Circle Bar's Tom Mitchell Passes Away

Longtime NASCAR team owner Tom Mitchell passed away yesterday in his hometown of Ozona, Texas at the age of 86.

Mitchell owned and operated the Circle Bar Truck Corral in Ozona, and was an avid supporter of motorsports for more than 40 years, owning teams in all three NASCAR National Series, as well as Indy Car. His teams all carried the Circle Bar Racing banner, copying the name of one of his cattle ranches.

He is best remembered for owning and sponsoring Rick Crawford’s NASCAR All-Pro and Camping World Truck Series teams for many years. He also owned an Indy Car Series team for driver Chet Fillip in the early 1980s. In 1985, he sold all his Indy Car equipment to Al Unser, Jr., who won the series championship the following season.

He was a major player in the Texas cattle industry – once owning more than a half-dozen ranches, the smallest measuring approximately 30,000 acres – and made a fortune from the discovery and excavation of natural gas on his ranch land. At one time, he owned the local cable TV company in Ozona, a pair of truck stops off I-10, a motel and RV Park, and many other businesses.

He was not the stereotypical NASCAR sponsor/owner, however, with Crawford saying his longtime team owner never saw the inside of his race shop, or watched him race in person.

Memorial services for Tom Mitchell have not yet been announced.

Cope To Head Chase Elliott's NNS Effort In 2015

JR Motorsports announced today that it will pull from within to fill its impending crew chief vacancy, as Ernie Cope will transition from the No. 5 team to Chase Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS team at the conclusion of this season. 

Cope will take over for Greg Ives. Last month it was announced that Ives would be Steve Letarte’s successor on the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Ives and Cope will finish out the year in their respective roles. Ives and Elliott currently lead the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings by 10 points over teammate Regan Smith with 11 races to go. 

“It became clear rather quickly that the absolute best option for Chase and the NAPA team next year is already in this building,” general manager Kelley Earnhardt Miller said. “Ernie builds fast cars, has a good rapport with Chase, and is familiar with the inner-workings of our company. Hopefully that will create a seamless transition at the end of the year, and the No. 9 team will continue its championship form right into 2015.” 

A veteran from Spanaway, Wash., Cope has more than 12 years of experience as a NASCAR crew chief. He joined JR Motorsports prior to 2014 to spearhead its part-time team driven primarily by Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Three of Cope’s 12 career victories have come this year, as Harvick drove to wins at Richmond (April 25) and Kentucky (June 27) while Kahne was victorious at Daytona (July 4). Harvick has been the driver in 10 of Cope’s 12 wins starting in 2009. 

“Kevin and I have enjoyed a lot of success, and we’re not done yet,” Cope said. “There is a lot of racing left this year, but in putting the pieces together for 2015, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to compete the full race schedule. I’ve been able to do that only once, and that was in 2011 with Elliott Sadler when we finished second in the championship. I’d like another shot at it, and Chase Elliott is an extremely talented race car driver.” 

A crew chief for the No. 5 team in 2015 is not yet determined. Earnhardt Miller said the company will conduct a thorough search and take as much time as necessary to find the best candidate.

“Pairing Kevin Harvick and Dale Jr. with the best crew chief possible is extremely important to us, and we’re prepared to take as much time as needed to fill that position,” Earnhardt Miller said.

Gordon Rolls To Michigan Pole

Jeff Gordon continues to roll.

The four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion claimed the pole position for Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway Friday with a new track record lap in 34.857 seconds, with an average speed of 206.558 mph.

The new track record was the 17^th in 23 races so far this season, the 76^th Sprint Cup pole for Gordon in his 748^th career series start and his second in the last two weeks. His sixth Michigan pole ties him with Bill Elliott for second on the all-time list, behind NASCAR Hall Of Famer David Pearson, who won 10, and today’s 206.558 mph average is the seventh fastest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole of all-time.

Joey Logano qualified second, claiming his seventh front row start of the season. He has now made the final round of qualifying in 19 of the 20 races this season. Carl Edwards will start third, followed by Brian Vickers and Brad Keselowski. Ryan Blaney qualified the #21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford in 28^th position, that car will be driven by Trevor Bayne Sunday. Matt Crafton qualified Martin Truex Jr.’s Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 39^th, while Truex attended longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex during surgery for ovarian cancer earlier today.

Unofficial Time Trial Results

Pos         #              Driver

1                24            Jeff Gordon

2               22            Joey Logano

3                99            Carl Edwards

4               55            Brian Vickers

5               2               Brad Keselowski

6               4               Kevin Harvick

7                27             Paul Menard

8               3                Austin Dillon #

9               1                Jamie McMurray

10             17             Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

11             16             Greg Biffle

12             31             Ryan Newman

13             42            Kyle Larson #

14             10             Danica Patrick

15             5               Kasey Kahne

16             41             Kurt Busch

17             51             Justin Allgaier #

18             20            Matt Kenseth

19             15             Clint Bowyer

20             9               Marcos Ambrose

21             11             Denny Hamlin

22            47             AJ Allmendinger

23             43             Aric Almirola

24            18             Kyle Busch

25            88            Dale Earnhardt Jr.

26            13             Casey Mears

27             14             Jeff Burton

28            21             Ryan Blaney

29            38             David Gilliland

30             48            Jimmie Johnson

31             83             Ryan Truex #

32             23             Alex Bowman #

33             98            Josh Wise

34             34             David Ragan

35             7                Michael Annett #

36             26            Cole Whitt #

37             37             Dave Blaney

38             32             Travis Kvapil

39             78             Matt Crafton

40            36             Reed Sorenson

41             33             Alex Kennedy

42            66            Joe Nemechek

43             40            Landon Cassill

Allmendinger Learning To Appreciate The Big Picture

AJ Allmendinger is NASCAR’s newest Sprint Cup Series winner, after a dramatic victory over Marcos Ambrose in last Sunday afternoon’s Cheez-It 355 at the Glen. The win was the first of Allmendinger’s Sprint Cup career, and earned JTG Daugherty Racing its inaugural berth in the upcoming Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Allmendinger met with the media today at Michigan International Speedway, for the first time since a raucous Victory Lane ceremony at the Glen, and said the most gratifying part of his win was the reaction of his team and team owners.

“Just to be able to see the faces of (owners) Tad and Jodi Geschickter and Brad Daugherty,” he smiled.  “To me, they are the ones that deserve all the credit. They have worked so hard, especially Tad and Jodi -- starting 20 years ago with their race team in a barn -- to get to this point and be able to share that all together. All the guys at the shop work so hard with our little race team to keep building great race cars and putting the effort in.  Throughout the course of the year, through the ups and downs that we have had, that to me is what has been great to be able to share with everybody on our race team. 

“We truly are just a family that works hard together.”

Despite now being qualified for the 2014 Chase, Allmendinger said the pressure has just begun for him and his team  

“When it comes to the Chase, obviously our names aren’t going to be the first ones that are brought up,” he said. “We know that. Especially at places like (Michigan) and the 1.5-mile race tracks where we have struggled a little bit, we know we have a lot of work to do. These next few weeks will hopefully give us a chance to keep working hard, maybe try some things and see if we can get our race team just a little bit better.

“So when we get to the Chase, hopefully we can make just a little bit of noise.”

Asked if JTG Daugherty Racing team will operate at a disadvantage due to being a single-car operation, Allmendinger said, “not really. With the RCR alliance that we have, technically I have five or six teammates. We get all the data and all the engineering, all the notes from them.  I don’t look at it as a disadvantage having a one car team. 

“But with that said, we’ve got 35 people that work on our race team,” he said. “That is counting the front office, the people that answer the phones and the marketing side of it. The data we get from Richard Childress and the ECR motors have been so great (and) we are far ahead of where we would be without them.  But at the same point, we are always trying to keep up with all the resources that they have to make us better. (We are) continually trying to build and keep up with the big race teams when it comes to resources and man power.”

Allmendinger also spoke at length about his 2012 suspension for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy, saying, “I knew the mistake I made and I learned from it. NASCAR laid out a plan to get back (to the sport) and I wasn’t going to fight it.  More importantly, what it did for me is give me time away from racing -- which I’ve never had -- to figure out if I even wanted to race anymore. (I realized) at that point that racing wasn’t making me happy anyway. 

“(I needed to learn) what I had to do to be happier out of the race car. Because at some point, (I am) not going to have a race car. Whether it’s next week, a year, 10 years… at some point, there will be no more race cars. For the first time, I had to look at that. 

“Honestly, without that (suspension), I probably wouldn’t have had to make those changes, or dealt with it.  It’s a lot better now.”

The California native said that while he is still fiercely competitive, he has learned to look at the bigger picture.

“If we have a bad day, I’m still mad about it,” he admitted. “There have been many of times this year leaving the race track upset and it carrying over for the next day or so. But I used to let it take over my life. It wasn’t, `Okay, I’m mad about it tonight and better in the morning.’ It would carry over to the next week. The way this sport is, letting it carry over to the next week is bad. It can steamroll to where you are just miserable (and) I used to do that a lot. 

“I’m still as passionate as ever about racing and wanting to win,” he said. “Probably more than ever with this race team, because I feel like it’s my race team and I want to strap it on my back and take it to new levels. 

“But at the same point, enjoying what is around you and surrounding yourself with friends and family that make you happy (is also great). Whether you are a race car driver or not, they don’t care. I’m trying to make things simple and a lot less stressful. (It’s about) trying to enjoy when you are out with friends -- not whether you finished 43^rd.

“That is basically what I have tried to do.” 

NASCAR Announces New Safety Rule

In the aftermath of last Saturday’s incident that claimed the life of Sprint Car driver Kevin Ward, Jr., NASCAR announced today that it has added a new rule addressing on-track incidents as part of its race procedures. The rule, listed as Section 9-16, will be an addendum to the NASCAR rule book and will apply to all of its racing series, effective immediately.  

Section 9-16 On-Track Incident Procedure: During an Event, if a racecar is involved in an on-track incident and/or is stopped on or near the racing surface and unable to continue to make forward progress, unless extenuating emergency conditions exist with the racecar (i.e. fire, smoke in cockpit, etc.) the driver should take the following steps:

·         Shut off electrical power and, if driver is uninjured, lower window net

·         Do not loosen, disconnect or remove any driver personal safety equipment until directed to do so by safety personnel or a NASCAR/Track Official

·         After being directed to exit the racecar, the driver should proceed to either the ambulance, other vehicle, or as otherwise directed by safety personnel or a NASCAR/Track Official

·         At no time should a driver or crew member(s) approach any portion of the racing surface or apron

·         At no time should a driver or crew member(s) approach another moving vehicle 

All vehicles not involved in the incident or that are able to continue afterwards should slow down to a cautious speed as outlined in Section 10-4 (Yellow Flag), use extreme care as they approach an incident scene, and follow any directions given by safety personnel or NASCAR/Track Officials. Cars in line behind the safety car should not weave or otherwise stray from the line in the vicinity of the incident. 

NASCAR vice president of competition and racing development Robin Pemberton called the rule “part of the evolution of NASCAR’s rules and regulations. 

“Throughout the history of our sport, NASCAR has reviewed and analyzed situations and occurrences that take place not just in NASCAR racing but also throughout all motorsports and other sports,” said Pemberton.  “When we believe we can do something to make our sport safer and better for the competitors and others involved in the competition environment, we react quickly. Safety always has been priority number one at NASCAR.” 

As with other behavioral infractions, NASCAR will handle each instance separately when assessing potential penalties.

BREAKING NEWS: Stewart Will Not Race At Michigan

Tony Stewart will not compete this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

Stewart Haas Racing announced today that the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion will sit out his second consecutive race after being involved in an incident last Saturday night at New York’s Canandaigua Motorsports Park that resulted in the death of driver Kevin Ward, Jr.

Veteran Jeff Burton will replace Stewart on a one-race basis in the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet at MIS this weekend. Stewart’s plans for upcoming races have yet to be determined. Barring an exemption from NASCAR, skipping the MIS race weekend will eliminate Stewart from eligibility for the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The sanctioning body has not commented on whether such an exemption will be granted. 

It's Official: Blaney To Wood Brothers Racing In 2015

Wood Brothers Racing announces today that it has formed a technical alliance with Team Penske and will race a partial-season schedule in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with up-and-coming driver Ryan Blaney.

Blaney, who has raced as a Team Penske development driver since 2012, will compete in at least 12 races for Wood Brothers Racing next season in the iconic No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion as he continues his rapid NASCAR development.

“Wood Brothers Racing is excited to align with Roger Penske and his team and we couldn’t be more pleased to put Ryan Blaney in the No. 21 Ford Fusion,” said Eddie and Len Wood, co-owners of Wood Brothers Racing, in a joint statement. “Ryan is a third-generation racer and one of the best young drivers out there. He has been a winner in many different kinds of cars since he started racing at a very young age and we fully expect that to continue while he is with us.” 

Blaney will also practice and qualify the No. 21 this weekend at the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway while current Wood Brothers driver Trevor Bayne competes in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Bayne will return in time to start the Sprint Cup race at the back of the field. 

Blaney, the current points leader in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving the No. 29 Ford F-150 for Brad Keselowski Racing, said, “I want to thank Wood Brothers Racing, Team Penske, Ford Racing and everyone at Motorcraft and Quick Lane for the opportunity to race next season in the Sprint Cup Series. To get a chance to race at the top level of NASCAR in such a historic car as the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion is a dream come true. I’m really looking forward to 2015.”  

Blaney is scheduled to make his official debut for Wood Brothers Racing in the 2015 Daytona 500. He will race for the team in events at Daytona, Las Vegas, Texas, Talladega, Charlotte, Michigan and Indianapolis, among others. 

He joins an impressive list of drivers who have driven for the Wood Brothers since 1950, including team founder Glen Wood, Curtis Turner, Junior Johnson, Dan Gurney, A.J. Foyt, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson, Neil Bonnett, Buddy Baker, Bill Elliott and Bayne who won the Daytona 500 with the Wood Brothers in 2011. That victory gave the team the unmatched distinction of scoring at least one win in every decade for the last seven decades. 

“We’re confident that putting a promising driver like Ryan Blaney behind the wheel of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion, and joining forces on the technical side with Team Penske, will result in success on and off the track,” said Mary Lou Quesnell, director of marketing for Ford Customer Service Division, Wood Brothers Racing’s primary sponsor. “Ryan is a fine young man, and he will represent our Motorcraft and Quick Lane brands well.”

In addition to driving the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion for the Wood Brothers, Blaney will drive a Team Penske Mustang in the 2015 Nationwide Series. 

Blaney, son of Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney, started his racing career in quarter midgets and won his first race at the age of 9. He has competed in and been successful in Bandolero cars, Legend cars, late model stock cars and the ARCA Racing Series before debuting in NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series West. In 2012, Blaney drove six races (recording two top 10s) in the Nationwide series before finishing the year with Team Penske, recording five top-10 finishes (including 2^nd at Texas Motor Speedway) in seven Nationwide starts. Also in September of that year, he won his first Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway and was the youngest winner in the series at the time at 18 years, eight months and 15 days. He won his first Nationwide Series race last season at Kentucky Speedway.

COMMENTARY: Time To Create A Positive

From negatives often come positives. NASCAR, sanctioning bodies and race tracks across North America have an opportunity to make something positive out of the horrible tragedy that took the life of racer Kevin Ward, Jr. last Saturday night.

The headlines have been dominated this week by the story of the 20-year old Port Leyden, NY, driver, who emerged from his damaged race car to confront NASCAR driver Tony Stewart following a crash in an Empire Super Sprints event in upstate New York, then died after being hit by Stewart’s car.

In the days following the tragedy, a number of tracks have instituted new rules prohibiting drivers from leaving their damaged cars until cleared to do so by track officials, except in the event of fire or other life-threatening circumstance. It is a prudent move; one that both NASCAR and other sanctioning bodies would do well to emulate.

Some, including former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski and NASCAR on TNT commentator Wally Dallenbach, Jr. have spoken out against such a rule recently, saying there are already too many regulations in motorsports and that such a stipulation would take the spontaneity out of the game. Spontaneity is a wonderful thing, and I’m all for emotion in the sport. I jump out of my seat as quickly as the next guy when drivers climb out of their battered race cars and go nose-to-nose (or fist to nose) with each other.

But my amusement is not worth someone’s life.

Angry people cannot be relied upon to be clear thinkers. Common sense often goes out the window in times of stress or high emotion, and people make bad decisions, putting themselves and others in positions of unnecessary risk. It happened Saturday night at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, and it happens dozens of times each season at race tracks across the country. And despite Saturday night’s horrifying example of how things can go tragically, terribly wrong, it will happen again this weekend at a race track near you.

The sad truth is that from time to time, people need to be protected from themselves. Racers are no exception. In the aftermath of Dale Earnhardt’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500, some drivers resisted a NASCAR mandate that they wear head and neck restraints on the race track at all times. They cited claustrophobia, impaired lateral vison, delayed egress from a potentially burning race car and a hundred other factors as reasons for them not to wear the lifesaving devices. But NASCAR held firm, and today, every driver in every NASCAR national series wears a HANS or Hutchens device. There have been no deaths due to basal skull fractures since Earnhardt’s tragic passing, and that is no coincidence.

A new rule requiring drivers to remain in their race cars until safety workers arrive on the scene, backed by substantial monetary fines, championship point deductions and even suspensions will prove equally effective, keeping drivers enveloped in the relative safety of their race cars for the few precious moments necessary to allow anger to pass and common sense to return.

Common sense alone will not get the job done, as evidenced by the dozens of YouTube videos showing drivers bailing out of damaged race cars each week to risk life and limb, all in the interest of “telling off” a fellow competitor who richly deserves the telling. We think we're invincible; that a tragedy like the one that felled Kevin Ward, Jr., last Saturday night cannot possibly happen to us.

That’s what we tell ourselves, despite knowing -- all too well -- that it’s not true.

Kevin Ward, Jr. did not plan on losing his life Saturday night, but it happened. And it will happen again, unless the people in charge of running these shows have the intestinal fortitude to do something about it.

Losing 100 points in the midst of a championship chase will absolutely make drivers stop and think. Men and women will risk their lives at the wheel of speeding race cars, but they will not risk losing valuable championship points by blowing their tops. They will not risk the money needed to buy that new set of tires, and they will not risk sitting on the sidelines next Saturday night, watching others do what they love most.

Kevin Ward, Jr., was laid to rest today in his native New York, surrounded by family members and friends who are struggling to make sense of a senseless tragedy. We owe it to them – and to ourselves -- to ensure that it never happens again.

Truex Will Not Practice Or Qualify at MIS

Martin Truex, Jr. and Sherry Pollex

Martin Truex Jr. will miss Friday's practice and qualifying sessions at Michigan International Speedway.  Recently, Sherry Pollex, Martin’s longtime partner and girlfriend was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Sherry and Martin would like to thank the NASCAR community for all the well wishes.  They have requested that everyone respect the family’s privacy as Sherry begins her treatment and recovery.

Matt Crafton, reigning Camping World Truck Series champion, will sub for Truex on Friday. Truex will join his Furniture Row Racing team Saturday and compete in Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race.

Sherry's passion in life is fighting pediatric cancer. To learn more about Sherry’s work with children, go to www.martintruexjrfoundation.org. 

"Everyone at Furniture Row Racing extends their thoughts and prayers to Sherry during her treatment and recovery period," said Joe Garone, Furniture Row Racing General Manager. "She is a devoted supporter of our race team and we can't wait for her return to the track."

Race Team Alliance Announces Expansion

The new Race Team Alliance announced today that it has expended its membership from its original nine members to 18 full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams, comprising 37 full-time entries.

In a written release, the RTA was described as “a not-for-profit business league comprised of race teams participating in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The purpose of the organization is to create an open forum for the teams to explore areas of common interest and to work collaboratively on initiatives to help preserve, promote, and grow the sport of stock car racing.”

RTA chairman Rob Kauffman commented on the move, saying, “One of the early goals of the Race Team Alliance was to expand our membership, and after only a month in existence, we have accomplished that goal. We now have virtually all the full-time teams participating. I think the membership as a whole is enthusiastic to get to work on some of the other items on our agenda, in particular some of the cost areas and marketing opportunities we have already identified.”

The RTA membership now includes:

BK Racing                              

Circle Sport    

Front Row                  

Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates      

Germain Racing        

Go Green / FAS Lane

Hendrick Motorsports            

HScott Motorsports                

Joe Gibbs Racing

JTG Racing               

Michael Waltrip Racing          

Phil Parsons Racing              

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Petty Motorsports

Roush Fenway Racing          

Stewart-Haas Racing            

Team Penske

Tommy Baldwin Racing

Mars Re-Ups With Gibbs, NASCAR

Mars announced today that it has signed new multi-year deals with Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR. 

The new agreement with JGR will extend the partnership that has brought the No. 18 M&M’S Toyota to Victory Lane 20 times since 2008 and keep the M&M’S brand as the primary paint scheme on Kyle Busch’s Sprint Cup Series entry. 

The renewed contract with the sanctioning body will designate Mars as the Official Chocolate of NASCAR.   

“Mars and its iconic brands have been part of NASCAR for decades, and we’re excited to keep that winning tradition going,” said Roy Benin, Chief Consumer Officer at Mars Chocolate North America. “As the sport has grown throughout the years, so has our involvement in it and we’re incredibly proud of the strong partnership we’ve forged with Joe Gibbs Racing and the league.” 

“From connecting with fans to engaging our retail partners and creating passion among our associates, our alliances with Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR are tremendously successful,” explained William Clements, Vice President Sponsorships and Sports Marketing at Mars Chocolate North America. “We’re thrilled to extend our partnerships and look forward to celebrating more wins both on and off the track.” 

“Mars has been a big part of the Joe Gibbs Racing family and we’re excited to continue what has become a winning relationship,” added Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “Mars has been such an important partner to us throughout the past six plus seasons, and to have them continue their support inspires us as a team to work even harder every day. Everyone at JGR is committed to ensuring they experience the type of success on and off the track deserving of such a great company.” 

“Being the M&M’S driver and representing Mars on and off the track has been one of the proudest accomplishments in my racing career,” said Kyle Busch, driver of the No. M&M’S^® 18 Toyota for JGR. “This is great news for everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and our fans, but also shows how dedicated Mars is to our sport. With this news, any trip to Victory Lane will be even sweeter.” 

“Mars is one of the most recognizable brands in NASCAR and is among the best-in-class marketers in all of sports,” said Brent Dewar, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer. “More than two decades after entering NASCAR, Mars continues to help make race day more fun and we couldn’t be more proud to see the company continue to re-invest in our sport.”

Townley Will Sit Out Another Week

John Wes Townley will sit out the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway this weekend after a crash in ARCA qualifying at Pocono Raceway on August 1.

Former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil will drive the No. 05 Zaxby’s Toyota Tundra at MIS in place of Townley.

“It is really hard sitting out and watching someone else drive your truck,” said Townley today. “I am hoping to be back behind the wheel of the No. 05 Zaxby’s truck Wednesday at Bristol.”

Kvapil has two wins, three Top-5 and four Top-10 finishes in four Camping World Truck Series starts on the two-mile Michigan race track. The Careers for Veterans 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race is slated to begin at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday. 

Tagliani, Keselowski Team For Truck Series Debut

Brad Keselowski  Racing announced today that Alex Tagliani will drive the team's No. 19 Ford F-150 in the August 31 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

Tagliani, a native of Montreal, has made five career NASCAR Nationwide Series starts over six seasons, dating back to 2009.  He has two poles and two Top-5 finishes and enters the NCWTS event at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park on the heels of a strong performance in Nationwide Series action at Road America, where he won the pole and scored a strong second-place finish. Tagliani also finished second at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal in 2011 and won the pole there in 2012. 

"Alex did a heck of a job in the Nationwide car for Team Penske at Road America and I knew I had to put him in one of my trucks," Keselowski said.  "I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do."

Tagliani’s Truck Series debut will add to an already diverse racing portfolio that includes the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar, road racing and Champ Car competition. 

 

"It's an honor to get a call to drive for Brad's team this year, especially after sharing the No. 22 Team Penske Nationwide car with him for two races," Tagliani said.  "It will be my first time competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, but Mosport is a great track to drive and I am hoping to be able to help the team with a strong result."

Tagliani has made 20 starts in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series over the past six seasons.  He won a road course event at Edmonton City Centre Airport in 2008 and owns six Top-5 and eight Top-10 finishes, along with five poles. He currently competes as an owner/driver in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the Tudor United Sports Car Championship with RSR Racing.  Tagliani also competed in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 where he scored a 13th-place finish for Sara Fisher Hartman Racing.   

3M To Back Jeff Gordon At HMS In 2015

3M will change teams beginning in 2015, jumping from Greg Biffle's No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford to Hendrick Motorsports, as primary sponsor of Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 Chevrolet.

The new relationship will feature 3M as a primary sponsor in 11 Sprint Cup races annually and as an associate-level partner in all other events. The agreement covers the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons. All five of 3M's business units, which comprise more than $31 billion in annual sales, will use the sponsorship in consumer promotions, product launches and business-to-business opportunities.

“At 3M, we play to win, and we push hard every day to do just that,” said Jesse Singh, senior vice president, 3M Global Sales and Marketing. “With this deal, we align with champion driver Jeff Gordon and an organization at the top of its game in Hendrick Motorsports. What they do in the garage and on the track exemplifies what we’re all about in our labs, plants and business teams around the world.”

Gordon has a new backer

With more than 65 of its products used in the construction and maintenance of Sprint Cup Series race cars, 3M for decades has played a key role in the success of NASCAR teams. The company manufactures more than 80,000 different products and has been an official NASCAR partner across several categories since 1995.

“The range of 3M’s business is just incredible,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “It’s an amazingly diverse company that spends billions in research and development to continue rolling out new and innovative products. We’re already using many of them throughout the organization, and when you consider the potential for both consumer and business-to-business programs connected to our sport, the possibilities are endless.”

“Innovation is what 3M is known for,” said Gordon, 43, who has a lifetime contract with Hendrick Motorsports. “We’ve seen that approach throughout their involvement in NASCAR, and it’s a terrific fit for what we do at Hendrick Motorsports and with the No. 24 team. I’m personally excited about the opportunities and thrilled to represent a company that’s so passionately supported auto racing for such a long time.”

COMMENTARY: In Defense Of Tony Stewart

Much has been said about NASCAR driver Tony Stewart in the aftermath of the Saturday incident that claimed the life of driver Kevin Ward, Jr. at New York’s Canandaigua Motorsports Park.

Some of it has been accurate, most has not.

Indisputable is the fact that Ward and Stewart tangled during the running of Saturday’s Empire Super Sprint event, with Ward’s car hitting the Turn Two wall. The 20-year old driver climbed from his damaged racer and attempted to confront Stewart, only to be struck and killed by the right-rear tire of Stewart’s car.

Since then, observers from outside the sport have attempted to categorize Stewart. It’s not an easy job, even for those of us who have known him for years. As Winston Churchill said of a World War II Russian counterpart, Stewart is “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”

The three-time Sprint Cup Series champion wears his heart on his sleeve and says precisely what he thinks at all times, whether or not the rest of the world agrees.

He is emotional and outspoken, equally likely to hurl a helmet at a fellow competitor, or embrace him in a Victory Lane bear hug.

He can be snarky, abrasive and abrupt, and woe to the media member that asks him a silly question two weeks in a row. He can break you up with a bawdy barroom joke, or deliver insightful commentary that leaves you pondering the meaning of the universe.

He can be brusque and dismissive in one moment, incredibly giving in the next; shooing away adults to spend precious “one on one” time with a terminally ill youngster, despite the pressing demands of race day morning.   

He can refer to an ex-girlfriend as “dead weight,” then perform a stunning act of kindness for someone he has never met.

Stewart’s history is littered with periodic instances of boorish (though generally harmless) behavior, and in the court of public opinion, those outbursts make him an easy man to condemn. In the aftermath of Saturday night’s tragedy, terms like “hot head” and “loose cannon” have been bandied about freely, as if tossing a helmet or belittling a reporter somehow equals vehicular homicide.

In the topsy-turvy world of internet expertise, where every anonymous poster is an expert and no statement is too outrageous, it’s easy to paint Stewart as an out-of-control renegade. But nothing in his background -- no on-track crash, no post-race comment or off-track indiscretion – rises to the level of intentionally striking a fellow racer with a 1,375 pound Sprint Car.

Not even close.

None of us will ever know the whole truth about what happened Saturday night in upstate New York. Only two men know for sure, and one of them is dead. Regardless of what the authorities ultimately rule, there will be plenty of blame to go around, and while I have no idea what Tony Stewart was thinking on that fateful moment at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, I can tell you this as surely as I can tell you my own name.

Tony Stewart is no killer.

In the days following Ward’s death, changes are already being made to prevent anything like it from ever happening again. New York’s Brewerton and Fulton Speedways, along with New Jersey’s Bridgeport Speedway have each implemented rules requiring drivers to remain in their cars until released by safety personnel. If a driver exits his/her car, the red flag will immediately be displayed and that driver fined or suspended.

It’s a good start, and hopefully, more tracks will follow suit in the days and weeks to come.

Until then, I will continue to grieve the loss of Kevin Ward, a talented young racer whose future was snuffed out in one moment of unspeakable horror. I will grieve for the Ward family, who now must bury their 20-year old son beneath a mountain of “what ifs.” I will grieve for the drivers and teams of the Empire Super Sprint Series, who lost one of their own in a manner than will surely be seared into their minds and hearts forever. And I will grieve for the fans at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, for whom horror and grief should never have been part of the Saturday night game plan.

And yes, I will continue to grieve for Tony Stewart, a man whose greatest joy in life – driving a fire-breathing Sprint Car on a dusty Saturday night short track – may now be lost forever. Stewart’s colossal heart is most certainly broken today, even as he attempts to find the strength to once again climb behind the wheel of a race car.