NASCAR Issues Penalties For Post-Race Altercations

Penalties have been levied to two NASCAR Nationwide Series teams as a result of their involvement in separate post-race incidents following last Friday’s race at Richmond International Raceway.

Thomas Costello and Michael Scearce, both crew members for the No. 2 team, have each been fined $15,000 and suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next four NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship events. They have also been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Both Costello and Scearce were found to be in violation of Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing. Involved in an altercation with another competitor after the race had concluded).

Drivers Nelson Piquet Jr. (No. 30 car) and Brian Scott (No. 2 car) have been placed on NASCAR probation until June 26 for violating Section 12-1 and their involvement in an on-track altercation with their two cars after the race had concluded.

Crew chiefs Chris Carrier (No. 30 car) and Phil Gould (No. 2 car) have likewise been placed on NASCAR probation until June 26 as a result of the on-track incident between their two drivers.

Waltrip To Race Talladega With `Bama Colors

Michael Waltrip returns to the driver’s seat of the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday in the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

The two-time Daytona 500 champion’s car will carry a special paint scheme honoring the 2012 University of Alabama’s BCS National Championship football team. Waltrip will sport an Alabama firesuit and a specially painted helmet similar to the school’s football helmet. Waltrip, winner of the Talladega fall race in 2003, nearly won the October race before a last lap wreck.

“Every time I go to Talladega, I have a lot of confidence because of all the success I have had there before. I have been able to win there and I came pretty close to winning there last year. It’s awesome going to a track that you know you have a chance to win. For me, this weekend, it’s all about putting that No. 55 Aaron’s/Alabama National Championship Toyota into Victory Lane.

“It’s going to be really fun to race the Alabama National Championship car this weekend,” he said. “There are a lot of passionate fan in that part of the world that love Alabama football and NASCAR. It’s a special opportunity to mix the two together. I really look forward to representing all the Alabama fans this weekend in Talladega.”

Almirola Poised To Continue Sprint Cup Hot Streak

After a career-best three consecutive Top-10 finishes, Aric Almirola and the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 team have suddenly emerged as one of the most successful teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  

This weekend, they hope to extend their streak on the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway, the first of two races this season that Almirola will carry Gwaltney sponsorship.  

Almirola will make his seventh career start at Talladega, after posting his best Sprint Cup superspeedway finish of 12th during the spring race there last season. At the 2.66-mile track, Almirola posted two runner-up finishes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck series in 2009 and 2010, along with a ninth-place finish in the Nationwide series in 2011. 

"Talladega is a bit of a crapshoot,” said Almirola this week. “You go in knowing you have a one in 43 chance of winning the race, but you also have a one in 43 chance of ending up on your roof and done for the day. Roush Yates has built a great engine package for this race and (crew chief) Todd Parrott and the guys worked on some aero with the chassis since Daytona, too. I feel like we will have good speed this weekend. 

"We have some really good momentum now,” he said. “I think last week at Richmond proved how good our team is. We took an okay car, worked on it all race, and by the end we had a Top-10 finish. We're right in the thick of it for a Chase position. Some think it's still early for that, but every race is important. Right now, we're taking advantage of all of them." 

Parrott, meanwhile, said he hopes to use lessons learned in the season-opener at Daytona to contend at Talladega this weekend. 

"We weren't too happy with our car in Daytona, so we came back and built a new chassis,” he said. “I am very proud of the season we have put together so far. If we keep putting ourselves in position for Top-10s and keep improving, we'll start posting Top-5s andbe in contention to win each week. That's our goal.  

“Talladega is difficult because you really don't know what you are going to get until the last few laps. We just have to give Aric a fast car and try to be in the right place at the right time at the end."

 

 

 

Danica Set For `Dega Double

Turner Scott Motorsports announced today that Danica Patrick will return to pilot their fourth entry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.  

Patrick, who is competing full-time as a Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year candidate in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) in 2013, will return behind the wheel for her second start of the season in the No. 34 AccuDoc Solutions/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Camaro. Patrick will once again have the veteran crew chief Mike Greci atop the pit box to call the shot in this weekend's Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. Greci previously served as crew chief for Patrick at the season opener NNS race in Daytona.  

The former IndyCar driver has only one previous start at Talladega, leading one lap and finishing 13th in last year's NNS race. Patrick finished 36th at Daytona International Speedway, after experiencing an engine issue in her only previous start for Turner Scott Motorsports. Despite her bad luck in the NNS race, Patrick had success at Daytona, earning the pole and finishing eighth in the NSCS Daytona 500.

Patrick, the first woman in history to win an IndyCar race, has raced in a total of 59 NNS events, tallying one top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Patrick completed one full-time NNS season, finishing 10th in the 2012 driver point standings. The Roscoe, Ill. native also earned the NNS Most Popular Driver award following her full-time NNS campaign. 

Long time Turner Scott Motorsports partner AccuDoc Solutions will serve as Patrick's primary sponsor and will also be joined by Patrick's long time sponsor Go Daddy as associate sponsor on the No. 34 Nationwide entry. AccuDoc Solutions, based in Morrisville, N.C., provides billing statement printing and processing to hospitals and hospital-based physicians, while Go Daddy is the Web's top platform for small businesses. 

"I'm thrilled that I get another chance to drive the No. 34 AccuDoc Solutions/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Camaro for Turner Scott Motorsports," said Patrick. "We had a great run going in Daytona, and I'm hoping we can pick up where we left off. I want to thank everyone at TSM, AccuDoc Solutions and GoDaddy for making this great opportunity come together." 

Patrick will have three teammates on Saturday, with full-time TSM drivers Justin Allgaier, Kyle Larson and Nelson Piquet Jr. competing in the 117-lap restrictor plate race. 

"We are very happy to welcome back Danica Patrick to the Turner Scott Motorsports Nationwide lineup this weekend in Talladega," said team co-owner Harry Scott Jr. "We were extremely pleased with Danica's efforts in Daytona and felt like we had all of the pieces in place to be successful. TSM has assembled a great crew for her this weekend and I feel like we have a great deal of potential; there's a very good chance of Danica bringing home Turner Scott Motorsports' first Nationwide win of the season."

Investigation Continues Into Richmond Post-Race Assault

The Henrico County (VA) Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate an incident at Richmond International Raceway Friday night that resulted in two Richard Childress Racing crewmen being arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault.

A scuffle occurred on pit road after RCR driver Brian Scott tangled with Nelson Piquet, Jr. on the final lap of the ToyotaCare 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Their cars made contact again on the cool-down lap, and words were exchanged on pit road following the race. Piquet appeared to kick Scott during a shoving match involving members of both teams, before NASCAR officials were able to restore order. 

Sources familiar with the investigation say two members of Scott’s team, Michael Searce and Thomas Costello, waited for Piquet outside the track’s access tunnel and confronted him again after the race, with a number of punches thrown. Piquet was able to escape the attack, but an unidentified Brazilian photographer assigned to cover the Turner Scott Motorsports driver was reportedly knocked to the ground and kicked repeatedly, causing injuries that required him to be hospitalized until Sunday morning. 

Police were called to the scene, and Searce was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault. Costello was booked on a single count of misdemeanor assault. Both men were released early Saturday morning.

NASCAR Warns Teams To Be Vigilant For Errant Backpacks, Packages

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, NASCAR teams have been warned by the sanctioning body to be on the lookout for errant backpacks and other packages in the garage area. 

NASCAR called a special, crew chiefs-only meeting Saturday morning at Richmond International Raceway, asking race teams to increase their level of vigilance this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway and beyond. The warning is not believed to be the result of any specific threat against NASCAR or Talladega Superspeedway, but part of a broader focus on safety at major sporting events across the country. 

“They asked us to keep our eyes open,” said one NASCAR crewman, on the condition of anonymity. “They want us to monitor our garage stalls more closely, to make sure there is nothing there that doesn’t belong.   

“I didn’t get the impression that there was any specific threat,” he said. “It was just a request to stay vigilant.” 

Three marathon spectators were killed in the terrorist attack; eight-year old Martin Richard; Krystle Campbell, 29 and Lingzi Lu, 23. MIT police officer Sean Collier, 26, also lost his life, allegedly after being shot by the bombing suspects while sitting in his patrol vehicle. More than 260 others were injured, many of whom remain hospitalized at this time.

Johnson, Godfather Motorsports Crack Top-10 At Gresham

Jerick Johnson and the No. 30 KOMA Unwind Chevrolet Super Late Model claimed a hard-fought 10th-place finish Saturday night in the Southern Super Series “Racing Radios 125 Presented by Schoenfeld Headers” at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia. The finish marked the team’s first Top-10 finish of the season, in only their second start.

The team was fifth fastest in practice before encountering an electrical issue that forced them to miss final practice while replacing a burnt wire. Johnson qualified 19^th for the 125-lap main event and passed a pair of cars immediately at the drop of the green flag, despite battling a handling issue. Johnson pitted under caution on Lap 20 for a chassis adjustment, restarting at the tail of the 31-car field.

By lap 40, he was back to 19^th place, racing in heavy traffic with 2012 Pro All Stars Series champion Kyle Grissom, Clay Alexander, Spencer Davis and Ross Kenseth, son of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth. They ran in freight-train formation through the field, and Johnson was scored 15^th when the yellow flag flew for the scheduled halfway break on Lap 75.

“We threw a big adjustment at it during the break, and after the restart, we were as quick as the leaders,” said Johnson. “We passed a bunch of cars and caught the lead pack from about a half-straightaway behind, but simply ran out of laps. With a late caution, I think we would have been a sixth or seventh-place car, maybe better.

“We’ll take a Top-10 in our second race together, though,” he said. “(Crew chief) Jim Gallison, Jr. and I learned a lot this weekend, and I think we showed people we’ll be a force to reckon with this season.”

Up next for the KOMA Unwind Chevrolet team is a 150-lap Pro All Stars Series event on Saturday night, May 11 at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia.

Southern Super Series “Racing Radios 125 presented by Schoenfeld Headers”
Gresham Motorsports Park, Jefferson, GA

Pos.	No.	Driver	Laps
1	26	Bubba Pollard	125
2	41	TJ Reaid	125
3	98	Daniel Hemric	125
4	18	Hunter Robbins	125
5	98	Russell Fleeman	125
6	29	Austin Theriault	125
7	1	Mike Garvey	125
8	51	Stephen Nasse	125
9	8	John Hunter Nemechek	125
10	30	Jerick Johnson	125
11	25	Ross Kenseth	125
12	112	Augie Grill	124
13	91	David Quackenbush	124
14	2	DJ VanderLey	124
15	127	Brandon Booth	124
16	129	Spencer Davis	124
17	22	Clay Alexander	124
18	5	Spencer Wauters	123
19	22	Tyler Audie	123
20	60	Tyler Speer	123
21	31	Kyle Grissom	80
22	97	Fredrick Moore	63
23	95	Trey Gibson	20
24	10	RS Senter	20
25	7	Michael Lance	18
26	19	Zak Hausler	7
27	26	Travis Cope	4
28	47	Allen Karnes	0
29	86	Chet Morrison	0
30	2	Donnie Wilson	0
31	75	David Odell	0

About Godfather Motorsports – Godfather Motorsports is owned by Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio personality Dave Moody and enjoys major sponsorship from Bebida Beverage Company’s KOMA Unwind "Liquid Relaxation" drink. The team also boasts a comprehensive list of technological and marketing partners that includes Eibach Springs, ASM Graphics, Race 101, CV Products, ARBodies and Phantom Racing Gear. For additional information on the team and marketing opportunities with Godfather Motorsports, contact Dave Moody -- mrnturn1@hotmail.com. Visit the Godfather Motorsports website at www.GodfatherMotorsports.com.

About KOMA Unwind -- Developed by BeBevCo., KOMA Unwind relaxes those who drink it; improving the duration and quality of their sleep with both flair and favor. KOMA Unwind is formulated to relax the body, mind and soul. It is the perfect lifestyle beverage for those who want to reduce stress and anxiety, and get a great night's sleep. The relaxation or "anti-energy" drink category is fairly new to the beverage industry. KOMA Unwind is dedicated to helping consumers achieve a level of relaxation without the use of pills or alcohol, fueling a "relaxation revolution" of consumers determined to chill without a pill. Unite with KOMA Unwind for its "relaxation revolution" by joining us on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/KOMAUnwind) and following us on Twitter @KOMAUnwindNews.

About POW*MIA Awareness – Godfather Motorsports is proud to support the POW*MIA Awareness Campaign. Driver Jerick Johnson has long been an advocate for veterans’ rights and the United States military. He is a five-time Distinguished Guest of the American Legion National Convention and has earned numerous awards from other veterans’ organizations. Promoting and increasing public awareness of the POW*MIA issue has become his main goal. `Prisoner Of War: Missing in Action’ refers to any soldier taken prisoner by the opposing side during an action of war. It is not always known whether that solider is alive or dead, only that they are missing. Our goal is to remind our fellow Americans that the greatest tragedy of all is to be forgotten, and honor those who have given so much. Jerick thanks Godfather Motorsports for the opportunity to help increase awareness of this issue by carrying the POW*MIA logo on the No. 30 KOMA Unwind Chevrolet.

"The Closer' Strikes Again At Richmond

Harvick led just three laps

Just call him the King of Come-From-Behind.

Kevin Harvick lived up to his reputation as NASCAR’s premiere closer Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, blazing from seventh place to the lead in the final two laps to win the Toyota Owners 400.

With four laps remaining, the Richard Childress Racing driver appeared to be a beaten man, trailing Juan Pablo Montoya by three car lengths and showing no signs of being able to pull off a late pass. Then Brian Vickers slammed the Turn Three wall to bring out the caution flag, setting up a green-white-checkered flag finish and allowing Harvick to author his latest – and likely most dramatic – comeback win.

Harvick, Montoya and most of the frontrunners pitted for fresh rubber, while upset-minded RCR teammate Jeff Burton remained on-track, along with Jamie McMurray and AJ Allmendinger. The ensuing restart was a veritable maelstrom of tire smoke and wrinkled sheet metal, and when the front six jammed-up behind Burton’s slower Chevy, Harvick blasted through a miraculously clear low lane to claim the lead before hitting the back straightaway.

"Everybody was going to be aggressive at that point, because nobody really knew (what was going to happen),” said Harvick afterward. “You had three cars that were going to be in the way compared to the guys on (new) tires, so we didn't know if there would be one green-white-checkered, or two. You had to be as aggressive as you possibly could, without taking yourself out of the race.”

“That was vintage Kevin Harvick,” said winning team owner Richard Childress afterward. “When they dropped the green, he found the hole, drove it through there and made it happen. He won the race.”

Harvick admitted that without the final caution, he had little hope of overhauling Montoya,

Harvick (29) powers to the lead

“I don't think I was going to catch Montoya, because he had a little bit better drive up off the corner at that point,” he said. “I had a better shot to win starting seventh (on the restart). Our car had been really good on restarts for four or five laps, (so) I could be really aggressive with it.”

His 20th career Sprint Cup Series victory – and third at Richmond -- came on a night when Harvick led just three laps; the ones that counted. It also pushed him from 11^th to ninth in championship points, 72 behind leader Jimmie Johnson, who finished 12th.

Clint Bowyer led 113 laps on the night en route to second place, and said the decision to pit for tires under the final caution rested solely with crew chief Brian Pattie.

"I had not made a decision," said Bowyer afterward. "Luckily for me, Pattie had made that decision; which is what he gets paid for. And it was the right one. I really feel bad for (Montoya)," he added. "He's had a couple of rough years in the sport and that was his race. He had it won."

 

Joey Logano finished third, followed by Montoya and Burton. Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., completed the Top-10 in a race that included on-track fireworks after the checkered flag. Kurt Busch bumped Matt Kenseth’s Toyota on the cool-down lap to express displeasure with final-lap contact between the two, while Tony Stewart did the same to Busch. The two former series champions also exchanged words after the race.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RCR Crewmen Arrested After Post-Race Scuffles

The pit road fracas was quickly quelled

Two members of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series team were arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault in the aftermath of a pair of skirmishes following last night’s ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond International Raceway. 

RCR driver Brian Scott collided with Nelson Piquet, Jr. on the final lap of the race, and the pair tangled again on the cool-down lap. Words were exchanged on pit road following the race, and Piquet appeared to kick Scott during a shoving match that eventually involved multiple members of both teams.

 

Sources say the teams exchanged words again while exiting the track shortly afterward, with an altercation taking place near the track’s driver/owner motorhome lot. Piquet was reportedly presented at the start of the incident, but left the scene quickly. 

 

RCR crewman Michael Searce was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault by Henrico County (VA) police, with fellow crewmember Thomas Costello booked on a single count of misdemeanor assault. Both men were released early Saturday morning.

 

Team owner Richard Childress issued a written statement commenting on the arrest today, saying, “I didn’t witness what took place last night outside of the race track. Our team members were walking to their cars, and words were exchanged with members from another team, which led to an altercation. I am still learning all the exact details and, because it did happen outside of the track, local authorities became involved. We are working with them to resolve this matter. We are now concentrating on winning the Sprint Cup race tonight.”