NASCAR: Sprint Cup stars in Pennsylvania, Nationwide Series runs in Iowa

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LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
NASCAR's Sprint Cup series makes its second visit of the year to Pocono Raceway this weekend.

By: Al Pearce on 8/05/2011

NASCAR's three-race, two-venue weekend has a somewhat different face now that Carl Edwards has re-signed with Roush Fenway Racing and Brad Keselowski has been told to skip the weekend's Nationwide Series race in Iowa. And what's with those big-time Sprint Cup stars running the Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway?

Edwards is at Pocono all day Friday and part of Saturday to prepare for Sunday afternoon's Good Sam Emergency 500. For the first time in months, he'll be free of those nagging questions about whether he plans to stay at Roush Fenway or jump to Joe Gibbs Racing. He ended all the suspense and speculation when he announced on Thursday that he'll he stay with Ford and Roush Fenway.

After his Pocono obligations end with Cup qualifying on Saturday morning, Edwards will fly to Newton, Iowa. There, he'll prepare for and race in Saturday night U.S. Cellular Nationwide 250. It was a race Keselowski was scheduled to run but he withdrew after chipping an ankle bone in a Wednesday test-session crash at Road Atlanta. Team owner Roger Penske has tapped Sam Hornish Jr. to replace Keselowski, who'll be at Pocono resting up for Sunday afternoon's Sprint Cup race. Edwards and Michael McDowell will be the only Cup regulars in Iowa.

Saturday afternoon's support race at Pocono is the Good Sam Truck Series 125. Teams will practice on Friday, qualify on Saturday morning, then race on Saturday afternoon. The series regulars will have their hands full with Cup regulars Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin.

The full Pocono schedule:

-- Friday: 10-11:50 a.m., final Camping World practice; 12-1:30 p.m., Sprint Cup practice; 1:40-3 p.m., final ARCA practice; 4-5:30 p.m., final Cup practice; 5:40 p.m., ARCA qualifying

-- Saturday: 9:35 a.m., Truck Series qualifying; 10:40 a.m., Cup qualifying; 1 p.m., start of Good Sam Truck Series 125; 3 p.m., start of Pennsylvania ARCA 125

-- Sunday: 1:15 p.m., start of Pennsylvania Sprint Cup 500

The Iowa Speedway schedule:

-- Friday: 4:30-5:30 p.m., Nationwide Series practice; 6-7:30 p.m., final Nationwide practice

-- Saturday: 3:35 p.m., qualifying; 7:30 p.m., start of US Cellular Nationwide Series 250

 

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NASCAR: Carl Edwards explains decision to stay with Roush Fenway, sort of

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ACTION SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY
Carl Edwards said money was not the key factor in negotiating a new contract with Roush Fenway Racing.

By: Al Pearce on 8/05/2011

Neither driver Carl Edwards nor owner Jack Roush would reveal details of their new “multi-year” contract that Roush Fenway Racing announced on Thursday. For much of this season the media, fans, and competitors had played the game of “where will Carl go?” In the end, amid great scrutiny, he stayed put with Roush Fenway after listening to an offer from Joe Gibbs Racing.

On Friday, between practice sessions at Pocono Raceway, driver and owner finally talked about their deal. Well, they talked about the deal, but not the deal itself.

“First off, I wish I’d never confirmed that our (contract) was up this year because it would have been a lot quieter (otherwise),” Edwards said. “I looked at a lot of things, but at the end of the day, our negotiations and our deals and the things that I look at competitively are private matters. We went through the process, worked really hard and this is the outcome, and I’m proud to be here.

“I can say, just like I said earlier, that I learned a ton. I learned about Roush Fenway Racing and about Jack as a person and about me and what’s important to me. I learned about my competitors and you guys (the media), and I’m really appreciative for all those folks who were patient. We’re in a position now where our cars are fast and we have chances to win almost every week. We have the opportunity to go out and win this championship, to continue my partnership with Jack, to continue with Ford and the sponsors. I’m really happy with the way this turned out.”

Even after reminding the media he’d said he wouldn’t talk about contract details, he kept getting those questions. Politely, as is his way, he refused to answer. But he did politely offer these insights.

“From the beginning I said, ‘What would I do if money weren’t a factor and if I didn’t care what (anybody else) thought about my decision?’ ’’ he said. “It’s a decision that’s important to me and my family for all the hard work I’ve put in. For the path I’ve taken, for me personally. I act as my own agent and make my own decisions. I understand my own deals, and the decision was made under those thoughts.

“So that’s what made this simpler and that’s how I came to the conclusion. Whenever I’d start feeling that pressure start creeping in I’d think, ‘OK, let’s get back to the basics. Where can I win the most championships? And what would I do if other people’s opinions weren’t a factor?’ That helped me a ton and my family and Jack’s patience and Jack’s support helped me do that. When I talked to Jack on the phone he said, ‘Look, Carl, you do whatever you think is best for you.’ He said those words and that meant the world. It meant I didn’t have that pressure to do something for any reason other than what I thought was best. That was huge.”

Edwards said that contrary to widespread reports he didn’t make his decision based on a last-minute deal sweetener from Ford Motor Co.

“There was no last-minute money,” he said. “The idea that some people have run with is … well … first of all, the money numbers that I read are not correct and that’s all I’ll say about that. And if anybody who wants to publish any more of those numbers would like to come ask me if they’re correct, I’ll tell you they’re not correct.

“And then second: there was no difference in the deal at the last minute or anything else (that had to do with Ford corporately). My deal with Ford is that I believe in the company. I believe in the products they make and just like everyone else at Ford and Roush Fenway Racing, if Ford benefits, I have the potential to benefit from that success too. But there was no last-minute influx of money or anything like that. That’s a false assumption.”

Roush jumped in to say it wasn’t a factor from his side of the table, either.

“I’d like to make one follow-up comment on that, on the money thing,” he said on Friday. “The one thing Carl and I did not have a discussion about at any point in the negotiation or consideration was money. It was not a factor from my side, from the Roush Fenway side, and from what I could see it was not a factor from Carl’s side. That did not weigh into the decision Carl made.”

Finally, the timing of the announcement. Why now? Why not last week or last month or a month from now? What happened this week to convince Edwards it was time to end the suspense and re-sign with Roush Fenway? And in the end, what factor tipped him one way and not the other?

“I think staying was for the reasons we talked about,” Edwards said. “I just decided this is the right place for me. If I’d made this decision three months ago I might have had more second thoughts, I might have felt not as sure about it. To me, the fact I had the time I had and the opportunities, and Jack being as open as he was and showing me things that were going on. With the way Ford treated me through the process and showed me things that were gonna happen in the future. All that was a risk on their part because they didn’t have to show me those things.

“It took time for me to come to that conclusion. There wasn’t one thing at the end that changed my mind or made my decision different. When I made up my mind, you folks heard about it.”

 

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NASCAR notes: Newman, Kahne lead Cup practice

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LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Crew chief Chad Knaus talks with driver Jimmie Johnson at Pocono Raceway on Friday.

By: Al Pearce on 8/05/2011

Ryan Newman and Kasey Kahne were fastest in Friday's two Sprint Cup practice sessions at Pocono Raceway. Teams will qualify Saturday morning at 10:40 (three of the 46 entries won't make the show) and start their 200-lap, 500-mile at 1:15 on Sunday afternoon.

In the first session, Newman (170.026 mph) easily beat Kurt Busch (168.621 mph), A. J. Allmendinger (168.517 mph), Carl Edwards (168.360 mph) and Mark Martin (168.300 mph) in the 90-minute session. Jimmie Johnson, David Ragan, Paul Menard, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10. The five slowest were Geoffrey Bodine, Jason White, Erik Darnell, Scott Speed, and T. J. Bell.

Kahne led the second 90-minute session at 167.520 mph. Mark Martin (166.834 mph), Kevin Harvick (166.756 mph), Clint Bowyer (166.667 mph), and Juan Pablo Montoya (166.599 mph) also were in the top five. Jeff Burton, Newman, Brad Keselowski, Regan Smith and Carl Edwards were in the top 10. The slowest five were White, Casey Mears, Bell, Mike Skinner and David Stremme.

Cup drivers rule truck practice

Sprint Cup stars Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin were first, third and fifth in Friday morning's Camping World Truck Series practice at Pocono Raceway. Teams practiced for almost two hours, will qualify Saturday morning at 9:35 and run their 50-lap, 125-mile race at 1 p.m.

Harvick's best lap of 161.493 mph beat the 160.964 mph of Todd Bodine. Busch ran 160.878 mph to show in third, Matt Crafton ran 160.829 mph for fourth, Martin ran 160.691 mph for fifth and Johnny Sauter ran 160.494 mph for sixth.

Nelson Piquet Jr., Miguel Paludo, Jason White and Joey Coulter rounded out the top 10. Only 30 teams showed up and practiced, four fewer than allowed on the entry form. The slowest of those 30 was Chris Lafferty at 119.600 mph.

Mattiolis step down

Doctors Rose and Joe Mattioli, both deep into their 80s, announced Friday afternoon their joint retirement from daily operations of the three-sided, 2.5-mile track at Long Pond, Pa. Their three eldest grandchildren will take over daily operations, effective immediately.

Brandon Igdalsky, 35, the track's president since 2007, has assumed addition duties as chief executive officer. His brother, 33-year-old Nicholas, has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer. Their sister, 30-year-old Ashley, has been named secretary-treasurer of the family-owned corporation. They have four younger siblings, almost ensuring that the track Bruton Smith reportedly has wanted for years will stay in the family for generations.

The Mattiolis built Pocono Raceway in 1970 and hosted the first of their 67 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 1974. The track also has hosted 20 IndyCar, four Indy Light, 30 ARCA, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and seven NASCAR Modified races.

Saturday's Pocono schedule

-- 9:35 a.m., Camping World Truck Series qualifying

-- 10:40 a.m., Sprint Cup qualifying

-- 1 p.m., start of Truck Series 125

-- 3 p.m., start of ARCA 125

 

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NASCAR: Paul Menard notches his breakthrough win in the Brickyard 400

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LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Paul Menard, his family and crew celebrate winning the Brickyard 400 on Sunday by kissing the yard of bricks at the start/finish line.

By: Al Pearce on 7/31/2011

Paul Menard on Sunday claimed his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win by hanging on as the onrushing Jeff Gordon fell just short in the final laps of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After making up a 12-second deficit in the final 13 laps, Gordon was several car-lengths behind Menard at the end of the 160-lap, 400-mile race.

The win was emotional for Menard whose father, John, is a longtime, well-known and well-respected supporter of racing in the Midwest. Paul Menard grew up spending much of every May at the Speedway, where Menard-sponsored cars fared well often but never won the Indianapolis 500. Father and son enjoyed an emotional embrace in vctory lane after the driver's first Cup Series win in 167 career starts, dating to 2003.

“I just can't believe this,” Paul Menard said, looking in wonder around Victory Lane. “There's a lot of emotion right now because as a kid, I always dreamed about winning here. The family's been coming here for 35 years, so this is big for them--for all of us, really because Indy is such a special place. I knew Jeff was coming, but being in front and having clean air was great. And, too, I was getting great fuel mileage.”

Menard led four times for 21 of the 160 laps, including the final four. He led lap 82 as pit stops cycled through, then led laps 96-104. Toward the end, he led laps 145-151 before letting Jamie McMurray by to lead laps 152-156. Once crew chief Slugger Labbe gave the fuel-conscious Menard the “go for it” call, he passed McMurray easily and drove away to the finish. Given another lap or two, Gordon would have had his fifth Brickyard 400 win, but it was not his day.

Menard crossed the line ahead of fellow top-10 finishers Gordon, Regan Smith, McMurray, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. Points leader Carl Edwards was 14th and pole winner David Ragan 23rd.

It was another disappointing finish for Dale Earnhardt Jr., who led a few laps but finished 16th to slip to 10th in points.

Other than the final 15 laps--with suspense building regarding who had enough fuel to make it to the finish--the race was far from memorable. Menard restarted 14th after the final caution on lap 127 and inherited the lead on lap 145 when Stewart made his final stop. Most of the front-runners made green-flag stops in the final 20 laps to ensure that they could finish. Menard was close on fuel but saved enough to make it to the finish while many others made late-race stops.

Thirteen drivers swapped the lead 22 times but less than half of them--Kasey Kahne (48 laps), Gordon (36), Menard (21), Keselowski (17) and Matt Kenseth and Stewart (10 each)--reached double figures in laps led. Earnhardt, McMurray, Clint Bowyer, Ragan, Dave Blaney, Jimmie Johnson and Landon Cassill shared the other 18 lead laps.

RESULTS

1. Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 160 laps at 140.762 mph avg. speed; 2. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 160; 3. Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 160; 4. Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 160; 5. Matt Kenseth, Ford, 160; 6. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 160; 7. Greg Biffle Ford, 160; 8. Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 160; 9. Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 160; 10. Kyle Busch, Toyota, 160;

11. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 160; 12. Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 160; 13. Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 160; 14. Carl Edwards, Ford, 160; 15. Brian Vickers, Toyota, 160; 16. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 160; 17. Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 160; 18. Kasey Kahne, Toyota, 160; 19. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 160; 20. Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 160;

21. Kurt Busch, Dodge, 160; 22. A. J. Allmendinger, Ford, 160; 23. David Ragan, Ford, 160; 24. Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 160; 25. Joey Logano, Toyota, 160; 26. Andy Lally, Chevrolet, 160; 27. Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 160; 28. Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 160; 29. Casey Mears, Toyota, 160; 30. Trevor Bayne, Ford, 160;

31. Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, 160; 32. Mike Bliss, Ford, 159; 33. David Gilliland, Ford, 157; 34. Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 157; 35. Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 152 (engine); 36. David Reutimann, Toyota, 49 (crash); 37. Michael McDowell, Toyota, 23 (electrical); 38. Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 19 (overheating); 39. Scott Speed, Ford, 19 (rear gear); 40. Mike Skinner, Toyota, 16 (electrical);

41. Terry Labonte, Ford, 15 (transmission); 42. T. J. Bell, Ford, 10 (brakes); 43. Robby Gordon, Dodge, 5 (engine)

TIME OF RACE: 2h 50m 30s

WINNER'S AVG. SPEED: 140.762 mph

MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.725s

FAST QUALIFIER: Ragan, 49.182s, (182.994 mph)

PROVISIONALS: T. Labonte

DID NOT QUALIFY: David Stremme, J.J. Yeley, Scott Winner, Travis Kvapil, Erik Darnell

STARTED AT REAR: Hamlin (engine change), Truex (transmission change)

LEAD CHANGES: 22 among 13 drivers

CAUTION PERIODS: Four for 21 laps

PURSE: $9,071,034; winner's share $373,575

POINTS LEADERS: 1. Edwards, 682; 2. Johnson, -11; 3. Harvick, -12; 4. (tie) Kyle Busch, Kenseth, -16; 6. Kurt Busch, -18; 7. J. Gordon, -52; 8. Newman, -64; 9. Stewart, -73; 10. Earnhardt, -76

CHASE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP WILD-CARD CANDIDATES: Hamlin (11th in points, with one win), Menard (14th, with one win)

NEXT: Pocono, Pa., Aug. 7 (1 p.m. Eastern, ESPN)

 

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Kimi Räikkönen won\'t commit to WRC or NASCAR for 2012

AutoWeek loves passionate comments and debate, but remember that you're part of a diverse community. Above all: be respectful. Critique statements, not people; talk about the automotive world, but skip the political rhetoric, hate speech, and obscenities. While we can't read every post, this site is moderated and AutoWeek will remove comments as we see fit. Questions? Read our Terms of Use or email moderator@autoweek.com.

NASCAR: Son\'s win validates Menard\'s long history at Indy

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LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Richard Childress, Paul Menard and John Menard celebrate Paul's NASCAR win on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

By: Al Pearce on 8/01/2011

Longtime IndyCar supporter John Menard enjoys recalling those days when he slipped his underage son, Paul, into Gasoline Alley during Indy 500 preparations. Father would tell son--at the time, not yet a teenager--to sit quietly in a corner, don't attract attention and avoid the infamous yellow-shirt security guards.

Two decades later, on the last Sunday in July at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Menards could laugh about those days without worrying about the yellow shirts. Paul, almost 31, had just won the 18th-annual Brickyard 400, his first Sprint Cup win after 167 starts.

For both Menards, the career-defining moment couldn't have come at a better place.

"Our whole family has been at the Speedway for so long," said John Menard, who spent untold millions sponsoring IndyCar teams and helping develop Indy 500 engines with little success. "We've all tried very hard. Paul came down here [from Wisconsin] as a very little guy. I smuggled him into the garage because he was too young to be in there. He'd be sitting on the workbench, behaving himself. He had to be quiet or the yellow shirts would throw him out. He was there, always interested."

And, perhaps surprisingly, that interest led to a career in stock cars rather than Indy cars. Just 22 at the time, Paul began in 2003 with 16 combined ARCA, Camping World, Nationwide and Sprint Cup starts. He concentrated on Nationwide between 2004 and 2006, then ran the 2007 and 2008 Cup seasons for Dale Earnhardt Inc. He stayed in Cup with Robert Yates Racing in 2009 before doing the full 2010 Cup schedule for Richard Petty Motorsports and the full Nationwide Series schedule for Roush Fenway Racing. He joined Richard Childress Racing--taking along his father's sponsorship money--when the team expanded from three teams to four this year.

Until Sunday, his NASCAR résumé was modest: one pole, no wins, five top-fives and 13 top-10s in 166 Cup starts; three poles, one win, 22 top-fives and 63 top-10s in Nationwide, and one pole, no wins, no top-fives and no top-10s in six Camping World Truck Series starts.

But when the breakthrough Cup win is at Indy, all is forgiven.

"I'm so proud of that whole Menard team," said team owner Richard Childress, now a three-time Brickyard 400 winner. "I caught a lot of flack when we decided to go with four teams. I've been watching Paul ever since he won the Nationwide race [at Milwaukee in 2006]. He doesn't tear equipment up; he's consistent, he's really good. He's got a cool head in all situations. I knew we'd win if the right situation came along. To get [crew chief] Slugger Labbe to come over, to get John Menard to support us, and to get Slugger a couple of the engineers . . . that was a big jump going in on a fourth team."

And what are the odds of this? Each of RCR's three Brickyard 400 wins has come eight years apart.

"It was eight years from 1995 [Dale Earnhardt] to 2003 [Kevin Harvick]," said Childress. "And now eight more years between Kevin and Paul today. I remember coming here the first time [for a NASCAR test] in 1993 with Dale. The first time the cars ran down that front straightaway, I thought, 'Man, it would be cool to win at Indy.' But I hope it ain't eight years more before we win [again]. I'll be an old man by then."

Usually, NASCAR brings only the race winner, crew chief and perhaps the team owner into its postrace media session. On Sunday afternoon, John Menard was invited to sit with his son, Labbe and Childress. It was a thoroughly appropriate call as John Menard added some human emotion to the moment.

"You know, I'm just a proud father right now," he said. "I've kind of lapsed back, thinking of Paul as my little boy. But he's a full grown man now, one I'm very, very proud of. This is wonderful, [and] I thank you very, very much. This is a good win for the Speedway and for the town of Indianapolis. By God, I hope we're back here, sitting right here again next year."

 

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NASCAR: Tentative 2012 Sprint Cup schedule similar to 2011 campaign

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LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season begins in Daytona Beach, Fla., in February.

By: Al Pearce And Brad Constant on 8/01/2011

NASCAR's 2012 Sprint Cup schedule looks much like this year's, according to the tentative schedule obtained by AutoWeek.

The schedule is not official until NASCAR confirms it. The only change as of now is the spring race at Kansas, which was the 13th race in 2011 but will be the 10th race in 2012.

Here is the tentative schedule:

-- Sunday, Feb. 26, Daytona Beach, Fla.

-- Sunday, March 4, Phoenix

-- Sunday, March 11, Las Vegas

-- Sunday, March 18, Bristol, Tenn.

-- Sunday, March 25, Fontana, Calif.

-- Sunday, April 1, Martinsville, Va.

-- Saturday, April 14, Fort Worth, Texas

-- Sunday, April 22, Talladega, Ala.

-- Saturday, April 28, Richmond, Va.

-- Sunday, May 6, Kansas City, Kan.

-- Saturday, May 12, Darlington, S.C.

-- Saturday, May 19, All-star race, Charlotte, N.C.

-- Sunday, May 27, Charlotte, N.C.

-- Sunday, June 3, Dover, Del.

-- Sunday, June 10, Pocono, N.Y.

-- Sunday, June 17, Brooklyn, Mich.

-- Sunday, June 24, Sonoma, Calif.

-- Saturday, June 30, Sparta, Ky.

-- Saturday, July 7, Daytona Beach, Fla.

-- Sunday, July 15, Loudon, N.H.

-- Sunday, July 29, Indianapolis

-- Sunday, Aug. 5, Pocono, N.Y.

-- Sunday, Aug. 12, Watkins Glen, N.Y.

-- Sunday, Aug. 19, Brooklyn, Mich.

-- Saturday, Aug. 25, Bristol, Tenn.

-- Sunday, Sept. 2, Atlanta

-- Saturday, Sept. 8, Richmond, Va.

-- Sunday, Sept. 16, Chicago

-- Sunday, Sept. 23, Loudon, N.H.

-- Sunday, Sept. 30, Dover, Del.

-- Sunday, Oct. 7, Kansas City, Kan.

-- Saturday, Oct. 13, Charlotte, N.C.

-- Sunday, Oct. 21, Talladega, Ala.

-- Sunday, Oct. 28, Martinsville, Va.

-- Sunday, Nov. 4, Fort Worth, Texas

-- Sunday, Nov. 11, Phoenix

-- Sunday, Nov. 18, Homestead, Fla.

 

AutoWeek loves passionate comments and debate, but remember that you're part of a diverse community. Above all: be respectful. Critique statements, not people; talk about the automotive world, but skip the political rhetoric, hate speech, and obscenities. While we can't read every post, this site is moderated and AutoWeek will remove comments as we see fit. Questions? Read our Terms of Use or email moderator@autoweek.com.