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| |  Jul 24 NASCAR Nationwide Series:WARSAW, Ind. - As if racing in its home state wasn’t special enough for ML Motorsports, the Warsaw, Indiana-based stock car team will have an honorary Crew Member for this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. A.J. was released from Riley Children’s Hospital on Monday, July 21st and will be at the race providing his doctors give him the go ahead on Thursday.A.J. Stinger, an 8-year-old from Muncie, Indiana has been named honorary ML Motorsports Crew Member for Saturday’s Kroger 200. A.J., the son of Tom and Deb Stinger, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in December of 2007.Since his diagnosis, A.J. has been undergoing treatments at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. This week, A.J. will be finishing up the series of devastating treatments and begin the maintenance portion of the treatment.Last month, A.J. and his father paid a visit to the team’s shop, hanging out with the crew and sharing some of his experiences from Riley Children’s Hospital. A.J. praised the nurses that took care of him and talked of how, even though he was sick, there were many other children that were worse off than he.A.J. told the team that he wanted to raise money to buy the other children Christmas gifts because he thinks it would make them happy, even if they have to be in a hospital for Christmas.ML Motorsports would like to help A.J. raise money to buy Christmas gifts for the other patients at Riley Children’s Hospital and is hoping to help raise awareness of this special wish. Contact jweaver@mlracing.com for more information on how to help A.J.(ML Motorsports)Update: A.J. has been cleared to attend the race and will be trackside this weekend. (07-24-08) |
| | | Jul. 24 NASCAR Nationwide Series: MOORESVILLE, NC (July 24, 2008)—Officials of Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC and Penske Racing announced today that Penske Truck Rental will serve as primary sponsor of Rusty Wallace Racing’s No. 64 entry, piloted by David Stremme, in this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event at O’Reilly Raceway Park.Additionally, the parties announced an arrangement, under which, various Penske-affiliated brands will serve as primary sponsor of the Stremme-wheeled No. 64 in three additional events during 2008. In addition to this weekend’s event, Stremme’s car will carry Penske-affiliated colors in the August races at Michigan, California and Bristol.Noted Wallace, “I’m really excited about the opportunity to carry the Penske colors once again. Roger and I are great friends and we’ve had a lot of success together over the years. I’m looking forward to continuing that success with David Stremme and the No. 64 team this season. They’ve had a great year thus far, so I’m confident in our chances to make “The Captain” proud. Read more (RWR) (07-24-08) |
| | Jul 23 NASCAR Nationwide Series:(Posted by Jeff Gluck for Scenedaily.com)Toyota Racing Development President Lee White said he was “extremely disappointed” in NASCAR’s decision to alter the spacer applied to Toyota’s Nationwide Series engine, which will result in lost horsepower.“In our opinion, there is no technical justification to penalize the Toyota engine utilized in the Nationwide Series,” White said in a statement released Wednesday evening. “The success of the Toyota Camry this year in the Nationwide Series is the result of hard work and achievement by all of our race teams ... working in conjunction with [Toyota Racing Development].”White said the manufacturer will work with its teams to make sure they remain competitive despite the setback. He warned that NASCAR’s decision “could be more far-reaching than simply mandating Toyota adjust its Nationwide engine.”“The real impact will be felt by the Toyota teams as they adjust to the change, work to remain competitive for the remainder of this season and attempt to line up their sponsorships for next year,” he said.NASCAR sent a bulletin to teams on Tuesday night announcing the change, which is effective immediately. Toyota teams – mainly from Joe Gibbs Racing – have won 14 of 21 races this season.(see NASCAR press release from earlier today) (07-23-08) |
| | Jul 23 NASCAR Nationwide Series:(Nashville, Tenn.) July 23, 2008 – The Baker Curb race team is proud to announce the newest addition to its racing family. Crew Chief Shawn Parker and his wife Deborah Renshaw-Parker welcomed new daughter Julianne at 7:58 am on Tuesday, July 22 at the Bowling Green Medical Center. Julianne joins brother Jagger, age four, on the racing sidelines of the NASCAR Nationwide circuit. Father Shawn is the crew chief on the No. 27 Kleenex Ford team headquartered in Nashville. Mother Deborah is a former ARCA and Craftsman Truck Series driver. (BakerCurbRacing) (07-23-08) |
| | Jul 23 NASCAR Nationwide Series:JR Motorsports Names Interim Crew Chief for No . 5 Nationwide Team-MOORESVILLE, N.C. – JR Motorsports announced today that Cam Strader will assume crew chief duties for the No. 5 NASCAR Nationwide Series team starting this weekend at O’Reilly Raceway Park. He replaces Chad Walter, who has resigned. Strader, car chief for the team since 2006, will serve in an interim capacity until a permanent replacement has been determined.“We have complete faith in Cam Strader’s abilities to continue the momentum the No. 5 team has gained in last two months,” said Kelley Earnhardt, vice president and general manager of JR Motorsports. “We appreciate what Chad has brought to this company, and wish him the very best."Strader, 28, is from Wilson, N.C. He joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2003 and came to JR Motorsports when the companies merged Nationwide Series operations following the 2007 season.The No. 5 team competes full-time in the Nationwide Series with multiple drivers, including Landon Cassill, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Adrian Fernandez, Ron Fellows, and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Cassill will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet Saturday night in the Kroger 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind.Through 21 races this season, the No. 5 team has one win, one pole, three top-fives, and 10 top-10s. Its victory came on March 1 in the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with driver Mark Martin. Last week at Gateway International Raceway, the team finished sixth and moved up to 10th in the NASCAR Nationwide owners standings.(JR Motorsports) (07-23-08) |
| | Jul 23 NASCAR Nationwide Series:Along with Jason Leffler, Marcos Ambrose (No. 59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford) will attempt to qualify for Sunday’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis.Also, Landon Cassill plans on running in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and Kyle Busch (No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota) is entered in all three NASCAR national series races in Indy this weekend.Ford gained some ground on second-place Chevrolet last weekend in the Bill France Performance Cup standings posting its third win of the season at Gateway. But Ford will have their work cut out for them this weekend because Chevrolet has won 13 of the last 15 races at ORP.(NASCAR) (07-23-08) |
| | Jul 23 NASCAR Nationwide Series:In a serie s known for grooming the next generation of talent in NASCAR, five up-and-coming drivers continue to build upon expectations this season and plan to showcase their skills Saturday night at ORP: Joey Logano (No. 20 GameStop Toyota) led 42 laps at Gateway last week en route to his second runner-up finish this year. In five starts, Logano, 18, has one win, two poles, three top-five and four top-10 finishes. Brad Keselowski (No. 88 U.S. NAVY Chevrolet) is second in the series standings, 170 points out of the lead. This season he has one win, one pole, and eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Last season the 24-year-old finished 10th at O’Reilly Raceway Park. Landon Cassill (No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet) posted a career-best sixth-place finish last weekend at Gateway. He’s also earned his first career pole (New Hampshire), and three top 10 finishes. The 19-year-old has accrued six top-10 starts out of his 11 attempts this season. Last season he made his second series start at ORP where he started 23rd and finished 30th. James Buescher (No. 32 FOE / Braun Ability Toyota) rallied to a career-best finish of seventh last weekend at Gateway in just his fourth series start. In those starts he hasn’t finished outside the top 20. In 2006, Buescher, 18, captured the ASA Late-Model Southern Division title, rookie of the year, and "Most Popular Driver" Awards. In 2007, he won his first ARCA/REMAX Series race at USA International Speedway to become the youngest winner in the series. Bryan Clauson (No. 40 Fastenal Dodge) will make his 14th start this weekend at ORP after a two-race hiatus. Clauson has posted one pole (Daytona), one top-five and two top- 10 finishes this season. He also leads the 2008 Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings.It’s a homecoming of sorts for Clauson, 19, who was born in California but moved to Noblesville, Ind., with his family at age 10. (NASCAR) (07-23-08) |
| | Jul 23 NASCAR Nationwide Series:Joe Balash grew up two and a half hours from ORP, in Hobart, Ind. He literally lived down the street from the short track and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and also promoted races at both tracks in his former position with the ASA. Now, as NASCAR Nationwide Series director, Balash sizes up the .686-mile oval that is one of the seven tracks to host races since the series’ inception in 1982.“For me, it’s one of the racier tracks that we go do during the season,” he said. “Based upon its size, configuration and that it’s flat, it allows for a lot of passing. This is more of a pure short-track race; the competition is very close and the cars don’t get strung out like they do on larger tracks. “Sometimes passing on a short track calls for letting the driver in front of you know that you’re there; a couple of ‘cautious’ taps on the bumper. But some drivers don’t necessarily have the patience they need to pass, particularly early in the race. “ORP is a track that puts our newer drivers at a more comfortable level too. For most of them, it will race like the local short tracks that they’ve competed on while growing up.”(NASCAR) (07-23-08) |
| | Jul 23 NASCAR Nationwi de Series:The last time Indiana native David Stremme strapped into a NASCAR Nationwide Series ride at O’Reilly Raceway Park, he came away with an impressive fifth-place finish after starting second in 2005. Don’t be surprised if some more home cooking leads to another strong outing for Stremme. In that 2005 race, Stremme notched an impressive Driver Rating of 115.6, an Average Running Position of 4.5, 22 Fastest Laps Run and spent 203 of the 204 laps running in the top 15.Also watch for a strong run from Cale Gale. The Kevin Harvick Inc. youngster proved a quick study, finishing 14th last season in his first race at ORP. In that event, Gale registered a Driver Rating of 93.9, an Average Running Position of 9.7 and ran all but one of the 200 laps among the top 15.Scott Wimmer could prove strong this weekend as well in the No. 29 Chevrolet. Wimmer showed little rust last season at ORP, his first race at the short track since 2003. In that seventh-place finish, Wimmer had a Driver Rating of 92.3, an Average Running Position of 12.0 and ran 77.5% of the laps in the top 15.It should also be interesting to see how Brad Keselowski fares this weekend. Keselowski has racked up four consecutive races with Driver Rating above 100.0. Last season at ORP, a 10th-place finish, he had an 87.2. Figure on improvement from that mark.Jason Keller has two wins at ORP, and has finished inside the top 15 in each of his last three races. And with a third-place finish last weekend at Gateway, has momentum that could vault him to another solid ORP run. In the last three races at Indy, Keller has a Driver Rating of 98.1, an Average Running Position of 9.8, 21 Fastest Laps Run and a series-high 521 Laps in the Top 15 (86.3%).(NASCAR) (07-23-08) |
| | Jul 23 NASCAR Nationwide Series:ORP is one of only seven tracks (Bristol Motor Speedway, Daytona International Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Dover International Speedway, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and Richmond International Raceway) to be on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule since its inception in 1982.The Kroger retail food chain has had the longest tenured sponsorship with a single track (ORP) in the NASCAR Nationwide Series history totaling 26 years of partnership.(NASCAR) (07-23-08) |
| | Jul 23 NASCAR Nationwide Series:Putting on a good sh ow at home is paramount in NASCAR — just ask Tony Stewart when he drives at the Brickyard.A good showing, especially this weekend at its home track, is what Warsaw, Ind.-based ML Motorsports has been preparing for in its three-year history in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The only mother/daughter-owned team in NASCAR’s three national series has blossomed this season giving Mary Louise Miller and daughter Stephany Mullen an optimistic outlook heading to their “circle” race on the 2008 schedule. Veteran driver Mark Green (No. 70 Foretravel Chevrolet) has posted some of his best stats while competing for the team that plans on 20-plus races this year. Green tied his career-best finish (fifth) earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway and also tied his best career start (fourth) at Richmond International Raceway. He’s had to qualify on time for each of the team’s 12 races to date which he’s done with ease.Miller and Mullen have had one series start at ORP, in the team’s inaugural 2006 season. They finished 31st with young driver Justin Dierks. Green’s resurgence and his extra motivation of having not raced at ORP since 2005 could signal a happy homecoming for the team, which is comprised of all Indiana natives — except for Kentuckian Green.(NASCAR) (07-23-08) |
| | Jul 23 NASCAR Nationwide Series:RULE AMENDMENT BRINGS NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES ENGINES IN LINE-DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 23, 2008) – NASCAR issued a technical bulletin Tuesday amending the NASCAR Nationwide Series Rule Book. Effective as of July 23, 2008, section 20A – 5.10.4 is amended as follows.“At all Events, unless otherwise specified, all engines with a cylinder bore spacing less than 4.470 inches must compete using a tapered spacer with four (4) 1.125-inch diameter holes. At all Events, unless otherwise specified, all engines with a cylinder bore spacing of 4.470 inches or more must compete using a tapered spacer with four (4) 1.100-inch diameter holes. Unless otherwise authorized, the carburetor restrictor will be issued by NASCAR.“Eventually, all teams that upgrade to new engine packages will be subject to this rule modification,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “Over the years in our sport, we’ve taken steps on numerous occasions to help maintain a level playing field among our competitors and we will continue to do so.”(NASCAR)
(07-23-08) |
| | Jul 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series:It will be a Home Run Weekend for Clauson: Th is weekend, Clauson will be making his career first NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start at O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP). However, it will not be the teen rookie’s first start at ORP. The Noblesville, Ind., native has four United States Auto Club (USAC) starts at the track which includes a visit to Victory Lane. Growing up open-wheel racing in the Noblesville, Ind., area, Clauson’s dream was always to go NASCAR racing and now he’s doing just that in his own backyard this weekend behind the wheel of the No. 40 Fastenal Dodge. It will be a Sea of Blue at ORP: Being a Noblesville, Ind., native, Clauson will be racing very close to his hometown this weekend at ORP. The young driver will be heavily supported by almost 200 relatives and friends. In fact, it will be hard for race fans and competitors to miss his guests at the track as they will all be seated together sporting Fastenal blue t-shirts in support of Clauson’s first NASCAR start at his hometown track. Clauson is planning to make a quick pit stop prior to race time on Saturday to cook out with all 150-plus guests.Meet Clauson this Week in Indy: Before he takes to the track this weekend at ORP, Clauson will be signing autographs and greeting fans this Thursday, July 24, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Fastenal store located in his hometown of Noblesville, Ind., at 14775 Herriman Boulevard.Clauson to Race Thursday at ORP: Prior to racing the No. 40 Fastenal Dodge at ORP in Saturday’s Kroger 200, Clauson will also be driving his No. 47 Fastenal Midget car at ORP this Thursday night. Clauson started his own midget race team earlier this year so he’s a team owner and race car driver at the ripe old age of 19. He just graduated from Noblesville High School in June 2007. One year later, he’s carrying out what he always dreamed of doing and has become a race team owner himself. (CGRFS) (07-22-08) |
| | Jul 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series :In last year’s event at O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP), Jason Leffler made history by giving Toyota its first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory. Leffler returns this weekend set to defend his title in the Kroger 200.Including his win in last season’s Kroger 200, Leffler is seventh among all time victory leaders at ORP, tied with Parnelli Jones. He has a total of seven wins with one Nationwide Series win, four National Midget wins and two Silver Crown Series wins to his name. In 2000, Leffler set the track record in the Silver Crown division that still stands today. In five (5) career Nationwide Series starts at ORP, Leffler has one win, one pole and three top-five finishes to his credit. He has started inside the top-five in three events and has never started outside the top-15. Leffler will get some extra seat time at ORP prior to Saturday night’s Nationwide Series race. On Thursday night, he will run the Midget race in a midget out of his own stable, Lefturn Racing. Leffler will also attempt to qualify for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the No. 70 entry. This weekend will mark Leffler’s 175th career Nationwide Series start. The Long Beach, CA native made his first start in the series at ORP in 1999 for Joe Gibbs Racing.This weekend’s race at ORP will also be a homecoming for several Braun Racing team members. Team owner, Todd Braun, hails from Winamac, IN as does tire specialist, Billy Kolish. Car Chief on the No. 38 Great Clips team, Mike McCoige calls Plymouth, IN home. Tire, suspension and brake specialist on the No. 38 team, Tab Smith, is from South Bend, IN. The foursome has worked together since Todd Braun’s days of late model racing in Indiana. When Braun moved to Mooresville to start an ARCA team in 2002, all three Indiana natives followed suit and have never looked back.LEFFLER ON ORP “Indy is like a second home for me so this is a weekend I always look forward to. It’s going to be an extremely busy weekend this time around, racing my midget on Thursday night, the Nationwide race on Saturday night and the Brickyard on Sunday but no complaints here. If I could race every night of the week I’d be happy! ORP is a special place for me. I have experienced some of my greatest racing moments at this track, dating back to my USAC racing days. Last year’s Nationwide win was definitely the topper! Being able to give Toyota their first series win and doing it at this track was extremely special to me. It’s my goal and the goal of the entire Great Clips team this weekend to go back to ORP and repeat!”(Braun Racing) (07-22-08) |
| | Jul 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series-No. 88 Fleet Honoree for the week – The Navy team’s Fleet Honorees for Saturday’s race at O’Reilly Raceway Park is Naval Sea Systems Command. The command is comprised of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Va., Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Wash., and Pearl Harbor Navy Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (07-22-08) |
| | Jul 22 NASCAR Nati onwide Series:CASSILL DOUBLE DUTY AT ORP: Cassill will make his sixth career start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series when he suits up for the 137-mile event at ORP on Friday. He will pilot the No. 81 Chevy for Randy Moss Motorsports. Cassill has two top-10 finishes in the NCTS, including a third-place finish at The Milwaukee Mile in June and ninth-place finish in May at Lowe's Motor Speedway.ORP CHASSIS: The No. 5 National Guard team will use JR Motorsports Chassis No. 444 for Saturday's race at ORP. Cassill earned the pole -- his career first -- with this car at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June. A last-minute engine change meant Cassill had to start from the rear of the field. Cassill improved to 16th by Lap 47, but received contact from behind while battling for the 15th position. The accident ended Cassill's day early, and he took 34th.STAYING BUSY IN INDY: Cassill will get a chance to exercise his competitive nature in different environments on Thursday. During the day, Cassill will participate in the Chevrolet Golf Tournament at the Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort and Inn. Later that evening, he'll head to the Western Bowl in Indianapolis for the Jeff Gordon Foundation Bowling Tournament. REPRESENT: The hood of the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet will honor Indiana's 38th Infantry Division this weekend. Units of the 38th Infantry Division have assisted with hurricane relief in Mississippi and the Operation Iraqi Freedom efforts among other endeavors. For 19 of the 21 National Guard-sponsored races in the No. 5 Chevy, a different Army National Guard unit will be honored on the car.UP NEXT FOR THE NO. 5: Road course ace Ron Fellows will race the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the Aug. 2 Nationwide Series event at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Fellows, a three-time champion in the American Le Mans Series, also has notched road course wins in the Nationwide Series (three wins) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (two wins).AUTOGRAPH SESSION: On Saturday, Landon Cassill will greet fans and sign autographs at the JR Motorsports souvenir hauler outside O'Reilly Raceway Park. Cassill will be available at 3:15 p.m. local time.(Hendrick Motorsports) (07-22-08) |
| | Jul 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series:The Kroger 200 will mark James Buescher’s fifth Nationwide Series start. Last weekend at Gateway International Raceway, Buescher earned his career best finish by bringing the No.32 home in the seventh position. He has earned top-20 finishes in all four Nationwide events this season. He earned an 18th place finish at Phoenix, and 14th place finishes at Kentucky and Milwaukee.Buescher has never raced at the Indiana .686-mile short track but he has logged laps there. Just two weeks ago, he tested an ARCA RE/MAX Series car at O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP) to gain experience and valuable track time for the Nationwide race this weekend.In addition to this weekend’s race at ORP, Buescher will pilot the No.32 at Memphis Motorsports Park in October. That will be the last of the six races he will run in the No.32 this season. When Buescher is not competing in Nationwide Series races he keeps busy racing in three other series, the ARCA RE/MAX Series, the Hooters Pro Cup Series, and the Camping World Series. His next race after ORP will be the Hooters Pro Cup race in Hickory, NC.
(Braun Racing) (07-22-08) |
| | Jul 22 NASCAR Nationwide Series: Brad Coleman at ORP-While the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers are a “brick’s throw away” racing at the Brickyard, Brad Coleman and the No. 27 Huggies / Kroger Ford team are making left turns at the nearby O’Reilly Raceway Park in the Kroger 200 on Saturday night while helping the kids of Riley Hospital. “I am really excited about this weekend for a number of different reasons,” said Coleman. “I get to bowl in Jeff Gordon’s Celebrity Charity event, my car features another really cool paint scheme honoring the patients and families at Riley Hospital for Children, and I like racing at ORP! We were running top 10 last year until we were taken out of the race.” (BakerCurbracing)
(07-22-08) |
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