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Edwards Placed On Probation For Three Races
posted by Jay Pennell
Tuesday March 9, 2010
NASCAR President Mike Helton addressed the media Tuesday afternoon following Sunday’s late-race incident between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Well over 100 laps down, Edwards intentionally spun Keselowski through the tri-oval while Keselowski was running sixth. The No. 12 car lifted in the air and slammed the outside wall with the driver’s side window. NASCAR parked Edwards for his actions and ordered him to the NASCAR hauler for further discussion on the matter. Tuesday, Helton explained Edwards would be placed on probation for the next three races and the drivers and their teams would meet with NASCAR about the situation. “Following that incident we asked the driver of the 99 to visit us in the hauler, and we made it very clear to him that these actions were not acceptable and did go beyond what we said back in January about putting the driving back in the hands of the drivers,” Helton said. “We believe the driver of the 99 understands our position at this point.” For NASCAR, the biggest issue emerging from Sunday’s incident was the fact the No. 12 car lifted into the air. “But the bigger topic is the 12 car getting airborne at a mile-and-a-half track which we typically don’t see,” Helton said. “It’s been years since we’ve seen that. So a lot of our effort yesterday, today and until we find resolve to it is figuring out how it happened, why it happened and what we can do to prevent it from happening in the future.”
Keyed Up and Key Motorsports split
posted by Doug Turnbull
Saturday March 6, 2010
If missing the first three races to date was not enough drama for the No. 90 Keyed Up Motorsports Chevy team and Casey Mears, organizational upheaval may tip the scales. A member with the team tells Frontstretch.com that Raymond Key’s Cup operation, originally formed with ties to Curtis Key’s teams in the Nationwide and Truck Series, has become its own entity. As of Monday, the team began a move into Tommy Baldwin Racing’s old shop while planning to continue trying to qualify on Cup races. However, if sponsorship for the team fails to pan out, Keyed-Up may vie for a partial schedule similar to that of the Wood Brothers and only run about 12 races the rest of the year.
Wood Brothers running FR9 for now, Roush says no big problems with new motor
posted by Doug Turnbull
Saturday March 6, 2010
Ford’s new FR9 motor has not made a speedy entrance to the Sprint Cup Series, mainly because the Ford teams need adequate supplies from the engine parts vendors and not because of performance problems, says team owner Jack Roush. Claiming the engine will perform well over the long-term, he still expects the new design to be “the Ford engine of the future” and fully in use by the end of 2010. While his four Ford teams are not running the revamped engine, Roush revealed that the Wood Brothers Ford team will run the FR9 this weekend at Atlanta and in April at Texas. Beyond that, either Roush nor Ford officials have announced a set schedule for full or future implementation of the power plants.
Crawford says truck team is 'close' on sponsorship
posted by Doug Turnbull
Saturday March 6, 2010
While never a standout in the Camping World Truck Series, Rick Crawford has experienced moderate success over his long career in NASCAR’s third-tier. After losing sponsorship at the end of 2009, his Circle Bar Racing team finds itself on the ropes, wondering how many races the future may hold. The veteran Crawford, though, remains optimistic a deal is imminent. “I would say we’re pretty close on signing a sponsor for the 2010 season and 2011 and beyond. [Not starting 2010 with a sponsor] was a matter of losing a sponsor late last year and [the prospective sponsor] getting its marketing efforts done. We’ve got the contracts ready; we’re waiting to get that signed.” Crawford started 2010 with a DNF at Daytona, placing 28th.
Justin Marks Wins The ARCA Race!
posted by Thomas Bowles
Saturday February 27, 2010
Justin Marks won a rain-shortened event at Palm Beach Saturday, collecting his first ever win in the series. Robb Brent, Blake Koch, Tom Hessert III, and Steve Arpin rounds out the top 5. Stay tuned to Frontstretch.com for plenty of post-race coverage on both the website and our Newsletter.
Looking For ARCA Coverage? We Got It!
posted by Thomas Bowles
Saturday February 27, 2010
While the ARCA race at Palm Beach may not be televised … we’ve got you covered. Our own Bryan Davis Keith is at Palm Beach all weekend and will be posting news, commentary, and features from the Florida road course both on the website and in our newsletter. Don’t miss out! And don’t forget, our own Tom Bowles is spending the weekend in Vegas, too … so we’ve got you covered from all angles. Just another reason why we’re the best seat at the track and the best view on the ‘net!
Carter Simo still plans 2010 Cup races
posted by Doug Turnbull
Friday February 19, 2010
One story lost in the shadow of Speedweeks in Daytona was the absence of Carter Simo Racing’s No. 08 car. Much of the team’s equipment was put up for auction Tuesday; however, a source tells Frontstretch.com the operation still plans to field a car in 2010, with a limited schedule of races TBD. CSR may also try and field a car for the Talladega ARCA race in April; until then, most of the team’s employees have been temporarily released and are working for other teams in the sport. In mid-2009, team owner John Carter bought the assets of beleaguered owner/driver Jeremy Mayfield, using the newly purchased equipment and Toyotas to field entries in five races with two-time champion driver Terry Labonte. Equipment issues kept the team from cracking the top 30 in those races. Road course ringer Boris Said also wielded No. 08 Fords last year at both road course races, scoring the team’s season-best finish of 24th at Infineon. Later on that season, Said and longtime partner Mark Simo split, creating the newly-named Carter Simo racing with Labonte behind the wheel. On Tuesday, CSR only placed the equipment purchased from Mayfield on the block, including five Toyotas, a race hauler, and other pit equipment and tools. However, the source says that the team still owns three old Yates chassis and an old Ganassi piece (all of which they converted to Dodges last year) in the shop, with plans on returning to the track midseason pending sponsorship. The move is similar to what happened with Carter Simo last year, in which they took a four-month break between Daytona and Infineon while preparing to race at specific tracks. CSR, which still splits its time between its shops in Charlotte and in Toccoa, Georgia, just has to modify the top of the noses on their cars before returning to the track, due to a minor, lightly-discussed rules change before the season. As for CSR’s 2009 drivers and whether they will return to the team, Boris Said currently is driving the No. 26 for Bill Jenkins’ Latitude 43 Motorsports, and is working on a long-term deal that should remove him as an option. Terry Labonte is also out of the running; he and former owner Bill Stavola formed Stavola Labonte Racing in 2009, but are currently sidelined due to a lack of sponsorship. According to sources, Labonte was offered but initially turned down a return to the No. 08. A John Carter-owned car did participate in the ARCA race at Daytona on February 6th. Former CSR driver James Hylton borrowed a car from Carter, then leased it to driver Jill George for the race. But George infamously crashed the No. 48 roof-first into the wall just 25 laps into the 80-lap Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, finishing 31st in the 43 car field.
Parrott In As Crew Chief For Kenseth
posted by Jay Pennell
Wednesday February 17, 2010
Less than a week into the 2010 season and Roush Fenway Racing has already made a switch at the crew chief position. News broke on Wednesday that Todd Parrott would take over atop the pit box for the No. 17 team with driver Matt Kenseth, replacing Drew Blickensderfer. The Kenseth-Blickensderfer combination won last year’s Daytona 500 and backed it up by winning the next weekend at the Auto Club Speedway. Despite their strong start out of the box, the No. 17 team failed to live up to expectations in 2009, scoring seven top-5s, 12 top-10s and failing to make, along with missing the Chase. Now after an 8th place finish in Sunday’s Daytona 500, Blickensderfer is headed to the Roush Fenway Racing R&D Department and Parrott is taking over as crew chief.
Danica Out in Daytona
posted by Mike Lovecchio
Saturday February 13, 2010
A lap 79 crash abruptly ended Danica Patrick’s first career NASCAR start Saturday in Daytona. Patrick went a lap down early in the race and later got back on the lead lap on lap 55 via the “Lucky Dog” rule. As she began moving through the field, she was collected in an incident that involved 12 cars. “I’m just going to take away the fact that I know what it’s going to be like out there come next year,” she said. “I felt we would’ve finished strong if we would’ve finished, but as you can see it’s easier said than done.”
Truck Series Race Postponed Until 7:00 PM Saturday
posted by Thomas Bowles
Friday February 12, 2010
It’s official – Friday track activities were washed out by the weather. Not only was Nationwide qualifying pushed back, but the Truck race was postponed, too – they’ll run at 7:00 PM Saturday night. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the latest news ‘n’ notes from the track! |
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Check in with Matt and Jay on their site at CareyandCoffey.com.
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Miss out on your favorite driver's report card / season preview? Just click the link above and you can find them all archived together!
2008 Ride: No. 15 DEI Chevrolet
2008 Primary Sponsor: Menards
2008 Owner: Teresa Earnhardt
2008 Crew Chief: Doug Randolph
Stats: 36 Races, 0 Wins, 1 Top 5, 1 Top 10, 1 Pole, 26th in points.
Best Finish: 2nd (Talladega – Fall).
Average Finish: 25.4.
High Point: Definitely the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega in October, where Menard scored a career best second place finish. Late in the race, all three DEI Chevrolets were lined up in the Top 5, ready to pounce on leader Tony Stewart. While Aric Almirola was eventually shuffled back in the No. 8 Chevrolet, Smith and Menard continued to apply the pressure as the white flag waved. Coming to the finish line, Menard actually gave the push Smith needed to pass Stewart illegally and reach the line first.
However, while the No. 01 car dipped below the yellow line, Menard stayed above it and was promoted to second following NASCAR’s penalty against his rookie teammate. That race was not just the only Top 5 of Menard’s season, but the only Top 10 of 2008, and his entire Sprint Cup career up to this point. Outside of Talladega, Menard’s best finish was 11th in the June race at Michigan.
In addition, Menard won the pole for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona and led 19 laps before finishing 15th.
Low Point: Menard’s season was consistently mediocre, so it is relatively difficult to pick out one specific low point. The closest to a definitive low would have to be the August event at Pocono, where Menard finished 42nd after crashing with the No. 78 of Joe Nemechek. This was his worst finish of the season, and the only DNF the second-year driver had due to a wreck. Coming just one week after a 41st at Indianapolis, it became the midpoint of a five-race slump where Menard failed to finish higher than 24th.
Summary: Menard’s sophomore season provided some slight improvement. After the struggles that marked the early part of his rookie campaign, 2008 brought continued steadiness for him that marked his second half of 2007. Increasing his number of Top 20 finishes from six to eight, Menard maintained the same low number of DNFs (two) and continued to race clean.
This pattern shows that Menard is slowly improving as a driver in the Sprint Cup Series, much like how other “pay drivers” have improved their skills over a period of time at the highest levels of motorsports. A good example from Formula 1 here would be Pedro Diniz, who made it to Formula 1 in 1995 mainly because of his sponsorship money from Parmalat, a company best known here in the United States for lactose-free dairy products. After a year at terrible Forti-Corse, Diniz did a year at Ligier, then moved to Arrows for two seasons, then finished off at Sauber Petronas. By the time all was said and done, Diniz had scored a total of 10 points in F1 (using today’s point system, it would be 38) and was generally accepted in the paddock.
Team Ranking: Second ranked of the five DEI drivers in points (26th), Menard would still be behind either Martin or Almirola if either driver had run a full season. The No. 15 was the middle DEI car in owner points.
Off-Track News: Menard rarely makes news off the track, but he visited the set of CSI: Miami in late August prior to the Labor Day weekend race at Auto Club Speedway (Fontana, CA).
2009 Outlook: 2009 sees Menard leaving DEI (his old No. 15 ride was eliminated as a result of the DEI-CGRFS merger) to move to a new third team at Yates Racing, the No. 98. Menards, his father John’s chain of home improvement warehouses, follows him to the new Yates program. In this situation, Paul will likely be expected to perform even more than he did at DEI. John Menard had what could be described as a “cushy” relationship with ownership at his son’s old team; however, this will not happen at Yates.
Compared to Menard’s No. 15 ride at DEI last year, Yates looks to be little more than a lateral move. However, unlike Menard’s teammates, his car is fully funded, so there will be less distractions for an organization that struggled for funding in 2008.
Menard’s crew chief will be Larry Carter, who helped Jamie McMurray have a very strong finish this season. Carter is a race-winning crew chief in the Sprint Cup Series, both with McMurray and Kurt Busch; his winning experience should help Menard improve in the No. 98.
Being that this will be Menard’s third year, I would expect some more improvement out of Paul. After his first two years at DEI, a good season for him would have approximately 10 Top 20 finishes and a couple of Top 10s. Such a season would likely result in a finish around 22nd in points; and if the chemistry is right, I think that result is clearly within the realm of possibility. However, if he regresses at all, calls for Menard to move aside for someone with more talent will emerge.
2006 Frontstretch.com Grade: N/A.
2007 Grade: C-.
2008 Grade: C.
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