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Rolex 24 Standings Through 21.5 Hours (1pm EST)
posted by Phil Allaway
Sunday January 29, 2012
DP: GT:
Rolex 24 Standings Through 18.5 Hours
posted by Phil Allaway
Sunday January 29, 2012
DP: GT:
Rolex 24 Standings Through 11 Hours
posted by Phil Allaway
Sunday January 29, 2012
DP: GT:
Standings after 5 Hours 50 minutes
posted by Phil Allaway
Saturday January 28, 2012
DP: GT:
Standings After Regulation Sprint Race Distance (2 hours, 45 minutes)
posted by Phil Allaway
Saturday January 28, 2012
DP: GT:
Grand-Am to Add B-Spec Events Later in 2012
posted by Phil Allaway
Saturday January 28, 2012
On Saturday, Grand-Am Road Racing officially announced the creation of a new series that will act as the teritary division for the organization. The series will simply be referred to as “B-Spec.” The new B-Spec class is designed to be a very inexpensive way for brand new organizations to get involved with racing, and for existing organizations to cultivate new talent at a minimal cost. No professional drivers from any series will be allowed to participate in any B-Spec races. The B-Spec series will race four cylinder subcompact automobiles. Five manufacturers have already signed on to provide vehicles for the series. Those are Mazda with their 2, Honda with their Fit, Ford with their Fiesta, Mini with their Cooper and Kia with their brand-new Rio. As for how expensive these cars will be, Mazda would have prospective teams purchase a new Mazda 2. These start at roughly $15,000. From there, there would be a $2600 package that teams would have to buy from Mazdaspeed Motorsports. Finally, there would the all-important safety equipment (roll cage, racing seat, safety harness, fire extinguisher, etc.). The total cost per new car would be somewhere between $20,000-$30,000. Grand-Am brass are quite confident that the series will be a great fit in the organization. “This new form of Grand-Am racing will attract new racers and in the process, new fans,” said Mark Raffauf, Grand-Am’s Managing Director of Racing Operations. “The cars are cool and the competition will be door-to-door, which should be a lot of fun for everyone – a nice fit with what Grand-Am already has happening at every event.” The B-Spec class will race at six tracks later this season starting with Homestead at the end of April. Subsequent rounds would be held at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen (during the Six Hour weekend), Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and Lime Rock Park. Events will be 30-45 minutes in length with no pit stops. The new series has been likened to the Renault Cup, a spec-series of Renault Le Car’s (and later Renault Alliances) back in the 1980’s. However, it more closely resembles IMSA’s International Sedan Series, which featured Acura Integras, Plymouth Horizons, Volkswagen Golfs, and the 1980’s version of the Dodge Charger, amongst others.
Ryan Dalziel Wins Overall Pole for Rolex 24, Brumos Racing on GT Pole
posted by Phil Allaway
Friday January 27, 2012
One of the sport’s legendary racetrack owners, spearheading the last independently-owned Sprint Cup facility has died. Dr. Joe Mattioli, 86, passed away Thursday afternoon at the Lehigh Valley Hospital Center after a lengthy illness. A dentist by trade, the patriarch of one of the most influential NASCAR families staked the biggest portion of his reputation on racing, constructing the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway in Northeast Pennsylvania and convincing the most popular series in the country to stage races there. Constructed in the early 1960’s, the “Tricky Triangle” as it’s become known has hosted a total of 68 Cup Series events, beginning in 1974. Pocono Raceway is also home to a successful driving experience, a mainstay for the ARCA Series (two races per year) and has recently hosted one Camping World Truck Series event per season. Open-wheel cars also once graced the asphalt at a facility that has grown to hold over 100,000 fans. But Mattioli’s legacy reaches far beyond the racetrack. His land in Northeast PA is now home to a 25-acre solar energy system, made up of 40,000 American-made photovoltaic modules that will produce more than 72 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy over the next 20 years. Opened in 2010, it makes the raceway the largest solar-powered sports facility in the country, spearheading NASCAR’s push towards protecting the environment and renewable energy. A Navy medic during World War II, Mattioli went to Temple University in Philadelphia, PA through the G.I. Bill and established a successful dental practice in the area. Investing in real estate during the ensuing decades allowed him to accumulate wealth and establish the funding necessary to build the racetrack, which now has expanded to include nearby lodging year-round among other projects, past, present and future which have helped boost the economy in the Pocono Mountain Region. “‘Doc’ was a true leader in every sense of the word,” said the Mattioli family in a statement. “As a visionary, he brought an unknown sport into an alien place, where he along with his unstoppable will and undeniable tenacity built one of the biggest monuments of sports. His passion for his projects was only overshadowed by his deep love for his family, which he gave to all of us hand over fist.” For years, other corporations have looked to buy the speedway and the surrounding land but Mattioli would never sell. That leaves Pocono one of just three tracks on the NASCAR schedule not owned by NASCAR-linked International Speedway Corporation or Bruton Smith’s Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (Indianapolis and Dover are the other two). Mattioli also steadfastly clung to the track’s 500-mile distances, a tradition that was only recently changed for 2012. The good doctor leaves behind his wife Rose – the couple was married 63 years – three children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In August, 2011 he had retired from his role as President of the Raceway and left the day-to-day operations in the hands of grandchildren Brandon, Nick, and Ashley Igdalsky. There are no plans to sell the facility in the wake of his death; in fact, it was left in a trust so the track will remain in family hands for generations to come. “They can’t touch it,” he said last year in a conversation recounted by Brendan Gaughan Thursday on SiriusXM’s NASCAR channel. “They’re going to learn how to run it or starve.” Chances are, with the great teacher the grandkids had to learn from success, not starvation will be the modus operandi for years to come.
Statement On Dr. Joe Mattioli's Passing
posted by Thomas Bowles
Friday January 27, 2012
From the family of former Pocono Raceway owner and president, Dr. Joseph Mattioli… It is with the upmost remorse that we announce that Dr. Joseph Mattioli passed away this afternoon. His loss has left with each of us an unbearable sadness, which we’ll bear with us for the rest of our lives. “Doc” was a true leader in every sense of the word. As a visionary, he brought an unknown sport into an alien place, where he along with his unstoppable will and undeniable tenacity built one of the biggest monuments of sports. His passion for his projects was only overshadowed by his deep love for his family, which he gave to all of us hand over fist. Beyond our family, he had a true love and admiration for the wonderful members of his North Eastern Pennsylvania Community. He had a great respect for all of the great people that laid the foundations of prosperity before him, and an even greater hope for the future of our area, which he believed lies in its youth. He leaves not only his family, but also everyone he’s ever met with an insatiable desire to take life by the horns. He always lived life on his own terms He did it his way. “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.” – Ernest Hemingway He died loved, respected, and admired.
SunTrust Racing, TRG fastest in Opening Practice for Rolex 24
posted by Phil Allaway
Thursday January 26, 2012
When the track opened up for practice at 10am Thursday morning, the teams were ready and raring to go. Many of the teams had new equipment to come to grips with, while others were using older, proven machinery. Unfortunately for Starworks Motorsport, their new equipment let them down before they even got onto the track. A failure in the Ford powerplant was found on pit road before the car even saw the track. As a result, they were forced to miss the first session while they changed the engine. The other 13 Daytona Prototypes managed to make their way onto the track and set times. The results more or less kept in line with the Roar Before the 24 test. The SunTrust Racing No. 10 Chevrolet Corvette DP driven by Max Angelelli turned in the fastest lap with a time of 1:41.952 (125.706 mph). This is about six-tenths of a second slower than the fastest test times. However, temperatures are just about 80 degrees at the track. Second was the No. 01 BMW Riley DPG3 for Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. The car, driven by Graham Rahal, posted a lap at 1:42.086 (125.541 mph), a tenth and a half slower than the Corvette. Third was the No. 99 Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet Corvette DP driven by Alex Gurney with a 1:42.199 (125.402 mph). Juan Pablo Montoya in Ganassi’s No. 02 and John Pew in the Michael Shank Racing No. 60 Ford Riley DPG3 rounded out the top-5. In GT, Spencer Pumpelly in the No. 67 TRG Porsche 911 GT3 Cup set down the fastest lap of the session right at the end of the session. His lap of 1:49.867 (116.650 mph) was less than two-hundredths of a second faster than Dirk Muller in the No. 94 BMW M3 for Turner Motorsport. Third in class was the Paul Miller Racing No. 48 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup driven by former Porsche factory driver Sascha Maassen with a 1:50.078 (116.426 mph). Sebastian Asch in the No. 17 Burtin Racing with Goldcrest Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup was fourth fastest, while Emil Assentato in the No. 69 FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia rounded out the top-5.
Ford Racing unveils 2013 Ford Fusion
posted by Mike Neff
Tuesday January 24, 2012
In the biggest announcement so far of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, Ford Racing took the wraps off of their 2013 Ford Fusion. The car incorporates common areas agreed upon by all manufacturers with style components unique to the 2013 production car to give fans a race car that truly resembles the street version of the Fusion. While there are most likely going to be some tweaks to the design the car is definitely a much needed change from the current race car and a vast improvement toward bringing the STOCK back to stock car racing. The car was a collaborative effort across many different parts of the Ford organization. One of the key members of the project was Garen Nicoghosian, design manager for specialty vehicles. He was oozing with pride over the car as the assembled members of the media commented on the great looks. He’s a fan of the cars that used to race in the old Trans Am series and it shows in the end product. “I am a big fan of the flared fenders” Nicoghosian said. “The body style and the proportions we came up with lent itself to the flared fenders and the planted look that it gives to the car. It reminds you a lot of a Porsche 911 in how it just looks planted into the track.” While the other manufacturers have not yet unveiled their proposed cars for 2013, Ford has certainly set the bar high with their Ford Fusion. |
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Did You Notice? ... Bayne’s Own Rookie Existence, The Dividing Line, And A House Of Cards?
Doug Turnbull · Wednesday March 23, 2011
Editor’s Note: While Tom Bowles continues his hiatus from “Did You Notice?,” the fill-in carousel by some of your favorite Frontstretch staff members continue. This week, enjoy some analysis by NASCAR guru and truant slacker Doug Turnbull.
The 2011 season, at first seemed to embody a different vibe than years past. Trevor Bayne’s win in the Daytona 500, followed by Jeff Gordon’s long-awaited victory at Phoenix… with a few crashes mixed in for both… all set a dramatic tone as the Sprint Cup Series set out for Las Vegas. But in Sin City, reality set in for many of the sport’s “B” and “C” teams as long green flag runs left many cars multiple laps down and many fans longing for more of the action that they saw in the first two races.
After Kyle Busch took the Bristol crown for about the nineteenth straight time (actually fifth straight in NASCAR competition and second straight in Sprint Cup) with Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson in tow, the reality that the usual contenders are rising to the top became even more real. It’s just one of several, familiar trends that are starting to develop in the Sprint Cup Series; here’s a look at a few as 2011 hits full swing…
Read more Did You Notice? ... Bayne’s Own Rookie Existence, The Dividing Line, And A House Of Cards? ...
The Cool-Down Lap: How Should NASCAR Nation Feel About Five Straight?
Doug Turnbull · Monday November 22, 2010
In case you haven’t heard, Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s team won the 2010 Sprint Cup championship on the strength of a second-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Sunday’s Ford 400 – his fifth straight. And while the ESPN crew and pillars of the media that cover NASCAR release stories lacing him with words like, “incredible,” “historic,” “unbelievable,” and “all-time great,” NASCAR’s ever-growing pool of dissatisfied fans just grew another notch disinterested. Is one side right? Are both points of view spiraling away from each other? With sponsors fleeing the sport, ratings bottoming out, and NASCAR spinning every positive event into a string of platitudes that makes stomaching them hard for even the greatest of optimists, one can’t help but have a few reservations about Johnson now winning a half-decade’s worth of championships under the Chase format.
But is this feeling the right one to have?
Read more The Cool-Down Lap: How Should NASCAR Nation Feel About Five Straight? ...
Top Ten Ways Denny Hamlin Can Ensure He Wins The Championship
Doug Turnbull · Wednesday November 17, 2010
10. Pulverize a water bottle before and after the race.
9. Remove Mike Ford’s foot from his mouth, so he can better understand him on the radio.
8. By not pulling a Michael Waltrip and showing up at the wrong track.
Read more Top Ten Ways Denny Hamlin Can Ensure He Wins The Championship ...
The Kyle Conundrum: Sunday Meltdown Latest Fault of His Fire
The Yellow Stripe
Doug Turnbull · Tuesday November 9, 2010
He’s talented. He’s fiery. He may be his own worst enemy. There are many adjectives to describe Kyle Busch, the 25-year-old driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, who absolutely shot himself in the foot, then chopped it off, salted it, cooked, and ate the nasty appendage during Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. His frustration has obviously steamed to a boil, especially after seeing the success of teammate Denny Hamlin coincide with the unraveling of consistency in his own camp. But where does a zealous passion to win bleed into a damning obstacle that only fuels itself more as the winning mark is missed?
Read more The Kyle Conundrum: Sunday Meltdown Latest Fault of His Fire ...
Top 10 NASCAR Political Donations
Doug Turnbull · Wednesday November 3, 2010
10. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. donated $12,000 to Nancy Pelosi. He knows lost causes when he sees them.
9. Lame duck Kasey Kahne donated $5,000 to any lame duck Democrat left in Congress.
8. A.J. Allmendinger is donating to any Alabama politician that will tear Talladega down.
Read more Top 10 NASCAR Political Donations ...
The Cool-Down Lap: Is Clint Bowyer The Next Jamie McMurray?
Doug Turnbull · Monday November 1, 2010
As NASCAR checked video to determine the winner of Sunday’s Amp Energy Juice 500, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick parked next to each other at the start-finish line, near the exit of pit road. Interim No. 33 crew chief Scott Miller and the other crew members chirped to Bowyer that NASCAR was still reviewing the tape and exclaimed how great it was that RCR won the race. They even discussed performing a dual burnout. However, Harvick kept his Realtree Chevy idle on pit road while Bowyer did a poorer job subduing his excitement. With BB&T colors splashed on the No. 33 and still no decision on the race’s winner, Bowyer lit up a billowing burnout at the start-finish line that put any Talladega campground flame to shame. After his Impala came to a rest, the decision from race control became known and the exalting cheers poured across the radio just as the champagne and cold drinks flowed in Victory Lane. Finally, a cloud of doubt and frustration that had stifled the No. 33 team in the 2010 Chase for the Cup had lifted.
Read more The Cool-Down Lap: Is Clint Bowyer The Next Jamie McMurray? ...
Two Jeffs, Two Long Winless Droughts, and One Big Reason Why
The Yellow Stripe
Doug Turnbull · Tuesday October 26, 2010
The biggest storylines floating in people’s craniums between Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway and next Sunday’s AMP Energy 500 at Talladega will likely center around the three title contenders, the tiny point margins in between them, and the likelihood that the track’s typical madness will shake up the Chase standings. But while Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick wage a battle at the top of the charts, veterans Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton are waging battles of their own – against themselves.
Gordon’s winless drought has been epic. After winning six races in 2007, the four-time Cup champ threw a goose egg in the victory column in ’08 and managed just one – at the April Texas race – during a strong ’09 season.
Read more Two Jeffs, Two Long Winless Droughts, and One Big Reason Why ...
Top 10 Reasons Kasey Kahne Left the Track Early on Saturday Night
Doug Turnbull · Wednesday October 20, 2010
10. Contract with Richard Petty Motorsports poorly written and set to expire at 9:00 p.m. Saturday night.
9. The Red Bull girls held cans of the energy drink on a fishing pole and lured him from the No. 9 garage.
8. Out of benevolence, he wanted to give J.J. Yeley a chance to drive the best equipment he’s seen in three years.
Read more Top 10 Reasons Kasey Kahne Left the Track Early on Saturday Night ...
Top 10 Unconventional Brian France Flag Calls
Doug Turnbull · Wednesday October 13, 2010
10. Called for a yellow flag during the 2004 Daytona 500 because he had to pee while Tony Stewart was leading Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
9. Has been black-flagging the unsponsored, slower vehicles within the first 70 laps of every race since the beginning of last season.
8. Threw red flag on I-95 to clear traffic for his Lexus in Daytona, because he owns that town.
Read more Top 10 Unconventional Brian France Flag Calls ...
Top 10 Entitlements for Chase Drivers
Doug Turnbull · Wednesday October 6, 2010
10. Limitless black and gold strings of beads for use in the Talladega infield.
9. Reserved seating in the drivers’ meetings, far away from the “other” drivers.
8. Clearance to ask non-Chasers pitting around them to pit on a different lap, to ensure easier entry and exit from pit road.
Read more Top 10 Entitlements for Chase Drivers ...
The Cool-Down Lap: David Slays Goliath - Kyle Busch's Double Standard Proves Faulty
Doug Turnbull · Monday October 4, 2010
The season of “Have At It, Boys” in NASCAR took another turn Sunday at Kansas Speedway. Whether we’re talking about the “Carl v. Keselowski” airborne tumble at Atlanta or the numerous inter-team squabbles that have populated Sprint Cup storylines during the midpoint of this year, drivers have not been shy to display both on and off-track displeasure with each other. But for all the controversy their clashes created, each one occurred during the regular season and had no real Chase implications.
Sunday’s spat between Kyle Busch and David Reutimann did.
Read more The Cool-Down Lap: David Slays Goliath - Kyle Busch's Double Standard Proves Faulty ...
The Cool-Down Lap: 'Dinger Does Dover - What His Good Run Means
Doug Turnbull · Monday September 27, 2010
The following sentence seems amazing because, when you think about it… it just does not happen all that often. A.J. Allmendinger, driver of the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, had the car to beat at Dover International Speedway in Sunday’s AAA 400. Well, at least for the first half. But first, Allmendinger turned heads with a Friday qualifying lap that placed the No. 43 on the outside pole next to Jimmie Johnson. It was the third straight start of sixth or better for the ‘Dinger, a continuing sign of improvement for a team building for 2011 and beyond. However, most midpack teams that qualify well slip back from the drop of the green flag, and rarely do they actually gain spots and pass former champs for the lead.
Not this time. That pattern came to a striking halt as for awhile there on Sunday, this race was shaping up to be A.J.’s day.
Read more The Cool-Down Lap: 'Dinger Does Dover - What His Good Run Means ...
