NASCAR Driver Press Conference Schedule-New Hampshire

Press Conference Schedule, New Hampshire

NASCAR schedules driver press conferences at every race weekend event. These normally include the Top 12 drivers in championship points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, along with other drivers of note. The press conferences will last approximately 15 minutes each and may be viewed at NASCAR.com. Times listed are local time.

Friday, July 13:

10 a.m. – Danica Patrick (No. 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series) – Media Center

10:15 a.m. – Travis Pastrana (No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series) – Media Center

10:30 a.m. – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Rheem Chevrolet, 6^th in points/0 wins) – Media Center

10:45 a.m. – Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, 1^st in points/1 win) – Media Center

11 a.m. – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, 4^th in points/2 wins) – Media Center

11:15 a.m. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet, 2^nd in points/1 win) – Media Center

1:30 p.m. – Tony Stewart (No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet, 5^th in points/3 wins) – #14 hauler

1:40 p.m. – Carl Edwards (No. 99 Fastenal Ford, 11^th in points/0 wins) – Media Center

2 p.m. – Joey Logano (No. 20 The Home Depot Toyota, 14^th in points/1 win) – Media Center

2:15 p.m. – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, 17^th in points/0 wins) – Media Center

2:30 p.m. – Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M/WB Mason/Post-It Ford, 3^rd in points/1 win) – Media Center

2:45 p.m. – Ryan Newman (No. 39 ARMY ROTC Chevrolet, 15^th in points/1 win) – Media Center

3:15 p.m. – RAB Racing’s Robby Benton (owner) and Patrick Carpentier (driver) discuss upcoming Aug. 18 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal – Media Center

Note: Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil/AAA Dodge) will be available at the No. 22 hauler following his NSCS qualifying lap (qualifying begins Friday at 3:40 p.m.)

Saturday, July 14: 

12:45 p.m. – Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota, 8^th in points/0 wins) & Ryan Truex (No. 18 Grime Boss Toyota in the NASCAR Nationwide Series) – Media Center

- NASCAR 

NASCAR Penalizes Three Teams for Infractions at Daytona

NASCAR has issued penalties to three of its race teams as a result of rules infractions committed during last weekend’s events at Daytona International Speedway.
The No. 14 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR Rule Book); and 20-2.1J (unapproved open vent hose inside of the car). The violation occurred during post-qualifying inspection July 6.

As a result, crew chief Steve Addington has been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Aug. 22. Car chief Jeff Meendering has been placed on NASCAR probation until Aug. 22. Driver Tony Stewart and owner Margaret Haas have been penalized with the loss of six championship driver and six championship owner points, respectively.

The No. 3 team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1; 12-4J and 20A-2.1J (unapproved open vent hose inside of the car). This violation occurred during post-qualifying inspection on July 6.

Crew chief Danny Stockman has been fined $10,000 and due to the violation of his probation, has been suspended from NASCAR until July 25. Car chief Robert Strmiska has also been suspended from NASCAR competition until July 25 due to the violation of his probation. This past May 1, both Stockman and Strmiska were placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31, for rules violations committed at Richmond International Raceway.

Driver Austin Dillon and owner Morgan Shepherd have been penalized with the loss of six championship driver and six championship owner points, respectively.

The No. 18 car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series was found to be in violation of Sections 12-1; 12-4J; and 20A-12.8.1(B) (car failed to meet minimum front car heights). This violation occurred during post-race inspection July 6.

Crew chief Adam Stevens has been fined $10,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Aug. 22. Car chief Christopher Landis has been placed on NASCAR probation until Aug. 22. Owner Joe Gibbs has been penalized with the loss of six championship owner points.


- NASCAR Press Release

Danica Patrick Rounds Out 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule

Danica Patrick will compete in the Oct. 21 Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the newly-paved Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan.


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


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


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


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


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


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


- SHR Press Pelease

U.S. Army Will Not Renew its Sponsorship with Stewart-Haas Racing

The U.S. Army has decided not to renew its sponsorship with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2013 as a primary sponsor of the No. 39 Chevrolet driven by Ryan Newman due to a reallocation of its marketing budget that will not include a presence in NASCAR.

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

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

“The U.S. Army has worked with Stewart-Haas Racing in a mutually beneficial and highly successful relationship for the past four seasons, and they’ve performed superbly as our partner on and off the track. The same can be said of other members of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series family we have sponsored during the past 10 seasons. The sport, our drivers and the passionate NASCAR fans embraced the Army’s participation and created a tremendous opportunity for Americans to learn more about the profession of the Army Strong Soldier.” 
– John Myers, Director, Marketing Support Element, Army Marketing and Research Group


- True Speed Communication for Stewart Raas Racing Press Release

New Hampshire Motor Speedway History and Notes

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

· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was on July 11, 1993.

· Renamed New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2008.

Notebook:
· There have been 34 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway; one per year from 1993 through 1996 and two per year since.

· Four drivers have competed in all 34 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Joe Nemechek.

· Mark Martin won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup pole.

· Rusty Wallace won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

· There have been 17 different pole winners, led by Ryan Newman (six).

· 20 different drivers have won, led by Jeff Burton (four).

· Jimmie Johnson (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) are the only drivers that have posted season sweeps. Those are also the only back-to-back winners.

· Hendrick Motorsports has won eight races, more than any other organization.

· The deepest in the field that a New Hampshire race winner started was 38th, by Jeff Burton in 1999.

· There have been five winners who started from the pole. The last race winner to win from the pole was Ryan Newman last season.

· Jeff Burton led all 300 laps raced in the 2000 fall race.

· Five drivers got their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at New Hampshire: Joe Nemechek (1999), Robby Gordon (2001), Ryan Newman (2002), Clint Bowyer (2007) and Joey Logano (2009).

· Two drivers got their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole at New Hampshire: Patrick Carpentier (2008) and Brad Keselowski (2010).

· Denny Hamlin (9.0) is the only active driver with an average finish at NHMS in the top 10.

· Jeff Gordon has led the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series laps all-time at New Hampshire at 1,304.

· Last fall’s event (9/25/11) at NHMS tied the records for most all-time leaders (15), and fewest laps led by the winner (2).

· Youngest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner: Joey Logano (06/28/2009 – 19 years, 1 month, 4 days).

· Oldest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner: Mark Martin (09/20/2009 – 50 years, 8 months, 11 days).

New Hampshire Motor Speedway Data:
Race #: 19 of 36 (07-15-12)
Track Size: 1.058-miles
Race Length: 301 laps / 318.46 miles
· Banking/Turns: Variable 2-7 degrees
· Banking/Straights: 1 degree
· Frontstretch: 1,500 feet
· Backstretch: 1,500 feet

- NASCAR Statistics

Daytona NASCAR HotPass Lineup

Ride Along with Stewart, Biffle, Johnson and Earnhardt at Daytona on DIRECTV
Event: Coke Zero 400
Previous Winner: David Ragan (beat Matt Kenseth under caution on July 2, 2011)
Date / Time: Saturday, July 7, at 7:30 p.m. EDT
Track: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway
Configuration: 2.5-mile oval (160 laps = 400 miles)
Banking in Corners: 31 degrees
Banking on Straights: 3 degrees
Banking on Tri-Oval: 18 degrees
Frontstretch: 3,800 feet
Backstretch: 3,000 feet
First NASCAR Race: Feb. 22, 1959 – Daytona 500 (Winner – Lee Petty) 
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 146,000

NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV is back, and it’s FREE to all DIRECTV customers. Four dedicated driver channels offering viewers multiple camera angles, real-time statistics and audio of the network broadcast augmented by live communication between the drivers and their pit crews are available for all 36 points-paying races during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. 

 The NASCAR HOTPASS lineup for the Toyota/SaveMart 350K in Sonoma, Calif., is as follows:

DIRECTV Channel 795: Tony Stewart and the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet team of Stewart-Haas Racing.

DIRECTV Channel 796: Greg Biffle and the No. 16 3M Ford team of Roush Fenway Racing.

DIRECTV Channel 797:  Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports. 

DIRECTV Channel 798: Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the No. 88 National Guard-An American Salute/Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet team of Hendrick Motorsports

About NASCAR HOTPASS on DIRECTV:NASCAR HOTPASS is available free to all DIRECTV customers. More information is available at www.directv.com/hotpass.

- TrueSpeed Communications Press Release

Daytona Chassis Selections

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:

#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops team will bring Chassis #1204 back to DIS. Chassis #1204 has one previous race, the 2012 Daytona 500, where it started 19th and finished 31st after being involved in a late race incident.

#2-Brad Keselowski:  The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-631 during Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.

#5-Kasey Kahne: For Saturday's race, crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-703. Kahne finished fourth in this car at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in May.

#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 RPM team has prepared chassis #795 for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Daytona. This DEWALT Ford was run previously this season at both restrictor-plate races in Daytona and Talladega.

#10-David Reutimann: will pilot the No. 19 chassis this weekend. Geoffrey Bodine competed at Daytona International Speedway in last year's Coke Zero 400 in this chassis. He started 35th and looked to have a solid day before the wheel barring broke, relegating the team to a 38th-place finish. TBR also ran the No. 19 chassis with Steve Park at Talladega Superspeedway last season. Park started 33rd before and electrical issue ended his day early.

#14-Tony Stewart: Chassis No. 14-565: This car debuted during Daytona Speedweeks in 2010. Its first race was the non-points Gatorade Duel, where it started 11th and led two laps before finishing second, which slotted it sixth in the Daytona 500. In the Great American Race, Chassis No. 14-565 finished 22nd. Its third career start came in April at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, where it qualified 13th and finished an unscathed 16th in the crash-marred race. It was refitted with a new body and wind-tunnel tested for its return to Daytona via July's Coke Zero 400. It performed well, as its seven laps led attest, but a multi-car accident on lap 148 collected Chassis No. 14-565 and relegated it to a 25th-place finish. The car had served as a backup ever since, but was completely rebuilt in preparation for the 2012 season. The 54th Daytona 500 marked Chassis No. 14-565's fifth career start and first since July 2010. It performed admirably, finishing 16th after leading two laps. It sat idle for the series' second restrictor-plate race of the year at Talladega, but returns to action for Saturday night's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Primary Chassis No. 679 started 24th and finished sixth at Talladega. It also served as the backup car for the Daytona 500. The backup chassis is No. 705 which started 17th and finished eighth in the Bud Shootout at Daytona. It also served as the backup at Talladega.

#16-Greg Biffle: Primary: RK-781 - Last ran Talladega - finished fifth; Backup: RK-794 - Last ran Bud Shootout - finished sixth

#17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-793 (Last run at Talladega)

#22-A.J. Allmendinger: The Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be racing their "PRS-642" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Daytona. This car made its debut during Daytona Speed Weeks back in February. Dinger started 10th and finished eighth driving this chassis in the first Gatorade Duel qualifying race. He started 15th in the Daytona 500 and finished 34th after a run-in on pit road relegated the team to the garage area to replace the radiator. The team last raced this car at Talladega back in May.

#24-Jeff Gordon: Gordon's primary chassis this week is HMC chassis #24-631. It raced Daytona 2/11, Talladega 4/11, Daytona 7/11, Talladega 10/11, Talladega 5/12.


#27-Paul Menard: Menard will pilot Chassis No. 388 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet was last utilized at Talladega Superspeedway in May where Menard started 17th and finished 17th after receiving heavy damage in a multi-car incident while running third in the closing laps. This chassis was also used at the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in February where the Eau Claire, Wis. native started 37th and brought home a sixth-place finish.

#29-Kevin Harvick: Harvick will pilot Chassis No. 295 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola. Harvick drove this Chevrolet to a top-10 finish during the 2009 Daytona 500 and into Victory Lane in the July event at Daytona International Speedway in 2010. The No. 29 team most recently utilized this car during the Budweiser Shootout earlier in February.

#31-Jeff Burton: Burton will race Chassis No. 343 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This chassis, built in 2011 for RCR's No. 29 entry with driver Kevin Harvick, competed in three superspeedway events last season including the Daytona 500 where an engine failure relegated Harvick to a 42nd-place finish. Harvick also guided this machine to a top-five finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2011 and a top-10 finish in last season's Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Burton got behind the wheel of this Chevrolet in the 2012 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona where he was involved in an early incident, but battled to an 11th-place finish and brought home a top-10 finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

#36-Dave Blaney: Blaney will pilot the No. 331 chassis, a new chassis made by Richard Childress Racing during the off-season. He drove the chassis in this year's Daytona 500, where he led six laps and finished in 15th place. Reutimann drove the chassis at Talladega and finished 22nd in the event.

#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-606: After making three starts at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, chassis No. 39-606 is scheduled to make its first start Saturday night at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' other superspeedway Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. In its three previous starts, the chassis' best finish was 23rd at the October 2010 Talladega race. After qualifying eighth, Newman attempted to make a late-race charge but had to settle for 23rd. Although it wasn't the finish the team had hoped for, it marked the first superspeedway finish for the driver and team in more than a year. The chassis returned to Talladega in April 2011. Newman, who had one of the strongest racecars in the field, was spun twice in two laps due to bump drafts gone bad with just a handful of laps remaining.While he was able to save his racecar from damage during both mishaps, the incidents put him too far back in the pack. Without a strong drafting partner to help him get back through the field, he finished 25th. The car returned to action at Talladega this May, but Newman never had the chance to show how strong his car was as his engine expired just 42 laps into the running of the Aaron's 499. 

#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Crew Chief Chris "Shine" Heroy and the No. 42 Target team will break out Chassis #1216 for this weekend's race. This is the first time this chassis will be used.

#43-Aric Almirola: The #43 team has prepared chassis No. 722 for Daytona, the same car Almirola ran in the Daytona 500 in February.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: Chassis No. 698 serves as the primary for Johnson at Daytona. Chassis No. 482 serves as the backup.

#51-Kurt Busch: Chassis No. 453: The Coke Zero 400 will be the second race of the 2012 season for Chassis No. 453. This is the same chassis the team used for the season-opening Daytona 500, in which Busch was caught in an accident on lap one. The team spent several laps in the garage making repairs before Busch returned to the race and ended up finishing 39th. This is the same car Brad Keselowski drove to victory in April 2009 at Talladega. It was his first career victory and remains the only Sprint Cup win for Phoenix Racing.

#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-699 for Saturday's race. Earnhardt last raced this chassis to a ninth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in May and to a second-place finish in February at the Daytona 500.

#99-Carl Edwards: RK-792 - this car has not been raced yet, it was a backup at Daytona.



- Reported in Team News/Press Releases