Race Fans Treated to Special Q&A in Turn 11 with Jeff Gordon in Sonoma

(March 22, 2010) Vallejo native Jeff Gordon, who holds the track record for wins at Infineon Raceway, will be front-and-center for race fans on Sunday, June 20 (Father's Day), with a special chalk-talk session just hours before the drop of the green flag for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Race fans can secure preferred access for this special Q&A by purchasing the "24 Special" ticket package, which gets you one ticket to the race at the regular price, plus a second for just $24 (total price, $119). That's a savings of $70.


"I enjoyed this question and answer session with the fans last year, and I'm looking forward to it again this summer," said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet and five-time winner in Sonoma. "We had a great turnout in 2009 - a turnout I hope we exceed this year."

The chalk-talk session will be open to the public, but to get preferred access, you'll need the "24 Special." The Q&A will take place on the road course at Turn 11, one of the most exciting turns on the circuit.

"Last year's event left no doubt that Sonoma is Jeff Gordon country," said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway. "The turnout was phenomenal and Jeff makes such a terrific connection with the fans.  We're very grateful he's decided to join us for another session this year."

The raceway has also teamed with the Courtyard by Marriott, Vallejo - Napa Valley on the "24 Special." The property is offering discounted hotel room rates for those who purchase the "24 Special." Call 800-228-9290 and ask for promotional code SPE, or visit www.marriott.com/sfovl and enter SPE in the Corporate or Promotional Code box under the Special Rates & Awards heading.

Race fans can purchase the "24 Special" by calling 800-870-RACE, infineonraceway.com or ticketmaster.com. The Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR weekend is scheduled for June 18-20.

Release via Infineon Raceway

Read More

Kahne Appearing at Budweiser ROLL-BAR at PIR on April 10th

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - NASCAR Sprint Cup Series star and Budweiser driver Kasey Kahne will appear at Phoenix International Raceway's Budweiser ROLL-BAR for a question-and-answer session with NASCAR fans before the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 600™ on Saturday, April 10.

Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, qualified for the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup - his second such distinction. Kahne has three top-10 finishes in 11 Sprint Cup Series starts at Phoenix International Raceway.

Fellow Sprint Cup competitors Clint Bowyer, Robby Gordon, and A.J. Allmendinger will also appear at Budweiser ROLL-BAR over the weekend. Each driver will be scheduled to participate for 15 minutes, and appearance times will be confirmed shortly and announced on PhoenixRaceway.com.

More driver appearances will be announced soon.

Budweiser ROLL-BAR is located just behind the Bobby Allison Grandstands on the west side of the track, and features the best in live entertainment each day and night throughout the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 600™ NASCAR weekend and appearances by some of NASCAR’s top personalities.

The innovative hospitality environment at Budweiser ROLL-BAR includes a special VIP section for guests, featuring high-end furniture on a raised platform. A number of unique custom structures - including a bar to house a replica of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford driven by Kahne - adorn the beer garden area and highlight the Budweiser branding seen throughout the club.

Single-day tickets to Budweiser ROLL-BAR are available for $89 on Friday, April 9 and for $139 on Saturday, April 10. Additional purchase of a grandstand ticket is still required for track admission.

Tickets for 2010 at Phoenix International Raceway can be purchased online at PhoenixRaceway.com or by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223). The PIR Ticket Office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 125 S. Avondale Blvd., just south of I-10 at Exit 131 in Avondale.

Release via Phoenix International Raceway

Photo courtesy of Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway

Read More

Charlotte Test Session Morning Speeds (Day 1)

The spoiler will be returning to competition. In preparation for the change from the wing to the spoiler Sprint Cup Series drivers will be testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Below are the times for Tuesday’s morning session.

	Car Number	Driver	Best Time	Best Speed
1	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	29.036	185.976
2	77	Sam Hornish Jr.	29.049	185.893
3	00	David Reutimann	29.054	185.861
4	83	Brian Vickers	29.060	185.822
5	1	Jamie McMurray	29.089	185.637
6	5b	Mark Martin	29.164	185.160
7	5	Mark Martin	29.174	185.096
8	24	Jeff Gordon	29.179	185.065
9	33	Clint Bowyer	29.213	184.849
10	18	Kyle Busch	29.259	184.559
11	82	Scott Speed	29.289	184.370
12	11	Denny Hamlin	29.339	184.055
13	31	Jeff Burton	29.340	184.049
14	39	Ryan Newman	29.364	183.899
15	56b	Martin Truex Jr.	29.382	183.755
16	21	Bill Elliott	29.400	183.673
17	9	Kasey Kahne	29.403	183.655
18	98	Paul Menard	29.419	183.555
19	20	Joey Logano	29.425	183.517
20	17	Matt Kenseth	29.429	183.492
21	29	Kevin Harvick	29.433	183.468
22	14	Tony Stewart	29.447	183.380
23	12	Brad Keselowski	29.450	183.362
24	43	AJ Allmendinger	29.472	183.225
25	38	Kevin Conway	29.484	183.150
26	31b	Jeff Burton	29.491	183.107
27	19	Elliott Sadler	29.505	183.020
28	48b	Jimmie Johnson	29.527	182.883
29	16	Greg Biffle	29.545	182.772
30	2	Kurt Busch	29.547	182.760
31	47	Marcos Ambrose	29.625	182.278
32	6	David Ragan	29.647	182.143
33	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	29.659	182.070
34	2b	Kurt Busch	29.661	182.057
35	99	Carl Edwards	29.661	182.057
36	78	Regan Smith	29.738	181.586
37	83b	Brian Vickers	29.745	181.543
38	48	Jimmie Johnson	29.748	181.525
39	24b	Jeff Gordon	29.795	181.238
40	71	Bobby Labonte	29.924	180.457
41	22	Justin Allgaier	29.989	180.066
42	32	Reed Sorenson	30.023	179.862
43	13	Max Papis	30.032	179.808
44	7	Robby Gordon	30.098	179.414
45	09	Aric Almirola	30.195	178.838
46	46	Terry Cook	30.253	178.495
47	34	Travis Kvapil	30.270	178.394

Read More

Hall of Fame to Open in 50 Days!

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 22, 2010 – 50 days until opening) – The checkered flag is in sight for the NASCAR Hall of Fame grand opening. To mark the final days before the 150,000-square-foot interactive entertainment attraction opens May 11, fans are invited to participate in a 50-day countdown on Twitter and watch www.NASCARHall.com for 50 days of news about the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Beginning today and running through May 11, a trivia question will be posted each morning on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Twitter page (@NASCARHall). The lucky fan who posts the first correct response to @NASCARHall will win a NASCAR Hall of Fame prize pack. In conjunction with the contest, the NASCAR Hall of Fame team will reveal one feature of the facility daily at www.NASCARHall.com/50days.

“This has been one of the most anticipated openings of an entertainment attraction not just for Charlotte and the Carolinas, but nationwide,” said Winston Kelley, executive director for the facility. “We are in the final stretch, and we want to get as many people involved as possible. We are looking forward to revealing features of the venue each day on our Web site and through social media. This allows everyone nationwide to share in our excitement as we prepare for the grand opening.”


The first item announced in the 50-day countdown was revealed today in a news conference at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip unveiled his championship-winning No. 11 Mountain Dew Buick. Waltrip drove the iconic, green-and-white stock car to back-to-back NASCAR Winston Cup championships in 1981 and 1982, the first two of three championships in his famed career. In 1981 and 1982 alone, Waltrip had 61 starts and earned 24 wins, 29 top-5 finishes and more than $1.6 million in winnings.

The car denotes a significant occurrence in NASCAR history when the sanctioning body mandated a downsizing of cars to coincide with changes taking place in Detroit during that period. The car was built and owned by NASCAR Hall of Fame Inaugural Inductee Junior Johnson. Waltrip’s two championships in this car marked Johnson’s fourth and fifth titles as an owner. Waltrip and Johnson captured a third championship together in 1985.

The No. 11 Mountain Dew Buick will be one of 18 stock cars featured on Glory Road inside the main entrance of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. A banked ramp simulating various racetracks, Glory Road also highlights 40 current and historic tracks and mimics various degrees of banking at racetracks including the impressive 33-degree incline found at Talladega Superspeedway. The car is on loan from Darrell Watlrip Motorsports to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for two years.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame opens to the public May 11 at 10 a.m. EDT. The opening ceremony for the high-tech, interactive attraction begins at 9 a.m. EDT. The one-hour ceremony will culminate with NASCAR celebrities, elected officials and other dignitaries officially opening the venue. The opening ceremony will be followed by free outdoor activities from 10 a.m. through the late evening. Activities will include NASCAR celebrities, question-and-answer sessions, strolling entertainment, food vendors, musical entertainment and more. The day will conclude with a free concert by country music trio Love And Theft.

Tickets for the NASCAR Hall of Fame are on sale now and can be purchased at www.NASCARHall.com or by calling 877-231-2010. Tickets are $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for seniors and military, $12.95 for children 5-12, and free for children younger than 5. Memberships provide unlimited entry for one year and start at $25 for children and $50 for adults. Group discounts, facility rentals and sponsorships also are available by calling 704-654-4400.


About NASCAR Hall of Fame
Opening May 11, 2010 in uptown Charlotte, N.C., the 150,000-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, includes artifacts, interactive exhibits, 275-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop and NASCAR Media Group-operated broadcast studio. The five-acre site also includes a privately developed 19-story office tower and 102,000-square-foot expansion to the Charlotte Convention Center, highlighted by a 40,000 square-foot ballroom. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.www.NASCARHall.com

Read More

Menard on track for best season yet

Maybe Paul Menard was on to something when he decided to join the ranks of Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, and perhaps Kevin Harvick and compete as a full-time driver in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series this year. Granted, the 2010 Sprint Cup Series season is only five races old, but Menard is off to his best Cup start yet, currently occupying the ninth position in the championship points standings.

After five races, Menard already has a top-five to his credit, a fifth-place finish in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He's yet to finish outside the top-20 in 2010, posting finishes of 13th, 18th, 17th, fifth, and 18th (in that order) so far.

"We've had top-20 cars in all four races this year, and we've been able to capitalize on it," Menard said prior to last weekend's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. "I think sometimes that's the difference between being 30th in points and ninth."

Menard kept that top-20 string going at Bristol with an 18th-place finish to remain in the top-10 in points.

Read the rest of this article at Cup Series News & Notes.

Photo of Paul Menard courtesy of NASCAR Media.

Read More

Roush Rewind: Food City 500

While many people probably don’t think of Roush Fenway Racing drivers when they think of Bristol Motor Speedway, there is no denying the Roush drivers know their way around the “World’s Fastest Half Mile”. From 2002-2008, a Roush Fenway Racing driver had won one of the Bristol races. Kyle Busch ended their streak when he swept both Bristol races in 2009. During Sunday’s Food City 500, the Roush drivers all put on a good show despite the fact Mother Nature threatened to cause problems, but the race was only delayed by rain twice, and even those delays weren’t very long. Three of the Roush drivers finished inside the top ten, while one was caught up in the “big one” that stopped him from getting the decent finish he would have been capable of.

David Ragan started 30th in his No. 6 UPS Ford. Despite such a bad qualifying effort, starting toward the back was nothing new to Ragan. He began to gain positions, but he had to battle a tight racecar. Ragan ran anywhere between 16th and 22nd for much of the race. Just when it looked like he had a good run going, his teammate Greg Biffle got into Mark Martin in turn 3 and triggered the “big one”. Ragan had nowhere to go to avoid the melee and the left front of his car was badly damaged. He pitted for repairs while the field was under caution. Ragan left pit road after the repairs, but things went from bad to worse. As soon as he got back on the track, the brake rotor broke, causing the left front tire to go down. Ragan had to take his battered car behind the wall. The UPS Racing crew worked diligently to get Ragan back out. He finally returned to the track in 31st position, multiple laps down. Ragan managed to gain two more positions in the waning laps to ultimately finish 29th.

Carl Edwards qualified solidly inside the top ten and started 8th on Sunday in his No. 99 Scott’s Turf Builder Ford. Edwards ran well in the beginning of the race, but just before lap 100 he fell to 25th position as he got stuck the damaged car of Joey Logano. While many teams were reporting issues of tire wear, Edwards was careful to take care of the tires on his racecar. A little past halfway, Edwards had worked his way back up to 18th position. He was also in the middle of the wreck triggered by Mark Martin and Greg Biffle, but he received minimal damage. Edwards had made his way up to 9th with 50 laps remaining. On the last restart, Edwards was lined up third, behind teammate Matt Kenseth, but Kenseth spun his tires and slowed Edwards’ progress. Edwards would finish 6th when the checkered flag waved.

Matt Kenseth qualified his No. 17 Crown Royal Ford in the 7th position. Kenseth’s main complaint throughout the race was that his car was tight in the turns. He pitted under the caution on lap 41 so his crew could make adjustments. He restarted 11th after that, but it seemed the adjustments his crew had made didn’t help get the car’s handling to Kenseth’s liking. Unable to get the grip he needed, Kenseth couldn’t challenge for track positions and slowly drifted back. A pit stop under caution around lap 265 found Kenseth still looking for the grip he needed. The Killer Bees went to work and made changes to te spring rubber and wedge of Kenseth's racecar. He restarted 24th on lap 272. When the “big one” happened in turn three that involved about 13 cars, Kenseth was lucky enough to be well ahead of it. He was running third at the time. Kenseth was 2nd with about 10 laps remaining, but once the checkered flag waved, Kenseth crossed the line in the 5th position. Kenseth is now just 1 point away from taking over the lead in the Sprint Cup points standings.

Greg Biffle started Sunday’s race in the 25th position in his No. 16 Census 2010/3M Ford. Biffle had worked his way up to 18th position by the time the first caution came out on lap 40. After a long green flag run, Biffle had moved inside the top five. Biffle took the lead from Kurt Busch around lap 124 and held onto the lead until Juan Pablo Montoya got around him on lap 178. He would reclaim the lead nearly 20 laps later and held onto it until the caution came out on lap 204. He restarted 2nd on lap 211 and was once again the front runner just 4 laps later. Biffle was able to escape the wreck he started after getting into Mark Martin. With about 10 laps remianing, Biffle would lead the field to green with teammates Kenseth in 2nd and Edwards in 3rd. Unable to keep the lead, Biffle was 4th to take the checkered flag.

Despite the strong runs by the Roush Fenway Racing drivers, they couldn’t stop Jimmie Johnson from taking the checkered flag for Sunday’s Food City 500. Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 crew!

Next up: Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway

Photos courtesy of Whitney Richards

Read More

Johnson Among Greats with 50 or more Wins in Sprint Cup Series

Johnson gets his 50th checkered at Bristol – Photo Credit: Bristol Motor Speedway 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 21, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson won his 50th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race today at Bristol Motor Speedway, a rare accomplishment that further solidifies the four-time defending champion’s place among the all-time greats.

Only 11 other drivers have reached the milestone. Three are NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees, six were Hall of Fame nominees, and the other two – Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace – will surely join the Hall of Fame nominee list in the future.

Johnson needed only 296 starts to hit the 50 mark. Only three drivers have reached 50 victories quicker – Gordon (232), Darrell Waltrip (278) and David Pearson (293).

Here is the exclusive “50 Wins Club”:


All-Time NSCS Wins


Driver                      Wins   
Richard Petty             200
David Pearson            105
Bobby Allison              84
Darrell Waltrip              84
Cale Yarborough          83
Jeff Gordon                  82
Dale Earnhardt             76
Rusty Wallace             55
Lee Petty                    54
Ned Jarrett                  50
Junior Johnson            50
Jimmie Johnson          50

Below are some of Johnson’s milestone and historic wins on his way to 50:


1 – Johnson did not take long to nab his first victory. In only his 13th start, at his hometown track Auto Club Speedway on April 28, 2002, Johnson led 62 laps in the win. Among those in the top 10 of all-time victories, only Lee Petty needed fewer starts for his first win (five).
4 – In what would become customary, Johnson won NASCAR’s longest race – the Coca-Cola 600. He currently has three Coke 600 wins.
10 – In his 95th start, Johnson reached double digits. He won at Pocono for the second time in 2004, his third career season track sweep. Johnson currently has 11 career track sweeps.
14 – In 2004, Johnson took home one of NASCAR’s crown jewels – the Southern 500.
19 – His biggest race win to date, Johnson became a Daytona 500 champion on Feb. 19, 2006.
20 – Johnson won at Las Vegas for his 20th victory, but led only one lap – the last one. It was the only time in his series career that Johnson had only one lap led in a race win.
22 – No big stage daunts Johnson. That, of course, includes the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He won the Indy race in 2006, the first of three Brickyard wins thus far.
25 – Johnson hit the halfway point on March 18, 2007, in his 187th start. That means, statistically, he went on a winning rampage soon after. His last 25 wins took only 109 starts.
30 – Johnson’s 30th coincided with the beginning of a streak of four consecutive wins in 2007. The first was at Martinsville, followed by Atlanta, Texas and Phoenix.
40 – Win No. 40 came at Phoenix in race No. 35 of the 2008 season. He dominated, leading 217 of the 313 laps.

Johnson’s victories have come at 17 different tracks. His most prolific: Charlotte Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, where he has won six times apiece.


Jimmie Johnson Wins By Track


Track                      Wins   
Charlotte                    6
Martinsville                 6
Auto Club                   5
Dover                         5
Las Vegas                 4
Phoenix                     4
Atlanta                       3
Indianapolis                3
Richmond                  3
New Hampshire          2
Pocono                      2
Darlington                  2
Texas                        1
Daytona                     1
Talladega                   1
Kansas                      1
Bristol                        1      

Read More