing at Daytona.

“The Nationwide Series is fun to race in. I enjoy the races,” Earnhardt said. “The races I don’t run, it’s a weird feeling to not be in the Nationwide race. There have been times where I’ll sit there and watch that race and about halfway through it I’m thinking, ‘Why in the world didn’t I do something to be in the race.’ ”

Jamie McMurray will start fourth, followed by Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne in fifth, Carl Edwards sixth, Joey Logano seventh, Michael Annett eighth, Jason Leffler ninth and Aric Almirola 10th.

Kevin Harvick qualified 11th, current Nationwide points leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 14th, defending Aaron’s 312 winner Brad Keselowski 16th and Alabama native Mike Harmon 28th.

Sadler is running fulltime in the Nationwide Series this season and is eligible for the championship. He finished 38th in the season-opener at Daytona but motors into the Aaron’s 312 off three consecutive top-five finishes, propelling him into fourth place in the point standings.

“We are definitely going in the right direction,” Sadler said. “Finishing 38th at Daytona put us in a huge hole. We were fast (in the next two races), we just couldn’t dig ourselves out of that hole. And then we put three top-fives together in a row.

“We have a really good race team. I just want to be consistent enough to get our team back in contention to where we need to be.”

Driver introductions for the Aaron’s 312 are scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. CDT Saturday. The green flag for the 117-lap race is set to fly at approximately 2 p.m.

To purchase or for more information on tickets to Talladega Superspeedway, please visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.

2011 MOHAWK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY SEASON PASSES AVAILABLE NOW! GET YOURS TODAY

AKWESASNE, NY – April 14, 2011 - Just one more month remains before the start of the 2011 racing season at Mohawk International Raceway, with the season opener set for Friday, May 20th. Now is the perfect time get your season pass for the coming season. A season pit pass for the pit area is only $300 with a DIRTcar License, and $400 without a license. A DIRTcar license can be purchased for $125 for the 358 Modified division, $100 for Sportsman and Pro Stock drivers, and for anyone else it is $80. A 2011 Season Pass for the grandstand is only $250, and for Seniors and Students it is $200. Take advantage of the great saving by purchasing your season pass, which is good for all events in 2011 at Mohawk International Raceway. To purchase your passes, call the track office at (518) 358-3225. The first on track action of 2011 at MIR will be an open practice session for all divisions on Saturday, May 14th. All drivers are invited to come out and put their hard work during the winter to test, and shake their car down before the new season gets underway. The following Friday, May 20th will be opening night at MIR, as C&B Enterprises presents Twin 20’s for the Frenchie’s Chevrolet 358 Modifieds plus a regular show of Frenchie’s Built Ford Tough Sportsman, Bailey Motor Company Pro Stocks and CKON 97.3 FM Bandits. Race time is 7:45PM. Mohawk International Raceway is located in Akwesasne, NY, midway between the Seaway International Bridge to Cornwall, ONT and the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. From Route 37turn south onto Frogtown Road. Racing is held on Friday nights at 7:45 PM from May through September, featuring the Frenchie's Chevrolet DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, Sportsman and Pro Stocks, as well as the Bandit division. Visit us on the web at http://www.mohawkinternationalraceway.com/. The MIR office is 518-358-3225 and on race days, the track number is 518-358-9017. The track is owned and operated by Mohawk International Raceway, LLC.

ARCA TALLADEGA: Ty Dillon Wins Pole Award for Friday's 3 Amigos 250

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Ty Dillon is quickly finding his place in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. As in, first place.

Dillon captured the pole position Thursday at Talladega Superspeedway for the running of the 3 Amigos 250, which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. CDT Friday. It is only Dillon’s fifth start in the ARCA Racing Series, but it already is his third pole to go along with two victories.

“It’s going really well so far,” said Dillon, who is the grandson of longtime NASCAR team owner Richard Childress. “If the rest of our season can go as well as it has, we’ll have a lot of trophies and hopefully a championship trophy, because that’s what we’re going for.

“I knew we had the equipment and the cars and the resources. It puts it in my hands on the track. The guys working on the car have already proved themselves. Now I have to prove myself.”

Dillon turned in a fast lap of 183.681 mph. That was barely good enough to edge out Kyle Fowler for the pole. Fowler will join Dillon on the front row for the start of Friday’s race after posting a speed of 183.578 mph.

“It seemed like a perfect lap to me, just as smooth as I could be, but it wasn’t quite enough,” Fowler said. “Maybe I should have lunged forward at the start-finish line. It’s just splitting hairs at this point, we’re so close. It’s kind of frustrating.

“We had a great car throughout practice. Now if we can just step that up a little bit. I feel like we have a lot of momentum coming into this race.”

Maryeve Dufault qualified third with a speed of 183.434 in only her second career superspeedway stock-car race. A native of Quebec, Dufault has previously raced in such open-wheel series as the Pro Mazda Star Series and Formula BMW USA.

“Coming from open-wheel and being a rookie in stock car, I think we did great,” Dufault said. “This track can be intimidating. You have a few challenges here and there. You have to be mistake-free when you’re out there. There are little things that I’m still getting used to. But I’m really happy with how we did.”

Tim George Jr. qualified fourth with a speed of 182.958, and Scott Lagasse Jr. was fifth at 182.741.

Bobby Gerhart, who won the season-opening ARCA race at Daytona International Speedway, qualified 11th, defending race champion Dakoda Armstrong will start 14th, and Alabama native Grant Enfinger qualified in 18th position.

The running of the 3 Amigos 250 will cap a full day of action at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday. Qualifying for the Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race will begin at 11:10 a.m. CDT. Then the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will take to the track at 1 p.m. and again at 2:30 p.m. for practice sessions in preparation for Sunday’s Aaron’s 499.

To purchase or for more information on tickets to Talladega Superspeedway, please visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA

 

Update: Maryeve Dufault failed post-qualifying inspection for the 3 Amigos 250.  Tim George Jr. will now start in third place. 

 

From Andrew Smith / Media Relations Manager

 

BGR Team Grote enjoys success at inaugural F1600 Championship Series event

Team principal Brian Graham made a successful return to the cockpit this past weekend at the opening rounds of the newly announced series. Virginia International Raceway hosted the historic event and by all accounts it was very successful.  With a top 5 qualifying effort for round one, hopes were high for a top 5 result but after getting shuffled out during the first sequence of corners and giving up several spots Brian had to fight his way back to finish 8th.

Still pleased with the result as it has been several years since his last F1600 event the plan was to improve on Sunday. Qualifying was wild for Sunday's event with tow trucks and service vehicles on and off the track and mud being carried on the circuit from cars returning to the racing surface after excursions it looked like the best laps were done and with a solid time already in the books Brian chose to sit on his time in pit lane. He paid the penalty as two drivers leaped past him on their last lap to bump him to 7th on the grid. Just 6/10 of a second separated 3rd to 11th place so the race was going to be intense.

As expected the racing was very close and when the checkered flag fell the BGR Team Grote entry had climbed to 5th with a solid run. "I am very pleased with my first weekend of racing in what seems like a decade! It has been fun running our young guns over the last several years but it was nice to be back in the car. I am certainly a little rusty still but it is coming back now. The series is very competitive and to be in the top 5 is a great result. Knowing all the folks from the F2000 side and how they run that series I knew what a great series this would be immediately. They do an outstanding job and it really just reminds me of what we have in the OFFC with the "only F1600" rules and how enjoyable that is. Sitting 5th in points, I am looking forward to Watkins Glen. My first visit to VIR was great and we hope to build on that performance."

BGR Team Grote is now preparing for the upcoming OFFC season and is also looking to continue it's involvement in the F1600 Championship Series. "We have shown that we can provide competitive cars for both series and have seats available in both Championships. Interested parties can contact the team for more info through the team website.  www.briangrahamracing.com.

PHOTO: From F1600 Championship Series

Canadian Robert Wickens set for 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 Series

Toronto, Canada (April 14, 2011) – Canada’s Robert Wickens returns to European open-wheel competition this weekend with the 22-year-old set for the opening double-header round of the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, hosted at Spain’s Motorland Aragon Circuit, Saturday 16th – Sunday 17th April.

Forming part of the ‘World Series by Renault’ race weekend package, Wickens is no stranger to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series having competed in the championship in his first full-time season in Europe in 2008. As he will be this year, Robert raced for the UK-based Carlin outfit back then, becoming the first Canadian to win a round of the series at Silverstone while dove-tailing his commitments in the F3 Euro Series.

Teamed at Carlin this season alongside 2010 British Formula 3 Champion, France’s Jean-Eric Vergne, Wickens, the 2010 GP3 Series Runner-up, has wasted little time in showcasing himself as a favorite for the title having consistently been amongst the front-runners in pre-season testing.

The Canadian has attracted the backing of Marussia Motors – Russia’s first supercar manufacturer and co-owner of the Marussia Virgin Racing Formula One squad. His ‘World Series by Renault’ race car will be running in the colors of the F1 team and the Canadian hopes his efforts will lead to a shot in Formula One, his goal since he started karting competitively, and winning, back in 2001.

“It goes without saying I’m looking forward to getting back into competitive racing this weekend,” stated Wickens on his arrival in Spain. “We enjoyed a productive pre-season and proved to be quick in a variety of conditions at different tracks. I’m looking forward to being back with Carlin, a team I know very well, and I’m grateful to have the support of Marussia Motors for this year’s campaign.

“I’ve made no secret of my desire to be a Formula One driver and the European stage is where you have to keep proving yourself. I’ve been successful and won races in every category I’ve raced here and I’m simply looking for more of the same in the World Series by Renault this year. Hopefully I’ll add a title and a shot at Formula One off the back of my performances starting with this weekend in Spain!”

Robert’s weekend kicks off at Motorland Aragon with Race 1 set for 2pm CET on Saturday 16th with Race 2, also at 2pm CET, on Sunday 17th April.

Current F1 stars to have graduated from the Formula Renault 3.5 Series include F1 World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, as well as Robert Kubica and Jaime Alguersuari.

For further information on the World Series by Renault please log on to: www.worldseriesbyrenault.com

Photo Credit – ‘Toronto’s Robert Wickens in action for Carlin in Formula Renault 3.5’ – Carlin

From Stuart Morrison Public Relations

Alpinestars and SportsCarBoutique Partner with CTCC

The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire (CTCC) is proud to announce that Alpinestars and SportsCarBoutique will partner with CTCC for the 2011 season.

SportsCarBoutique is the official distributor for Alpinestars Auto Racing and Karting Gear in Canada. Alpinestars was established in 1963 and has grown into a world-leading manufacturer of professional racing products, high-performance apparel, technical footwear and sportswear. Alpinestars understands that the best design and research is achieved under extreme conditions, and its involvement in Formula 1, the World Rally Championship, AMA and World Motocross and MotoGP has led to the creation of advanced technical equipment for racing’s top athletes.

“SportsCarBoutique is a perfect partner for CTCC,” stated John Bondar, President of CTCC. “Founded by Ilker and Isabel Starck, their passion for cars coupled with decades of business excellence will help to grow their business and the Alpinestars brand.”

“I first noticed the high quality and professionalism of CTCC last season and knew it would be ideal to partner with them. Their exciting new brand and image helps to reinforce our plans to grow the Alpinestars brand and energize our sales,” said Ilker Starck, co-founder of SportsCarBoutique.

CTCC competitors will have 42 different opportunities to win vouchers redeemable for Alpinestars product at SportsCarBoutique. Competitors will also benefit from the expertise of SportsCarBoutique personnel and the safety seminars that they will be conducting throughout the season.

SportsCarBoutique is providing a special 15% discount on Alpinestars apparel to CTCC competitors until the first event of the 2011 season.

About CTCC: The Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental Tire is Canada’s only professional road racing series. Now in its fifth year, CTCC showcases race cars based on their stock street version. CTCC will be featured at Circuit ICAR, Mosport International Raceway, Honda Indy Toronto and Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières.

Experience the rush of touring car racing!

From Dominique Longval // Director of Marketing CTCC

DRAG RACING: Mickey Thompson to sponsor PMRA, Quick 32 Sportsman Series and PBSS

Legendary tire maker offers contingency programs for drag race competitors

STOW, OHIO (April 12, 2011) – One of the premier names in motorsports tires, Mickey Thompson, has returned to provide contingency awards in its support of the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA), the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the Pro Bike and Sled Series (PBSS) for 2011.

Founder Mickey Thompson, who began to market racing tires in 1963, is best known for his exploits in off-road racing, but the Californian was an important player in the early years of drag racing, and was one of the first racers in the evolution of the modern dragster. Thompson was also a competitor on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, setting a land speed record of 406.6 mph in 1960. He also developed a softer compound tire which was used in the Indianapolis 500 in the early 1960s.

Today this racing heritage continues with a full line of racing tires, including an entire range of traditional, radial, and motorcycle drag racing slicks.

“We are pleased to be involved with PMRA, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, and the PBSS,” noted Carl Robinson, Motorsports Manager for Mickey Thompson. “These are three excellent drag racing series that really showcases the sportsman racers. It also gives our brand an opportunity to reward our Canadian Team M/T members at multiple levels of competition.”

With the support of Mickey Thompson, the PMRA enters its seventh year of operation, and the Quick 32 Sportsman Series begins its third year of operation, while the newly-formed Pro Bike and Sled Series is set to begin its inaugural year. The season opener for all three series takes place May 20-22 for the Victoria Day Weekend Challenge at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park.

For more information, visit: www.mickeythompsontires.com

From PMRA

BARBER RACE FRUSTRATING FOR COMPASS360 RACING

(Birmingham, AL) -- Grand-Am's reigning Street Tuner Champions valiantly fought the heat and new series regulations, but ended up only managing a 13th-place finish in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge event at Barber Motorsports Park on Saturday.

David Thilenius, 2010 Driver Champion, qualified his iconic orange #74 JC Concrete Honda Civic Si in 11th place, just 1.4 seconds behind the pole-sitter. Keith Carroll, in his second race with the team, put the #75 Racing4Research Honda in 18th, while Dan Rogers qualified the #77 Speed Secrets Civic in 27th.

With qualifying complete, it was further proof that a series-mandated restrictor which had been fitted to the Civics at the beginning of the season was working too well.

"These are cars that qualified well into the top ten last year, often in the top five," remarked C360R Technical Director Ray Lee. Indeed, the team hoped that their race pace and the Civic's notorious ability for being easy on its tires would help move them up the order at the track, which is known for its abrasive asphalt.

All three cars got good starts, with each of the starting drivers managing to move up a few places. At the 45-minute mark, cars 75 and 77 pitted under yellow, with Ryan Eversley taking over for Carroll, and Rogers handing off to up-and-coming star Andrew Novich.

Another yellow followed shortly thereafter, with Zach Lutz taking over for Thilenius while Novich received a quick splash of fuel, meaning 74 and 77 were good to go to the end. Another mid-race caution proved an opportune time to pit Eversley and give him a new set of tires and a full tank of gas.

"We tried to put all three cars on a slightly different strategy," noted Team Principal Karl Thomson. With fresh tires Eversley was able to make his way back up to his team-mates, and all three Hondas ran closely together in the mid-pack until Novich was forced to pit with a broken suspension. The team worked quickly to repair the damage and got him back out in short order, albeit a few laps down.

Meanwhile, Lutz and Eversley ran nose-to-tail, trying to work through traffic and up to the front. "These Hondas have always had great handling," said Lutz, who finished third in the 2010 Driver standings. "But the restrictor means that we just don't have enough power to fight against the other ST cars." In the closing stages, with their eyes set on finishing positions just inside the top ten, Eversley's motor let go, and he retired, leaving 74 as the lone Compass360 Racing Honda on the lead lap, with Lutz finishing 13th.

Novich drove well and managed to get a lap back, crossing the line in 20th. Making up for the on-track frustration, the team continued its rewarding partnership with the Children's Tumor Foundation, welcoming nearly fifty children suffering from Neurofibromatosis (NF), their families and top local fundraisers. "We were really amazed by the turn-out of our NF Heroes here in Birmingham," exclaimed Jill Beck, Program Director for the CTF's Racing4Reasearch initiative.

"Ryan and his Compass360 team are really helping us spread the word about NF and to encourage donations." So far this season, R4R has raised over $1.4 million for NF research. Donations can be made at http://racing4research.org.

"Over the past few years our cars have been very successful in the Continental Tire series," noted Thomson. "We're hopeful that the Competition Department will have a good look at the performance of the Street Tuner class over the past three races and do something about the restrictor. Then we'll see if we can claw back some points at the next event!"

The Grand-Am Barber 200 will be televised at 2:00pm on April the 16th on SPEED. Compass360 Racing's next event is the massively popular Long Beach Grand Prix in California, where the team will be running cars in the SCCA's World Challenge Touring Car series. The race takes place at 4:15pm on Sunday April 17th.---------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 team, with support from Honda Performance Development (HPD), fields four front-running Honda Civic Si's in Grand-Am's Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, winning series Championships in 2010, 2009 and 2007. It won the Canadian Touring Car Championship in 2010, and also fields three Hondas in SCCA World Challenge. For details visit http://C360R.com.

Canadian drag racer Shawn Cowie critically injured

Bruce Biegler's DragRaceCanada.com has the shocking news about a road accident in Nashville, TN that critically injured Delta, BC drag racer Shawn Cowie.

"In an unbeliveable development, and just one week after winning at NHRA Las Vegas, rising Canadian star drag racer Shawn Cowie has received very serious injuries following a motorcycle accident…. The absolutely terrible twist of fate occured about 10:30 Saturday night in Nashville, TN...." Continued at the link above.

The Province has more news here.

PIERRE BOURQUE RACING AT TALLADEGA

Ottawa, ON (April 12, 2011) NASCAR driver Pierre Bourque, a regular in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, will open his 2011 racing season in the 3 Amigos 250 ARCA Series event at Talladega Superspeedway in the #6 Revolution Resources - Fight Network - OCR Gas Bar Toyota fielded by Eddie Sharp Racing this Friday April 15th.

Making this event possible for Pierre Bourque and Eddie Sharp Racing are an exciting array of sponsors, including Revolution Resources, a Canadian-owned junior gold mining company operating in North Carolina, Anheuser-Busch and their “Responsible Use” campaign, Fight Network, the world's premier provider of combat sports content, OCR Gaz Bar, owned by my friend Derek White in Khanawake, Quebec, and Sure Pure, the global leader in turbid liquid photopurification.

“I’m very pleased to have these great companies supporting our efforts with ESR and the #6 Toyota” said Bourque. “We’re confident of a great effort and looking forward to showing off our supporters” he stated.

Bourque and the ESR team visited Talladega earlier this month and completed a successful test session at the biggest race track in stock car racing. “Our car was super-fast, in the top three all day on single car runs. My crew chief Dave Leiner is a superspeedway expert. We just kept going faster all day, I even got up a little high and brushed the wall between turn three and four at about 185 mph. It’s going to be so thrilling to race at Talladega”.

Bourque is focused on the task of competing with the top ARCA teams and determined to come home with a top finish this week. “I had such a good time here at Talladega during the test and I can’t wait to put on a good show for the tremendous race fans here at the track and for those who will be watching it on TV both in Canada and the USA on SPEED” said the driver. “It’s such an exciting privilege to climb into the #6 ESR Toyota and to race on such a wonderful track like Talladega."

The action for the ARCA series begins on Thursday at 10AM local time with three hours of practice and qualifying will take place at 5PM. Final practice is Friday morning and the race is at 4PM local time, 5PM Eastern and can be seen live on SPEED.

For more information on Pierre Bourque, go to http://www.pierrebourque.com and http://www.twitter.com/pierrebourque

For more information on Eddie Sharp Racing, go to http://www.teamesr.com and http://www.twitter.com/teamesr

Revolution Resources Corp. is a TSX listed gold exploration company (TSX: RV) based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Well funded and with no long term debt, Revolution Resources’ focus is generative exploration targeting underexplored gold belts. The Company has made a significant new gold discovery in the Carolina Slate Belt with similar geology to the Haile mine. Management has a proven track record of discovery, financing and marketing. http://www.revolutionresourcescorp.com

Anheuser-Busch is the industry leader in promoting alcohol responsibility, with ads dating back to the early 1900s that carried the tagline “Budweiser Means Moderation.” For nearly three decades, the company and its wholesalers nationwide have invested $830 million in national advertising campaigns and community-based programs to promote responsible drinking; prevent underage drinking and drunk driving; and address college issues. In 2010, the company ranked first among beer companies for social responsibility in FORTUNE magazine's “World's Most Admired Companies.” http://www.anheuser-busch.com/AlcoholResponsibility.html

The Fight Network is the world's premier provider of combat sports content. Their combat sports content (mixed martial arts (MMA), boxing, wrestling, kickboxing and other sports) is delivered across an entire range of branded delivery channels including digital cable and DTH satellite broadcast, broadband, major internet portals such as FoxSports.com, mobile, radio and DVDs, all focused on reaching the rapidly expanding universe of fight fans around the world. http://www.thefightnetwork.com

Ocr Gaz Bar is the major petroleum retailer operating in Kahnawake, Quebec. It is owned and operated by resident Derek White and serves this major Mohawk community, fostering growth, employment and prosperity within the Mohawk community and beyond.

Sure Pure is a global leader in turbid liquid photopurification. Using its patented Turbulator technology, SurePure systems use UV-C light to purify microbiologically sensitive liquids such as wine, fruit juice and milk. Although designed to deliver food-grade solutions, it can also be harnessed to improve processing liquids such as water, brines and sugar syrup solutions. SurePure technology offers greater microbiological efficacy than conventional UV systems and is effective for both clear and turbid liquids, a world first. http://www.surepure.net

Prepared by Todd Lewis & TL Sports & Entertainment, todd@tlsportsent.com (239) 961-2618

Brighton Mall Show 2011

As part of a pre season promotional tour, Brighton Speedway was at Quinte Mall in Belleville, On. this past week. Fans had a chance to check out some of Brighton Speedway’s hottest race cars including the #77 of Caley Weese, #57 Charlie Sandercock, #11 Corey Earl, Pro Stock Driver # 8 Gary Vandertoorn, Canadian Modified Driver #9 Matt Vanderlinden, Comp 4 driver #00 Bob Akey and Southern Ontario Sprint driver #25 Warren Mahoney. Fans also had the opportunity to pick up the new 2011 schedule of events, enter for a chance to win a grandstand season pass and talk to some of the staff from Brighton Speedway, as well as some of the racers.

The season’s racing action begins at the track on Saturday, May 7th at 7PM. Admission is only $2.00 with a non perishable food donation in support of the local food bank. Visit http://www.brightonspeedway.com/ for further information. 'Brighton Speedway, where affordable family entertainment is turned into a night of excitement'

Chris Eggleston wins 'The Race' at North Wilkesboro

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (April 10, 2011) – Chris Eggleston snatched the lead from Bubba Pollard with 24 laps remaining in Sunday's "The Race" at Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway and was never seriously challenged the rest of the way, picking up the track's season opener and a record $75,000 in victory lane.

"Holy cow!" an excited Eggleston exclaimed after defeating Pollard by 0.779 second. "This deal didn't come together until about two weeks ago. Crew chief (and former NASCAR car driver) Butch Miller gave me a call, said he had a sponsor and he wanted me to come on out and drive; thought we had a real shot at winning this. Man! Am I glad I didn't prove him wrong because to be the veteran that he is ... he never steered me wrong in the trucks last season, he never steered me wrong today."

Eggleston, a senior at Colorado State University who will graduate with honors this year, said he thought his car was good during the race's first 100 laps.

"We just used that to get a feel for the car, what it was going to do, short runs, long runs," the 22-year-old Eggleston explained. "Those restarts were killing us. For the middle section, we were just a tick loose on late exit and a little bit on late entry. I told Butch we needed to close up the (tire) stagger a little bit. It got a little too tight with the sun going down; should have left it alone. I don't know if we had enough to get around the 18 (Pollard). We just caught him just at the right time in lapped traffic and that's all it took."

Two competition caution flags divided the 300-green-flag-lap race into three 100-lap segments. At the end of the first 100 laps Pollard, from Senoia, Ga., led while Eggleston was ninth. When the second 100 laps concluded Eggleston was leading and Pollard was second. Once the green flag waved on the final 100 laps, the race for the victory quickly turned into a two-car battle between Eggleston and Pollard.

Pollard jumped into the lead and pulled away, often by as much as three car lengths. However, on lap 234 they caught lapped traffic and that allowed Eggleston to close on Pollard's bumper. For the next 42 laps, Eggleston dogged Pollard, attempting to pass him several times, but on each occasion a slower car worked to Pollard's advantage and Eggleston couldn't complete the pass.

Finally, on lap 276, a slower car caused Pollard to bobble as they exited turn four at the 0.625-mile track. Eggleston used Pollard's mistake to his advantage, shooting past him on the outside and into the lead for good.

"The 54 [Johnny Clark] kinda messed me up and he [Eggleston] was able to get by me right there with lapped cars," Pollard said after the race that had an average speed of 59.928 mph. "We had a pretty good race car and he did, too. We just got tight there in the center of the corner and had too much wheel in it, making it loose off."

Rounding out the top five, respectively, were: Jeff Choquette; T.J. Reaid, of Mooresville, N.C.; and Ben Rowe, from Turner, Maine. Ryan Blaney, son of NASCAR driver Dave Blaney, finished seventh, while Ross Kenseth, son of 2003 NASCAR Cup champion Matt Kenseth, placed eighth. The younger Kenseth was the last car on the lead lap. Daytona 500 winners Geoff Bodine and Sterling Marlin placed 37th and 44th, respectively, in the 44-car field. Both drivers experienced mechanical problems with Marlin exiting the event after 25 laps and Bodine 84.

Seventy-five drivers representing 21 states and five Canadian provinces attempted to qualify for the lucrative Super Late Model event that had a two-lap qualifying session, five heat and two Last Chance races determine the starting line-up.

In the 100-green-flag-lap, tour-type Modified race that preceded the PASS event, veteran Junior Miller, of Winston-Salem, N.C., emerged the victor. Jimmy Zacharias, who started on the pole, dominated the race but faded in the closing stages. Rounding out the top five, respectively, were John Markovic, from Bethlehem, Pa., brothers Jason and Burt Myers, of Walnut Cove, N.C., and Rick Kluth, of Brockport, N.Y.

Historic North Wilkesboro Speedway's next event is May 13-14 with the Southern Truck and Tractor Pullers Association. The legendary track's next race is June 18 when the UARA Series will stage a 200-lap event.

From Robin Bartos

PHOTOS: Cornwall Square Mall Show ... by Rick Young

Photographer Rick Young was at the Cornwall (ON) Square Mall on Sunday evening as the cars set up for this week's Cornwall Motor Speedway Car Show.

Kinetic Kia Victory at Barber with Galati & Jonsson

Michael Galati and Nic Jönsson celebrate Kia Motors America’s first victory at Barber Motorsports Park. The duo won the ST class at the Barber 200 in the Kinetic Motorsports #10 Infinity Audio Kia Forte Koup

GRAND-AM: Multimatic wins Contintental Tire race at Barber

BIRMINGHAM, AL, April 9, 2011 – An iconic Mustang is back in victory lane delivering a race win to the “Blue Oval.”  Multimatic Motorsports’ championship driver duo of Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster claimed the first competition victory for the Boss 302R in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in GRAND-AM at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.

 

“This is a pretty special victory,” said Scott Maxwell, who was involved in the testing and development of the Boss 302R. “We have come close a few times before so maybe we were overdue, but it hasn’t really sunk in yet. Certainly there is a special legacy in racing the Boss 302R and the amazing job that Parnelli Jones did winning the championship in the Boss. It has been an honor to run the same paint scheme as Parnelli and this is an amazing win.”

 

The Boss 302R is the latest turnkey ready to race, road racing offering from Ford Racing Performance Parts. The lessons learned in the development on the 302R were applied to the street version of the Mustang Boss 302.

 

"What a great weekend for Mustang,” said Jamie Allison, Director Ford North America Motorsports. “I am down here in Texas and Mustang wins its first NASCAR race and then here we are on Saturday mid-day and Boss 302R claims its first victory since its return. It is just outstanding. What a weekend for Mustang.  Ford fans and Mustang fans everywhere are having a blast. I am especially proud of the hard work of the team, whether it is Mutlimatic or the Roush team down in GRAND-AM. Congratulations to Scott Maxwell and Joe Foster for this accomplishment and to Jack Roush Jr. and Billy Johnson who are sitting on the podium in third place as well. It is a labour of love and a lot of effort over the last two years since the Boss has been back on the track. To see the Boss 302R get its first victory in GRAND-AM this weekend is just great."

 

“The Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is incredibly competitive,” said Maxwell. “I know our Boss 302R is running great and Roush has a very strong Boss as well. No win is easy, but I hope we can run a few off in a row and then start racing for the championship not just race wins.”

 

From Brent Maurer, Ford Racing PR