In The Hauler

Kobalt Tools 400 Qualifying Lineup

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:34:14 -0500

Sprint Cup practice / qualifying was cancelled due to the weather, so here is the line up for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400

1. Brad Keslelowski

2. Clint Bowyer

3. Jimmie Johnson

4.Kasey Khane

5.Greg Biffle

6.Denny Hamlin

7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

8. Kevin Harvick

9. Tony Stewart

10. Jeff Gordon

11. Martin Truex Jr.

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

13. Kyle Busch

14. Ryan Newman

15. Mark Martin

16. Carl Edwards

17. Paul Menard

18. Matt Kenseth

19. Marcos Ambrose

20. Jeff Burton

21. Joey Logano

22. Aric Almirola

23. Jamie McMurray

24. Kurt Busch

25. Juan Pablo Montoya

26. Bobby Labonte

27. Austin Dillion

28. Travis Kvapil

29. David Regan

30. Casey Mears

31. David Gilliland

32. David Reutimann

33. David Blaney

34. Ken Schrader

35. J.J. Yeley

36. Trevor Bayne

37. Danica Patrick

38. David Stremme

39. Michael McDowell

40. Scott Speed

41.Landon Cassell

42. Joe Nemechek

43. Josh Wise

NASCAR Fines Denny Hamlin $25,000 For Post-Race Comment

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:04:22 -0500

LAS VEGAS— NASCAR announced Thursday that Denny Hamlin would be fined $25,000 for comments he made following Sunday’s race. Hamlin stated that the new Gen6 cars did not drive as well as the old ones and criticized about the quality of racing. The comments where viewed as an “attack” at NASCAR’s race cars. Denny further went on to say “This is more like what the Generation 5 was at the beginning,” he said. “The teams hadn’t figured out how to get the aero balance right. Right now, you just run single-file and you cannot get around the guy in front of you. You would have placed me in 20th place with 30 (laps) to go, I would have stayed there — I wouldn’t have moved up. It’s just one of those things where track position is everything.”

NASCAR said drivers are welcome to share their concern with NASCAR officials privately.

Source: USA Today

Subway Fresh Fit 500

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:16:25 -0500

Avondale, Arizona — The Subway Fresh Fit 500 ran on Sunday, March 3rd 2013 at Phoenix International Speedway in Arizona. The race went four laps over but in the end, it was Carl Edwards taking the checkered flag and breaking a 70-race win less streak, beating Jimmie Johnson by 1.024 seconds. Behind Edwards was Johnson, followed by Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to round out the top five.

Denny Hamlin would make a scene of his own, diving low into the apron to pass the #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion of Brad Keselowski on the final lap and finishing third, just a fender away from Jimmie Johnson. There was a slight change in the line up for Joe Gibbs Racing team mates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin who both had to start at the rear due to engine changes after the field had been set. Hamlin had stated it was a valve spring that had broke in the engine of his #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry. Without the changes, Hamlin would have started 8th and Busch would have begun 4th. More troubles followed for Kyle Busch, more engine problems would put him on pit road and a lap down. He was not back on the lead lap until David Gilliland brought out the seventh caution with 79 laps left.

Kyle Busch spun earlier on lap 48 while battling Edwards for 14th position, and his former team mate Joey Logano had ran out of gas at the every end and had to be towed off the track.

Many drivers had problems as well such as Danica Patrick who blew a right front tire on lap 185 and slammed into the wall of turn four, bringing out the sixth caution. The accident came without warning as he right front tire imploded, sending her flying into the wall, as well as tearing the driver’s side door and the protective foam. She walked away from the crash but was taken to the infield care center and released.“I felt like we had some good racing going on out there, I felt like we were making progress with the car,” Patrick said to NASCAR.com. “Not an awesome day by any means; we weren’t tearing it up, I wouldn’t say. But we were … making progress, holding our own, over halfway through the race (we were) on the lead lap still. I‘d say things were going OK.” She finished in 39th place.

After the race ended, winner Carl Edwards gave some insight as to what was going on on that final lap. “Usually the guy in second hangs back a little bit, and he pulled up there and I thought, ‘Why’s he doing that?’ ” Edwards said. “Yeah, maybe I was slowing down, but I wasn’t trying to. I thought he was speeding up. I thought it was pretty genius what he was doing, because it kind of got me off of my game.” Edwards also said he hopes to be, in the words of Denny Hamlin, “relevant” this year.

Source: NASCAR.com

The 55th Annual Daytona 500

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:44:24 -0500

Daytona Beach, FL — The 55th Annual Daytona 500 ran on Sunday, February 24th 2013 to cap off Speedweeks 2013 at Daytona International Speedway. With Danica Patrick on the pole and Jeff Gordon in the 2nd position, the green flag dropped and Gordon went on to lead 25 laps. Additionally, Ms. Patrick would go on to lead 5 laps of her own becoming the first woman to lead a lap under green at the Daytona 500.

Fast forward to lap 33; Kyle Busch brushes Kasey Khane taking out Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart who where both favorites early on to win the race. Moreover, Juan Pablo Montoya and Kurt Busch got caught up in the wreck but Busch and Stewart would later come back into the race, several laps down. Kyle Busch apologized to Khane on the radio, saying “my bad.”

Brad Keselowski became loose on lap 139 spinning into the #33 of Sprint Cup Series newcomer Austin Dillon, along with Carl Edwards, Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Troubles emerged at lap 148 for Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch who both blew engines almost instantaneously. Their teammate Denny Hamlin went on to lead the rest of the pack. Final green flag pit stops got underway at lap 174 putting Keselowski in the lead followed by Greg Biffle and Danica Patrick in 3rd.

The caution flag came out with nine laps to go for debris, and after a short caution the race restarted with Jimmie Johnson in the lead followed by Keselowski, Biffle, Patrick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. The white flag dropped signaling one lap to go and the #93 of Travis Kvapil brushed against the wall, however no caution was thrown at NASCAR’s discretion. Jimmie Johnson went on to win the race followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr, Mark Martin, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman for the top 5.

2013 Budweiser Duel at Daytona recap

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:27:00 -0500

Daytona Beach, FL — The line up is set for Sunday’s Daytona 500 after Thursday afternoon’s Budweiser Duels at Daytona. The race started off fairly uneventfully with Danica Patrick slipping to the back of the pack by design to avoid wrecking her race car. “We wanted to be conservative. I know it’s not the most exciting way to race.” Patrick stated to NASCAR.com. At first it was suggested that she start-and-park to avoid wrecking the car, but her crew chief Tony Gibson suggested she run the entire race and learn from the experience.

Furthermore, Denny Hamlin’s #11 FedEx Express Toyota Camry came loose, clipping into the back of Carl Edwards and sending the Roush-Fenway Racing driver and his #99 Ford Fusion into the wall, then sending Trevor Bayne into the side of him with nowhere to go. Bayne had led 37 laps, but an error on pit road cost him track position. “This is the worst Speedweeks start I have ever had,” Edwards said. “I don’t think I have crashed this many race cars in two years.” Then joked about how expensive this season has been for Jack Roush with 3 torn up race cars so far.

After a short caution, the race was restarted and Kevin Harvick went on to win Duel #1, followed by Kyle Busch in Duel #2. Martin Truex Jr dropped to 19th place after failing post-race inspection for a safety infraction.

Source: NASCAR.com

Gen 6;Yay or nay?

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:46:00 -0500

In January 2013 NASCAR unveiled the long anticipated Generation 6 race car. A sleeker design, new features such as the ‘gyro cam’ and new decals like the driver’s name across the front of the windshield made these cars stand out from previous generations of NASCAR race cars. This generation was set to be the most modern. However, like many new technological novelties, it did not come without a few minor—-or major problems.

During testing at Daytona International Speedway last month there was an accident, resulting in several cars being sent back to Charlotte, North Carolina and many drivers being put in back up cars. The crash was blamed on driver error and many drivers stating that the car was much harder to drive than the ones in years past.

Moreover, another impending problem could be a shortage in parts. The parts for the cars are no longer made in the shop but rather by the manufacturer, such as Toyota, Chevrolet, or Ford and must be requested. This could spell big trouble for quite a few races. One of them being the Budweiser Duels at Daytona on Thursday night. Teams must have little or no damage to the cars since they have few parts readily accessible in the haulers.

An example of the worse-case event would be Saturday night’s Sprint Unlimited when seven cars got caught up in an accident, had their usable parts removed and the remainder had to be sent back to North Carolina.

This could be very costly for teams this season, not only losing race cars in situations such as accidents in practice but also waiting for parts from the manufacturer with such a short amount of time during the week in between races.

Source: BeyondTheFlag.com

Danica Patrick Makes History

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:08:00 -0500

Daytona Beach FL — Danica Patrick drove her way into NASCAR history Sunday as the first woman to win the pole for NASCAR’s biggest and most prestigious race, the Daytona 500. Although this is the first time a woman has held the pole position for a Sprint Cup race, this isn’t the first time she’s gotten a pole for a NASCAR race, or made racing history.

In 2012, Patrick sat on the pole for the Nationwide Series, the first time a woman won the pole for a NASCAR-sanctioned event. In 2005, she was the first woman to lead laps at the Indianapolis 500, in 2009 she came in 3rd place, the highest ranking ever for a female driver and in 2008 she won IndyCar’s race at Motegi, Japan. And she has no intentions of stopping anytime soon.

“I was brought up to be the fastest driver not the fastest girl and that was instilled in me very young, from the beginning.” Danica stated to NASCAR.com in an interview.

“For those reasons I’ve been lucky enough to make history, be the first woman to do many things. I really just hope I don’t stop doing that. We have a lot more history to make.”

Although a surprise to many, her pole clenching was not too much of a shock. Her No. 10 GoDaddy.com Cheverolet SS was fastest at practice and among the quickest at testing last month at Daytona.

Source: NASCAR.com

Matt Kenseth to leave Roush-Fenway Racing at the end of 2012

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:28:41 -0400

Matt Kenseth announced earlier today that he will be leaving Roush-Fenway Racing at the end of 2012, tweeting ‘I’m very thankful to Jack Roush for the opportunities he’s given me over the past 14 years. Together we have enjoyed a lot of success and as a team we are committed as ever to the remainder of the 2012 season and chasing a 3rd sprint cup title for Jack and RFR. Although I have nothing to announce regarding 2013, I feel the timing of this announcement gives RFR ample time to get things lined up. Darien and Tony proved to us last year there is no such thing as a “lame duck” team or season. We will continue to go to work and race hard.”

While Ricky Stenhouse Jr is set to take the No. 17 for RFR in 2013, it is still unknown where Kenseth will be. “It’s the end of an incredible run between Jack and Matt, one that has spanned 15 years, which in his day and age of professional sports is much longer than you’d expect,” said Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark. “So we’re proud of everything that’s been accomplished there.”

Source: NASCAR.com

From South Boston Speedway to Talledega

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 23:26:17 -0400

Last night I got an oppertunity I could not pass up. One of my followers asked me to write a story about an ARCA developmental driver named Josh Reeves. I would like to share with you guys what makes him so unique from modern race car drivers.

Josh Reeves started working in the racing industry when he was 9 years old working on a local late model team that ran at South Boston Speedway. He worked as a crew member but had more of a desire to race. At 11 years old he began to search for a way to race. 2 1/2 long years of searching, he got a call from a man who was willing to let him test his race car. He had to borrow everything (fire suit, gloves, helmet, shoes, etc)

He got to the track and was scared to death but knew he could do it. He studied the race car drivers and the race cars, how they reacted to each motion. When it was Josh’s turn to go out, he left pit road shifting the gears and as he went around the track he became unusually comfortable. In the 10 laps he ran, he posted quicker times than the owner of the car who had run earlier that day! He was offered to run that weekend but was unable to.

Reeves was then told if he repaired the car he could run it. After a month of collecting cash and begging those around him he was able to repair the car. At this point, Josh only had 10 laps of practice as experience. After qualifying in the outside pole, the race began. After getting caught up in two incidents, he was able to come through the field and finish fifth!

Moreover, what sets Josh Reeves apart from most race car drivers is his experience. Most of his competitors just drive a race car. He does everything himself from PR to Twitter, website, etc. He works on his own cars, builds them, repairs them, you name it. This is gonna give him a lot of credentials that most of his competition doesn’t have. He has also won two championships in two seasons.

Racing isn’t the same as it was 10-20 years ago. Back then, you had to fund yourself, work all week just to be able to race on the weekend no matter what. Now a days everything is family funded. Parents fund their kids to push them through ARCA in hopes of one day seeing them race at the Daytona 500, Talledega, Dover, name your favorite track, as a Nationwide or Sprint Cup Series driver. When Josh makes it in racing, it will be because he pushed himself there with his own funds. His parents don’t fund him, his family does not fund him.

So how does he find potential sponsors? Social Media. Using social media Reeves puts a “new twist” on an old school way of finding funds and sponsorship.

As a driver, he hopes to one day make it into the NSCS, as well as win a championship. People have always told him that his goals are too high, but that’s just who he is. Each goal he has set, he has acheved. His racing career has gotten him far, social media has gotten him farther, but his endless determination has gotten him the farthest of all.

You can follow Josh Reeves on Twitter @JoshReeves77 or learn more about him at http://joshreevesracing.webs.com/

Kurt Busch Suspended and Probation Extended

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:42:55 -0400

NASCAR announced today that they are suspending Kurt Busch until June 15th and extending his probation to December 31st, 2012. These suspensions prohibit him from taking part in any NASCAR related events this weekend, including the Camping World Truck Series race in Texas and the Sprint Cup Series race in Pocono. This does not include the Prelude to the Dream race at Eldora Speedway.

The decision from NASCAR came after last weekend when he threatened a reporter after the Nationwide race, following an assault on his girlfriend and her son. “Probation is the only thing keeping me from beating the s*** out of Pockress.” Busch said when asked about the incident. During the race Busch and Allgier had run-ins all race long and when Bob Pockress approached Kurt Busch, that was when the comment was made.

His probation was originally supposed to end July 25th, after he had a run-in with a pit crew member at Darlington.

Source: Turn4RacingNews.com

Safety in NASCAR

Thu, 31 May 2012 21:00:00 -0400

We all remember where we where on February 18th, 2001 when we heard NASCAR president Mike Helton famously say ““This is undoubtedly one of the toughest announcements I’ve ever personally had to make. But after the accident in Turn 4 at the end of the Daytona 500, we’ve lost Dale Earnhardt.” Since that day, NASCAR has gone through rigorous safety procedures to ensure the safety of the drivers. When NASCAR was in it’s early stages of development back in the 1950’s, the cars looked nothing like they do today. We went from this

to this

Since Dale Earnhardt Sr’s famous 2001 Daytona 500 accident, these changes included the mandatory use of the Head and Neck Support (HANS) support system, used to prevent drivers from breaking their neck during a crash (Earnhardt famously refused to wear it, frequently referring to it as “a f***ing noose” in the way that it is worn, which is snugly around the driver’s neck.), SAFER barriers, which are basically a foam lining inside the wall, have been built at every NASCAR track that absorb the impact the inevidable crash into the wall, and the race cars themselves have gone through quite a few transformations.

It certainly is working, there has not been a fatal accident in the top 3 of NASCAR’s series since Dale Earnhardt Sr. Major accidents are still taken seriously as they’ve always been, but aren’t fatal. Let’s take Eric McClure’s accident at the Nationwide race at Talledega for example. Thanks to all the safety measures NASCAR has implanted in it’s cars and tracks he survived with only mild internal bleeding and a concussion.

However, it seems the safer NASCAR gets, the more ‘boring’ it becomes. Many of the races this year have had few cautions, and even fewer accidents. Now, more than ever, the cars have gone through transformations. They are not the same cars that where being used as recently as the early 2000’s . Every year NASCAR rolls out a newer, faster, safer race car.

Moreover, since NASCAR’s early beginnings, there have been other safety measures implied. When NASCAR first began, there was no catch fence to keep cars that spun into the wall from going over it and rolling down the side of the hill. There where no SAFER barriers like I mentioned earlier, nets covering the windows to keep debris and driver limbs inside didn’t exist. Now, more than ever, NASCAR has to be one of the safest sports in the world.

"Boys, have at it."

Mon, 28 May 2012 13:13:06 -0400

This is one of my personal favorite things about NASCAR. It sets our sport apart from the rest in America. The “Boys,have at it.” policy NASCAR introduced. However, this policy seems to have brought out the worst in drivers since then. How about Kevin Harvick Vs. Kyle Busch at Darlington in 2011, or Kurt Busch vs. Ryan Newman’s pit crew in 2012 at Darlington? Both where rather dangerous situations, and shows it can escalate from a ‘good boy shove’ to a dangerous brawl very quickly sometimes even involving the race cars. Everyone likes a good fight in NASCAR, I know I do, but there is a fine line.

For those of you not familiar with the “Boys, have at it” Policy, it is a policy that was implied in 2010 stating that drivers are allowed to work out conflicts on their own—including physical violence. Penalties are no longer given for shoving matches and other post race antics like they used to be.

While most of these drivers seem to be using this policy to their advantage as a last resort this year, it’s hard to determine when this line is crossed when it does come into play. There is nothing that says ‘if you throw your race car into someone or reach in and punch a driver that is deemed punishable by NASCAR.’ This is considered a ‘self policing’ and it’s not written down that says what can cause repercussions and what cannot. It’s all up to NASCAR officials.

To me that says ‘it’s there but then again it’s not there.’ Is there a certain degree of damage that needs to be done in order to be benched for a few races? Can a simple shove on Pit Road that causes someone to fall and break a bone (though I have yet to see that) be punishable? I think NASCAR needs to write out an actual policy for this, seperating what is and isn’t alright.

NASCAR Vs. Congress

Mon, 28 May 2012 12:35:14 -0400

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Coming from a family of military veterans and having a long time family friend as an Airman, I just want to start off by saying THANK YOU for everything you do to keep this country safe.

Congress has decided to get involved in NASCAR—and not in a good way. Jack Kingston (R) (GA) along with Betty McCollum (D) (MI) has been lobbying for an ammendment to the 2013 Defense Appropriations bill that would prohibit the military from sponsoring NASCAR. The bill has been approved and would not prevent military recruitment at NASCAR events, but it would “prohibit racecar drivers from being paid $20 million.” according to McCollum.

In response, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has invited Congressmen Kingston to a NASCAR race. “He’s a republican from Georgia. He ought to have seen a NASCAR race by now.” said Earnhardt in response to the news of the new amendment. He further stated that the congressmen who are supporting this amendment should further study the issue, including attending races to see how military sponsorships are applied. “In talking to the Guard, they cannot express to me how much this program helps thier recruiting and are commited to the belief that it has a profund affect on their ability to recruit.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr is not the only driver sponsored by the U.S. Military. Ryan Newman has been sponsored by the U.S. Army since 2010. Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing has said that his team will take a usual business approach despite the fact the Military will more than likely be unable to sponsor Newman in 2013. He further applied that there are many Fortune 500 companies who see the value of a sponsor in the sport, leaving little doubt that Newman will be able to find new sponsorship.

Source: AOL.Sportingnews.com

"Boogity, Boogity, Boogity! Let's go racin' boys and Danica!"

Sun, 27 May 2012 02:13:00 -0400

Alright, before you close the browser or think this is another article praising Danica Patrick, it’s not. As most of us know, NASCAR is a male dominated sport. Not a lot of females have the courage to step up into the sport as an athlete and those who do often face a substantial amount of criticism. Why? Because it’s not a woman’s place to drive a race car.

I can count on one hand how many female drivers I’ve heard of in NASCAR. I understand there is a one in 40 million chance of a amateur driver making it into the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, or Camping World Truck Series and for a female to make it I think that’s awesome! For a female driver to have success is even better!! It’s not as bad a thing as everyone makes it out to be. Allow me to further explain..

Point #1: It brings new eyes to the sport. People see drivers like Johanna Long or Danica Patrick and they think “wow, she’s a NASCAR driver?” and they start to watch, even attend races. They support the sport, they rally for support from potential sponsors via Twitter, Facebook, e-mails, etc. Which leads me to my next point…

Point #2: Support leads to support. C’mon, admit it, you have more than one favorite driver. Most people do! It makes the sport more interesting, especially when your two favorite drivers are battling for position or even better, the lead! When new fans start out they begin to watch some of the other drivers as well, some of which are running on private funding because they can’t find a sponsor. I don’t know about Johanna Long but I know Danica Patrick has lucked out pretty well in keeping a sponsor, and in this economy the more jobs we can keep, the better.

Point #3: Comprehension of what NASCAR really is. No, it’s not just “cars going around in circles.” or “Left turn, left turn, left turn, left turn.” Not all the tracks are built the same, and over time the new fans learn the difference between Daytona and Martinsville, or Dover and Watkins Glen. Like most sports, NASCAR would be nothing without it’s fans. When we can bring new interaction into the sport, we welcome it greatly!

I myself am a Danica Patrick fan, but not because of her driving skills but because she faces so much criticism from many long time fans and refuses to back down. Like most ‘new’ drivers, she still has a lot to learn. Same goes for Johanna Long—who I am not too fond of, I only heard her name for the first time a few weeks ago during a practice session. Both of these drivers are under Driver Development Contracts just as all the other ones started out and for them to slide into a race car every week and go out there risking their lives, knowing they might not make it out alive, takes courage.