CHASERS CAN HELP BREAK RECORD AT NEW HAMPSHIRE

After posting three wins, his highest total since he racked up six in 2004, Earnhardt will try to automatically advance to the Chase’s Contender Round with a New Hampshire checkered flag

September 19, 2014 – Thirteen different drivers have taken the checkered flag in the last 13 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – tied with Texas Motor Speedway for the all-time record streak without a repeat winner.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

And there’s a better than average chance the Magic Mile takes sole possession of the record after this Sunday’s Sylvania 300 (2 p.m. on ESPN) as Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are all missing from the 13-in-13 stretch.

Gordon owns three victories at New Hampshire, but has not won there since 1998. He has been knocking on the door for his fourth win of the season after posting runner-up finishes the last two races. The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports driver will attempt to improve on his last Loudon showing in July when he finished 26th, but did lead for 19 laps. Despite his Granite State drought, Gordon boasts the highest average running position in the series at the 1.058 oval (7.7) where he has competed in all 39 of its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events – tied with Jeff Burton for its all-time starts record.

Similar to Gordon, Harvick has one win at New Hampshire, but he notched it eight years ago (September 17, 2006). In his last two races at the track, he has finished 30th and 20th, respectively. Harvick can likely count on a solid starting position, at least. He boasts a series-best six Coors Light Pole Awards on the season and has started lower than sixth once his last eight races, ironically at New Hampshire. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver opened the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with a fifth-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway.

After posting three wins, his highest total since he racked up six in 2004, Earnhardt will try to automatically advance to the Chase’s Contender Round with a New Hampshire checkered flag. In 30 starts at Loudon, he has seven top fives and 13 tops 10s to his credit, but has never finished higher than third. Since Earnhardt’s emphatic win at Pocono, he has posted one top-10 finish in the last six races, a fifth-place showing at Michigan.

Source: NASCAR

 

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT / MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER SPEEDWAY / MIKE CONWAY

Mike Conway alongside team owner Ed Carpenter

JUNE 28, 2014 – MIKE CONWAY, NO. 20 FUZZY’S ULTRA PREMIUM VODKA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, met with members of the media at the Shell Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston. Full transcript:

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE THE LAST RACE YOU COMPETED IN AT DETROIT?

“Not racing anything, but was in Le Mans.That is about it really.  Spent a bit of time in Europe and then back here about a week ago.  Not loads to report I’m afraid.”

YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN PRETTY BUSY IN THAT PERIOD WINNING AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.  HOW IS PRACTICE HEADING OFF OF THAT MOMENTUM?

“A huge congrats to the team on Texas, I was watching it at about 3 a.m. in the UK (United Kingdom).  So far it’s been okay.  Some good track improvements from last year which has been good.  We struggled a little bit in the first session I think.  We put on new tires at the end, but just didn’t get to execute a good time.  We have some work to do I think between the two sessions, but not too bad of a start I suppose in terms of what we think we can get out of the car.”

CAN YOU TALK A BIT MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE CHANGES TO THE TRACK? WHAT HAVE THEY IMPROVED AND HOW IS IT REFLECTED IN HOW YOU DRIVE THE CAR AND THE LAP TIME?

“I suppose the biggest one was as you went through Turn 1 big improvement on the straight there.  We are not taking off anymore.  It’s really smooth now you hardly notice that section which is good.  It feels like the curbs have changed slightly through (Turns) two and three.  It just seems like it’s more of a chicane now whereas last year you could kind of really pound through it.  I don’t know if there is much of a change there, but the rest of it is not too bad.  Typical kind of street track, very bumpy into (Turn) three and then it feels a bit smoother through four, five, that seems like they have ground down some more areas through there.  Yeah, pulled the curbs back in three I believe or four and then the rest is fairly similar.  Still pretty bumpy most places, but the trick is I think the last corner where it’s so quick.  You’ve got big kind of rise and then a dip as you go in.  But it’s not too bad but yeah it gets your attention if you get sideways through there that is for sure.”

ED CARPENTER SEEMED TO SUGGEST DURING THE RADIO BROADCAST FOR PRACTICE THAT THE TEAM WAS REALLY STRESSED OR FRUSTRATED GIVEN THE CURRENT CONSTRUCTION OF THE SCHEDULE.  WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN OUT OF YOUR TEAM DURING THE TESTING AND LEADING UP TO THIS RACE WEEKEND?

“Yeah, they have had a really busy schedule, three test days after Texas.  They had everybody on a coach and they kind of toured around for like a week and a half.  They are really busy and I think the guys got a few days off, but it’s been a really hectic schedule this year.  They all look fresh and rejuvenated and ready to roll this weekend.”

BEING THAT THIS IS A STREET COURSE LIKE DETROIT WHERE WE JUST HAD ANOTHER DOUBLE HEADER DOES YOUR TEAM SHOW UP WITH THE SAME KIND OF SET-UP OR ARE THERE CHANGES THAT YOU MAKE TO IT?

“I think since Long Beach we have had quite a good base set-up for the car.  We pretty much turned out to most of them with that base set-up and then we just tweak it with some things and final adjustments that the circuits need.  But it’s fairly similar to what we rolled out with at Detroit and not too dissimilar to what we had at Long Beach.  We need to make a few adjustments, but nothing drastic.  It’s normally the smaller things once you are in the window.”

DO YOU FEEL THAT ED CARPENTER RACING MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN ADVANTAGE BECAUSE BOTH YOU AND ED (CARPENTER) GET TO BE A LITTLE BIT FRESH GOING INTO THE STRETCH OF RACES COMING UP?

“Maybe, yeah, I suppose there could be some of that, but I think all the boys are pretty fit in this paddock.  I think the more seat time whatever the track is, is better anyway.  I think it is pretty similar.”

WHAT DO YOU RATE YOUR CHANCES OF HAVING ED CARPENTER RACING SWEEP THE TEXAS ROUNDS OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP?  THE LAST TIME THAT WAS DONE WAS A LITTLE OVER 30 YEARS AGO?

“I would like to think we’ve got a good chance to. Ed (Carpenter) got some guns and a Stetson (cowboy hat) and we got the chance to get some boots to match the outfit this weekend (laughs).  We could have a complete outfit.  I don’t know we will see. I think everyone is pretty confident, but double-headers are always tough and this track is I don’t know.  They are long races, tough races and hot temperatures.  We will see.”

 

 

PAGENEUD FOURTH, ALESHIN SEVENTH IN FIRESTONE 600 AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Simon Pagenaud

FORT WORTH, Texas June 09, 2014 – Simon Pagenaud picked up two positions on fresh tires during the closing laps of the Firestone 600 Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway and finished fourth, his highest career Verizon IndyCar Series finish on an oval.

In only his second oval race, rookie teammate Mikhail Aleshin executed a spirited drive to finish seventh.

Pagenaud started sixth in the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports Dallara/Honda/Firestone car, and spent most of the 248-lap race in the top five. A late-race caution resulted in the Frenchman’s team calling him in for fresh tires, which enabled him to charge forward on the final restart with only two laps remaining.

“We had a great call from the team at the end of the race for that last restart,” Pagenaud said.

Several cars in front of Pagenaud opted to stay on track, making them easy prey for the Frenchman on the restart.

“I was a little confused when I was told to pit with two laps left, but I followed the orders, and it truly paid off,” he said. “New tires at the end of the race are what you want as a driver. That split-second choice by my team enabled us to gain two spots on the final laps, and I had a blast.”

Pagenaud was pleased with his team’s setup choice and performance on the high-banked, 1.5-mile oval at Texas Motor Speedway.

Mikhail Aleshin

“SPM gave me a car that suited me very well tonight, which helped me feel comfortable the whole race,” he said. “The car was easy to drive, and our pit stops were fast. Honda did a great job, too, giving us a lot of speed in our engine.”Rookie Aleshin started 11th. After the initial fuel stint, the Russian spent the entire race running in the top 10.

“I learned so much tonight at Texas Motor Speedway,” Aleshin said. “The team did a great job giving me a fast car, and our pit stops were strong. It helped that I didn’t make too many mistakes, and we were able to get a strong result.”

Before the final restart on Lap 243, Race Control ordered all cars not on the lead lap to drive through pit lane, allowing lead lap cars to group together. Aleshin followed Race Control’s direction, but two other cars on his lap did not, advancing them past him. Following the checkered flag, race control issued 30-second penalties to all four offending cars, putting Aleshin back into seventh position.

Seventh remains Aleshin’s highest Verizon IndyCar Series finish, matching his results on the street circuits in Long Beach and Detroit (Race 2).

“I hear many experienced drivers say that as soon as you think you’re used to an oval, it will bite you,” he said. “With that in mind, I know I’m not used to this type of racing. But I’m starting to get it. There is just so much for me to learn on every corner of every lap in every race. There are a lot of unknowns for me. But when you have a good car like I did tonight, it felt great to be out there fighting for positions.”

Owner/driver Ed Carpenter won the Firestone 600. He was followed to the checkered flag by Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya, respectively.

The Verizon IndyCar Series takes a two-week hiatus before returning to action for the Grand Prix of Houston June 28-29.  For the latest Schmidt Peterson Motorsports updates, follow @SPMIndyCar on Twitter.

 

 

 

JUAN PABLO MONTOYA HAVING FUN RACING WITH TEAM PENSKE AT INDYCAR

June 9, 2014 – Juan Pablo Montoya breezed into the media center after 248 grueling laps on a sweltering evening seemingly without a concern.

His broad smile and rapport during the lively Q&A summed up the third-place performance June 7 in the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway and his current station in motorsports.

“I’m happy,” said Montoya, who at 38 years old returned this year to Indy car racing after a 13-year absence. “I had a hell of a race.”

Montoya, who led 13 laps, flirted with the thought of firing the six-shooters in Victory Circle following a Lap 246 restart. The No. 2 Verizon Team Penske car was caught, however, by Will Power in the final few hundred yards and he finished .5571 of a second behind winner Ed Carpenter and a nose short of his Team Penske teammate.

“It would have been nice to come out of here with a victory because I think we had a car that could have done that, but it was a lot of fun and I think a win is just around the corner,” said Montoya, who started a season-high fourth.

It was Montoya’s first Verizon IndyCar Series podium and his best Indy car finish since Oct. 10, 2000, at Houston, when he was runner-up to Jimmy Vasser. In open-wheel racing overall, runner-up in the 2006 Formula One Grand Prix of Monaco was his most recent best finish.

“I’m getting better every race,” said Montoya, who recorded his third top-five finish in eight races. “It was fun. What a handful. To be good here it’s got to be a handful.

“Everybody on Team Penske did an amazing job. We had a flat tire right at the beginning and drove through the whole field so that was fun. I felt that one of the cooler things about it was if you looked after the tires you had a massive benefit at the end of the run. You could really control the race and the pace and the benefit of it, and you could run high, you could run low.”

It also was his best finish in 18 starts in all series at Texas Motor Speedway, where he led laps for the first time since the spring NASCAR Cup race (two laps) in 2011.

Montoya will test at two ovals this week with Team Penske car before joining its NASCAR counterpart at Michigan International Speedway for the June 15 race. He’ll also compete at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.

Invariably, the 1999 CART champion and seven-year NASCAR competitor is asked to compare the current Verizon IndyCar Series and stock cars. There’s limited data that can be derived so far – the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the 24-degree-banked Texas Motor Speedway – but he made some generalizations.

“It’s completely different,” he said matter of factly about the 1.455-mile speedway. “Comparatively, the speeds in Cup cars were slow enough that you could go high up the track, almost right up to the wall. In the Indy car, if you don’t remain down in the racing groove you’re going to be in trouble. NASCAR is back off the entry, back off the entry. (In an Indy car) it’s hard because you’ve got to drive it so hard. You’re 40 car lengths behind somebody and you already start feeling the effect of the car in front, so you’ve really got to find ways to pass them.

“I’ll tell you the truth, I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”

 

 

 

CARPENTER CLAIMS FIRESTONE 600 VICTORY AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

FORT WORTH, Texas June 09, 2014 – Ed Carpenter held off Will Power and three other drivers during a restart shootout in the final three laps to win the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway by 0.5247 of a second.

It was the third career victory for the owner/driver and second for Ed Carpenter Racing this season. There have been six different winners, including Carpenter’s teammate Mike Conway, in eight races.

“I just felt like we left some on the table in qualifying, but it made me extra motivated,” said Carpenter, who qualified fifth in the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet. “I think we were for sure the car to beat at the end. I have loved this race track for a long time and had a lot of bad luck here. I have really always wanted to win here, so I’m super excited.”

Carpenter, who led only a single lap in his previous 12 starts on the 1.455-mile, high-banked oval with a previous best finish of fourth, led 90 laps.

Juan Pablo Montoya finished a season-high third place in the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske car and Simon Pagenaud was fourth in the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports car. Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon placed fifth in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, followed by teammate Tony Kanaan.

Power, the Verizon P1 Award winner in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, led more than half of the 248-lap race, but was issued a drive-through penalty because of a pit lane speed violation with 35 laps left.

He was sixth when the final yellow flag was shown on Lap 242, and race strategist Tim Cindric called in Power to pit two laps later for fresh tires. Following the restart, he overtook three cars to gain back most of the points he would have lost because of the penalty. Power has a 39-point lead over teammate Helio Castroneves in the championship heading to the doubleheader in Houston.

“I was really disappointed by (speeding) again, but what an awesome call by my team. It would have been a good battle there at the end, but to get the Verizon car second was just an awesome last lap,” said Power, who has three runner-up finishes to complement his two victories this season. “One more lap and the guy with the tires is going to win.”

Following the conclusion of the race, Verizon IndyCar Series officials reviewed the results and penalized #8 Briscoe, #17 Saavedra, #67 Newgarden and #83 Kimball 30 seconds for failing to follow the direction of Race Control (Rule 9.3.1.7). Per Verizon IndyCar Series rules, lapped cars must fall to the rear of the field for restarts within the final 15 laps and all lapped cars were instructed to drive through the pits on Lap 244. #8 Briscoe and #67 Newgarden failed to drive through the pits and #17 Saavedra and #83 Kimball drove to the pits, but took service.

 

NASCAR 18-YEAR-OLD ROOKIE ERIK JONES ENJOYS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION CEREMONY, COMPETES IN WINSTAR WORLD CASINO & RESORT 400

FORT WORTH, Texas June 07, 2014 – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 18-year-old rookie Erik Jones opted to forego his high school graduation Friday night at Swartz Creek (Mich.) Community Schools to compete in the WinStar World Casino & Resort 400, but Texas Motor Speedway ensured that the senior enjoyed the best of both worlds.

Texas Motor Speedway officials added a special segment to its pre-race activities prior to driver introductions and Jones, donned in his Swartz Creek Community Schools cap and gown, made his way across the frontstretch stage to the music of “Pomp & Circumstance” and received his high school diploma from Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage.

Gossage, donned in traditional faculty attire with cap and gown as well as a hood that properly represents his BA in Mass Communications from Middle Tennessee State University, also presented Jones with a “racing diploma” for graduating to 1.5-mile ovals and Texas being his first start on the larger, faster ovals.

After receiving his diploma, he moved his tassel to the other side of his cap as is tradition and received a congratulatory hug on stage from his mother Carol, father Dave, sister Lindsey and grandparents Robert Jones and Vicki Eckert.

“It kind of started off as a joke,” Erik said. “Texas Motor Speedway was gracious to get this all together and actually do a graduation for real. It will be interesting to see what they have planned but I’m looking forward to it. Being able to graduate at a race track, I don’t think I would have had it any other way.”

And within minutes, Jones was already preparing for his future profession as he quickly traded in his cap and gown for his firesuit to being re-introduced with his fellow NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers.

“Ever since about first grade all he has ever wanted to do is race,” Dave said. “Everything in school, whatever the assignment was, writing a story, it was about racing, or drawing a picture, it would be a race car. So to get to this point and have the two, having graduated and getting his diploma at a racetrack is beyond his wildest dreams.”

Jones, who became the youngest winner in Camping World Truck Series history when he won at Phoenix last year at 17, then buckled in the No. 51 Hiring Our Heroes/ToyotaCare Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports and started fifth in Friday night’s WinStar World Casino & Resort 400.

It was his second start of the season, with his previous start coming March 29 at the .526-mile Martinsville (Va.) Speedway where he started fourth and finished 18th.

The WinStar World Casino & Resort 400, scheduled for an 8 p.m. CT start, is being broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.

 

 

ERIK JONES TO MAKE INTERMEDIATE TRACK DEBUT FOR KBM

Erik Jones

June 05, 2014 – Erik Jones will miss his high school graduation on Friday, but with a pretty good excuse – a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Next member is ready to make his intermediate track debut this weekend; it’ll be his second start of the season.

Jones, who set the record as the youngest race winner in series history last November at Phoenix driving the No. 51 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, will attempt to score his second win and keep the No. 51 team atop the owner points standings.

The Michigan native has also been part of incredible Kyle Busch Motorsports run: The No. 51 & No. 54 trucks have combined to win seven of the last nine races in the series dating back to Darrell Wallace Jr.’s historic win at Martinsville.

Credit: NASCAR

 

JOE NEMECHEK LOOKS TO MAKE IT A SPECIAL DAY FOR CO-OWNER

June 04, 2014 – As they continue their season of sharing a full-time ride in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the father-son duo of Joe Nemechek and John Hunter Nemechek head to Texas Motor Speedway with a little extra incentive this weekend in the WinStar World Casino & Resort 400.

Joe Nemechek co-owns the SWM-NEMCO Motorsports truck team with Texas native Sid Mauldin. Mauldin is currently battling cancer and is receiving treatment at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The Nemecheks have been featuring the logo on their truck recently.

“We’re looking forward to heading to Texas this weekend where our co-owners, Sid and Dawna Mauldin, call home and have their business so we’re really motivated to do well in their ‘stomping grounds,’” said the elder Nemechek. “I’ve always enjoyed running at Texas and we have a win and a few top-five finishes there so it’ll be exciting to race it for the first time in a truck.  We’re having a great time running the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and coming off the weekend we had with John Hunter at Dover this past weekend, everyone on the team is excited and ready to go.”

The father-son team has done well this season splitting the No. 8 Toyota Tundra as Joe races in events that John Hunter is not eligible (at 16 years old, John Hunter can only run track under 1.25 miles in length). The truck is currently seventh in owner points and just nine points out of second place.

Joe scored a season-best finish of eighth at Daytona, while John Hunter finished sixth last weekend at Dover. Joe Nemechek has a total of 42 NASCAR starts at Texas Motor Speedway but this will be his first in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.  He has one win at TMS – in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on March 29, 2003.

 

ELLIOTT SADLER AND REGAN SMITH CHASING ELLIOTT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP / NATIONWIDE

Chase Elliott

May 21, 2014 – Unlike countless rookies before him, Chase Elliott’s illustration of success is not by chance. Heading to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend for the History 300, the 11th race of the season, Elliott holds a two-point lead over both Elliott Sadler (second) and Regan Smith (third).
Elliott secured his points lead for another week after locking in his fifth top-five finish of the season at Iowa last week. But Sadler was right in step with Elliott, also posting his fifth top-five of 2014. Running in third, Smith has been ‘Mr. Consistent’ this season, posting a series leading 10 top-10 finishes.
The high level of competition amongst these three drivers is almost peerless. All three have an average finish in the top-10, they all have one or more wins this season and none have posted a DNF, yet.
The tight points battle is just waiting for one of the three to slip, but Charlotte might not be the stage for such a kerfuffle. CMS is a sister track to the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway where Elliott posted his first series win, and his series average finish on 1.5-mile speedways is 3.0. Elliott also leads the series in season-to-date Driver Rating at 109.8
Veteran Elliott Sadler is leaning on his experience this weekend. Sadler’s average finish of 11.5 on 1.5-mile tracks in 2014 is the foundation for his current championship momentum. Watch for this weekend to be more of the same for Sadler. He has posted four top-five finishes in 14 series starts at Charlotte.
Smith also has excelled on 1.5-mile tracks this season. He finished 10th at Las Vegas and seventh at Texas. Of the three championship contenders he has the best average finish (6.8) in the first 10 races of the season. Smith finished 10th in this event last year.

 

HELIO CASTRONEVES CONTINUES TO LEAD IZOD INDYCAR SERIES POINTS

Team Chevy Drivers Claim Five of Top-10 Finishing Positions at Mid-Ohio

LEXINGTON, Ohio August 05, 2013 – Helio Castroneves, No. 3 PPG Automotive Refinish Team Penske Chevrolet, extended his points lead to 31 points in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship battle with a sixth-place finish in today’s 90-lap/203.222-mile race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

It was the three-time Indianapolis 500 winner’s 10th consecutive top-10 finish and 13th of the 14 races run to-date this season including a win at Texas Motor Speedway.

A total of five Chevrolet IndyCar V6 drivers captured top-10 finishes in today’s race.  Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, finished fourth; defending Series’ champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 1 DHL Andretti Autosport Chevrolet, finished fifth to remain third in the standings and gain a few points on the leader; Marco Andretti, No. 25 RC Cola Andretti Autosport Chevrolet finished ninth and James Hinchcliffe, No. 27 GoDaddy Andretti Autosport Chevrolet finished 10th in the final order.

Andretti sits fourth in the standings and Hinchcliffe is seventh in points.

The race was won by Charlie Kimball.  Simon Pagenaud and Dario Franchitti completed the podium finishers.

Next on the schedule is the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma August 22-25, 2013. The race is scheduled to start Sunday, August 25,2013 at 4:00 p.m. ET with live television coverage on NBC Sports Network. Live radio coverage will be on XM Radio Channel 94 and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 212. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at www.indy.car.com