Nascar SCS Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan Intl Speedway Sunday August 17 on ESPN at 1:00 PM ET

Nascar ^

[tubebender]

I know Brero Jr as does any gear head for 100 miles around. I have a snapshot in a shoebox of Sr & Jr at the local drag strip in 1954...

[mabarker1]

I heard it through the grapevine!!!First on FR again (Thank You Mama)

Gibbs to hold press conference Tuesday: According to Joe Gibbs Racing, they will hold a press conference Tuesday, August 19 at 10:00am/et and "this unprecedented announcement will have impact across four NASCAR racing series."(Joe Gibbs Racing)
AND Joe Gibbs Racing will announce Carl Edwards as its fourth Sprint Cup driver for the 2015 season next Tuesday. However, the bigger news appears to involve Daniel Suarez, the 22-year-old darling of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, who will drive for JGR in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Suarez, of Monterrey, Mexico, currently leads the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series where he has nine victories in 52 career starts including four this season. Suarez has made dramatic improvement since joining the tour and has led 1,084 of the 7,790 laps raced. Suarez made his first career Nationwide Series start for JGR at Richmond in the #20 Toyota. Suarez qualified 12th and finished 19th. He completed all but one lap.(Motorsport)(8-15-2014)

[Las Vegas Dave]

There may be a chance of rain for Sunday..

[mabarker1]

NASCAR issues rule to keep drivers in cars: In its continued efforts to evolve the safety of its sport, NASCAR announced Friday that it will add a rule that addresses on-track incidents as part of its race procedures. The rule, listed as Section 9-16, will be an addendum to the NASCAR rule book and will apply to all of its racing series, effective immediately.

Section 9-16 On-Track Incident Procedure
During an Event, if a racecar is involved in an on-track incident and/or is stopped on or near the racing surface and unable to continue to make forward progress, unless extenuating emergency conditions exist with the racecar (i.e. fire, smoke in cockpit, etc.) the driver should take the following steps:
· Shut off electrical power and, if driver is uninjured, lower window net
· Do not loosen, disconnect or remove any driver personal safety equipment until directed to do so by safety personnel or a NASCAR/Track Official
· After being directed to exit the racecar, the driver should proceed to either the ambulance, other vehicle, or as otherwise directed by safety personnel or a NASCAR/Track Official
· At no time should a driver or crew member(s) approach any portion of the racing surface or apron
· At no time should a driver or crew member(s) approach another moving vehicle
All vehicles not involved in the incident or that are able to continue afterwards should slow down to a cautious speed as outlined in Section 10-4 (Yellow Flag), use extreme care as they approach an incident scene, and follow any directions given by safety personnel or NASCAR/Track Officials. Cars in line behind the safety car should not weave or otherwise stray from the line in the vicinity of the incident.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition and racing development, says the rule is "part of the evolution of NASCAR's rules and regulations."
"Throughout the history of our sport, NASCAR has reviewed and analyzed situations and occurrences that take place not just in NASCAR racing but also throughout all motorsports and other sports," said Pemberton. "When we believe we can do something to make our sport safer and better for the competitors and others involved in the competition environment, we react quickly. Safety always has been priority number one at NASCAR."
As with other behavioral infractions, NASCAR will handle each instance separately when assessing potential penalties.(NASCAR)(8-15-2014)

[mabarker1]

Stewart To Sit Out Michigan; Jeff Burton To Serve as Interim Driver for #14 Team UPDATE: Tony Stewart has decided not to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event this weekend at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. Veteran driver Jeff Burton, a winner of 21 Sprint Cup races, will pilot the #14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) in place of Stewart. This driver change pertains only to Michigan. Stewart's plans for upcoming Sprint Cup races have yet to be determined. At 10:00am/et on Friday in the deadline room of the infield media center at Michigan, Burton will be part of a press briefing featuring SHR executive vice president Brett Frood and SHR vice president of competition Greg Zipadelli.(True Speed Communication/Stewart-Haas Racing)
AND By skipping an entire weekend, he would need NASCAR to waive the requirement that a driver must qualify or race every weekend to be eligible for the Chase. NASCAR officials would not speculate Thursday whether they would grant a waiver if one is requested(Sporting News)(8-14-2014)
UPDATE: Greg Zipadelli, VP of competition, Stewart Haas Racing, Brett Frood executive vice president of Stewart Haas Racing, and Jeff Burton held a press conference Friday morning at Michigan International Speedway. The transcript of the conference is posted on the Stewart Haas Racing Press Conference Transcript Page.(8-15-2014)

JEFF BURTON

BRETT FROOD

GREG ZIPADELLI

 

THE MODERATOR:  Good morning, everyone.  I thank you for your time this morning.  Certainly appreciate it.  Up here is Jeff Burton, our interim driver of the No. 14 car this weekend.  Greg Zipadelli, VP of competition, Stewart Haas Racing, and Brett Frood executive vice president of Stewart Haas Racing.

            There will be some questions that we simply will be unable to answer.  There is an ongoing investigation to the tragic accident that took place last Saturday night.  We're going to respect the process and the people involved in that investigation.

            With that we're here today simply to brief everyone on our current plans, and that includes Jeff Burton in the No. 14 car here at Michigan.  No decisions have been made regarding any upcoming races.

            With that we'll open it up to questions.  We'll really just take a handful and go on about our day here.

 

            Q.  Brett, was this decision not to have Tony race this weekend, was it based on his emotional state, the ongoing investigation?  If it's the latter, will he not race again until the investigation is complete?

            BRETT FROOD:  This decision was Tony's.  An emotional week for him.  He's grieving.  Made the decision he's not ready to get in the racecar and will take it week by week.

            It will be up to Tony when he's ready to get back in the car.

 

            Q.  Brett, where is Tony?  Are you in contact with him constantly?  How much is he playing a role as far as other decisions at SHR?

            BRETT FROOD:  Tony is surrounded right now by his closest friends and family.  We're obviously in contact with him.

            His location is of a private nature right now.

 

            Q.  How is everything, sponsorship, at Stewart Haas Racing?  Jeff, talk about stepping in the racecar after a situation like this.

            BRETT FROOD:  From a sponsor standpoint, we've got the greatest sponsors in the world.  They're very caring.  They understand it's an emotional time.  There's much sympathy for the family of the young man, and the care for Tony.  We've had a great deal of support from our partners.

            As far as getting ready for this weekend, the task at hand for Greg, the rest of our crew, is to prepare four cars for our drivers and figure out how to win this weekend at Michigan.

            JEFF BURTON:  My role here is to hopefully provide a little stability, give that team a chance to have the most success they can have in a very difficult situation.

            Hopefully me being here in some kind of way can help, I don't know how, but hopefully I can find a way to help a healing process start.  I don't know how that is, but that would be my ultimate goal for everybody.

            Obviously it's an awkward situation for everybody.  But there's a lot of people at Stewart Haas Racing that work really, really hard and deserve 100% effort from me, and that's what they're going to get.

 

            Q.  Jeff, can you walk us through when the team reached out to you?  Can you also give us a reaction to the NASCAR rule that was announced about 45 minutes ago?

            JEFF BURTON:  I think NASCAR is in a position to in some cases immediately respond to situations.  As we all know, NASCAR has been unbelievable in regard to safety.  I believe they have led the industry as it relates to safety for the last 10 years or so.  I think NASCAR does a really good job of looking at all the information and making the best decision they can make.

            I support the decision that they feel like it's what they need to do.  It's pretty simple.  I'm proud that they want safety to be on the forefront.  That's what this rule is all about.

 

            Q.  When did the team reach out to you?

            JEFF BURTON:  Greg reached out to me - my days are getting blurred - I think Wednesday morning to ask if I was interested.  So it started the process.  It was just in case Tony decides.  We didn't really know.  But it was a Wednesday morning conversation.  And he gets up earlier than I do, by the way.

 

            Q.  After this terrible accident, I looked online what was written in Europe.  There was a lot of speculation and reports that are totally wrong.  When all the investigations are completed, are you planning to put this right and inform the media this and this happened instead of media, especially in foreign countries, writing speculation articles?

            BRETT FROOD:  We certainly understand the media has a job to do.  While there may be some irresponsible reporting, right now the focus of everyone should be on the family that's grieving.  There has been some of that focus that hasn't been there.

            I'm quite certain when we get through this that everyone will get the story from the key parties.

 

            Q.  Brett, will Jeff be your interim driver throughout?  Are there any concerns about the overall stability of SHR?

            BRETT FROOD:  Jeff will be the driver this weekend at Michigan.  We have not discussed any other races.  We'll talk to Tony.  When he's ready to get in the car, he'll be in there, and we'll go from there.

 

            Q.  Does this affect the overall stability of Stewart Haas Racing?

            BRETT FROOD:  Absolutely not.

 

            Q.  Brett, the way NASCAR rules work, Tony would have to start today to still be eligible for the Chase.  Is this in effect his resigning from consideration for the Chase this year?

            BRETT FROOD:  I'll be honest, the Chase is of the lowest priority as it relates to Tony right now.  As far as the Chase, the only care I have this weekend is to get Danica in the Chase.

            Right now it's about getting Tony in a better place than he is.  When he's ready to do that, he'll get back in the car.  Don't care about the Chase.

 

            Q.  Jeff, do you feel there's any entertainment value lost with the rule change this morning?

            JEFF BURTON:  I don't know.  I mean, I think safety overrides entertainment.  Even if it does, it doesn't matter.

 

            Q.  Understandably Tony is devastated, as you say.  A lot of people are wondering how Tony is doing.  Can you talk about where he's at right now.

            BRETT FROOD:  It's been an emotional week for him.  He's grieving.  Anytime someone is lost, especially at a racetrack, it's tragic.  It was a tragic accident, and he's dealing with quite a bit of grief.

            THE MODERATOR:  Thank you, everyone.  Appreciate your time.

                       

[Chode]

well... how bout that?

[mabarker1]

Mama in the know;)

[mabarker1]

Starting Lineup
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Pure Michigan 400
Michigan International Speedway
Provided by NASCAR Statistics

Starting Position	Car#	Driver	Sponsor Manu	Qualifying Speed (mph)	Qualifying Time (secs)
1	24	Jeff Gordon (PC5)	Axalta Chevy	206.558	34.857
2	22	Joey Logano	Shell Pennzoil Ford	206.381	34.887
3	99	Carl Edwards	Ford EcoBoost Ford	206.115	34.932
4	55	Brian Vickers	Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota	205.685	35.005
5	2	Brad Keselowski (PC2)	Miller Lite Ford	205.644	35.012
6	4	Kevin Harvick	Jimmy John's Chevy	205.438	35.047
7	27	Paul Menard	CertainTeed/Menards Chevy	204.58	35.194
8	3	Austin Dillon #	American Ethanol Chevy	204.464	35.214
9	1	Jamie McMurray	McDonald's Chevy	204.354	35.233
10	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Zest Ford	204.174	35.264
11	16	Greg Biffle	Roush Performance Ford	203.822	35.325
12	31	Ryan Newman	WIX Filters Chevy	203.47	35.386
13	42	Kyle Larson #	Target Chevy	204.082	35.28
14	10	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy Chevy	204.012	35.292
15	5	Kasey Kahne	Great Clips Chevy	203.943	35.304
16	41	Kurt Busch (PC3)	Haas Automation Chevy	203.856	35.319
17	51	Justin Allgaier #	Brandt Professional Agriculture Chevy	203.528	35.376
18	20	Matt Kenseth (PC4)	Dollar General Toyota	203.384	35.401
19	15	Clint Bowyer	5-Hour Energy Toyota	203.223	35.429
20	9	Marcos Ambrose	Black & Decker Ford	203.097	35.451
21	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx Freight Toyota	203.029	35.463
22	47	A.J. Allmendinger	Kingsford Charcoal Chevy	202.743	35.513
23	43	Aric Almirola	Eckrich Ford	202.674	35.525
24	18	Kyle Busch	Interstate Batteries Toyota	201.969	35.649
25	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	National Guard Chevy	202.885	35.488
26	13	Casey Mears	Geico Chevy	202.458	35.563
27	14	Jeff Burton	Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevy	202.412	35.571
28	21	Ryan Blaney (i)	Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford	202.327	35.586
29	38	David Gilliland	Love's Travel Stops Ford	201.822	35.675
30	48	Jimmie Johnson (PC1)	Lowe's/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevy	201.72	35.693
31	83	Ryan Truex #	Burger King Toyota	201.263	35.774
32	23	Alex Bowman #	Dr Pepper Toyota	200.496	35.911
33	98	Josh Wise	Phil Parsons Racing Chevy	199.756	36.044
34	34	David Ragan	CSX - Play it Safe Ford	199.534	36.084
35	7	Michael Annett #	Allstate Peterbilt/Pilot Chevy	199.225	36.14
36	26	Cole Whitt #	Iowa City Capital Partners Toyota	199.132	36.157
37-OP	37	Dave Blaney	Accell Construction Inc. Chevy	197.851	36.391
38-OP	32	Travis Kvapil	Skuttle Tight Ford	197.726	36.414
39-OP	78	Matt Crafton (i)	Furniture Row Chevy	197.466	36.462
40-OP	36	Reed Sorenson	Chevy	197.066	36.536
41-OP	33	Alex Kennedy	Little Joe's Auto Chevy	195.828	36.767
42-OP	66	Joe Nemechek(i)	Land Castle Title Toyota	195.170	36.891
43-OP	40	Landon Cassill(i)	carsforsale.com Chevy	194.049	37.104
PC1 = is the first past champ eligible, PC2 is the 2nd...and so on if more # Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate (i) = driver not running for 2014 Sprint Cup Series Championship Drivers Points

[mabarker1]

To the Back: #78-Truex, Jr., #21-Bayne (driver changes)

[MtnClimber]

This driver tried to tackle a sprint car, What bad could come of that?

[Chode]

ya knew it was coming... just damn

[mabarker1]

I may have shot Myself in the foot on this. Can’t find confirmation other than started by empirenews.net

[Political Junkie Too]

Wow. I'm not surprised. He needs to get his head straight after the tragedy. He's probably also thinking, as an owner and employer, of what's best for everyone else at SHR.

-PJ

[mabarker1]

see 53

[Political Junkie Too]

I looked, too. However, FR has been ahead of legitimate news sources before, so we shall see. Tomorrow will be an interesting day.

-PJ

[jjotto]

Debunked a day or two ago.

The hint in the original was that Stewart was afraid to drive his FORD TAURUS to go shopping.

See anything wrong with that claim?

[mabarker1]

empirenews.net is the origin of it posted on the 15th. Nobody else has picked it up. I search them out and it’s like the onion.

[mabarker1]

yes I saw it. see my 53

[Political Junkie Too]

Oh. Okay. That settles it, then.

-PJ