Gordon Faces Must-Win Weekend In New Hampshire

Jeff Gordon’s task is clear cut; win at least two of the next eight races, or be left out of the 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.


Gordon realizes the task at hand


With that daunting task at hand, this weekend's LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ranks as the next-best thing to a “must win” race. Last year, Gordon overcame numerous obstacles in a pair of starts at the Loudon, NH, oval. In July, the three-time NHMS winner led 19 laps before electrical problems dropped him from the lead lap. He battled back and was running inside the top five before a blown
right-front tire on the final lap relegated him to a disappointing 11^th-place finish."

In September, Gordon led a race-high 78 laps before issues on his final stop left him with only a partial fuel load and forced him to race conservatively in the final laps. Despite have to nurse his car to the finish, the four-time Sprint Cup Series champion finished fourth. 

"I feel like Alan (Gustafson) and our engineers do an excellent job on flat race tracks - especially tracks like Loudon," said Gordon. "(New Hampshire) is high on my list of tracks that I feel we can capitalize on." 

Along with three wins and three poles in 34 starts at the 1.058-mile track, Gordon leads all drivers with 15 Top-5 and 19 Top-10 finishes, along with 1,304 laps led.  

"I think Loudon is a great opportunity for us," he said. "We've been very competitive here recently, and I feel we can be competitive again this weekend, hopefully with a shot at winning. It's a track that I really enjoy, but it's not an easy one to get around because of the long straightaways, flat corners and hard braking. I think the variable banking has made it a little bit easier to run side-by-side and make passes, though." 

With just eight races remaining before the Chase field is set, Gordon knows that only wins will aid his quest to earn a spot in the 12-driver playoff field.  

"We are not afraid of trying things with the setup or during the race," said Gordon, who is currently a distant 17th in Sprint Cup championship points. "We're not afraid to take some risks. Each race that goes by without a win; the more risk we are willing to take. 

"But I feel like we're still a long way from being out of this thing.

Photo Credit: Greenobles.com 

Patrick Adds Kansas To 2012 Sprint Cup Schedule

Patrick will race in Kansas

Danica Patrick has added the tenth and final race to her 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. Patrick announced today that she will compete in the Oct. 21 Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the newly-paved Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.

Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing via a collaborative agreement with Stewart-Haas Racing, will benefit from an extra day of practice scheduled for the Thursday before the race weekend. The additional day is being added due to the 1.5-mile oval being resurfaced since the Sprint Cup Series’ last visit in April.

“With the testing rules the way they are, we can’t test with her at tracks where NASCAR’s top three series compete,” said SHR competition director Greg Zipadelli, who doubles as race strategist for Patrick. “That extra day of testing will be huge for her. With the amount of 1.5-mile ovals on the schedule, it made sense to have her compete at Kansas to better prepare her for 2013.”

The addition of Kansas Speedway completes Patrick’s 10-race Sprint Cup schedule for 2012, which includes upcoming races at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Aug. 25, Atlanta Motor Speedway Sept. 2, Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., Sept. 16, Dover (Del.) International Speedway Sept. 30, Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth Nov. 4 and Phoenix International Raceway Nov. 11.

Patrick made her Sprint Cup debut in the season-opening Daytona 500 Feb. 27 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and has since competed in the Southern 500 May 12 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and the Coca-Cola 600 May 27 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Patrick is no stranger to Kansas Speedway. She scored her first career IZOD IndyCar Series pole there in July of 2005 and qualified third or better in three of her six Kansas starts. She also had three top-10 finishes in IndyCar Series competition there. Her lone NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Kansas came in October 2011 when she started 15^th and finished 15^th.

“I’ve always liked racing at Kansas Speedway,” Patrick said. “I think the extra day of testing will be very beneficial, not only to prepare for the race weekend, but to learn for the rest of 2012 and looking ahead to 2013 with Stewart-Haas Racing. The more track time I can get, the better, so I’m happy to be driving the GoDaddy.com Chevy at Kansas.”

U.S. Army Will Not Return In 2013

The U.S. Army has decided not to renew its primary sponsorship with Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 39 Chevrolet driven by Ryan Newman. The move is due to a government-mandated reallocation of the Pentagon’s marketing budget that will no longer include a presence in NASCAR.  

Ryan Newman's U.S. Army Chevrolet

A statement from SHR said the team is actively pursuing a new partner to join its roster of sponsors that includes Office Depot, Mobil 1, Quicken Loans, GoDaddy.com, Haas Automation, Chevrolet, WIX Filters, Outback Steakhouse, Aspen Dental, Tornados, Coca-Cola, Oreo, Ritz, Bass Pro Shops and Code 3 Associates. 

Brett Frood, Executive Vice President of Stewart-Haas Racing, commented on the decision, saying, “The U.S. Army has been a great partner of Stewart-Haas Racing since the team’s inception. It has been a mutually beneficial relationship, with the U.S. Army introducing training regimens that improved our pit crews while instilling the mental, physical and emotional strength of the U.S. Army Soldier in all of us. We remain very proud of our representation of the U.S. Army and its brave Soldiers who are 100 percent committed to our country. We will continue to activate on behalf of the U.S. Army for the rest of 2012, while also growing our other dynamic partnerships at Stewart-Haas Racing for the future.” 

John Myers, Director of Marketing Support for the Army’s Marketing and Research Group, said, “The U.S. Army has worked with Stewart-Haas Racing in a mutually beneficial and highly successful relationship for the past four seasons, and they’ve performed superbly as our partner on and off the track. The same can be said of other members of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series family we have sponsored during the past 10 seasons.  

“The sport, our drivers and the passionate NASCAR fans embraced the Army’s participation and created a tremendous opportunity for Americans to learn more about the profession of the Army Strong Soldier.”

Gresham Out At Joe Denette Motorsports

Gresham and JDM part ways

Max Gresham and Joe Denette Motorsports will part ways, effective immediately. 

The mutual decision will end the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series association between the Griffin, GA driver and Kernersville, NC based team after just eight races this season. Gresham's best finish behind the wheel of the No. 24 JDM Chevrolet Silverado this season was 18th at Rockingham Speedway in April. The team posted an average finishing position of 23.8 in their first eight starts together and Gresham is currently 20th in the 2012 NCWTS championship driver point standings.  

"I know everyone expected to do better than that," said Gresham. "The guys at JDM are some of the hardest working I have ever been around, and they did their best to give me great equipment week in and out. Joe is a really, really nice guy and he's dedicated to the sport and his team and committed to making both as good as possible. Honestly, everybody did their best this year. Unfortunately, we just didn't have the results to show for it." 

JDM will continue to campaign the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Ron Hornaday, Jr. for the remainder of the 2012 NCWTS season.  

"Obviously, we hate to see Max go, said Denette. "Max has been a great student of the sport with a wealth of natural talent and a friendly personality. Unfortunately, Joe Denette Motorsports was not the right fit for him. We wish Max the best of luck in the future and know without a doubt the young rookie will land on his feet. 

“Joe Denette Motorsports will continue to move forward and compete at a championship level with Ron and the No. 9 team," continued Denette. "I am 110 percent committed to this team. We have made some changes in the last few weeks, but I know that we have the right people in place to contend for wins and hopefully a championship.” 

Gresham, the 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion, indicated he and his advisory team are currently weighing other NASCAR opportunities for the remainder of this season and beyond.  

"I'd like to do some more Truck Series races this year, maybe some Nationwide too," Gresham stated. "The big thing will be to stay in the seat and stay as fresh as possible. I know we're going to run some Late Model races for now and continue to do that until we sort out what kind of NASCAR opportunities I have later this year and next season in 2013.

"I know I can do this," said Gresham. "I won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East championship last year and that didn't get handed to me. I think I have proven to people over the years that I can be competitive and win races. It's just a matter of being in the right situation."

Dillon Stripped Of Daytona Nationwide Pole

It’s been a rough week for Austin Dillon.

Just days after losing both championship points and cash after the rear end of his winning Chevrolet was found to be too low at Kentucky Speedway, Dillon was stripped of the pole position for tonight’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway.  

NASCAR officials said an illegal, open vent hose was found leading to the cockpit of Dillon’s car after qualifying. The hose raises safety concerns, due to its ability to conduct debris into the driver’s compartment, and did not provide any competitive advantage.

Dillon will forfeit the number-one starting spot in tonight’s race to fellow championship contender Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Nationwide Dash 4 Cash Begins This Weekend

Friday here at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers will qualify twice.

No, there hasn’t been a procedural change. Instead, a change to the popular NASCAR Nationwide Series Dash 4 Cash bonus program will be in place. This year, Daytona will serve as the qualifier to determine which four drivers will vie for the first of four $100,000 bonus payouts beginning July 14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Following New Hampshire, the next three series races also are Dash 4 Cash events: July 22 at Chicagoland Speedway; July 28 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – the series’ inaugural race at the famed Brickyard – and Aug. 4 at Iowa Speedway.

“I’ve been waiting for these races,” said Austin Dillon, the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, who graduated to the NASCAR Nationwide Series this season and earned his first win last weekend at Kentucky Speedway. “It’s going to be a wild one at Daytona, and anybody can put themselves in a position for $100,000 going into New Hampshire. I’m going to try to stay out of trouble early and have a shot at the end to be one of those top four to have a chance at the Dash 4 Cash next week.”

Sadler pocketed $100K last year

“That says a lot for (NASCAR, Nationwide Insurance) and our sport,” said point leader Elliott Sadler. Last October, he was the highest-finishing eligible driver in the final Dash 4 Cash race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He won the $100,000 cash bonus, and an identical $100,000 payday for his fan partner, Joe Thornton.

“We’ve always been a ‘fans first’ sport and to bring them in to have the opportunity to win this kind of money is awesome,” Sadler said.

“It was a thrill just to come to the race. But to win $100,000? I (was) speechless,” said Thornton. “Everybody didn’t believe me that I won the trip, and I called them at 2:00 in the morning to watch me on TV because I was gonna win that money.”

Here’s how the Dash 4 Cash program works: The top-four finishers to receive NASCAR Nationwide Series championship driver points at Daytona will qualify for the first D4C race at New Hampshire. The highest finisher of those four drivers at NHMS -- regardless of whether he or she wins the race – will win the $100,000 payout and qualify for the next event at Chicagoland. Additionally, the top-three finishing drivers to receive championship driver points at NHMS also will qualify for the next event. The same rules apply for the remaining three events. If one driver wins the three previous D4C awards and the Iowa race, Nationwide Insurance will award an additional $600,000 bonus, bringing the total payout to $1 million.

Fans can participate in the action by entering the NASCAR Nationwide Series $100,000 Sweepstakes at www.nascar.com/dash4cash. Four lucky entrants will receive an all-expense paid trip to the final D4C event at Iowa Speedway. Each fan will be randomly paired with an eligible D4C driver, and the fan whose driver wins the D4C award also will go home with a check for $100,000.

Smith Misses The Mark With Latest Scheme

Bruton Smith has had a lot of good ideas over the years.

His most recent brainstorm, however, is not one of them.

Smith wants mandatory stoppages in NASCAR

The Speedway Motorsports, Inc. CEO is forward-thinking, outspoken and prone to making grandiose statements to generate publicity on race weekends at one of his many race tracks. He did it again last Saturday, telling reporters at Kentucky Speedway that NASCAR should implement mandatory caution flags in all events, in an attempt to tighten fields and increase excitement.

“Call it what you will, but you have got to have caution flags," said Smith Saturday. "That creates excitement. You can't just sit there while nothing happens. It ruins the event and it damages our sport. Look at some of your other sports. (They) have a mandatory timeout period, TV timeouts and things that generate excitement. We need to be creative in what we do in NASCAR, as well."

Smith also took great pains to deflect criticism of the sport’s myriad 1.5-mile speedways -- many of which he owns – and shift the blame to others. "In my opinion, we cannot go out and start condemning mile-and-a-half speedways," huffed Smith. "They've been around a long time. I built Charlotte in 1960 and it has stood the test of time.

"Don't tell me it's the speedway,” he insisted. “(That’s) bull. What we have is a tire problem.”

Smith has always been in touch with the common fan. While many old-school promoters offered their customers little more than a wooden plank to sit on and an opportunity to stand in line for an overpriced, cold hot dog, Smith built infield “Fan Zones” at his speedways, offering ticket buyers something to hold their interest in the hours before the green flag flies. Those efforts have been copied at other tracks, nationwide.

"Don't worry Jimmie, the caution's coming."

He was the first to present grandiose pre-race shows, augmenting the usual “singing and praying” stunt shows, multimedia presentations and enough TNT to blast Al Qaeda into the next millenium. 

He dug up a perfectly good race track at Bristol Motor Speedway recently, after 30% of responding fans – “a majority” in his world – said they preferred the type of single-groove, wreck-strewn racing the track featured prior to a recent resurfacing.

Now, Smith wants to take the next step, inserting artificial stoppages in NASCAR races to eliminate long runs of uninterrupted competition; something he claims fans dislike.

Unfortunately, his latest brainstorm will create more problems than it could ever hope to solve.

The Speedway Motorsports CEO speaks glowingly of TV timeouts utilized in other sports. However, no major professional sport halts its contests artificially to do so, the way Smith says NASCAR should. Instead, they wait for a natural stoppage – incomplete pass, ball out-of-bounds, penalty, or other call – before extending the break long enough for television to air a few commercials without missing any of the action.

NASCAR could easily do the same, but that’s not enough for Smith. He wants the sanctioning body to alter the very fabric of the sport by inserting mandatory, planned cautions at specific points in each event. Doing so would virtually eliminate all strategy from the event, since crew chiefs would no longer be required to calculate (and often gamble on) fuel mileage in an effort to improve their track position. The men on the pit boxes would know when the next yellow flag is going to fly, since NASCAR told them about it in their pre-race briefing.

Forget about gambling on the weather, as well. Planned cautions take all the fun out of playing amateur meteorologist, since once again, everyone knows they’ll be coming to pit road just a few laps from now; rain or shine.

Worst of all, Smith’s scheme will encourage drivers to give less than 100%. There’s no reason for anyone to get “up on the wheel” and abuse their car in an effort to erase a 3-4 second deficit anymore, since one of Bruton’s phantom cautions will do the job for them in just a few more laps. There is also no point in racing hard to accumulate a big lead, since it all disappears as soon as Bruton’s next bogus stoppage occurs.

Mandatory caution flags will bring NASCAR one giant step closer to professional wrestling, since while the end result may not be fixed, many of the most important moves will be.

NASCAR's longtime Man of the People, Smith now mandates robbing the fans of their hard-earned entertainment dollar by presenting -- not a race -- but a show. “If we're in show business, let's deliver that show,” said Smith Saturday. “Right now, we're not delivering it.”

Unfortunately, Smith’s latest scheme is not “show business.” It’s manipulation, gimmickry and outright hucksterism.

And it has no place in NASCAR.

Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR

Ailing Back Sidelines Hamlin

Hamlin out of Friday's race

A sore back has forced Denny Hamlin to step out of Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Toyota for Friday Night’s Subway Jalapeno 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway.

Joey Logano will move from team’s No. 20 car to replace Hamlin in the No. 18 Sport Clips Toyota Friday night, with Clint Bowyer taking over Logano’s usual ride, the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota.

“My hope was to run the Nationwide Series race Friday night, but I woke up with a sore back earlier this week and feel it's in the best interest of the team to sit it out,” said Hamlin late yesterday. “Luckily it's nothing serious and the extra rest will help me on Saturday night.”

Logano won last year’s July race at the World Center of Racing and has five Nationwide victories this season, in addition to a Sprint Cup win at Pocono Raceway last month. Bowyer has 13 career Nationwide Series starts at Daytona with one win, eight top-five and 10 top-ten finishes. He has won a total of eight Nationwide Series races over the course of his career.

“We're looking forward to working with Clint and appreciate his willingness to step behind the wheel for us on such short notice,” said JGR President J.D. Gibbs. “Denny will be fine, but we just felt it was in his best interest to rest his back and not have him have to practice or race in Nationwide this weekend.”

Stewart Nominated For Dual ESPYs

Each year, ESPN hosts the ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) Awards, recognizing individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performance. This year, three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Stewart has been nominated in two categories; Best Driver and Best Championship Performance.

Other nominees for Best Driver honors include four-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti, Formula 1 champion Sebastien Vettel and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) champion Del Worsham.  

Stewart’s come-from-behind win was also deemed worthy of a “Best Championship Performance” nomination. All five of his 2011 victories came during NASCAR’s 10-race Chase For  The Sprint Cup, including a win in the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway last November. For the first time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history, the championship standings ended in a draw. After passing 118 cars during the race, Stewart tied Carl Edwards with a total of 2,403 championship points, then won the tiebreaker based on his total number of race victories. 

The Ford 400 marked the first time since 1975 that the eventual champion came from behind to win the championship while winning the final race of the season. Stewart's Homestead win put him in the company of NASCAR Hall of Famers Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip, all of whom now have three championships at NASCAR’s highest level. 

“An ESPY is a prestigious award,” said Homestead Miami Speedway president Matthew Becherer. “Having one of NASCAR’s best represented is a testament to the teamwork and dedication needed to compete in NASCAR. Last year, Jimmie Johnson won the ESPY for ‘Best Male Athlete’ and I think Tony will be tough to beat, given his gritty performance throughout the NASCAR Chase For The Sprint Cup.” 

Voting for this year’s ESPYs ends July 9, with winners to be announced July 11 in Los Angeles. Fans can vote at http://espn.go.com/espys/#!/voting/.

After 2011 Win, Ragan Ready For Daytona Return

A lot has changed for David Ragan in the last 12 months. One year ago this week, he drove Jack Roush’s No. 6 UPSFord into Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway, after claiming his first career Sprint Cup Series win in the Coke Zero 400.  

This week, he hopes to take a new team to the winner’s circle.

Ragan eyes a Daytona repeat

Ragan returns to Daytona tomorrow with Front Row Motorsports, an organization that has had encouraging success on restrictor plate tracks like Daytona. He will carry the colors of the new 8-Hour Alert brand for the second time this season, and said he is hungry for another checkered flag at the World Center of Racing.

"Once you get to Victory Lane in the Sprint Cup Series once, it's all you want to do again,” said Ragan. “At Front Row Motorsports, we've worked really hard to get in position to win certain races. The plate tracks are one of those events we focus on. Nothing would be better than to walk away with the trophy again, and I think it's very possible.

"I want to feel that emotion again of winning at Daytona. Last year, with my family in Victory Lane to enjoy it, I think it was cool for everyone. You only win you're first race once and I'll never forget it. But, it's time to win again.

"We're getting more and more support at Front Row, too. Our fans are getting more excited and we're really getting all our sponsors more involved. MHP will be on our car this weekend. They have powered our pit crews all year and now we'll have their 8-Hour Alert energy product on the car. It's a cool scheme and it will only look better in Victory Lane."

Crew chief Jay Guy called Daytona, “a race that is won back at the shop and on the last few laps. Everything else is just trying to be smart with your car. You need to be there at the end so you can't put yourself in a bad spot during the weekend. We've made the updates we needed and have it polished. It should be another fast car in the draft. We'll give the keys to David and let him do his thing. He has proven to know how to win this race."

Smith Takes Perspective From Colorado Wildfires

Seeing improved performances spoiled by an overload of bad luck has been discouraging for Regan Smith this season. But the Furniture Row Racing driver needs only to look outside his home in the mountains near Denver, Col. to see a much more dramatic example of tough luck.

Smith maintaining perspective

Before leaving for Kentucky last week, Smith could see and smell the smoke from raging wildfires that have engulfed Colorado. More than 300 homes have gone up in flames in recent weeks, with more than 100,000 acres torched.

"I love this area and it tears your insides apart seeing the destruction that has taken place," said Smith, who moved to Colorado last year to be near the team's Denver race shop. "Our recent issues are minimal compared to the fire-stricken families.

"I want Colorado residents to know that our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected and that Furniture Row Racing is very proud to represent the great state of Colorado on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit,” he said. “I also want to give a shout out to the brave firefighters and safety personnel who risk their lives daily in their continuing efforts to control and extinguish the fires." 

Though Smith's home has not been affected, he said the devastation of the Colorado fires will be on his mind in Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The 160-lap, 400-mile superspeedway event will mark the halfway mark in the 36-race season schedule.

"We started the season in Daytona and we'll be looking at starting another new season in Daytona this weekend," stated Smith. "From the opening Daytona 500 where we had an accident, our season to date has not gone the way we had anticipated. We've had our share of problems. It seems that every time we had a strong performance going, something would step up and bite us that was completely out of our control." 

The Colorado wildfires are still out of control

The last three Sprint Cup races have been particularly frustrating for Smith and his team. He had a flat tire with less than 10 laps remaining at Michigan on June 17. The following week in Sonoma, Calif., he was involved in a final-lap, multicar wreck. Things didn't get any better Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway, where Smith slammed hard into the concrete wall after hitting oil dumped on the track by another car's blown engine.  

Barring mistakes, accidents or malfunctions, Smith knows that his No. 78 Furniture Row/Farm American Chevrolet will be competitive on the 2.5-mile superspeedway Saturday night. He proved that the team's superspeedway program is capable of competing for the win with a runner-up finish in this year's 150-mile qualifying race for the Daytona 500.  

"We've had some strong performances in Daytona," noted Smith. "It's the same old story -- you need to avoid the wrecks and be in the lead draft at the end. We have the potential of running up front, but avoiding wrecks is nothing but a crap shoot." 

Smith's best finish at the 2.5-mile oval was seventh in the 2011 Daytona 500. He also had a 12th-place result in July 2009. At this year's Daytona 500, Smith ran a strong race until he got caught up in a multicar wreck that relegated him to a 24th-place finish.

"Cowboy" Starland To Ricky Benton Racing

"The Cowboy" To RBR

Kevin "Cowboy" Starland return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in a few weeks, climbing atop the pit box for the Ricky Benton Racing Enterprises No. 92 BTS Tire and Wheel Distributors/fleetHQ.com/QMI Chevrolet. 

Starland replaces Jason Overstreet, who oversaw RBR's Truck Series effort in the first four races of the 2012 season.

"We are very appreciative of everything that Jason did for RBR during his tenure here," said team owner Ricky Benton. "Our program is much stronger than it was at the end of last year. Kevin brings a wealth of experience to our team and we are looking forward to getting back to the track soon."

A veteran of the Camping World Truck Series, Starland comes to RBR from Turn One Racing, where he most recently served as crew chief for the No. 60 Chevrolet driven by Grant Enfinger, J.R. Fitzpatrick and Chad McCumbee. He has five wins as a crew chief in the series; three with Carl Edwards and two with Rick Crawford. He has also served as crew chief for Boris Said, Johnny Benson, Denny Hamlin, Johanna Long, Nelson Piquet, Ted Musgrave and Steve Wallace in the NCWTS. 

"I am real excited about being here with RBR," said Starland. "It's a great opportunity with great equipment and they have a good base to work with. I think we can get this team where they want to be, which is running up front and winning races." 

RBR has attempted four of their scheduled 10-12 races for this season. After a DNQ in the season opener at Daytona, the team has reeled off three straight top-20 finishes at Martinsville, Rockingham and Charlotte.

NASCAR Docks Dillon For Kentucky Infraction

NASCAR has penalized the No. 3 team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series as a result of rule infractions discovered during post-race inspection last Friday at Kentucky Speedway.

The No. 3 car was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20A-12.8.1C (body height requirements – car failed to meet the minimum rear car heights) of the 2012 NASCAR rule book.

As a result, crew chief Danny Stockman Jr. has been fined $10,000, while owner Morgan Shepherd and driver Austin Dillon have been penalized with the loss of six championship owner and six championship driver points, respectively. In addition, Stockman and car chief Robert Strmiska continue to remain on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

Keselowski A Virtual Lock For 2012 Title Bid

Welcome to the 2012 Chase, Brad Keselowski.

After a win in Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, the Michigan native is now effectively locked into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. If he remains in the Top-20 in championship points – and the wheels would have to fall completely off his shopping cart for that not to happen – the Miller Lite Dodge driver is the first to secure his reservation to the 2012 playoffs.


Keselowski is in great shape for the Chase

The 28-year-old Keselowski has won more Sprint Cup races than any other driver this season, and while inconsistency has relegated the second-generation driver to tenth in points, his Chase position is secure with just nine races remaining in the regular season.

After Saturday’s win, many of Keselowski’s closest competitors are now rooting for him to remain in the Top-10. Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Paul Menard, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose, Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray and Jeff Burton are all mired between 11^th and 20^th in points at present. Only Busch, Kahne, Newman and Logano have recorded a win this season, and if Keselowski slips from the Top-10 once again, the number of Wildcard spots available to them drops by half.

“Who is leading the points right now doesn’t mean a thing,” said Keselowski. “The only thing that means anything is where you are going to restart when the Chase begins. That’s going to be based on who is in the Top-10 and who has the most wins. That’s all that matters.”

In truth, Keselowski is more of a threat to claim the point lead than fall out of the Top-10. His Kentucky performance was stuff of which championship seasons are made, after a scuffle with Juan Pablo Montoya in opening practice forced his Penske Racing team to roll out their backup car.

“My guys put together the backup car in 100-degree heat in less than an hour,” recalled Keselowski. “Not even an hour. It was 40 minutes. That’s what bad asses do, and it is what got us to Victory Lane.”

The Penske Racing driver then strapped into that backup car and went after Montoya, turning the Columbian sideways in the second turn with a series of bumps that prompted NASCAR to throw the caution flag to defuse the situation.

“I don’t like being pushed around and that’s what I felt happened on the track,” said Keselowski afterward. “I hate it. Can’t stand it and won’t stand for it.”

That attitude is unlikely to change, regardless of his championship status.

Happy Birthday, King!

The King Turns 75 Monday

You will have to find a cake large enough to hold 75 candles if you want to celebrate the birthday of "King" Richard Petty Monday. Petty, the seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and owner of 200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins, including seven Daytona 500 victories, is celebrating his 75^th birthday in the same town he was born, Level Cross, N.C. Petty will spend time working at the current location of Petty's Garage, before spending time with his family later in the day.

Later this week, Petty will fly to a familiar early summer celebration spot -- Daytona Beach, Fla. – where he, his family and friends will celebrate the Fourth of July and enjoy a dinner held in the honor of his 75th birthday. The event, dubbed “Red, White and Petty Blue," will take place at the Wyndham Ocean Walk Resort and feature guest speakers who have been a part of Petty's life. The evening will conclude with a fireworks display and birthday cake made by the TLC hit show "Cake Boss."

"I'm really thankful for everyone who has supported us over the years," said Petty. "I really don't think about age too much. I just keep going to the next race. I've been doing that all my life and that's what I'm going to keep doing. But, I am grateful for each day and all the fans who make this a lot of fun for us."

The NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee is one of the most celebrated athletes in all of sports and his trademark cowboy hat, sunglasses, belt buckle and cowboy boots have made him an American icon. His accomplishments over 75 years read like a "Who's Who" of American athletes. They include:

·         A record 200 NASCAR Sprint Cup Wins

·         A record seven NASCAR Sprint Cup Championships (1964, '67, '71, '72, '74, '75, '79)

·         A record 27 wins on one season (1967)

·         A record 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup wins in a row (1967)

·         Led Petty Enterprises and Richard Petty Motorsports to a record 271 wins, most of any team

·         Member of four generations of Petty athletes (Lee, Richard, Kyle and Adam)

·         Has met United States Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barack Obama

·         Awarded Medal of Freedom (1992)

·         Elected into three motorsports Hall of Fames including inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame class (2010)

·         Has appeared in or voiced movies such as "CARS," "Swing Vote," "Days of Thunder," "Stroker Ace" and others

·         Has appeared in television shows including Arli$$, Hee Haw, David Frost Show and others

·         Donated more than 75 acres of his personal land to help build the Victory Junction Gang Camp

·         Lent his name to the first (and still most popular) stock car driving school, the Richard Petty Driving Experience. 

Petty continues to be a major figure in the sport and works with his partners at both Richard Petty Motorsports and Petty's Garage daily. His schedule keeps him as busy as he was when he ended his driving career in 1992.

His familiar smile and wave will be seen this weekend at Daytona during the running of Coke Zero 400.