IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ANNOUNCES 2012 SCHEDULE

INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011) - A first-ever event in China and two venues that return after multi-year absences highlight the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule for 2012 announced today.

The 2012 season, which will feature the return of engine manufacturer competition and a new universal chassis produced by Dallara Automobili, kicks off Sunday, March 25, with the eighth Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

The IZOD IndyCar Series again presents the most diverse schedule in motorsports with the challenges of races on temporary street circuits, permanent road courses, superspeedways and short ovals in four countries.

"To be crowned IZOD IndyCar Series champion, the driver must be able to master a diversified race schedule that truly challenges the best in the world," said Randy Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. "The 2012 schedule offers our drivers and teams the test of conquering both ovals and road and street races. Adding to the diversity of the season, we're excited with the launch of three engine manufacturers vying for the Manufacturers Trophy."

The scenic Belle Isle park circuit will be the site of the recently announced Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix on Sunday, June 3. The IZOD IndyCar Series had competed at the Raceway at Belle Isle in 2007 and '08. Also returning to the schedule is the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval in Fontana, Calif., for a race under the lights Saturday, Sept. 15. INDYCAR sanctioned four races at Auto Club Speedway between 2002 and '05, while CART hosted events at the track from 1997 to 2002.

Night races also will be held at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 9, and the .875-mile Iowa Speedway on Saturday, June 23.

The Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 27, with Pole Day on Saturday, May 19.

The IZOD IndyCar Series returns to Barber Motorsports Park for the third consecutive year on Sunday, April 1, and the 38th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be held Sunday, April 15. Also, the series will compete on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the third time on Sunday, April 29, as the lead-in to Indianapolis 500 activities.

Back-to-back races in Canada highlight July - on the streets of Exhibition Place in Toronto on Sunday, July 8, and on the exciting City Centre Airport circuit in Edmonton, Alberta, on Sunday, July 22.

The permanent road courses of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Sunday, Aug. 5) and Infineon Raceway (Sunday, Aug. 26) also retain their traditional dates. On Sunday, Sept. 2, the IZOD IndyCar Series will electrify the streets of downtown Baltimore for the second consecutive year.

"INDYCAR is excited about the confirmed races announced today," said Bernard. "With the new car and engine manufacturer competition, we believe they will be tremendous events that will help INDYCAR grow.

"We are exploring adding additional events to the 2012 schedule. We're in the process of confirming a 16th event, while also considering adding a 17th race to the calendar."

In addition to the race schedule, the series' annual preseason Open Test will be held at Sebring International Raceway on March 5-8.

The television lineup and event start times will be announced soon. Also, the 2012 Indy Lights schedule will be announced soon.

March 25 - Streets of St. Petersburg

1.8-mile street course

April 1 - Barber Motorsports Park

2.3-mile road course

April 15 - Streets of Long Beach

1.968-mile street course

April 29 - Streets of Sao Paulo

2.536-mile street course

May 27 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway

2.5-mile oval

June 3 - Raceway at Belle Isle Park

2.1-mile street course

June 9 - Texas Motor Speedway

1.5-mile oval

June 23 - Iowa Speedway

.875-mile oval

July 8 - Streets of Toronto

1.755-mile street course

July 22 - Edmonton City Centre Airport

1.973-mile airport course

Aug. 5 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

2.258-mile road course

Aug. 19 - Streets of Qingdao, China

3.87-mile street course

Aug. 26 - Infineon Raceway

2.303-mile road course

Sept. 2 - Streets of Baltimore

2-mile street course

Sept. 15 - Auto Club Speedway

2-mile oval

Allmendinger to Drive the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge in 2012

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (December 21, 2011) – Penske Racing has named AJ Allmendinger as the driver of the team’s No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Allmendinger, who has competed in the Cup Series since 2007, is coming off a strong season that saw him finish 15th in the series standings while battling for a position in the Chase for the Championship. The 30-year-old native of Los Gatos, Calif., earned one top-five, 10 top-10 and 22 top-15 results in 2011 while driving the No. 43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports.

“I am really excited about the opportunity to join Penske Racing and drive the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge in 2012,” said Allmendinger. “I have always admired Roger Penske and the way his teams compete and win in every series where they race. It is a privilege for me to represent such iconic and respected brands as Shell and Pennzoil, AAA and Dodge. I am honored to join Penske Racing and I will do my very best to continue to build on the standard of excellence established across the organization.”

Allmendinger will join a winning team that’s poised to compete for a position in the 2012 Cup Series Chase. The No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge team produced two wins, three poles and 16 top-10 finishes in 2011 as it earned a spot in the Chase and finished 11th in the series standings. Allmendinger will be paired with crew chief Todd Gordon, who led the Penske Racing No. 22 Nationwide Series team to six victories last season and was named last week as the new chief of the Shell-Pennzoil Dodge.

“AJ is a very talented and motivated driver and we believe he will be a terrific fit with our team,” said Roger Penske. “He has shown great promise and consistent results on the track over the last few seasons and working with Todd and the Shell-Pennzoil Dodge team will allow him to take the next step and compete for race wins and a spot in the Chase in 2012.”

“Shell and Pennzoil are extremely pleased by Penske Racing’s selection of AJ Allmendinger to drive the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge,” said Lisa Davis, President of Shell Oil Products U.S. “AJ has consistently demonstrated great potential and continuous improvement as a driver, and with Penske’s track record, our employees and customers can look forward to seeing him contending for wins and ultimately a championship in the NASCAR Cup Series. We know he will represent our brands well on and off the track and we look forward to a successful 2012 with AJ behind the wheel.”

Allmendinger honed his skills in the open-wheel racing ranks. After winning the Barber Dodge Pro Series title in 2002 and the Toyota Atlantic Championship in 2003, he earned Rookie of the Year honors in the Champ Car World Series in 2004. He posted five wins and finished third in the 2005 Champ Car World Series before making the switch to NASCAR. He first competed in the Cup Series in 2007 and he’s earned 26 top-10 finishes in less than five Cup Series seasons. Allmendinger has finished inside the top 20 in points in each of the last two seasons.

Penske Racing is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 350 major race wins, 412 pole positions and 23 National Championships. For more information about Penske Racing, please visit www.penskeracing.com .

Seasons Greetings from the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour!

 

Bryan Mercer Strives to Keep the Drive Alive

Close.  They say it only counts in horseshoes (and occasionally hand grenades).  Midway through Kawartha Speedway’s 2011 season, it looked like Port Hope, Ontario’s Bryan Mercer was close to earning his first career NAPA Auto Parts ACT Late Model track championship. After scoring a 3rd place finish on opening night, the 15 year veteran racer picked-up a convincing win in the season’s first 100 lap invitational – his first main event win since 2006.  Another 3rd place effort Friday, June 24th was followed by a history making triumph in the 8th annual running of the 150 lap Summer Sizzler and a $3,000 payday.

“Between the final checkered flag of 2010 and first green of 2011, our car spent a lot of time on either jackstands or a jig,” said Mercer.  “We stripped off the body panels and sent the car to Mike McColl’s shop in London, Ontario.  They updated some of the geometry and other components during the winter.  It really made a difference to how the car felt and handled.  Our 2007 Monte Carlo felt like a brand new piece every time we took to the track.  I’ve been told a number of people thought it was a brand new car.”

The strong, early season showings placed Mercer and his #81 Sine’s Flooring/Durmach Tooling/Creative Edge Graphics/Jim’s Pizza, Port Hope/Quantrill Chev-Buick-GMC Cadillac/Cressman Tree Maintenance/UAP NAPA, Port Hope/Appleman CARSTAR Collision/ Dent Tec/True2spl Windshield Repair/Clarke Motorsports Communications Chevrolet in a comfortable, albeit not commanding lead atop the Fraserville 3/8th miler’s headline division standings.  As anyone who is familiar with the world of short-track racing will tell you, things can often change in the length of a straightaway; or in Bryan Mercer’s case, the turn of a corner.

“No matter how much I’d like to erase that night from my mind, I’m sure I’ll never forget the incident from Friday, July 15th,” said Mercer. “I was coming through turns 1 and 2 in the semi feature.  I’d already won a heat race, so that meant starting near the back.  Another car and I went into the corner running close together and we made contact.  I don’t know if he didn’t know I was there or if the car just broke loose.  No matter how it happened, it was frustrating and may have cost us the championship.”

In a sportsmanlike gesture, Bryan Watts offered the use of his car for the main event, but the 38 year-old father of 3 could only muster a 9th place finish in the unfamiliar piece.  With just a week before the next event, crew chief and father Ron Mercer along with Shane Crombie, Dave Dennis, Jeremy Dennis, Donny Dennis, Dylan Fraser, Danny Langstaff, Mike Lagrois and Terry Stark went to work to get their damaged machine ready for a trip to McColl Racing Enterprises to have a front clip updated.  The car made its return Friday, July 22nd, but a second place finish was its best showing in the year’s final 6 events.  A fluid leak on the final night of the season saw the black bow-tied beast with the patented showroom shine loaded into the hauler after only a couple of laps in the night’s first qualifying heat.

“Finishing 5th in points – especially after running so well at the start of the year – was a bitter pill to swallow,” said Mercer.  “On the positive side, we were only 1 point out of 4th and found what it takes to win.  As a team, that makes us more determined to come back even stronger when the 2012 season gets underway.”

Mercer says he likes the competition and challenge of racing and the friends he’s made over years.  The graduate of the thunder car and challenger divisions would like to see a more uniform set of rules from track to track to allow the drivers to travel more.  He’d also like to take a stab at the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series before calling it a career.  To learn more, see www2.creativeedgegraphics.com/mercer.

Be sure to visit www.kawarthaspeedway.com for details on the on-line voting for most improved and most sportsmanlike drivers in each of the 3 regular divisions.  Winners will be announced at the annual awards banquet Saturday, January 14th.  The 2012 season kicks-off Sunday, February 5th with the 3rd edition of the Long John 200 Endurance event.  Kawartha Speedway will also be part of the Canadian Motorsports Expo – presented by Inside Track Motorsports News – February 10th, 11th and 12th at the International Centre in Toronto.  See www.canadianmotorsportsexpo.com for the full schedule.

Photo attachment:  Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications

Bryan Mercer dedicated his 2011 Kawartha Speedway season to the memory of long-time friend and supporter Jim Sine, who passed away in November of 2010.

Prepared by:  Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications

                       clarkemotorsports@hotmail.com

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