Engineer from Earnhardt Jr.'s 88 team to answer fans' questions in live video chat

Chris Heroy, engineer for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series, will answer questions from NASCAR fans in a live video chat Wednesday on AMP Energy's new fan Web site. The chat will be held at 12:30 p.m. ET at www.ampupthe88.com.

Heroy moved from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin's No. 5 crew to Earnhardt's during the offseason. The change was one of many crew chief Lance McGrew made to the No. 88 team's engineering and shocks departments after a disappointing 2009 season, which saw Earnhardt Jr. finish 25th in points. With Heroy's help, the team is looking to rebound in 2010.

Earnhardt Jr. is 15th in the points standings three races into the season.

The Amp Up the 88 video chats allow fans to interact with a member of the No. 88 crew every Wednesday. Fans can submit questions through the Web site. Earnhardt Jr. kicked off the video chats shorty after his second-place finish in the Daytona 500, the season's opening race. McGrew participated in last week's chat.

Upcoming video chats will feature David Bryant, car chief for the No. 88, on March 10, and TJ Majors, Earnhardt Jr.'s spotter, on March 24. Majors has a popular following on Twitter, under the name @tjmajors. A live feed of Majors' tweets can also be found on www.ampupthe88.com.

The newly launched fan site features photos, videos and a daily contest to win memorabilia autographed by Earnhardt Jr., who has been voted the series' Most Popular Driver for seven consecutive years.

Fans can also get a behind-the-scenes look of how Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 crew prepare for the race each week in the DVD "6 Days to Race Day." The DVD provides access to Hendrick Motorsports' testing and inspection process, as well as how the team trains and practices pit stops. The DVD will be available on specially marked 4-packs of AMP Energy for a limited time.

The following is an excerpt from "6 Days to Race Day":



For more information, visit www.ampenergy.com.

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Photo: Dale Earnhardt Jr. tests out his racecar while crew chief Lance McGrew peers in from the DVD "6 Days to Race Day."

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5 Questions After ... Shelby American

NASCAR is heading back east for a while, as their annual trek across the west coast has finally come to an end (though it only lasted a couple weeks). NASCAR won’t be racing anywhere outside the east coast until the series heads to Phoenix in April. We might want to keep an eye on Jimmie Johnson when we head out there, because he has yet to lose a race out west this season. It has basically every fan, but Jimmie’s, fuming. Heck, they may even start cheering for Kyle Busch just to find someone who could beat him! But that would never happen right?




Anyways, here are a few questions I have in mind after the Shelby American!



The Shelby American what exactly? … What kind of sick, twisted person decided to call it the Shelby American without an actual number? I know technically it’s the Shelby American presented by GT 350 (or something along those lines), and I’ve even heard people refer to it as the “Shelby American 400.” Anything but just “Shelby American.” Throughout the weekend, you heard people saying “Welcome back to the Shelby American”, “qualifying has begun for the Shelby American”, “the caution lights are broken in the Shelby American.” Las Vegas Motor Speedway isn’t the only racetrack with a sense of humor either. Bristol Motor Speedway’s fall race will be referred to as the “Irwin Tools Night Race.” That flows a little bit easier than “Shelby American” though, doesn’t it?



What happened to the caution lights? … At one point in the race, the caution lights never shut off so they heard to put out the yellow to fix them. At a completely different time, the caution lights turned on for no reason at all. So let’s see… we’ve had potholes, rain, and now caution lights. Why is it that the most talked about topic coming out of each weekend is about cautions? It’s not about wrecks, either. It’s not even about debris! Cautions are coming out for the most random and unexpected circumstances. One can only imagine what will happen next!



When will the No. 48 team stop being so … um … good? … It’s gotten to the point where Jimmie could be running 26th, 2 laps down, with 20 laps to go and I’d still consider him a threat to win. Just to put last week’s race into perspective, Jeff Gordon had the best average running position, best driver rating, was the fastest early and late in a run, ran more fastest laps than any other driver, was fastest on restarts, had the highest green flag speed, spent more time in the top 15 than any other driver, and led the most laps. In other words, Gordon was FAST! Yet, he STILL got beat by teammate Johnson. While some of that might be attributed to the two tires Gordon was running on, as opposed to Johnson’s four, it’s looking like the No. 48 team is coming out stronger than they have in the past. Then again, could this be our best shot? After all, Johnson and company don’t normally start putting solid results on the board until around the summertime. Oh, sure, they hang around the top 5 in points for a while, and pick up a win here and there, but otherwise remain relatively quiet until the Chase rolls around. That’s definitely not how they’re doing things this season. Might it be time for King Jimmie to finally end his reign?



Anyone surprised at some of the names in the top 12? … Of the drivers who were in the top 12 at this point in the season last year, five of them went on to make the Chase. Thought that’s not even 50%, it’s still enough of the Chase to say that it’s kind of important to get your season off to a strong start. Granted, it’s a lot easier for things to go wrong and to plummet in the standings than it is to turn a new leaf and rocket to the top. Still, only two of the drivers that were in the top 12 at this point last year finished worse than 16th in the final points standings. Michael Waltrip and Bobby Labonte were the two drivers. Waltrip hasn’t finished in the top 12 in points since 1995, and Labonte since 2004. You decide.



Anyone notice the driver in 8th place? … It’s not so much that Joey Logano is doing so well that has me surprised. Honestly, I expected Logano to have somewhat of a break-out year. No, not many people expected him to start out this strong, but I can’t say I’m really surprised either. What has me a bit shocked is that he’s the one leading the Joe Gibbs Racing stable so far this season. In 2 of the 3 races run this season, Logano has finished higher than either of his JGR teammates: Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Remember, these two drivers had a combined eight wins last season and both finished in the top 15 in points. So, why would a driver who finished 20th in points last season, has only one win, and is in only his second year in the Cup Series be in the top 10 in points when the other two aren’t? (Busch is 12th, Hamlin is 26th). I don’t know. There could be many reasons. But keep an eye on that No. 20 car and see how long this lasts. It might surprise you.





Bonus questions: Is Jeff Gordon kicking himself after recommending Jimmie Johnson to Rick Hendrick? … When will the wings finally come off? … Are the NASCAR folks having withdrawals from In ‘n’ Out yet?

 
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Photo courtesty of NASCARMedia. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

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Winners and Losers: Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

The lights, the shows, and the spectacle of Las Vegas did not distract 43 drivers on Saturday afternoon. The NASCAR Nationwide series hit the track for the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Check out the winners and losers of the sunset strip.

Winners

Kevin Harvick

It has been a fast start for Kevin Harvick and his team at Kevin Harvick Inc. On Saturday, Harvick had a fast car—one of the best cars on the track for most of the day. Had it not been for the multiple pit stops—during which his pit crew not only let him down but also cost him the lead—he would have had a perfect day.

On multiple stops, his crew knocked off two very slow ones—and Harvick was not afraid to let the members know his displeasure over the radio. But Harvick had a strong enough car to climb his way back into the top five and the lead.

Harvick is not running the full-time NNS schedule because of sponsorship and the schedule. If he continues to run like he has, Harvick is the one to beat in NNS.

Points: Seventh

Trevor Bayne

The NASCAR Sprint Cup guys dominated the race Saturday, but there was one driver that, quite frankly, is proving himself with every race. Michael Waltrip Racing’s Trevor Bayne had an impressive run Saturday. While the media was focused on Danica Patrick and the Cup drivers, Bayne scored his third-career top-10 finish.

He ran a very good race. In fact, he had solid pit stops and avoided trouble on the track. He ran the race he needed to help gain him track time and the respect of his peers. He finished sixth, his first top-10 finish of the season.

Bayne has a lot to learn, but he's running solidly every week, and avoiding trouble on the track allows him to learn.

Points: 13th



Losers

Kelly Bires

After scoring an impressive finish at Auto Club Speedway a week ago, Bires was looking to follow that up with another top-10 finish. After starting just outside the top 10 and only six laps into the race, Bires slapped the wall between Turns One and Two.

Bires said over the radio that something broke on the car, which forced the car to shoot up the track. The accident forced him to the garage and a 42nd place finish—not the way he was hoping to follow up ACS.

Bires now will no longer be running in the shadow of his part-time teammate Patrick. The next four months are his chance to get out of the shadow and prove just why he was picked to drive for JR Motorsports.

Points: 33rd

Michael McDowell

It was not an easy day for McDowell—and not the day he hoped for, either.

On Lap 17, McDowell crashed on Turn One, bringing out the second caution of the day. Then, on Lap 83, McDowell crashed with Patrick, ending both their days. He finished 39th.

McDowell is a talented driver and is more than capable of running in the top 10. His problem seems to be taking a ill-handling car and making it better. Until he and his team are able to do that, he will be running mid-pack every week.

Points: 27th


Final Lap


It was a very entertaining race Saturday, but after three very good races, the series has its first break of the season. The drivers next hit the track at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 20. It should be a very entertaining race—especially since the extension of the safer barriers.

Now drivers will have to adapt to the closer racing. It is possible we will see one of the best NNS races at Bristol in a long time.

The Scotts Turf Builder 300 airs at 2 p.m. EST on ABC.

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Earnhardt Jr. donates $1 million to Victory Junction for new Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre

RANDLEMAN, N.C. (March 1, 2010) – Victory Junction kicked off their “Keeping the Dream Alive” campaign today by announcing Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join the elite list of Victory Junction Founders as he commits to donate $1,000,000 to build and maintain The Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre at the Randleman, N.C. camp for children with serious illnesses.

Victory Junction began with a dream, Adam Petty’s Dream. His passion for helping children drove him to think of new ways to directly change the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses.  During a Nationwide Series practice session in 2000, tragically, Adam lost his life ... but not his dream. Adam’s dream now lives on in the lives of more than 13,000 children and families that have suffered from more than two dozen diseases such as cancer, hemophilia, spina bifida, physical disabilities and sickle cell.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is keeping Adam’s dream alive. On March 27, 2010, during The Dale Jr. Foundation Physical Disabilities Weekend at Victory Junction, Dale Jr. will join the Victory Junction family as a Founder and will break ground on a one-of-a-kind project, The Dale Jr. Corral and Amphitheatre. Eighty-eight members of The JR Nation Crew, The Official Fan Club of Dale Jr., will be randomly selected to be special guests for this private groundbreaking ceremony. To become a part of the free JR Nation Crew fan club and be eligible to attend, go to www.dalejr.com/jrnation.

“There are many reasons why we wanted to get involved with Victory Junction and build this amphitheater, and it starts with the tremendous impact the camp has on these kids. It’s incredible how one week changes lives,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

“Just as important to me is my friendship with Kyle and Pattie Petty, and the memory of my buddy, Adam Petty. Adam and I met each other at an early age, and from that point on our lives and careers were virtually parallel. He was as genuine as they get and a great friend. If I can play a small part in helping Kyle and Pattie keep his dream alive, it doesn’t require a second thought.”

This unique, interactive and accessible outdoor amphitheater will provide campers the opportunity to sing a song, act in a play, tell a joke, play an instrument, watch a movie or even get their face pictured on an old, western “Wanted” poster along with the infamous outlaw, “Junior.”

“Pattie and I are extremely humbled by Jr.’s kindness and generosity. We’ve known Jr. since he was a kid and it means the world to us that he is honoring our son, Adam, by helping change the lives of these kids,” Kyle Petty said. “Adam is definitely smiling.”

Victory Junction is extremely proud and humbled by the generosity and hard work of all of the individuals who not only believed in Adam’s dream, but helped make it a reality. Now it is time to keep that dream alive.

You, too, can join Dale Jr. and Victory Junction in their mission to help this very deserving group of children.

Go to www.victoryjunction.org to donate toward the project and to learn about Victory Junction’s new Dream Team Challenge. Sign up as a crew chief, start your own Dream Team and join us in honoring the young man who had the vision to make us all feel our hearts race!

Courtesy of Victory Junction press release

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Roush Rewind: Shelby American

Roush Fenway Racing looked to redeem itself at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. In 2009, Lady Luck frowned upon the Roush drivers as two of them had engine failures just a few laps in. However, on Sunday, Lady Luck gave them a break as two of them led some laps and three finished inside the top 15.

David Ragan started 18th in his No. 6 UPS Ford. In the first few laps, his teammates were moving forward, but he was going the opposite direction. By lap 20, Ragan had dropped to 22nd and five laps later he had lost another three spots back to 25th. On lap 46 when the caution flag waved for Mike Bliss hitting the wall, Ragan, along with everyone else, pitted. He would restart 23rd. Around lap 162, a cycle of green flag stops began. Ragan pitted, but a mishap on pit road hurt his chances of getting a good finish. While fueling the car, the gas man allowed some fuel to spill out, resulting in Ragan’s car not getting all the fuel it needed. That mishap would cause Ragan to need to pit again on lap 207 under green. He lost a lap due to that extra stop. Being a lap down, Ragan struggled to gain positions. On lap 185, there were only 13 drivers on the lead lap. Despite a caution on lap 232 brought out by Kevin Conway hitting the wall, Ragan didn’t get back on the lead lap. He finished 23rd, a lap down. Last November, Ragan said a major goal for him and his team was to be more consistent in 2010. Although, back-to-back 23rd place finishes probably wasn’t what he had in mind, Ragan and his team do seem to be working on their consistency.

Carl Edwards started 12th in his No. 99 Aflac Ford and got inside the top 10 within the first 12 laps. He was up to 8th just a few laps later. On lap 42, Edwards had worked his way up to 4th. Edwards was 4th off pit road while pitting under the caution that came out on lap 46. Edwards hung around inside the top ten for a majority of the race. On lap 88, the caution flag waved as Sam Hornish, Jr. spun. Edwards was 2nd for the restart. He slowly drifted back in the next few laps, but still remained in the top 10. On lap 108, the caution flag waved again due to a malfunction with the caution lights that caused them to go off when they weren’t supposed to. Edwards pitted, taking 2 tires and fuel, and was 6th off pit road. He would restart 7th. By lap 122, Edwards had fallen back to 13th. He was in 14th position by lap 185, but was a lap down. Edwards managed to get his lap back, but never got back inside the top 10. He would finish 12th.

Greg Biffle was the only Roush driver who qualified inside the top 10. He started in the 7th position in his No. 16 3M Ford, but it would take him 23 laps to get inside the top five. Biffle was running 4th when Mike Bliss crashed and brought the caution out on lap 46. He pitted during that caution, and with a 12.8 second pit stop, he was 2nd off pit road. The race restarted on lap 53, and Biffle took the lead on the next lap. The caution came out just seconds after Biffle took the lead. The caution lights had failed to turn off during the restart the previous lap. Biffle led the field back to green on lap 57, but lost the lead on the next lap and settled into 2nd position. After the caution on lap 88, Biffle restarted 5th. On lap 103, Biffle found himself running in 3rd, with teammate Kenseth ahead of him in 2nd and teammate Edwards behind him in 4th. A pit stop under the caution on lap 108 brought out by the malfunctioning caution lights, would cause a problem for Biffle. As he went to exit his pit stall, he had to stop as A.J. Allmendinger was entering his pit stall as Biffle was exiting his. Biffle restarted 25th. He battled his way back through the field and on lap 176, he was back up to 9th. Biffle didn’t crack the top five again, but was 10th to cross the line when the checkered flag waved.

Matt Kenseth started 11th in his No. 17 Ford. He lost a few positions in the first 10 laps and dropped to 15th. Kenseth began to move forward by lap 22 and by lap 35 he was up to 10th. After the caution on lap 46, Kenseth would restart in the 6th position. Kenseth was up to 4th by lap 59 and in another ten laps he was up to 2nd. Kenseth would win the race off pit road after the caution on lap 88 brought out by Hornish. Kenseth led the field back to green on lap 93. Kenseth was still leading the next lap when Jamie McMurray wrecked teammate Juan Pablo Montoya, an incident that also involved Kurt Busch. The race restarted on lap 98 as Kenseth tried to hold off Jeff Gordon. Kenseth was unable to hold onto the lead. When the caution lights malfunctioned on lap 108, Kenseth pitted and took two tires, but he also lost two positions. He restarted 5th on lap 114. A couple laps later, Kenseth had to battle Jimmie Johnson for 2nd place, but couldn’t keep Johnson from passing him. On lap 146, Kenseth, who was 3rd at the time, had to make an unscheduled pit stop. He felt that the right front tire was loose, but crew chief Todd Parrott thought it was the right rear tire that was causing the problem. It seems that Parrott may indeed be the change the No. 17 team needed. Kenseth jumped up to 3rd when the leaders began making green flag pit stops around lap 160. After a close battle with Joey Logano on the last lap, Kenseth finished 5th—his 3rd consecutive top-10 finish of the season.

While there were no engine failures to slow the Roush Fenway Racing drivers down at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this time around, they were no match for Hendrick Motorsports as Jimmie Johnson fought off teammate Jeff Gordon to win the Shelby American. Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 crew!


Next up: Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Note: Whitney will be out of town next weekend and will be unable to watch the race. There will be no Roush Rewind for Atlanta.

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Tony Stewart Climbs up the Chase Ladder with Second Top-10 Finish

Tony Stewart, after a 22nd place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, served notice Sunday that he is back in the hunt for another championship as he posted a second straight top-10 finish, just three races into the 2010 season. 

Stewart started ninth at Las Vegas Speedway and ran in the top-10 all day. “We ended up seventh, which is alright, but you always want more,” said Stewart, who finished ninth in last Sunday’s race in Fontana, Calif. “I struggled on restarts. It took a couple laps to get going, and when you lose so much time here on restarts like that, it makes for a long day.”

The Las Vegas finish moved Stewart into the top-12 drivers for the first time this year. Look for the Stewart-Haas owner/driver to improve on his 11th place in the standing as the series moves to Atlanta Motor Speedway where Stewart has two wins in the Sprint Cup Series.

Tony Stewart

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR 

Quotes from SHR Press Release

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Steve Wallace to debut in Atlanta Truck Series race this weekend

MOORESVILLE, N.C (February 26, 2010) — Rusty Wallace Racing’s Steve Wallace and officials of Billy Ballew Motorsports announced Wallace will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut behind the wheel of BBM’s No. 15 Toyota Tundra in the March 6 Atlanta 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Wallace’s No. 15 Tundra will feature primary sponsorship from traditional BBM partner, Red Top Auto Auctions. The venerable Kevin “Cowboy” Starland will serve as crew chief for Wallace in the event.

Wallace currently drives RWR’s No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He is riding a streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes in the Nationwide Series heading into his 125th career series start this weekend in Las Vegas. Wallace is currently ranked seventh overall in the Nationwide Series driver standings.

Noted Wallace, “I’m really excited about the opportunity to run my first truck race next weekend in Atlanta. I’ve always enjoyed watching that series; those guys race really, really hard. Running one of those races is something that I’ve wanted to do for awhile, but the timing has never been right until now. I’d like to thank Billy Ballew and everyone at Red Top Auto Auctions for this opportunity.

“While running the truck race is going to be fun, my main focus is 100 percent on putting the No. 66 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry up front and in contention for the Nationwide Series championship. Atlanta is a track where we traditionally haven’t run as well as we’d like in the Nationwide car, so getting some extra seat time at Atlanta will help on that side as well.”

About Rusty Wallace Racing LLC

U.S.-based Rusty Wallace Racing (RWR) is a professional auto racing team steeped in the legendary history of its founder and one of NASCAR’s top-ten drivers of all-time, Rusty Wallace. The organization currently campaigns the No. 66 and No. 62 Toyota Camrys in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, piloted by Steve Wallace and Brendan Gaughan. In 2009, RWR was the only organization with multiple drivers ranked among the top-ten in the final Nationwide Series driver standings. For more on RWR, please visit rustywallace.com.

Release via Rusty Wallace Racing

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