Inside Track Breaking News Blog

NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson takes the pole for Miami finale

2009-11-20T19:09:00.001-05:00

Jimmie Johnson Wins the Pole for Season Final Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway...

Homestead, FL - Jimmie Johnson started the final weekend of the season and his quest for a fourth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) off right by putting his No. 48 Lowe's Impala SS on the pole for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (HMS).

It is Johnson's fourth pole of the year; his second at HMS and the 23rd of his career.

Six Team Chevy drivers scored top-10 starting positions in the 43-car field for Sunday's race.

Mark Martin, No. 5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Impala SS, will start fourth with Tony Stewart, No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Impala SS, in the fifth starting spot.

From GM

Mosport's 50th Opens With SPEED World Challenge

2009-11-20T15:38:00.001-05:00

BOWMANVILLE, ON (Nov. 20, 2009) – Mosport will drop the green flag on its 50th anniversary season of racing with an SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge doubleheader, as part of the Victoria Day SpeedFest Weekend, May 21-23, 2010.

The World Challenge is North America’s top production car-based series, consisting of two separate categories (GT and Touring Car). Races run just under an hour in length, feature standing starts and cars from the world’s leading manufacturers and brands, including Acura, BMW, Chevrolet Corvette, Honda, Mazda, Ford Mustang and Porsche.

“The World Challenge has become a fixture on Mosport’s schedule,” Mosport International Raceway President and General Manager Myles Brandt said. “In fact, we’ve hosted 19 World Challenge events, more than any other track. The series always puts on a great show and our fans will be pleased to hear that Mosport is set to host a doubleheader weekend in 2010.”

More races will be added to the SpeedFest weekend and announced in the near future.

For Further Info Please Contact: Jerry Priddle // jerry@mosport.com // (Office) 1-800-866-1072 // (Cell) 905-260-1711

KARTING: Pserra Racing heads to SKUSA Supernationals

2009-11-20T09:34:00.001-05:00

Birel team to hit the Las Vegas strip with strong lineup of drivers in four different classes

Stouffville, Ontario – Pserra Racing heads to the warm welcoming weather of the sunny southwestern United States and the bright lights of Las Vegas for the thirteenth running of the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals. The biggest race on the North American Karting calendar will see over 400 entries take to the fast and technical temporary circuit at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino. The Pserra Racing team will see action with four drivers running in four separate classes as the Birel backed team continue to build on their successful 2009 season.

“It’s exciting to be going to Las Vegas for the first time with the Birel chassis,” comments Peter Serravalle, owner of Pserra Racing. “We had some great results this season here at home, and we are looking to make our mark on the national stage.”

Leading the team will be the 2008 eKartingNews.com Driver of the Year Michael Vincec running in the SuperPro class. Vincec will face 42 of the world’s best shifter kart drivers including several world karting and formula car champions. Vincec is no stranger to the SuperNationals, having competed on several occasions in several different classes. Vincec enjoyed immediate success upon joining Pserra Racing in early 2009, taking podiums throughout the regional series. The Pserra Racing engine department has been working overtime to maximize the power from the TM power plant that Vincec will pilot.

In the ultra competitive KF2 class, Federico Montoya, brother of NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya, will look to score well in his Birel debut at the SuperNats. Christopher Ernst will take his first ride on the Red Rocket and look to make something happen in the 80-kart TaG Senior field. Ernst will run a Pserra Racing prepared Rotax power plant. Ontario junior standout Spencer Todd will also see his first taste of action aboard the potent Birel chassis as he takes on the a tough in TaG Junior field. Todd scored well all season in Ontario and will look to make an impact in his SuperNationals debut.

“The Pserra Racing engines department performed well in 2009 and we know our stuff is good,” comments Serravalle. “All Pserra Racing engines are built in house, prepped and then dyno tuned for quality and performance.”

Pserra Racing are putting the final touches on the their 2010 programs and plan to use the SuperNationals to promote their exciting range of Arrive and Drive opportunities. Drivers will get an opportunity to see the complete Birel line of products. Pserra Racing looks to grow their national racing programs and will be talking to several drivers over the coming weeks. Also the team is currently putting the final touches on their Florida Winter Tour program and interested drivers from across North America are encouraged to contact Pserra Racing for more details.

For more information on Pserra Racing and the Birel chassis line go to www.pserraracing.com or call Peter Serravalle at 416.989.035. Pserra Racing’s full range of products including Beta Tools, MyChron, Molecule, Birel and more will be showcased at the shop.

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From Autosports Media Group // Contact: Peter Serravalle – 416.989.0351 // Photo by: Cody Schindel - Autosports Media Group

Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards... vote now.

2009-11-19T14:57:00.005-05:00

Voting for the Eighth Annual Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards is now underway. The polls will remain open until late on New Year's Eve. We're planning to announce the winners, on stage, at the Canadian Motorsports Expo on Friday, January 22, 2010.

The survey consists of 13 questions. Most of the categories include six nominees and space for write-in votes. The Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards celebrate Canada's top current and future racing stars, across the spectrum of motorsports, including stock cars, road racing, motorcycle racing, rallying, karting and drag racing.

New for 2009, we've added a category called "Canadian Dirt Oval Racer of the Year." We're also working closely with Bruce Biegler and his DragRaceCanada.com site on the "Drag Racer of the Year" category.

Click here to be taken to the survey site.

PHOTO GALLERY: 3M Canada plays host to Jack Roush at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

2009-11-18T12:13:00.002-05:00

This is a 169-photo gallery from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at the John C. Munro Int'l Airport in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). These shots were taken Tuesday, Nov. 17 during an event hosted by 3M Canada, featuring NASCAR team owner Jack Roush and the Lancaster and Mitchell B-25 bombers. Thanks to Dave Franks for sharing his work. You can see Dave's website here.

Canadian Motor Speedway.... help git er done!

2009-11-17T09:52:00.005-05:00

According to sources close to the Canadian Motor Speedway project in Ft. Erie, Ontario, it's getting close to decision time at Ft. Erie City Council, where they are receiving input from citizens and groups who are in favour of, and opposed to, the building of the facility.

Is there a chance that someone could be inconvenienced by the building of The Canadian Motor Speedway along the QEW near Ft. Erie? Of course. But if we - as a society - never built anything because a small group of people were against it.... nothing... no roads or buildings... would ever be built. The bottom line is that the CMS will create jobs and place a world-class motorsports and entertainment facility in a place that could sorely use a boost.

If you would like to add your comments of support for the project, send a note to Carolyn J. Kett, Clerk of Town Hall for Fort Erie, Ontario. email: >> CKett@town.forterie.on.ca

Rally of the Tall Pines this weekend

2009-11-17T09:45:00.004-05:00

Just a reminder that the Rally of the Tall Pines takes place this weekend (Nov. 20-21) in Bancroft, Ontario. Click here to view the entire Official Event Program, produced by Inside Track.

Canadian Rally Championship: Rally of the Tall Pines Preview

2009-11-16T09:58:00.001-05:00

Championship showdown set for the Rally of the Tall Pines

BANCROFT, Ontario – The premiere rally teams in North America will be fighting head-to-head for top honours at the Rally of the Tall Pines, the final round of the 2009 Canadian Rally Championship, presented by Subaru, supported by Yokohama.

Subaru Rally Team Canada’s Pat Richard (Squamish, B.C.) and co-driver Alan Ockwell (Toronto) need to win to have a hope for repeating as Canadian Rally Champion driver and co-driver. The team is also leading the points standings for the manufacturers championship in their 2008 Subaru Impreza STI.

“The manufacturers title is our number one priority,” said Richard. “We have to approach this just like any other rally, and win again.”

Championship rivals Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard (Ste-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.) are in a slightly more relaxed position, with a second place finish netting the driver and co-driver titles. The pair campaign the Mitsubishi/Rockstar/Concerto EVO X.

“There’s still pressure on us,” said L’Estage, who also has a chance to clinch the North American Rally Cup with a solid finish at Tall Pines. “Competition will be tough, and I like this rally, but it can be very tricky."

Brothers Frank and Dan Sprongl (Georgetown, Ont.) will be reunited in a car for the first time since 2006. Multiple Canadian and North American Champions, the two are sure to mix things up at the front of the pack. The team will be first on the road, driving a factory-backed Subaru Rally Team Canada Subaru Impreza STI.

“We’ve got nothing to lose, so there’s no pressure,” said Frank Sprongl, “It’s our first time back together, and Dan’s jumping in with both feet.” While they are not a factor in the driver’s championship, they could play a major role in the manufacturers standings by providing Subaru with an additional top-seeded entry.

Andrew Comrie-Picard (Toronto) and Jeremy Wimpey (State College, PA) will hope to secure the North American Rally Cup in their NOS Energy Drink Mitsubishi EVO X.

“We’ll need that delicate balance of speed, precision and reliability. Fortunately, the Evo is perfect for Pines,” said Comrie-Picard in regards to the thick competition.

More than 50 teams are on the start list for this event, including more than 20 two-wheel drive cars, and ten teams entered from the U.S. Zbigniew Szewczyk and Tomasz Karzynski (Calgary) will be pushing their Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart to the limit to secure the Group 5 Championship. They’ll have tough competition in the form of Martin Walter (North Gower, Ont.) and Ferdinand Trauttmansdorff (Ottawa) in their Nissan 240 SX. The teams are presently tied in the standings.

The storied Rally of the Tall Pines is an event that features some of the toughest driving challenges in North America, with conditions often referred to as “winter roads with summer ditches”.

The cold weather in the region at this time of year means the roads can become snow or ice covered, but drivers will not have the benefit of snow banks to keep them on the road. A small mistake can have big consequences at this event.

The Rally of the Tall Pines is one of the most spectator-friendly in the series, including a Super Special stage minutes from downtown Bancroft. The rally is held November 20-21, 2009, and includes more than 150 kilometers of competitive stages run in the Canadian Shield setting around Bancroft, Ontario.

Rally car racing is often described simply as “real cars, real roads, real fast.” The all-season motorsport sees drivers and their co-drivers take modified road cars to the limit as they achieve blistering speeds over closed-road courses that typically cover more than 150 kilometres of gravel, dirt or snow-covered roads. Fans can get up close to the cars in the service areas and catch all the action from specially designated spectator points located at the best spots on the route.

The Canadian Rally Championship is comprised of six events held nationwide in a season that extends from February to November. The series is presented by Subaru Canada, supported by Yokohama Tire Canada and features contingency programs from Subaru Canada and Mitsubishi Canada. The Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) is the official sanctioning body for rallying in Canada.

Full coverage of the championship will air on RDS and TSN. Check local listings.

For more information on the web: www.CARSrally.ca; www.tallpinesrally.com

PHOTO 1: Frank and Dan Sprongl test their factory Subaru Impreza STI prior to the Rally of the Tall Pines. (Photo Credit: Warwick Patterson/Flatovercrest.com)

PHOTO 2: Antoine L’Estage and Nathalie Richard in their Mitsubishi Evolution X are leading the championship race going into the final round. (Photo Credit: Andrew Harvey/Flatovercrest.com)

For 2009, NASCAR Chase points system lessens the drama

2009-11-16T09:34:00.005-05:00

IRONY: an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.

After Matt Kenseth whooped the field in 2003, the NASCAR 'Chase' points/playoff system was created to make sure the Miami finale was a nailbiter. For 2009, it will actually lessen the drama.

Under the new/current system, Jimmie Johnson is heading to Miami with a 108-point lead over Mark Martin, needing only to crack the top 25 to take his fourth-consecutive Cup title. Stranger things have happened, but Johnson is pretty much a lock.

If they were still racing under the 'old' points system, the story would be much more interesting. Left alone, Johnson would be entering the final race just 13 points ahead of Tony Stewart - who was the unofficial 'regular season' champion. Jeff Gordon would be third, 56 markers back of JJ, while Martin would sit fourth, a whopping 361 points in arrears.

For next year, wouldn't it be the ultimate NASCARian move for them to keep both systems in play... and let fans vote, just prior to the green flag at Miami, which (new or old) will determine the champion?

WHEELS.CA: Norris McDonald reports from the CASC-OR gala

2009-11-15T20:42:00.002-05:00

Britnell, Stewart, Rashleighs honoured at CASC-OR gala

Jamie Britnell, Brian Stewart and the Rashleighs – father and son – were honoured Saturday night for their successes and contributions to Ontario motosport during the 45^th annual Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs-Ontario Region gala awards dinner at the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel.

Click on the link above for the full report.

(ed. - Shout-out to our Canadian Motorsports Expo partner Glenn Butt for being presented with the Media Award! Congrats Glenn!)

CASTROL/MAHINDRA TRACTORS DODGE DRIVER DJ KENNINGTON COLLECTS AWARDS

2009-11-15T16:23:00.003-05:00

November 14, 2009. St. Thomas, Ontario’s DJ Kennington driver of the #17 Castrol/Mahindra Tractor Dodge was in Concord, North Carolina this past weekend to attend the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala that recognized the accomplishments of the participants in each of the NASCAR divisions. The trip south for Kennington was well worth the journey as he collected the trophy for second place in the overall series championship, along with the coveted Mopar Cup as the top finishing Mopar powered driver in the series.

In addition to the Awards Dinner Gala, NASCAR also organized other events for those attending the festivities that included driver briefings, seminars and tours of the some of the most technically advanced race shops in the vicinity. “This was quite a big deal for all of us” said DJ Kennington. “We got to really see first hand how important these series are in the business of NASCAR” he added.

Kennington was awarded the Mopar Cup on Friday morning and was proud to accept the trophy. “These Mopar powered engines are the reason we’ve been able to have such great success in the series” he stated. “The motors generate so much horsepower, they’re incredibly reliable, you have to have that to win races” he concluded.

The Castrol/Mahindra Tractors Dodge driver also accepted the trophy for finishing second overall on stage at the Concord Convention Centre on Saturday night. “I’m so proud of the whole team for the season we had” said the driver. “We had two wins this year, and finished top-ten in eleven of thirteen races, top-five in nine out of thirteen. Normally that would be good enough to win the championship but we came up a little short, but we’re hungrier than ever for next year” he stated.

Kennington and company are already at work preparing for the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season and the thirteen race schedule was released during the weekend’s events. While many of the venues are familiar to the competitors the one new event on the schedule has the series running on the streets of Exhibition Place as part of the Toronto Indy weekend. “We’ve seen how exciting these stock cars are to watch on road courses in the last few years, they’re a lot of fun to drive too and I’m really looking forward to racing in Toronto again” said Kennington.

You’ll also be able to follow the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series on television in 2010 with all thirteen races broadcast on TSN, most in High Definition. Look for a newly redesigned website coming soon to follow the success of DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol/Mahindra Tractors Dodge

Photo: DJ Kennington collecting his second place overall trophy at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala in Concord, North Carolina

Photo Credit: Todd Lewis

MOPAR PARTS DODGE DRIVER RON BEAUCHAMP JR RECEIVES AWARD

2009-11-15T16:20:00.002-05:00

November 15, 2009. Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts Dodge team gathered together with other stars of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the other NASCAR Touring Series in Concord, North Carolina this past Saturday night to be recognized for their accomplishments this past season. The Awards Gala Banquet culminated nearly a week of activities organized for the participants.

Earlier in the week tours of several nearby race shops for the Spring Cup and Nationwide Series teams were organized for those attending along with racing seminars and keynote speakers including Junior Johnson. “It was a great night for the Mopar Parts Team” said Ron Beauchamp Jr. “We all came down together and it was a nice way to thank the team for the many hours of hard work they put in this season. We had some time racing Go Karts and then this at great night here that NASCAR put on really shows how important the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the other Touring Series are for NASCAR” he added.

Beauchamp was presented with the trophy for third place in the overall Championship standings in front of the crowd of well over 500. “I accepted the trophy but this is for the whole team” said Ron Jr. “We had a really strong season with eleven top-ten finishes and eight top-five finishes. We had great reliability and the team prepared a great car for me to drive every week. We had tremendous support again from our sponsors at Mobil 1, Exide and of course Mopar. It all added up to a really positive season.

While Team Mopar enjoyed their success in 2009 the work is already underway for the next season and the 2010 race was also announced this past weekend. While much of the schedule sees competitors returning to the same great venues, there is one notable addition to the thirteen race schedule as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series joins another high profile event as the feature race on Saturday July 17th as the feature race at the Toronto Indy weekend. “It just shows how big this series is becoming” said Beauchamp. “We’re part of the major racing events in Montreal, Edmonton and back running on the streets of Toronto exposing NASCAR racing to more and more fans” he added.

Once again in 2010 you will be able to watch all thirteen events of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series on TSN, Canada’s Sports Leader. Team Mopar appreciate the recognition of their accomplishments and wish to thank the race fans and sponsors for their extraordinary support.

Photo caption: Ron Beauchamp Jr. receiving his trophy on stage at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala in Concord, NC.

Photo Credit: Todd Lewis

Alex Tagliani NASCAR Nationwide Race Results - Phoenix

2009-11-14T21:20:00.001-05:00

For Immediate Release on behalf of MacDonald Motorsports: Saturday, November 14, 2009
Alex Tagliani #81 // NASCAR Nationwide Series Event—Phoenix International Raceway

Start Position: 41st // Finish Position: 38th // Laps Completed: 14 of 200

*Alex Tagliani is driving for the 2nd time this season for MacDonald Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Phoenix International Raceway. This will be Alex’s first oval race in a NASCAR sanctioned event.

Alex Tagliani, Driver #81

“The worst possible scenario that we could imagine, happened to us today. I crashed the car in qualifying and we didn’t have a spare short oval car, the only spare was a speedway car that was set-up for Homestead next week. Which makes it rough as the car isn’t built for this type of track so we knew that we were going to be lucky to get very many laps in on the race. It was very unfortunate but we knew we could start the race and then we would pretty much have to park it pretty fast since the speedway car has totally different brakes and set-up than the short oval set-up that we need for Phoenix. This was a tough deal. I said to the guys, ‘I don’t know what to say, I don’t know if it was me’ and the bummer is that we didn’t even need to push hard in qualifying because we were locked in already. The car seemed like it had a wheel hop and then I was in the wall in Turn 4. I thought I was through the turn, and then the car just stepped out. I’m not sure if I got too high or what really happened but the rear really started to move on me and then bam, I’m in the wall. I don’t think I’ve ever had that happen. The car wasn’t loose or anything and I wouldn’t have risked it anyway. It was really disappointing. Even though it was my first time on an oval in this car, I adapted quickly and we had a good practice yesterday so this was really unexpected. This was disappointing for everyone that works on the car and I guess sometimes this is the way it goes in racing. It would be nice to have a “do-over” but that doesn’t happen too often. I am just sorry for the guys and hope they have a good weekend in Homestead.”

Media contact: Jana Watt // FAZZT Race Team

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series 2010 Schedule Announced... Honda Indy Toronto included

2009-11-14T13:07:00.002-05:00

(NCATS is Toronto bound!)

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series 2010 Schedule Announced

· 13 Dates Cover 13 Tracks In Six Provinces

· Season Opens June 5 at Delaware Speedway

· Toronto Date Highlights 2010 Slate

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 14, 2009) – NASCAR announced today the schedule for the fourth season of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, which will take the series to some of the top racing facilities throughout Canada.

The schedule features 13 dates at 13 different tracks across six provinces. The slate includes tracks and events familiar to the series, but the addition of a shared date with the Indy Car Series in Toronto is new for 2010.

Andrew Ranger will commence his title defense when the season begins on Saturday, June 5 at Delaware (Ont.) Speedway. The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series made its first visit to the half-mile oval last season at which DJ Kennington, competing on his home track, made his way to Victory Lane for the first time since September 2007. The track is also part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

"This is our fourth year in Canada and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 just keeps getting better," said George Silbermann, NASCAR's managing director of racing operations. "All of the facilities we visit are top notch which certainly enhances our product. I think the great race fans of Canada will enjoy another exciting season in 2010."

While the schedule has remained consistent since the series' inaugural season in 2007, there have been additions each year to better position the series, drivers and teams in the marketplace. This year's new component to the schedule is a Saturday, July 17 race in Toronto as part of the Toronto Indy weekend. Additionally, the 1.721-mile, 11-turn temporary track on the streets of Toronto also adds a fifth challenging road course to the slate of events.

Once again next season, the annual swing through Western Canada will consist of three dates. However, in a subtle change the order of the stops is different for the upcoming year.

The first western event will take place on Sunday, July 25 on the demanding 1.973-mile Rexall Speedway in Edmonton, Alberta. In a return to the 2008 format, both the Indy Car Series and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will race on the same day at the Rexall Edmonton Indy.

From there, the series makes its way to the speedy half-mile tri-oval of SunValley Speedway in Vernon, B.C., on Saturday, July 31. Last season, Ranger earned his first oval-track victory in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

The final stop on the western swing is set for Wednesday, Aug. 4 at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, Sask. In 2009, the series made its debut at the track in the first ever NASCAR-sanctioned event in the province of Saskatchewan that sold out weeks in advance. Scott Steckly overcame a blown engine in practice and a start at the rear of the field to collect the historic victory.

The signature event on the schedule takes place on Sunday, Aug. 29 on the legendary Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a 2.71-mile temporary street course, on Montreal's IÎe Notre Dame. The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series again will join the NASCAR Nationwide Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series for the very popular event. JR Fitzpatrick picked up the win last season to spoil Ranger's bid to win all four road-course events on the 2009 schedule.

In what has become a tradition, the season will close and a new champion will be crowned at Kawartha Speedway, a .375-mile oval near Peterborough, Ont., on Saturday, Sept. 25. Last year, Kennington picked up his fourth series-career win in the event while Ranger celebrated his second title.

Other 2010 highlights include:

* The schedule includes races on eight ovals: Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, Autodrome St. Eustache, Barrie Speedway, Delaware Speedway, Kawartha Speedway, Mosport Speedway, Riverside Speedway and SunValley Speedway; and five road courses: Circuit de Trois-Rivieres, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Mosport International Raceway, Rexall Speedway and the temporary street course in Toronto.
* On June 12-13, the series will run at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario at the facility's 2.459-mile, 10-turn road course. The race is part of an eventful weekend at the 750-acre facility. The series will also visit Mosport's half-mile oval on Saturday, Aug. 21, which is a little later in the calendar than it traditionally has been.
* The popular visit to Quebec's Autodrome St. Eustache is scheduled for Saturday, July 3. A huge crowd is always on hand at the .4-mile flat oval located northwest of Montreal. Steckly won this event last season while Canadian racing hero Jacques Villeneuve made his series debut.
* The Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres in Quebec is on tap for Aug. 13-15. Last season, Ranger thrilled the fans of his home province with his second straight victory on the 1.53-mile temporary street course. Joining the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in Trois-Rivieres will be the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge.
* The Barrie (Ont.) Speedway date is set for Saturday, Sept. 11. Each of the past three trips to Barrie on this weekend has resulted in overflow crowds. The .333-mile tri-oval always produces one of the most exciting and action-filled events of the season.
* The trip east to the Maritime Province of Nova Scotia for a Saturday, Sept. 18 event at Riverside International Speedway is a popular stop for the competitors. Tackling the high-banked turns of the .333-mile scale version of the legendary Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway is always a thrill for both competitors and fans. Ranger collected his sixth win of the season in this event in 2009 to cap off his dominant season.

For more information contact: Shon Sbarra, NASCAR Public Relations, (704) 309-5493 or ssbarra@nascar.com

2010 NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES SCHEDULE

Date Track (Length) Location

Sat., June 5 Delaware Speedway (.5-Mile) London, Ont..

Sun., June 13 Mosport Int'l Raceway (2.459-Mile road course) Bowmanville, Ont.

Sat., July 3 Autodrome St. Eustache (.4-Mile) St. Eustache, Que.

Sat. July 17 Toronto Indy (1.721-Mile road course) Toronto, Ont.

Sun., July 25 Rexall Speedway (1.973-Mile road course) Edmonton, Alberta

Sat., July 31 SunValley Speedway (.5-Mile) Vernon, B. C.

Wed., Aug. 4 Auto Clearing Motor Speedway (.333-Mile) Saskatoon, Sask.

Sun., Aug. 15 Circuit de Trois-Rivieres (1.53-Mile road course) Trois-Rivieres, Que.

Sat., Aug. 21 Mosport Speedway (.5-Mile) Bowmanville, Ont.

Sun., Aug. 29 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (2.71-Mile road course) Montreal, Que.

Sat., Sept. 11 Barrie Speedway (.333-Mile) Barrie, Ont.

Sat., Sept. 18 Riverside Int'l Speedway (.333-Mile) Antigonish, N. S.

Sat., Sept. 25 Kawartha Speedway (.375-Mile) Peterborough, Ont.

Tentative - Subject to Change

PHOTO: The CASCAR Super Series made several appearances at the Toronto Indy. 2010 will mark the first time that Canada's national stock car championship will race there, under the NASCAR banner. (photo by www.davefranksphotos.com)

PHOTOS: Alex Tagliani pre-race NASCAR Nationwide at Phoenix

2009-11-14T09:40:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Jana White of FAZZT Racing for the photos of Alex Tagliani as he prepares for tonight's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Phoenix Int'l Raceway, driving for MacDonald Motorsports.

Photo 1 is of Alex and crew chief Dave Ingram during Truck practice. Photo 2 is of 'Tag' checking the pedals as he prepares for practice.

Alex Tweets at: http://twitter.com/tagliani

WHEELS.ca: Celebrating Ranger & Taking AIM at NASCAR

2009-11-14T08:38:00.003-05:00

In his column today, Toronto Star / Wheels writer Norris McDonald talks with (and about) Andrew Ranger on his 'career' year in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, in 2009.

After that, McDonald interviews AIM Autosports' Ian Willis about his plans to get his Woodbridge, ON-based, championship road racing operation into NCATS, possibly with a two-car operation (funding permitting).

I did a double-take when I saw Ian chatting with people on the grid at the final Canadian Tire Series race of the season, in late-September, at Kawartha Speedway. Now it makes sense.

UPDATE: For those interested in watching Ranger honoured tonight in Charlotte, it's being streamed at: www.nascarhometracks.com.

WATCH the Inside Track Breaking News Blog as major news involving the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series' 2010 season is expected as soon as today.

Philip Morris Crowned National Champion At Annual NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet

2009-11-13T22:34:00.001-05:00

CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 13, 2009) – A week of activities and celebration in the hub of NASCAR racing concluded Friday evening as Philip Morris was crowned national champion at the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet in the Embassy Suites and Concord Convention Center.

Morris, from Ruckersville, Va., joined Larry Phillips as the only drivers in the history of the Whelen All-American Series program to earn three or more championships with yet another stellar performance in 2009. Morris finished first in the nation in 2006 and 2008, and a third national title this season was accented by his seventh track championship at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., and a third straight Virginia State Championship.

“What a great privilege it has been to drive the No. 26 Clarence’s Steakhouse car,” Morris said. “Since combining forces with Clarence and Allen Pickurel, it seems like a blur of one celebration after another.”

Morris recorded nine wins, 20 top fives and 23 top 10s in 28 starts this season and accumulated 841 points to clinch the title by 25 over Keith Rocco of Wallingford, Conn.

As driver and owner of the No. 26 Chevrolet Late Model, Morris also took home the Lincoln Electric Car Owner Award and his crew chief, Chad McCoy, was recognized with the Lunati Crew Chief Award.

“This team has incredible depth and expertise,” Morris said. “Every man contributed to this championship. As a car owner I marvel at their pursuit of excellence, self control, focus and selflessness.”

Rocco, who competed in the Modified division at three Connecticut ovals (Stafford Motor Speedway, Thompson International Speedway, Waterford Speedbowl) during the season and won the track championship at Thompson, had the best season of his career. After finishing third in the nation in 2008, the two-time Connecticut State Champion tallied 13 wins, 31 top fives and 35 top 10s in 45 starts.

Nick Joanides from Woodland Hills, Calif., finished third in the national standings thanks to 13 wins with top-five efforts in each of his 21 starts. Joanides was the California State champion and the track champion at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Headlining the evening’s special awards was the inaugural Whelen All-American Series National Rookie of the Year Award presented by Jostens. Jacob Gomez, a 16-year-old from Manteca, Calif., took home the award on the strength of three wins and 14 top 10s in 18 starts between three California short tracks.

Jason Romero, who captured the track title at All American Speedway in Roseville, Calif., was bestowed the prestigious Wendell Scott Trail Blazer Award. Tommy Lee, the crew chief for driver Eric Blackard at Colorado National Speedway, took home Craftsman Mechanic of the Year honors.

Also honored Friday were:

·                     NASCAR Whelen All-American U.S. State and Canadian Province champions: Erica Thiering (Alberta), Richie Davis (Arizona), Dave Haworth (British Columbia), Joanides (California), Bruce Yackey (Colorado), Rocco (Connecticut), Paul Antley (Georgia), Ricky Bilderback (Illinois), Andy Eckrich (Iowa), Mark Underwood (Louisiana), Mike Rowe (Maine), Terry Senneker (Michigan), Adam Royle (Minnesota), Bill Leighton Jr. (Nebraska), Jeff Connors (Nevada), Phillip Baril (New Hampshire), John Fortin (New York), Travis Swaim (North Carolina), Donnie Hill (Ohio), Steve Robblee (Ontario), Jeff Strunk (Pennsylvania), Marty Ward (South Carolina), Morris (Virginia), Naima Lang (Washington) and Kevin Nuttleman (Wisconsin).

·                     NASCAR Whelen All-American track champions: Chris Spieker (Adams County Speedway), Romero (All American Speedway), Joe LeMay (All-Star Speedway), Gord Shepherd (Barrie Speedway), Rowe (Beech Ridge Motor Speedway), Tim Brown (Bowman Gray Stadium), Swaim (Caraway Speedway), Yackey (Colorado National Speedway), Hill (Columbus Motor Speedway), Robblee (Delaware Speedway), Eckrich (Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway, West Liberty Speedway), Thiering (Edmonton International Raceway), Lang (Evergreen Speedway), Ron Klein (Farley Speedway), Strunk (Grandview Speedway), Roger Powell (Greenville Pickens Speedway), Andy Mercer (Hickory Motor Speedway), Justin Shepker (Holland Motorsports Complex), Leighton (I-80 Speedway, Junction Motor Speedway), Senneker (Kalamazoo Speedway), Justin Alsip (Kil-Kare Speedway), JT Herbst (LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway), CE Falk III (Langley Speedway), Antley (Lanier National Raceway), Kyle Gottula (Madera Speedway), Underwood (Monroe Motor Speedway), Morris (Motor Mile Speedway), Mark Cottone (Motordrome Speedway), Willard Lawrence II (Old Dominion Speedway), Royle (Raceway Park), Fortin (Riverhead Raceway), Jerry Gille (Rockford Speedway), Justin Johnson (South Boston Speedway), Amy Catalano (Spencer Speedway), Haworth (SunValley Speedway), Adam Hensel (Superior Speedway), Connors (The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway), Rocco (Thompson International Speedway), Davis (Thunder Raceway) and Joanides (Toyota Speedway at Irwindale).

·                     NASCAR Whelen All-American U.S. State and Canadian Province Rookies of the Year: Lloyd Spearchief (Alberta), Davis (Arizona), Gomez (California), Nick Burton (Colorado), Joey Allegro (Connecticut), Scott Riechers (Iowa), Underwood (Louisiana), Bradley Babb (Maine), Brian Bergakker (Michigan), Bob White (Minnesota), Timmy Solomito (New York), David Wilson (North Carolina), Sloan Henderson (Ohio), Addison Meitzler (Pennsylvania), Bouchard Paquin (Quebec), Justin Ashley (South Carolina), David Polenz (Virginia) and Natalie Sather (Washington).

For the first time, the Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet was streamed live online at www.nascarhometracks.com. Saturday night’s NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala will also be streamed live from the Concord Convention Center, starting at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact: Jason Christley, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 547-2469 or jchristley@nascar.com.

NASCAR Nationwide: Alex Tagliani Phoenix practice quotes

2009-11-13T21:42:00.002-05:00

For Immediate Release on behalf of MacDonald Motorsports: Friday, November 13, 2009
Alex Tagliani #81 // NASCAR Nationwide Series Event—Phoenix International Raceway

Final Practice Position: 23rd

*Alex Tagliani is driving for the 2nd time this season for MacDonald Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Phoenix International Raceway. This will be Alex’s first oval race in a NASCAR event.

Alex Tagliani, Driver #81

“This weekend is my first time in the stock car on an oval and so far, I think it has gone pretty well. I think the most difficult thing for an open-wheel guy to remember is that you have to focus on not overdriving the car. If you try to be more aggressive to shave some time off on your lap you actually will lose more time than you gain. That is tough to remember because in the open-wheel car, you can push harder and shave tenths off your time but if you do that in the stock car you can actually drive the car in too far, and lose a second a lap. So it is a steep penalty for overdriving the car. In the 1st session the car was a little tight with understeer but we kept making changes and by the 2nd session the car was much freer and we ran much better and improved our lap times. We are going to make a small change tonight for qualifying tomorrow and I think we should conceivably be a top-20 car. Our main goal for the race tomorrow is to try and stay out of trouble and out of the way and bring home a good result for the team. These guys are really excited this weekend and they are putting forth so much effort. For a small team, they really do an excellent job and I hope I can bring them a good result.”

Randy MacDonald, Team Owner—MacDonald Motorsports

“We are all so happy to have Alex here with us again this weekend. The team really puts all of their effort into their preparation and so does Alex and that really shows when he is here to drive for us. It is such a pleasure to see the boys so excited and motivated! We had our best team result going in Montreal when we got involved in an incident on the last restart so I think there is a feeling of unfinished business going into this weekend. I think we are all looking forward to a good race and a good result.”

Media contact: Jana Watt // FAZZT Race Team // jwatt@mi-connection.com

NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson Phoenix Press Conference Transcript

2009-11-13T15:01:00.001-05:00

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES: CHECKER O’REILLY AUTO PARTS 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY // NOVEMBER 13, 2009

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S IMPALA SS met with media and discussed racing at Phoenix, off-road racing in Arizona, crashing and losing points at Texas last week, the emotions of going for a fourth consecutive championship, and more. Full Transcript:

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined in the infield media center by driver of the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet, currently No. 1 in points, Jimmie Johnson. Jimmie, thoughts about racing here at Phoenix International Raceway?

JIMMIE JOHNSON: I look forward to it. This track is a lot of fun to drive with the two different ends of the track. We've been very strong here in the fall race. So I look forward to it.
I just look forward to getting back on the racetrack so that I don't have the memories and thoughts of Texas in my head and have something new to think about and focus on. So eagerly awaiting practice to start, looking forward to it.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions.
Q.        Jimmie, jumping behind, I guess, can you kind of take your mind back to that 2004 race at Homestead. What was going through your mind entering that race and then when Kurt had that issue with the tire, brought the caution, can you sort of go through your mindset and recount it now five years later?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: To me, that year I really felt like was our year. The plane crash obviously took place. We won at Martinsville. We came back to Atlanta and won the following weekend. Guys were having trouble. We made up a lot of points. The Homestead race was going very good for us. We were running well. Kurt has his issues. You know, it just felt like, whatever that feeling is when it comes through your body, and you feel it's going to happen, whatever it may be, I had all those sensations.
Then with a restart or two left, I knew I needed three or four cars between me and Kurt. I look in the mirror, he's two cars back. I'm like, Oh, man, he's coming back. He recovered from his trouble.
On the last restart we had, if I could have gotten by Biffle, I think the way the points worked out, I would have been the champion by a couple points. I ended up finishing second. I think I restarted fourth, got a couple guys, got to second. I guess I was only eight points behind him when it was all said and done.
It was just a weird experience to feel like it was going to happen, the emotions that went with the plane crash, the way we were making up points, the end of the season was going, and then to not get it, you know, to not have it take place was, you know, a great lesson in the end. Certainly not one that was fun to experience, but a good experience.

Q.        I know you started on motorbikes, things of that nature. When you're looking at grass-roots racing, California, there's so many good short tracks, do you have any fond memories growing up on any of the neighborhood local tracks when you started racing?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: All of my racing was on the dirt, motocross, off-road trucks and buggies. I've raced a lot here in Arizona. My local track for motorcycles when I was a kid growing up was a track called Barona Oaks.
Then through California, we'd race as far north as a track called Gorman, I guess a little further north of that. I guess we get to Vegas, is where the mini nationals were each year. But there were many tracks along the West Coast that we'd race in, a little bit in Nevada and Arizona.
From a stock car standpoint, the first time I drove a stock car I think was in '97 at the track in Kenley, North Carolina. I drove an ASA car. So I had driven late model nothing. I had a chance to drive Bud Given's No. 4 ASA car that Dave Sensiba was driving. Then Gary St. Amant was leaving to combine forces and drive.
For me, the local short track scene that I experienced was watching my dad. One of his friends from high school had a late model at El Cajon Speedway, a guy named John Dineen, and my dad would work on his car from time to time. I would sit in the grandstands with a clipboard, some stopwatches, eating corn dogs, cotton candy, and watch from time to time. But we weren't there all the time because we had our own racing stuff to do.
Then some of my friends that I went to high school with also raced. Their dads raced. They grew up racing at the speedway. So I'd watch them, you know, on off weekends for ourselves.
But never drove a lap at El Cajon Speedway or any tracks in the area. My first time was at Kenley.

Q.        Is El Cajon still there with the Speedway?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: No. Unfortunately it went away four or five years ago.

Q.        Do you know what they put on it?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I don't know. I haven't been back through there to see it. I know it was close to an airport, so I would assume some type of industrial complex.

Q.        How do you compare the feeling of this championship to your other three championship runs? I mean, each one has to have a different feel to it. Also the fortune you felt by having a race up on the field when last week happened?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, up until last week, things just seemed to be going really, really well. A lot of positive emotions and thoughts that went with all of that. And then to get through Talladega, I felt like we missed the big one, everything was in great shape. We roll into Texas, lap three we take our lumps there.
So I'm used to leaving Texas with a strong performance, a lot of momentum coming into the Phoenix race with a ton of momentum. I don't really have an emotion for how last week went. I mean, obviously it's a negative one. I'm disappointed to lose the points, but we didn't perform poorly. We didn't have a chance to perform good or bad. So I just kind of have this blank spot about how last week went. Unfortunately, we lost 111 points.
We ran really good here in the spring, overcame a lot of issues to finish well. The fall race has always been good to us. So I'm finding a lot of, you know, positive thoughts, a lot of hope in what we have done here in the past at this track and the way the spring race went.
So I can't wait to get on track so I can start thinking about something else. All I can think about is three laps of Texas right now. That's all I've thought about for the whole week. Ready to get that out of the brain.

Q.        How does this compare?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: It's just a big, empty negative feeling right now because last week was just a major letdown, where before I'd leave with a win or very good run with a lot of momentum and positive thoughts.

Q.        Did you have an empty feeling when you left Talladega four years ago after Vickers?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I'd say in 2006, there was a rollercoaster ride of emotions then. The other two years, there were positive things building as we got to Phoenix. We were able to win here and carry that on into Homestead.
So this year, outside of 2006, it's been much different.

Q.        Jimmie, two questions. When you look at the stats, it's like why should anybody show up here, Hendrick is going to win the race. Why do you think not only you but Hendrick cars have been dominant? Last weekend, unsung heroes, guys that names don't get thrown out in the media, talk about what they meant last weekend and to your career.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I can say first of all, when I started driving for Hendrick, I don't think that Phoenix, this track, was one that was circled on the calendar for any of the teams. I think Terry had some luck. Jeff didn't really run well here. So from my time at Hendrick, I think we as an organization, as a group, have figured out how to get around this track, the setups we needed. I think it's relatively new. I'm not sure if the stats show that. I can remember Jeff in 2000 or 2001, something like that, when I first started working with the team, he didn't have a lot of good things in his mind about this track. I think he won a Nationwide race, was his first win here at the raceway. That's a new stat. We hope to keep it going.
I feel like the 2 car is going to be strong, especially off of his win. Those guys have been strong here typically. The Childress cars have been running better. I think this is a great track for Harvick and also Bowyer. There's no telling how it's going to shake out for us. I certainly hope the 48 car wins this thing.
The unsung heroes, those guys worked their guts out to get the car back on the track. The first report I had was, We're going to put it on the truck. That's kind of why I didn't get out of the car. I'm like, I'm not getting out. You guys have to figure out a way to fix it. I'll sit here till you roll it on the lift gate.
Chad was going to put all the effort in, but it didn't look good at first. Our 48 guys, on top of the 24 sent some people over, the 5, the 88, we had a lot of different members from other teams at Hendrick working with us to get that car right. Just can't thank them all enough for trying.
You know, and I know it's tough for the 24 to send someone over to help, and the 5, because, you know, I'm sitting here saying hopefully that work gives us the points to win the championship. You know, it may not work out for them if that's the case.

Q.        For your career, how big was that group behind you?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, the group of people behind the scenes is everything. I think that's why we bore everyone so much with saying 'the guys back at the shop,' mentioning crew members so often, because it really is a team sport. Through my career, from my dad, you know, prepping my dirt bike to go to the track, all the way through the off-road, ASA, all that stuff, those guys, they make the difference. They put in the hours. The relationships you build with them frame in the driver's mind what it takes to be successful, makes you respect the vehicles, the workmanship that goes into it. I think it's helped make me a smarter racer on the track. I try not to tear stuff up. I typically don't. I think a lot of that's because I have personal relationships with these guys, know they're not at home all the time with their families. They're working to make sure this car is right.

Q.        Jimmie, I was curious, it seemed like Sam got a lot of the blame both on TV and in your comments. Then maybe looking later, it seemed like Reutimann was more part of that. Have you evaluated that at all? Do you want to clarify?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I had one quick look at it after the race last weekend. I haven't studied much of it. I had a phone call from David, talked a little bit. I guess it was easy for me to blame the 77 because he was the guy that came up inside and got into me. I think he was the one kind of holding up the line. It's just easy to blame him.
But it did take two cars. And I think Sam had some handling issues, wasn't going all that well. As he got into the turn, checked up more than the 00 thought. The 00 made contact and off it went. So there were a lot of ingredients to what went on.
I try not to blame too much. Once I got back to the media center, four hours of sitting there watching the points disappear, I probably put a little more blame on Sam than necessary. You know, I just wish we could have made it through those few laps and Sam, you know, could have hung onto it. Not placing more blame on him than need be. But he almost had that thing saved, then it wiggled, came back up into me.
I guess now there's not a lot of good complaining about it. It's behind us. Can't wait to get on the track so we can talk about something else.

Q.        Looking ahead to Miami, you've done this obviously three times now. When you get to Miami, what's the process? Is there a checklist? Kind of talk about how you're going to approach that weekend. I know you're going to say it's not different from any other, but come on, it's a little different. What's the stress level like, that stuff?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, so much depends on this weekend and how things go. You know, if things go really well for us, it takes a little bit of pressure off, helps the week go by a little faster. The other side, you know, easy to figure out. If it doesn't go well, you just can't wait to get in the car and get things going.
The more we can keep it the same, the better it is. There is a lot of media leading up to the race, of course, a lot of questions that come about, that I don't really think of things in those terms. I find leaving the media briefing, media stuff we do on Wednesday, Thursday, there's a lot of thoughts swirling in the brain that were never there because I really try to keep it simple, keep things the same.
Hopefully I can leave the media get-together and shake all that stuff out, focus on the race and treat it, you know, like I would a typical race. That's really the goal. Don't end up there all the time. It's not as easy to pull off as it sounds. But that's my goal and I would assume everybody else's goal, to try to keep it the same and try to keep the stress down.

Q.        Jimmie, if you didn't feel like you did anything wrong, why were you beating yourself up all week? How hard is it to get that out of your brain? How important is it that you're able to do that? Have you ever struggled with thinking and thinking and thinking and not being able to get it out?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: No, I really do a lot of thinking about what I did wrong. I look back on that, I'm not sure I did anything wrong because we were all on the bottom and someone had the inside lane held up. The corner before, I was hit from behind going into the turn. I thought, man, going into one and two, they're going to check up again, I should be on the outside, avoid being spun out from behind.
I don't feel like I could have done anything differently. But it doesn't help that, you know, the feelings of losing 111 points. Those are still there. I don't know where to equate it. I don't know how to fix it. But that negative feeling's there. That emptiness is there. Man, I just lost 111 points. That part is there. I've thought about it enough. I know I couldn't have done anything differently. So I'm just like, Get me in the car again. I just need to get in the racecar here for practice and start focusing on today, the handling issues of what we experience here, and it will help me get through it.

Q.        Even after losing 111 points, do you take some comfort that these two tracks are left for you, you still have the 73-point lead? Is there some comfort factor there?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Definitely. I feel that a 73-point lead is a very, very healthy lead. With today's racing, the competition, the year that Mark Martin and Jeff have had in the Chase, I feel very good about our points lead. But it's hard to look back at the week before at 184, the comfort that that brought. You know, it's like, Wow, we could have left here with a 184-point lead. Different story. Homestead would have been a very enjoyable experience.
That possibility still exists. I mean, the 5 could have trouble this week. You never know. This is racing. Anything and everything will happen.

Q.        Jimmie, you mentioned earlier you had guys on the 5 and 24 working on your car. You got three drivers from the same team battling for the championship. How do you guys at Hendrick keep it on an even keel and not have toxic relationships from team to team when you're all battling for the same thing and you're all fiercely competitive?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: I really think that from my experience I look at how Jeff handled things from the beginning. Mark's been doing this a long time, operating from an area of respect that it didn't need much work on it to fit into the group. I mean, it just didn't. But with the way Jeff handled things from the start, taught me how to respect my teammates, how to work with my teammates. That all comes from Rick, as well.
So from the highest one in command all the way down through Jeff, who is a boss in a sense for me, I believe in the system and I know what we have done before the Chase as a team got us where we are, and we need to keep doing that stuff.
The other thing is experience. There are weeks where we've had the fastest car in the Chase and our teammate that we're racing with for the championship can take our setup and make their car better and put up, you know, a good finish. And we've been doing this long enough to where we have needed the help. So through time, it just kind of balances out. We found a way to do it.
I don't think it's easy. It's challenging for all of us. I don't think that if you put Roush in the situation or Childress, some of the other teams, I'm not sure how they'd handle it. I think that we do a really good job of dealing with all of the issues that come from it and respect one another. I think bottom line is respect. We respect each other enough to have this thing work.

Q.        I don't know what it is that you're feeling, what emotion it is, if it's pressure or desire or excitement or whatever that emotion is. What is the difference in the emotion of trying to win your first championship compared to trying not to lose your first championship in four years?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: So hard to think back to 2006. But all those emotions exist, and I think my mind goes through different scenarios where, okay, don't want to lose it, so you feel the pressure of that. Also, Why am I thinking about these emotions? I need to think of being aggressive and playing offense. So I think of it in a way where it brings excitement.
What I find is I go through two or three emotions and it just keeps looping back around, just the brain doing its thing. From the past three years of being in the situation, I understand the peaks and valleys of the emotional rollercoaster I'm on. I try to find a middle ground to relax and be comfortable with, look at the tracks, how you're team has been performing, build confidence in a lot of the tangible things instead of the emotions that fluctuate from day to day, hour to hour. I mean, we all go through it. It's a rollercoaster ride, to say the least. I do feel like I'm chasing my tail day to day, yup.

Q.        You are so good here. But because of what happened last week, are you feeling vulnerable at all? Are there guys out there that you get around, although I'd like you to name names, you probably won't, that you want to get away from them and just be out of the line of fire?
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Yeah, I mean, there's definitely a handful of guys that you're concerned about. But in the end, when you're on a short track like this, you'd lap through people and you're in traffic so often, the double-file restarts, it's not so much a car number or a person, it's kind of the situation.
Page 10
I don't think, you know, anybody's really safe, especially how you can run side-by-side here in one and two, one line is preferred, three and four another is preferred. It's going to be tough to get single-file.
So I do have concern and worry about contact or something out of my control taking place again. I mean, I think we all fear that. But I find some confidence knowing that everybody's going to deal with that. I don't think lightning can strike two weeks in a row. I'm certainly hoping it doesn't.

THE MODERATOR: Jimmie, thank you. Good luck this week.
JIMMIE JOHNSON: Thank you.

From GM

Autotecnica announces its participation in the Star Mazda Championship

2009-11-13T13:33:00.000-05:00

Toronto, ON - November 13/2009. Autotecnica announces its participation in the 2010 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.

Three Star Mazda cars have arrived today at Autotecnica’s dedicated 2,500 square foot racing facility. One driver is already confirmed and will soon be announced by the team.

Team Manager Enrico Diano states, “Rigorous testing will begin in late December in Florida and will continue into 2010 as part of our development and full driver training package. Winning is our expertise and we will push hard right out of the box to be competitive. We’ve always set the example with our first-class operations and services and look forward to continuing this in the Star Mazda series with our new clientele.”

Autotecnica will also field multiple F2000 cars to create a development ladder within the team with another driver already confirmed. More details regarding this program will follow in the next few weeks.

The Toronto based team has established itself as a title contender in all of its open-wheeled racing efforts since it was founded seven years ago. Autotecnica started in 2002 in the Formula Renault 2000 category winning sevaral races and a championship. Formula BMW followed from 2004 until 2009 with countless wins and four championships. Now, Autotecnica will enter the Star Mazda Championship to continue as a top-level driver training group and racing services provider.

“We have a lot to give to our clients who hire us for our expertise in professional driver training and for our excellent reputation as a racing service provider,” continues Diano, “We have always been front runners in North America and have won several championships to prove it. 2010 will be an exciting year for Autotecnica.”

Autotecnica prides itself in offering competitive budgets for its clients as well as equal and fair service. Clients will benefit from working with professional, well-trained, experienced and courteous staff who work full time in the shop and at the test and race events. Interested drivers for Formula Mazda and F2000 should contact:

Enrico Diano, Team Manager
Tel: +1.416.628.8214
Email: enrico@autotecnicagroup.com

For more details, please visit:

AutotecnicaGroup.com
StarMazda.com

Tall Pines Rally... Official Program Online

2009-11-13T12:24:00.004-05:00

Click here or on the image at right to flip through the pages of the Official Event Program of the 2009 Rally of the Tall Pines. The event takes place next weekend (Nov. 19-21) in Bancroft, Ontario.

Produced by Inside Track Communications, the Official Event Program is being distributed prior to and during the event, but is also available online. It's full of information about the rally (schedule, route, entry list, features and profiles).

Be sure to check it out before heading to the event. And while you're in Bancroft, be sure to support the advertisers who make the event and the program possible.

Mark Martin named NASCAR Illustrated's 2009 Person of the Year

2009-11-13T11:26:00.004-05:00

Mark Martin is the NASCAR Illustrated Person of the Year presented by Old Spice for 2009. Martin will officially accept the award in a pre-race ceremony at the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22, 2009.

NASCAR Illustrated chose to honor the 50-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver because of his exceptional talent and extraordinary class. His return to a full schedule in 2009 underscored his ability and gave fans another chance to appreciate his humility and graciousness.

This is the third time Martin has received a Person of Year honor – but only the first that he has been the sole honoree. He joins a list of previous recipients that includes Jeff Burton, Kyle Petty, Tony Stewart and Rusty Wallace.

(h/t Bob Barron)

Thanks to our friends!

2009-11-13T10:39:00.003-05:00

Several of our friends helped spread the word that Paul Tracy is coming to the Canadian Motorsports Expo on Sunday, January 24, 2010 to help kick-off celebrations promoting the 50th Anniversary Season of racing at Mosport International Raceway.

Thanks to:

Toronto Star / Wheels.ca writer Norris McDonald for this.
Russ Bond and Jim Leggett at CanadianRacers.com for this.
And Motorsport.com for this.

NASCAR CHAMPIONS WEEK: Excitement Continues To Build

2009-11-12T21:24:00.001-05:00

CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 12, 2009) – Champions Week continues to build to its ultimate crescendo – the NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet. Track operators have arrived in town and joined the celebration, as well as, taking care of some business items.

NASCAR champions Jason Bowles (Camping World Series West), George Brunnhoelzl III (Whelen Southern Modified Tour), Donny Lia (Whelen Modified Tour), Philip Morris (Whelen All-American Series), Andrew Ranger (Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1) and Ryan Truex (Camping World Series East) are on hand to celebrate their achievements and participate in the Champions Week activities.

While each of the title winners took a few moments off from their busy schedules on Thursday morning, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track operators held a business meeting in which the 2010 program was outlined.

“We really enjoy coming to these banquets, with NASCAR and Whelen,” said Gray Garrison of Bowman Gray Stadium, located in Winston-Salem, N.C. “You could not ask for a better sponsor that Whelen is for the weekly series. An engineering company like that is just great and fits a good niche for us. We enjoy coming to these types of things. We learn a lot.”

After lunch, the champions continued to accommodate the many media requests for the week. Bowles, Brunnhoelzl, Lia, Morris and Ranger each taped segments for The Hub on SPEED. Lia and Ranger then made their way to ESPN’s studios for an appearance on NASCAR Now. Bowles visited with ESPN on Wednesday.

The track operators and other guest were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the race shop at Penske Racing in the afternoon. The state-of-the-art facility situated on 105 acres in Mooresville, N.C., is the home of NASCAR drivers Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish Jr. and Justin Allgaier. They will be joined next season by Brad Keselowski. All of the guests got an up-close look at the inner workings of the world-class shop owned by the legendary Roger Penske.

“It’s a lot of fun to come back here and see everything that’s going on. We are looking forward to visiting some of the race shops,” said Bob DeFazio of Toyota Speedway of Irwindale (Calif.).

To close out Thursday’s activities, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state and provincial champions gathered at the Hendrick Motorsports Museum in Charlotte, N.C., for a special dinner commemorating each of their championship-winning seasons. Meanwhile, the touring series champions and track operators went on a dinner cruise at Queens Landing on Lake Norman.

Wednesday concluded with a reception for the champions and track operators at NASCAR’s Research and Development Center in Concord. On display were all six of the champions’ cars along with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series trucks from each of the manufacturers. All of the attendees were treated to a look at the new NASCAR Nationwide Series cars to be introduced next season.

“That’s was exciting to see some of what they are doing out here in research and development and to have NASCAR let us know that any time we need their help, they’re willing to answer any of our questions. Being a new track, that’s really a great asset for us,” said Carol Noceti of The New Stockton (Calif.) 99 Speedway.

The week culminates with the two award ceremonies. The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet will take place Friday evening at the Concord Convention Center with track and state champions being honored along with Morris, the national champion. The NASCAR Touring Series Awards Gala, which will honor the championship seasons of Bowles, Brunnhoelzl, Lia, Ranger and Truex, will be held at the same venue on Saturday evening. Both banquets will be streamed live online at www.nascarhometracks.com.

For more information contact: Jason Christley, NASCAR Public Relations, (386) 547-2469 or jchristley@nascar.com

Canadian Racing Star Paul Tracy is coming to the Canadian Motorsports Expo

2009-11-12T14:50:00.002-05:00

Open-wheel champion to sign autographs and take part in celebration of Mosport’s 50th Anniversary Season

(TORONTO, ON // NOVEMBER 12, 2009) Racing fans in attendance at the Canadian Motorsports Expo on Sunday, January 24, 2010 are in for a ‘thrill.’ Paul Tracy, one of Canada’s most successful, entertaining and popular racers will be at the International Centre to sign autographs, chat with fans, and participate in ceremonies celebrating the official kick-off of Mosport International Raceway’s 50th Anniversary Season, in 2010.

Known as ‘The Thrill from West Hill,’ Tracy is the perfect headliner for the CME’s Mosport celebration. He cut his teeth at the legendary Canadian road course, earning his first-ever win in a racecar on the challenging 10-turn circuit that has played a prominent role in Canadian motorsports since first being opened in 1961.

Speaking about his upcoming appearance at the Canadian Motorsports Expo, and paying homage to Mosport, Tracy said, “I’m looking forward to signing autographs at the Canadian Motorsports Expo. It’s always great when you get to go home and get up close and personal with the fans. I’m very excited and I’m sure it’s going to be a great time. Mosport was my home racetrack when I began racing cars. I had my first race and my first win in a racecar there, so I’m thrilled to be a part of kicking off their 50th anniversary celebration.”

CME President Glenn Butt is equally enthused about Tracy’s scheduled appearance. “When you think of successful Canadian racing stars and institutions, Paul Tracy and Mosport International Raceway are near the top of the list. The two have a shared history, and having Paul take part in our celebration of Mosport’s 50th makes it all the more special.”

Responding to the news that ‘PT’ will be participating in the Mosport Anniversary festivities at the CME, Myles Brandt (President & GM, Mosport International Raceway) said, “Mosport has been the home track to many of Canada’s top race drivers over the past five decades, and Paul Tracy ranks as one of the greatest Canadian racers of all time. Everyone at Mosport knew he was something special when he won the Formula Ford title in 1985 and then scored a Can-Am victory here in 1986 to become the youngest Series race winner at age 17.” Brandt continued, “A proud Canadian, Paul has gone on to win many races and titles at circuits across North America and we’re proud that his career began at Mosport; Canada’s Home of Motorsports. I think it’s fitting that he’ll be joining our 50th Anniversary season launch at the Canadian Motorsport Expo in January.”

The Canadian Motorsports Expo is a three-day celebration of Canadian racing that runs January 22 to 24 at the International Centre (6900 Airport Road in Mississauga). The show is powered by Inside Track Motorsport News and supported by companies like Lucas Oil Canada, NASCAR Canada and Mosport International Raceway. In addition to booths and racing vehicles representing the entire spectrum of Canadian motorsports, the show is loaded with seminars and forums to entertain and inform racers and fans alike.

For more information about the Canadian Motorsports Expo, visit www.canadianmotorsportsexpo.com, call Glenn Butt at (905) 721-1762 or email him at glenn@canadianmotorsportsexpo.com. You can reach co-promoters Inside Track at (416) 962-7223 or email expo@insidetracknews.com.

PHOTO: Canadian Racing Star Paul Tracy will make an appearance and sign autographs at the Canadian Motorsports Expo, on Sunday, January 24, 2010 at Toronto's International Centre. (Courtesy of LAT via PMIfirm.com)