Race Fast Facts SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500

Race Fast Facts
Phoenix International Raceway
7th Annual SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Sun, February 27, 2011 @ 06:45 PM Eastern
Race Winner: Jeff Gordon
Age: 39
Team : No. 24 - Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
Owner: Rick Hendrick
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Jeff Gordon won the 7th Annual SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500, his 83rd victory in 619 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. The victory matches Cale Yarborough for fifth in career wins.
This is his first victory and first top-10 finish in 2011. Gordon breaks 66-race winless streak dating to his last win on April 5, 2009 at Texas Motor Speedway.
This is his second victory and 18th top-10 finish in 25 races at Phoenix International Raceway. He won this race in 2007.
Kyle Busch (second) posted his eighth top-10 finish in 13 races at Phoenix International Raceway.  It is his second top-10 finish in 2011.
Jimmie Johnson (third) posted his 14th top-10 finish in 16 races at Phoenix International Raceway.
Andy Lally (31st) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Busch leads the point standings by 3 points over Kurt Busch.

Gordon ends 66-race winless drought at Phoenix

NSCS Race Recap: Late Surge Helps Gordon Break 66-Race Drought 

February 27, 2011

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

AVONDALE, Ariz.—Jeff Gordon didn’t just drive to end hunger Sunday—he drove to end a famine.

With a convincing victory in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, where he beat runner-up Kyle Busch to the checkered flag by 1.137 seconds, Gordon ended a 66-race winless streak dating to April 2009 at Texas.

The win was Gordon’s second at the one-mile flat track and the 83rd of his career, tying him with Cale Yarborough for fifth on the NASCAR Sprint Cup victory list.

He won for the first time in his second start with crew chief Alan Gustafson and in his second race under "Drive to end hunger" sponsorship, an initiative of AARP.

"Pinch me, man. Pinch me," Gordon said in mock disbelief, after killing his engine in an ill-fated burnout on the frontstretch.

Five-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson finished third after starting 28th. Kevin Harvick came home fourth, a substantial improvement over his 42nd-place result in last week’s Daytona 500, and Ryan Newman claimed fifth.

Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, AJ Allmendinger and Dale Earnhardt Jr. completed the top 10.

In victory lane, Gordon was positively bubbly.

"God, it feels so amazing," the four-time Cup champion said. "I can’t tell you how amazing this feels. So thankful to (owner) Rick Hendrick, all that he does. It’s been a long time, I know. I’m going to savor this one so much, but I’ve got to say thanks to the fans.

"I mean not only the fans at home—I’ve been tweeting lately for the first time and all of the stuff that people have been saying, the motivation has been unbelievably inspiring. And then to see that crowd stick around to see my really lame burnout—because I stink at them—but they love that show. Man, we hope we can give them some more shows like that this year."

Taking the lead on Lap 304 of 312, Gordon prevented Busch from achieving the second weekend sweep of his career. Busch had won Friday’s Camping World Truck Series race and Saturday’s Nationwide Series event.

On Sunday, however, he fell nine laps and one position short of matching the feat he accomplished at Bristol last August, when he became the first driver to win races in all three of NASCAR’s top national touring series at the same track on the same weekend.

"There’s always got to be the one car out there to ruin the whole weekend," Busch quipped. "Today it was the 24."

Gordon nosed to the inside of Busch’s No. 18 Toyota at the start-finish line and cleared him in Turn 1 to complete the winning pass.

"He was gaining on me really good, and I knew he was going to get to me eventually, and this place is so flat and it’s one groove that we all run the bottom," Busch said of the sequence where Gordon got to his bumper on Lap 304.

"He got so tucked up behind me in (Turns) 3 and 4, he got me loose, and I could not put the gas down," Busch said. "I mean, he was so far up underneath me that I could not go forward."

Busch, at least, could find some degree of consolation in taking over the lead in the series standings by three points over his brother, Kurt.

Gordon had to survive a number of early wrecks, including a 13-car pileup on the backstretch that blocked the track with crippled cars and stopped the action on Lap 67.

Slight contact between Matt Kenseth’s No. 17 Ford and Brian Vickers’ No. 83 Toyota cut Vickers’ left rear tire and ignited a wild wreck that damaged the cars of Clint Bowyer, Jeff Burton, Jamie McMurray, David Reutimann, Casey Mears, Travis Kvapil, David Gilliland, Bobby Labonte, Regan Smith, Andy Lally and Robby Gordon.

"We’re all better racecar drivers than this," a disgusted Bowyer said after the incident. "It’s pretty embarrassing, to be honest with you."

The wreck occurred eight laps after contact between Kyle Busch and the No. 99 Ford of polesitter Carl Edwards sent Edwards into the Turn 3 wall. Edwards, who entered the race with the points lead, was able to return to the race but finished 28th, 52 laps back.

"I’m not exactly sure what happened," Edwards said. "I’ll have to talk to Kyle about it. I thought at first he was just frustrated and he turned left to get back in line and he didn’t know I was there. But I watched the tape, and I think he really did get loose. He hit me hard, and I was left with nothing."

Busch acknowledged responsibility for the wreck, saying repeatedly he owed an apology to Edwards. (NASCAR Media)

Subway Fresh Fit 500 Line Up

Edwards best among fast qualifiers at Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- The last time the Sprint Cup Series came to Phoenix International Raceway, Carl Edwards won from the pole.
After Saturday's Cup qualifying session at the 1-mile flat track, Edwards has a leg up on a second consecutive victory. With a lap at 137.279 mph, Edwards was the fastest of 26 drivers who broke the track record in time trials for Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500. NASCAR. COM

Busch goes wire to wire for victory at Phoenix

Leads every lap, becoming first since 2003 to lead every lap in a race 

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Kyle Busch held off a frenetic challenge from Carl Edwards in the closing laps of Saturday’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway and collected his 44th Nationwide Series victory, four behind career series leader Mark Martin.( NASCAR .com) 
Results

Trevor Bayne still seeking sponsors

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Trevor Bayne may have won the Daytona 500 in one of NASCAR's biggest upsets, but that hasn't sent the sponsors knocking down his door. At least not yet.

The 20-year-old driver was able to add an 18th Sprint Cup race with his winnings from Daytona, but would like to run a full schedule, including the two races at Talladega. He still doesn't have a sponsor for his Nationwide car, either. ESPN .COM

Busch holds off Bowyer for Truck victory at PIR

Becomes the fastest driver in NASCAR to win 25 races in a single series

 AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Win the race off pit road. Win the race.

After taking the lead under caution on Lap 44 of Friday night's Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway, Kyle Busch led the final 107 laps to post his second win at the 1-mile track and his 25th in the Camping World Truck Series (Read more @ NASCAR .com)
.

Bayne slams wall in first lap of Phoenix practice

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- One week after being the belle of the fancy ball, Cinderella shattered the glass slipper.

On his first lap in Friday's initial Cup practice at Phoenix International Raceway, Daytona 500 winnerTrevor Bayne knocked a bit of the shine off the victory -- and bent up the entire right side of his No. 21 Ford -- when his brakes failed heading into Turn 3. (Read more @ NASCAR .com)

Notes: Records were falling with ease at Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Cool temperatures were conducive to hot laps Friday at 1-mile Phoenix International Raceway. In the first Sprint Cup practice session, Kurt Busch posted a lap at 136.539 mph, bettering the record 136.389 mph Carl Edwards ran during qualifying last November.

"We went out in qualifying trim, and I think that I got a draft -- or at least the air was broken up -- when I chased [Clint] Bowyer down right in front of me, and that might have added to our car running a little faster," Busch said. (Read more @ NASCAR. Com)

Bill Friel Focuses on Daytona for Speedway Media Racing News

Bayne smart with his decision to stay the course

 Debating the 500 winner's future, Johnson's pursuit and NASCAR's resurgence

By NASCAR.COM 
 

By the Numbers: NASCAR at Phoenix

Phoenix International Raceway is a 1-mile tri-oval with 11 degrees banking in Turns 1 and 2 and 9 degrees in Turns 3 and 4. The frontstretch is 1,179 feet with 3 degrees banking; the backstretch is 1,551 feet with 9 degrees banking NASCAR .COM

Bayne opts to stick with Nationwide title chase Daytona 500 champ declines switch to Cup points; 500 ratings up 13 percent

Even though NASCAR would have allowed Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne to change his eligibility for the championship from the Nationwide Series to the Sprint Cup Series, Bayne announced Tuesday he is sticking with his plans to run for the Nationwide title. (NASCAR.COM)

Nascar Sprint Cup Power Rankings

From Nationwide points lead to uncertain future

After season opener, Cassill offers impromptu plea on behalf of young drivers

By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM 
February 23, 2011 10:40 AM, EST

As the Daytona 500 came to an end, Landon Cassill cheered for Trevor Bayne as if he had a personal stake in the driver of the No. 21 car -- which, in a way, he did. It wasn't just because the two are good friends who attend Bible study together every other week. It wasn't just because both are drivers in their early 20s who had already experienced upheaval and disappointment in their careers. It was because if a young, relative unknown like Bayne would win NASCAR's biggest race, then maybe somebody might give Cassill a second look, too.

"I need Trevor to win," Cassill said. "I love Bobby Labonte and I love [Travis] Kvapil and [David] Gilliland and the older drivers. I love those guys. But I need Trevor to win, not them. I need these teams to look at Trevor and say, 'Wow, I didn't know these kids were capable of this, where's the next Trevor? Who is he?' I need a kid like him to win. I root for him and Joey Logano every single week. I need these teams that have the decision to put a driver in the car, not based on sponsorship and not based on who's bringing money, I need them to be like, let's look at a young driver this time instead of an older driver, because we just got our butts kicked by a young driver. So hopefully that will help."

“

I could probably find some team with a backup car that I can go start and park, but I don't want to put myself in the Nationwide race just to say that I'm going into the next race as the points leader. That's not the point.

”

-- LANDON CASSILL

That's the hope Cassill is clinging to, particularly after last weekend, where he nearly pulled a mini-shocker of his own. Driving the No. 1 car of superspeedway specialist James Finch, the 21-year-old finished third behind Tony Stewart and Clint Bowyer in the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona International Speedway, and -- as a result of the new NASCAR rule that allows drivers to accrue championship points in only one national series -- will carry the points lead into this Saturday's event at Phoenix. But likely no further, given that the points leader doesn't have a ride this weekend. Finch is fielding his Nationwide car for only a handful of races this season, and Phoenix isn't on the list.

Which is why Cassill used his best career Nationwide finish and the ensuing media center appearance to offer an impromptu plea on behalf of young drivers who are struggling to find rides in a series where sponsors often want bankable Sprint Cup names behind the wheel. "I've been with good sponsors before. Unfortunately, sometimes that bucket doesn't stay full of water. It just kind of drains out, and the sponsors will go for the older drivers," he said Saturday.

"You look at someone like Josh Wise and Michael McDowell, you know, they're just like me, they're hustling every week. It is tough, though. Sometimes it's venting to each other, sometimes it's strategizing with each other. I'll be honest, I had two or three, I can think of, full-time ride opportunities in the Truck and Nationwide Series this year that were passed over for veteran drivers. You know, it's tough."

The next day brought the stunning Daytona 500 victory by Bayne, whose own career was once nearly derailed when a planned ride at Dale Earnhardt Inc. fell apart because of a lack of sponsorship. In an era where sponsor deals can be slow to materialize, not even a win in NASCAR's biggest race can change things overnight -- Bayne is still scheduled to run a schedule of 18 total Sprint Cup events for the sponsor-limited Wood Brothers, and said Tuesday his Roush Fenway Nationwide entry remained "a blank car." So imagine how difficult it can be for a driver like Cassill, who has never run more than 19 races in a season, and is trying to milk a surprise third-place Nationwide finish and the series points lead for everything he can.

"It's all about how I do. It's all about performance. It's all about showing up, being there, being serious week in and week out," he said Tuesday. "I can't have a bad week, because I don't have anything secure. I don't have a steady paycheck. My paycheck comes from how I do on the race track. I feel probably like those guys used to feel like in the '70s and '80s when they raced for their food. It's a little bit of what I'm doing. Even when you're making money and making races, you can't get used to it, because you could go four weeks in a row and not make races. It's just all about showing up every week, being prepared every week, qualifying that thing every Friday, and if I'm racing, making the best of the opportunity and doing it all right at once so you have something to stand on next week."

Right now, though, every next week is an unknown. Cassill will be in the Germain Racing No. 60 car on the Sprint Cup side at Phoenix, but that vehicle is outside the top 35 in owner points and will have to make the race on speed. He knows he's not entitled to that ride, and if he misses a few races in a row, could very well be out of it. On the Nationwide Series, he's hoping his Daytona performance will convince Finch to add a few more races at restrictor-plate venues, and that something shakes loose for this weekend.

"I could probably find some team with a backup car that I can go start and park, but I don't want to put myself in the Nationwide race just to say that I'm going into the next race as the points leader. That's not the point," he said. "... Yeah, I'm the points leader now and it's cool, but I have to kind of stick to my original agenda, which is digging hard on the opportunities that I have to kind of try to come up with a bigger opportunity -- whether it's a sponsor that puts up some money to make the races and the equipment better, or if it's an open seat that puts me in a full-time ride. You guys [in the media] don't see it from the driver's point of view, but I have to set goals and an agenda and a plan on how I want to make it in the sport, and I can't deviate from that too much. Obviously my first race with that one opportunity this year was a success, but I don't want to start and park some crappy Nationwide car just because I'm the points leader and, oh my gosh, I have to go collect points."

“

Daytona was so much pressure ... I can't afford to run 50 laps and be crashed, because it does nothing for my opportunity. There is a lot of pressure every single week to do everything right all at the same time.

”

-- LANDON CASSILL

Keeping to that agenda, though, can be difficult when so much is undecided. Unfortunately for Cassill, it's a situation he's become accustomed to. The Iowa native was signed by Hendrick Motorsports to be a test driver when he was 17, and still too young to compete at NASCAR's national level. He ran six Nationwide races for Hendrick after turning 18, and then was moved to JR Motorsports when Rick Hendrick consolidated his Nationwide efforts with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s organization. Cassill started 19 races in 2008 in a No. 5 car he shared with six other drivers including Earnhardt and Mark Martin, posting five top-10s and winning Nationwide Rookie of the Year honors. But the situation never really clicked. Now he battles the perception that he was a driver who had a chance at Hendrick and couldn't make it work.

"That's actually the tough thing -- you put the Hendrick stamp on it, and it looks like wow, he was with Hendrick, he should have made it. Well, I was their test driver. I still am their test driver. I've got four championship rings. But I didn't race for Hendrick Motorsports, I raced for JR Motorsports. And it was tough over there. I probably don't fit the JR Motorsports mold as well as some other people who have been over there," he said.

"It was a tough battle, especially running a part-time schedule. The cars had just moved over there, and we were switching stuff over ... and it was two completely different mindsets, and it all doesn't mesh the way you'd think it would. I was a little bit of a guinea pig going out there the first time. And what made it tough was, I was looking at my teammate Brad Keselowski who got to run every race, and he was with the 88 team that had been established and had been together for so long, and I was with a team that had just moved across town. It was tough, and I learned a lot with Brad, but I just didn't get the repetitive seat time that I needed."

These days, he leans on help from others. The Daytona Nationwide ride was, he said, a "gift" from Finch for piloting his Sprint Cup entry five times last year. Thanks to his position as test driver, he added that Hendrick still flies him to the race track, and takes care of his travel expenses and licensing fees. But it can make for a strange existence. He's had 33 career starts on the Nationwide tour, less than a full season. When he walked into the Nationwide rookie meeting last weekend at Daytona, series director Joe Balash looked at a guy who's been around NASCAR since 2007 and asked -- what are you doing here? Turned out, Cassill had never before competed on the 2.5-mile track. Amazed, Balash rifled through some papers. "Oh," he responded. I guess you haven't."

Which made Cassill's performance that much more impressive. Cassill spun behind an accident just 15 laps into the race, but drafted back to the front with some help from former teammate Keselowski, and then gave Stewart the push he needed to win by seven-thousandths of a second. For someone in Cassill's situation, career advancement demands a delicate balance -- racing hard enough to prove yourself, but going easy enough to preserve the equipment and whatever shot you might have of racing again the next week. It's a mindset that runs counter to a driver's hard-charging nature, but one that also might get him noticed down the road.

"As race car drivers growing up, racing your dad's late model or having a full-time ride or a full-time sponsor somewhere, you're so used to being able to go out and race hard," he said. "Maybe you got loose and bounced it off the fence and it was, 'Shoot, we didn't win this week. Dang it, onto the next week.' Well, it's not like that for me. I bounce it off the wall, there is no onto the next week. Now I'm struggling to still convince people that I'm worth the car the next week. Daytona was so much pressure ... I can't afford to run 50 laps and be crashed, because it does nothing for my opportunity. There is a lot of pressure every single week to do everything right all at the same time."

This past Saturday, though, he was able to do just that. Will he have another opportunity this week? The Nationwide Series points leader waits by the telephone, wondering the same thing himself.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ANNOUNCEMENT IN LAS VEGAS

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ANNOUNCEMENT IN LAS VEGAS

WHAT:             IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ANNOUNCEMENT

WHEN:            11 A.M. PST

             TUESDAY, FEB. 22, 2011

WHERE:           CRYSTALS AT CITYCENTER

            3720 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

  Las Vegas, NV 89158

 Press conference location is at the bottom of the Grand Staircase

WHO:  INDYCAR OFFICIALS & OTHER SPECIAL GUESTS

            IZOD INDYCAR SERIES DRIVERS INCLUDING:

Marco Andretti

Ryan Briscoe

Ryan Hunter-Reay

Tony Kanaan

Will Power

Indycar legend Al Unser Jr.

            

 

100th ANNIVERSARY INDIANAPOLIS 500 TO START AT NOON

 INDIANAPOLIS, Monday, Feb. 21, 2011 - The 33 greatest drivers in the world will cross the famed Yard of Bricks to take the green flag for the 100^th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500 at noon (ET) Sunday, May 29, 2011.

The start time has been 1 p.m. since 2006.
"With less than 100 days until the 100^th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, we are excited to finalize our start time so our fans can begin to make plans to celebrate with us at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway," said Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation president and CEO. "Starting the race at noon gives us an additional hour of daylight to ensure we can complete all 500 miles of the race in case we were to encounter any kind of inclement weather. Noon also has the green flag waving in a time slot that is better for our West Coast viewers.
"Our fans also have told us they like an earlier starting time, and it's very important for us to stay responsive to their vital feedback."
The inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 started at 10 a.m. after race organizers determined that start time would allow the race to be completed by dinner time. That stood as the official starting time for the event through 1941. After a four-year hiatus due to World War II, the race resumed in 1946 with an 11 a.m. start, a time that remained unchanged for 59 consecutive races through 2004.

The start time moved to noon in 2005 and again to 1 p.m. in 2006, when Indiana began observing Daylight Savings Time.

***

2011 Indy 500 tickets: Tickets are on sale for the 100^th Anniversary Indianapolis 500, "The Most Important Race in History," on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Race Day ticket prices start at just $30. Fans can buy tickets online at www.imstix.com, by calling the IMS ticket office at (317) 492-6700, or (800) 822-INDY outside the Indianapolis area, or by visiting the ticket office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16^th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.

Children 12 and under will be receive free general admission to any IMS event in 2011 when accompanied by an adult general admission ticket holder.

Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are on sale. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.

…I5002011-006…

Media Contacts:       J. Douglas Boles, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, (317) 492-6412, (317) 750-9277 or  dboles@brickyard.com

World Wide Web:   http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com

 

How Wood Brothers turned it around

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Those old enough to remember the Wood Brothers' magnificent past felt sure they would never be back.

Surely, it seemed the family had been trampled down and passed by in NASCAR. The only amazing thing about them was that they kept on going as a struggling one-car team in a league overwhelmed by multi-car teams with corporate structures and the funds to dominate. (Read more at ESPN .COM)

Is it a problem non-race winners currently lead? Edwards, Cassill and Rogers didn't win, but find themselves leading the points

The first race weekend is in the books and the current championship leaders are Clay Rogers, Landon Cassill and Carl Edwards. Three drivers that didn't win their race are currently leading the standings.

Rogers finished a career-high third in the Daytona Truck race behind winner Michael Waltrip and Nationwide driver Elliott Sadler. Cassill finished second to Cup regular Tony Stewart in the Daytona Nationwide race and Edwards was second in the 500 behind Nationwide regular Trevor Bayne.

NASCAR's new point system and one championship rule has changed the way points are handed out. But is that a problem? Has a flaw in the system been discovered after one race? Bill Kimm and Jill Erwin debate that this week. Read their thoughts and weigh in with yours in the comments below. And don't forget to vote for whose argument you agree with more in the poll at the right. (Read more at Nascar. com)

  

Free Richard Petty Racing Experience rides available to season ticket holders at Nashville Superspeedway on March 29

     Free Richard Petty Racing Experience rides available to season ticket holders at Nashville    Superspeedway on March 29

LEBANON, Tenn. – Even before NASCAR comes to Nashville Superspeedway on April 22-23, 2011, the track will be alive with the sounds of stock cars. A large number of free rides with the Richard Petty Driving Experience are available for new and current season ticket holders during the "Season Ticket Test Session" on Tuesday, March 29, 2011.

Drivers from each the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be on hand on March 29 to greet fans as they prepare for their hot laps. A select number of fans will also win the opportunity to be in the passenger's seat as one of these NASCAR pros turns laps on the concrete track.

Nashville season ticket holders will be able to ride in the passenger seat in one of eight authentic stock cars as professional instructors drive around the concrete track at speeds up to 165 mph.

The first 300 season ticket holders to call 1-866-RACE-TIX will be able to receive a free ride ticket for each ticket on their account. Additionally, 250 fans that purchase new season tickets will have the opportunity to receive a ride ticket for the March 29 event, in addition to the great benefits of being a season ticket holder. Participants will be scheduled for either morning or afternoon sessions when they call the ticket office. Season ticket holders must be at least 14 years old to participate. The deadline to register is March 18, 2011. 

New for 2011, season tickets are just $129 for adults and only $40 for juniors under 14. A season ticket package includes tickets to all four NASCAR events, and an ALL ACCESS pass for NASCAR Nationwide Series events, Fan Walk access for all events and a season parking pass, among other great amenities.

NASCAR returns to Nashville Superspeedway in 2011 with two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series-NASCAR Nationwide Series doubleheaders on April 22-23 and July 22-23. For more information, call 1-866-RACE-TIX or visit NashvilleSuperspeedway.com.

About Nashville Superspeedway

Dover Motorsports, Inc. owns and operates Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. and Nashville Superspeedway near Nashville, Tenn. Both concrete tracks are home to some of the most exciting racing in NASCAR. The legendary "Monster Mile" in Dover is known for being tough on drivers and their equipment, and has been hosting two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekends each year for over 40 years. Nashville Superspeedway first opened its doors in 2001 and currently hosts two NASCAR Nationwide Series and two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series doubleheader race weekends each year. For further information, log on to www.DoverMotorsports.com.

April 23, 2011 │ NASCAR Nationwide Series

April 22, 2011 │ "Bully Hill Vineyards 200" NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

July 23, 2011 │ "Federated Auto Parts 300" NASCAR Nationwide Series

July 22, 2011 │ "Lucas Deep Clean 200" NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

This communication is for use by the intended recipient and contains information that may be privileged, confidential or copyrighted under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, copying or distribution of this email, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Please notify the sender by return email and delete this email from your system. Unless explicitly and conspicuously designated as "E-Contract Intended," this email does not constitute a contract offer, a contract amendment, or an acceptance of a contract offer. This email does not constitute consent to the use of the sender's contact information for direct marketing purposes or for transfers of data to third parties.

NSCS Daytona 500 Race Recap: Trevor Bayne Gets First Win In Record-Setting Daytona 500

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The planets aligned. Heck, the heavens stood still. And Trevor Bayne recaptured the magic of David Pearson in the Wood Brothers throwback No. 21 Ford, winning Sunday’s 53rd running of the Daytona 500.

On the second attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag finish at Daytona International Speedway, Bayne crossed the finish line .118 seconds ahead of Carl Edwards, returning the Wood Brothers to Victory Lane for the first time since 2001.

Bayne became the first driver to win the Daytona 500 in his first attempt since Lee Petty won the inaugural event in 1959. By winning in his second start in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, Bayne tied Jamie McMurray for quickest victory at the start of a career.

In a war of attrition that set track records for lead changes (74), number of different leaders (22) and number of cautions (16), David Gilliland finished third after pushing Edwards toward the front on the final two laps. Bobby Labonte was fourth in his first race for JTG/Daugherty Racing, and Kurt Busch, last Saturday’s Budweiser Shootout winner, ran fifth.

With three-time Cup champion Pearson in attendance for the start of the race as a member of the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame class, Bayne gave Wood Brothers its 98th victory and their first at Daytona since Buddy Baker in the 1983 Firecracker 400. It was the Wood Brothers’ fifth Daytona 500 victory, the last by Pearson in 1976.

“I keep thinking I’m dreaming,” Bayne said in Victory Lane. “Our first 500—are you kidding me? To win our first one in our second-ever Cup race, I mean this is just incredible. Wow, this is unbelievable. How cool is it to see the Wood Brothers back in victory lane?

“It’s crazy to get my first win before a Nationwide win—I didn’t know how to get to victory lane.”

Bayne’s accomplishment was doubly remarkable, given that his car was wrecked in the last few hundred yards of Thursday’s second Gatorade Duel 150 qualifying race. He missed both practice sessions as crew chief Donnie Wingo and the Wood Brothers team repaired the car.

Edwards said the runner-up finish would haunt him for days, but he didn’t begrudge Bayne the victory.

“Look, right now this is going to be a long night for me,” Edwards said. “I’m going to go back to the motor home, I’m going to watch the replay, think about a hundred things I could have done, think about, man, what would it have been like to (win) the race?

“You know, as a competitor, in a way it really doesn’t matter who beats you. But as a person, as a friend of Trevor’s, it’s amazing to watch him have that success. I’ve only known him for a short time, but he’s what seems to be truly a good guy. I think a lot of people in the sport see that. Hopefully, a lot of the fans see that. So that’s good for the sport.

“I still would have liked to beat him — that’s for sure.”

Every time Daytona is paved, something out of the ordinary happens. In 1959, a year after the speedway was built, Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500 in a three-way photo finish. Daytona was repaved in 1978 before the first live flag-to-flag TV coverage of the Great American race in 1979.

That event ended with Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison wrecking each other in Turn 3 on the last lap, and with Yarborough and Bobby Allison fighting on the infield grass while Richard Petty came from nowhere to win the race.

Small wonder there was an electric buzz in the air when the field came to the green on Sunday. But who would have guessed this year’s 500 would get its youngest winner ever? Bayne turned 20 the day before the race.

The event was not quite 29 laps old when a wild melee in Turn 3, triggered by contact between the Toyotas of Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann, trashed a dozen cars and set the tone for the entire race.

On this day, however, even if all the contenders had been running at the finish, Bayne had a good enough car to beat them all.

Notes: Jeff Gordon had been the youngest driver to win the 500. He was 25 years, 6 months and 12 days in 1997. The oldest driver to win the 500 is Bobby Allison, who was two months past his 50th birthday in 1988. … Polesitter Dale Earnhardt Jr. led three times for nine laps but was involved in a wreck during the first green-white-checkered finish and finished 24th. … Five-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was collected in a 17-car pileup on Lap 29. He returned to the race and finished 27th, 19 laps back. … This was the first race under NASCAR’s new points system. Because Bayne is racing the for the Nationwide Series points championship, he did not earn any Sprint Cup points for the victory. Edwards is now the points leader with 42 points. (NASCAR Media)

Bayne becomes youngest Daytona 500 winner

Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 on Sunday, a day that featured records for cautions and lead changes. Bayne, who turned 20 Saturday, led the final two laps of the race that was decided with a green-white-checkered-flag finis . NASCAR.com

Rookie Returns Wood Brothers to Victory Lane After Advice from Hall of Famer

Rookie Returns Wood Brothers to Victory Lane After Advice from Hall of Famer
Statement from 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee David Pearson
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 20, 2011) – 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee David Pearson met Trevor Bayne this morning prior to the start of the Daytona 500. Hours later, Bayne, a 20-year-old rookie, sent the Wood Brothers to Victory Lane in the Great American Race. In 1976, Pearson took the same team to Victory Lane in the Daytona 500. Bayne’s famed No. 21 carried decals honoring David Pearson for his Hall of Fame Induction. Pearson left the track shortly after the race started to drive home to South Carolina
David Pearson: “Yeah, I was listening to it on the radio in the car. That’s good. I’m proud of them. I figured they had a chance after seeing that boy race in the 150s (Gatorade Duel). I talked to him (Bayne) this morning. I told him to keep his head straight and not to do anything crazy. I told him to stay relaxed. That’s the thing; stay relaxed. I knew he would because he was relaxed in the qualifier. I’m proud of him. I don’t understand what has taken them so long to return to Victory Lane. The car has always been capable.” (NASCAR Media) 

Trevor Bayne wins Daytona 500

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. insisted he didn't believe in fairy tales and happy endings.

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Mark J. Rebilas/US PresswireNASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Trevor Bayne celebrates after winning the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Trevor Bayne was too young to know any better.

Bayne, in just his second Sprint Cup Series start, pulled off a stunning victory in his first Daytona 500 on Sunday, becoming the youngest winner in the 53 years of the Great American Race. Bayne, who turned 20 the day before the biggest race of his career, took the Wood Brothers back to Victory Lane for the first time since 2001. ESPN.com

Congratulations to Trevor Bayne and Woods Bros Racing their victory at Daytona

NASCAR to lengthen offseason by week in 2012

The 2012 Daytona 500 will be held a week later than normal, eliminating the early off date and shortening the Sprint Cup season. ESPN.com

FOX crew recalls Earnhardt's death

Larry McReynolds walked silently to the Daytona airport for his flight home.All alone, he thought about the day’s events. This should have been such a fantastic day. He’d joined the FOX crew and just participated in the broadcast of the network’s first NASCAR race, the 2001 Daytona 500. He’d felt the vibe working with Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Hammond, Mike Joy and Chris Myers for their first full-fledged Sprint Cup race . (Read more at Fox Sports.com)

Bobby Allison to return to Huntsville Speedway

The newest member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the Leader of the Alabama Gang returning to Huntsville Speedway. Bobby Allison one of the sports most famous and popular drivers will return to Huntsville Speedway on Saturday, August 13th, 2011 for an autograph session, car show, meet and greet and the opportunity to purchase NASCAR Hall of Fame souvenirs in honor of the driver from Hueytown, AL. Tom Lynch Racing Promotions is pleased to bring Bobby Allison back to Huntsville Speedway again this year. The fans adore Allison and it is a good fit for the Da$h 4 Ca$h Series promoted by TLRP and Allison to be reunited this year. The 2010 visit to Huntsville Speedway by Allison was one of the most popular events at the track. Mark your calender - Saturday - August 13th, 2011 - the return of NASCAR Hall of Fame member Bobby Allison Read more:http://www.anythingracing.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=huntsvillespeedway&action=display&thread=203#ixzz1EVs7c5cw

McMurray feels at home at Daytona with EGR

If you've known Jamie McMurray for any length of time, there's very little about his demeanor that's strikingly different in 2011 -- even though he enters Sunday's 53rd annual Daytona 500 as its defending champion rather than just another contender. (Read More)

Stewart Wins Fourth Consecutive Daytona NASCAR Nationwide Series Race

     DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—With a shove from Landon Cassill, Tony Stewart surged past Clint Bowyer at the finish line to win Saturday’s season-opening Drive4COPD 300, his fourth straight NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at Daytona International Speedway. (Read more)

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