Nascar SCS GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway May Sun. 3 on FOX at 1:00 PM ET

Nascar ^

[mabarker1]

2015 Dale Earnhardt Day

Just around the corner and down the road a bit from the house:#3 Mooresville, NC Fire Station & Truck

[mabarker1]

Jeff Gordon to Drive Indianapolis 500 Pace Car: Indiana racing legend and five-time Brickyard champion #24-Jeff Gordon will drive a Corvette Z06 pace car to kick off the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500, on May 24 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gordon, who grew up in nearby Pittsboro, Indiana, is no stranger to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He won the first NASCAR race in the history of the famed 2.5-mile oval - the 1994 Brickyard 400 - and has won four more times, including last year. His 2014 victory made him the first five-time Brickyard champion and the only five-time winner of a major race on the IMS oval. Gordon's drive will mark the 13th time a Corvette has been the official pace car, dating to 1978, and the 26th time a Chevrolet has led the pack for "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Corvette has served as the pace car more than any other vehicle in the race's history. "It's great to have Jeff Gordon serve as this year's pace car driver," said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports. "He is a true champion who has earned the respect and admiration of competitors and race fans alike. It will be very special to have Jeff lead the Indy 500 field to the green flag, behind the wheel of the most powerful and capable production car ever from Chevrolet - on a day he'll also be competing in the Coca Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte."(IMS)(4-29-2015)

[mabarker1]

Tracks could lose more seats: Executives from Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns eight tracks that host NASCAR Sprint Cup races, suggested Wednesday that they might reduce seating capacity at some of their facilities. SMI reduced seating capacity last year by 41,000 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and 17,000 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. When asked during a conference call with investor analysts about any further reductions, SMI hinted more could be made. "In my thoughts, we probably have two or three or maybe even four of our speedways where we have some extra seats, and we are working on some plans to adjust that excess capacity,'' said William Brooks, vice chairman and chief financial officer and treasurer for SMI.(NBC Sports)(4-30-2015)

[mabarker1]

France say NASCAR open to shorter races: Are shorter races on the horizon for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series? NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France was asked about NASCAR's comfort with 500-mile events and the length of time it takes to complete those races during an open question-and-answer session with the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) last week. "I think generally speaking, we want to see shorter events... not in every circumstance," France told the group, "... It's no secret that attention spans, especially with the millennial fans, are changing, and we all know that. But what we like about it from our standpoint is it makes the actual racing event better because there's no lull in between the beginning and the end, or there's a lot smaller lull, so teams have to compete." France said a longer race doesn't necessarily allow drivers time to relax "but they're not as pressed to be up front at a certain time. "But if you shorten it, they will, and we've seen that when we do shorten it," he said. "We tend to get better (quality of races), and we measure that by lead changes and how close the winning margins (are) and a lot of different metrics that we use. So we've got a pretty good handle on that, and ... a 400-mile race will give us, most of the time, a better racing competition, and that's in addition to the time spans and attention spans of millennial fans; those two go together for us to shorten it up somehow." France didn't rule out dropping the length of a race below 400 miles, but noted that any such decisions would "also depend on if there are any format changes that we'd be willing to consider, that we look at all the time, that we historically haven't done."(NASCAR.com)(4-28-2015)

[mabarker1]

And now for the "Rules of the Week"

Talladega qualifying likely to have 2 cars on track at same time: Qualifying will have a different look this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, as NASCAR debuts its new format for restrictor-plate tracks. Instead of group qualifying - which has drawn some concerns since it was implemented at those tracks - NASCAR will go with a revamped version of single-car qualifying. NASCAR likely will have two cars on the track at the same time for qualifying, Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said during his weekly appearance Monday on "The Morning Drive" on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. That way, O'Donnell noted, there could be one car running on the backstretch and one on the frontstretch at the same time. By separating the cars, the trailing car will not benefit from any aerodynamic advantage. NASCAR announced the change last month after drivers complained at Daytona in February about accidents in group qualifying.(NBC Sports), for more info on qualifying, see the Qualifying News & Rules page.(4-27-2015)

[mabarker1]

NASCAR will investigate XFINITY race pit road fire: NASCAR plans to review the circumstances surrounding a pit road fire that occurred during Friday night's Xfinity Series race at Richmond International Raceway. Two Richard Childress Racing crew members and one member of driver Eric McClure's team were injured when fuel ignited at the rear of RCR driver Brendan Gaughan's car during a mid-race pit stop. A huge fireball erupted at the car, sending pit crew members scrambling. Safety workers extinguished the fire quickly. "We'll go back to Concord (N.C., the NASCAR Research and Development Center) and look at all the parts and pieces and try to recreate what happened," said NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp. "We're in the initial stages of looking at all that." Shane Wilson, Gaughan's crew chief, told NASCAR.com the fire started because of a malfunction in the head of a gas can, preventing the nozzle of the can from sealing against the fuel intake. "We're not sure what happened yet," Childress said. "It looks like a piece of the fuel can came off. Until we look into it and know all the facts, it's hard to say." Childress, who said he would review video of the pit stop, said he planned to meet with NASCAR officials about the incident.(USA Today)(4-27-2015)

And just WHO are they going to get to play the parts of the Crew Members that get set on fire?!?!?

[mabarker1]

Sweet Home Alabama Has A Lot to Offer with Food, Destinations: Talladega Superspeedway is all about the fan experience, making sure that when families come onto the property, they get the best of everything - the greatest racing on the planet with limitless amenities to make their visit a fun and memorable one. The Alabama Tourism Department has come up with an easy way for travelers to do this and more while visiting the great state of Alabama.
When fans make their journey to the GEICO 500 and Winn-Dixie 300 this weekend during their trip to the state of Alabama, they will find that "Sweet Home Alabama" has lots more to offer in addition to NASCAR's Most Competitive Track, one of our country's top sporting venues. From delicious food delicacies to incredible road-trip destinations, Alabama has it all. Fans are encouraged to slow down, enjoy the trip, explore the cities and towns, experience the culinary side of the state and stay a little longer or come back sooner.
Alabama is rich in tradition, especially when it comes to our barbecue, so much in fact the Alabama Tourism Department has deemed 2015 as "The Year of Alabama BBQ." The tourism campaign focuses on Alabama's barbecue heritage, award-winning restaurants and talented pit masters. Highlights of the campaign include the launching of their website alabamabbq.com, a new smart phone app that alerts users when they are getting close to one of the state's top barbecue restaurants, a photo exhibit of legendary pit masters, a new documentary film about the state's barbecue culture and the announcement of the first inductees into the Alabama Barbecue Hall of Fame.
The website www.alabamabbq.com helps travelers discover some of the state's best places for ribs, pulled pork and chicken barbecue. The site features a barbecue themed road trip and has a calendar listing of top barbecue events across the state. Links can also be found on the website to the new smart phone app "Alabama BBQ Trail" which can be downloaded for free and has information on more than 75 barbecue restaurants in 52 cities across the state. The app has background information on each of the restaurants and their best dishes. It will also allow users to set an alert so their phone will notify them when they are within 20 miles or less of one of their chosen barbecue spots.
Rest assured, however, there are other impeccable mouth-watering dishes that Alabama has to offer, and one can find those easily with the "100 Dishes To Eat In Alabama Before You Die" smart phone app. Discover the food scene like a local, whether you're an Alabama native or a visitor to the Sweet Home State, plan dozen of road trips to any of Alabama's signature cities and get the authentic experience. The app allows users to browse by city, cuisine or restaurant and you can bookmark their selection of favorite dishes to track travels, as well as submit photos and reviews of the famous dishes. No matter what part of the state someone is in, there are opportunities to take in the diverse culinary adventure. Learn more by visiting: www.ilovealabamafood.com. The official "Alabama Road Trips" smart phone app is an easy, interactive guide which makes it simple to plan an unforgettable road trip with friends and family to discover Alabama's countless destinations, from the sugar-white beaches and world class golf to some of the most historic civil rights landmarks. It helps users live like a local by giving search options for road trips catered to specific interests such as dining, shopping, history, arts, outdoor activities and much more. So, the message for fans attending this weekend's exciting events at Talladega Superspeedway is simple. Enjoy the races, and take in all of what Alabama has to offer. For additional travel information, visit www.alabama.travel. For ticket information, call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.(TSS)(4-29-2015)

• The Biggest Meatball in racing meets the Biggest Track in NASCAR: Talladega Superspeedway, known for its extraordinary one-of-a-kind racing, is now delivering a new menu item that is just as anticipated as the action on the track - "The Big One" Meatball. Fans coming to enjoy the GEICO 500 and Winn-Dixie 300 on May 1-3, will want to sink their teeth into this "softball-sized" meatball that's being sold at concession stands in the Gadsden and O.V. Hill South Grandstands along the frontstretch. "The Big One" Meatball has a center of blended Mozzarella and Pepper Jack Cheeses mixed with smoked BBQ Pulled Pork and a little house BBQ sauce for an extra kick. It is then covered by a layer of Ground Beef, rolled in a panko bread crumb and parmesan mix before being deep fried to a golden brown. It's topped off with a dollop of BBQ sauce and a spaghetti garnish. This mammoth meatball, like Talladega Superspeedway, is the biggest of its kind and weighs in at over 1 pound.(TSS)(4-26-2015)

  

[mabarker1]

Schrader wins ARCA race at Salem: Ken Schrader held onto the lead during several late-race restarts and pulled away from the rest of the field to win Sunday's Federated Auto Parts 200 at Salem Speedway. Schrader, 59, won for the first time at Salem since 1999 (and first ARCA win since 2013 at DuQuoin, IL), picking up his 18th all-time ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory (in 74 races). He led the final 138 laps. "Just winning anywhere feels good," Schrader said. "It had been so long since we've been able to win here. We've had a good car here several times, but for whatever reason we didn't win it." Driving the #22 Cunningham Motorsports Ford, Kyle Weatherman charged in front of Dominic Ursetta on the final lap to finish second. Fifteen-year-old J.J. Haley was fourth in the Braun Auto Chevrolet and Austin Wayne Self finished fifth in the AM Technical Solutions Ford.(ARCA Racing)(4-29-2015)

[Chode]

a NASCAR sanctioned doc???

[mabarker1]

GoDaddy Shifting Out Of NASCAR, Danica needs a sponsor: GoDaddy Inc., the world's largest technology provider dedicated to small businesses, is leaving NASCAR at the end of the 2015 season, as the company looks to diversify its marketing investment across more channels and regions. The move marks another milestone in GoDaddy's marketing evolution, in which the company is balancing brand awareness with a more personalized data-driven marketing approach while expanding its global footprint. While GoDaddy is not renewing its primary sponsorship of the #10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) and driver Danica Patrick, the company is negotiating to keep Patrick as a GoDaddy spokeswoman under a personal services agreement.
"We love Danica and all she does to empower and inspire people, especially women, which is why we are working to keep her in the GoDaddy family," said GoDaddy Chief Marketing Officer Phil Bienert. "We have the utmost respect for Stewart-Haas Racing, and they've been phenomenal partners. In fact, NASCAR has been a tremendous domestic platform to help us achieve an 81 percent aided brand awareness domestically, but at this stage, we need a range of marketing assets that reach a more globally-diverse set of customers. The fact Danica is having a record-setting season makes it tough to leave this motorsports sponsorship, without a doubt."
"GoDaddy has been an incredible partner for a very long time, almost nine years, and as I've said before, our brands have really grown up together," Patrick said. "It's pretty cool, from a marketing perspective, that we helped GoDaddy build such strong brand awareness here in the U.S. I'm excited to work with GoDaddy on a personal level moving forward, but will miss having their bright green color on my racecar next year."
"Danica is a superstar. She's making history in a male-dominated sport and that takes massive commitment, tenacity and passion," said GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving. "The way Danica approaches racing is remarkably similar to how our small business customers approach their work ... they're both chasing dreams in spite of huge obstacles. She's an inspiration to go getters everywhere. She's also helped inspire women around the world to dream big and keep working to make their dreams real. I would be thrilled if Danica stayed on as GoDaddy's spokeswoman and I want to personally thank Stewart-Haas Racing and NASCAR for their help in building the GoDaddy brand domestically."
In recent years, Patrick has worked to promote GoDaddy's online services for small business owners and helped with campaigns to fight breast cancer and attract more young women to study science, technology, engineering and math, also known as "STEM." "GoDaddy has been a great partner for us and for the sport overall," said Tony Stewart, SHR co-owner and teammate to Patrick. "There's a lot of season left on the calendar and it would be great to go out with a win ... that would really put the exclamation point on what has been a hugely successful relationship."(PR Newswire)(4-29-2015)

[mabarker1]

Not sure, just odd wording IMO.

[Chode]

RIP

[mabarker1]

A bit more info here

Honorary Officials, National Anthem Performers Named for GEICO 500: Talladega Superspeedway announced the Honorary Officials for the GEICO 500 on Sunday, May 3, the 10th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the 2015 schedule.

Senior Airman James A. Sottile, a Biomedical Equipment Technician, from Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL, will serve as the Grand Marshal by giving the most famous command in motorsports - "Drivers, Start Your Engines." Waving the green flag and serving as the Honorary Starter will be Technical Sergeant Jason D. Floyd, also of Maxwell Air Force Base, while the 313th United States Army Band will perform the National Anthem.

Sottile was assigned to the Medical Maintenance Shop, 42nd Medical Support Squadron, 42nd Medical Group at Maxwell AFB in February 2014. While at Maxwell AFB, he blazed through two sets of Career Development Courses and completed over 210 core tasks four months ahead of schedule. He achieved a phenomenal 94% on his first end of course exam and a near perfect 98% on his second exam. After just seven months on station he was selected as the 2014 42nd Air Base Wing's Airman of the third Quarter, and three months later he was selected for promotion to Senior Airman Below-the-Zone. In addition to being named one of Air Education and Training Command's 12 Outstanding Airman of the Year, his other awards and decorations include: National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Small Arms Marksman Medal, Air Force Training Honor Graduate Ribbon and the Air Force Training Ribbon.

Floyd is the Non Commissioned Officer in Charge of the Cadet Management Section for 145 Detachments at Headquarters Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (Maxwell Air Force Base). Floyd prepares cadets for entry into the United States Air Force and contributes to the commissioning of approximately 2,400 Second Lieutenants annually. Currently, Technical Sergeant Floyd is assigned to HQ AFROTC as the NCOIC of the Cadet Management Section where he provides guidance on five AFROTC programs (145 AFROTC detachments), 4 AFROTC region commanders and HQ personnel. His awards and decorations include: Joint Service Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster; Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Joint Service Achievement Medal; and Air Force Achievement Medal.

The 313th United States Army Band, formed in 1943, is comprised of 40 citizen-soldiers. They train and perform as Army musicians during monthly Battle Assembly weekends. Its mission is to provide music throughout the spectrum of military operations, to instill in our forces the will to fight and win, to foster support of our citizens, and to promote our national interests at home and abroad.

As previously announced, Ole Miss Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze will serve as the race's Honorary Pace Car Driver, and lead the field during warm-up laps prior to the start of the GEICO 500.

The invocation will be given by Allen Singley, volunteer for Alabama Raceway Ministries and Student Pastor at Grandview Baptist Church in Dothan, AL.
Talladega's weekend kicks off this Friday (May 1) with practice sessions for the GEICO 500 (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series) and Winn-Dixie 300 (NASCAR XFINITY Series), as well as practice, qualifying and green flag for the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200 ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards event, set to start at 5 pm (CST). The evening concludes with "The "Big One on the Blvd" Mardi Gras-style parade, which will feature NASCAR drivers and fan competitions on the track's infield Talladega Blvd.

Saturday's slate includes qualifying for the GEICO 500 and Winn-Dixie 300, followed by the start of the Winn-Dixie 300 at 2 p.m. (CST). The day concludes in the evening with the Talladega Superspeedway traditional Infield Concert featuring country music maverick and Columbia Nashville recording artist Chase Rice. Buddy Brown & Dee Jay Silver will get the party started prior to Rice taking the stage. The concert is free with the purchase of a Sunday GEICO 500 (12 noon CST start) admission ticket. For ticket information, call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.

All seating along the fronstretch grandstands and towers are equipped with roomy and comfortable 21- and 22-inch wide chair back seats. Large High Definition Sprint Vision video boards that were implemented in 2014 will be back - three are permanent - and placed along the frontstretch to provide views of the whole track to every seat in the house. The video boards, three of which that are now permanent, are an initiative that is planned to be implemented at all International Speedway Corporation (ISC) tracks in the coming years.

[mabarker1]

OK, that’s it for now My eyes are hurting. Will root for more News/Info later.

[mabarker1]

One last post...

Friday 05/01 73 | 47 °F

FridayFri 0% Precip. / 0 in

Sunny. High 73F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.

FridayFri Night 0% Precip. / 0 in

Clear. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.

Saturday 05/02 79 | 52 °F

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A mainly sunny sky. High 79F. Winds light and variable.

SaturdaySat Night 0% Precip. / 0 in

Clear skies. Low 52F. Winds light and variable.

Sunday 05/03 80 | 57 °F

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Some sun in the morning with increasing clouds during the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds light and variable.

SundaySun Night 0% Precip. / 0 in

A few clouds. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.

[rabidralph]

“but with a crazed monkey clawing you at the same time, it becomes nearly impossible.”

And that's how AIDS entered the United States, Ladies and Gentlemen.

[mabarker1]

Four teams penalized with loss of practice time at Talladega: #4-Kevin Harvick's team is one of four NASCAR Sprint Cup teams that will lose 15 minutes of practice time this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR announced. Harvick's team, along with #83-Matt DiBenedetto's team will be docked 15 minutes of practice time at Talladega after being late for pre-race inspection last weekend at Richmond. #43-Aric Almirola's team also will lose 15 minutes of practice at Talladega after being late for qualifying inspection at Richmond. #7-Alex Bowman's team failed qualifying inspection more than three times at Richmond. The Tommy Baldwin Racing team received a written warning and will be docked 15 minutes of practice time at Talladega. NASCAR's rule book states that if a team receives two warnings during two consecutive events, it may result in one or more of the following P1 penalties - last choice in selecting pits, reduced practice time, reduced time for qualifying, delay in order of inspection and/or be selected for post-race inspection, among other things. NASCAR also announced that the teams of #98-Josh Wise and #32-Joey Gase (Bobby Labonte will drive the #32 at Talladega) each failed qualifying inspection twice at Richmond and received written warnings.(NBC Sports)(5-1-2015)

[mabarker1]

Jr says "It's 5 o-clock!"

[mabarker1]

Happy Birthday Dad

I got a freakin cool gift from @KevinHarvick today. 1976 World 600 Laguna… signed.

[mabarker1]

ALERT!!!

Talladega Officials Encourage Fans Attending Races to Purchase Their Ticket Through TSS Avenues: With sunny "picture perfect" skies in the forecast for this weekend's GEICO 500 and Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, track officials are expecting incredibly large crowds to witness the preeminent events at NASCAR's Most Competitive track. To ensure that customers get tickets that are guaranteed to gain admittance, Talladega Superspeedway is encouraging fans to purchase their tickets by calling 1-877-Go2-DEGA, on the track website at www.talladegasuperspeedway.com, or by visiting ticket locations on the track grounds. With the demand for tickets to these premier races continuing to increase yearly, numerous sets of tickets have been lost and replaced as a customer service. Lost or stolen tickets will have invalid bar codes, and will not get the bearer entry to the facility.
In 2014, Talladega created a "kids program" designed to increase family affordability to witness in person the greatest racing on the planet by discounting those admissions by $50. The kids ticket is clearly identified as a "KID'S 12-AND-UNDER TICKET "on the front and is only good for children 12-and-under. Numerous sets of kid's tickets have been placed on the secondary market and misrepresented as Adult admissions, so please remember that kid's tickets only allow a child 12-and-under to enter the grandstands. Adult fans trying to enter the facility with a kid's ticket will only gain admittance once they purchase an adult ticket from the Talladega Superspeedway Ticket Office. For ticket information, call 1-877-Go2-DEGA or visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.(TSS)(5-1-2015)