 |
 |
 |
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. |
||
 |
Promo code: Front
Find tons of cheap speedway tickets like Talladega race tickets, NASCAR Sprint Cup tickets, NASCAR Nationwide Series tickets and the full 2011 Monster Jam schedule.
Don't miss this week's edition!
Frontstretch Podcast: November 18th Edition
Check in with Matt and Jay on their site at CareyandCoffey.com.
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| Subscribe to The Frontstretch Newsletter |
| Visit this group |
Miss out on your favorite driver's report card / season preview? Just click the link above and you can find them all archived together!
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing - Auto Club Speedway Advance Notes
Wednesday October 7, 2009
Race: PEPSI 500 on Sunday, Oct. 11
Track: Auto Club Speedway (2.0-mile oval)
Location: Fontana, Calif.
NOTES
Martin Truex Jr. and No. 1 Guitar Hero® 5Team
California Dreaming: Truex will be making his eighth NSCS start at the two-mile D-shaped oval. Truex has an average starting position of 13.4 and an average finish of 19.0 at Auto Club Speedway. Truex’s best finish came in back-to-back events at the speedway when he finished sixth in both the final 2007 race and the first 2008 race at Fontana. Truex’s highest qualifying effort was fifth back in September of 2006. He has also led four laps at the track located just east of downtown Los Angeles.
About Kansas: Truex Jr. had positioned himself inside the Top 10 early on at Kansas Speedway, but an untimely caution flag during a pit stop would place the team further back in the 43-car field Sunday afternoon. Truex and team would fight hard for track position the remainder of the day and eventually bring home a 16th-place finish at Kansas.
Guitar Hero® 5 Returns: The #1 best-selling video game, Guitar Hero®, returns to the track at Auto Club Speedway as primary sponsor of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates’ No. 1 Chevrolet driven by Martin Truex Jr. The paint scheme first debuted at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sept. 6, 2009, coinciding with the launch of the popular video game on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The video game returns as primary sponsor of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing for the seventh time this season after sponsoring Aric Almirola and the No. 8 Team for four races, including the 2009 Daytona 500, and the No. 1 team with driver Martin Truex Jr. at Indianapolis and Atlanta Motor Speedway.
About Guitar Hero® 5: Living room legends will rock any way they want in Guitar Hero® 5. The entire set list is at your finger tips from the start, featuring genre-defining hits from some of the biggest rock artists and bands of all time, including The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Santana and Vampire Weekend. You will take complete control as Guitar Hero 5 allows you to personalize and customize how you experience music by being able to play with any in-game instrument combination -- multiple vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers, in any game mode. With the game’s all-new Party Play Mode, getting the band back together has never been easier. You can now jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly, without interrupting their jam session. Elevating the Guitar Hero® series to new heights with unmatched social gameplay, an enhanced style, new in-game artists and more rock legends, Guitar Hero 5 features new surprises and challenges that will fire-up long-time fret board fanatics and create a new generation of addicts.
Our Partners on the West Coast: Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., Activision Blizzard, Inc. is a worldwide pure-play online and console game publisher with leading market positions across all categories of the rapidly growing interactive entertainment software industry.
Activision Blizzard's portfolio includes best-selling video games such as Guitar Hero®, Call of Duty®, and Tony Hawk, as well as Spider-Man™, X-Men™, Shrek®, James Bond™ and TRANSFORMERS™, leading franchises such as Crash Bandicoot™ and Spyro™ and Blizzard Entertainment's® StarCraft®, Diablo®, and Warcraft® franchises including the global #1 subscription-based massively multi-player online role-playing game, World of Warcraft®. More information about Activision Blizzard and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
Juan Pablo Montoya and No. 42 Target Team
The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup: The fourth-place finish at Kansas marked Montoya’s third consecutive top-five performance in the Chase. Through the three Chase races, Montoya is the only driver to finish in the top-five in all of them. In addition, his Kansas finish helped him maintain third place in the point standings and cut his points deficit to 51 behind leader Mark Martin heading into California.
The Chase Stats: After three Chase races, the statistics for Montoya are impressive. Compared to the 11 other Chase drivers, Montoya has the best average starting position of 5.7, the best average running position of 4.69 and the highest percentage of laps run in the top-15 with 99.4%. He is ranked second in the best average finishing position with 3.7 just a .4 difference between him and Martin with 3.3. In addition, Montoya has the second best driver rating in the Chase with 122.2 compared to Johnson with a 128.4.
California History: Juan Pablo Montoya will be making his sixth NSCS start at Auto Club Speedway this weekend. This marks the fourth race of the Chase. Montoya has an average starting position of 22 and an average finishing position of 22 in his five prior NSCS starts. Montoya’s best finish of 11th occurred at the spring race earlier this year. He has completed 99.6% of the possible laps at California; 1245 out of 1250.
About Kansas: Starting from the 14th position, Montoya wasted no time moving through the field as the green flag waved and by lap 20 the No. 42 Target Chevrolet was sitting in the top-10. When the grooves on the race track expanded, Montoya found his rhythm and was frequently the fastest car on the track. From lap 20 on, the Target Chevrolet never looked back and consistently ran among the leaders. All but three of the 267 laps were run in the top-15 and Montoya had an average running position of seventh throughout the race. The Target Chevrolet led one lap and gained five valuable bonus points towards the Chase standings. At the end of the day, Montoya crossed the finish line in the fourth position and gave the team their fifth top-five finish of the season and third in the last three weeks.
Get Geared Up!: Fans should be sure to visit www.earnhardtganassi.com to get their Exclusive and Official 2009 Juan Pablo Montoya Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup gear. Fans that spend $42 will receive free shipping, just like buying your favorite No. 42 Team Target gear trackside!!
Going for Three: The NASCAR Sprint Cup, IndyCar and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series are all in the stretch runs of their seasons and Chip Ganassi has four cars competing for three titles as the racing world prepares to crown its 2009 champions. Scott Dixon is currently first and Dario Franchitti second in the IndyCar Series point standings coming into the season finale at Homestead this weekend. In the Rolex Grand-Am Series, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas are third place in the title hunt with one race remaining at Homestead on Saturday. Now with Montoya making the Chase for the Sprint Cup and sitting third in the points, Ganassi has drivers vying for championships in each series that he participates in.
2009 In Numbers: Montoya and the Target team have accumulated two pole awards, five top-fives, 15 top-10 (51.7%) and 19 top-15 finishes this season. In the 29 Cup races run this season Montoya has earned 23 top-20 finishes. He has led 270 laps and averages a starting position of 12.1 and a finishing position of 12.8 for the season. They have completed 8286 of out 8303 possible laps (99.8%) this season which ranks third for active drivers.
CHASSIS INFO
No. 1 Guitar Hero® 5 Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #803. The No. 1 Guitar Hero® 5 team will bring chassis #803 to Auto Club Speedway this weekend. This chassis was last used for the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Pocono (6/7/09 and 8/2/09).
No. 42 Target Chevrolet (NSCS): Chassis #819. Pattie and the No. 42 Target team are bringing chassis #819 to Auto Club Speedway this weekend. This is one of the favorite chassis’ in the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing stable. It has run at Atlanta in September (3rd), Michigan in August (19th), Pocono in August (2nd), and most notably Indy where Montoya led 116 laps and had a win in sight until a late race penalty eliminated his chances (11th). .
2009 STATS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish Pts. Pos./(Prev)
Martin Truex Jr. 29 0 2 0 3 17.0 23.1 25/26
Juan Pablo Montoya 29 0 2 5 15 12.1 12.8 3/3
CAREER STATS
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s Ave Start Ave Finish
Martin Truex Jr. 146 1 3 12 34 18.0 20.0
Juan Pablo Montoya 102 1 2 10 24 19.5 20.4
TEAM ROSTERS
Tony Glover – Team Manager
Steve Hmiel – Director of Competition
No. 1 (NSCS) Hometown Hometown
Crew Chief: Kevin Manion Boylston, MA Rear Tire Changer: Coleman Dollarhide Hickory, NC
Chief Mechanic: Gary Putnam Vernon, CT Rear Tire Carrier: Mark Kennerly Salisbury, NC
Front Tire Changer: Dennis Terry Mozbur, NC Gas Man: Preston Cordell Middleburg, FL
Front Tire Carrier: Shannon Keys Byron, GA Catch Can: Eric Hoyle Asheville, NC
Jack Man: Jeff Kerr China Grove, NC Spotter: Joey Meier Marathon, FL
No. 42 (NSCS) Hometown Hometown
Crew Chief: Brian Pattie Zephyrhills, FL Rear Tire Changer: Chris McMullen Troutman, NC
Chief Mechanic: Heath Silver Asheville, NC Rear Tire Carrier: Chip Goode Statesville, NC
Front Tire Changer: Trevor Lysne Fergus Falls, MN Gas Man: Mike Bodick Norwalk, CT
Front Tire Carrier: Eric Bilyeu Waterford, MI Catch Can: Heath Silver Asheville, NC
Jack Man: TJ Ford Charlotte, NC Spotter: Tab Boyd Pensacola, FL
This Week on the Frontstretch:
Mirror Driving: Rebuilding Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Penske, And The NASCAR Banquet’s Future
The Only Thing Mutual? Penske, Kurt Busch Both Stand to Lose Big
Who Gets An Early Christmas Gift? Sorting Through Potential Busch Replacements
Burned At The YouTube Stake: How Technology Brought Busch Down
2011 NASCAR Driver Review: Justin Allgaier
2011 NASCAR Driver Review: A.J. Allmendinger
2011 NASCAR Driver Review: Aric Almirola
2011 NASCAR Driver Review: Marcos Ambrose
2011 NASCAR Driver Review: Michael Annett
2011 NASCAR Driver Review: Greg Biffle
2011 Driver Review Schedule
FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Beth Lunkenheimer.
©2000 - 2008 Beth Lunkenheimer and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!
