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Off The Track... With Marcos Ambrose

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:38:00 EST

From the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(March 11, 2010)

Sporting News goes behind the scenes—and off the track—with Sprint Cup Series driver Marcos Ambrose.

My first car was ... a small four-wheel drive.

My dream car is ... Ferrari F40.

The best cruising music is ... Kings of Leon.

My average freeway cruising speed is ... 70 mph.

When I get a flat … I change it in 2 minutes.

The last time I used a GPS was ... finding every track in the United States.

Hybrids are ... cool.

I got my last speeding ticket for going ... 65 mph in a 50-mph zone in Virginia.

My No. 1 car tip is ... don’t drive tired.

My No. 1 pet peeve with fellow motorists is ... tailgating.

On a scale of 1-10, my road rage rating is ... a 1. I am laid-back.

The Sprint Cup driver who’d be the most maniacal on the road is ... Greg Biffle.

I wouldn’t be caught dead in a ... Mini Moke.

— As told to Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

The Bullring opens Saturday, March 20

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:54:00 EST

The Bullring, Las Vegas Motor Speedway's NASCAR-sanctioned 3/8-mile asphalt oval, will open its 2010 short-track stock car racing season on Saturday, March 20.

Johnson, Busch, Kenseth, Harvick, Stewart Among Drivers Taking Part In Food City Race Night At BMS March 19

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:29:00 EST

Fans have the opportunity to see their favorite drivers in a totally different atmosphere at Food City Race Night March 19 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Once all on-track activities at Ford Fan Friday are completed on Friday, the party moves to the hospitality area at BMS. Some of NASCAR's finest wheelmen will then participate in several on-stage activities, including a question and answer session, Wii Boxing and Family Feud.

Wednesday Night Drags Results, March 10

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:18:00 EST

More than 150 drag racers braved cool temperatures for the opening night of the Wednesday Night Drags at Infineon Raceway, March 10.

Tony Stewart Fans Win Big with Smoke Double Down Offer; Ticket Package Includes May 3 Fan Forum with Defending All-Star Champ

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:21:00 EST

Tony Stewart will return to Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 22 as the defending champion of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, and thanks to the new Smoke Double Down All-Star Race ticket package, his legion of fans can have a May to remember at the Mecca of Motorsports.

April 9-11 at The Strip: Supreme Sportsman Series, Wicked HP Series, MDRA, Dodge Midnight Mayhem

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:55:00 EST

Supreme Sportsman Series, Wicked HP Series, MDRA, Dodge Midnight Mayhem
April 9-11 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Kiley Tops ARCA Series Test Session

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:34:00 EST

FORT WORTH, Texas (March 9, 2010) – Mikey Kiley posted the fastest lap as Venturini Motorsports and Eddie Sharp Racing took the top four spots during Tuesday’s open test session for the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards at Texas Motor Speedway.

Kiley, driving the No. 25 Renton Coil Spring Toyota for Venturini Motorsports, recorded a fast lap of 185.995 miles per hour among the 21 drivers that participated in the one-day test on the 1.5-mile superspeedway in preparation for the Rattlesnake 150 on April 16. Brandon McReynolds, son of former crew chief and current FOX NASCAR analyst Larry McReynolds, was second with a lap of 185.752 mph in the No. 2 ESR Toyota for Eddie Sharp Racing.

Steve Arpin, driving the No. 55 Taylor Chassis Chevrolet for Venturini Motorsports, was third at 184.647 mph and was followed by ESR’s Craig Goess, who was fourth at 184.074 mph in the No. 81 Greenville Toyota of North Carolina Toyota. Rounding out the top five was Grant Enfinger, who recorded a lap of 183.974 in the BeasleyAllen.com-Roush Yates Performance Ford for RAB Racing.

Some of the other notables that tested were former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Scott Wimmer (12th, 181.318 mph), former Formula One driver Nelson Piquet Jr. (16th, 180.186 mph), Fort Worth’s Nur Ali (18th, 177.907 mph) and Tyler’s Lance Fenton (20th, 176.777 mph).

Practice and qualifying for the Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway will be held Thursday, April 15. The Rattlesnake 150 will run Friday, April 16 with a start time of 6:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the Rattlesnake 150 are available by calling the TMS Ticket Office at (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

Open Testing Results, Texas Motor Speedway

30th anniversary Super Chevy Show opens 2010 season at The Strip March 19-21

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:56:00 EST

The Super Chevy Show - now in its 30^{th year - will return to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 20-21 for a weekend of all-Chevrolet drag racing, a car show and swap meet.}

ARCA Series Returns To Texas Motor Speedway As Competitors Get First Look At Track

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:53:00 EST

Twenty-One Drivers Take Part In Test Session In Preparation For Upcoming Rattlesnake 150 On Friday, April 16
Texas Duo Ali, Fenton Excited To Race At Home Track
Former Formula One Driver Piquet Jr. Gains Valuable Experience

FORT WORTH, Texas (March 9, 2010) – Rain couldn’t stop 12 years of waiting as the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards returned to Texas Motor Speedway for a test session in preparation for the Rattlesnake 150 on Friday, April 16, that is part of the Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend.

While the morning session was washed out due to heavy rains throughout Monday, the 1.5-mile superspeedway was dry by 1 p.m. CT today and ready for practice for the 21 drivers on hand. Tuesday’s test marked the first time the ARCA Racing Series had raced at Texas Motor Speedway since the inaugural Z-MAX 250 on Sept. 18, 1998, making the test the first opportunity for them to get a look and feel for “The Great American Speedway!”

“You always hear about the racing going on in Texas,” veteran ARCA Racing Series driver Patrick Sheltra said. “To come here and experience that is amazing. To come back here for the first time since 1998, you really see how far Texas Motor Speedway has come. It’s a blessing for ARCA to come back here.”

For a pair of Texans, today’s test session was more than just about logging laps. Lance Fenton, of nearby Tyler, and Nur Ali, of Fort Worth, took their stock cars around Texas Motor Speedway for the first time.

Ali, who has raced on Texas Motor Speedway’s road course while competing in the Star Mazda Series, has yet to compete on the 1.5-mile oval. Ali, who moved from Pakistan to Fort Worth in 1983 and graduated from Trinity High School, is looking forward to the opportunity to race in front of the hometown crowd next month.

“It’s been exciting,

Revised 2010 schedule for The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:49:00 EST

Revised: Feb. 10, 2010

Food Lion AutoFair to Feature Vintage Military Vehicle Exhibit

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:52:00 EST

They aren't pretty, comfortable or fast, but the machines that transport, tow, haul and protect our soldiers are the uncredited heroes keeping America safe during war and peace. The Carolina Military Vehicle Preservation Association will recognize these sturdy vehicles during a special display at the April 8-11 Food Lion AutoFair at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

zMAX Dragway Partners with Series Sponsor Full Throttle and Circle K To Provide Savings at Inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:45:00 EST

Drag racing fans can go full throttle and save eight dollars on single-day tickets to witness history March 25-28 at the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

Edwards Gets Probation For Wrecking Keselowski

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:35:00 EST

Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

Carl Edwards emerged virtually unscathed Tuesday as NASCAR announced it has placed him on probation for the next three races for intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski during the Kobalt Tools 500 on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Edwards, who was parked after the crash for his actions, was not suspended, fined or penalized points for the incident. NASCAR president Mike Helton said Tuesday that NASCAR officials will meet with Edwards and Keselowski as well as their team owners, Jack Roush and Roger Penske, respectively, to help settle their dispute.

Helton, who said earlier this year that NASCAR would loosen the reins on drivers and allow them to police themselves on the track, met with Edwards after the race.

“We made it very clear to him that these actions were not acceptable and did go beyond what we said back in January about putting the driving back in the hands of the drivers,” Helton said. “We believe the driver of the 99 (Edwards) understands our position at this point.

“It’s important for us to step back and separate the issue of what happened with the 99 and the 12 (of Keselowski) on the racetrack and the fact that the 12 car got airborne.”

The Edwards-Keselowski incident resulted in a vicious crash as Keselowski’s car lifted off the ground, flipped upside down and crashed roof-first into the frontstretch wall after the tap from Edwards, who was 153 laps down after an incident between the two drivers on Lap 40. Keselowski, who was running sixth at the time of the accident with three laps remaining in the scheduled distance, emerged from the car uninjured.

Edwards was parked after the incident, and that should not go unnoticed, Helton said. Parking a competitor, he said, can be a significant penalty, although it cost Edwards only three points Sunday becaus

Revised 2010 schedule for the Bullring

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:06:00 EST

Revised: March 11

Kahne Doing Double Duty In Scotts Turf Builder 300, Food City 500; Edwards And Keselowski Also Competing In Both Races

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:14:00 EST

Kasey Kahne looks forward to what he knows will be two tough days of racing at Bristol Motor Speedway when he competes in the Scotts Turf Builder 300 March 20 and the Food City 500 March 21.

The way Kahne sees it, making 800 circuits around the World's Fastest Half-Mile just gives him twice the chance to stand in one of the most unique Victory Lane's in the sport.

Edwards' Aggression Tests NASCAR's New Credo

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:25:00 EST

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(March 8, 2010)

Now that the boys indeed have “had at it,” NASCAR has a problem.

In the aftermath of Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the sanctioning body must decide to what extent it will discipline driver Carl Edwards for intentionally, blatantly and unabashedly wrecking Brad Keselowski on the 323rd lap of what was supposed to be a 325-lap race.

“Boys, have at it and have fun,” vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said during the offseason, coining a phrase that quickly became the mantra of NASCAR’s new laissez-faire attitude toward its competitors.

Embargos against bump-drafting were lifted, holes in restrictor plates were widened to provide more horsepower at plate tracks, and drivers were encouraged to settle their differences on the asphalt. The term “self-policing” was bandied about ad nauseam.

The tack NASCAR would take was clearly evident during championship weekend last November at Homestead-Miami Speedway, long before Pemberton’s off-the-cuff remark would become the new watchwords of the sport.

In the Nationwide Series season finale, Denny Hamlin spun Keselowski, as he had promised to do a week earlier at Phoenix, where the drivers had traded shots on the racetrack. Hamlin, who had gotten the short end of the exchange at Phoenix was docked a lap at Homestead for the altercation.

The following day, in the final Sprint Cup race, Tony Stewart knocked Juan Pablo Montoya into the wall between Turns 3 and 4. Montoya spent the next 27 laps plotting his revenge, while his car was repaired in the garage area. He returned to the track and spun Stewart.

Because Keselowski and Stewart spun harmlessly, NASCAR treated both incidents with a wink and a nod. No harm, no foul. &ldquo

Grammy-Winning Group Creed to Rock The NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:08:00 EST

Grammy Award-winning rock group Creed will perform a pre-race concert presented by Native Trading Associates for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, May 22, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 75-minute concert begins at 3:15 p.m. in the infield between Turns 1 and 2. Admission to the concert is free with the purchase of a ticket to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and tickets start at just $39

Kasey's Korner Ticket Package Offers Access to Champion, Great Tickets to NASCAR

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:15:00 EST

Infineon Raceway has created the perfect ticket package for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Father's Day, June 20. Not only will you get two reserved tickets for the big race, you'll also get to attend an exclusive Q&A session with the defending Sonoma champion, Kasey Kahne.

Benziger Winery, Infineon Raceway Host Dinner at Fior d'Italia in San Francisco

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:15:00 EST

The legendary Fior d'Italia Restaurant in the historic North Beach district of San Francisco will be the setting for a night of incredible food, world-class wines and a little bit of speed on Thursday, March 11.

Benziger Family Winery and Infineon Raceway will collaborate to host a very special wine dinner at the Fior d'Italia (www.fior.com), which opened in 1886 and is the oldest Italian restaurant in the country.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin named Food City 500 grand marshal

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:27:00 EST

World Wrestling Federation superstar "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has been named Grand Marshal for the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 21, 2010.