South
Carolina Motorsports Racing News
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Contents www.SCMSRN.com
Ø FOXSports.com News
for NASCAR
Ø Motorcycle USA
Article Headlines
SpeedWeekly
The print version for the July 15th issue of SpeedWeekly can be seen
online by visiting speedweekly.net
Click on the magazine cover located on the upper right of the home page to see
this week's issue.
SpeedWeekly is published 46 times per year and is sold at retail stores.
It is also available at many local tracks in the southeast and by
subscription. SpeedWeekly offers complete coverage of NASCAR along with
results and coverage for local racing in the southeast.
Some of the stories in this week's issue:
Jack Roush: Mechanical Mastermind
Who'll be the Third Driver for Stewart-Haas in 2011
2011 Sprint Cup Schedule Could Have Some Changes
Former Cup Champions Find it Hard to Stay on Top
Kevin Harvick is Ready for a Championship
Black Number 3 on Top Again
Misfortune follows Kyle Busch
The Legends $Millions
Jeff Gordon Becomes Mr. 600
The Ultimate NASCAR Clutch Play
Driver Profile Robert Johnson
About SpeedWeekly
SpeedWeekly is published weekly and is dedicated to the exciting sport of auto
racing, specifically NASCAR along with local racing in NC, SC, TN and VA.
Our website SpeedWeekly.net includes news stories on additional auto
racing series, including Formula 1, IndyCar, ARCA, American Le Mans, Grand Am
and others.
ARCA Nation News
Craig Goess Scores 2nd Place and Valuable Points at Mansfield
Consistency seems to be Craig Goess' middle name this
season. As the ARCA Racing Series rolled into Mansfield, Ohio last weekend,
Goess looked to continue his steady journey to the top of the point standings.
He didn't disappoint, bringing home a second-place finish in the Tim Richmond
200 in the No. 81 Toyota of Greenville N.C. Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota. In 10
races this season, he has five top-five finishes and seven top-10s.
Goess
was fourth quickest in the only practice of the day, with a time of 16.687
seconds (107.868 mph). The No. 81 ESR team made adjustments before qualifying,
which proved successful as Goess laid down the third quickest qualifying lap of
16.589 seconds (108.506 mph).
As the
green flag fell on the Tim Richmond 200, Goess was confident in the car, the
team and his skills.
"The
car improved between practice and qualifying, and I knew the car had the speed
to compete for the victory," said Goess.
With
five cautions slowing the field for a total of 40 laps, the loose No. 81 Toyota
of Greenville had a hard time maintaining short runs.
"We
had some bad luck in the pits, but we were able to fight back from it,"
explained Goess. "The guys put together a good car. I just wish we could
have had a long run."
The No.
81 raced at the front of the pack for much of the race, taking the lead for
five laps when the leaders pit under the fourth of five cautions.
With 48
laps to go, the 17-year-old pole-sitter Max Gresham took the lead for the final
time and took the checkered flag. Goess crossed the finish line second, his
fifth top-five and seventh top-10 of the season.
"The
car was loose for most of the race, but once we got going on long runs on a
green flag, the car could really get to where it needed to be," said
Goess. "Unfortunately, it just took too long for the car to get on a roll,
and the cautions really hurt us. All things considered, I think we had a good
race and picked up the points we needed to."
Goess'
second-place finish shot him up one more spot in the ARCA Racing Series point
standings. With nine more races in the 2010 season, Goess is 50 points behind leader
Justin Marks.
With
this upcoming weekend off, the ARCA Racing Series will head to Pocono Raceway
on July 31 for the Weis Markets 125. Goess will return to the "Tricky
Triangle" to defend his victory at Pocono, after his first career ARCA
Racing Series victory on June 5. The 125-mile race will be broadcast live on
SPEED at 3 p.m. EST, with live scoring, timing and audio broadcast on
ARCARacing.com.
About Eddie
Sharp Racing
Eddie
Sharp set up shop in 2005 in Denver, N.C. after several years of transforming
young, talented drivers into ARCA championship contenders. Today, Eddie Sharp
Racing has evolved into the rite of passage for any serious upcoming driver
with an ambition for professional stock car racing. Located in Denver, North
Carolina just north of Charlotte, Eddie Sharp Racing occupies a top-notch
facility that closely resembles a five-star NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, both
inside and out. The two ESR buildings contain two teams where on any given day,
championship contending cars are assembled, engines tuned and teams strategize
to score the next race day victory.
About
Activ8 Communications
Activ8
Communications, based in Mooresville, North Carolina, specializes in public
relations, marketing strategies, brand development and sponsor activation. With
focus on NASCAR public relations and relationship building, Activ8 creates
unique identities and connections for the drivers and clients under its
umbrella.
For
more information about Activ8 Communications, visit www.goactiv8.com.
activ8
communications
Erin
Sagester
Senior Manager
Social Media and Public Relations
704.664.5900
erin@goactiv8.com
Tim
George Jr Posts Career Best Short Track Finish at Mansfield
Tim George Jr. may not believe in luck, but with a
four-leaf clover affixed to the dashboard of his No. 31 Richard Childress
Racing (RCR) Development Chevrolet, the full-time ARCA Racing Series presented
by RE/MAX and Menards competitor finished fourth in this weekend's Tim Richmond
Memorial 200 at Mansfield Motorsports Park.
George
drove like a veteran in only his second-career appearance at Mansfield, earning
his second top-five finish of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season and his
career-best finish on a short-track, impressing nine-time ARCA Racing Series
Champion Frank Kimmel.
"How
about Tim George Jr.," as Kimmel, driver of the No. 44 Ansell/Menards Ford
Fusion, mentioned in a post-race interview. "He put together a
really great race."
The New
York, N.Y. native, George, knew there were a lot of reasons for his
fourth-place finish in Saturday's race at Mansfield Motorsports Park's 0.5-mile
asphalt speedway. It could have been the fast Richard Childress Racing car that
qualified fifth, the team's exceptional pit stops gaining positions on pit
road, his short-track driving ability or it might have even been the small
four-leaf clover that George carried across the finish line in his No. 31
Chevrolet Impala.
Whatever
the reason, it is the result that counts most to George.
"I
think it all started with the first lap of practice, and we had a perfect
qualifying situation," said George. "We were able to run with strong
guys throughout the race, and I kind of learned some things from them. I
learned what line on the racetrack other cars were running and was able to take
advantage of that."
There
was no doubt that George's No. 31 Chevrolet was strong. George qualified the
RCR Development Chevrolet in the fifth starting position with a lap time of
16.706 seconds and a speed of 107.746 mph. He lined up on the inside of row
three to compete in the 10th ARCA Racing Series race of the 2010 season.
After
starting fifth, George never moved outside the top-10 and passed Dakoda
Armstrong on the last lap to claim the fourth position, the 29-year-old held
his own throughout the night.
The RCR
development driver began charging through the field immediately after the drop
of the green flag, quickly moving to third in the running order by lap 7.
On lap
24, George was involved in an incident that sent the No. 31 for a spin on the
backstretch while jockeying for position. While the No. 31 machine stayed
on the track, the caution relegated George to 10th in the running order.
Despite
the setback, George was able to make his way into the seventh position before
the second caution on Lap 62.
During
the ensuing yellow, the leaders came down pit road for service and the No. 31
was serviced with a full set of Hoosier tires, fuel and a chassis
adjustment. George gained valuable positions on pit road, and returned to
the track in sixth position, as one of only 10 teams on the lead lap.
After
returning to action sixth after a 17-lap yellow flag, a long green-flag run
ensued, with a caution on lap 144. During that time, George ran inside the
top-10, running as high as fourth, gaining positions as he exited the
corners.
The RCR
Development team and crew chief, Gere Kennon made the choice to bring the No.
31 Chevrolet to pit road to replace all four tires on the RCR machine, fuel and
another track bar adjustment, resulting in a fifth-place restart position for
George.
The
final caution flag of the night waved on lap 190, tightening the field for a
final sprint to the finish. Creating some of the best short-track racing fans
have seen; reminiscent of yester years of NASCAR Cup short-track racing as the
cautions promoted the excitement of the competition. George took the green flag
fifth on lap 194 for the restart and passed Armstrong on in the final corner on
the last lap to finish fourth.
"One
of the hardest things for me was the lapped traffic," said George.
"It was difficult to hold onto the leader with the hurdles of potentially
getting caught up in packs of cars that were several laps down."
George's
fourth-place finish in Saturday night's 100-mile, 200-lap event was his
career-best result at Mansfield Motorsports Park. It also marked his
career-best short-track finish in ARCA Racing Series competition.
A fast
car and fast pit stops weren't the only ammunition in George's arsenal on
Saturday.
George
carried a four-leaf clover in his No. 31 RCR Development Chevrolet, given to
him by his RCR teammate, Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops
Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. George placed the
clover next to the ignition switch before the race.
"I
think it did help," said George. "I am not really a superstitious
guy. I think it is more of the team's synergy coming through, rather than the
four-leaf clover, but I'm going to keep it in the car."
George
will make his second visit of 2010 to the "Tricky Triangle" and the
2.5-mile Pocono Raceway on Saturday, July 31 for the Weis Markets 125. The race
is live on SPEED on Saturday, July 31, at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Check
arcaracing.com for live timing and scoring.
About Tim
George Jr.
The New
York, N.Y., native began racing in the Skip Barber Racing School regional
series in 2005. In 2007, he ran the Grand-Am KONI series before moving up to
the Grand-Am Rolex series in the GT class. In 2008, Tim George Jr. was named Rolex
Series MESCO "Building for the Future" Rookie-of-the-Year, while
driving for The Racer's Group. He has two GT class podium finishes in the Rolex
24 at Daytona, finishing third in 2008 and second in 2009. The 29-year old
driver made his transition to stock cars running full-time in 2009 in the ARCA
Racing Series for Eddie Sharp Racing, finishing 11th in the point standings
with one top-5, two top-10 and six top-15 finishes. George Jr. will pilot the
No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the ARCA Racing Series presented
by RE/MAX and Menards in 2010.
For
more information, please visit www.timgeorgejr.com.
About
Activ8 Communications
Activ8
Communications, based in Mooresville, North Carolina, specializes in public
relations, marketing strategies, brand development and sponsor activation. With
focus on NASCAR public relations and relationship building, Activ8 creates
unique identities and connections for the drivers and clients under its
umbrella.
For more
information about Activ8 Communications, please visit www.goactiv8.com
activ8
communications Courtney C. McGarry
Public Relations Account Manager
704.728.3757
courtney@goactiv8.com
Dodging
Bullets at Mansfield Results in Another Top-10 for Marks
Stepping into the ARCA Racing Series presented by
RE/MAX and Menards points lead once again last weekend at Iowa Speedway,
29-year-old Justin Marks and his Win-Tron Racing team brought a special Tim
Richmond-themed No. 32 Construct Corps Dodge to Mansfield Motorsports Park this
Saturday, looking for nothing less than a win. The team brought back their short-track
rocket that they raced earlier this year at Toledo Speedway, which ran in the
top five for the entire day until a tire failure ended their run with five laps
remaining.
Excited
about the paint scheme and the fast racecar, Marks was looking forward to a
good run at the Tim Richmond Memorial 200 on Saturday night.
“I
guess I’m trying to do my part and sort of educate myself on the history of the
sport and the sacrifices people made to create the opportunities that we have
today. It was neat to give back a little bit and do something that I know
Tim’s fans get a kick out of, and it was great to meet Sandy (Tim Richmond’s
sister), because she is an amazing woman,” Justin said.
A
promising practice session for the Win-Tron team on Saturday afternoon kept
their hopes high, as they were able to tune on their already fast race car, and
stay consistent on old tires. After setting the seventh fastest time
during the lone practice session of the day, Marks backed it up with a 16.782
second lap in qualifying, good enough for the seventh starting spot for the
night’s main event.
Though
he lost a few spots immediately following the drop of the green flag, Marks
began to slowly pick his way back up through the pack and knew he had a great
racecar. He radioed the crew during the night’s first caution period on lap 24
while sitting just outside the top five, reporting the car was handling well,
but he was taking his time as it was very hard to pass on the tricky half-mile
oval.
Just 12
laps later, the first heartbreak for the No. 32 would come in the form of a
flat right front tire and fender damage after contact with the No. 25 of Mikey
Kile. The crew quickly went to work after Justin brought the car down pit road
under the caution, and sent him back on his way after losing a lap while they
changed the right side tires and assessed the damage. Though the car looked a
little bruised, it was still just as fast as before and Justin went to work to
be the first car one lap down and receive the lucky dog award to get back on
the lead lap.
For the
next 100 laps, Justin continued to maneuver his Dodge Charger through traffic
to stay with the front pack, running lap times as fast as the leaders, if not
faster, and remained just outside the top 10 in the 11th position. The second
round of heartbreak came on lap 136 when yet another right front tire went
down, forcing Justin to pit under green and ultimately resulting in a loss of
three more precious laps on the racetrack. Though he was now four laps behind
the pace, Justin was still riding in 13th place, looking to finish the race in
a solid position to retain the points lead, as he held a 70-point advantage
over second place prior to the start of the race.
“We
were rebounding really well from our first issue, trying to position ourselves
to be the first car one lap down to get the lucky dog,” Driver Justin Marks
stated after the race. “I don’t know what happened the second time we lost a
tire, but that really messed up our night because we had to pit under green,
and it was just plain unlucky. From then on I just tried to stay out of trouble
and race as hard as I could to get every position we were capable of getting so
we could get back up into the top 10.”
Trouble
would find Marks one more time with 20 laps remaining, as he narrowly avoided
an accident in turn two, and was able to continue on with no further damage. By
steering his way through trouble all night and keeping his fast racecar in a
good position, Justin was able to collect a 10th place finish.
“It was
a shame because we had a really, really good racecar; a car I think was capable
of winning the race so it was unfortunate. We just had some problems with some
other competitors that we shouldn’t have had. I try to race clean, I pride
myself in being a clean driver and tonight we just didn’t have a very clean
race.” Marks expressed.
Co-Owner
Nate Thiesse summed up the night and spoke about his driver following the
event.
“I
learned a long time ago in racing that you can have the fastest car all day and
not win. Justin did a great job and drove really hard the whole night; we just
didn’t have luck on our side.”
The
tenth place finish marks Justin’s eighth top-10 finish of the season, and he
now holds a 50-point lead over second place driver Craig Goess. After a break
this upcoming weekend, the ARCA Racing Series will travel to Pocono Raceway for
the second time this season on Saturday, July 31st.
About
Justin Marks
California
native Justin Marks began his love of racing after attending local races and
the Indianapolis 500 with his father at the age of 14. His racing career
sprouted from local street stock racing and grew into a successful SCCA and
Rolex Sports Car Series career. Marks finished 16th in the 2001 Rolex Sports
Car 24 Hours of Daytona in his first career professional race, and later
collected a total of 12 wins in the SCCA and Rolex Sports Car Series combined.
In 2009, he competed once again in the 24 Hours of Daytona and came home with a
victory.
Marks
moved on to ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck and Nationwide
Series competition in 2007, where he competed in select races over the next two
years. This season, Justin is competing full-time in the ARCA Racing Series
with Win-Tron Racing in the No. 32 Construct Corps machine. For the latest news
on Justin, please visit www.JustinMarksRacing.com.
About
Win-Tron Racing
Based
in Lakeville, Minnesota, Win-Tron Racing officially began in 2007 with one main
goal in mind: to win races. Owned by a former successful racecar driver in
Kevin Cywinski, and engineer Nate Thiesse, Win-Tron has successfully competed
for wins in the ARCA Racing Series with the No. 32 machine since its first
appearances in 2004 under a former name, Country Joe Racing. Though the
organization has seen several different drivers behind the wheel of its
entries, Win-Tron and driver Justin Marks are set to compete for the entire
season in 2010, with hopes of capturing a team first ARCA championship. For
more on Win-Tron Racing, visit www.Win-TronRacing.com.
Kirby
Johnson
Public Relations Manager
Win-Tron Racing
M: 608.289.8919
Kirby@Win-TronRacing.com
Dustin Long
Harvick
says he might have punched'' Edwards in the mouth if Edwards wrecked him for
win
Kevin Harvick,
the Sprint Cup points leader, was a guest Sunday night on Speed Channel's
"Wind Tunnel'' and was asked about the Carl Edwards-Brad Keselowski
incident on the last lap of Satudray night's Nationwide race. If you
missed it, the video is here.
Relive
history: The behind-the-scenes story of Dale Earnhardt's last win nearly 10
years ago
Since this is
an off weekend for Cup, leaving fans with some free time, I figured I'd pull
out an old story you might not have seen. In October, it will be 10
years since Dale Earnhardt's last win, which came in dramatic style at
Talladega -- only a few months before he died in the 2001 Daytona 500.
Keselowski's
father has strong words for Edwards after Gateway incident
First it was
Joey Logano's father, Tom, playing a role in a feud his son had with another
driver (Kevin Harvick at Pocono) and now it's Brad Keselowski's father, Bob,
who had strong words about Carl Edwards after Saturday night's Nationwide race
at Gateway.
FOXSports.com News for NASCAR
Garage
chatter: What everybody's talking about going into Indy
Check out the latest
news and notes from throughout NASCAR.
Montoya,
wife welcome third child
NASCAR driver Juan
Pablo Montoya and his wife Connie have welcomed their third child.
071910-Juan-Pablo-Montoya-SW-PI_20100719144716_335_220.JPG
VIDEO:
Edwards wrecks Keselowski
Carl Edwards vs. Brad
Keselowski: See what all the fuss is about.
Edwards-Keselowski--_20100718221738_335_220.JPG
Edwards
wins race at Keselowski's expense
Edwards' dangerous
antics put Keselowski in jeopardy and cheapen his win.
Ugly-win-730_20100718013933_335_220.JPG
NASCAR
action from Illinois
Edwards
wrecks Keselowski for N'wide win
Edwards wrecks
Keselowski on final lap to win.
Ugly-win-730_20100718010712_335_220.JPG
Harvick
takes truck series race
Kevin Harvick took
the first half of a racing doubleheader Saturday with a near wire-to-wire
victory in the Camping World 200.
pi_20100705121923_335_220.JPG
Motorcycle USA Article Headlines
2010
LA Motorcycle Calendar Show
Motorcycle USA
visits the 2010 LA Calendar Motorcycle Show and sees a bunch of cool custom
sportbikes, cruisers, and most importantly, hot motorcycle babes.
2010
ATV Motocross Unadilla Results
Makita Suzuki's
Josh Creamer earned his sixth overall win of the 2010 season at Unadilla after
sneaking past John Natalie in Moto 2.
Suzuki
Intros First Wave of 2011 Motorcycles
After not
releasing any new motorcycles in the American market for 2010, Suzuki is one of
the first manufacturers to release its first wave of 2011 models.
2010
XR1200 Mid-Ohio Results
Danny Eslick
clenched his second victory at Mid-Ohio in the XR1200 series ahead of Shawn
Higbee and teammate Jake Holden.
Roger
Hayden to Replace De Puniet
Roger Hayden
will ride alongside brother Nicky in the upcoming USGP at Laguna Seca with the
American filling in for the injured Randy de Puniet.
2010
MotoGP Sachsenring Sunday Insider
Catch the
latest news including Valentino Rossi's successful return to MotoGP and Dani
Pedrosa's second win of the '10 season in Sunday's MotoGP insider edition.
2010
Midsize Adventure Bike Comparison
The 2010 KTM
690 Enduro R and BMW F800GS offer limitless adventure, but these motorcycles go
about the same task in different ways. We sort them out with a trip across
Idaho.
2010
EnduroCross Las Vegas Results
Red Bull KTM's
Taddy Blazusiak scored the first victory of the 2010 EnduroCross series with
Geoff Aaron and Cory Graffunder rounding out the podium.
2010
American SuperBike Mid-Ohio Race 2
Suzuki's Tommy
Hayden and Yamaha's Josh Hayes were at it again in the second American
SuperBike race at Mid-Ohio.
2010
Daytona SportBike Mid-Ohio Race 2
Danny Eslick,
Martin Cardenas and Josh Herrin all briefly held the lead in the second Daytona
SportBike race, but only one of them prevailed. Read further to see who took
the victory and who lost out.
2010
AMA SuperSport Mid-Ohio Race 2
J.D. Beach
continued his impressive run in Round 6 of the 2010 AMA Pro Racing series with
another strong performance in Race 2 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
2010
MotoGP Sachsenring Results
Round 8 of the
MotoGP Championship in Germany was a shortened affair after LCR Honda's Randy
de Puniet fell and broke his leg.
2010
WMX Millville Results
Jessica
Patterson continued her domination in the WMX series by taking her fourth
overall victory of the 2010 season at Millville during Round 5 of the Women's
Motocross Championship.
2010
AMA Motocross Millville Results
In front of
friends and family Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey earned another impressive
victory at Milleville while Honda's Trey Canard took his second win in a row in
the 250s.
2010
American SuperBike Mid-Ohio Race 1
The tie atop
the American SuperBike standings between Josh Hayes and Tommy Hayden was broken
today in Race 1 at Mid-Ohio when one rider bolted to a strong start while the
other played catch-up the rest of the race.
2010
Daytona SportBike Mid-Ohio Race 1
It was a hotly
contested Race 1 in the Daytona SportBike class at Mid-Ohio today as the winner
had to make a bold inside pass late in the last lap to earn the victory.
2010
AMA SuperSport Mid-Ohio Race 1
Rockwall
Performance Yamaha's J.D. Beach put in a dominating performance today in
Mid-Ohio's Supersport Race 1.
2010
MotoGP Sachsenring Saturday Insider
Fiat Yamaha's
Jorge Lorenzo took pole on Saturday after the engine on his YZR-M1 burst into
flames and spilled oil over the track. Find out who crashed over Lorenzo's oil
in Saturday's MotoGP insider edition.
2010
MotoGP Sachsenring Qualifying
Taking his
fourth straight pole position of the 2010 season was Fiat Yamaha's Jorge
Lorenzo, with Ducati's Casey Stoner and Honda's Dani Pedrosa rounding out the
front row.
ThatsRacin.com: Top Stories
Harvick
takes hard line: 'There has to be a boundary'
"I probably would have walked down there and punched him in the
mouth," Sprint Cup points leader Kevin Harvick tells Speed's Dave Despain.
Montoya
family gets a baby girl
NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya and his wife Connie have welcomed
their third child.
Is
it NASCAR's move? Some of what's being written
Some of what was being said as of midday Monday about the
Edwards-Keselowski feud, what NASCAR's role is – or ought to be – and more.
Power
takes Toronto win
Will Power won the Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday for his second straight
victory and fourth of the season.
Keselowski
mum about Edwards, wreck
Racing Sunday night in Maine, Brad Keselowski was close-mouthed about
nemesis Carl Edwards, their wreck and all of the collateral damage the night
before.
Ageless
McGriff ups record
It was another record weekend for West Coast racing legend Herschel
McGriff.
Capps
wins, credits new approach, confidence
It took a year, but Funny Car driver Ron Capps blasted his way back
into the win column on Sunday at the 23rd annual NHRA Nationals at Infineon
Raceway.
NHRA
stats: Results, updated points
Final finishing order (1-16) for professional categories at the 23rd
annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway, the 15th of 23 events
on the NHRA Full Throttle schedule:
Yahoo! Sports - NASCAR News
Edwards
doing damage to both reputation, car (NASCAR.com)
Edwards doing damage to both reputation, car
NASCAR
star Montoya welcomes 3rd child (AP)
NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya and his wife Connie have welcomed
their third child.
Tagliani
vows revenge after wreck (PA SportsTicker)
By JOHN NICHOLSON AP Sports Writer
Ó SCMSRN.com/Paul J Miller 3rd, 2000-2010