Monthly Archives: October 2015

INDIANAPOLIS – Starting lineup for the 99th Indianapolis 500 Verizon IndyCar Series event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with rank, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, time and speed in parentheses:

1. (9) Scott Dixon, Chevrolet, 02:38.7579 (226.760) 2. (1) Will Power, Chevrolet, 02:39.0458 (226.350) 3. (22) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 02:39.1900 (226.145) 4. (10) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 02:39.6428 (225.503) 5. (3) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 02:39.6439 (225.502) 6. (25) Justin Wilson, Honda, 02:39.8022 (225.279) 7. (11) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 02:39.8626 (225.193) 8. (27) Marco Andretti, Honda, 02:39.8659 (225.189) 9. (21) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 02:39.8670 (225.187) 10. (6) JR Hildebrand, Chevrolet, 02:39.9297 (225.099) 11. (26) Carlos Munoz, Honda, 02:39.9703 (225.042) 12. (20) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 02:40.0830 (224.883) 13. (32) Oriol Servia, Honda, 02:40.1585 (224.777) 14. (83) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 02:40.1828 (224.743) 15. (2) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 02:40.2446 (224.657) 16. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 02:40.3041 (224.573) 17. (15) Graham Rahal, Honda, 02:40.5064 (224.290) 18. (29) Simona de Silvestro, Honda, 02:40.8304 (223.838) 19. (7) James Jakes, Honda, 02:40.8651 (223.790) 20. (48) Alex Tagliani, Honda, 02:40.9140 (223.722) 21. (8) Sage Karam, Chevrolet, 02:41.0051 (223.595) 22. (43) Conor Daly, Honda, 02:41.0865 (223.482) 23. (24) Townsend Bell, Chevrolet, 02:41.1119 (223.447) 24. (14) Takuma Sato, Honda, 02:41.2718 (223.226) 25. (63) Pippa Mann, Honda, 02:41.3600 (223.104) 26. (98) Gabby Chaves, Honda, 02:41.4958 (222.916) 27. (17) Sebastian Saavedra, Chevrolet, 02:41.5086 (222.898) 28. (41) Jack Hawksworth, Honda, 02:40.9022 (223.738) 29. (4) Stefano Coletti, Chevrolet, 02:42.1617 (222.001) 30. (88) Bryan Clauson, Chevrolet, 02:42.6328 (221.358) 31. (5) Ryan Briscoe, Honda, 02:41.0602 (223.519) * 32. (18) Tristan Vautier, Honda, 02:40.5473 (224.233)**

33. (19) James Davison, Honda, 02:40.8960 (223.747) ***

* – Substitute driver for James Hinchcliffe, who qualified car on May 17; ** – Replacement driver for Carlos Huertas, who qualified car on May 17;

*** – Replacement driver for Tristan Vautier, who qualified car on May 17.

Note: Car order for Cars 5, 18 and 19 set by Verizon IndyCar Series entrant points entering event per Rules 8.1.8.6 and 8.1.8.6.1 of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook.

NOTE: Carlos Huertas Not Medically Cleared to Drive in Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS (May 22, 2015) – Verizon IndyCar Series driver Carlos Huertas has been ruled out of the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race with an inner ear condition, according to Dr. Terry Trammell, INDYCAR medical consultant. Huertas will have to undergo further evaluation before being cleared to return to Verizon IndyCar Series competition. The 23-year-old Colombian is out for the remainder of Indianapolis 500 on-track activities, including today’s Coors Light Carb Day practice and the May 24 race.

Huertas was scheduled to start on the outside of Row 6 in the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda. The team will announce Huertas’ replacement and the car will be moved to the last row of the 33-car field. It will start 32nd based on entrant points, according to Rules 8.1.8.6 and 8.1.8.6.1 of the Verizon IndyCar Series rulebook.

SPEEDWAY, Ind. October 14, 2015—Ask and you shall receive.

Foyt Family Wines is responding to consumer demand with the launch of Speedway Rosè, which is available for purchase only in the Foyt Wine Vault in Speedway, Ind. starting this month. To celebrate the introduction of this newest varietal, the Foyt Wine Vault is hosting a launch party Thursday, Oct. 22^nd; it will be open to the public.

“I think it’s interesting and fun on how this wine came about,” said A.J. Foyt IV, co-founder of Foyt Family Wines. “There were literally so many requests for a sweeter wine offering. Our response was our first vintage of the Foyt Rosè of Pinot Noir, produced from Pinot Noir grapes grown in Sonoma County. It’s important to us to have great customer service and this is one example of it: making a wine in the California Wine Country for our customers here in Speedway and naming it after their town.”

Speedway Rosè is the first premium Foyt wine to be named after a place. However, in keeping with the tradition of using numbers to designate their wines, Foyt Family Wines officially lists this varietal’s inaugural release as No. 55 Rosè of Pinot Noir from Sonoma County. The number 55 refers to the year that A.J. Foyt viewed his first Indianapolis 500 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after years of listening to it on the radio with his father, Tony, in their Houston, Texas home.

The Vault also installed its first premium wine keg system featuring the No. 55 Speedway Rosè.  With commemorative matching bottles produced, local consumers can purchase these refillable wine bottles to take home and then bring them back for refilling. Like many craft breweries’ refillable growler programs, this new program reduces waste of glass, paper labels, and natural corks thereby making a positive impact on the environment.

A.J. spent every May in Speedway since that inaugural visit in 1955, so when the time came to open up the Foyt Wine Vault, the town’s proximity to the historic track made it an easy decision to locate there. Foyt Family Wines co-founders and Vault co-owners, Larry Foyt and A.J. Foyt IV have both competed in the Indianapolis 500 as well as INDYCAR and NASCAR. Foyt IV, an Indianapolis-area resident, handles the day-to-day operations of the Vault.

“We hope everyone comes out to help us celebrate on the 22^nd,” Foyt IV said. “It will be our chance to honor this great community which has been welcoming the Foyt family since 1955!”

A.J. FoytIndianapolisSpeedway

Elkhart Lake, WI ? Tony Rivera drove his Porsche 911 to the lead past Kuno Wittmer?s Dodge Viper on the first lap and powered away to win the SPEED World Challenge GT race at Road America on Sunday.

Wittmer grabbed the lead at the start of the race with Rivera following closely behind. By turn twelve of the 4.05 mile road course, Rivera had made his move for the lead and set his sights on the checkers. With open track ahead of him, Rivera was able to open up and maintain a seven second advantage over the runner-up position.

On the sixth lap of the race, Wittmer gave up the second position and headed to the pits. He would be forced to retire with a reported wheel bearing issue on his Woodhouse Performance Viper.

Brandon Davis assumed the second position but, Eric Curran?s Corvette was on the attack and used an exciting outside pass through the fifth turn to take over the spot. Two laps later, Dino Crescentini used the inside line of same turn to take the third spot away from Davis. From there on, the top four positions would remain constant for the rest of the race.

A little further back in the field was where all the racing was going on. A tight group consisting of Ritch Marziale?s Dodge Viper, Mike Borkowski?s Viper, William Ziegler?s Porsche 911 and Sonny Whelen?s Corvette battled for the seventh position. With seven laps remaining in the race, Borkowski and Marziale started the excitement with two laps of swapping positions that Borkowski ended up the winner of. Whelen captured the Sunoco Hard Charger award moving up from his seventeenth starting spot to finish ninth.

Hometown racer, Jeff Courtney of Slinger, WI had a rough race in his Dodge Viper. After moving into the top ten on the start, Courtney spun his ride in the final turn as the field headed up the hill to complete the second lap. To add insult to injury, Courtney was assessed a stop and go penalty for jumping the start. Courtney finished the race on the lead lap in the thirteenth position.

Polesitter James Sofronas was unable to start the race due to a reported broken axel on his Prosche 911. Sofronas returned to the race, twelve laps behind and finished in fifteenth.

With the victory, Rivera became the first multi-race winner of the season. Rivera had won the season opening race at Sebring.

The SPEED World Challenge GT Series returns to action on September 23rd for the 2009 12th Annual Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

John WiedemannRoad America

Unfair Advantage Racing and Road America,announce the Mark Donohue Reunion 2010, to be held at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin,

on July 15-18 in conjunction with the Koehler International Classic vintage event.

The Reunion will celebrate the cars and career of an American racing legend, with a paddock display of many of the most famous cars raced by Mark Donohue. Confirmed cars include: the 1972 Indy-winning McLaren-Offy; the ’73 Eagle- Offy Indy car; the 1972 Can-Am dominating L&M Porsche 917-10; the 1973 Can-Am champion Sunoco Porsche 917-30; all of the Donohue-driven, Penske Racing, Camaros and Javelins from the Trans-Am in the 1960s and early 1970s; the Ferrari 275 LM that Donohue co-drove with Walter Hansgen in the 1965 Sebring 12 hour; the Sunoco LolaT70 coupe that won the 1969 Daytona 24 Hour race driven by Donohue and Chuck Parsons; and the Lola T70 Spyder which brought Donohue the 1967 United States Road Racing Championship; the First National City Traveler Checks Penske PC-1 which was

Donohue’s last F1 car.

Many of Mark’s teammates from Penske Racing will be attending,including Karl Kainhofer, Indy Hall-of-Fame crew chief; John “Woody” Woodard, crew chief on the Porsche 917-10 and 917-30; Ron Fournier, Trans-Am builder; Chuck Cantwell, team manager; Don Cox, Penske engineer; and Judy Stropus, Penske timer and scorer. Another highlight will be a release of a new book “Mark Donohue: His Life in Photographs.”Argetsinger will be Master of Ceremonies at a Mark Donohue Tribute

breakfast on Sunday morning, July 18.

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Race action at the Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.   [Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images]

by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann

With the Daytona festivities in the rear view mirror, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series gets down to business this weekend out West as the Phoenix International Raceway hosts the Profit on CNBC 500 Sunday afternoon.

Phoenix is a flat course with minimal banking and while the Daytona race was unpredictable in nature, Phoenix tends to be a place where the favorites shine. Drivers to watch at Phoenix typically perform well at other flatter tracks on the circuit, such as New Hampshire, Richmond, Pocono, Indianapolis, and Martinsville.

The following are some drivers to keep an eye on this weekend at Phoenix in the Profit on CNBC 500.

Denny Hamlin

Dan Margetta: After suffering through an injury-riddled 2013 season, Hamlin and the #11 team came out in full confidence in 2014, capitalizing on their season-ending Homestead win with victories in the Sprint Unlimited and Budweiser Duel before finishing a strong second in the Daytona 500. Hamlin performs extremely well on flat tracks and one Phoenix win to go along with eight top five finishes. His average Phoenix finish is only second to Jimmie Johnson and that stat is skewed a bit by a late race fuel miscue in 2011. The team is on quite a roll and Hamlin is money on the flat tracks. Any questions?

Matt Kenseth

John Wiedemann:  I’m on the Matt Kenseth bandwagon and think that he will be the top driver in the series this season.  Kenseth may not be the champion at the end of 2014, but well that’s a whole different conversation.  Kenseth had a solid Speedweeks and there is no doubt that he will pick it up even more this weekend.  After a disappointing race in the fall at Phoenix, I predict that Kenseth and his Joe Gibbs Racing team will return with a chip on their combined shoulders.  Nothing fires up that driver and team like a challenge.  Show the track who’s boss and wipe away the memories of the last years race with a win this weekend.  That is my prediction.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

DM: Another team and driver on a roll of late is Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his #88 team, winners of the Daytona 500. Nothing builds momentum like a win and this team already is running a streak of six straight top ten results dating back to Talladega last year. Dale Jr.’s overall emotion displayed in victory lane last weekend shows how bad this team wants to win in what will be crew chief Steve Letarte’s last season. Last year, Earnhardt racked up top five finishes in both Phoenix events and he does have two Arizona victories to his credit. Daytona could have awakened a sleeping giant and Junior Nation may have another week to celebrate in Phoenix.

Carl Edwards

JW: Carl Edwards has two wins at Phoenix, including this race last season.  With eleven top tens in nineteen runs, it’s a solid bet that Edwards will be a contender at the one mile track.  Look for a solid if not spectacular run and a good indication of where the Fords are in comparison to the other makes based on Edward’s results.

Kevin Harvick

DM: Kevin Harvick has made the Phoenix International Raceway his playground lately with two of his four Phoenix victories coming in the last four races. He also owns seven top five finishes in the desert, but these results were all behind the wheel of a Richard Childress Chevrolet. Harvick rolls into Phoenix this year with a new crew, piloting the #4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet. Harvick had a strong Daytona however, and the Stewart-Haas team has had success on the flat tracks with past victories at Martinsville and Indianapolis. In his last seven starts, Harvick has scored four top five finishes and a win on Sunday would break a tie with Jimmie Johnson for the most victories on the flat Phoenix one mile oval.

Kasey Kahne

JW: Kasey Kahne needs a good run to wash away a bitter Daytona 500 experience.  Kahne finished second to Harvick in the fall Phoenix race and has three top four finishes in his last five races at the track including a win in 2011.  Points probably don’t matter to Kahne as he is looking for a win to try to lock in the Chase, but a solid rebound from the opener would be welcome.

Kurt Busch

DM: Kurt Busch could be another driver to watch for this Sunday as he has had success at Phoenix with one win and five top five finishes. However, his performances have been extremely inconsistent with his strong runs being mixed with very poor showings. Busch was fifth at this track last Fall and coming off a steady Daytona where a late spin took him out of contention, Busch and the #41 team should be hungry to get back up front this weekend. If he can avoid trouble early and stay in contention in the later stages, Kurt Busch could be a force to be reckoned with at Phoenix.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

JW: Roush Fenway Racing runs pretty well at Phoenix and their rookie driver Ricky Stenhouse fits right in with the team.  Finishes of 12th and 16th last year showed that Stenhouse can get around Phoenix pretty good.  Following up a seventh place finish at Daytona with a finish around tenth to fifteenth is definitely in the cards for the Ford racer.  Another top ten wouldn’t be out of the question either.

Ryan Newman

DM: Ryan Newman may be a driver overlooked by some this weekend despite having scored flat track wins at both Martinsville and Indianapolis in the past. Newman does have one Phoenix win to go along with eight top five finishes and this season he comes to Phoenix driving for Richard Childress Racing, the same organization with which Kevin Harvick delivered four Phoenix victories. Newman has shown the ability to get it done on the flat surfaces and he’s in proven equipment at Phoenix in 2014. Also seeing as Harvick now drives for the team that released Newman, there is extra incentive to grab the win at Phoenix. Keep your eye on the #31 car and Ryan Newman this weekend.

Jimmie Johnson

JW: Why are we leaving Jimmie Johnson for the last pick?  Johnson has a average finish of sixth with four wins and seventeen top tens in twenty-one races at Phoenix.  Everyone is picking him to win his seventh championship this season and he is a threat to win almost any race.  Why did we leave him for last?  Well, it’s such an easy pick and I just wanted to make sure you read the whole article.

Elkhart Lake, WI (July 19, 2009) – This year’s Kohler International Challenge with Brian Redman presented by Ford at picturesque Road America certainly had a Ford feel to it. With an impressive tri-level visual display honoring the historic GT-40, leaving many road racing fans awestruck. With 20 historic cars on exhibition it included it’s most famous, the red No. 1 raced by Americans A.J. Foyt and Dan Gurney to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967. Gurney and Foyt were overlooked before the race, however 24 hours later they beat the powerful factory Ferrari team by more than four laps. Notably, this was the race that Gurney was involved in what’s believed to be the first spraying of champagne in victory lane in auto racing history. Also on display was Mario Andretti’s GT-40 he drove to a victory at Sebring and the 1966 Le Mans winner and runner-up driven by the likes of Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon. Several vintage Ford Mustangs from Jack Roush’s SCCA Trans-Am collection also spiced up the paddock as well as many replica and tribute GT-40’s. Also the Ford Mustang drifter cars provided entertainment between sessions.

“We’re really proud to have this amazing collection of cars, with the help of George Bruggenthies (RA President and GM) and the staff,” Fritz Wilke of Ford Motor Company said. “It’s pretty amazing to see the whole collection together.”

The event also gave fans to opportunity to meet and greet some of the players in the history of the GT-40 which included, drivers, Brian Redman, David Hobbs, Bob Bondurant, builder, Lee Holman and engineer, Mose Nowland.

Not only did you get to meet the likes of Bondurant, Hobbs and Redman, Ford hosted test drives at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex, featuring hot-lap rides of Road America in high-performance Ford cars and ride-alongs. Also, on Saturday of the three-day event, drivers of Mustangs were admitted to the event free of charge making this author wishing he still had his Mustang Cobra and GT.

The must see Road & Track Concours d’Elegance featuring more than 100 racecars on Friday evening was dampened by rain showers which is the first time I can remember precipitation marring the event in the twenty years I’ve been attending. Saturday saw the street cars invade downtown Elkhart Lake in dryer but cool temperatures which prevailed most of the weekend. However, Sunday proved excellent with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-70’s.

Some of the movers and shakers in motorsports seen in the pits and paddock during the weekend included but not limited to, IndyCar owner, Carl Haas, former IndyCar owner Derrick Walker and engineer Bob McKee. Drivers, Jerry Entin, Eric Haga, Graham McRae, Augie Pabst were just some of the drivers seen, however I’m sure many others were there.

Former driver, Tony Adamowicz who forty years ago this week, drove in the Formula 5000 race at Road America was back. That race in ’69 was overshadowed by the first lunar landing that day of another “Eagle,” that of a team of NASA astronauts. It was on July 20, 1969 that Neil Armstrong uttered those famous words, “Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed.” Adamowicz and the Riverside International Automotive Museum (RIAM), of Riverside, CA owners of the Gurney Eagle Mk5 honored the trio with a set of mission decals on the car. Adamowicz, a two-time professional road racing champion, a veteran of the Indy 500 and of the 24 Hours LeMans ended up fourth overall and second in class in the F-5000 historic race after winning the race in 1969.

Many thanks to George Bruggenthies and Julie Sebranek of Road America for their hospitality last weekend. Also special thanks to the Ford Motor Company and the Formula 5000 Registry for their contribution to the weekend.

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In a race the featured nose-to-tail racing throughout the field, Brad Rampelberg emerged victorious, winning the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup event at Road America on Sunday.

The line-up was revised prior to the race as fast qualifier, Mathew Pombo, withdrew from the field, as did his teammate Mark Pombo, following an issue in qualifying that deducted two points from Mathew Pombo in the quest for the season championship. This moved Rampelberg, the second-fastest qualifier, to the pole.

The 45-minute timed race took the green at 2:33 p.m.

Rampelberg led the field into the first turn, with Lyonel Kent in second. Kent took the lead from Rampelberg in Turn 5. Later in the lap, Ara Malkhassian also passed Rampelberg to claim second. At the end of the first lap, the top four were Kent, Nick Evans, Malkhassian, and Rampelberg.

On lap two, Evans took the lead from Kent.

A full-course yellow appeared while the field was working lap four when Tim Probert made contact with the wall in the kink, spreading debris on the track.

During the caution, Rampelberg pitted and returned to the track.

The race restarted on lap six with Kent leading, followed by Evans, Malkhassian, Justin Piscitel and Russell Walker. Piscitel took third from Malkhassian in Turn 5.

The top five were running extremely close on lap seven. Evans and Kent were side-by-side in Turn 1, with Piscitel just behind the pair.

For several laps, Evans, Rampelberg and Kent swapped positions and ran nose-to-tail. The entire field was extremely tight on lap nine as 10 of the 11 cars still running were just 5.5 seconds apart with a lap time of approximately 2 minutes and forty seconds.

At lap 11, the top six were Evans, Rampelberg, Kent, Piscitel, Cooper and Malkhassian, with the top three in a breakaway from the rest of the field.

At Turn 5, on lap 11, Rampelberg took the lead from Evans. Kent, who had been running third, lost the front pack draft and slipped back into the field.

The field remained close at the start/finish line on lap 13. Rampelberg and Evans were nose-to-tail, with the next five cars right behind them in a tight pack.

Rampelberg and Evans swapped the lead several times on the lap and at the end of lap 15, the white flag came out on the timed race. Rampelberg was in the lead, followed by Cooper, who slipped back to fifth on the final lap, Evans, Piscitel and Malkhassian.

At the checkered flag, Rampelberg took the win by 1.457 seconds. Malkhassian came from fifth to second on the final lap, and Nick Evans finished third.

The margin of victory was deceptive, as the field had already slowed down, taking the yellow and the checkered flag together, following a serious incident between Turns 4 and 5 on the final lap.

Jeff Mosing and Kent apparently collided on the final lap, spreading debris across the track and destroying Kent’s car.

Fortunately, both drivers walked away from the wreck.

After the race, Rampelberg was happy to discuss the win.

“I got lucky at the end. The car was awesome. My teammates (Cooper and Michael Carpenter) helped me to the win,” Rampelberg said.

SUMMARY

Fin Start Car # Driver Laps Running/Reason out 1 2 4 Brad Rampelberg 15 Running 2 4 11 Ara Malkhassian 15 “ 3 5 28 Nick Evans 15 “ 4 8 89 Justin Piscitel 15 “ 5 10 84 Michael Coooper 15 “ 6 7 14 Mark Carpenter 15 “ 7 9 77 Jesse Combs 15 “ 8 14 39 Kristine Craine 15 “ 9 3 13 Lyonel Kent 14 Contact 10 12 30 Jeff Mosing 14 Contact 11 11 29 Russell Walker 14 Contact 12 13 26 Tim Probert 2 Off Course 13 1 01 Mathew Pombo 0 DNS 14 6 63 Mark Pombo 0 DNS

15 15 23 Jimmy Burke 0 DNS

Mary ChampionRoad America

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88) and Matt Kenseth (#20) will be contenders in “The Great American Race”.  [Russ Lake Photo]

by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann

The 56^th running of the Daytona 500 is set for Sunday afternoon as the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season kicks off with its most prestigious event.

Wholesale changes mark the dawn of the new season as a revamped qualifying format and a radically redesigned Chase championship procedure are set to ramp up excitement levels on NASCAR’s top circuit.

For Daytona, a half-inch change to the spoilers on the cars has drastically changed the way they drive, especially when it comes to closing rates, as evidenced in numerous major incidents witnessed in the Sprint Unlimited, Cup practice, and a Budweiser Duel qualifying race. One thing that has remained the same is the unpredictability of determining a winner of “The Great American Race.”

Here are some drivers to watch on Sunday:

Matt Kenseth

Dan Margetta: Two-time Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth will start up front this year with what has shown to be an extremely strong race car during the week’s on track action. Last year he dominated the 500 until engine woes sent him to the garage around the halfway mark. Also during his seven win season a year ago, the one aspect that left room for improvement was his restrictor plate racing skills. After his qualifying race win in which he used the air to maintain his lead and then perfected a correctly timed side draft to push his car ahead of Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne at the finish line, Kenseth’s plate racing prowess are definitely up to par in 2014. Kenseth and teammate Kyle Busch spent an entire practice session working together on the side draft and it paid off in the Budweiser Duel. Look for Matt Kenseth to be strong on Sunday and one of the favorites to win what would be his third “500.”

Denny Hamlin

John Wiedemann: If you look at the results of the last three races that Denny Hamlin has run in Sprint Cup competition you will see a pattern.  Win, win , win.  Closing out the 2013 season and taking the 2014 preliminary season races with victories has Hamlin’s confidence and cockiness at an all-time high, and that is a good thing for the Joe Gibbs racing driver.  Last year’s back injury seems like a distant memory as well as the lackluster return from that injury.  JGR looks to be strong with three drivers that could contend for the championship and many race wins – including the opener.

Greg Biffle

DM: Although he’s starting deeper in the field on Sunday, Greg Biffle has also had one of the strongest cars on the track. Biffle is an accomplished restrictor plate racer and twice has led the 500 on Green-White-Checkered restarts, each time scoring a strong finish, but missing out on the victory lane accolades. Biffle is smart enough to be around at the finish and when it counts, is aggressive enough to get the job done. After being behind the Chevrolets and Toyotas last season, the Roush-Fenway Fords have shown a lot of speed right off the truck in 2014 and of the Roush group, Biffle possesses the best restrictor plate racing skills. Biffle may be overlooked by some, but this is shaping up to be his best shot to win the 500 on Sunday.

Jeff Gordon

JW: This is it, this is Jeff Gordon’s last Daytona 500.  Well if you believe the craziness of media day where Gordon mentioned that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to retire on top if he wins the championship.  Gordon never left the front in the Duel race on his way to finishing second to Denny Hamlin.  Add that to the fact that this will be Gordon’s 22nd start in the Daytona 500 and you know he can contend.  Gordon has three wins in the 500 with the last one coming in 2005.  The past few years have not been kind to Gordon at the 500, but what better way to put himself in the Chase with an opening season win.  Get in the Chase early, win the championship, retire – it could happen.

Kurt Busch

DM: Kurt Busch is another driver with exceptional restrictor plate racing skills that has yet to score a Daytona Sprint Cup win. Busch’s Daytona 500 numbers look good in nearly every column with 13 top ten finishes and 3 second place results. However, the win column remains bare and Busch enters 2014 driving for a brand new team at Stewart-Haas Racing. He should remain near the front all race long and isn’t afraid to mix it up when the action gets crazy which has sink or swim consequences. If the chips fall his way on Sunday, Kurt Busch could end a winless drought of over a year with the biggest win of his career in the Daytona 500.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

JW:  Dale Earnhardt Jr. has three second place finishes over the last four Daytona 500s.  He has been right there but hasn’t been able to get that second ticket to victory lane.  Earnhardt’s lone victory in the Daytona 500 was back in 2004 with Dale Earnhardt Incorporated.  Junior doesn’t need a reason to win the race, really no one does, but considering the fact that arguably his best crew chief Steve Letarte is leaving at the end of the season, a Daytona 500 win would be a great retirement gift.  But then again, Junior doesn’t need a reason to win the 500.

Kevin Harvick

DM: Like Matt Kenseth a year ago, Kevin Harvick enters 2014 at a new racing home with Stewart-Haas Racing after spending many years driving for Richard Childress Racing, the team he entered the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with. Harvick appears to be genuinely happy with his new surroundings this season and like Kenseth a year ago, that comfort level could lead to many wins. The team did let him down Thursday by getting the car bounced in tech after his second place finish in the qualifying race and if they can put that behind them, Harvick’s plate racing skills are more than enough to put the team victory lane right out of the box in 2014.

Kyle Larson

JW: Could he pull off a Trevor Bayne like victory in the Daytona 500?  Kyle Larson sure can.  In what is the biggest and most interesting rookie group in many seasons, Larson and Austin Dillon are at the top of the class.  In the Budweiser Duel on Thursday, the youngster bounced around early and then made a charge from nineteenth to seventh over the last half of the race.  That experience will help, but the main thing Larson needs to control is his hard charger nature… until the final laps.  Keep an eye on the #42, Larson should make it an exciting ride.

Austin Dillon

DM: The iconic number 3 returns to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in grand fashion Sunday as rookie Austin Dillon pilots the famous number from the pole position to lead the field to the green flag in the Daytona 500. After 13 seasons on the sidelines, the “3” car is in the hands of the plenty capable young Dillon who has so far shown a remarkable ability to handle the added pressure that comes with the legendary ride. While the number on the side is all too familiar with Daytona successes and the fans, the bright yellow rear bumper is what the other drivers first notice and as the race winds down with the increased intensity level, it may be difficult for Dillon to find other drivers to work with to position himself for the win. Should the rookie drive the “3” to Daytona’s victory lane, the story itself will reverberate globally but in either case it will be nice to properly move on from the devastating memories of 2001.

Brian Scott

JW:  While Brian Scott won’t be racing a full season in the #33 for Richard Childress, he is making a strong showing at Daytona so far.  The RCR engines are proving to be among the strongest at Daytona so far and Scott is taking advantage.  Scott has been running consistently at the front in both qualifying and his Budweiser Duel race.  A solid fifth place finish in the Duel has Scott lining up behind teammate Paul Menard.  I expect a solid top ten from Scott as he continues to not drive over his head nor let the magnitude of the Daytona 500 get to him.

Tony Ave started on the pole of today’s SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series race at Road America and led every lap to win the 23-lap, 92-mile event.

Ave took the checkered flag 1.4 seconds ahead of R.J. Lopez, while Amy Ruman came back from spinning off course in Turn 14 on lap two to finish third.

Most of the race Ave was much farther in front than the final interval indicated as the race finished under yellow.

When the green flag flew to start the race, polesitter Ave jumped into the lead in Turn 1.

At the end of the first lap, Ave was leading, followed by Tomy Drissi, R.J. Lopez, Mike Skeen and Amy Ruman.

Ave quickly moved away from the rest of the field and already held a 3.8 second lead over Drissi by lap two.

All of the race action was behind Ave as he continued to build his lead over the field.

On the third lap, Skeen was moving up, passing Lopez for third and was in hot pursuit of Drissi for second.

By lap four, Skeen had moved up to second and Drissi, running third, was under pressure from Lopez. Meanwhile, defending race champion, Cliff Ebben, who was running fifth, encountered mechanical problems and was out of the race.

As Ave continued to stretch his led, corner workers reported smoke and gear oil coming from the rear of Skeen’s car. Despite the apparent problem, Skeen was still running second.

Skeen’s time on the track was short-lived however, as he pulled off course in Turn 5 on lap 8, retiring with a mechanical problem.

At the end of lap eight, Ave had built up an 18.5 second lead over Lopez, with Drissi third, Rick Dittman fourth and Simon Gregg rounding out the top five.

While the field was working lap nine, Terry Giles got into the gravel at Turn 12, necessitating a full-course yellow.

The top five under yellow on lap 11 were Ave, Lopez, Drissi, Dittman and Gregg.

The track went green again at lap 14. Ave immediately started to again pull away from the field, leaving the best battle on the track the one between Drissi and Lopez, who were racing for second.

As the laps clicked off, Ruman was steadily making her way back through the field, and by lap 15 had moved up to fifth place.

The battle between Drissi and Lopez continued for several laps, with Lopez finally taking the second position while the field was working lap 19.

With no one threatening his position, Ave slowed his pace and by lap 21, his lead shrunk to 6.7 seconds.

Things started to get a bit crazy on the track as Ave took the white flag. Kevin Rich had coasted to a stop on the front stretch and the car sat motionless on the track.

On the final lap, Drissi, who had been competitive the entire race, encountered mechanical problems on the way up the hill to Turn 6 and began to slide back down the hill, right in the middle of the preferred racing line.

Because of all the cars stopped on course, Ave took the checkered and the yellow flag at the same time.

At the line, Ave’s margin of victory was just 1.474 seconds. Lopez was second with Amy Ruman making a sensational comeback from her lap two spin to finish third. Rick Dittman was fourth and John Schaller rounded out the top five.

It was Ave’s second straight win as he had scored his first career Trans-Am victory at Miller Motorsports Park two weeks earlier.

The Hurley, Wis. Native was happy about the win at his favorite race track.

“It’s my favorite place,” he said. “I have raced here so much. My car is good. The guys do all the work. I just get all the attention,” he added with a laugh.

Ave, the current point leader, will try for the hat trick when the series make its next stop at the fabled Lime Rock Park on July 3.

SUMMARY Fin Start Car # Driver Laps Running/Reason out 1 1 4 Tony Ave 23 Running 2 4 6 R.J. Lopez 23 “ 3 6 23 Amy Ruman 23 “ 4 8 24 Rick Dittman 23 “ 5 16 08 John Schaller 23 “ 6 7 59 Simon Gregg 23 “ 7 15 66 Denny Lammers 23 “ 8 3 5 Tomy Drissi 22 Mechanical 9 9 8 Daniel Ramoutarsingh 22 Mechanical 10 13 01 Jim Bradley 22 Running 11 11 95 Kevin Rich 21 Mechanical 12 17 96 Daniel Parr 21 Running 13 18 75 Buddy Cisar 20 Running 14 14 00 Doug Harrington 16 Mechanical 15 10 85 Terry Giles 9 Mechanical 16 2 81 Mike Skeen 7 Mechanical 17 12 05 David Fershtand 7 Mechanical 18 5 36 Cliff Ebben 5 Mechanical

19 19 3 Kyle Kelley 0 DNS

Mary ChampionRoad America

Elkhart Lake, Wis., Aug. 15 – The American LeMans Series (ALMS) took to the four-mile road course of Road America on Saturday for practice and qualifying for Sunday’s Time Warner Cable Road Race Showcase featuring the American LeMans Series Race.

In the morning practice session, Gil de Ferran was fastest in the P1 group and fastest overall in an Acura ARX 02a. Fastest in P2, and third-fastest overall, was Guy Smith driving a Lola B09 86 Mazda.

Fastest in the GT2 class was Joey Hand in a BMW E92 M3. Guy Cosmo set the fastest time in the ALMS Challenge division. All cars in the division are Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

The afternoon practice session was held just prior to qualifying. Speeds were up from the morning session as the track temperature was much higher than in the morning session. With the exception of P2, where Klaus Graf was fastest, the same drivers posted fast times as had done so in the morning session.

Gil de Ferran was again fastest in P1, and fastest overall, posting a time of 1:49.097 with a speed of 133.577 mph. In P2, Graf, driving a Porsche RS Spyder was fastest in class and third fastest overall with a time of 1:51.786 mph, a speed of 130.363 mph.

Hand was again fastest in GT2. His time was 2:07.478, a speed of 114.316 and Cosmo again was quickest in ALMS Challenge with a time of 2:18.020 mph and a speed of 105.585 mph.

Series qualifying was split into two groups with the GT2 and ALMS Challenge cars on the track first for a 20-minute session. Dirk Mueller and Hand traded quick time in the GT2 class several times with Hand setting the best lap of the session ten minutes in, winning the pole for the class with a time of 2:06.950, which equates to a speed of 114.792 mph. It was the first career pole for Hand.

“I told my wife that I felt good about coming to the race,” Hand said. “We made some progress at the Mid-Ohio test. It was honing in on things like tires, dampers and suspension. At the track in these hour sessions, you don’t have time to make these bigger changes and keep up,” he added.

Cosmo dominated the ALMS Challenge qualifying session, setting the fastest time seven minutes into the session and bettered the time with eight minutes remaining in the session.

In the second 20-minute qualifying session, the P1 and P2 cars took to the track. Three minutes into the session, Jon Field set the fastest lap in the P1 class and went to the pits with a blown head gasket two minutes later. One minute later, David Brabham bested Field’s time. The following minute he bested his own time. Within the same minute, de Ferran set the fastest lap of the session and the fastest lap overall with a time of 1:48.216 and a speed of 134.664 mph.

In the post-qualifying press conference, de Ferran was pleased with the run. “We really had a great run here since we unloaded the car. It has been pretty good. The credit for the pole position has to go to the engineers,” he said.

“For me, it (the pole) feels great. It is one of my favorite race tracks that I have been to in my whole career. To be here on the pole for the last time I will be driving at Road America is great,” he added.

Marino Franchitti set the fastest lap in P2 in his first lap on the track. The time of 1:51.010 (131.275 mph) held up as the best in class and third fastest overall for the remainder of the session.

It was a history-making run as it marked the first time ever that a Lola B09 86 Mazda bested the Acura’s for a P2 pole position.

The ALMS race will start at 2:05 p.m. On Sunday August 16 and is scheduled to run for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Notes:
In racing action, the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car drivers took to the track for round eight of the 2009 season. In the end, Pierre Kleinubing proved he still has what it takes to get to victory lane taking his first win of the season. Kleinubing, in a Acura TSX, grabbed the lead away from teammate Kuno Wittmer early in the race and held on for his 28th career victory. Charles Espenlaub and Patrick Lindsey, both driving a Mazda 6, completed the podium finishers.

Qualifying for Sunday’s SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT race, James Sofronas flew around the Road America track with the fastest time, 2:15.860, to win his second pole of 2009.

Timmy Megenbier was the winner in a wild Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race. AJ Nealey and Joey Atterbury joined Megenbier on the podium.

Justin Piscitell won his first ever pole position in SCCA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup qualifying.

Mary ChampionRoad America