____________________________________________________________ T H E * S T O C K * C A R * G A Z E T T E by MotorSportsNews.Net Do you know for sure? motorsportsnews.net/you-can-know-for-sure ____________________________________________________________ The Stock Car Gazette is sponsored by: Hasco Collectibles 701 Mantooth Ave. Lufkin, TX 75904 hascodiecastcars/ [email protected] PRE-ORDER: Dale Jr. 1/24th 2013 AMP Energy Active Orange Dale Jr. 1/24th 2013 National Guard Camo Dale Jr. 1/24th 2013 7-11 AMP Energy Dale Jr. 1/24th 2013 National Guard Youth Foundation Dale Jr. 1/24th 2013 National Guard Man Of Steel Dale Jr. 1/24th 2013 National Guard Pink NEWEST 1/24th 2013 CARS IN STOCK: Dale Jr. 1/24th 2013 Natl Guard and Diet Mt. Dew Dale Jr. 1/24th 2013 Release 2012 Paint The 88 Huge Discounts On Older Model Year Cars, AND Ground Flat Rate Shipping Is Still Available Hasco Collectibles Div. Hasco Services, LLC 701 Mantooth Ave. Lufkin, TX 75904 hascodiecastcars/ [email protected] ___________________________________________________________ E d i t o r s * N o t e s ___________________________________________________________ Fall break has officially started! ___________________________________________________________ Stock Car Gazette Columnists Speak Out! ___________________________________________________________ Stock Car Gazette motorsportsnews.net/archives/8181 Non-Chaser Keselowski Wins Charlotte While Johnson Closes In On Kenseth by Lou Modestino ___________________________________________________________ N A S C A R * S P R I N T * C U P * S E R I E S ___________________________________________________________ Courtesy of Catchfence MWR Announces 2014 Reorganization Plan catchfence/2013/sprintcup/10/14/mwr-announces-2014-reorganization-plan/ Kevin Harvick to Drive Nationwide Series Races for JR Motorsports in 2014 - See more at: catchfence/#sthash.2j2WJ8qh.dpuf Brian Vickers to Miss Remainder of 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Season - See more at: catchfence/#sthash.bRFr7W8d.dpuf ___________________________________________________________ Courtesy of FrontStretch Sprint Cup Race Recap: Keselowski Snaps 37-Race Skid, Wins At Charlotte by Justin Tucker 377 days. That is how long it has been since Brad Keselowski last visited Victory Lane. It was a victory that came at Dover and helped fuel Keselowskis run to the 2012 Sprint Cup Championship. Fast forward over a year later, Keselowski failed to make the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup after a year of heartbreak and disappointment. On Saturday night in Charlotte, Keselowski finally felt the warm blow of Victory Lane again after finally outdueling Kasey Kahne with nine laps to go to score the victory in the Bank of America 500. Keselowski became the first non-Chaser since Kahne in 2011 to win a Chase race. A relieved Keselowski spoke of his teams effort and about perseverance in Victory Lane. I never give up. I didnt qualify well. But I kept working my way forward. I knew we had a good car, said Keselowski. He also spoke of his battle with Kasey Kahne for the race win. I love hard racing and there are a handful of guys who cant race hard and they freak out -- hes not one of them, Keselowski said about Kahne. Hes an excellent driver. He ran me hard but ran me clean and that is great racing. He did a hell of a job and deserves a lot of credit for it. It appeared that Jimmie Johnson had all but sealed victory until a controversial caution with 27 laps to go sent the leaders to pit road. Johnson would come out third and be the first on four fresh tires. However, a terrible restart would shuffle the No. 48 back to seventh. Johnson would rally back to finish fourth after leading 130 laps on the night. Johnson spoke after the race about the last restart. Evidently I was too close to him (Kahne) and in his way, and my car washed up a little bit, Johnson said. A couple of guys were able to get inside of me. I just lost track position at that point, which was unfortunate. Once I got rolling again, I was fine, but I lost too much at that point. Kasey Kahne led a race-high 138 laps in finishing second. It was Kahnes first top 10 finish of the 2013 Chase. Tonight was a good battle, he said. [Keselowski] had four tires and I had two, and I did all I could, and he just got by me and cleared me. Joining Keselowski and Kahne in the top 5 of Saturday nights Bank of America 500 were Matt Kenseth in third, the previously mentioned Jimmie Johnson in fourth, and Kyle Busch in fifth after a horrible weekend last week at Kansas. Busch was anything but celebrating the top 5 after the race. Fifth place sucks. They say you need top-fives to win a championship, but when youre getting beat by guys in front of you, then were just not good enough, Busch said. I dont know what to do to be better. Its frustrating, but you know, should be happy with a fifth, but were not. Rounding out the top 10 from Charlotte on Saturday were Kevin Harvick in sixth, Jeff Gordon in seventh, and Ryan Newman in eighth. Denny Hamlins ninth-place finish was his first top 10 since the first Pocono race, four months ago. Carl Edwards rounded out the top 10. A look at Saturdays Bank of America 500 by the numbers. There were 24 lead changes among 11 different drivers. There were only four cautions for 20 laps, which kept the race pace at a quick 158.308 MPH. Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to the ultimate chase wild card, Talladega Superspeedway for the Camping World RV Sales 500. The green flag at Talladega is scheduled for 2:20 PM ET next Sunday. ___________________________________________________________ Courtesy of Google Alerts College football game at NASCAR track officially set USA TODAY BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Plans have been announced for Tennessee and Virginia Tech to play their 2016 game at Bristol Motor Speedway. Track and officials .. usatoday/story/sports/ncaaf/2013/10/14/tennessee-virginia-tech-2016-game-bristol-motor-speedway/2980493/ Vickers out for rest of Cup season FOXSports Brian Vickers will miss the remainder of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season due to health issues resulting from blood clots. Vickers was placed on blood ... msn.foxsports/nascar/story/brian-vickers-to-miss-rest-of-sprint-cup-season-health-issues-blod-clots-101413 Greg Biffle in middle ground between being loved, hated in Chase ... The Huntsville Times - al Greg Biffle: No Time To Tweak For Chase Some NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers will experiment with their cars or their operation once they have secured their place . al/sports/index.ssf/2013/10/greg_biffle_in_middle_ground_b.html Testing, testing: NASCAR puts Generation-6 car through its paces Fox News So weve pretty much come full circle now with the Generation-6 car in a years time. NASCAR is holding a test today at Charlotte Motor Speedway working ... foxnews/sports/2013/10/14/testing-testing-nascar-puts-generation-6-car-through-it-paces/ AP sources: MWR cutting to 2 full teams in 2014 Yahoo Sports In this July 6, 2013, photo, Martin Truex Jr. greets fans during driver introductions before the NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race at Daytona International Speedway ... sports.yahoo/news/ap-sources-mwr-cutting-2-161836086--nascar.html Oil company extends NASCAR sponsorship at Kentucky Speedway Cincinnati Business Courier Quaker State has extended its title sponsorship of the top NASCAR race at Kentucky ... That will wrap up a tripleheader weekend of NASCAR action at Kentucky ... bizjournals/cincinnati/news/2013/10/14/oil-company-extends-nascar-sponsorship.html Bass Pro Shops grand opening in Port St. Lucie to feature NASCAR ... Fort Pierce Tribune 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. • Richard Childress: president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. • Roland Martin: ... tcpalm/news/2013/oct/14/bass-pro-shops-grand-opening-port-st-lucie-feature/ NASCAR: Opportunistic Brad Keselowski wins Chase race at Charlotte HNN Huntingtonnews.net But Keselowski overcame a loose wheel and a jack that spent a lap under the side of his car to win the fifth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, as a ... huntingtonnews.net/74477 NASCAR focuses test on aerodynamics, 1.5-mile tracks SportingNews CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR focused its test Monday on the aerodynamic package for 1.5-mile tracks as it brought six drivers to Charlotte Motor Speedway. sportingnews/nascar/story/2013-10-14/nascar-focuses-test-on-aerodynamics-15-mile-tracks ___________________________________________________________ Courtesy of Insider Racing News insiderracingnews New Blood Clot Will Sideline Brian Vickers For Balance Of 2013 Season Brian Vickers will miss the rest of the 2013 NASCAR racing season after a medical examination found a small blood clot in the calf region of his right leg, Michael Waltrip Racing announced Monday. Vickers, who was sidelined for the last six months of the 2010 season because of blood clots in his legs and lungs, will be unavailable to drive either the No. 55 MWR Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Vickers said Dr. William Downey has placed him on blood-thinning medication, rendering him unavailable medically to drive for the balance of the year, effectively immediately. Vickers said he plans to return to the No. 55 Camry in 2014. If theres anything to be positive about with todays news its that this is only a temporary setback, Vickers said in an MWR release. The timing for this is never good, but Im glad well get it out of the way now and be ready to run for a championship with the Aarons Dream Machine in 2014. After taking a part-time role in the No. 55 car this season, Vickers is signed to drive the car full time next year. Team owner Michael Waltrip will be behind the wheel of the No. 55 this weekend at Talladega, as planned, and the team is looking for a substitute driver (or drivers) to complete the balance of the races. Vickers has competed in 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup events this season, 14 with MWR and three as a substitute for injured Denny Hamlin. On July 14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Vickers posted his third career win in NASCARs premier series. Joe Gibbs Racing has not announced its plans for the No. 20 car for the three races remaining on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. Vickers currently is eighth in the NNS standings, 97 points behind series leader Austin Dillon. (NASCAR Wire Service) MWR Reorganization Features Two Full-Time Cars In 2014 Michael Waltrip Racing will run two full-time and one part-time car next season, leaving driver Martin Truex Jr. and crew chief Chad Johnston free to pursue other options for 2014, the team announced Monday. MWR will field the Nos. 15 and 55 Toyotas full-time, competing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, with the No. 56 running a limited schedule. Team owner Michael Waltrip will drive the No. 56 Camry in the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 23. Scott Miller, who took over as interim crew chief for the No. 55 with the announced departure of Rodney Childers from Michael Waltrip Racing, will continue as full-time crew chief for the car in 2014. In addition, MWR is bolstering its research-and-development effort. Clint Bowyer drives the No. 15 Camry and is competing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship this season, having qualified for the Chase. The status of Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 55, was clouded Monday with news of a recurrence of the sort of blood clot that kept him out of action for the final six months of the 2010 season. Because he is taking blood-thinning medication under doctors orders, Vickers is unavailable to drive for the rest of the 2013 season. Our goals for the reorganization were two-fold, firstly to improve the competitiveness of our race teams and, secondly maintain a stable organizational structure, co-owner Rob Kauffman said. The teams focus has been to find that last one percent needed to move from Chase participant to Cup champion. This realignment will get us closer to that last one percent. NASCAR penalized MWR heavily in September for attempting to manipulate the outcome of the final regular-season race at Richmond. In addition to a $300,000 fine to the organization, each of its three drivers lost 50 championship points. In Truexs case the penalty, knocked him out of a spot in the Chase. NAPA Auto Parts, Truexs sponsor, subsequently opted out of its contract with MWR, a move that cost the company an estimated $16 million annually. On Monday, MWR laid off approximately 15 percent of its work force and informed the employees who were affected by the cutbacks. Today was about doing what we had to do, not what we wanted to do, Kauffman said. It was important to let those whose jobs were affected know as early as possible, and a majority of those will remain with MWR through the end of the season. (NASCAR Wire Service) ___________________________________________________________ Courtesy of Jayski jayski • Entry List for the Camping World RV Sales 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway is posted, 44 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including: #14-Austin Dillon, #51-Justin Allgaier, #32-Terry Labonte, #55-Michael Waltrip, #21-Trevor Bayne & #12-Sam Hornish Jr. One driver will miss the race. #12-Hornish Jr. needs to be in the top -36 in speeds to make the race. If qualifying gets rained out, the team with the least number of attempts would fail to make the race, also #12-Hornish Jr. See the full entry list at my Jayskis Talladega Entry List • Future on Display at Charlotte Motor Speedway Test: Engines re-fired on a Monday at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the Bank of America 500, as six race teams returned to the track to work on further research and development of the Gen-6 car. Aerodynamics were the focus of the day at the 1.5-mile track. Three different packages were run during the test, as NASCAR and the teams focused on spoilers, splitters and ride heights in an effort to further evolve the competition package on the Gen-6 race car. Our objective is to shake down some potential changes for the 2014 season, said Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR vice president of innovation and racing development. We will be doing this on an ongoing basis, with an eye to continue to improve our product on the track. It is really an exercise in continuous improvement. Our focus today is all around the area of aerodynamics, said Stefanyshyn. We have seven changes and have been bundling three different configurations all with an eye to work on the aerodynamics of the car. We took everybodys ideas, put them together and came up with these configurations for the test. They are our ideas as an industry on how we can improve the product on the track. After a successful 2013 season with the new Gen-6 car, the attention shifts to refining the competition package. As everyone knows, we did an unbelievable amount of miles last year testing many different configurations, said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. Our goal was to hand the car off to the teams better than the one that they ended the 2012 season with. We feel like we achieved that goal; we feel like the cars performed well, the drivers like the way the car drives. From that standpoint, it was a successful year. & We will always continue to evaluate our competition and this is one of those programs thats coming together. Two teams from each manufacturer participated in the test, offering insight and feedback on the various packages tested. #21-Trevor Bayne, #31-Jeff Burton, #11-Denny Hamlin, #2-Brad Keselowski, #1-Jamie McMurray and #55-Brett Moffitt all turned laps throughout the day. Today s test was delayed due to rain, and continued after sundown. The data will be processed and brought back to the NASCAR Research and Development center where it will be analyzed and reviewed to help inform key decisions on future competition set ups.(NASCAR)(10-15-2013) • Ford Fusion will sport new look in 2014: Ford teams will debut a slightly new look on the front next season, as the inset below the grille area will be pulled out to make it flush with the rest of the front end. The move, which has already been approved by NASCAR, is expected to lessen the problem of removing debris from the grille area. Ford officials briefed both Toyota and Chevrolet before making a formal request to NASCAR. The three brands are the only three fielding entries in NASCAR at this time. (NASCAR)(10-15-2013) • Top 13 Driver Rating at Talladega: #20-Matt Kenseth.............................. 91.5 #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr....................... 89.9 #31-Jeff Burton................................. 89.3 Brian Vickers............................. 87.3 (not racing) #78-Kurt Busch................................. 86.8 #2-Brad Keselowski......................... 85.7 #34-David Ragan.............................. 85.0 #43-Aric Almirola.............................. 83.9 #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.................... 83.9 #48-Jimmie Johnson......................... 83.1 #24-Jeff Gordon................................ 81.8 #11-Denny Hamlin............................. 81.6 #1-Jamie McMurray........................ 81.5 Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (17 total) among active drivers at Talladega Superspeedway. Formula combining the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.(NASCAR) • Talladega Facts and Notes - Tuesday: • Construction began on what was then known as the Alabama International Motor Speedway on May 23, 1968. • The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on Sept. 14, 1969 won by Richard Brickhouse. • The name changed to Talladega Superspeedway in 1989. • Fourth repaving completed on Sept. 19, 2006. • There have been 88 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Talladega Superspeedway, one NSCS event in 1969 and two races per year since 1970. • Talladega Superspeedway is tied with Michigan International Speedway for holding the ninth most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points paying races (88). • 431 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega; 294 in more than one. • Dave Marcis leads the series in starts at Talladega with 61. Terry Labonte leads all active drivers with 58 starts; followed by Michael Waltrip with 54. • Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega Superspeedway was the (4/17/2011) race won by Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.002 second the MOV is tied with the 2003 Darlington race as the closest finishes in the NSCS using electronic scoring. • Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Talladega with 839 laps led in 40 starts. • Three female drivers have competed at Talladega in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Janet Guthrie, Patty Moise and Danica Patrick. • Only two of the 87 races at Talladega Superspeedway have been shortened due to weather conditions: spring of 1987 and fall of 1996.(NASCAR)(10-15-2013) • NASCAR Bring Troops to the Track Program to Talladega: The Armed Forces Foundation and NASCAR continue the 2013 Troops to the Track program on Sunday, October 20th by bringing service members from the Maxwell Air Force Base to the Camping World RV Sales 500. Maxwell AFB has a reputation of excellence in the fields of logistics, communications, education and training. The goal of Maxwell AFB is to develop mission-ready Airmen and operate a world-class installation. Members of this group have served overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Southwest Asia, Central America, Bahrain and Kyrgyzstan. 2013 season of Troops to the Track, a program in which service members are treated to a daylong interactive at-track experience, which includes: a special invitation and recognition at the drivers pre-race meeting, a private tour of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, pit road access during driver introductions / National Anthem and special seating in the grandstands.(AFF)(10-15-2013) • MWR unveils new plan for 2014 UPDATE 3: Michael Waltrip Racing majority owner Rob Kauffman told FOXSports on Sunday he hopes to unveil the companys reorganizational plan relatively soon. The moves will come following MWRs penalties for attempts to manipulate the outcome of the Richmond International Raceway race on Sept. 7 and the subsequent announcement from NAPA to pull its sponsorship from the #56 Toyota team. Were working on an announcement, Kauffman said. I think its been a week since we last spoke, so were trying to get it all together. But we have a couple of good options. I think rather than use the word release, Id prefer to say allow guys to explore all their options just as were exploring all of our options. Is that exactly negative? I think its the right thing to allow people to investigate all their options. A lot of these contracts have provisions that say you cant speak to anyone. So, technically, its a release, but its really more correct saying, Look, theres a challenge here. We want you to investigate all your options. Of course, were one and lets stay in close communication. I dont think theres anything negative around it at all. Its just letting people figure it out.(FoxSports)(10-8-2013) UPDATE: The Associated Press has learned that Michael Waltrip Racing will run only two full-time cars next season because of the loss of sponsor NAPA. Team owners Michael Waltrip and Rob Kauffman on Monday began telling employees of their decision. Those affected were told they are free to begin looking for a new job immediately. Two employees spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because MWR had not publicly announced its decision. The car that #56-Martin Truex Jr. currently drives will run a partial schedule in 2014. NAPA decided to leave MWR at the end of the year fallout from the teams attempt to manipulate the finish at Richmond to get Truex into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.(Associated Press)(10-14-2013) UPDATE2: Michael Waltrip Racing announced today its reorganization for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, highlighted by two full-time championship contending teams, a third entry which will run a limited schedule and a strengthened research and development group. MWR will field the #55 Aaron s Toyota and the #15 5-hour ENERGY/PEAK Toyota in its pursuit of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. To enhance performance for its two full-time teams, MWR has bolstered its R&D effort and will run a third car in select races, including Michael Waltrip in the 2014 Daytona 500. Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota and his crew chief, Chad Johnston, each have been notified they are free to negotiate with other teams. Scott Miller, the team s executive vice president of competition, will continue his role as crew chief of the #55 team into the 2014 season. Our goals for the reorganization were twofold, firstly to improve the competitiveness of our race teams and, secondly maintain a stable organizational structure, said co-owner Rob Kauffman. The team s focus has been to find that last one percent needed to move from Chase participant to Cup champion. This realignment will get us closer to that last one percent. The reorganization enabled MWR to retain more than 85% of its current workforce. Those whose positions were affected by the moves were notified Monday morning. Today was about doing what we had to do not what we wanted to do, Kauffman added. It was important to let those whose jobs were affected know as early as possible, and a majority of those will remain with MWR through the end of the season. We have very strong support from Toyota, Toyota Racing Development, 5-hour ENERGY, PEAK, Aaron s, AAA Mid-Atlantic and other partners who enable us to compete at the highest level, said MWR founder and co-owner Michael Waltrip. We are confident that with two teams and a very active test team, our competiveness will take a step forward. We will also continue to do a great job for our partners off the track, which has always been a cultural staple for our organization. Rob and I deeply appreciate everyone who has helped build MWR into a race winning team and we are dedicated to continuing our pursuit of excellence on and off the track. (MWR)(10-14-2013) UPDATE Truex has been talking to Furniture Row Racing about the seat being vacated by Kurt Busch. MWR is undecided if it will use Truexs #56 on the third car next season, and how many races the car enters will be based on sponsorship.(Associated Press)(10-14-2013) • Brian Vickers to miss the rest of the 2013 season: Michael Waltrip Racing learned today that Brian Vickers is not available to race for the remainder of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season due to health issues. Vickers said Dr. William Downey has placed him on blood thinning medication after a Monday morning examination on his right leg discovered a small blood clot in his calf region. The medications will keep Vickers out of the #55 Aaron s Toyota the remainder of the season, effective immediately. Vickers said his physicians are confident he will be able to resume activity before the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season begins. If there s anything to be positive about with today s news it s that this is only a temporary setback, said Vickers. The timing for this is never good, but I m glad we ll get it out of the way now and be ready to run for a championship with the Aaron s Dream Machine in 2014. We were just informed this morning and our concern is for Brian s health, said MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman. Anything else will be worked out in due course. As previously announced, two-time Daytona 500 champion Michael Waltrip will drive the #55 Aaron s Dream Machine at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. A replacement driver for the remaining events will be named later. In 22 races with MWR in 2012 and 2013, Vickers owns five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes including a victory on July 14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.(MWR)(10-14-2013) • Hunt Brothers Pizza Joins Stewart-Haas Racing as associate sponsor: Hunt Brothers Pizza, the nation s largest brand of made-to-order pizza in the convenience store industry, will serve as an associate sponsor of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick and the #4 team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) beginning in 2014. Hunt Brothers Pizza became involved in NASCAR as a team partner in 2008, where the Nashville, Tenn.-based company sponsored Haas CNC Racing, the predecessor of SHR. Hunt Brothers Pizza aligned with Harvick in 2009, and it s a partnership that will continue in 2014 with Harvick s move to SHR. We re very proud to enter our seventh year in NASCAR with Kevin Harvick and Stewart-Haas Racing, said Keith Solsvig, vice president of marketing, Hunt Brothers Pizza. Kevin and his wife DeLana have been excellent brand ambassadors, so much so that they have their very own Hunt Brothers Pizza oven in their kitchen. It s that kind of authenticity that made continuing our partnership with Kevin Harvick a very easy decision. Hunt Brothers Pizza is family owned and operated with 50 years of experience in offering all of the food products, marketing programs, equipment and training for convenience stores to operate their own turnkey pizza program.(SHR) AND Kevin Harvick has signed with JR Motorsports and will compete in a minimum of 12 Nationwide Series races in 2014. Hunt Brothers Pizza will be the primary sponsor on Harvick s Chevy for four races.(JRM)(10-14-2013) • Testing at Charlotte on Monday: NASCAR announced that it will hold a Sprint Cup test at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Monday, Oct. 14th (Columbus Day). Cars will be on the track from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm/et, and the goal will be research and development on the circuits mile-and-a-half track rules package. Before this season, NASCAR and its manufacturer partners implemented the Generation-6 car, which contained a number of stylistic elements designed to strengthen the ties with respective passenger models. The vehicle also featured new performance characteristics including higher rear grip and lighter overall weight, which has translated into record speeds at many tracks. Next weeks test will continue the development of that platform on intermediate tracks. Officials said that aerodynamic enhancements, chassis ride heights and drafting scenarios would be among the components to be tested.(NASCAR)(10-9-2013) AND Some of the changes NASCAR officials are expected to roll out for Mondays test at Charlotte Motor Speedway have been previously attempted, in some form or fashion, by Sprint Cup Series teams or their respective manufacturers. Altering ride heights and changing spoiler heights and angles isnt groundbreaking. Little was left uncovered by teams and manufacturers as they worked through the development process of the Generation-6 car that debuted this season. But with NASCAR officials and a handful of teams back at the 1.5-mile track, much can still be learned. Attitude adjustment is no longer an idea, its a path. Two teams from each manufacture will take part in Mondays test Penske Racing and Wood Brothers Racing (Ford), Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) and Joe Gibbs Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing (Toyota).(NASCAR)(10-14-2013) Drivers: Six drivers, representing the sport s three manufacturers, will take part in the test: Chevy s Burton and Jamie McMurray; Ford s Brad Keselowski and Trevor Bayne; and Toyota s Denny Hamlin and Brian Vickers [replaced by Brett Moffitt](Charlotte Observer)(10-14-2013) • Testing this week at Texas: Beginning Monday, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing will bring their stable of drivers to compete in a three-day test at Texas Motor Speedway and fans can catch a glimpse of the Chase contenders as the sessions are open to the public. Gates for the test session will be open from 9:00am to 7:00 pm/ct Monday through Wednesday [Oct 14-16]. Fans can park in the VIP/PSL parking lot located just outside Gate 4. Concession stands will be closed so fans are encouraged to bring their coolers. Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing won t be the only ones making a visit to Texas Motor Speedway in October. Richard Childress Racing will take part in a two-day test beginning Tuesday, Oct. 22, with championship contender Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard and Jeff Burton. Tickets for the AAA Texas 500 are available by calling the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or by visiting texasmotorspeedway.(TMS)(10-14-2014) • Charlotte Race and Commercial Breakdown of the 2013 Bank of America 500: For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, here is the breakdown for Saturday s race._ Began recording the times at the Invocation of the race at 7:32 PM, and stopped at the waving of the checkered flag at 11:00 PM (all times are EST). ABC was the broadcast team for this event. Total number of commercials: 152 Total number of companies or entities advertised: 71 Number of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 107 Total number of companies or entities advertised: 58 Number of Side-by-Side commercials during race broadcast (split-screen): 45 Total number of companies or entities advertised: 26 Number of times ABC utilized Side-by-Side commercials during this broadcast: 6 Start time to record race/commercial periods: 7:32 PM End time to record race/commercial periods: 11:00 PM Total minutes of complete race broadcast: 208 Minutes of race broadcast: 167 Minutes of traditional commercials (not split-screen): 41 Minutes of Side-by-Side commercials (split-screen): 17 Number of missed restarts: 0 Number of mystery cautions (debris not shown): 2 Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 26 Total amount of time these brief promos take during broadcast: app. 2 min. 5 sec. Total race brdcst time 167 Total comm. brdcst time 41 See past races, links, more info on the 2013 TV Commercials page.(10-14-2013) ___________________________________________________________ Courtesy of Racin Today racintoday Charlotte Test To Take On Gen 6 Pushiness racintoday/archives/43566 Waltrip’s Vickers To Sit Out Rest of Season racintoday/archives/43570 ___________________________________________________________ P R E S S * R E L E A S E S ___________________________________________________________ Future on Display at Charlotte Motor Speedway Test Several Competition Packages Tested on the 1.5-Mile Speedway DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 14, 2013) – Engines re-fired on a Monday at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the Bank of America 500, as six race teams returned to the track to work on further research and development of the Gen-6 car. Aerodynamics were the focus of the day at the 1.5-mile track. Three different packages were run during the test, as NASCAR and the teams focused on spoilers, splitters and ride heights in an effort to further evolve the competition package on the Gen-6 race car. “Our objective is to shake down some potential changes for the 2014 season,” said Gene Stefanyshyn, NASCAR vice president of innovation and racing development. “We will be doing this on an ongoing basis, with an eye to continue to improve our product on the track. It is really an exercise in continuous improvement. “Our focus today is all around the area of aerodynamics,” said Stefanyshyn. “We have seven changes and have been bundling three different configurations all with an eye to work on the aerodynamics of the car. We took everybodys ideas, put them together and came up with these configurations for the test. They are our ideas as an industry on how we can improve the product on the track. After a successful 2013 season with the new Gen-6 car, the attention shifts to refining the competition package. As everyone knows, we did an unbelievable amount of miles last year testing many different configurations,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “Our goal was to hand the car off to the teams better than the one that they ended the 2012 season with. We feel like we achieved that goal; we feel like the cars performed well, the drivers like the way the car drives. From that standpoint, it was a successful year. … We will always continue to evaluate our competition and this is one of those programs thats coming together. Two teams from each manufacturer participated in the test, offering insight and feedback on the various packages tested. Trevor Bayne, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Jamie McMurray and Brett Moffitt all turned laps throughout the day. Today’s test was delayed due to rain, and continued after sundown. The data will be processed and brought back to the NASCAR Research and Development center where it will be analyzed and reviewed to help inform key decisions on future competition set ups. ___________________________________________________________ N A S C A R * N A T I O N W I D E * S E R I E S ___________________________________________________________ Courtesy of Jayski jayski NEXT RACE: OReilly Auto Parts Challenge, Saturday, November 2, 2013 at Texas Motor Speedway • Busch wins at Charlotte: #54-Kyle Busch won the Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. #3-Austin Dillon finished second followed by #12-Sam Hornish, Jr., #33-Kevin Harvick, #18-Matt Kenseth, #31-Justin Allgaier, #22-Joey Logano, #6-Trevor Bayne, #77-Parker Kligerman, and #43-Michael Annett. There were 5 cautions for 29 laps and 14 lead changes among 10 leaders. Complete results are on the Charlotte race results page (pdf).(10-11-2013) • Charlotte Race Fast Facts: Kyle Busch(i) won the 32nd Annual Dollar General 300, his 62nd victory in 267 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. This is his 11th victory and 20th top-10 finish in 2013. This is his eighth victory and 18th top-10 finish in 21 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This is the ninth time a driver has won from the pole in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The last driver to accomplish the feat was Matt Kenseth in Oct. 7, 2000). Austin Dillon (second) posted his second top-10 finish in four races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It is his 20th top-10 finish in 2013. Sam Hornish Jr. (third) posted his second top-10 finish in seven races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kyle Larson (13th) was the highest finishing rookie. Austin Dillon leads the point standings by 8 points over Sam Hornish Jr. (NASCAR Integrated Marketing)(10-11-2013) • Driver standings following Charlotte (3 races remaining): 1) #3-Austin Dillon 1067 2) #12-Sam Hornish Jr. 1059, -8 3) #7-Regan Smith 1015, -52 4) #31-Justin Allgaier 997, -70 5) #11-Elliott Sadler 989, -78 6) #6-Trevor Bayne 976, -91 7) #2-Brian Scott 974, -93 8) #20-Brian Vickers 970, -97 9) #32-Kyle Larson # 910, -157 10) #77-Parker Kligerman 893, -174 Vickers out for remainder of season UPDATE: Michael Waltrip Racing learned today that Brian Vickers is not available to race for the remainder of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season due to health issues. Vickers said Dr. William Downey has placed him on blood thinning medication after a Monday morning examination on his right leg discovered a small blood clot in his calf region. The medications will keep Vickers out of the #55 Aaron s Toyota the remainder of the season, effective immediately. Vickers said his physicians are confident he will be able to resume activity before the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season begins.(Michael Waltrip Racing)(10-14-2013) UPDATE: We are praying Brian will have a quick and full recovery from this latest issue, said Joe Gibbs. Everyone at JGR appreciates all the hard work and effort he has given to our Nationwide Series program this year. He is a great competitor and we look forward to seeing him back on the track in 2014. An announcement on a replacement driver for the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota will be made at a later date. The next NASCAR Nationwide Series race is Saturday, November 2 in Texas.(Joe Gibbs Racing)(10-14-2013) ___________________________________________________________ C A M P I N G * W O R L D * T R U C K * S E R I E S ___________________________________________________________ Courtesy of Jayski jayski NEXT RACE: freds 250,Saturday, October 19, 2013 at Talladega Superspeedway • Entry list: There are 37 trucks on the preliminary entry list for this Saturdays freds 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Some notes include; Timmy Hill in the #1; Parker Kligerman in the #20; Mason Mingus in the #35; Scott Stenzel in the #63; Sean Corr in the #82; (10-14-2013) ___________________________________________________________ A R C A (Automobile Racing Club of America) ___________________________________________________________ Courtesy of ARCA arcaracing Mitchell says he will race full-time in 2014, (TOLEDO, Ohio – Oct. 14, 2013) – Mason Mitchell announced Monday that he would race the entire 2014 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season for Mason Mitchell Motorsports. Mitchell, coming off a sixth-place finish in the 2013 driver point standings, made his announcement on Race Time Radio. “I like the challenge,” Mitchell said. ___________________________________________________________ C O L U M N S / C O M M E N T A R I E S ___________________________________________________________ MWR downsizing; Truex Jr. free to sign elsewhere sbnation/nascar/2013/10/14/4838290/michael-waltrip-racing-eliminate-one-full-time-team-martin-truex-jr-napa Brian Vickers out for year with blood clot sbnation/nascar/2013/10/14/4837652/brian-vickers-blood-clots-miss-remainder-nascar-season-michael-waltrip-racing __________________________________________________________ T V * L I S T I N G S ___________________________________________________________ Courtesy of Jayski jayski/news/pages/story/_/page/NASCAR-Television-Listings 10 15 Tues 2:00 AM 2:30 AM NASCAR Now ESPN2 10 15 Tues 12:00 PM 1:00 PM NASCAR Race Hub FS1 10 15 Tues 5:00 PM 6:00 PM NASCAR Race Hub FS2 10 16 Wed 4:00 PM 5:00 PM NASCAR Race Hub FS1 10 16 Wed 5:00 PM 6:00 PM NASCAR Race Hub FS2 10 17 Thurs 2:30 AM 3:00 AM NASCAR Now ESPN2 10 17 Thurs 1:00 PM 2:00 PM NASCAR K&N Pro Series Dover FS1 10 17 Thurs 4:00 PM 5:00 PM NASCAR Race Hub FS1 10 17 Thurs 5:00 PM 6:00 PM NASCAR Race Hub FS2 Always CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS! ___________________________________________________________ The Stock Car Gazette Copyright 2002-2010 by MotorSportsNews.Net All Rights Reserved DONATIONS https://paypal/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=6356277 Find us on Twitter twitter/motorsportsnews SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE INFORMATION groups.google/group/StockCarGazette Miss an edition of the Stock Car Gazette? 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Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 11:28:59 +0000
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