Samsung 500

Congrats & Sway Bar Gate

Congratulations to Denny Hamlin on winning at Martinsville this past weekend. Jeff Burton moves into the lead in the standings following a strong 3rd place finish and Jamie McMurray and Regan Smith displace Sam Hornish Jr. and David Reutimann in the top 35 in the owner’s standings heading to Texas this week.

My comment for the week is on what was termed “Sway bar Gate” on the show NASCAR Raceday on the Speed channel. I think that Jack Roush has a legitimate gripe about one of his parts in the possession of Michael Waltrip Racing but whose fault is it? No one is saying how the part mysteriously got where it was found so where does the blame lie? I think that Jack will have to do something about security himself and should be happy it was only a sway bar, or was it just the sway bar? When all is said and done it seems to me to be as serious as the Patriots taping the Jets on the sidelines in the NFL and if something can be proven some serious repercussions should be handed down by NASCAR. This has compromised the integrity of the sport in my opinion.

My Pick To Win

On to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend for the running of the Samsung 500. This race should be very similar to the race run at Atlanta earlier this season with it being the same size track and another 500-mile race. I am going to go with Carl Edwards to win this weekend even though he lost an engine at Atlanta. I haven’t seen that many engine problems from any of the teams this year yet and I’m not sure if it is better engines or has something to do with the slightly slower speeds of the COT.

Texas Frontrunners

Kyle Busch won at Atlanta this year and started out like a house on fire. Recently he has been having a string of bad luck but that can change back just as quickly for him. Kyle only has 2 top 10 finishes at Texas in the 6 races he has run there but his record at Atlanta wasn’t much better before he got the win there a few weeks ago.

Jimmie Johnson has 7 top 10 finishes in his 9 races at Texas and won here during the Chase last fall. This year Jimmie is struggling a little bit with the handling of the car. This will come as the year progresses but he is not quite there yet. I think I’m going to save his starts until later this season.

Jeff Gordon needed a few more laps last weekend at Martinsville to get another clock. This team is so close to dominating like Kyle Busch did earlier this year and when he does look out. This is one of the few tracks Jeff has not won at yet and I don’t think he is quite on top of his game right now to get that first win this weekend. Maybe this fall though.

Denny Hamlin has 4 top 10 finishes in 5 races at Texas and is coming off an impressive win at Martinsville. Denny is always good on the flatter tracks but is getting better every time at the intermediate fats tracks like Atlanta and Texas. Denny finished 15th at Atlanta this year and needs a little more experience on these tracks.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t the best of the Hendrick drivers this past weekend but he still came away with another top 10 finish and is solidifying his spot in the top 10 in the standings where he currently is 4th only 69 points out of the lead. Dale finished 3rd at Atlanta this year and loves these types of tracks.

Martin Truex Jr. fell out of the top 12 this week but really excels at tracks like Texas. Martin has 3 top 10 finishes in 5 races at Texas and his worst finish there is 15th. This is outstanding and he should continue that streak this weekend.

Matt Kenseth has struggled a bit this year with his new crew chief but has battled back in almost every race he has been in this season. Once this team stops digging themselves a hole with engine changes, poor starting positions or mistakes early on in races they are going to be back in top form.

Tony Stewart finished 2nd at Atlanta this year and has won at Texas before. No one has ever won more than once at Texas since its inception back in 1998. That’s 12 different winners. Although I think Carl Edwards is going to be the first repeat winner, Tony will give him a run for his money this weekend. This team really comes on towards the end of races.

Yahoo! Fantasy Picks

Group A

• Carl Edwards (starter)
• Jimmie Johnson

Group B

• Dale Earnhardt Jr (starter)
• Kyle Busch (starter)
• Greg Biffle
• Kasey Kahne

Group C

• Brian Vickers (starter)
• Scott Riggs

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Samsung 500

Here is a quick run down of trivial facts and statistics for this weekend’s Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

Texas Motor Speedway History

• Construction on Texas Motor Speedway began in 1995.
• The original configuration called for an unusual dual banking system that had 24 degrees of banking for stock cars and eight degrees for open-wheel cars.
• The first NASCAR race at Texas was a NASCAR Nationwide Series event on April 5, 1997.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas was on April 6, 1997.
• In 1998, Turn 4 at Texas was reshaped to ease the transition from the turns to the front straightaway.
• A second renovation started after the 1998 race which eliminated the dual banking and gave the track its current configuration.

Track Numbers

• NASCAR Cup Series Races: 14
• Pole Winners: 10
• Race Winners: 13
• Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): 1 (Kasey Kahne, 2006)
• Jeremy Mayfield won the first timed qualifying at Texas on April 4, 1998 (qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather in 1997).
• Jeff Burton won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
• Ten drivers have scored Coors Light Poles at Texas, led by Bobby Labonte and Ryan Newman with two each.
• 13 drivers have won races. Only Jeff Burton (1997 and April 2007) has repeated as race winner there.
• Roush Fenway Racing has won five races at Texas, more than any other team.
• 11 races at Texas have been won from a top-10 starting position.
• Matt Kenseth started 31st en route to his victory at Texas in 2002, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Texas.
• There has been one green-white-checkered finish at Texas: 2006 fall (339/334).
• Denny Hamlin has finished in the top 10 in four of his five races at Texas. His 80% top-10 rate is the best of any driver with more than two Texas starts.

Track Records

• Track qualifying record: Brian Vickers (196.235 mph, 27.518 seconds, 11-3-06)
• Track race record: Carl Edwards (151.055 mph, 11-6-05)

Texas Motor Speedway Race Day Data

• Estimated Pit Window: Every 50-55 laps, based on fuel mileage.
• Race # 7 of 36 (4-6-08)
• Track Size: 1.5 miles
• Banking/Corners: 24 degrees
• Banking/Straights: 5 degrees
• Frontstretch: 2,250 feet
• Backstretch: 1,330 feet

Back in February I made the final post in a countdown series to the Daytona 500. That final post featured NASCAR Sprint Cup driver David Reutimann and his family’s tie to the car #00 throughout their history in racing. Even before doing that post I was becoming somewhat a fan of David Reutimann. During the last half of the 2007 I remember hoping he would break out and get that first Cup win. After my research on Reutimann, his car number, and the ties his racing family has to that car number, well the more my desire to see him put the #00 in victory lane grew.

As the 2008 season got underway I started to realize that with Jarrett’s retirement would come Reutimann’s move to the UPS car. It’s certainly good news for David as he’ll have a sponsor that Dale Jarrett himself has said was one of the best in the sport. And then there’s the irony that David in fact worked for UPS at one time before he made it big as a race car driver. But what about the car number? I started seeing marketing photographs with David in his UPS drivers uniform, standing beside that spotless UPS sponsored Toyota with a blazing #44 on it. But, but…. where is the #00? Much was made of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s desire to take the #8 with him to Hendrick Motorsports. Here is a man, and his family, who has arguably had just as much (if not more) history with the #00 as the Earnhardt family had with the #8. What a great story it would be for David, his family, and all NASCAR fans to maybe put the #00 in victory lane in stock car’s premier series with a Reutimann behind the wheel! I realize that to most NASCAR fans the hypothetical win would occur and they’d never know or probably even care. However, THIS fan would have cared and I know there has to be many other Reutimann fans who care too.

Was it that UPS wanted to retain the #44, or that Aaron’s (Reutimann’s sponsor in the #00) wanted to retain the #00? Could the two of them not agree to a number switch to follow their driver? To my understanding Aaron’s is not signed on as a full season sponsor. OK, so UPS is a full time sponsor and has built some equity into the #44. But let’s face it, it’s not a lot of equity when you consider the year before last it was the #88 before UPS followed Jarrett to Michael Waltrip Racing. There’s much, MUCH more equity built-in between Jarrett and UPS than there is #44 and UPS. We’re not talking a number, driver, sponsor tie so strong such as, oh say #43 & STP, #24 & DuPont, or #3 & Goodwrench. Both UPS and Aaron’s were going to have to create new marketing materials anyway that featured their new drivers. It was the perfect time to allow the #00 to go with Reutimann to the UPS car.

I’ve seen a few articles covering the retirement of Jarrett and the transition for Reutimann into the UPS car. But none that I’ve seen or heard have said a word about the car number. While I still don’t have an answer, I have put some e-mails out to Michael Waltrip Racing as well as Reutimann Racing to get an answer on it. I’m really curious why Reutimann had to lose a tie to his family’s racing history just because he gets to suit up with UPS. And I’m curious how Reutimann feels about not getting to have the #00 on his car. Oh sure, he appreciates being where he is in stock car racing, and when it comes down to it, it’s just a number sticker on the car, right? But then, so much BS is raised by some fans about the Toyota sticker on these cars too, so…..

If you’ve read or heard anything, let me know! Hopefully someone from MWR or Reutiman Racing will eventually respond to my e-mails.

Lynchburg, Va. resident is awarded prize of a lifetime from Daytona 500 Champion Ryan Newman and Alltel Wireless

Wireless customer’s name to appear on Newman’s car during All-Star race

Today, Chris Turner of Lynchburg, Va. received the prize of a lifetime at the grand opening of the new Alltel Wireless retail store in Lynchburg, Va. Ryan Newman, 2008 Daytona 500 Champion and driver of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, personally invited Turner to “Go Racing” as the winner of Alltel’s “Racing with Ryan” initiative.

As part of the prize, Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network, and Newman awarded Turner with a VIP experience during the All-Star race weekend May 16-17. Turner will have a very personal reason to cheer the No. 12 Alltel Team to victory lane, as his name will appear on the quarter panel of Newman’s Alltel Dodge throughout the race weekend.

“Lynchburg is an important market to Alltel Wireless and we’re grateful for the fantastic turnout at today’s grand opening celebration,” said Samira Zebian, director sponsorship marketing for Alltel Wireless. “Alltel prides itself on rewarding its customers with unique experiences that no other wireless provider offers and we’re thrilled Chris is the latest recipient of Alltel’s – Racing with Ryan’ prize.

The grand opening event offered area residents the opportunity to meet Newman, check out a replica of the No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, sample Alltel’s latest products and services, navigate the alltelracing.com website and take home prizes commemorating their experience.

“This is a race fan’s dream come true,” said Turner. “Having my name on the side of the race car driven by a Daytona 500 Champion is something I’ll never forget. I can’t wait for my friends and family to see my name on the No. 12 Alltel Dodge as Ryan races around the track.

To find out where the No. 12 Alltel Dodge will make its next pit stop, and for more information on Ryan Newman and the Alltel Race Team, please visit www.alltelracing.com.

Alltel Wireless continues to provide choice and control to the customer’s wireless experience. Alltel recently announced a major expansion to “My Circle,” an industry-defining feature giving customers the freedom of unlimited calling to and from five, 10 or 20 numbers on any network for free. Alltel Wireless was the first to offer Anytime Plan Changes, giving customers the flexibility to change their calling plans at any time, without extending their current contract. In addition, Alltel offersVoice2TXT, a feature that quickly converts incoming voicemails to text messages in the customer’s inbox.

Alltel is owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network and has more than 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.

Martinsville Speedway

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at 22 tracks, only one of which was part of the sanctioning body’s historic first season in 1948.

The .526-mile oval is located in relatively tiny Martinsville, Va. (population approximately 15,000). But in truth, it resides in the very heart and soul of NASCAR, a status resulting from a 60-year history that has run concurrent with NASCAR.

Martinsville Speedway represents everything NASCAR was – and everything NASCAR is today.

They started with 750 seats in 1947. (Yes, Martinsville actually got a year’s head start on NASCAR. Today, there are 65,000, encircling a paper clip shaped configuration that places a premium on braking – and not breaking, be it mechanically or mentally.

Martinsville is tough – on car and driver. That will be evident once again on Sunday, as the track hosts the Goody’s Cool Orange 500.

“It’s long, and it really is one of the hardest races that we do,” said Jeff Burton, winner two weeks ago at another storied short track, Bristol Motor Speedway.

“Martinsville is both a physical and emotional race. I think it’s the ‘longest feeling’ race that we run all year.

Fonty Flock won the first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville, a July 4 event that featured primarily Modifieds but also featured NASCAR founder and president Bill France Sr., who finished eighth.

In 1948, “stock cars” were few and far between, over the course of a 52-race season. The division known as “Strictly Stocks” became viable in 1949, and an eight-race schedule resulted in Red Byron winning the first championship of what would evolve, through the years, into today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Martinsville was on that 1949 schedule too. Byron won that year’s race, a 100-miler.

In 1950, NASCAR’s premier series started racing twice yearly at Martinsville – and so it remains that way today, with its second race part of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the 10-race “playoff” that determines the series champion.

How important is the place to NASCAR history?

• Richard Petty won there 15 times, Darrell Waltrip 11.
• Fred Lorenzen won four races in a row at Martinsville and five out of seven between 1963 and ‘66. In the midst of that run, Lorenzen morphed into the perfect NASCAR storm – leading 493 of 500 laps in September of 1964.
• Petty Enterprises has won 19 races overall, the last coming in the spring of ‘99, with John Andretti taking the legendary No. 43 into Victory Lane.
• Junior Johnson won twice as a driver – and 13 times as a car owner.
• In present-day terms, history is being made still. Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon have won eight of the last 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup events.

“By being one of the first tracks and running as long as it has, I think it represents the very core of what Big Bill France wanted at the very start,” said Hal Hamrick, a veteran auto racing journalist who did the first radio broadcast from Martinsville, in 1952.

“Martinsville is the very essence, the very backbone of what the thing is all about. That’s why you have the big crowds every year. The drivers have to truly master the race track at Martinsville, instead of just driving the car around.

“It’s one of the premium tracks.

The late H. Clay Earles was one of the premium individuals in NASCAR. He founded Martinsville, nurtured it. His grandson, W. Clay Campbell, now serves as track president – and caretaker of tradition.

“We’ve achieved a lot,” Campbell says, “but we can achieve much more.

Goody’s Cool Orange 500

Here is a quick run down of trivial facts and statistics for this weekend’s Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.

Martinsville History

• Opened in September 1947 by H. Clay Earles.
• The first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Martinsville was on July 4, 1948.
• The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 25, 1949.
• The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race was held March 28, 1982.
• The first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville was Sept. 25, 1995.
• The track was paved in 1955.
• The first 500-lap event at Martinsville was in 1956.
• Concrete corners were added to the asphalt track in 1976.

Track Numbers

• NASCAR Cup Series Races: 118
• Pole Winners: 56
• Race Winners: 44
• Races Won from Pole (or 1st Starting Position): 17
• Curtis Turner won the pole for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville in 1949.
• Darrell Waltrip has the most pole positions with a total of eight.
• Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Darrell Waltrip share the consecutive pole record at Martinsville, each with three.
• Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six poles at Martinsville.
• There have been seven different pole winners at Martinsville since Jeff Gordon scored three straight (2003-04).
• Richard Petty has won the most NASCAR Cup Series races with a total of 15.
• Fred Lorenzen holds the consecutive win record with four.
• Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with seven victories.
• Petty Enterprises has won 19 races at Martinsville, more than any other car owner.
• A sweep has occurred nine times at Martinsville, but only twice since 1994: Jeff Gordon (2005) and Jimmie Johnson (2007).
• Kurt Busch won the 2002 fall race from the 36th starting position, the furthest back a race winner has started.
• There has been one race at Martinsville extended by a green-white-checkered finish: Oct. 21, 2007 (506 Laps).
• Jimmie Johnson has won the last three races at Martinsville. The most recent driver to win four consecutive races at a track was Johnson who swept Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 2004 and 2005. Johnson finished 35th in his first Martinsville appearance (April 2002) – his only DNF there. Since then, he has posted 11 straight top-10 finishes, including four victories. Johnson has finished third or better in his last five Martinsville races. He has completed all but 54 laps in his 12 appearances – with all his incomplete laps coming in that first appearance.
• There were 11 different race winners at Martinsville from the fall of 1997 through 2002 – one short of the record for active tracks held by Texas Motor Speedway. In the nine races since, only four drivers have visited the Martinsville Victory Lane: Jeff Gordon (four), Jimmie Johnson (four), Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace (one each).

Track Records

• Track qualifying record: Tony Stewart (98.083 mph, 19.306 secs., 10-21-05)
• Race record: Jeff Gordon (82.223 mph)

Martinsville Speedway Race Day Data

• Estimated Pit Window: Every 140-150 laps, based on fuel mileage.
• Race # 6 of 36 (3-30-08)
• Track Size: .526 miles
• Race Length: 500 laps/263 miles
• Banking/Corners: 12 degrees
• Banking/Straights: 0 degrees
• Frontstretch: 800 feet
• Backstretch: 800 feet

Goody’s Cool Orange 500

B-O-R-I-N-G

After a week off for the Easter holiday we head to Martinsville, VA this week for the running of the Goody’s Cool Orange 500. This is a .526-mile paper clip track with 12 degree banking in the corners. This makes it hard to pass and most of the racing is boring in my opinion.

My Pick To Win

Everyone should have Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson on their rosters this week. These 2 Hendrick drivers have combined for 8 wins and 20 top 10’s in the last 10 races run here. When Tony Stewart won here in the spring of 2006 Jeff and Jimmie finished 2nd and 3rd. Jimmie has won the last 3 here but I’m giving the nod to Jeff Gordon this week because he has been having a little better year than Jimmie.

Martinsville Frontrunners

The Gibbs teams should give Hendrick a run this weekend. As stated above, Tony Stewart won here in 2006 while his teammates, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch each have 4 top 10 finishes in just slightly more starts than that. Denny has a 2nd and a 3rd and Kyle has a pair of 4th place finishes. That means that all of these drivers know how to get around Martinsville.

After those 5 drivers there is a major falling off as to drivers who are consistent at Martinsville. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a streak of top 5 finishes starting back in 2002 and lasting until 2004. That gives hi 7 top 5 finishes in his last 12 starts at Martinsville, which isn’t bad. However, only 2 of these came in his last 7 races here.

Jeff Burton got his first win at Bristol 2 weeks ago and could really get around Martinsville when he drove fro Jack Roush. Now that he is with Richard Childress he has fallen off a bit with only 2 top 10 finishes in the 31 car.

Ryan Newman has 6 top 10 finishes in his last 9 races at Martinsville and finished runner-up here last fall. He is my dark horse for this weekend and it will still be a minor upset if he gets the win.

Top 35 Rule

Remember that this week we go by this years owners points as to who is in the top 35 and guaranteed a spot in the race. That leaves drivers like Jamie McMurray, Dave Blaney and Kyle Petty having to get in on qualifying times to make the race. This will change every week for the remainder of the year.

Yahoo! Fantasy Picks

Group A

• Jeff Gordon (starter)
• Jimmie Johnson

Group B

• Ryan Newman (starter)
• Juan Pablo Montoya (starter)
• Dale Earnhardt Jr
• Kyle Busch

Group C

• Jeremy Mayfield (starter)
• Scott Riggs

Stay Away From

• Martin Truex Jr

Dark Horse

• Ryan Newman

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NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman and World Wrestling Entertainment superstar John Cena will prove their need for speed is not limited to the track or ring when they display their personal rides during the April 3-6 Food Lion AutoFair at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.online.

“Here’s a sneak peek at Dale Jarrett’s Toyota for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race May 17 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Not too flashy. I like the hood though: 1977 – 2008 Dale Jarrett Signed…Sealed…Delivered

(Click image for large view)
“

Dale Jarrett’s final Cup race (until Michael McDowell falls outside the top 35) comes this Sunday at Bristol. His career is filled with great memories, but one of my fondest memories of Jarrett in recent years was a lesser known memory.

It happened at the 2005 Bristol Busch race. It was entertaining at the time, but even more so now. Be sure to watch for the quote at the 4:19 mark.

If NASCAR had their own version of VH1’s I love the 80’s, they would have a feature on Shane Hmiel. They could have Elliott Sadler or Marty Smith saying, “Remember Shane Hmiel? He was that guy that flipped off Dale Jarrett.” And then flunked his second drug test in less than two years.

• Strike one for Hmiel is when he wrecks Jarrett in the closing laps.
• Strike two, he pulls the 7th-grader tactic of flipping off Jarrett after Dale had turned his back. Of course it looks incredibly smooth with an in-car camera capturing the whole thing (Hmiel was fined and docked 25 points and had to write “I will not violate section 12.4.A” 100 times on Mike Helton’s whiteboard).
• Strike three, and the most amusing part of the incident, came in the post race interview.

He [Jarrett] threatened he’d get me and all that stuff, but he’d better hurry up because he ‘aint got much longer.

Hmiel turned out to be correct. Jarrett didn’t have long to retaliate before Hmiel was quickly gone from NASCAR, presumably for good. It’s also amusing how tough Hmiel acted when strapped into his car or during the interview. Things would have changed outside the car where Jarrett’s physical presence would shrink Hmiel.

Jarrett summed up his character with his actions too.

For some context, this race was run on a Monday after a rain delay so there wasn’t a lot of incentive for a veteran Cup drive to care or excel. But based on Jarrett’s emotions, it mattered to him just as much as a Cup race. After the wreck Jarrett was obviously mad, but still in control. The way he calmly but intensely walks towards Hmiel’s car said everything about DJ’s competitive fire. He then told Hmiel what he thought without lapsing into an outburst.

Ultimately Jarrett outlasted the punk, which is pretty sweet vindication. As usual Jarrett came out of the incident with class, which is just one of the reasons why he’ll be missed so much.”