Andretti teams up with Front Row Motorsports for Daytona 500

N. WILKESBORO, N.C. (February 1, 2010) – John Andretti and Window World will again team up with Front Row Motorsports for the Daytona 500.

Window World Inc. will return for its second year as the primary sponsor of the No. 34 Window World Cares Ford Fusion for the “Great American Race.” The company made its debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at last season’s Daytona 500. In 2009 Window World and Andretti teamed together for seven Sprint Cup events with Front Row Motorsports and also the Indianapolis 500 when Andretti raced for Richard Petty Motorsports.

The No. 34 Ford Fusion will feature Window World’s foundation, Window World Cares and its charitable beneficiary, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.

“The entire Window World Family is excited to once again team up with John Andretti and Front Row Motorsports for the Daytona 500,” said Todd Whitworth, Window World CEO. “John has proven to be a winner in the past both on and off the track. He’s been a great ambassador for us, and we’re proud to return to the Daytona 500 with him and the Window World Cares team.”

Andretti is no stranger to success at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. He has two wins including the prestigious Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona sports car event and the Coke Zero 400 at the track. This will mark his 15th start in the Daytona 500.

“It’s always an honor to race in the Daytona 500,” Andretti said. “Having Window World’s support again this year is tremendous. They have been a great partner of mine over the past year including last year’s Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. I’m proud to have them back at the Daytona 500 this year and to partner with Window World Cares to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It’s something that means a lot to me personally.”

The announcement reunites Andretti with Front Row Motorsports, the team he raced for in 2009.

“It’s great to have John (Andretti) and Window World back at Front Row Motorsports,” said Bob Jenkins, owner. “Last season Window World and John were a very big part of our success throughout the season. We’re looking forward to giving them a strong No. 34 with Ford Fusion with factory support and Roush/Yates Engines.”

On the heels of Andretti's return, Front Row Motorsports has set its three-driver lineup for the Daytona 500. With Andretti stepping into the No. 34 Window World Ford Fusion, Travis Kvapil will move into the No. 37 ExtenZe Ford. Kevin Conway will return to that seat for the Sprint Cup Series second event at California Speedway and begin his trek for Raybestos Rookie of the Year

Kvapil will move back into the No. 34 Long John Silver’s Ford beginning in California. Robert Richardson Jr. will race the No. 38 Mahindra USA Tractors Ford in the Daytona 500, the Aaron’s 499 in April at Talladega Superspeedway and the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway in July. David Gilliland will race the No. 38 Taco Bell Ford for the majority of the season and debut in California.

- Information from Front Row Motorsports press releases

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Hey that's my driver! NASCAR stars make TV rounds

With the Daytona 500 less than two weeks away on Feb. 14, NASCAR drivers will be out in force promoting the sport's season-opening event.

They may pop up on reality shows, dramatic series or even in a wrestling ring. Premium cable network HBO has taken an interest in the sport, documenting one driver as he prepares for the big race. And if the show in question doesn't air before the 500, the publicity surrounding it could be enough to get fans pumped for the new season.

For your convenience, here's a rundown on drivers' upcoming TV appearances (in order of scheduled broadcast dates):

Meet the Johnsons: HBO's documentary series "24/7 Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona" debuted last week with praise from critics and fans alike. The four-episode series follows four-time Cup champion Johnson, wife Chandra and crew chief Chad Knaus behind-the-scenes in their professional and personal lives. You don't have to be a Johnson fan to watch - the series also provides a rare look into the inner workings of NASCAR. The show airs Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9 and 16, leading up to the Daytona 500 and capturing the team on race day for its finale. Episode 2 airs tonight. If you missed the first episode, catch up with Skirts and Scuffs writer Farrah Kaye's review.

Smoke shows off his new bike: Tony Stewart will appear on "American Chopper" in an episode airing Thursday on TLC. Paul Teutul Sr. and the crew at Orange County Choppers will design a Stewart-Haas Racing-themed bike. The show will feature Stewart and Gene Haas giving Teutul Sr. a tour of the Stewart-Haas Racing facility. Stewart himself is no stranger to the reality series. The two-time Cup champion stopped by in 2007 to check on a bike featuring sponsor Goody's Cool Orange, which was later auctioned off to benefit the Tony Stewart Foundation. Stewart and Teutel Sr. gave race fans a sneak peek of the chopper at the spring 2007 Martinsville race.

Edwards gets in the ring: Carl Edwards will host WWE Monday Night Raw on Feb. 8 at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La. Edwards follows in the footsteps of Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, who co-hosted the live professional wrestling show in October. The Roush-Fenway driver has an "in" at WWE: Edwards is good friends with John Cena, arguably the organization's most popular wrestler. Edwards taught Cena how to drive a racecar in the 2007 reality series "Fast Cars and Superstars - The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race." Under Edwards' guidance, Cena finished third in the competition. The wrestler/actor later appeared with Edwards and the Gillette Young Guns in a TV commercial. Check your local listings for WWE Monday Night Raw.

Is Danica dying to win? Danica Patrick, who will make her NASCAR debut in Saturday's ARCA race, will guest star on "CSI: NY" as - what else? - a racecar driver. Patrick will appear as the rival of a racing star, played by Antonio Sabato Jr., who meets an untimely end when his car explodes in New York City during an exhibition race. The CSI gang discovers the racecar was tampered with. Will the clues lead them to Danica's character? Find out Feb. 10, when the episode is scheduled to air on CBS.

Gordon puts his building skills to work: Jeff Gordon spent some of his offseason building a house for a South Carolina family with the crew of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." Police officer Derrick and Amanda Suggs of Loris, S.C., have two children of their own and adopted Amanda's three younger brothers. Not only was their house a full one, but it was falling apart. Derrick's fellow officers nominated the family for an "Extreme Makeover." The Suggs are big NASCAR fans, so the show sought Gordon's help. The four-time Cup champion was more than happy to drive in some nails. A racing theme was even integrated into the new house design - Gordon helped build a go-kart track in the Suggs' backyard. See this NASCAR-inspired episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on Sunday, April 11, on ABC.

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Photo of Carl Edwards from Ford Racing on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26429107@N03/ / CC BY 2.0

Photo of Tony Stewart from duane.schoon on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/duaneschoon/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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New Miss Sprint Cups to be Revealed February 11th

At the beginning of January Anne Marie Rhodes announced she would be leaving as Miss Sprint Cup. It's now time to find out who will be joining Monica Palumbo as Miss Sprint Cup for the 2010 season.

Beginning on February 1st clues will be announced via the Miss Sprint Cup Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Clue #1 - In 10 days, we'll debut the new 2010 Miss Sprint Cups. Until then, we'll give you bits of info. Today's tidbit? There will be 3 of us!

No matter who it is I am sure they will be great ambassadors for the sport we all love so much.

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Mike Bliss joins Key Motorsports for Limited Nationwide Schedule

Mike Bliss will return to the seat of the #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet to kick off the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, Key Motorsports officials announced today. Bliss is locked in the seat of the #40 for the first three events of the Nationwide Series schedule, the Camping World 300 at Daytona February 13th, the Stater Brothers 300 at Auto Club Speedway February 20th and the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas on February 27th. Both Key Motorsports and Bliss are hopeful sponsorship will allow for Bliss to remain in the car for the full 35 race schedule.


The 2002 NASCAR Truck Series champion is no stranger to Key Motorsports equipment, having driven for the team in three of the past four seasons in both the Truck Series as well as the NASCAR Nationwide Series.


"I will be in the #40 for the first three Nationwide Series races, Daytona, California and Las Vegas," said Bliss. "Depending on sponsorship, I could be in the car all year and we are working for that to happen. Key Motorsports is a solid organization, they have a solid team, they have good people and equipment. I am looking forward to having a good year with them."


Key Motorsports team owner Curtis Key is happy Mike Bliss will be returning to the seat of the #40 Chevrolet for 2010.


"We are excited to have Mike Bliss back behind the wheel of the Key Motorsports Chevrolet," said Curtis Key. "Hopefully this will work out to be a year long deal with Mike. He is a great driver with the talent and ability to make things happen on the race track and at the end of the day, our primary goal at Key Motorsports is to provide him the equipment he needs to be in the top-15 every week."


Key Motorsports originally began fielfing cars in the former NASCAR Busch Series in the early 1990's, moving to the Truck Series for several seasons before starting their Nationwide Series program from scratch in January 2009. Key Motorsports completed the 2009 season 21st in owner points and will be locked into the first five races of 2010.


"When we started back in the Nationwide Series at the beginning of 2009, we had a goal to be a top-20 team," Curtis Key explained. "Our goal in 2010 is to be a top-15 team and we feel we have the equipment and personnel to accomplish that."


Bliss drove several cars, including the #40, on his way to a fifth place finish in the 2009 NASCAR 
Nationwide Series point standings and believes he can continue his consistent performances with the Key Motorsports team.


"Key Motorsports is a capable team," Bliss continued. "There is no reason I can think of that this team can't run in the top-10 consistently."

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NCWTS Revises Method of Setting Starting Lineups

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 1, 2010) – NASCAR will revise its five-year-old procedure governing guaranteed starting positions for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2010. The revision will open up additional spots in the line-up for teams qualifying via time trials.

Under the procedure implemented in 2005, the top 30 eligible owners’ trucks were locked into the starting lineup and guaranteed a spot among the top 35 positions in the 36-truck field. Beginning with the Feb. 12 NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway, the “lock-in” will be reduced to the top 25 eligible owners who have entered the event based upon 2009 Owner Championship point standings.

            

The 36th and final position continues to be reserved for a past champion not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion is eligible, the position is filled by the next fastest qualifier.

            

The reduction in guaranteed starting positions brings the series in line percentage-wise with the NASCAR Nationwide Series, which guarantees a top 30 eligible owner’s car a position among 42 of 43 starting spots.

            

Twenty-five teams competed in all 25 races in 2009 and are thus eligible for guaranteed starting positions for the season’s first four races. Eligibility for the lock-in is set by 2010 Owner Championship points for the remainder of the season.

“All owners who would have been locked in under the previous procedure will have guaranteed starting positions at Daytona and for three additional races,” said NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Director Wayne Auton. “Teams which saw limited competition in 2009 or are new to the series will have greater opportunity to qualify for races than they might have had in the past – especially at short tracks such as Martinsville Speedway – where drivers who may not have a great deal of experience at the national series level are attempting to further their careers.”

Red Horse Racing owner Tom DeLoach praised the move. DeLoach has a pair of teams locked into the field and the possibility of another with a rookie driver with zero points and no NASCAR experience.

“This is the thing to do,” said DeLoach. “If I’m starting a team moving from five (open positions) to 10 you’ve doubled my chances. It’s absolutely the right thing to do. Let’s get out there and race.

“It strengthens the field and it should work well for the fans and the teams.”

            

The revised procedure does not affect races in which qualifying is canceled. Starting fields in such instances are based upon a separate procedure dictated by the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rule Book.

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McDowell announces Sprint Cup deal via Twitter and Facebook

A few weeks back we mentioned that Michael McDowell had found a full time ride in the Nationwide Series with McDonald Motorsports. Today we learned via a Facebook and Twitter message that McDriver (that's what his Twitter followers know him as) has found a full time Sprint Cup ride for 2010. 

McDowell posted on the following message via Twitter:

McD fans hear it first from the world of social media. McD has signed with Prism Motorsports to run full time in the #55 Sprint Cup Series

While very few additional details concerning the deal have been released it's great to see another driver get a full time ride for 2010. 

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Gina's 2010 Championship Picks

Here at Skirts and Scuffs we have opinions. That's what happens when you get a bunch of female race fans together. We understand the Chase is months away, but still we thought it would be fun if our panel of writers made their predictions for the 2010 Champions before the season begins.

Today Gina shares her predictions for 2010. Let her know what you think of her picks in the comments below.

Sprint Cup Series:  DENNY HAMLIN

Denny is my pick for the 2010 Sprint Cup Series champion. In the Chase, he ran so well and was one of the only guys who could give Jimmie Johnson a run for his money. Without those 2 DNF's in a row, who knows where Denny would have finished in the standings (he ultimately finished 5th). He beat Jimmie in 5 out of the 10 Chase races in 2009, and that's with the DNF's. Also, he believes he can beat Jimmie Johnson. The confidence to do it helps. Honestly, it is just a guess on who will win the Championship in 2010. At the end of 2008, everyone thought Carl Edwards would be the man to beat in 2009- he didn't win a race and finished 11th in the standings. But, I truly believe Denny Hamlin will have the willpower and speed to beat Jimmie next season!

Nationwide Series: CARL EDWARDS

If Kyle Busch was running the full schedule again (and as of right now he's only supposed to run 22-24 races), he would have been my pick hands down. But since he isn't running the full schedule, my pick is Carl Edwards. I think Brad Keselowski will also be a strong contender, but I don't think he'll be able to beat Carl. Carl had a lot of bad luck in the 2009 Nationwide season, but he also won 5 times. Carl is one of those guys that is a really hard racer and wants to win. He came from the back to the front numerous times last season to win. I think he will continue he winning ways this season on his way to the 2010 Nationwide championship. Also, I think if Brad keeps up his aggressive behavior, he won't be around at the end of the races very long, if you know what I mean :)

Camping World Truck Series: RON HORNADAY JR.

For me, this is the obvious choice. Almost every weekend, his team is flawless. They win A LOT (I believe it was 5 in a row they won in 2009) and when they don't win, they finish in the top 5 or top 10 almost every week. I think Skinner, Bodine, and Crafton will be obvious contenders also but they need to pick up the pace if they are going to beat Hornaday. I also think Kyle Busch Motorsports will be strong, but probably won't be contending for a championship just yet. Plus, Ron is coming off momentum from his 2009 championship, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they won it in 2010!

My picks are pretty much guesses! It's so hard to determine who you think will win a race much less a championship when the sport is so unpredictable! But that's what I love about this sport. We'll just have to wait and see at Homestead!
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The opinions expressed in this post are those of the writer and do not reflect those of Skirts and Scuffs or the other contributors.
Photos courtesy of NASCARMedia

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