Archive for October, 2011

Earlier in September the SportsBusiness Daily reported that UPS planned to cut back dramitically on its support of Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 Ford driven by David Ragan in 2012 and on Thursday the reports came true. While UPS will continue its relationship with Roush-Fenway Racing, it will not be on the hood of the No. 6. UPS will become a full-season associate sponsor of the No. 99 driven by Carl Edwards. In addition to the sponsorship, UPS announced they have signed a multi-year agreement to remain NASCAR’s Official Logistics Partner, providing pick-up and delivery services for race teams, vendors, and suppliers at ever [...]

As the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series edges to its close at Homestead-Miami Speedway in four weeks, two-time champion and current Chase competitor Tony Stewart is continuing to take the stress of the 36 race season “one day at a time.” As the series heads to Martinsville this weekend for the Tums Fast Relief 500, Chevrolet owner/driver Tony Stewart has been up and down the Chase leaderboard, coming into the race weekend fourth in points behind Ford drivers Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth and the Dodge of Brad Keselowski. He’s got Martinsville’s spring winner Kevin Harvick breathing down his neck. Stewart, who [...]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2011) – NASCAR has issued penalties to the No. 00, No. 47 and No. 56 teams that compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as a result of rule infractions discovered during opening day inspection Oct. 21 at Talladega Superspeedway. All three cars were found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the [...]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2011) – NASCAR, Stewart-Haas Racing and Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods today jointly announced an extended agreement for Kraft Foods to continue as the Official Cookie (Oreo, Nilla and Nutter Butter) and Cracker (Ritz and Wheat Thins) of NASCAR, and that the iconic Oreo and Ritz brands would continue to serve as Associate Sponsors of Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman, respectively, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Kraft Foods, an Official NASCAR Partner since 2000, will continue its long tradition of creating NASCAR-themed, specially-marked packages of Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers for a national consumer sweepstakes. For the first time in 2012, Ritz will host a national digital and [...]

Clint Bowyer felt badly for teammate Jeff Burton. But not too badly. Bowyer pushed Burton to the lead Sunday on a restart with just two laps left in the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and the two Richard Childress Racing drivers left the rest of the field in their wake. Coming through the tri-oval with the checkered flag in sight Bowyer pulled out, dropped low and passed Burton at the stripe to win by 0.018 seconds. “He worked so well with me all day long,” Bowyer said. “You hate that it comes down to that.” Part of the [...]

Hendrick Motorsports’ driver Mark Martin captured the Coors Light Pole for the Sunday’s Good Sam’s Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway with a lap of 181.367 mph around the 2.66 mile track. It was his 51st pole in 826 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, and his second pole this season. Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson, who won the Aaron’s 499 in April, will sit on the outside of the front row. Starting Lineup: 1. Mark Martin 2. Jimmie Johnson 3. Clint Bowyer 4. Trevor Bayne 5. Jeff Gordon 6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 7. Paul Menard 8. David Ragan 9. Carl Edwards 10. [...]

James Buescher –in a tight battle for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with Austin Dillon and Johnny Sauter — will start from the pole Saturday for the Coca-Cola 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Buescher turned in a speed of 177.676 mph for his second pole of the 2011 season. “We thought we had a shot at the pole but we weren’t focused on it,” Buescher said. “It’s just icing on the cake.” Nelson Piquet, Jr., in his first session in the Camping World Series, will start second. Piquet drives for Kevin Harvick Inc., a team that is shutting down [...]

For the second time this week, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams tested the Electronic Fuel Injection on the track, as 10 cars whirled around the 2.66-mile high banks of Talladega Superspeedway on Thursday. Cars included two teams from Roush-Fenway Racing and Richard Childress Racing, one team from Hendrick Motorsports, Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Penske Racing, and Joe Gibbs Racing.  If you recall teams tested the EFI earlier this week at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  NASCAR has one more scheduled test at Martinsville Speedway before implementing them in the Cup Series beginning at Daytona 2012. Teams testing opted to use [...]

The two-car tandems that we have come to know in the sport are one of the biggest aspects of the sport that fans have disliked the most over the past several years.  I have certainly hated them as well.  Drivers such as Dale Earnhardt Jr have also voiced out against the two-car tandems.  However, the 2012 Daytona 500 is going to be more like this past seasons Daytona 500.  Despite that, NASCAR is committed to finding ways for the sport to return to pack-racing, in which the many fans of this sport have come to know and love. I read [...]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 20, 2011) – NASCAR today announced that as it makes the switch from carburetion to fuel injection in 2012, Bosch will be its exclusive oxygen sensor supplier. As an exclusive NASCAR Performance partner, Bosch will supply special wide-band oxygen sensors, specific to NASCAR race cars, which will provide essential data to the fuel injection engine management system. Beginning with the 2012 Daytona 500, all NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car engines will be fuel injected. An onboard computer will control the fuel injectors, using input from the oxygen sensors in the exhaust to determine the exact fuel provided to [...]