Posted on 04/08/2014 7:39:22 PM PDT by ican'tbelieveit
LOL! He better have a huge pile if He goes to play in F1. Kurts stuff is Barbie doll couch change to F1.
Sad News - Marty Little:
Longtime Florida racing journalist, promoter and track announcer Marty Little passed away on Saturday, April 12th in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Little was a USAF Vet and longtime track announcer at the now defunct Hialeah Speedway. Little the public relations person for Rahmoc Racing, wrote weekly racing articles for National Speed Sport News for South Florida race tracks and was the historian for South Florida racing for over 40 years. Marty is the brother of long time Penske Racing employee David Little. Little currently worked at Dometic Enviromental. Survivors include wife Janet, children Richard, Suzanne (Brian) grandson Paul, brother David (Malinda) their children Chris, Dee, and Katelyn. Donations to Vitas 152 or Victory Junction. Services info at Fred Hunters in Davie, FL.(4-15-2014)
New Freedom Trophy Awarded to Talladega Sprint Cup Series Winner:
Winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway - NASCAR's Most Competitive track - brings with it history, tradition, prestige and honor. Now, it has taken on a new meaning that has a special place in everyone's heart. In support of the United States Military, Talladega Superspeedway is thrilled to announce the "Freedom Trophy," which will be awarded to every winner of a Sprint Cup Series race at the 2.66-mile grand venue, beginning with the May 4 Aaron's 499. The special trophy showcases all five branches of the United States military - Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Military personnel will be on hand at each Talladega Sprint Cup Series race to make the presentation of the Freedom Trophy in Victory Lane. Not only will they be in the winner's circle to award the coveted trophy, but they will also participate in pre-race ceremonies as well. Each Talladega Superspeedway race weekend, a different United States military base will be given the opportunity to present the Freedom Trophy.
The creation of Talladega Superspeedway Vice President Brian Crichton, the Freedom Trophy is an honor to all military men and women on behalf of the speedway, a patriotic entity since 1969. Crichton enlisted the assistance of Fast Forward Marketing Owner Mike Barth (Spring, TX), who has custom designed trophies in motorsports since 1996. MTM Recognition in Oklahoma City, OK spearheaded the design.
"Winning a Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega just got extra special," said Talladega Chairman Grant Lynch. "With the Freedom Trophy, we pay tribute to our race winners, as well as our servicemen and women who make so many things possible for us on a daily basis." The Freedom Trophy is five-sided, reflective of each branch of the military. Silver aluminum panels, complete with a design of each military branch soldier and branch logo, are showcased, along with a star that is waterjet cut in the center. The base is black stained wood with circular discs at the bottom and top made of black acrylic, and includes the Talladega Superspeedway logo, the date of the race and the name of the base awarding the trophy.
"As a symbol of our military we thought it was fitting to start with a pentagon shaped base'" said Crichton. "The artists did a great job by bringing together all five branches of the military, incorporating the star in the center and showcasing each branch seal on the individual pillars. It is a trophy we hope every Talladega Sprint Cup winner will be proud of - that it will mean a little something extra when they display it with the rest of their trophies." In addition to recognizing the military through the Freedom Trophy, Talladega Superspeedway is proud to offer special ticket prices for all members of the military and their families for its race weekends. For more information, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/military.(TSS)(4-15-2014)
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Gordon could race 10 more years? Daughter may race soon:
#24-Jeff Gordon talked to Larry King at Auto Club Speedway last month about his strong season in 2014, his career and whether his children will race. "It's funny how life serves these things up," Gordon said. "You go through a time where you go through a frustrating year, or I had some back and health issues. And I said, 'You know, I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to do this at this level or if I event want to.' "Then you all of the sudden have this amazing year, and you go, 'God, I love racing. Racing's amazing. I can't wait to do it for another 10 years.' " In addition to his own future, Gordon also discusses the possibility of his offspring racing and expects to see his daughter behind the wheel in the near future. "We're probably going to put my daughter in a quarter-midget soon," Gordon said.(see video at NASCAR.com), on Monday, April 14th, Gordon posted an image on his Twitter of daughter Ella driving a quarter midget for the first time.(4-15-2014)
you'd have to stand in line...
FOX moves Talladega qualifying to FOX:
NASCAR ramped up its pre-race excitement level for the 2014 season, making qualifying more relevant and much more entertaining by introducing a highly competitive “knockout” system, beginning with 43-plus race cars on the track at the same time at tracks 1.25 miles or longer. NASCAR on FOX, which covers the first 13 NASCAR Sprint Cups Series of the season, is showing its enthusiasm for the new system, moving the (Saturday) May 3 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying at unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway from FOX Sports 2 to FOX, marking the first time a non-Daytona qualifying session has aired on FOX. “This move is a direct result of the double-digit ratings gains NASCAR’s new knockout qualifying format is delivering every weekend,” said Bill Wanger, EVP of Programming, Research & Content Strategy. “We are thrilled to be able to highlight this new format on FOX, and what more exciting place to do that than Talladega Superspeedway.” The new qualifying system, which moves away from single-car qualifying and is supported by double-digit, year-to-year ratings growth, allows for all cars to qualify collectively for up to 25 minutes, with the top 24 based on fastest laps advancing for a subsequent 10-minute session. The top 12 from that group advance to the final, five-minute round. The 90-minute Talladega qualifying session begins on FOX on Saturday, May 3 at 1:30 pm/et(FOX).
NOTE so far FoxSports has aired qualifying time delayed, 5-10 minutes behind live. Results will be posted LIVE on Jayski.com, and Jayski’s Twitter & Facebook...so spoiler alert....(4-16-2014)
Michael Schumacher is said to be "showing small signs of progress" in his recovery from a serious brain trauma as the seven-time Formula 1 world champion continues to be treated for injuries sustained in a skiing accident last December. The 45-year-old's manager Sabine Kehm confirmed earlier this month that Schumacher was showing signs of consciousness and being awake, and she has now elaborated on her latest revelation that gives hope of the F1 great making a recovery. "There are short moments of consciousness and he is showing small signs of progress," Kehm told German broadcaster ARD. "There are moments when he is awake and moments when he is conscious. See full story at the Independent.(4-16-2014)
Tire Testing at Kansas:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams converged on Kansas Speedway for a Goodyear tire test Tuesday in preparation for the track’s first night race next month. Goodyear allowed one car per organization to the single-day test, held in advance of the May 10 event at the 1.5-mile track. The teams took part on a cool spring day that portended potential track record speeds at a facility where #20-Matt Kenseth set the existing mark of 191.864mph in qualifying last April. Although the track hosted its first Sprint Cup weekend in 2001, temperature extremes in the region led officials to surface the facility in 2012. Speeds jumped as a result, and last fall Goodyear brought to Kansas its multi-zone tread tire, which combines one compound designed for traction and another toughened for durability. Different multi-zone combinations have also been used for races at Texas and Atlanta, and another is planned for next week’s event at Richmond.(NASCAR.com)
Teams that were scheduled to test were: #2-Keselowski, #3-Dillon, #4-Harvick, #5-Kahne, #7-Annett, #11-Hamlin, #13-Mears, #17-Stenhouse Jr.,#42-Larson, #43-Almirola, #51-Allgaier, #55-Vickers, #78-Truex Jr., #83-Bowman / Truex.(MRN’s Dustin Long)(4-16-2014)
Thanks ma. I appreciate the posts with the news as I don’t have time peruse racing related sites.
Welcome, That’s why I do it.
Swan Racing [#26-Cole Whitt & #30-Parker Kligerman] issued the following statement Thursday afternoon: "Swan Racing is in the process of reviewing its current situation and the ability to continue to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The team has been unable to secure the kind of sponsorship required to effectively operate the team. As a result, the team management is exploring every available option. We hope to be in position to provide a detailed update in the near future."(Swan Racing Facebook)(4-17-2014)
NASCAR’s Spring Break Arrives After Intriguing Start:
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has its own version of spring break and it has arrived, with the traditional Easter weekend hiatus. It’s time for a bit of rest, relaxation - and examination regarding the first eight races of the 2014 season. In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a lot going on, starting with the unreal level of parity that has made predictability an outdated term. Much has been said and written about the seven different winners to start the season, a streak broken this past weekend at Darlington Raceway when Kevin Harvick became the year’s first two-time winner. Overshadowed somewhat has been a concurrent revolving door, in the form of eight different Coors Light Pole winners to open the season, tied for the series’ longest season-opening streak of different pole winners.
Is competition better than ever?
There are statistics supporting that notion:
All three manufacturers have won races thus far, led by Chevrolet’s four victories.
An average of 12 different leaders per race, compared to 8.6 at this point last year.
An average of 25.6 lead changes per race, compared to 17.4 in 2013.
Total of 29,541 green flag passes, compared to 23,178 in 2013.
Total of 346 green flag passes for the lead, compared to 181 in 2013.
And ... an average margin of victory of 0.588 seconds, the smallest since 2008.(NASCAR)(4-17-2014)
Bummer. Running Cup is expensive, I’ve heard the engine lease is 80 grand a race or thereabouts.
And now for the PC Barf Alert.
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NASCAR Executive Marcus Jadotte Leaving Organization:
NASCAR announced that Marcus Jadotte, vice president of public affairs and multicultural development, will be leaving the organization. Jadotte will serve as a consultant as NASCAR continues to evolve its diversity and multicultural development initiatives throughout the organization. Additionally, NASCAR will expand its existing relationship with Teneo Strategy, a strategic advisory firm which has worked with NASCAR since 2013, to support its public affairs activities. Among his accomplishments since joining NASCAR in March 2005, Jadotte led the development of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity (D4D) and NASCAR Pit Crew Development programs. These initiatives focus on developing the skills of promising female, Asian, Latino and African-American drivers and crew members in NASCAR. Jadotte has effectively overseen NASCAR’s relationship with Rev Racing, which operates teams in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for the NASCAR D4D program, resulting in an increase in minority participation and on-track success. NASCAR D4D will continue under the leadership of Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president, racing operations (to whom Jadotte reported). The NASCAR Diversity Internship Program and annual NASCAR Diversity Awards also are among a number of diversity and inclusion programs started by Jadotte that will continue at NASCAR.(NASCAR)(4-17-2014)
Sage Fruit signs associate deal with JR Motorsports:
Sage Fruit Company, long-time sponsors of Kasey Kahne Racing, just announced a new associate sponsorship with JR Motorsports, the professional race team owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Based in Mooresville, N.C., JR Motorsports fields multiple teams and tours nationally in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. As part of the agreement, the Sage Fruit logo will have placement on the #9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevy for all of Chase Elliott’s races, as well as placement on Kahne’s #5 Great Clips Chevy at Talladega (May 3) and #5 Hellmann’s Chevy at Daytona (July 4).(Perishable News)(4-15-2014)
Kentucky names June Nationwide race sponsor:
The Kentucky Office of Highway Safety announced its return to Kentucky Speedway as the title sponsor for the June 27 NASCAR Nationwide Series 300-mile event. The John R. Elliott HERO Campaign 300 presented by Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over will be part of a NASCAR tripleheader weekend June 26-28. Kentucky HERO is part of The HERO Campaign for Designated Drivers, a national campaign established by the family of Navy Ensign John R. Elliott of New Jersey. Elliott, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, was killed in a head-on collision by a drunken driver in July 2000 as he was traveling home from Annapolis, Md. A key component of Kentucky Speedway’s involvement with Kentucky’s HERO program is to raise awareness about the importance of having a designated driver.(Kentucky Speedway)(4-16-2014)
IIRC a HMS Engine is $100,000 including tech support.
Don’t know about Rousch/Yates $$$
And Tayoter is 10,241,704.00 JPY payable only in cash;)
numbers lookin good...
I guess there’s only 4 places to get an engine now:
Hendrick
Earnhardt/Childress
Roush/Yates
Toyota Racing
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