Monday, September 16, 2013

New Hampshire Motorspeedway History and Notes


New Hampshire Motor Speedway:

History
· Groundbreaking for New Hampshire International Speedway, as New Hampshire Motor Speedway was originally named, was Aug. 13, 1989.

· The 1.058-mile oval is located on approximately 1,200 acres; the multi-use complex is the largest sports facility in New England.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993 – won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.

· Speedway Motorsports Inc., agreed to purchase New Hampshire International Speedway from Bob and Gary Bahre on January 11, 2008 and then renamed the track New Hampshire Motor Speedway.



Notebook


· There have been 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.
· 148 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; 120 in more than one.
· Four drivers have competed in all 37 races at New Hampshire: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.
· Mark Martin won the inaugural Coors Light pole at New Hampshire in 1993 with a speed of 126.871 mph.
· 18 drivers have Coors Light poles at New Hampshire, led by Ryan Newman with six.
· Five drivers have won consecutive Coors Light poles at New Hampshire: Ken Schrader (1997 sweep); Jeff Gordon (1998-1999); Rusty Wallace (1999-2000); Ryan Newman (twice – 2003-2004 and 2011 sweep); Juan Pablo Montoya (2009-2010).
· Youngest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Brian Vickers (7/17/2005 – 21 years, 8 months, 23 days).
· Oldest New Hampshire Coors Light pole winner: Bill Elliott (7/21/2002 – 46 years, 9 months, 13 days).
· 22 different drivers have won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, led by Jeff Burton with four.
· Two drivers have posted consecutive wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson (2003 sweep) and Kurt Busch (2004 sweep).
· Youngest New Hampshire winner: Joey Logano (6/28/2009 – 19 years, 1 month, 4 days).
· Oldest New Hampshire winner: Mark Martin (9/20/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 11 days).
· Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at New Hampshire in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with nine; followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.
· Five different manufacturers have won at New Hampshire; led by Chevrolet with 18 victories; followed by Ford with 11 and Toyota with three.
· Jeff Burton is the only driver to win the July race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway three consecutive years in a row (1997, ’98 and ’99).
· Five of the 37 (13.5%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from the Coors Light pole; the most recent was Ryan Newman in 2011.
· The Coors Light pole is the most proficient starting position in the field, producing more winners (five) than any other starting position at New Hampshire.
· Eight of the 37 (21.6%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from the front row: eight from the pole and seven from second place.
· 19 of the 37 (51.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Nine of the 37 (24.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at New Hampshire was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.
· Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are tied for the series lead in runner-up finishes at New Hampshire with five each.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-five finishes at New Hampshire with 16; followed by Tony Stewart with 14.
· Jeff Gordon leads the series in top-10 finishes at New Hampshire with 22; followed by Tony Stewart with 17.
· Ryan Newman leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at New Hampshire with an 8.348.
· Denny Hamlin leads NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at New Hampshire with an 8.800.
· All 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners at New Hampshire Motor Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Ryan Newman and Joey Logano won at New Hampshire in their second appearance.
· Mark Martin competed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway 25 times before winning in 2009; the longest span of any the 16 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.
· Bobby Labonte leads the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at New Hampshire without visiting Victory Lane at 37; followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 28.
· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was the July 1, 2007 race won by Denny Hamlin over Jeff Gordon with a MOV of 0.068 second.
· 15 of the 30 NSCS races scored by electronic scoring at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have had a Margin of Victory less than a second.
· Two of the 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races have resulted with a green-white-checkered finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 2006 (300/308) and 2013 (301/302).
· Four of the 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions; the most recent was June 28, 2009 – the race was called on Lap 273, 28 circuits shy of the 301 scheduled laps.
· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway four times: 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2009.
· Three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series active drivers have made their first career start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Jeff Burton (9/14/93), Joe Nemechek (7/11/93), and Joey Logano (9/14/08).
· Brad Keselowski (9/19/10) is the only active driver to post his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
· Four active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway: Joe Nemechek (9/19/99), Ryan Newman (9/15/02), Clint Bowyer (9/16/07) and Joey Logano (6/28/09).
· Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at New Hampshire with 1,316 laps led in 37 starts.
· Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.



NASCAR in New Hampshire

· There have been 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in New Hampshire, all at NHMS.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data
Season Race #: 27 of 36 (9-22-13)
Chase Race #: 2
Track Size: 1.058-mile
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 2 to 7 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 2 to 7 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 1 degree
Banking/Backstretch: 1 degree
Frontstretch Length:  1,500 feet
Backstretch Length:  1,500 feet
Race Length: 300 laps / 317.4 miles

Top 13 Driver Rating at New Hampshire
Tony Stewart............................111.0
Jeff Gordon.............................. 109.4
Jimmie Johnson....................... 105.1
Denny Hamlin...........................103.5
Dale Earnhardt Jr..................... 96.9
Clint Bowyer...............................96.2
Ryan Newman............................93.1
Jeff Burton................................. 92.8
Kevin Harvick.............................92.1
Kasey Kahne.............................. 92.1
Kyle Busch................................. 91.9
Kurt Busch................................. 90.9
Mark Martin...............................88.9
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2013 races (17 total) among active drivers at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

 Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 134.911 mph, 28.232 secs. 9-21-12

2012 race winner: Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 116.810 mph, (02:43:02), 9-23-12

Track qualifying record: Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 135.232 mph, 28.165 secs. 7-15-11

Track race record: Jeff Burton, Ford, 117.134 mph, (02:42:35), 7-13-97

- NASCAR Integrated Marketing

NASCAR This Week on ESPN


The Chase Continues at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup continues this weekend with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H. ESPN will have a live telecast of the second race of NASCAR’s playoffs on Sunday, Sept. 22, with NASCAR Countdown at 1 p.m. ET and the race’s green flag at 2:15 p.m. All NASCAR programming on ESPN is also available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN and the WatchESPN app.

Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.

Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.

NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace; Ray Evernham, Brad Daugherty (analysts).

NASCAR Nationwide Series in Prime Time at Kentucky

The NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Kentucky Speedway near Cincinnati on Saturday night, Sept. 21, at the race will air on ESPNEWS and WatchESPN. NASCAR Countdown is at 7 p.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 7:46 p.m. Marty Reid and analyst Ricky Craven will call the race with pit reporters Rick DeBruhl, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake.

NASCAR Now Weekend Wrap-up Show To Review Chase Race No. 2

ESPN’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will review the second race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on Sunday night, Sept. 22, at 11:30 p.m. ET. Studio host Chris Cotter will be joined from the track by NASCAR Now lead reporter Marty Smith. This week’s schedule:
 
Date               Time              Show                 Host                     Network
Wed., Sept. 18   2:30 a.m.   NASCAR Now   Mike Massaro               ESPN2
Thu., Sept. 19    2 a.m.        NASCAR Now   Mike Massaro               ESPN2
Fri., Sept.   20    2 a.m.        NASCAR Now   Jonathan Coachman   ESPN2
Sun., Sept. 22    11:30 p.m.  NASCAR Now   Chris Cotter                  ESPN2

- ESPN Media Zone News

Montoya to Join Team Penske in 2014


Team Penske announced today that Juan Pablo Montoya will join the team in 2014. Montoya will drive the No. 2 Team Penske IndyCar for the full season as he will join Will Power and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves in the team's IZOD IndyCar Series lineup beginning next season.

Montoya, 37, is a native of Colombia and he is one of the most accomplished drivers in the world. His career highlights include race wins in Formula One, NASCAR and the CART Indy Car Series. He is the only driver to produce victories in the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the Monaco Grand Prix. Montoya earned 11 IndyCar wins over two seasons as he captured the CART Series title in his rookie season of 1999 followed by a victory in the Indy 500 in 2000.

"I am really excited to join this legendary team beginning next year," said Montoya. "I have had the opportunity to drive for some of the best racing teams in the world and I have always admired Roger Penske and his organization. I consider it an honor to be offered the opportunity to drive for Team Penske."

"Juan is a proven winner at all levels of motorsport," said Roger Penske. "He has won a lot of races and championships and he has an extremely passionate fan base. We look forward to building on his successes together and we believe he will be a great addition to Team Penske."

Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 377 major race wins, 433 pole positions and 24 National Championships. The team has also earned 15 Indianapolis 500 victories in its storied history.

- Penske Racing News

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race Fast Facts and Results - Chicagoland Geico 400


Matt Kenseth won the 13th Annual Geico 400, his 30th victory in 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. He becomes the 22nd driver to reach 30 NASCAR Sprint Cup victories.

This is his sixth victory and 14th top-10 finish in 2013. This sixth win is a single-season career high for Kenseth.

This is his first victory and fifth top-10 finish in 14 races at Chicagoland Speedway.

There were 25 lead changes among 16 different drivers -- both series records at Chicagoland Speedway. 

Kyle Busch (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in ten races at Chicagoland Speedway. It is his 16th top-10 finish in 2013.

Kevin Harvick (third) posted his eighth top-10 finish in 14 races at Chicagoland Speedway.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (eighth) was the highest finishing rookie. It is his career-best finish.

Matt Kenseth leads the point standings by 8 points over Kyle Busch.

Click for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Unofficial Race Results: RESULTS

Click for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Unofficial Driver Points: RESULTS



Friday, September 13, 2013

NASCAR Announces Decision Following Review Of Race At Richmond


Following a comprehensive review of all available audio and video communications from last Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway, along with interviews with team personnel, NASCAR announced Friday the following decision:

· Both the Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing organizations have been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 for violating Section 12-1 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing).

· A 13th car – the No. 24 – would be added to this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

“Based on all of our findings this week, we determined both Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing organizations would be placed on probation for the remainder of this season,” said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Additionally, based upon the totality of our findings, to be fair and equitable we decided that adding a 13th car to this year’s Chase is the appropriate action.

“Beginning with our decision Monday, which resulted in an unprecedented team penalty, and continuing with further examination of actions involving two other race teams, it is clear to us that attempts to manipulate the results impacted the Chase field.

“The integrity of our sport remains the cornerstone of NASCAR, and our actions this week speak to our commitment to ensure a level playing field for all competitors.”

Additionally, NASCAR will conduct a mandatory meeting with drivers, owners, crew chiefs and other team personnel tomorrow to address this issue moving forward.

- NASCAR Integrated Marketing


Thursday, September 12, 2013

NASCAR Chassis Selections - ChicagoLand Speedway GEICO 400

Not all teams announce their weekly race chassis'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the chassis in the teams race preview: 

#2- Brad Keselowski - The No. 2 Miller Lite primary chassis for Chicagoland is PRS-864, it's a brand new chassis. Backup Chassis PRS-838 last raced at Darlington (finished 32nd).

#5- Kasey Kahne - Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-809 for Sunday’s event at Chicagoland. Kahne drove this car to a third-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. Most recently, he finished seventh while driving this car at Michigan International Speedway in August.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - The No. 9 Deewalt Ford Fusion team will bring new chassis No. 842 this weekend to Chicago. The team last ran this chassis at Pocono Raceway where they started in eighth and finished in the 12th spot.

#10-Danica Patrick - Chassis No. 10-805 was used for the first time in July at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Patrick started 33rd and finished 30th

#14-Mark Martin - Chassis No. 14-707: This car made its first start in May 2012 in the non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was an unassuming debut, as Chassis No. 14-707 started ninth and finished a quiet 17th. The car sat idle until late August where it was used for the Labor Day weekend event at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It started strong by qualifying on the pole and took the lead from Greg Biffle on lap two and continued to pace the 43-car field for eight laps. But as the race wore on, Chassis No. 14-707 struggled with its handling, leaving it one lap down in 22nd when the race ended. With 2013 Chevrolet SS bodywork covering it, Chassis No. 14-707 was tested March 7 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and April 11 at Texas Motor Speedway. The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway marked the car’s first start of 2013, and it was a solid one, with Chassis No. 14-707 qualifying fifth and finishing fourth. The car returns to action this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, where on Sunday it will make its third points-paying start and its fourth overall.

#16- Greg Biffle -  No. 16 3M Post-it Ford Fusion primary chassis RK-862 was brand new to the track earlier this year at Pocono and earned a 10th-place finish. Backup Chassis: RK-859  Last ran Indianapolis – finished 24th.

#17- Ricky Stenhouse Jr - No. 17 Best Buy Ford Fusion primary chassis RK-860 is the same chassis that the No.17 team ran at Indianapolis, where Stenhouse ran in the top-25 for the majority of the race, but was unable to gain on the leaders as track position was crucial. The backup Chassis RK-815 is a chassis that the No. 17 ran at Darlington finishing 18th and most recently this chassis tested at Atlanta Motor Speedway during the tire test.

#22- Joey Logano - Primary chassis PRS-863 is a brand new chassis. Backup Chassis PRS-839, Last raced as a backup at several races (not raced).

#24- Jeff Gordon - Gordon will race Hendrick Motorsports chassis No. 24-819 at Chicagoland. It's a brand new chassis for the #24 team.

#27- Paul Menard - This Week’s Quaker State/Menards Chevrolet at Chicagoland Speedway … Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 428 at Chicagoland Speedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS was raced previously this season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Menard drove it to a 12th-place finish and Michigan International Speedway where he finished fourth.

#29- Kevin Harvick - This Week’s Budweiser Designate a Driver Chevrolet SS at Chicagoland Speedway …Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 430 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the GIEICO 400. This Chevrolet is new to the No. 29 team rotation and is scheduled to be on track for the first time this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

#31- Jeff Burton - This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet at Chicagoland Speedway … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 426 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. This No. 31 Chevrolet was utilized earlier this season at Michigan International Speedway in June and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. 

#39- Ryan Newman - Chassis No. 39-733: A workhorse of the No. 39 fleet, Chassis No. 39-733 debuted at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2012, when Newman recorded a seventh-place finish. The crew turned the car around in just a couple of days and took it to Pocono Raceway, where it finished sixth. Two weeks later, the chassis was back on track at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where it finished eighth. The chassis earned its first top-five finish at Chicagoland Speedway. The chassis next raced three weeks later at Dover International Speedway. The chassis made its last start of 2012 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City in October, when Newman was involved in an incident that forced him to retire from the event prematurely. Chassis No. 39-733 was outfitted with a new front clip and a Chevrolet SS body over the off season, and saw its first laps of 2013 at Kansas in April, when Newman finished 14th. He then raced this Chevrolet SS to a 10th-place finish at Darlington Raceway in May. Newman again raced Chassis 39-733 at Pocono in June, where he recorded a fifth-place finish. Newman was in contention to score another top-10 finish with Chassis 39-733 at Kentucky Speedway in June, but a late-race restart saw him shuffled to 14th when the checkered flag waved. Then, Newman qualified the car on the pole and led 45 laps en-route to earning his first win of the 2013 season in July’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. A week later, Newman overcame a series of slow stops on pit road at Pocono to record a fourth-place finish. Most recently, Newman fought through an ill-handling condition to finish 13th at Michigan.

#43- Aric Almirola - The No. 43 Ekrich Ford Fusion team has prepared chassis No. 864 for Chicagoland. This is a new chassis that the team tested in Chicago in August.

#48- Jimmie Johnson - Johnson will drive chassis No. 799 at Chicago. No. 799 raced twice this year, finishing 13th at Pocono and 9th at Kentucky. The car raced once in 2012 finishing 22nd at Charlotte. Chassis No. 784 serves as the backup.  No. 784 raced 4 times this year, winning the All Star race and finishing 28th at Michigan, 3rd at Kansas and 12th at California. 

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr -  Crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-810 this weekend at Chicago. Earnhardt first raced this chassis at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, and he finished sixth at the 2.5-mile speedway.

#99- Carl Edwards - This week's No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion primary chassis, RK- 854, last ran at Michigan. Backup chassis is RK 831.

- Reported in Team News/Press Release

Richard Childress Racing and Furniture Row Racing Agree to Continue Technical Alliance

Richard Childress Racing and Furniture Row Racing have agreed to continue their successful technical alliance in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.

The alliance includes technology sharing, engineering, research and development provided to FRR’s No. 78 Chevrolet from RCR. The partnership, which started in 2010, also includes FRR utilizing the highly reliable and powerful engines of ECR Engines.

This season, the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet driven by Kurt Busch qualified for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship on the strength of one pole, seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Busch has eight front row starts this season, which is the most he has earned in any year of his career.

Based in Denver, Colorado, FRR started racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2005.

“Barney Visser (FRR owner) is one of the finest and most committed men I have ever dealt with in this sport,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “He has brought a lot to this sport and it’s great to renew this partnership.

“I’m looking forward to working with him and the strong team he has assembled out in Colorado. Seeing them make the Chase for the first time this year shows how successful this partnership has become. I believe we’ll have similar success in 2014 and beyond, and we’re going to do our best to make that happen.”

“We are excited to continue our engineering and technical alliance with RCR, which has a storied history as one of the leading racing organizations in NASCAR,” said Joe Garone, Furniture Row Racing general manager. “The foundation that we’ve built together over the past three years and the team camaraderie that has been established during this time have resulted in a unique and successful partnership.

“The FRR and RCR alliance is dedicated in continuing the pursuit of reaching new performance levels in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.”

- Richard Childress Racing News

NASCAR Driver Statistics - Chicagoland Speedway GEICO 400

Not all teams announce their weekly race previews'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the information in the teams race preview: 

#1- Jamie McMurray -   McMurray has made 10 NSCS starts at Chicago, earning one top-five, two top-10 and three top-15 finishes.  He has completed 2512 laps out of a possible 2673 or 94%, and has led 74 laps.  McMurray’s average start is 21.7 and his average finish is 22.7.  His best start was first in July 2010. 

#2- Brad Keselowski - In 4 previous starts at the mile and a half track Keselowski has 1 win, September 2012, 2 top 5's and 2 top 10's. He has led 80 laps and has an average start of 19.500 with an average finish of 14.000. 

#5- Kasey Kahne -  In nine Sprint Cup starts at Chicagoland, Kahne has two top-five finishes and three top-10s. He has an average finish of sixth in the last four Cup events at Chicago, including two third-place finishes in 2009 and 2012. Kahne earned a Wild Card berth in the 2013 Chase and  will open the 2013 Chase at Chicagoland Speedway as the 11th seed in the championship standings. He trails first-place driver Matt Kenseth by 15 points. This is Kahne’s fourth career Chase appearance. In 2012, his first year with Hendrick Motorsports, he notched a career-best fourth-place result.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - Ambrose has six NASCAR starts at the 1.5-mile speedway. In his four Sprint Cup starts, he posted a best finish of 11th in the 2009 race. Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer has seven NASCAR starts as a crew chief at the Chicago track. His best finish at the track came in the 2007 Nationwide race when driver Matt Kenseth drove to a runner-up finish.

#10-Danica Patrick - The Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., will mark Danica Patrick’s 37th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and her second at Chicagoland. She finished 25th in last year’s Sprint Cup Series race. In four NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at the 1.5-mile oval, Patrick has three top-15 finishes including a 10th-place result in June 2011. 

#14-Mark Martin - The Geico 400 will be Martin’s 874th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and his 13th Sprint Cup start at Chicagoland Speedway. Martin has one win, one top-five, five top-10s and has led a total of 239 laps in his 12 career Sprint Cup starts at Chicagoland. His average start is 15.5, his average finish is 12.6 and he has a lap completion rate of 99.9 percent. Martin’s win at Chicagoland on July 11, 2009 was his 39th career Sprint Cup victory. He beat Jeff Gordon by .415 of a second. In his 12 Sprint Cup starts at Chicagoland, Martin has driven for five team owners: Jack Roush (6 starts), Bobby Ginn (1 start), Dale Earnhardt (1 start), Rick Hendrick (3 starts) and Michael Waltrip (1 start).

#15- Clint Bowyer - In 7 previous starts at Chicagoland Bowyer has 1 top 5, 6 top 10's and no DNF's. His best finish was 4th place in July 2010. Bowyer has le 8 laps at the track and has an average start of 15.000 and an average finish of 10.143.

#16- Greg Biffle - Biffle has 10 Sprint Cup career starts at Chicago, earning one top-five and one top-10 finish. Biffle is seeded 6th as the Chase begins this week. 

#17- Ricky Stenhouse Jr - The last time Stenhouse raced at Chicagoland, he celebrated in victory lane after his dominating performance in the Dollar General 300. Stenhouse has five career Nationwide starts at Chicago, earning one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes. This will mark the rookie’s first Sprint Cup start at Chicagoland.

#18- Kyle Busch - Busch has one win, three top-five finishes and three top-10s, and he’s led a total of 174 laps in his eight career Sprint Cup starts at Chicagoland. His average Chicagoland finish is 13.4. based on his 4 wins, Busch is seeded 3rd as the Chase starts.

#20- Matt Kenseth -  In 12 Sprint Cup Series career starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Matt Kenseth has an average finish of 12.8 and has completed 3,203 of 3,207 (99.9 percent) career laps. Kenseth has earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes achieving his best finish of third in 2012 at the 1.5-mile track. Kenseth is the No. 1 seed as the Chase starts.

#22- Joey Logano - Logano will make his 5th start at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. In 4 previous starts he has 1 top 10, a 7th place finish in 2012. Logano has an average start of 15.500 with an average finish of 15.000.

#24- Jeff Gordon - Gordon, whose lone win at Chicagoland occurred in 2006, also has one pole (2004), six top-fives and seven top-10's in 12 starts at the 1.5-mile track. Last year, the four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion was running in the top five before a stuck throttle and contact with the wall ended his strong run.

#27- Paul Menard - Menard has six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland Speedway. His best start of second came in 2011 and best finish of 10th came in 2010. The Wisconsin native has completed 1,426 of 1,602 laps attempted (89 percent) at the 1.5-mile oval.

#29- Kevin Harvick -  Since the 2001 season, Harvick has made 12 Sprint Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval. In those previous appearances, the California native has collected two victories, the first during the inaugural event in 2001 and again in 2002, six top-five and seven top-10 finishes. The RCR driver holds an average starting position of 18.8, a 10.5 average finishing position, has completed 99.5 percent (3,190 of 3,207) of the laps contested and has 282 laps led to his credit. Harvick starts the Chase seeded 4th in points.

#31- Jeff Burton - This weekend’s event marks Burton’s 13th start at the 1.5-mile facility and 682nd-career Sprint Cup Series start. He has one pole award (2006) with one top-five and four top-10 finishes at the track, and has led 60 laps. 

#34- David Ragan - The Front Row Motorsports driver has one top-10 and three top-15 finishes at Chicagoland. The race will be his seventh career start at the track.

#39- Ryan Newman - In 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicagoland, Newman has one pole (2002), one win (2003), three top-fives and seven top-10s. Additionally, the 35 year-old driver has led 181 laps, has an average starting position of 10.2, an average finish of 14.9 and has completed 96.3 percent of the laps he’s contested. Newman is making his fifth appearance in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. He finished seventh in his Chase debut in 2004, sixth in 2005, ninth in 2009 and 10th in 2011. he is seeded 12th in this year's Chase.

#42- Juan Pablo Montoya - Montoya has six NSCS starts at Chicagoland Speedway that includes a top-10 finish during the 2009 race. He has an average starting position of 20.8, an average finishing position of 16.0 and has completed 99.9% of the possible laps at the mile-and-a-half speedway.

#43- Aric Almirola - Almirola comes into Chicagoland with one previous start. He started on the outside pole and finished 17th last year.

#48- Jimmie Johnson - Chicagoland Speedway is one of five tracks on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit where Johnson has yet to win. Michigan International Speedway, Watkins Glen International, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Kentucky Speedwayare the others. At the track Johnson has 2 poles (July 2005 and September 2012), 6 top-five finishes (54.5 percent) and nine top-10s (81.8 percent) in 11 starts. he has an average start of 7.5 and average finish of 9.3. he has completed 2,894 of 2,940 laps (98.4 percent) and led 537 along with 1 DNF (did not finish, July 2007). Johnson is seeded 2nd in this years Chase based on his 4 wins in 2013.

#55- Brian Vickers - Vickers has 6 previous starts at Chicagoland Speedway and has earned 1 pole, 1 top 5, 3 top 10's and no DNF's. Vickers best finish at the track was 4th place in 2005. Vickers has led 12 laps at the track and has an average start of 5.833 and an average finish of 9.500.

#78- Kurt Busch - Busch, who will drive the No. 78 Furniture Row/Serta Chevrolet during this weekend’s race, is looking to bring home his best finish at Chicagoland Speedway. In 12 starts at the 1.5-mile track he has claimed six top 10s, but no top-fives. Busch starts the Chase seeded 10th in points.

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr - In 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup starts at Chicago, Earnhardt has one win, three top-five finishes and five top-10s. He has an average start there of 17.0 and an average finish of 14.2. He has completed 98.1 percent of all the laps he's attempted (3,145 of 3,207 total) and has led 121 laps at the track. Earnhardt qualified for the 2013 Chase and is seeded 9th as the Chase begins this week at Chicagoland.

#99- Carl Edwards -  Edwards enters Chicago fifth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase point standings. In 26 starts, Edwards has accumulated two wins, eight top-five,13 top-10 finishes and one pole. Edwards will make his ninth Cup start at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. In his previous starts, Edwards has three top-five and three top-10 finishes. His average start is 14.6 and his average finish is 16.6.


- Reported in Team News/Press Release

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

ESPN Ramps Up Coverage for Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup


ESPN will televise the 10 races that make up the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, beginning with the Sunday, Sept. 15, GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway and ending Nov. 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. NASCAR’s version of the playoffs, the 10 races will determine the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion.

Nine of the 10 races will air on ESPN on Sunday afternoons, with the Saturday night, Oct. 12, race at Charlotte Motor Speedway airing in prime time on ABC. Elements of ESPN’s coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup include:

NASCAR NonStop — ESPN’s telecasts of the 10 races in the Chase will have a different look with the return of NASCAR NonStop, a split-screen commercial format designed to bring more racing action to viewers. The format, which debuted in ESPN’s 2011 coverage of the Chase, will show the advertisement on the left side of the screen and a continuation of racing action on the right side. ESPN’s scoring ticker will continue to move across the top of the screen, allowing NASCAR fans to follow the running order of the race during the breaks. NASCAR NonStop will take effect at or near the halfway point of the race, with the first half of the race presented in the traditional commercial break format

SportsCenter – ESPN’s flagship news and information program SportsCenter will air immediately following the nine Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup events airing on ESPN with expanded post-race coverage, including exclusive interviews with the race winners. ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven will be in the SportsCenter studio for the post-race analysis and as he has done for the past three years, NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards will join SportsCenter live from the track following each Chase race with additional analysis from the perspective of a driver who just competed in the event. In addition, ESPN lead NASCAR reporter Marty Smith and others will be on-site for all Chase events and will report from the tracks for SportsCenter each day during the events.

NASCAR Now — The weekend wrap-up edition of ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now returns for the Chase and will air on Sunday nights after the nine Sunday afternoon races in the Chase. NASCAR fans should check their local listings for the time of the weekend program. In addition, ESPN2 will air a one-hour NASCAR Now Chase Preview at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, and ESPNEWS will air a NASCAR Now Chase Media Day special at noon that day.

- ESPN Mediazone News

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Iowa Speedway Announces CEO Doug Fritz Resignation, Prepares For 2014 Season

Iowa Speedway officials announced today that track CEO Doug Fritz tendered his resignation in August to pursue another opportunity on the east coast, which was effective on Monday.

“We wish Doug the very best in his new venture, and thank him for all of his efforts on behalf of our racetrack,” said Conrad Clement, Chairman of the Board and principal owner of Iowa Speedway. “Stan Clement will continue in his role as President of the track, and will consolidate the duties of CEO as well.”

“Right now, our senior staff is focused on assembling a very attractive schedule for our 2014 racing season,” Clement noted. “We are discussing specific race dates with all of the sanctioning bodies, and plan to have a final schedule approved within the next two weeks. Season Ticket packages will be available for sale shortly after approval of the 2014 schedule.”

“Thanks to the great fan support we have enjoyed over the last seven years, Iowa Speedway has a very bright future ahead,” Clement said. “We have many facility improvements and fan amenities on the books for next season, and we are looking forward to another outstanding year in 2014.”

- Iowa Speedway News


Michael Waltrip Discusses Penalties Against Race Team


Michael Waltrip said Tuesday he was not the mastermind of a conspiracy plan to manipulate Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway and get his driver Martin Truex Jr. into the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“We didn’t go into that race with a plan of helping Martin get into the Chase,” the team owner said in an interview with the television network FOX Sports 1. “Now, we certainly as things developed understood where we stood, and we knew that we needed that point. But we didn’t have this complex plan about how we were going to manipulate the race to get Martin in.”

In an interview earlier Tuesday on ESPN, Bowyer denied looping his No. 15 car intentionally, although the driver running right behind him at the time, Dale Earnhardt Jr., contended over the radio that he had done just that, and the spin came after radio communication informing Bowyer that Newman was about on his way to winning the race, which would have clinched a Wild Card berth for the Stewart-Haas Racing driver.

“I stand behind my driver,” said Waltrip, who is also an employee of FOX television. “NASCAR looked at the situation, they didn’t think He spun on purpose. So I have reason to believe that’s the case.”

After the penalties were levied Monday night, NASCAR President Mike Helton said the sanctioning body had found no indication that Bowyer’s spin was intentional. The most damning piece of evidence in NASCAR’s eyes, he added, was the radio communication in the final laps between Norris and Vickers -- in which the driver of the No. 55 car seemed surprised at a sudden and unforeseen instruction to pit.

“It was impossible to defend, because we did it,” Waltrip said. “But the caution was out, and Ty was looking at the numbers, and it was like, ‘Pit, pit, we need that position.’

“We pitted. If I had been standing beside Ty at that moment, I don’t know that I would have done it any differently. I’m afraid I wouldn’t of. Because we’ve seen people give up positions all the time in this sport to give a teammate a point. It happens. We’ve seen the leader pull over so another guy can lead. I would have screwed that one up too … and we’d have been in the same situation. It never, I don’t think, directly affected such an important event. So therefore, I get it. I understand.”

But entering Richmond with the intention of using two of his drivers to help a third get into the Chase? In his eyes, that’s something else entirely.

“We’re not immoral. We’re not irresponsible,” Waltrip said. “Decisions were made just based on circumstances. And as we look back obviously we would have been smarter and done things differently had we had that option.”

"That's why it's so hurtful when people you respect and you know in the industry are so mean. People that know me know I take stuff personally. I act like I'm always in a good mood when I'm not, but it's my job. It's been hard.

"I just hate people questioning who I am, because I know who I am and my daughters know who I am and they still love me, so we'll get through it."

- NASCAR.com News

Chicagoland Speedway History and Notes


Chicagoland Speedway:

History

· Construction of the Chicagoland Speedway began in August 1999.

· The first NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicago was July 14, 2001.

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on July 15, 2001 – won by Kevin Harvick.

· This weekend marks the third year Chicagoland Speedway has been included in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – Sept. 18, 2011.

Notebook
· There have been 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicagoland Speedway, one race per season since the first event in 2001.

· 105 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway; 81 in more than one.

· 10 drivers have competed in all 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Chicagoland Speedway; four of which are Chase Contenders: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick.

· Todd Bodine won the inaugural Coors Light pole at Chicago in 2001 with a speed of 183.717 mph.

· 10 drivers have Coors Light poles at Chicago, led by Jimmie Johnson with two.

· Youngest Chicago pole winner: Ryan Newman (7/14/2002 – 24 years, 7 months, 6 days).

· Oldest Chicago pole winner: Matt Kenseth (9/19/2011 – 39 years, 6 months, 9 days).

· Nine different NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have won at Chicagoland Speedway, led by Tony Stewart with three; followed by Kevin Harvick with two (first two series events at speedway).

· Three Chase Contenders are former winners at Chicagoland Speedway: Harvick, Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

· Kevin Harvick (2001, 2002) is the only driver to post consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins at Chicagoland Speedway

· Youngest Chicago winner: Kyle Busch (7/12/2008 – 23 years, 2 months, 10 days).

· Oldest Chicago winner: Mark Martin (7/11/2009 – 50 years, 6 months, 2 days).

· Joe Gibbs Racing has the most wins at Chicago in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with three: Tony Stewart (two) and Kyle Busch (one). Richard Childress Racing, Penske Racing and Hendrick Motorsports each have two.

· Three different manufacturers have won in the NSCS at Chicago; led by Chevrolet with eight victories; followed by Toyota and Dodge with two each. Ford has yet to win at Chicago.

· One of the 12 (8.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicago have been won from the Coors Light pole; Kyle Busch in 2008.

· Four of the 12 (33.3%) NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Chicago have been won from a top-10 starting position.

· Three of the 12 (25%) NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicago have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Chicago is 32nd, by Kevin Harvick in 2002.

· Kyle Busch swept the weekend at Chicagoland Speedway winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2008.

· Jimmie Johnson leads the series in runner-up finishes at Chicago with three; followed by Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth with two each.

· Tony Stewart leads the series in top-five finishes at Chicago with eight; followed by Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon with six each.

· Tony Stewart leads the series in top-10 finishes at Chicago with 10; followed by Jeff Gordon with nine.

· Brian Vickers leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average starting position at Chicago with a 5.833.

· Tony Stewart leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in average finishing position at 8.500.

· Eight of the nine active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners at Chicagoland Speedway participated in at least one or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Kevin Harvick won at Chicago in his first two appearances (2001, 2002). Ryan Newman won in his second appearance (2003).

· Mark Martin competed at Chicagoland Speedway eight times before winning in 2009; the longest span of any the nine Chicago NASCAR Sprint Cup Series winners.

· Jeff Burton, Kurt Busch, Bobby Labonte, Joe Nemechek and Matt Kenseth lead the series among active drivers with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Chicago without visiting Victory Lane at 12.

· Since the advent of electronic scoring the closest margin of victory (MOV) in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Chicagoland Speedway was the July 12, 2008 race won by Kevin Harvick over Jimmie Johnson with a MOV of 0.159 second. It is the 75th closest finish scored by electronic scoring in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

· Eight out of the 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicagoland Speedway have had a Margin of Victory less than a second.

· Only one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race has resulted with a green-white-checkered finish at Chicagoland Speedway (Scheduled No. of Laps/Actual No. of Laps): 7/9/2006 (267/270).

· None of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Chicagoland Speedway have been shortened due to weather conditions.

· Qualifying has been cancelled due to weather conditions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Chicagoland Speedway once – the 2008 event.

· Two active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers have posted their first career start at Chicagoland Speedway: David Stremme (7/10/2005) and Josh Wise (9/19/2011).

· Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in laps led at Chicago with 537 laps led in 11 starts.

· Danica Patrick is the only female driver that has competed at Chicagoland Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series; Shawna Robinson attempted to in 2001 but failed to qualify for the event.


Chicagoland Speedway Data
Season Race #: 26 of 36 (09-15-13)Chase Race #: 1
Track Size: 1.5-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 18 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 18 degrees
Banking/Tri-Oval: 11 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 2,400 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,700 feet
Race Length: 267 laps / 400 miles

Top 12 Driver Rating at Chicago

Jimmie Johnson....................... 116.2
Tony Stewart............................ 109.8
Brian Vickers............................ 101.5
Matt Kenseth............................ 101.5
Kyle Busch.................................99.4
Kevin Harvick............................95.8
Jeff Gordon................................94.6
Clint Bowyer.............................. 91.8
Carl Edwards............................. 90.9
Brad Keselowski.........................90.2
Mark Martin...............................89.6
Dale Earnhardt Jr......................89.5
Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (eight total) among active drivers at Chicagoland Speedway.

Qualifying/Race Data

2012 pole winner: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 182.865 mph, 29.530 secs. 9-14-12

2012 race winner: Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 143.363 mph, (02:47:37), 9-16-12

Track qualifying record: Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 188.147 mph, 28.701 secs. 7-8-05


Track race record: David Reutimann, Toyota, 145.138 mph, (02:45:34), 7-10-10

- NASCAR Integrated Marketing Statistics

Goodyear Tire Fast Facts and Notes - Chicagoland

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series -- Race No. 27 – Geico 400
NASCAR Nationwide Series -- Race No. 26 – Dollar General 300
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Race No. 16 – EnjoyIllinois.com 225
Chicagoland Speedway (1.5-mile oval) – Joliet, Ill.
Fast Facts for September 13-15, 2013 


Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials (Sprint Cup & Nationwide);
Goodyear Wrangler Speedway Radials (Camping World Truck)

Set limits: Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying and 10 sets for the race;
Nationwide: 6 sets for the event;
Camping World Truck: 6 sets for the event

Number of Tires: Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,300, Right-side -- 1,300;
Nationwide: Left-side – 500. Right-side – 500;
Camping World Truck: Left-side – 400. Right-side – 400

Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4392; Right-side -- D-4410

Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.1 in. (2,215 mm); Right-side -- 88.4 in. (2,246 mm)

Technical Inspection Inflation: Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi;
Right Front -- 48 psi; Right Rear -- 45 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation: Left Front -- 20 psi; Left Rear -- 20 psi;
Right Front -- 48 psi; Right Rear -- 44 psi

Notes: Teams in all three NASCAR series in action at Chicagoland this weekend will run the same tire codes, though the Sprint Cup and Nationwide tires will be branded “Goodyear Eagle,” while the Camping World Truck tires will be branded “Goodyear Wrangler”. This is the same combination of left and right side tires that teams in all three series have run at Chicagoland since 2011. This is also the same exact tire set-up that these teams have run at Homestead over that same span. NASCAR teams have also run this left side tire code (D-4392) with a different right side code at both Texas (all three series) and Darlington (Cup and Nationwide) earlier this season. As on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Chicagoland. Air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

Monday, September 9, 2013

NASCAR Penalizes Michael Waltrip Racing After Richmond


NASCAR has issued penalties to Michael Waltrip Racing following the sanctioning body’s review of Saturday’s race at Richmond International Raceway.


MWR was found to have violated Section 12-4 (Actions detrimental to stock car racing). As a result, MWR’s three teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (No. 15, 55, 56) have been penalized with the loss of 50 championship driver and 50 championship owner points, respectively.

These point penalties are assessed following the season’s 26th regular season race and not after the seeding for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Therefore, the point total for the No. 56 car driven by Martin Truex Jr. is reduced to 691, putting him in 17th position and eliminating him from the second Wild Card berth for the Chase field. Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 car, now moves up into the Chase as the second Wild Card participant.

NASCAR has also fined the MWR organization $300,000 and indefinitely suspended Ty Norris, MWR Executive Vice President/General Manager and spotter for the No. 55 car, for violating Section 12-4. The three crew chiefs – Brian Pattie (No. 15), Scott Miller (No. 55) and Chad Johnston (No. 56) – have all been placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31.

- NASCAR







“Based upon our review of Saturday night’s race at Richmond, it is our determination that the MWR organization attempted to manipulate the outcome of the race,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “As the sport’s sanctioning body, it is our responsibility to ensure there is a fair and level playing field for all of our competitors and this action today reflects our commitment to that.”

Transcript of NASCAR Teleconference with Ryan Newman


THE MODERATOR:  Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today's NASCAR teleconference.  We are joined by Ryan Newman, who will drive the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing starting in 2014.  Also joining us is the Chief Operating Officer of Richard Childress Racing, Torrey Galida.
            Ryan, we'll start with you.  Instead of asking an opening question, I'll just throw it to you to talk about driving the No. 31 Chevrolet in 2014, and what you're looking forward to most about joining Richard Childress Racing?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  Just extremely excited about the opportunity.  Richard and I had talked five years ago, or roughly five years ago before I went to Stewart-Haas racing, and didn't have the moons correctly aligned to do what we needed to do there, and this is just a great opportunity for me personally.
            Really looking forward to driving the 31 Car with Caterpillar.  I think with Richard's goals and my goals and the things that we do aside from that away from the racetrack that I think are a lot of fun as well, I'm just really looking forward to all of 2014, not just the races -- 2014 and beyond, not just the racing season.
            THE MODERATOR:  Torrey, clearly Ryan has enjoyed a lot of success in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.  What do you think he'll add to the Richard Childress Racing organization?
            TORREY GALIDA:  Thanks, Amanda.  First, I wanted to just say to everybody out there that Richard sends his regrets.  He couldn't be with us this afternoon.  He is traveling, but he did want me to let everybody know if you have questions specifically for him, he'll be available over the weekend or is more than willing to do another teleconference if we need to.
            So with that being said, I think Ryan is really going to add a lot to our organization and add another dimension for us.  He's a proven winner.  He's been very, very successful throughout his career, and we are always looking to add that kind of talent to our organization.
            We talked to him for a while about potentially becoming a fourth team here.  Weren't quite able to pull that all together, but did find a scenario that we believe is going to work for everybody.

            Q.  Ryan, have you had any time to spend with Luke Lambert yet?  What are your first impressions?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  I shouldn't laugh, because it's probably taken the wrong way, but I actually think it was Atlanta race weekend, right before the race started.  Luke and I were in line together at the outhouse before the race started, and we talked for about three minutes, so that's why I laugh.
            But we've talked a little bit over the phone, very little, but definitely have an understanding of his background and know that Richard believes in him as well as the team that they have associated there together on the 31 car.  So just really have only scratched the surface on getting to know somebody in Luke.

            Q.  First off, just how many teams did you talk to, and kind of where was Richard Childress Racing in the pecking order of the people that you talked to?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  I talked to a few, which, in my world, is three or more.  Richard, honestly, to start the whole conversation, came to me Daytona 500 week and wanted to know what I was doing in 2014.  I told him at that point I needed to lay some ground work with the new team that we had started with Matt Borland and all the guys, and that it was too early to even think about that, but I appreciated the offer.  Our conversations matured over time.  After Loudon when I was told what I wasn't going to be doing, the conversations intensified.
            So to answer your question, at the top, without a doubt, Richard and everybody at RCR are in a position to control their own destiny.  They build their own cars.  They build their own engines.  They hang their own bodies. Everything is at the RCR compound, and that means a lot to me, because that keeps that information right there, and that, I think is extremely important with the technology in our sport right now.

            Q.  Obviously this is the first time we've seen you since Saturday night.  Have you seen any of the replays and heard any of the NWR audios?  Just curious if you have any sort of opinion on the Bowyer spinout now that we're a couple days later?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  Yeah, right now it's tough to comment on it because I know it's being reviewed.  My ultimate answer is it's pretty obvious to me the decisions that were made and the communication that's led up to that.  I don't know how anybody is going to react or put their foot down or penalize or do anything in respect to all of this.  So I guess I'm kind of waiting to see what comes of it.
            But I do know that based on my opinion inside a race car and watching and listening and understanding the communication that there was then, that it was not entirely an accident; and the second part of that is maybe somebody could look up for me how many times this year Clint Bowyer spun out all by himself and get me an answer on that, if you don't mind.

            Q.  Ryan, it was pretty obvious from things you said at Richmond and maybe even back to Atlanta about you could say but it was inappropriate to say it was pretty clear you had a good idea that today, Monday, the 9th was coming and this announcement would happen.  Even so, with making this official, does that help take any of the sting out of what happened to you Saturday night or is that going to sting for a while, regardless?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  To me, what happened to me Saturday night is the toughest thing that I've ever gone through in any kind of racing in my 30 years of driving because of the way everything went down and, in hindsight, how it hurt that much more.
            This, for a week, yeah, I knew this announcement was coming, but in the end, I don't think it's anything to compare or contrast or say that the positive outweighs the negative or even compensates for it.  They're two different things.  This announcement is to show and tell everybody how much we look forward to it and what we have coming down the pipeline as far as racing and our relationship with RCR and myself and Chevrolet and everybody else and Caterpillar included.
            So it's really tough to comment on anything about Saturday night right now until an announcement is made.

            Q.  I'm curious about how much do you think we'll be able to transfer over from SHR to RCR as far as your notes and stuff?  Obviously, if you're going to a different manufacturer, I'm sure things would be protective or more protective about information.  Will you be able to be allowed to take any notes with you as far as set-up stuff that can be sent over like how you like a car in a certain place?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  No, I don't have a set of notes.  I don't have a backlog of information when it comes to that.  I don't write anything down.  To me, what is important, is my feel for the race car.  The way the team works together. The way we can accomplish adjusting to either weather conditions or a racetrack or a new Goodyear tire or whatever it is.  I don't see that -- I think there are some principles that I understand and can carry over.  I did that from Penske to SHR and will from SHR to RCR, and no different from what Kevin Harvick will do when he goes over to SHR.  But, in the end, you have to adjust and live in the moment.
            From a driver's standpoint, that's not a matter of bringing out the notebook.  That is the crew chief's responsibility, and that is my responsibility to communicate with the team and tell them what I need the race car to do so that we can work on it collectively.

            Q.  The first question, you found out in July that you were looking for a job.  At that time there were not many seats available, and even more so, there are not many great seats available.  Was there any concern for you at that point?  What are you going to do?  Are you even going to be able to get a ride?  In hindsight, you've landed a very good job, but does any panic set in?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  Thank you, first of all.  I don't think I really ever had any panic.  As Torrey mentioned, the real question was how can we make it make sense for myself and for RCR, whether it was a third car, fourth car or whatever.  And I wanted it to be, as I said from the beginning, for me personally, some place where I was wanted and some place that is super competitive, and we have the opportunity to live out our common goals.
            RCR is, as I said and mentioned earlier, was part of my interest five years ago, and obviously when Richard expressed that interest back in February, it was a no-brainer for me to go back and knock on his door.  That being said, I'm just excited about the opportunity that we have from a team standpoint, the resources with Chevrolet.  I know that Richard has the drive and dedication to be as successful as he possibly can, and that is as simple as that.
            I told Richard when I sat down in his bus a while ago, I said every driver's going to sit here and tell you that he wants to win.  He wants to win races.  He wants to win a championship.  He wants to win a pole.  But it's the drive and dedication and the inflection you hear in my voice when I say that to you.  I think that that makes a difference. Because every car owner wants to win.  Every car owner wants to make money and be successful too.  But I see the same things in him that he does in me, and that's why I look forward to the next three years.

            Q.  Second question, which I apologize for reverting back to Saturday night, but just based on what you said.  You called it the toughest in your 30 years of racing.  I don't know what your relationships might have been with anyone at NWR or Clint in the past, if you had relationships, but will you have trouble going forward?  Will you be able to look at those people the same?  Is this something that will be damaging going forward in the garage area?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  I'd say the potential is not good for us to be cordial to each other, but at the same time, as I said earlier, at announcement was made that NASCAR is reviewing what happened.  So until NASCAR does their due diligence of how they proceed with what happened, and that could go several different directions, I really don't know.  In the end, I was extremely disappointed to see and hear some of the things that went down, and I think that that's relatively obvious to any fan or non-fan of our sport to know that it kind of goes without saying what happened.
            We'll see how it all works out, but, yeah, it's not an easy thing to work through mentally, emotionally, and even physically afterwards.

            Q.  For you it's got to be a little different situation from Penske to Stewart-Haas to now Childress where you've had traditionally veteran teammates.  Can you talk about what the team dynamic you think will be with the three cars, with Paul, and with the rest of the line that may be forthcoming?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  I look forward to it.  I've talked to Paul a good bit going back probably even to Coke 600 weekend.  We had a couple of conversations.  Look forward to working with him and everybody.  Obviously, Austin and Ty are there.  I don't know what capacity they'll be in, but at the same time, no matter what, we are a team together.
            Even racing with Austin going back to the truck race at Eldora, we had a lot of fun together, and clean and raced hard.  That is something that even, if you look at the last five years, Tony and I have done very well and done a good job of as far as racing, clean racing hard and having fun as a competitor.
            I also want to make mention too that I'm extremely respectful and I have a lot of admiration for the way Jeff Burton's handled himself and all of this with his situation and the opportunities that we have to be able to just make all of this workout.  He's been great and I'll leave it at that.

            Q.  Ryan, based off your question you were asking earlier, I haven't finished reviewing the stat, but just a quick look.  I think I found two instances where the 15 was involved in a single-car spin at Auto Club Speedway and at Michigan this year?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  Yeah, he blew up at both of them, if I remember right.

            Q.  Something like that.  My question to you as being a student of the history of the sport, you understand that the competition has not always been the most pure and really some of that is celebrated with the things that have been done in this sport.  How would you explain what happened Saturday night is potentially different from what has happened in the past?  Because there have been various things that have happened that have not always been on the up and up, and certainly some things have been penalized, but not everything.
            RYAN NEWMAN:  I think our sport is unique, and we all that are involved kind of know this.  In the instance that we don't have instant replay.  We can't hit the pause button, we can't blow the whistle.  I would say that there might have been a different perspective had anybody from NASCAR or from what I've understood in the way it works, the NASCAR officials, the way that each inspector monitors the communication with respect to their car that they're handling on pit road.
            My point is that that communication very easily could have been communicated about, in the end, may have caused a different reaction immediately versus talking about it two days later.  It's a tough situation in our sport, because we can't just kick them in neutral and think about it or figure out what we need to do or take a couple of extra pay slats because we're sitting out there burning fuel and figure out how it should work.  It's just unique.  I think that's the task at hand for NASCAR is how to handle this as well as these situations in the future.

            Q.  Because you mentioned and you talk about the officials on pit road monitoring the teams, you know, there has been the talk about NASCAR reducing the number of officials on pit road and reducing the number of officials at the track.  If something like that happens, how does that impact that?
            Suddenly there is the potential that an official could be monitoring more than one radio frequency?  Might stuff get lost if there is a reduction in officials on pit road or reduction in officials on the track?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  Without a doubt.  It's already lost because it's not monitored.  If it was monitored, in my opinion, it would have made a difference in the way it got handled immediately on Saturday night.  That is probably my point more so than the fact of what and where are we next year?

            Q.  For Torrey, I guess Ryan mentioned it was a three-year deal.  I'm curious, did Caterpillar extend through the end of this deal?  Are your other sponsors for Ryan already signed?
            TORREY GALIDA:  Our policy is not to discuss our contracts, but we do still have some work to do on the sponsorship front.  As you know, Cat takes the majority of the season, but we do have some work there to get everything finished getting sold out.  And we hope it is a very long-term relationship with Ryan.
            We've been lucky to have Caterpillar for five years, and part of us making this move was to make sure that we kept a very strong relationship with Caterpillar for the long-term.  I think everybody here at Richard Childress Racing would love nothing more than to be part of RCR winning another championship, and we think that Ryan is the kind of guy that can do that for us.  So we're hoping it is a long-term relationship.

            Q.  Ryan, I guess my question is were you surprised about what you kind of saw and heard on, I guess, probably late Saturday night or Sunday when looking at all of what happened?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  Yeah, I pretty much had to stress myself to sleep Saturday night.  I had my phone in my hands and was communicating with different people at different times about different things.  You know, some of the homework was done by you guys as far as the media goes, and some of it was done internally at SHR as far as tying everything together and the communications that were made between some of the NWR cars and what reactions that they created on the racetrack and how it affected the points, not just at the end of the race.
            So in the end, it became more disappointing the more we dug into it.  So that's, I guess, and what I hope NASCAR is investigating as well.  But it didn't just affect me, it affected Jeff Gordon and at the same time Logano and Truex.
            And we knew there was potential for this going into this race, so I guess from my standpoint, I would have hoped that we would have been able to monitor this situation.  I mean, this is something that is brought up in every Richmond driver's meeting.  You know the quotes and you know what was said.  In the end, it's like we saw there was potential for fire, but nobody grabbed the extinguisher.

            Q.  Do you think they should put you in the Chase?  Should they add drivers to the Chase?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  I don't even want to really comment on that.  I just know that we were deserving of it at one point without a doubt Saturday night, and we put ourselves in that position.  To me, there was nothing up to that point that would have changed that until Clint spun out and that changed everything.  That's why I told you after I told everybody after the race, I was still disappointed in the fact that we still had the opportunity to control our destiny, come off pit road, even if we came off second behind Menard, we still should have been able to come off first car on four tires and win the race, just as Carl did.  And we didn't do that.  That would have changed everything on our part.  It may not have changed everything on Jeff or Truex's or Logano's part, but we still had control of our own destiny and didn't pull that off.  So I was disappointed from that standpoint.
            But, yeah, there are so many things that we knew going into the race, could have, would have, should have, and the fact of the direct influence somebody could have by manipulating that situation, which I do feel happened.  But in the end, how NASCAR handles this is extremely important for all of us.

            Q.  Just wanted to ask, with the location of the racetrack, do you expect to spend a lot of time there and do you expect to work with the grandsons since they're young and up and coming?  Obviously, Austin's already doing some Cup, but Ty is expected to move in that direction as well.  Do you expect to be a mentor to both boys?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  I can't say that.  I guess maybe your wording, I don't expect to be a mentor.  I want to be a good teammate, a good friend and be able to mentor, no more than they're capable of for me.  This is kind of an off-the-wall comment, but the last two races, I've gotten the opportunity to work with Mark Martin, and he brings a different perspective, some of it because of his age.  Some of it because of his age and some of it the places that he's been and the things that he's experienced.  But everybody has a different perspective.
            You know, a couple young boys like the Dillon boys can have a different perspective and mentor me no different than I can mentor them.  So I look forward to the team work and potential that we all have together.  No different than Paul or anybody else if a fourth car ever is added.  So that's my perspective of it.

            Q.  Not to keep harping on Saturday night, but is there anything that will give you solace that NASCAR can do at this point?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  Repeat the question, please?

            Q.  Is there anything that will give you solace after Saturday night?  Any kind of decision mass car could make that would give you solace?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  I don't know.  It's one of those things where I really don't know until if, and when, and how they say something.  I mean, I don't know.  To me there are so many people involved and anything could happen because of how important it was.
            I mean, we spent 26 races to get to that point, and we missed it by a tie, but we also missed it by what happened.  Other people can say that they were in.  I mean, it's just so touchy.  I'll just leave it at that.

            Q.  Saturday night a different topic, what did you think of that final restart?  You had a good view of it.  Did you think it was an okay start?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  I honestly didn't have a real good view of it.  I spun my tires just a little bit and had the intentions of getting underneath Mark going into one, and didn't.  So I drove up and around him.  Unintentionally, actually, put Truex up in the fuzz.
            But, yeah, I watched the replay as well as many other replays that night later and saw that there was a defined moment where he beat the leader back to the line, which is the rule of what not to do.  And no penalty was enforced, no different than the night before in which they brought up in the drivers' meeting that you couldn't do that.
            So there is more than one issue at hand with respect to the race on Saturday night and how rules and how NASCAR needs to enforce things in the future.

            Q.  That's been a gripe of Jimmie Johnson's many times this year, the restarts.  As someone who has talked a lot about technology, do you wonder why there is not a technology that NASCAR can lean on that that is a black-and-white thing, the restart?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  Well, I said this when it came up a few weeks or months ago.  To me, when the green flag drops, the race resumes.  If the second place guy beats the leader, then so be it.  The leader has the opportunity to get going however he needs to get going.  If he has lesser tires, then he chose to have lesser tires.  There is no penalty for the fourth place guy to beat the third place guy.  There is no penalty for the eighth place guy to beat the seventh place guy.
            Why should there be for the second place car to beat the leader?  It doesn't make any sense to me.  The reason we're there is to race.  There is nobody that has control of the race until you get to the start-finish line.  That doesn't mean anything.  It's who gets back to the next lap if we can't go green and checkered in the same instant.
            So, to me, it's a dumb rule in my opinion just because it doesn't -- it just creates more confusion.  There is no need for it.

            Q.  A lot of times in the past we've seen teams that haven't qualified for the Chase to use the last ten races to get a head start on the following season.  With you not coming back to the 39 team, what will your focus be going into the last ten races?  What do you hope to accomplish?  Also, will that put them at any sort of disadvantage because they can't really use those ten races knowing that you're not going to be there?
            RYAN NEWMAN:  Our goal is to win each and every one of these last ten races.  I feel that we have the potential to.  I want to do it for myself, my team, my sponsors and everybody involved, especially all of the things that we went through and fought through to get back to where we were on Saturday night and to be in a position within seven to go to race our way in.  These guys deserve it.  That's as simple as that.
            There are things that we can learn that are going to make our race car go faster.  I don't think there is any announcements for any big changes for the cars for 2014 with respect to wholesaling them where it takes a different set-up or different package or anything like that.
            So I think what we do in these last ten races, from my standpoint, it's going to help SHR, but it also helps me. I have to finish it out just as if we were going to be starting 2014 together.  I think that's the right and fairway to do it for myself, my team, and my sponsors.
            THE MODERATOR:  Ryan, thank you for joining us today and best of luck this weekend in Chicago,  and congrats again on driving the No. 31 Cat Chevrolet in 2014.

            RYAN NEWMAN:  Thank you so much.  Thanks for having us, thanks for the questions, and I look forward to it.  Hopefully we can talk about great things in the future.

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