Racing returning to Mansfield

It took Kevin Ruic five years, but the longtime motor sports showman will finally promote events at Mansfield Motorsports Park. Racing will return to the half-mile oval in 2015. The Avon Lake businessman said he reached a deal in principal with MMP owner Grant Milliron to bring up to six special events to track. Attempts to reach Milliron were unsuccessful. The nature of those events is still to be determined, but Ruic said a three-day tractor pull, a monster truck and thrill show, a supermodified and sprint car event, a July 4 fireworks show and a rodeo could be possible for 2015. Bringing in major events such as NASCAR or ARCA are not in the plans.(full story at theMansfield News Journal)

NSCS Recap: Gordon Makes A Statement In Final Challenger Round Race At Dover

Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag in Sunday's AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway, but four other drivers got the axe in the first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup elimination race in the history of the sport.

AJ Allmendinger, 2004 series champion Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Aric Almirola missed the cut for the next round of the Chase, as the field was pared from 16 drivers to 12 following the third and final Challenger Round race.

After the dominant car of Coors Light Polesitter Kevin Harvick had a major issue with the left front wheel on Lap 254 of 400, Gordon took control of the event on Lap 305, passing runner-up Brad Keselowski for the lead on Lap 305.

After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Gordon led the last 71 laps, pulling away to win by a comfortable 4.352 seconds.

Jimmie Johnson ran third, followed by Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth, as all of the top-five drivers advanced to the Contender Round, a three-race elimination with visits to Kansas Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Harvick (13th Sunday), Kyle Busch (10th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17th), Ryan Newman (eighth), Carl Edwards (11th) and Denny Hamlin (12th) also advanced to the Contender Round.

The victory was Gordon’s fourth of the season, fifth at the Monster Mile and 92nd of his career, third most all-time behind Richard Petty (200) and David Pearson (105).

And victory No. 92 had special significance beyond an automatic ticket to the next round of the Chase—especially after a blown tire last week at New Hampshire produced a 26th-place finish and put the four-time champion one disaster away from elimination from NASCAR’s 10-race playoff.

"I think this is huge," Gordon said in Victory Lane. "We came in here with a little bit of extra pressure because we weren’t guaranteed to be in. If we hadn’t finished where we were running at New Hampshire last week (sixth when the tire blew), it would have been kind of an easy day for us.

"But all we did was focus on executing as a team and trying to win this race and nothing else. It wasn’t about the points; it wasn’t about just squeezing by to get to the next round. It was about making a statement. I don’t know how you make a bigger statement than what this team just did right there."(NASCAR Media)

Jamie Little to join NASCAR on Fox in 2015

FOX Sports announces the addition of veteran motorsports reporter Jamie Little to the NASCAR on FOX family beginning in January 2015.

Little will serve as a pit reporter for NASCAR on FOX's 15th season of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage and its first year televising the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Her assignments also include select additional races and special events throughout the year.

"Bringing Jamie into the NASCAR on FOX fold is a huge addition for FOX Sports," said John Entz, EVP, Production & Executive Producer, FOX Sports. "While her versatility is remarkable, her ability to think on her feet and report not only the news but also the sport's human-interest stories, with a down-to-earth presentation, makes her a perfect fit for FOX."

The move to FOX after multiple years with ABC and ESPN represents a "homecoming" of sorts for Little. She covered a variety of motorsports events for FOX Sports' SPEED in 2002 and 2003, including the network's live coverage of Daytona Supercross.

"Of all the racing events I've covered in my career, one of the most special was my first-ever live national broadcast in 2002 when I covered Daytona Supercross for SPEED," Little recalled. "At that time, most of the shows I worked were pre-packaged and tape-delayed, so being live on a national broadcast was a reporter's dream."

More than 12 years later, Little remains equally grateful for the opportunity with the FOX Sports family.

"Jumping over to FOX will be a big change for me, but this is the perfect time in my life and I welcome the challenge," Little said. "For some broadcasters, NASCAR often is a steppingstone to where they want to be in another sport or realm of entertainment. But NASCAR is my NFL, and the Daytona 500 is my Super Bowl. All I've ever wanted to do is cover racing, so the fact FOX approached me with the opportunity to continue covering the sport I love so much is a true honor. I've covered 11 Indy 500s and eight Brickyard 400s, and now I'll have the chance to cover my first Daytona 500 in February. That will be a huge feather in my cap."

The versatile broadcaster has covered the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series for ESPN since 2007, and the IZOD IndyCar Series since 2004, in addition to extensive work with the Summer and Winter X Games. She was the first female pit reporter for the television broadcast of the prestigious Indianapolis 500, the first female to cover a televised Supercross and Motorcross event, and was one of the first female reporters in X Games history. Little, who has worked for ABC, ESPN, SPEED, NBC and TNN, has hosted non-racing sporting events ranging from Paintball Championships to the Great Outdoor Games.

Little embarked on her broadcasting career in 2002 as a motocross and motorcycle reporter, and credits her passion for the sport and affinity for dirt bikes as the springboard for her entry into television. The Las Vegas resident is well-rounded outside the four corners of a race track, as well. In 2013, she released her first book, entitled Essential Car Care for Women, and has worked the red carpet for the ESPYs, in addition to hosting numerous NASCAR events away from the track. Furthermore, the popular racing video game "MX World Tour Featuring Jamie Little" bears her name and likeness. She also held a cameo role in the 2005 feature film, Fantastic Four, which included an X Games-themed scene.

The San Diego State University graduate got her television start on ESPN2 reporting on various motorsports while interning at a local news station, in addition to live announce work for Supercross as a college student.

In 2013, FOX Sports extended its media rights agreement with NASCAR, ensuring the FOX family of networks' broadcast of the first 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races each season beginning in 2015, as well as the first 14 NASCAR Xfinity Series races of the season and all NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events, through 2024.

Note: FOX Sports will announce its full 2015 NASCAR on FOX on-air lineup in the near future.(FOX Sports)

Stewart says crash was '100 percent' accident

There were days when NASCAR star Tony Stewart couldn't get out of bed. It was a chore to take a shower, to leave his room. The television was on, he would stare at it, and have no idea what he was watching. He didn't care about motor racing. He didn't want to talk to anyone, let alone face his family, friends or other drivers. Stewart's grief over the death of Kevin Ward Jr. was overwhelming, and he couldn't find his way out of the fog. Stewart spent three weeks in seclusion at his Indiana home after the car he was driving struck and killed Ward at a dirt track in upstate New York on Aug. 9. He describes those weeks as the darkest of his life. "I know 100 percent in my heart and in my mind that I did not do anything wrong. This was 100 percent an accident," Stewart told The Associated Press on Thursday in his first interview since a grand jury decided he would not be charged in Ward's death. On the advice of legal counsel, Stewart would not describe what he remembers about the crash at Canandaigua Motorsports Park. Sitting on the couch of his North Carolina home, a sprint car race in Arkansas on mute on the television, Stewart said not being able to talk about what happened is extending his anguish. "It keeps me from moving forward. It just stays there, hanging over my head," Stewart said. Ward and Stewart didn't know each other, and Stewart doesn't recall them ever talking. He laments that in the scrutiny that followed - some questioned if Stewart had tried to intimidate Ward for stepping on the track - that the loss of the 20-year-old driver and his promising career fell to the background. He said he can't imagine how the Ward family is feeling. "I guess the end result is I don't blame them for anything they say," he said. He said he needed professional help to cope with the situation, and asking for assistance wasn't easy. Stewart, 43, isn't married, has no children, and keeps a tight inner circle. He's a solitary figure of sorts, someone who broods and stews alone, and opening himself up for self-examination was a monumental task. "There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't thought about it. And it will be like that all your life," he said. "You are never going to forget about it. You are never going to not see it happen all over again. It's going to be a part of me forever."(AP)

Penske extends Logano's contract

Team Penske announced that it has signed multiple-race winner and 2014 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup contender, Joey Logano, to a contract extension. Under the new multi-year agreement, Logano will continue behind the wheel of the #22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the #22 Discount Tire / Hertz Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Team Penske. "Joey Logano has been everything we hoped he would be, both as a driver and as a representative of our organization and for our partners," said Roger Penske. "He continues to put points on the board for us and the continuity and chemistry he has developed within the team has been terrific. We believe he can be a leader and championship-level driver for Team Penske for years to come." Already a seven-year NASCAR veteran, the 24-year-old has proven to be an elite driver. Throughout the course of his career, Logano has produced seven NSCS wins and 21 NNS victories. Since joining Team Penske at the start of the 2013 NASCAR season, Logano has enjoyed the best two-year stretch of his young career, earning five NSCS wins and three NNS victories. "I am fortunate and excited to be a part of Team Penske for the foreseeable future," said Logano, currently ranked second in the Chase standings after his victory last weekend at New Hampshire. "Mr. Penske gives us everything we need to keep our eye on the prize and compete for wins and championships. I think that is clear by the number of wins we have across the board this year. I'm fortunate to represent great companies like Ford, Shell-Pennzoil, AAA, AutoTrader.com, Discount Tire, Hertz and all of the great partners we have here at Team Penske. I think our best years are in front of us for sure."(Team Penske)