Mark Martin Returns ‘Home’ To Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing announces that legendary NASCAR driver Mark Martin is returning to the race team where he excelled behind the wheel for almost 20 years - this time as the team’s driver development coach. Martin was the first driver hired by team owner Jack Roush when he founded his NASCAR operation in 1988. The two went on to become one of the most successful duos in sports history, accumulating 83 NASCAR wins, four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Championship runner-up finishes, and building Roush Fenway into the winningest team in NASCAR history.“I’m excited to return to Roush Fenway Racing, as it feels like I’m going home to where I belong,” said Martin. “I was fortunate to help build this team from the beginning and it’s very humbling to be a part of Jack’s team again. When Jack first hired me in 1988 we didn’t talk about salary or benefits or perks, we talked about testing, tires and putting the right personnel into place to win on the track. That commitment is what stood out to me then and it’s still what stands out to me today.(Roush Fenway Racing)

2014 GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway Weekend Schedule

Friday, August 1
11:00 AM - 12:20 PM GoBowling.com 400 PRACTICE (FS1)
3:40 PM GoBowling.com 400 QUALIFYING (FS1)

Saturday, August 2
9:00 - 9:50 AM GoBowling.com 400 PRACTICE (ESPN2)
10:10 AM Pocono Mountains 150 QUALIFYING (FS1)
11:30 AM - 12:20 PM GoBowling.com 400 FINAL PRACTICE (ESPN2)
1:00 PM 2014 Pocono Mountains 150 (FS1)

3:40 PM (4:40 PM/ET) U.S. Cellular 250 QUALIFYING (ESPN)
7:00 PM (8:00 PM/ET) 2014 U.S. Cellular 250 (ESPN)

Sunday, August 3
1:00 PM 2014 GoBowling.com 400 (ESPN)

ALL POSTED TIMES LOCAL TO RESPECTIVE TRACKS!

Toyota working on new Camry for 2015

Toyota will have a new face for 2015 - and we're not just talking about Carl Edwards. Long before the 2015 production Camry's coming out party at the New York Auto Show in April, Toyota Racing Development was hard at work to development a vehicle for competition in NASCAR's Sprint Cup division. In concert with Calty, Toyota's car design studio, the project has been in progress since fall of 2013. Toyota presented its' "first look" to NASCAR's Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C. earlier this month - which was returned for further development. "We had a preliminary submission, but we have more work to do," [David Wilson, president and GM of Toyota Racing Development] said. "We've been working with NASCAR on the car. They give you the opportunity to see where you are and of course our objective is to get the most performance out of it as possible. We have to pass their submission criteria, so we're going to have another go at it and hope to have that put to bed in the middle August. Then we'll unveil it to the public and get ready for 2015." Changes to the 2015 include a new front fascia, tail and character lines.(Motorsport)

Greg Ives named crew chief for Earnhardt, Jr. in 2015

Crew chief Greg Ives will rejoin Hendrick Motorsports following the 2014 NASCAR season to lead the #88 Sprint Cup Series team of driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ives, 34, was race engineer for Jimmie Johnson's historic run of five consecutive Sprint Cup championships (2006-2010) with the #48 Hendrick Motorsports team. He will work alongside Johnson's crew chief, Chad Knaus, in the shop shared by the #48 and 88 Chevy SS teams.
"Greg was our number-one choice," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "This is a talented guy who already has a terrific rapport with Dale Jr. and is a fit with the organization. He and Chad had a lot of success together, and all of our crew chiefs think the world of him and what he's accomplished. Greg's proven that he can win races, and he has all the tools to do big things."
Since his debut as a crew chief for JR Motorsports in 2013, Ives has won five NASCAR Nationwide Series races including three this season with rookie and current points leader Chase Elliott.
A native of Bark River, Michigan, and graduate of Michigan Technological University, Ives joined Hendrick Motorsports as a mechanic in 2004 before moving into an engineering role on the #48 team in 2006. In seven years working with Knaus, he contributed to 42 wins, 113 top-five finishes and 21 pole positions in the Sprint Cup Series. In November 2012, Ives transitioned to JR Motorsports as crew chief for driver Regan Smith. The duo won two races and finished third in points in 2013 before Ives was named Elliott's crew chief prior to this season. JR Motorsports works closely with Hendrick Motorsports and is owned by Earnhardt in partnership with Rick Hendrick.(HMS)

NASCAR penalizes 11 team

NASCAR handed down heavy penalties to the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team Tuesday for infractions found in a post-race inspection after Denny Hamlin drove to a third-place finish in last Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

NASCAR stripped the team of 75 points in the series' owner championship standings and docked Hamlin 75 points in the drivers' standings. The team also suspended crew chief Darian Grubb for the next six Sprint Cup events and fined him $125,000. Car chief Wesley Sherrill was also issued a six-race suspension; both Grubb and Sherrill will be on NASCAR probation for the next six months.

The most recent penalty falls under the heading of a P5-class infraction, according to the new NASCAR deterrence system. It is the most severe punishment issued under the new penalty structure, implemented during the offseason.

Joe Gibbs Racing said in a statement that it planned to appeal the penalty, but that Grubb and Sherrill would begin serving their suspensions immediately, starting with this weekend's event at Pocono Raceway.

The punishment moves Hamlin from 11th to 21st in the Sprint Cup standings. Though he missed a race earlier this season at Auto Club Speedway with an eye injury, Hamlin remains a virtual lock for a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs, thanks to his regular-season victory in May at Talladega Superspeedway.

In a statement announcing the ruling, NASCAR officials said the No. 11 Toyota violated four different sections of the NASCAR rule book, three pertaining to the body of the car -- specifically the sealing and securing of all sheet metal and firewalls -- and one for "actions detrimental to stock car racing." The rule book calls for a minimum of a 50-point penalty and $75,000 fine for a P5-level infraction, but an additional 25-point deduction and $50,000 fine were assessed because the violations were discovered during post-race inspection.

A NASCAR spokesperson announced the findings of the initial post-race inspection after Sunday's Crown Royal presents the John Wayne Walding 400, saying there were "possible issues with several rear firewall block-off plates." If the block-off plates became detached during the race, it could allow air to flow from inside the car and potentially create more downforce.

After Sunday's 400-miler, officials took the No. 11 car back to the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, North Carolina for further investigation. Officials also took the race-winning Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet of Jeff Gordon and the JGR No. 18 Toyota of runner-up Kyle Busch back to the R&D Center for routine evaluation; no at-track issues were found on the top two finishing cars.(NASCAR)

Chase drivers can't test at Homestead

NASCAR will not allow championship-eligible drivers to participate in a Goodyear tire test at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But, to ensure fairness, NASCAR will allow all organizations represented in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship to participate in the Aug. 26 test because Homestead is the site of the title-deciding season finale. Teams will have to send a driver not qualified for the Chase to the tire test. The restrictions create a dilemma for Team Penske, which has both Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano already qualified for the Chase. The two-car team does not have another Sprint Cup driver on its roster. Hendrick Motorsports also has three of its four drivers qualified. Should Kasey Kahne qualify for the Chase, Hendrick would have to look outside its immediate organization for a substitute. (Associated Press)

Update on more racing at Eldora

NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O'Donnell said there have been no discussions about adding another major NASCAR race at Eldora. "We haven't had any discussions with Tony beyond that (truck race)," O'Donnell said. "I wouldn't rule out looking at potential other venues for trucks, but I think for the most part, we want to keep the uniqueness of that event. It has been really successful. They have done a great job for us. They set the bar very high. But we like where we're at right now with it." The Eldora event is a successful weeknight event. Whether that success could translate to a Cup race on a weeknight remains to be seen. Both the track and television partner would have to be prepared for it, and so far NASCAR has not had a track want a weeknight prime-time event that it could then pitch to the networks. The truck race at Eldora was the biggest sports cable event of Wednesday night, giving Fox Sports 1 a rare evening win over ESPN. "One of the challenges with most of the venues, especially on the Cup side, is big camping unlike other sports, so that presents a challenge," O'Donnell said. "It is something we have discussed with promoters. But we just aren't there from a logistics standpoint to be able to pull it off. But it has worked for the trucks. That is something going forward you could see us take a bigger look at with some other venues that have interest."(Sporting News)

Jeff Gordon wins record fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Indy

As he crossed the yard of bricks, and the significance of his fifth victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway hit him like a ton of bricks, Jeff Gordon reveled in the moment that propelled him to victory in the Crown Royal Presents The John Wayne Walding 400 at The Brickyard.

"God! I finally had the restart of my life," Gordon shouted into his radio mic, recalling the move just 15 minutes earlier that launched him past Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne on Lap 144 of 160 in Sunday’s marquee NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Twenty years removed from his victory in the inaugural Brickyard 400, Gordon finished 2.325 seconds ahead of Kyle Busch who with teammates Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth finished 2-3-4 in the 20th Sprint Cup race of the season.

The win was the 90th of Gordon’s career, third-most all-time, his second of the season and, of course, his record fifth at IMS, breaking a tie with teammate Jimmie Johnson for most Cup wins at the Brickyard. The win also clinched Gordon a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, assuming he attempts to qualify for the remaining six races of the regular season.

And though open-wheel purists may blanch at the notion, Gordon is the first driver in any series to win five races on the legendary 2.5-mile oval that has played such an integral role in the history of motorsports in the United States.

"I’m not very good on restarts and wasn’t very good today, but I finally got the restart of my life today when it counted most," said Gordon, who gave Chevrolet its 12th straight Cup victory at Indy. "Once I got clear, I was thinking like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening now...’

"I was trying so hard with 10 (laps) to go not to focus on the crowd," added Gordon, who increased his series lead over teammate and ninth-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr. to 24 points. "Every once in a while, I’d glance up there and I could see the reaction. I was trying not to let it get to me and not think about it too much. And yet you can’t help it.

"It’s such a big place and such an important victory and a crucial moment in the season and the championship, and those emotions take over. I have my kids here. There’s nothing better, especially at one of the biggest races, to have your family here. ... This one is for all those fans throughout the years and all weekend long. They’re saying ‘We believe you can get number 5.’ We got number 5—yes!"

If Gordon had trouble believing the outcome, team owner Rick Hendrick did not. In fact, Hendrick had a premonition about the race.

"I told (Gordon) this morning, ‘This is your day,’ Hendrick recalled. "For him to break that tie (with Johnson), it’s pretty special. I remember the first one (1994) and how good it felt.

"This one feels just as good."(Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire)

Gibbs, Stewart-Haas planes bump at Concord Regional

A Joe Gibbs Racing plane collided with a parked plane from Stewart-Haas Racing at Concord Regional Airport on Sunday night as the NASCAR teams were returning to the Charlotte area after Sunday’s Crown Royal 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, according to the Haas team.
A spokesman for Stewart-Haas Racing said the team’s empty, parked plane was hit by a Joe Gibbs Racing plane as it was parking. The plane’s wing clipped the tail of the parked SHR plane. No one was hurt, the spokesman said.(Charlotte Observer)

2014 Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard Weekend Schedule

Friday, July 25
11:35 AM - 1:00 PM Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard PRACTICE (FS1)

Saturday, July 26
9:00 - 10:50 AM Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard FINAL PRACTICE (ESPN2)
12:10 PM Lilly Diabetes 250 QUALIFYING (FS1)
2:10 PM Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard QUALIFYING (ESPN2)
4:30 PM 2014 Lilly Diabetes 250 (ESPN)

Sunday, July 27
1:00 PM 2014 Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard (ESPN)

ALL POSTED TIMES LOCAL TO TRACK

Montoya returns to Cup action at Indy

No driver in the field on Sunday can match the diverse history of Juan Pablo Montoya at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In his illustrious career, the Bogota, Colombia-born driver has made seven career NASCAR Cup Series starts, five Formula 1 starts, three IndyCar Series starts and one start in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series at the famed circuit. He is also the 2000 Indianapolis 500 champion. Over the course of his NASCAR career, Montoya has led 203 laps and earned a pair of top-10 finishes at Indianapolis. This weekend's Brickyard 400 will mark the first race for Montoya in the #12 Penske Truck Rental (PTR) colors and his second Cup Series start for Team Penske this season. PTR is an operating unit of Penske Truck Leasing and has approximately 2,000 consumer truck rental locations across the United States and Canada. Penske rents commercial semi-trucks, straight trucks and trailers to businesses that haul freight. Its truck rental fleet has more than 50,000 units.(Team Penske)

Stewart would like to have Nationwide and Sprint Cup races at Eldora

While he's not planning for it, Tony Stewart would love for the addition of more NASCAR Racing at Eldora Speedway. Stewart, along with track general manager Roger Slack, talked about the possibilty during a press conference for the unveiling of the new infield building that will be added for the 2015 season. "I'd love for the Truck Series to not be the only NASCAR that comes here," Stewart said. "If this continues to go as well as we hope it does there's no reason that the other two divisions couldn't come possibly in the future. I think we can make it work. If you can take the trucks and make them work here, the Cup cars and Nationwide cars aren't much of a stretch from that. So it's definitely feasible to do that." The new building, which will begin to be constructed in October, will house the media center that will also double as an infield hospitality suite. The building will also be the site of the infield care center along with a concession stand with double lines. Stewart said the decision to build in the infield building had no bearing on the possibilty of getting a Nationwide of Cup Series race in the future. "This is part of the continued process of us making the commitment of improving the facility to making it bigger and better," he said. "But we are very appreciative and very content if we only run truck races from here on out. We get the privilege to keep hosting Truck races and we are very happy doing that."(Motor Racing Network)

Allmendinger, RPM to test at Watkins Glen

"We tested at Watkins Glen International last year and it really helped and we are looking forward to testing again on Monday and Tuesday," Allmendinger said. "We tested at Sonoma Raceway and it showed it helped. So, we're doing the same for Watkins Glen. We will run through a plan and have a good baseline. We know the track will not be the same when we go back, but we are looking to find a good balance to make sure when we get there, we have some good ideas to work through practice. It's pretty basic. Testing Watkins Glen is all about getting a good balance and good ideas for the car when we go back in a few weeks."(JTG Daugherty Racing)

2014 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic Schedule

Wednesday, July 23
10:00 AM 11:00 AM 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic PRACTICE (FS1)
11:30 AM 1:00 PM 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic FINAL PRACTICE (FS1)
5:10 PM 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic QUALIFYING (FS1)
7:00 PM 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic 1ST QUALIFYING RACE (10 LAPS) (FS1)
7:10 PM APPROX. 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic 2ND QUALIFYING RACE (10 LAPS) (FS1)
7:20 PM APPROX. 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic 3 RD QUALIFYING RACE (10 LAPS) (FS1)
7:30 PM APPROX. 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic 4TH QUALIFYING RACE (10 LAPS) (FS1)
7:40 PM APPROX. 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic 5TH QUALIFYING RACE (10 LAPS) (FS1)
8:15 PM APPROX. 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic LAST CHANCE RACE (15 LAPS) (FS1)
9:00 PM 2014 1-800 Car Cash Mudsummer Classic (150 LAPS 60-50-40, 75 MILES) (Fs1)

ALL POSTED TIMES LOCAL TO TRACK

How much does it cost to operate a race team each week?

Less than 24 hours after [Stewart-Haas Racing's haulers] returned from Sonoma, they are on their way to the Saturday race in Sparta, Ky. It's all part of the weekly routine at Stewart-Haas Racing, or any other NASCAR team, for that matter. Most people know that NASCAR is a traveling circus, a weekly carnival built on rubber and exhaust. But outside of motorsports, few can appreciate everything that goes into creating that big top each week. During a season, the sport travels 38 weekends across 23 markets, and that doesn't include test sessions. Teams truck race cars and parts, fly dozens of people and set up temporary homes at all of them. The NASCAR schedule makes the logistics and costs of operating a race team unique in professional sports. While stick-and-ball teams have front-office staff, players and administrators, NASCAR teams have pilots, flight attendants, long-haul truckers, engineers, mechanics, even chefs. Outside of racing, few - if any - face such a challenge of coordinating freight trucking and airline travel across so many weeks. Doing so is an enormous undertaking that takes months of planning. The Kentucky race weekend highlighted just how demanding it can be. Over the course of three days in June, Stewart-Haas Racing trucked eight race cars and flew more than 100 people to Kentucky for the Quaker State 400. It rented 27 vehicles and reserved 44 hotel rooms. It spent more than $1.5 million, and its four entries finished seventh, 11th, 12th and 21st to collect a combined purse of $428,401. (That doesn't include driver salaries or additional personnel costs.) As teams prepare to head to Indianapolis for NASCAR's annual Brickyard race, last month's Kentucky race provided a glimpse at what goes into a typical race weekend, how it comes together and how much it costs. See much more on race team logistics and expenses at Sports Business Journal.

France comments on Race Team Alliance

NASCAR chairman Brian France says listening to the consensus voice of the newly formed Race Team Alliance would be a "bad idea." France, in his first extensive interview on the RTA since the organization of major team owners was announced two weeks ago, told Sirius/XM's Sirius Speedway show on Monday that NASCAR "didn't think (the RTA) was necessary." The nine most powerful race teams in NASCAR announced July 7 they had formed an alliance with the stated purpose of cutting costs and pooling resources. But France said he had no intentions of dealing with the individual race teams as one organization. "That would probably be the worst thing we could ever do -- to listen to one voice, even if it were a consensus voice," he said. "Every decision we've ever made that's important, the more input, the more people we heard from, the better the result. That will never change in the business model of NASCAR, because good ideas come from all over the place." But it seems NASCAR's most influential team owners don't feel that way, since they banded together to form the RTA and speak as one regarding many issues facing the sport. And while France acknowledged the RTA "may figure out some things we're not aware of" in terms of reducing costs, he repeatedly said NASCAR would be "business as usual." That includes holding firm on the allocation of a mega $8.2 billion TV contract that kicks in next year - 25% of which goes to the race teams (65% goes to the tracks and 10% goes to NASCAR). The RTA is said to want a bigger piece of the pie, but France said the current percentages were "set for historical reasons - because it's the right allocation."(USA Today)

Earnhardt Jr. to appear at Watkins Glen Turn 1 Tavern

#88 National Guard driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. is scheduled to address audience questions at Watkins Glen International during Cheez-It 355 at The Glen, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend, August 7-10. This exclusive Q&A session is scheduled take place in the Turn 1 Tavern on August 10. Next to the towering Seneca Grandstand, the Turn 1 Tavern is a covered hospitality area located trackside, just outside the circuit's first turn. Fans who purchase a Turn 1 Tavern hospitality admission ticket will have the opportunity to participate in this highly sought after Q&A session with the #88 National Guard driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. In addition to this rare and wildly popular Q&A session, fans with Turn 1 Tavern admissions will enjoy food and beverages at a discounted rate all weekend long, along with a complimentary buffet lunch on both Saturday and Sunday. Turn 1 Tavern hospitality admission provides fans with covered trackside viewing Friday through Sunday and may be purchased atwww.TheGlen.com for just $75. Facility gate admission is not included with the purchase of Turn 1 Tavern hospitality.(WGI)

Hamlin, Stenhouse Jr. & Waltrip compete in golf tournament

Highlights of the 2014 American Century Championship provided by NBC Sports.

Rookie Chase Elliott nabs third win of the season at Chicagoland

Accomplishing feats uncharacteristic for a rookie, Chase Elliott won again, leading 85 of 200 laps en route to his third win of the season in Saturday's EnjoyIllinois.com 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
Elliott took the lead for the fourth and final time on Lap 177 and held on for the final 23 laps, winning by 1.7 seconds. The NNS Sunoco Rookie of the Year frontrunner ties Kyle Busch for most wins in the series thus far this season, each with three visits to Victory Lane in the first 19 races.
"This is an unbelievable night," Elliott said. "We were fortunate enough to be in contention on that last pit stop, the guys busted their butts for me and that was the deciding factor.
"We all as a team, we completed our task tonight. And that was the difference."
Trevor Bayne finished second, followed by Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne and Ty Dillon.
"We got our car turning there at the end," Bayne said. "That's probably the strongest weekend we've had in a while. Had it stayed green for another 15, we might have had it, but that's 15 laps we'll never know about.
Added Larson, "I thought we had a real good car. I had some fun, just frustrating coming in third when I thought we had a real good chance to win."
As for Dillon, "I've got a feeling that we can keep doing this as the year goes on," he said. "The car was coming to me there at the end."
In addition to the race winner, Kahne was the second JR Motorsports driver in the top five. It almost didn't happen for Kahne, who brushed the wall late that did just enough damage to keep him from making a last-ditch run towards the front.

Pole-sitter Brian Scott earned $100,000 in the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash for finishing sixth, ahead of fellow D4C competitors Chris Buescher (eighth), Elliott Sadler (10th) and Regan Smith (16th).
Seventh through 10th were Erik Jones (in his NNS debut), Buescher, Ryan Blaney and Sadler.
Smith, who was the points leader coming into the race, struggled with a loose car and finished with a disappointing 16th showing.
Elliott's win also vaulted him from third to the top of the Nationwide points standings. He now leads Smith by seven points and Sadler by eight points.
A series of green-flag pit stops around Lap 161 shuffled the field with teams hoping they could make it to the finish without it turning into a fuel-mileage race.
Bayne took the lead at Lap 161 when the leaders made stops for service and held on until he had to come in on Lap 176 for four tires and fuel. Elliott inherited the lead, and kept it for the remainder of the race.(NASCAR Media)

Turner Sports could disappear in potential media mergers

The latest machinations of the corporate media giants could result in the end of one of sports broadcasting's great brands. According to multiple reports, 21st Century Fox is pushing to acquire rival giant Time Warner. Even after an initial $80 billion bid was rebuffed, Fox and its leader Rupert Murdoch are said to be "determined and unlikely to walk away anytime soon". Much of the talk surrounding a potential Fox acquisition of Time Warner has focused on sports and with good reason. Through Turner Sports, Time Warner has one of the most impressive sets of sports rights on cable television. Adding Turner Sports' haul to the existing Fox Sports line-up - the rest of the MLB playoffs, the NFL, NASCAR and college football - would turn the latter into the dominant player in TV sports. ESPN would still be the leader in many ways, but FOX and Fox Sports 1 would have a virtually unmatched portfolio. Such a move would be a boon to 21st Century Fox and a major loss for sports television. Turner Sports has been one of the most successful alternatives to ESPN and is generally well-regarded. Despite being unaffiliated with any of the Big Four broadcast networks, Turner Sports has managed for decades to acquire some of the biggest blue-chip properties in sports (even the NFL in the 1990s). A potential merger would wipe out both a competitor for Fox and an alternative for viewers, making the sports TV business a little less risky for the remaining giants. Fox would not be the only one happy to see Turner Sports go - ESPN would be happy to no longer see comparisons between its NBA studio show and Inside the NBA, and all the networks would presumably be glad to have one less rival driving up rights fees. Now, the threat exists of the big five turning into the big four. CBS and NBC would still be formidable, but the industry would primarily turn into a battle of Goliaths between ESPN and FOX.(Sports Media Watch)

Hauler parade kicks off events at Indianapolis

The third annual Kroger Super Weekend at the Brickyard will begin with the fun and excitement of the sixth annual Hauler Parade on Thursday, July 24 on Main Street in Speedway, Ind. The event will take place from 5:00-8:00pm. Admission is free. A parade of more than 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will arrive on Main Street starting at 6:00pm. Haulers will then park on Main Street between 10th and 15th Streets, giving fans an up-close look. Legendary NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett will be the grand marshal of the Hauler Parade. Another featured guest will be retired Green Beret John Wayne Walding of Little Elm, Texas, the hero who received naming rights to the Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400 at the Brickyard Powered by BigMachineRecords.com NASCAR Sprint cup race Sunday, July 27 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Walding will be incorporated into a series of VIP activities throughout the race weekend that also will honor America's unsung heroes. Also appearing at the Hauler Parade on Main Street in Speedway will be Miss Coors Light and Miss Sprint Cup. Fans also can watch the haulers parade north on Main Street and east on 16th Street at 7:55pm, as they depart the Hauler Parade single-file and enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.(IMS)

Cup drivers competing in CWTS race at Eldora

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie Michael Annett will compete in the second running of Eldora Speedway's Mudsummer Classic, a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on dirt, piloting the #14 TMC Transportation Chevy Silverado for NTS Motorsports. Last year the inaugural event drew a sellout crowd and record television ratings, sparking the imagination of a fan base eager for sliding, mud-slinging action. The Mudsummer Classic will air live on Wednesday night, July 23 on FOX Sports 1 at 9:00pm/et.(Rising Star Management)

2014 EnjoyIllinois.com 300 at Chicagoland Speedway Race Weekend Schedule

Saturday, July 19th
3:10 PM (4:10 PM/ET) EnjoyIllinois.com 300 QUALIFYING (FS2)
7:30 PM 2014 EnjoyIllinois.com 300 (ESPN2)

ALL POSTED TIMES LOCAL TO TRACK

Race Team Alliance will talk to NASCAR through attorneys

If the new Race Team Alliance wants to communicate with NASCAR and its sister company International Speedway Corp. it will have to do so through attorneys. NASCAR President Mike Helton said Friday there is no animosity between the team owners and NASCAR, although NASCAR has had no conversations with Kauffman as part of the RTA. "I wanted to dispel the perception of animosity to start with and then back that up with saying we're going to do business as usual," Helton said Friday. "I think everybody in the garage area knows how we do our business and the role they play in it, and so we'll continue to do it that way." But apparently no NASCAR officials will be talking directly with the RTA. NASCAR confirmed Wednesday that in a move they say is done for legal prudence and not as a sign of animosity, it has directed that all communication between NASCAR and the RTA be done through lawyers. After the Sporting News published a column on the RTA Tuesday saying the development is a sign of an increased lack of trust between NASCAR and the teams and vice versa, Kauffman tweeted that ISC also has issued a lawyer-only edict. The RTA has hired the legal firm of Jones Day, which provides representation on financial issues to almost half of the Fortune 500 companies. And they apparently need to be. Gary Roberts, a noted sports law expert and current professor at Indiana University, said last week that the organization could open itself up to a lawsuit depending on how it operates. There is nothing wrong with the teams working together for better purchasing power as long as the people they purchase from are not dependent solely on NASCAR teams for their business. The danger comes if the RTA represents the teams in any sort of negotiations with NASCAR and tries to use its collective leverage to force NASCAR's hand. "You have a monopolist, NASCAR, dictating terms to a group of entities that it does business with," Roberts said. "And the entities then (are) saying, 'We want to get together and create counter-veiling market power so we're on equal footing.'(Sporting News)

NASCAR to test possible 2015 rule changes

NASCAR has scheduled a test on August 18, 2014 at Michigan International Speedway to test possible rule changes for the 2015 season. "We're very pleased with the competition on the track so far in 2014,'' said Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR vice president of innovation and racing development, in a statement to Motor Racing Network. "The evolution of the racing product continues as we look to 2015 and beyond. The test at Michigan International Speedway will be a great opportunity to gather more information, help us validate much of the great research done by engineers in our sport, and drive us one step closer to our 2015 race package." NASCAR states that the number of teams testing hasn't been finalized. NASCAR also states that no other tests have been scheduled, although indications in the garage are that a follow-up test could take place at Charlotte Motor Speedway later in the year.(Motor Racing Network)

NASCAR Introduces Special Paint Scheme Elements For Chase Contenders

Celebrating the accomplishments of those drivers who will contend for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, NASCAR has released several new elements to the paint schemes of race cars making the 16-driver Chase Grid. Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup-eligible cars will have the roof number, the front splitter / front fascia and the windshield header colored yellow, as well as have a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup logo affixed to the front-quarter panel of their race car. As part of NASCAR's emphasis on winning races all season long, this celebratory paint scheme will be placed on a driver's car to begin the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 14. Once a driver is eliminated after one of the Chase's first three rounds, the paint scheme will be removed from the car. These changes serve as a visible symbol of the new Chase format. In addition, the paint scheme elements will ensure that fans are able to easily identify each championship contender as NASCAR's playoffs progress. Announced by NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France in January, the new championship format expands the Chase field to 16 drivers, up from 12 in previous years, and implements a new round-by-round advancement format that ultimately will reward a battle-tested, worthy champion. A victory in the first 26 races all but guarantees a berth in the 10-race Chase, which will air exclusively on the ESPN family of networks. The number of championship drivers in contention for the championship decreases after every three Chase races, culminating with four drivers racing for the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, scheduled for November 16.(NASCAR)

Keselowski cruises to NASCAR Sprint Cup win, completes New Hampshire weekend sweep

LOUDON, N.H. – For Brad Keselowski, it’s beginning to look an awful lot like 2012 when everything went right on the way to a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

Keselowski led 138 of the last 232 laps to win Sunday’s Camping World RV Sales 301 for his third Sprint Cup victory of the season. He held off Kyle Busch on the final restart and pulled away to win by three-quarters of a second in a green-white-checker finish.

"I’m not thinking of anything else right now (other) than how thankful I am to have a team and a car that is clicking well," said Keselowski from Victory Lane. "It’s every driver’s dream.

"I think, in a lot of ways, we’re stronger than (2012). I don’t think we’ve had this much speed before. I feel like I’m in a really strong rhythm right now. I think some of last year’s struggles put me in a spot to work harder and become a better race car driver. I think we’re combining all those things and we’re seeing the fruits of that labor – with more to come."

Keselowski, 30, captured his first Sprint Cup championship in 2012 on the strength of five victories and 23 top-10 finishes in 36 starts. After failing to qualify for the Chase last season, he’s produced 10 top-10 performances in 19 races this season.

"We were fast last year at this time but we weren’t executing," said Keselowski, who also won Saturday’s Sta-Green 200 Nationwide Series race and had dominated the speed charts during Saturday’s Sprint Cup practice sessions. "This year we’re executing and we have a lot of momentum. It really feels like we have hit our stride.

"At the same time, we have a lot of potential still left in our team. Everybody is going to turn it up a notch when the Chase comes and we know that. You’ve got to have a good horse and we had that today. (But) we know we have to have another gear to grab to be able to run for a championship. I think we’re close but I want to keep pushing."

Presuming they attempt to qualify for the next seven races, Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10th) became the first two drivers to clinch spots in the Chase thanks to their showings on Sunday.

"I’m proud of our team for that," Earnhardt said. "Hopefully we can improve before we come back here (for the second race of the Chase). That was the hardest I’ve ever worked for a 10th-place finish. We (were) off all weekend – a real frustrating weekend to be honest."

Keselowski seemed to be in cruise control, leading Denny Hamlin by 2.91 seconds with four laps remaining. But Justin Allgaier spun and struck the wall, bringing out the race’s seventh caution flag and necessitating the fifth green-white-checker finish of the 2014 season and juggling the field.

As soon as the yellow flag came out, Hamlin headed to the pits for a splash of gas and settled for eighth place. Jeff Gordon, who had been running third, ran his Hendrick Chevrolet out of gas and was relegated to 26th place. Kevin Harvick started second alongside Keselowski but ran out of fuel on the restart.

"We had what I thought was the second-best car," Hamlin said. "I had to save fuel and couldn’t push it. I would have liked to have seen if we could have raced with the (No.) 2, but he obviously had a very dominant car."

The fuel situation left Busch and Clint Bowyer as the only drivers with a real shot at Keselowski in the final two laps.

In the end, neither had anything for Keselowski.(NASCAR Media)

NASCAR And Turner Sports Culminate 32-Year Broadcast Partnership at NHMS

For more than three decades, NASCAR and Turner Sports have partnered to tell the stories of stock car racing - longer than many of the drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have been alive. On Sunday when the checkered flag flies at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, it will mark the conclusion of a long and prosperous partnership between NASCAR and Turner Sports.
"There is no question that the folks at Turner have been fantastic partners for the past 32 years, and we can't thank them enough for everything they've done to grow the sport during that time frame," said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and chief executive officer. "Their dedication to producing first-class, innovative NASCAR broadcasts has never wavered, and this weekend's race from New Hampshire should bring an exciting yet bittersweet conclusion to TNT's NASCAR Summer Series."
Turner has been instrumental in helping grow the sport through innovative and creative NASCAR coverage and promotions. Some highlights in the history of the partnership include:
- 1983 - 2001: TBS was the longtime home for select races in all three national series, including events from Richmond, Atlanta, Rockingham, Riverside, Charlotte and Pocono; Ken Squier, Buddy Baker and Dick Berggren made up the broadcast team for the majority of races.
- July 2001: The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was aired on TNT from New Hampshire Motor Speedway; Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach manned the broadcast booth.
- September 2004: TNT presented its first race in HDTV, the Rock and Roll 400 from Richmond International Raceway.
- December 2004: TNT announced it would carry their entire portion of the 2005 season in 1080i high definition.
- May 2011: Turner implemented new "directional audio" marketing technology in public areas of Charlotte, North Carolina, allowing visitors to hear engines revving and race tune-in information when stepping on TNT logos.
- June 2012: NASCAR and Twitter launched a first-of-its-kind editorial partnership for the first TNT race from Pocono Raceway, creating a unique complementary second screen experience to enhance TNT's broadcast of the race.
- June 2013: TNT introduced "all-access coverage" during the Countdown to Green prerace show, a feature where the network follows a different driver throughout the week to document how they prepare for the race.
Finally, there are countless memorable moments on the track that Turner has covered over the last three-plus decades. But most notably, TBS will always be known as the network that carried the first-ever race in which Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. competed against each other. In a 300-mile exhibition race at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan in 1998, Earnhardt Jr. ran the No. 1 car while his father was in the iconic No. 3. What was the result? Son bested Dad by two positions, as the pair finished sixth and eighth, respectively. Turner Sports will continue to oversee advertising sales and sponsorships across NASCAR-branded digital platforms. The 2014 NASCAR Summer Series on TNT officially concludes with the Camping World RV Sales 301 live from New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 13.(NASCAR)

Could Stewart heat up soon?

When the weather heats up, so does #14-Tony Stewart. Of his 48 NASCAR Sprint Cup wins, 23 have come in June, July and August. (seven wins in June, nine wins in July and seven wins in August.) Only six wins have come before June.(SHR)

Victory Junction to be celebrated by Sprint Cup Teams at NHMS

In celebration of their 10th year and more than 20,000 campers through their gates, NASCAR teams will display Victory Junction10 year decals on Sprint Cup Series cars at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire the weekend of July 11, 2014. The North Carolina camp provides life-changing experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering in a safe and medically sound environment. It was the dream of Adam Petty, grandson of Richard Petty and son of Kyle Petty, who passed away in a racing accident at the Loudon track in 2000. Founded in 2004 by the Petty family in honor of Adam Petty, Victory Junction is a year-round camping environment for children ages six to 16 with serious illnesses. The camp operates solely though the support of generous individuals, foundations and corporations to provide every experience at no charge to the children and their families.(Victory Junction)

2014 Camping World RV Sales 301 at New Hampshire Weekend Schedule

Friday, July 11
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Camping World RV Sales 301 PRACTICE (FS1)
4:40 PM Camping World RV Sales 301 QUALIFYING (FS1)
7:30 PM 2014 American Ethanol 200 (FS1)

Saturday, July 12
9:00 - 9:50 AM Camping World RV Sales 301 PRACTICE (FS1)
10:10 AM Sta-Green 200 QUALIFYING (FS1)
11:30 AM - 12:25 PM Camping World RV Sales 301 FINAL PRACTICE (FS1)
3:30 PM 2014 Sta-Green 200 (ESPN2)

Sunday, July 13
1:00 PM 2014 Camping World RV Sales 301 (TNT)

ALL POSTED TIMES LOCAL TO EACH TRACK

Ford's win streak longest since 2005

Aric Almirola's win at Daytona was Ford's third straight this season. Brad Keselowski won the week before at Kentucky and Carl Edwards won at Sonoma. The last time Ford won three-straight Cup races was 2005 when Greg Biffle won Dover (June 5) and Michigan (June 19) bookending a Carl Edwards Pocono (June 12) victory. The win is the seventh of the season for Ford Racing, equaling the most wins for Ford since 2011.(Ford)

NASCAR evaluating souvenir row

NASCAR fans call it souvenir row, and for the last three decades, they have gone there to browse for hats and T-shirts at enormous truck rigs carrying their favorite driver's merchandise. But that tradition may become a thing of the past. NASCAR is in the early phases of re-evaluating its trackside merchandise program, and it is looking to make a change. The company two weeks ago sent a request for proposal to a dozen companies asking them to submit plans for how the sport could change the way it sells merchandise at races.At a minimum, NASCAR is considering reducing the number of truck rigs along souvenir row, and possibly eliminating them altogether, in order to replace them with a more traditional retail concept like the tented stores set up at the entrance to PGA Tour events. NASCAR teams and tracks have offered their support for exploring a change. The evaluation process follows years of declining merchandise sales in NASCAR. Sales reportedly fell from more than $2 billion in 2008 to $1 billion in 2010. Motorsports Authentics, the motorsports licensing company that was jointly owned by International Speedway Corp. and Speedway Motorsports Inc., nearly filed for bankruptcy, and SMI this year abandoned its stake in the business in order to realize tax benefits that outweighed owning it. Motorsports Authentics had been responsible for covering the cost of transporting 20-plus truck rigs to each of NASCAR's 36 Sprint Cup races. The cost of having those trucks crisscross the country became inefficient as merchandise revenue shriveled and attendance decreased at races nationwide.(Sports Business Daily)

NASCAR Explains Why Race Was Called

The day was only half over but the race was finished. NASCAR's decision to call Sunday's Coke Zero 400 at about 3:00pm/et left some competitors and fans perplexed. The decision ended NASCAR's weekend battle with showers, which caused a multi-car crash during Nationwide qualifying on Friday and forced Saturday night's Cup race to be moved to Sunday. Rain twice delayed Sunday's race before it was called after 112 of 160 laps. Aric Almirola was declared the winner. With a forecast from the National Weather Service calling for the likelihood of rain until about 8:00pm/et and the race past halfway - a day after it was scheduled to run - it tipped the scales for NASCAR to call the race. "We've seen this weather pattern and felt it was the best interest of fans getting done and getting home," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. "We put on 2 1/2 hours of solid racing. When you looked at what was in front of us weather-wise, we felt it was best for all concerned that the race was completed." Pemberton said an issue was that was so much rain in Turn 3 that water was trapped behind the SAFER barrier and coming down on the track. That could have delayed a restart if the rest of the track was dry. The later the rain persisted, the longer it would have been to dry the track because it would not have been aided by the sun.(Motor Racing Network)

ARIC ALMIROLA GETS 43 CAR FIRST WIN SINCE 1999

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The rain and the wrecks kept on coming at Daytona International Speedway in Sunday's 56th running of the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola.

When the carnage from two major contender-claiming incidents was over, it was Aric Almirola who not only survived but claimed his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory and took the giant step toward punching his ticket into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Running the iconic No. 43 with the U.S. Air Force on the hood for July 4 weekend, Almirola's win came on the 30th anniversary of team owner Richard Petty's 200th Cup victory.

"I'm more concerned with getting my first win than what happened 30 years ago," admitted Almirola during the race's third red-flag delay for a thunderstorm that eventually halted the race with 48 scheduled laps remaining.

Not that Almirola, who edged Brian Vickers and Kurt Busch for the win, had no sense of history or what his triumph might mean to Richard Petty Motorsports.

"Man, I just took the 43 car to victory at Daytona," said Almirola, standing under an umbrella in Victory Lane. "This is amazing.

"I grew up two hours away from here in Tampa and grew up in those stands, watching Daytona 500s and Firecracker 400s -- and grew up dreaming about what it would be like to win here."

Richard Petty wasn't at Daytona on Sunday but reveled in the victory via phone.

"Today is the future," Petty said. "To be able to win a race down there, win it for the Air Force on the Fourth of July, the whole thing is great. We've had so many disappointments -- and it rained on us today. But it rained on us at the right time.

"You know, I don't ever give up on anything. Looking back on the history of Petty Enterprises -- the turmoil we've been through the last seven or eight years ... I've always said is that if I keep working on it long enough, you're going to overcome all of these things. One win doesn't get you over the hump but it makes it easier to go on from here."

With the No. 43's first victory at Daytona since 1984 and first Cup win at any track since John Andretti's victory at Martinsville Speedway in 1999, Almirola can now dream about what it will be like to pilot the No. 43 in the Chase.

"Yes, and deservedly so for this race team," he said. "Now we're going to be a part of that, to have the opportunity, not only to take (our sponsors) to Victory Lane, but to have that added exposure of the Chase. It is really cool to give back to those people who took a chance on me and took a chance on our race team."

The victory was the third consecutively for Ford, which last won three in a row in 2005 with victories by Greg Biffle (2) and Carl Edwards.(NASCAR)

Fan Track Drive at Talladega

Have you ever imagined seeing the view Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and the other top stars in NASCAR have when driving around Talladega Superspeedway? Well, fans will have that special opportunity to tour the 2.66-mile venue - complete with 33-degrees of banking in the turns - in their own personal car during "Fan Track Drive," a fundraising event for the American Red Cross on Saturday, July 26. The "Fan Track Drive" event will run from 9 am until 2 pm and will allow guests to drive their passenger vehicle two laps around the Talladega Superspeedway for a $50 contribution. Each vehicle will closely follow one of Talladega Superspeedway's Emergency Services vehicles, which will lead the field at highway speed. Currently, there are no other fan "drive" events planned for the remainder of 2014 at Talladega. In addition to the "drive," guests can take a high-speed ride around NASCAR's Most Competitive Track in one of the speedway's official pace cars - the Ford Mustang or the Chevrolet Camaro - at a cost of $100. All money for rides will be directly donated to the American Red Cross Talladega-St Clair Chapter.(TSS)

2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway Weekend Schedule

Thursday, July 3
4:00 - 5:20 PM Coke Zero 400 PRACTICE (FS1)
6:35 - 8:00 PM Coke Zero 400 FINAL PRACTICE (FS1)

Friday, July 4
3:10 PM Subway Firecracker 250 QUALIFYING (FS1)
5:10 PM Coke Zero 400 QUALIFYING IMPOUND (FS1)
7:30 PM 2014 Subway Firecracker 250 (ESPN2)

Saturday, July 5
7:30 PM 2014 Coke Zero 400 (TNT)

ALL POSTED TIMES LOCAL TO TRACK

Waltrip returns to the #66

Two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip will be race the #66 Royal Teak Collection Toyota in Saturday night's 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway. Waltrip enters Saturday night's race with 2001 and 2003 victories in the Daytona 500 plus a win in the 2002 July race at the World Center of Racing. In four restrictor plate races in 2013, Waltrip posted a fourth-place finish at Talladega in May and fifth-place finish at Daytona in July. Saturday marks Waltrip's 53rd start at Daytona and 777th career Sprint Cup start.(Identity Ventures Racing)

Joe Gibbs Racing & Dollar General extends Kenseth's contact

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and Dollar General announce an expanded partnership with a multi-year agreement for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and beyond. In addition, JGR announces the contract extension of driver Matt Kenseth that will keep him behind the wheel of the #20 Dollar General Toyota. Dollar General, based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, will increase its sponsorship to 30 races with Matt Kenseth and the #20 team, up from 27 in 2014 and 17 in 2013. One of the top contenders within the Sprint Cup Series, Kenseth is currently fourth the 2014 point standings with five top-five, 10 top-10 finishes and one pole award through the first 16 races. In 2013, his first year driving for JGR and Dollar General, Kenseth celebrated seven wins, marking both a Series and career-best season.
"Extending my deal with JGR is exciting and I'm still hoping we can match our win total from last year, but it's really been a special year-and-a-half together," Kenseth added. "Joe and J.D. have been fantastic and show a commitment to providing all of us with the resources needed for a winning organization and I've been blessed with a great team led by Jason (Ratcliff). The support we get from TRD has been tremendous and I'm excited for the future here with the #20 Dollar General team."(Joe Gibbs Racing)