Aaron's 312 Starting Lineup: Nationwide Series

The NASCAR Nationwide Series race was rained out on Saturday but the drivers will be in action Sunday afternoon following the Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup Series race.

With a time of 51.106 seconds (187.375 mph) Kevin Harvick will be on the pole.

Here's the full starting lineup for the Nationwide Race

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Carl Edwards
3. Ricky Steinhouse Jr.
4. Steve Arpin
5. Shelby Howard
6. Reed Sorenson
7. Jason Leffler
8. Paul Menard
9. Parker Kligerman
10. Brian Keselowski
11. Kyle Busch
12. James Buescher
13. Colin Braun
14. Clint Bowyer
15. Joey Logano
16. Bobby Gerhart
17. Brian Scott
18. Chrissy Wallace
19. Justin Allgaier
20. Scott Lagasee Jr.
21. Dennis Setzer
22. Patrick Sheltra
23. Brad Keselowski
24. Donnie Neuenberger
25. Brian Vickers
26. Jamie McMurray
27. Mike Wallace
28. Morgan Shepherd
29. Michael Annett
30. Jason Keller
31. John Borneman III
32. Michael McDowell
33. Steve Wallace
34. Scott Wimmer
35. Joe Nemechek
36. Brendan Gaughan
37. Tony Raines
38. Kenny Wallace
39. Trevor Bayne
40. Eric McClure
41. Robert Richardson Jr.
42. Jeff Green
43. Mark Green

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Daytona to be repaved after Coke Zero 400

For only the second time in its history, Daytona International Speedway will be repaved following the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola in July, track President Robin Braig announced Saturday.

“This is a historic moment for NASCAR’s most storied race track - Daytona International Speedway,” Braig said. “Daytona was originally repaved in 1978 and the time has come again to put new asphalt on this legendary race track.”

In the past few years, various NASCAR drivers have called for Daytona to be repaved, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. being one of the most outspoken. But the issue gained legs when a pothole developed in Turn 2 during the 52nd annual Daytona 500 in February.

NASCAR's premier racing event was stopped twice as crews tried to repair the area. The hole was patched and came undone and had to be patched again due to the unusually cold and rainy weather that settled over Daytona Beach for this year's Speedweeks. The two red flags disrupted the race for nearly two and half hours combined.

Since the Daytona 500, International Speedway Corporation’s team of engineers and asphalt specialists have conducted a thorough evaluation of the entire track, and upon completion of that analysis, the results were delivered to the ISC Board of Directors where the decision was made to repave the race track following the 2010 Coke Zero 400.

Daytona International Speedway’s entire 2.5-mile tri-oval will be repaved as well as the skid pads, apron and pit road. Concrete will be used for the pit stalls. All of the existing asphalt will be removed down to the original 52-year-old lime rock base, which will be leveled and then paving will begin.

The repaving of Daytona International Speedway will remain true to Bill France Sr.’s original vision, layout and geometry of the track that was constructed in the late 1950s.

The repaving project will begin immediately after the Coke Zero 400 Weekend Powered By Coca-Cola on Sunday, July 4, with a target completion date of Jan. 1, 2011.

Lane Construction, which repaved other ISC race tracks including Talladega Superspeedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Darlington Raceway, has been contracted to repave Daytona International Speedway.

Due to the repaving project, the October motorcycles races, Richard Petty Driving Experience dates, testing sessions and other track rental events will be cancelled for the rest of the year.

Daytona KartWeek presented by Cometic Gasket World Karting Association races on Dec. 28-30 will continue as scheduled with the sprint and dirt track events only as those two series do not utilize the 2.5-mile tri-oval.

If race fans want to claim a piece of history, they can renew their 2011 Daytona 500 tickets and each account holder will receive a portion of Daytona’s track surface representing over 50 years of memories. The Daytona 500 ticket renewal process begins today.

Race fans will be able to view all the progressions of the historic repaving project from a section of the Oldfield Grandstands, which will open free to the public. Track tours will also be available through attraction admission to Daytona 500 Experience.

Speedweeks 2011 will kick off with the 49th annual Rolex 24 At Daytona GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race on Jan. 29-30 and conclude with the 53rd annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 20, the prestigious season-opening event to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

For tickets and more information on Daytona International Speedway events, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or call 1-800-PITSHOP.

Press release courtesy of Daytona International Speedway

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Severe weather postpones Nationwide race, cancels Cup qualifying

For the second week in a row, Mother Nature has halted Saturday's on-track events. Due to the threat of severe weather in the area, all activities scheduled for the day at Talladega Superspeedway have been canceled.

The Aaron's 312 Nationwide race that was originally set for Saturday has been postponed to Sunday. The race will start within an hour after the finish of the Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup race, at around 5:30 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Aaron's 499 will start as scheduled at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.

Any ticket for the Aaron’s 312 or Aaron’s 499 will be honored at the gate Sunday.

Because Saturday's Sprint Cup qualifying session was canceled, the field for the Aaron's 499 will be set by the NASCAR rulebook using owner points.Check out the starting lineup for Sunday's race.

The Talladega area experienced a severe thunderstorm early Saturday morning. More severe storms are in the forecast for the remainder of the day, according to the National Weather Service. A tornado watch is in effect until 2 p.m. Central Time for Talladega County and 28 other counties in central Alabama.

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Aaron's 499 Starting Lineup

Jimmie Johnson will be one the Pole for Sunday's Aaron's 499 from Talladega Super Speedway. Qualifying for the event was rained out so therefore the starting grid will be set based on owners points.

Check out our race day schedule for times!

Buckle up tight. It's Talladega and it's always a wild ride!

Here's your starting lineup

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Greg Biffle
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Jeff Gordon
6. Kyle Busch
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8. Jeff Burton
9. Kurt Busch
10. Mark Martin
11. Denny Hamlin
12. Joey Logano
13. Tony Stewart
14. Clint Bowyer 
15. Carl Edwards
16. Ryan Newman 
17. Martin Truex Jr.
18. Paul Menard
19. Brian Vickers
20. Scott Speed
21. Jamie McMurray
22. Kasey Kahne
23. AJ Allmendinger
24. Juan Pablo Montoya
25. Brad Keselowski
26. David Ragan
27. Elliott Sadler
28. Marcos Ambrose
29. Sam Hornish Jr.
30. David Reutimann
31. Regan Smith
32. Bobby Labonte
33. Kevin Conway
34. Travis Kvapil
35. Robert Richardson Jr.
36. David Stremme
37. Mike Bliss
38. Robby Gordon
39. Johnny Sauter
40. Max Papis
41. Joe Nemechek
42. Dave Blaney
43. Michael Waltrip. 

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TV Schedule April 24-25

Get ready for what could be some of the most exciting racing we've seen so far this season.

NASCAR heads to Talladega Superspeedway, the biggest track on the circuit and a fan favorite. The 2.66-mile tri-oval is known for its steep banking, as high as 33 degrees in the turns, and wild racing. Drivers can bump draft each other and max out at speeds more than 200 mph.

The track is also known for big wrecks. The cars run close together in packs and the slightest mistake can spawn the "Big One," leaving a trail of shredded racecars in its wake. Last year's spring race at Talladega saw Carl Edwards go airborne and hit the catch fence. Fans and drivers alike are hoping the new spoiler will help keep the Sprint Cup cars grounded.

Due to severe weather in the Talladega area, all track events scheduled for Saturday were canceled. The Nationwide race, Aaron's 312, was rescheduled for Sunday, about one hour after the finish of the Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup race. Kevin Harvick won the pole in Friday's Nationwide qualifying session. David Ragan is the defending race winner.

Saturday's qualifying for the Aaron's 499 was canceled, so points leader Jimmie Johnson will lead the field to green in Sunday's Sprint Cup race. Brad Keselowski is defending winner of the spring event, and Jamie McMurray won the fall race.

Here's the schedule of track events and television coverage for this weekend's events at Talladega Superspeedway (all times in Eastern Standard Time):

Saturday, April 24:
RAINED OUT: Sprint Cup qualifying. Field set by owner points.
POSTPONED TO SUNDAY: Nationwide race: Aaron's 312.
7 p.m. NASCAR Performance, SPEED (reruns at 8:30 a.m. Sunday)
7:30 p.m. NASCAR Smarts, SPEED (reruns at 9 a.m. Sunday)

Sunday, April 25:
9 a.m. NASCAR Now, ESPN2
9:30 a.m. NASCAR in a Hurry, SPEED
10 a.m. NASCAR RaceDay, SPEED
12 noon Sprint Cup pre-race show, FOX
1 p.m. Sprint Cup race: Aaron's 499, FOX. Green flag: 1:19 p.m.
5:30 p.m. Nationwide race: Aaron's 312, ESPN2. Race to start within an hour after the end of the Sprint Cup race.
8 p.m. NASCAR Victory Lane, SPEED (reruns at 2 a.m.)

_________________
PHOTO: Cars practice drafting at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday with the new spoiler on the back of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. (John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR)

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I Love My NASCAR Driver(Series)

Here is another great story of a dedicated fan! This story is that of Kiara Boal and her love and passion for the driver of the No. 18 Kyle Busch. Here's her fantastic story!!

Kiara:

"NASCAR has always been apart of my life and when I was child I cheered on the sports favorites like Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, and so on. (I really only cheered on Rusty cause he was my moms favorite until he retired and her 2nd favorite driver become her 1st favorite…Jimmie Johnson!) I was young and wanted to search for my own driver to cheer on. In 2003, an impressive rookie came onto the scene in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. His name was Kyle Thomas Busch and he is now my favorite driver to this day. That ARCA Race wasn’t his first time being in NASCAR because he had previously been in a ride at the age of 16 and was kicked out of the ride because of the sponsor of that race. I watched him flourish into this unstoppable, talented NASCAR driver that I had grown to love.

As many think that most Kyle Busch fans only like Kyle cause he can put his car into Victory Lane many times during the NASCAR seasons, its not true…at all. I like Kyle cause of his personality and his driving skill. The way he can put his car where no other driver, most likely, dares to go is just phenomenal. He isn’t afraid to go for that win and his determination each week is something many take for granted. Kyle may get really mad after a race if things don’t go his way but I for one love that about him. I love his passion for NASCAR and racing. He would rather finish 1st every week than 2nd. I love the fact that my driver isn’t happy with an average finish…cause I just wouldn’t be happy if my driver was “happy” or “content” about a 30th place finish each week. I also love Kyle’s smart-aleck type of personality that he has with some reporters.

On July 22, 2009, I met Kyle Busch for the first time at the Warsaw Toyota Dealership. That day I was totally in heaven because I was finally going to meet my hero and the guy that I cheered on each week. I had butterflies all day even though it was just so nasty outside. It was raining off and on and it was humid, my hair did not look great either. Ha. No matter what, that rain and humidity wouldn’t damper my attitude. I waited about 3 hours in line just to meet Kyle and when he finally showed up, my heart just skipped a few beats. We followed the line to his Rowdy Trailer and waited until it was my turn to meet him. I had my camera ready for my friend to take a picture of us together and when I got the chance to meet him, I could barely talk. He asked me how I was doing and I was shaking but I managed to get the words “Can I take a picture with you” out and something happened to my camera. It didn’t take the picture. I walked away feeling so angry about my camera not taking the picture. I told my mom when we found her and then she told us to get back in line because she knew that I would never get over the fact that I couldn’t get my picture taken with Kyle…so we cut back in line! Once again I was headed towards another meeting with Kyle in the same day.

When I got up there, Kyle said “Back again?” And my heart just melted because he remembered me. I said “Haha yep. I wanted to say that I thought it was awesome when you smashed that guitar.” Kyle smiled and said “Well thank you, some liked it and some didn’t.” And then finally, we got our picture together. I walked away feeling like I could just float away because I couldn’t believe that I had just met Kyle Busch…again. That day changed the way that I thought about Kyle and the way that I looked at Kyle too. He may be a cocky but confident driver on the track but away from the track, he is just so sweet and nice. My head going into our meeting was that he is gonna be rude or mean or something, but walked away thinking the complete opposite. That day made me become an even bigger fan of Kyle’s….if that was even possible.

I think Kyle and I are a lot alike. We both have that “Im gonna put you in your place” attitude about certain things or that funny but smart-aleck sort of way we talk. We don’t really care about what you think of us or if you don’t seem to like us. But I will never have that drive to race with all my heart like Kyle does….so I put my “drive” into something else..being one of his most passionate fans. I can say that when Kyle wins, I am overjoyed, smiling for hours, and just being so proud of what Kyle did that race or even that season like the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season. Now, that’s a season that I will never forget. There is no better feeling like watching your driver when his first NASCAR Championship. I even have a cat named “Rowdy” after Kyle! But there is also when Kyle has something go wrong, Im so mean and angry. You can ask any of my followers on Twitter. I take pride in my passion for being one of Kyle’s fans but there also comes a time when I do have to stand up for him when someone tries to tell me that my driver sucks, cause you know that the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion sucks. I fight to the death with some of NASCAR’s nastiest and meanest fans out there. I have even had a few threats, but that doesn’t stop me from cheering him on.

Nothing will change the passion and dedication that I have for my driver, Kyle Thomas Busch."

Thats certainly passion when you call your driver there full name!!!!

The two pictures are Kiaras and here is her description.
"The first picture is of Kyle and I. To this day, I still cant believe that I actually met Kyle. My face looks so red cause I was shaking and my heart was beating so fast! The 2nd picture is of Kyle at Eldora Speedway for the Prelude to the Dream! We had a really great view of the boys while they drawled for their qualifying spots. His hauler was the last one the side we were on and I got to watch him and his crew through the whole Eldora race!! It was awesome!"

I want to thank Kiara for her story of passion and dedication, be sure to check her out on Skirts and Scuffs and stay tuned for another fantastic story from a fan!!

If you want your story to be part of this series, send me an email to
missmander88@hotmail.com

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I Love My NASCAR Driver (Series)

So this is another rendition of the I Love My NASCAR Driver (series). This one is Whitney Richards who is a contributor here on Skirts and Scuffs. Be sure to check out her articles and read why exactly she is a Matt Kenseth and a David Ragan fan!

Whitney Richards:

"It's kind of an odd story as to how I became a fan of Matt Kenseth. I became a fan of his in June of 03. At that time I was into NASCAR, but didn't really have a favorite driver. I sort of chose Dale Jr simply because he was my step-papaw's fave driver and my step-papaw had gotten me into NASCAR.

For my thirteenth birthday (which was in June of 03) I got the NASCAR Thunder 2003 game for my Playstation. So naturally I played as Jr all the time. Well, I never could win in that game. Then the weekend after my birthday I was watching the Cup race and they kept talking about Matt. And being the kid I was I thought to myself "this Kenseth guy sounds pretty good. Maybe if I play as him on my game I might win." Well, I played as Matt on the game after the race that day and lo and behold I started winning in the game.

I immediately began paying more attention to Matt throughout that season. I noticed just how good Matt really was. So, I started cheering for him during races. When he won the Championship that year I knew right then I had found my favorite driver and nothing would change my mind.

Since then, I've seen just what a great driver and person Matt really is. I must say I am truly proud to be a Matt Kenseth fan.

While Kenseth is my #1, David Ragan is as close as close can get to bumping Kenseth from my top spot. I don't remember why I started pulling for him. Even now, after being a fan of his since 2007, I still can't tell you what led me to become his fan. I don't think I'll ever know what it is about David that capitvates me. I think the big factor there is probably because he's such an underdog.

As far as dedication to my drivers go, I celebrate right along with them when they win. I get upset when they have terrible finishes. I will get into arguments with fans who stay stuff about them, but I tend to get defend David more fiercely than Matt. I have no idea why. It's been that way since 2007. Matt is my #1, and for people who don't know me, they think David has replaced Matt as my favorite, which will never happen because Matt is the reason my passion for NASCAR began."

What a fantastic story on the dedication from a fan and I want to thank Whitney for contributing!

*Pictures are from Whitneys personal collections. Here is her description of them*
"The first picture is of me (on the left) and my best friend Hope at Bristol last August. It was Hope's first ever Nationwide race. The second picture is of the pylon once the race was over. That picture is special to me because of who's atop that pylon....David Ragan got his second career Nationwide win at the Food City 250 that night and I was in the stands that night to see it happen. He actually made the pass and took the lead from Carl Edwards right in front of where I was sitting. I think half the people around me thought I had lost my mind when the checkered flag came out. I was jumping up and down cheering like mad. David winning that race meant alot to me because so many people talk down about him and that night it was like he proved he's as good as I know he is. I was almost in tears that night I was so happy. I wish I had gotten a picture of him in Victory Lane, but I was sitting off turn 2, and VL is between turns 3 and 4, and my camera just wouldn't zoom that far"

If you readers are interested in telling us why you love your NASCAR driver and want to be part of this series drop me an email at missmander88@hotmail.com. Hope to hear from many of you soon and stay tuned for more great dedicated fan stories!

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