GEM Releases Sadler in Favor of the 'Dinger

Just when you thought this off season couldn't get an more interesting, Nascar.com breaks the news of GEM signing A.J Allmendinger to run the #19 in 2009.

Some might say Red Bull Racing jumped the gun in letting Allmendinger walk in mid-season. Others would say Sadler never got the equipment that teammate Kasey Kahne had at his disposal. Either way, both drivers will have to prove their worth for different teams in 2009.

I'm on the fence with this move. While I do think "The Dinger" deserves another shot at a full-time ride, I don't think Elliot Sadler should have been the one to give up his seat.

If Petty Enterprises survives in some capacity and Kyle Petty is serious about joining the Rolex Series full-time, I could see Sadler taking over the #43 car.

Sadler is just another victim of the "What have you done for me lately" nature of the sport. Business is business, and hopefully Sadler will be back in business soon.

New Rolex Series Logo

Out with the old....

...and in with the new.

So what do you think about the new logo?

Countdown to the Rolex 24

Hey Race Fans,

While NASCAR is slashing costs left and right, cancelling the Preseason Thunder (what about sponsor Jackson Hewitt? I guess they weren't paying enough.) this upcoming January, the Rolex Series is stronger than ever.

Take a look at the ever-growing list of entries for 2009 Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Check out daytona24hr.com for some great images of last season's race. I can't wait for the '09 race.

Jimmie Johnson wins.....can we get onto Rolex Series news now?

The answer....Yes! I can't tell you how excited I am to gear up for the Rolex 24 at Daytona - The best race in North America hands down.

With that being said, here's some news surrounding the Grand-Am Association.

Alegra Motorsports tested with a slew of drivers at Daytona.

Grand-am.com gives us the inside scoop from day 1 and day 2 of the November Test Days at Daytona Int'l Speedway.

In case you missed it Michael Valiante has moved from SunTrust Racing to MSR for the 2009 campaign.

Stay tuned for more news...

Brian Frisselle Joins Suntrust in '09

Wayne Taylor has chosen his new co-driver for 2009 campaign in young Brian Frisselle. Suntrust Racing has dropped Michael Valiante, but has retained Max Angelelli. At only 24 years of age, high expectations are placed on Frisselle.

Owner Wayne Taylor stated, "Brian is a winner, plain and simple, and with SunTrust Racing being all about winning championships, that makes Brian the perfect choice to join Max as co-driver in 2009."

When asked about his new co-driver, Max Angelelli echoed his car owner's praise, "Brian is a young guy but he's been racing Grand-Am for several years, now, and he is definitely the kind of driver who can help us win a championship."

Fans will get a chance to see the new look Suntrust team at the November Test Days at Daytona.

Tuesday Roundup

Can you believe it? We are only a few months away from the greatest race of them all-The Rolex 24 at Daytona. I just had to throw that in there. Enough talking, Let's get to it!

Krohn Racing will move to Ford in 2009. However, Krohn will keep the Lola chassis next year. "This year was spent learning the ProtoAuto Lola chassis, I think we've made a lot of progress with the Lola chassis" said Nic Jonsson. Others in the Rolex Series are dubbing them a team to watch in 2009.

AIM Autosport will add a second car for selected events on the Rolex Series schedule in 2009.

Motorsport.com has their take on Day 1 of Rolex Series testing at Daytona.

Godwin Kelly of the Daytona Beach News-Journal tells us about a team featuring a slew of Daytona bike vets.

Duane Cross of Nascar.com explains why Jimmie Johnson is making a "mockery" of the Chase system.

Some Nationwide Series news, JR Motorsports has just landed a big sponsor for 2009.

Buzz Cutler from Rowdy.com says Jack Roush's idea is "dumb". I agree 100%. On a side note, if you haven't gone to Rowdy, you need to get wise and sign up for a free profile. If you don't want to mess with that, you can still download the podcast via itunes like I do everyday.

Goodbye Atlanta, Hello History

As we pack up and hit the long road to Texas next weekend, we leave a track that for the foreseeable future will not host a Chase race in the years to come. Atlanta will pick up a date on Labor Day Weekend in 2009, vacating their spot as a Chase race destination.

With a second place finish at Atlanta over the weekend, Jimmie Johnson has all but wrapped it up. Losing the Chase lead right now would be a catastrophe that would become a chapter in Nascar history all to itself. With Johnson having so many good runs at the past few tracks on the Chase schedule, many are asking or begging (i.e. Jack Roush) for Nascar to "Jimmie-proof" the Chase in 2009.

"Jimmie-proof?" Sorry conspiracy theorists, the Atlanta's move to Labor Day Weekend was made long before Jimmie Johnson's mad dash through the 2008 Chase for the Nextel Cup. Although, some in Nascar might be glad that a track that the #48 Chevy has won 3 times in recent years will not be included in Chase schedule come 2009.

Does it really matter though? On the brink of joining the legendary Cale Yarborough as the only "3-peat" Cup Championship winners Nascar has ever seen, Jimmie Johnson is coming into his own. Who knows where it will stop? Will Jimmie become the greatest Nascar driver in history?

The magic crystal ball that has given me the power to pick the past two race winners successfully does not see that far into the future. One can only hope that regardless of the outcome, a true challenger will step up to the plate and make 2009 a year to remember.

Atlanta Preview: 10.26.08

Some drivers might take a dose of Mylanta for their 500 miles at Hot-lanta. Atlanta is one of the fastest tracks on the circuit. Also, this is one of Jimmy Johnson's best tracks. Johnson has won here three times including a 2007 season sweep of both the spring and fall races.

With that being said, I don't think guys like Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, and Greg Biffle might put up a fight today at Atlanta.

Press Pass:

The track facts.

Goodyear has revamped their tire package for this race and so far the test have performed well.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution talks about AMS plans to change the race date next year.

David Newton of ESPN.com tell us why you need to watch the race today.

Dustin Long from the Virginian-Pilot give his two cents on the race at Atlanta.

Top 5:

1. Carl Edwards

2. Greg Biffle

3. Kevin Harvick

4. Jimmy Johnson

5. David Regan

Good, Bad and Coyote Ugly - 10.20.2008

This weekend saw Jimmy Johnson almost double his lead in the Chase and essentially wrapped up his third straight Sprint Cup.

Introducing a new weekend review that pays homage to Steven Goff of the Washington Post(soccer writer) comes the Good, Bad and Coyote Ugly.

The Good:

Jimmy Johnson winning and doubling his points lead at Martinsville.

The 1-2 finish by Audi at Laguna Seca.

The great passing at the downhill Corkscrew turn at Laguna Seca during the ALMS race on Sunday. If you didn't flip over to see the finish, you missed a great show.

A.J. Allmendinger getting a 14th place finish in the #10 Evernham Gillette car.

Casey Mears finishing in sixth place. Hendrick should keep him around in '09.

The Bad:

Jamie McMurray having a rough day at the track.

Scott Speed shows up 30th on the scoring pylon. "After practice we thought we would be able to come through the field. This is a really long day when you have 500 laps to complete." said Speed. Welcome to Cup racing.

Reed Sorenson finishing 35th. Can you say Lame Duck?

The Coyote Ugly:

Kurt Busch getting hammered for wanting to park the car, due to brake issues. While I don't want to say it's good that he wanting to hang it up early, you can't beat him up for that. It's like pulling your starting quarterback when you're getting hammered 45-7 in the fourth quarter. What's the point of him being out there? He's not going to get hurt. It's Martinsville. But he's already out of the chase and had spun out multiple times. Why not park it and cut the chance of the car being beat up any more? It's not like we haven't taken a day off because we've had our PC fail or power out at work.

Not seeing Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards get into it at some point during the race. I'm disappointed.

Martinsville Preview

Back to the "PaperClip" we go. I couldn't be happier. Simply put, I love this track, because there is so much that can go on during 500 laps. Let's get down to business.

--Jimmy Johnson has two chase wins here at Martinsville. Johnson ran 2nd in Happy Hour, and with qualifying cancelled due to rain, Johnson looks poised to make it capture his third chase race win at the Virginia short track.


--Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the most laps here in the spring race and ran 4th in Happy Hour yesterday.

--Jeff Gordon was first in Happy Hour and has had some memorable races in the past here at Martinsville.

--A matchup to watch will be Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick. The both start in the top 10 and could carry their feud from Talladega and Charlotte onto the track today.

--Practice results can be seen here, courtesy of Thatsracin.com

--Here's the Martinsville (Va.) Bulletin's take on the race.

Podium Predictions:

1. Jimmy Johnson -- Can you really afford not to pick him?

2. Denny Hamlin -- Local kid ran fast in practice.

3. Jeff Gordon -- Fastest in Happy Hour should translate to success on Sunday.


Dale Jr. and Carl Edwards round out the top 5.

Kansas....What's up with that?

Can you tell I'm not a big fan of "Cookie-Cutter" tracks? I mean, Kansas? Is that really one of the best 10 tracks on the circuit? How about a road course, Daytona, or Darlington. This is after all The Chase.

I know many people don't like change but why can't we mix the schedule up. While I know not all change is good, I think mixing up the schedule to save the best races for the end of the year would be a great idea. Even throw in a wild card like a Rockingham to mix things up. What's the change Nascar is brewing up for Kansas? How about adding a second date for 2011, when a new casino will be nearby.

Kansas Speedway's grandstands hold 82,000. Let's say today's attendance is 70,000 at the track. With a casino certainly bringing in more people to the track, a question remains. What would bring in more revenue? An extra 5,000 bums in the seats at Kansas or a 5 point increase in TV ratings?

If Nascar were to add a third Daytona race during The Chase, add another Darlington race-- change the status quo--more of the moderate Nascar fan would tune in for the entire race, rather than tune in between NFL commerical breaks. And for you Jayhawks out there, I don't hate your track, I just don't think it's Chase-worthy.

I hope I'm wrong today and the race is competitive. I just see the same 3 cars running away with it and there being no real competition.

derrick@speedwayinsider.com

Ganassi Wins Again

With the checkered flag dropping at the Sunchaser 1000k, Ganassi has clinched its third Daytona Prototype championship. The hat trick puts Ganassi in the driver seat to win it all again in 2009. With the Rolex 24 only a few months away, it will be a short break before the drivers are back at it again.

As I did last year, I plan on going to Daytona for winter testing. I personally enjoy all of the events at Daytona, and will do my best to bring you all the latest news from the mother of all speedways.

Stay tuned for more news throughout the winter.

Derrick from SpeedwayInsider.com

Goodyear Blows at the Brickyard

Even while Jimmie Johnson was celebrating with his team after winning the Brickyard 400, Goodyear once again was under fire from media, fans and drivers. Who could blame them?
With the longest stretch of green flag racing lasting 13 laps (about 30 mile) , one of the most prestigious races on the Cup schedule looked like your local short track on a Saturday night. Ten minutes of racing, then on to the next heat.

I have to ask the obvious question, why does NASCAR insist on dealing with flawed products from Goodyear? Why not switch to Hoosier or Pirelli? The Rolex Series seems to have no problem with Pirelli tires at their races.

Maybe I'm just spitting in the wind, but when will NASCAR wake up and move on from Goodyear? This week, the Daytona offices should be vacant as NASCAR officials fly to the next IndyCar, Rolex Series, ARCA, F1 race to see how those series handle tire issues. Maybe then, NASCAR can find a better company to produce their racing tires.

Wow, what an incredible finish!!

Scott Pruett and the No. 1 TelMex Lexus Riley win by .08 seconds over Alex Guerny.

If you didn't stay up for the finish, you missed a hell of a good ending. The SPEED announcers were beginning their congrats to the No. 99 Gainsco/Stallings race team, who seemed ready to become the first back-to-back winners of the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona, when suddenly Scott Pruett gained momentum off Nascar turn 4 and sped past Guerney in the tri-oval to capture his fifth win of the season.

Plain and simple, this was one of the best races I've ever watched. Although there wasn't as many bums in the seat as most would have liked to see, no one at DIS was sitting as the final lap started.

If you haven't given the Rolex Series a chance before, you've been cheating yourself. Catch the next race on SPEED on July 20th as the Rolex Series travels to Birmingham,AL for Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park.

Keep checking back for updates and pics from my visit to Mid-Ohio.

Derrick from SpeedwayInsider.com

JR Gets Its Done, But Where Will He Go From Here?

Courtesy: Getty Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. gets off the waiting list to victory lane after his win at Michigan yesterday. I know a lot of disgruntled Junior supporters are now glad that they can see the No. 88 in victory lane once more.

Frankly, I'm glad Earnhardt Jr. won. Now the pressure is off, both for himself and the media. However, the crutch "Will Junior Win Again?" story that all racing journalist have on standby for lack of a better story, must now be discarded thanks to the victory Sunday.

Here's an interesting thought. Earnhardt Jr. has had great success off the track with endorsements, but will he ever come close to his father's success on the track? Look no further than Kyle Petty. I wonder if there was concern years ago over the younger Petty, who struggles early on winning only 8 races in a ten-year period, and not winning since 1995. Petty has since done great charitable works and has become a favorite of many fans of NASCAR. However, that off the track success has never translated to on the track dominance.

Compare that to Junior who has won 18 races in 8 years . Although Junior has more than double the wins than Petty did in his first 10 years, he's yet to breakout into the "Dominator" his father was. I hate to say it, but Junior has not proven his worth yet. Moving to Hendrick Motorsports should help though. To be fair though, a Father's Day victory was fitting and it should serve as a springboard to the next level.

Take this for what it is.....

Big League Stew, the Yahoo Sports MLB blog, had fun tabbing the MLB players that could make the jump to Nascar. Of course, player names were the only quality in selecting the would-be drivers.

Dan Wheldon FC Dallas video

In case you missed it, here's the video of Dan Wheldon in action at FC Dallas training.

Dan Wheldon Likes the Number 10

Dan Wheldon has a nice choice of number to choose while training with FC Dallas. The number 10 is usually picked by the best player on the team, sort of how #23 has become in basketball. Greats like Maradona, Ronaldinho, and Columbus Crew vet Alejandro Moreno all are #10 on the field.

Another interesting fact, when I was at Daytona in January, I saw Wheldon walking around the Rolex Series garage area with a Target logo "WHELDON 10"soccer jersey. It's official, Wheldon has become one of my favorite drivers.

Dan Wheldon to Train With FC Dallas

That's right. Many of you know that I am also a huge soccer(football) supporter and I stumbled across this gem last night. According to one of my favorite sites mls-rumors.net , Wheldon is expected to participate in a training or practice session with MLS side FC Dallas on Wednesday, April 30th.

When asked about his soccer skills he said, "I have some soccer playing skills, but they aren't on par with my driving skills."

I wonder if Dan will sport a mane like FC Dallas star Juan Toja.

Let's hope not.

Weekend Review

Photo by Darrell Ingham/Getty Images

Another great spring weekend and another great weekend of racing!

IndyCar


Dan Wheldon won at Kansas over the weekend becoming the first IndyCar Series driver to win back-to-back races at the track. Decent accomplishment, but remember the track is less than 10 years old.


Mike Harris of Yahoo! Sports writes his recap of the race.

An incident on pit road always can be dangerous, but once I found out everyone was okay, I couldn't help but laugh.


Official IndyCar points standings, in case you're interested.


NASCAR

Kyle Busch wins at Talladega. Jerry Bonkowski of Yahoo! Sports provides his weekly recap of the events on the track.

Dario Franchetti breaks his leg in the Aaron's 312 Nationwide Series. Who says drivers aren't athletes? Well, frankly a lot of people. I tend to agree with them, especially since this guy

was once a leading driver in the sport. Is it hard to race a car. Yes. Does
it take someone with extreme will power and determination to stay focused for 3-4hours (longer for the Rolex drivers) Yes. It's just tough for me to say that drivers as a whole are athletic because they drive fast cars. Now there are some drivers like Carl Edwards, who could out-do me on basically anything, especially weightlifting. However, being a driver doesn't qualify one as an athlete, but there are plenty of athletes that race. Agree or disagree?

ROLEX SERIES

Scott Pruett wins at VIR. Make that 3 for 4 on the year for Pruett and Co.

No Tony Stewart didn't double up this weekend and race at VIR. That was Memo Rojas who you saw get a little personal with the No.99 of John Fogarty. Rojas' driving was called "excessive" from the Rolex Series officials and has therefore been suspended for one race. Fogarty was not assessed a penalty for his involvement in the scuffle. These two have been going at it since last year at Miller Motorsports Park. Smart move on Grand-Am officials to make Rojas miss a race in his native Mexico. Take the local kid out of the hometown track and wave bye-bye to the extra ticket sales. Unless Rojas tried to run Fogarty over in the pits, I highly doubt the penalty fit the crime in this case. As they say in the Cup series, "Let 'em race!".

That's all I got today, I'll be chiming in all week so stay connected through Myspace.com/speedwayinsider

Later,

Derrick from SpeedwayInsider.com

New Site!

Visit SpeedwayInsider.blogspot.com for the latest news and insight into the world of racing. The .com site is still operating, but I have found it easier to provide more information through my new site.

Also, please check out The Official SpeedwayInsider.com's Myspace page. It's a good way to interact with likeminded race fans.

Have a Great Day,

Derrick from SpeedwayInsider.com

Weekend Update:

Rolex Grand-Am Series

Grand-am.com provides a team-by-team analysis for the upcoming Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR.

Mark Wilkins of AIM Autosport team writes an article for grand-am.com and tell readers why he is looking forward to VIR.

I have to say, I love the Grand-Am series because they seem to get it right. Not too many races, so every race counts. The only downside is that sometimes a month goes by without a race.

IndyCar Series

Mike King from IMS Radio Network gives us his take on Danica's win last weekend in Japan.

Nascar Sprint Cup

Rowdy.com is reporting through multiple sources that Tony Stewart wants out of Gibbs Racing. Do I smell an IndyCar Series return? It's a stretch I know, but that would just make my day.


Have a Great Weekend!!

Derrick from SpeedwayInsider.com

Back from my long journey

Sorry for the unexpected absence race fans. I needed some time away to prioritize my life and what exactly I want to do with this website. Here's the skinny:

1. I can't update the .com address while at work on my lunch break, therefore making it extremely difficult to get info out to everyone.

2. I've done some thinking, and I've realized that the racing news market is saturated with Nascar coverage. Therefore I'm going to primarily cover IndyCar and Rolex Grand-Am Series. Why those two you ask? Because I have fun at those events and not to many reporters devote their site to these two great series of racing, giving me a better chance to bring in new readers.

3. I don't live in Charlotte, and there's no way I could ever get more of an inside scoop on Nascar than writers like David Poole could. Again, I'll throw my two cents in about Nascar, but if you want in-depth coverage of the sport, I'd suggest you visit thatsracin.com . Poolie will give you everything you need to know about Nascar.

I hope that all makes some sense. Check this blog page and the SpeedwayInsider.com's official myspace page for the daily updates to the site.

Back at the Track...

So I've been gone from the track for awhile. Sorry about that. Let's get you caught up to some news, shall we?

ROLEX SERIES


I have just found my new favorite race team. My Florida Marlins have signed on to be a sponsor of Joe Saffina Racing with Mitchum Motorsports. More news to follow on this topic.

Grand-Am held an open house at Daytona Int'l Speedway on Tuesday for potential new owners. The response was positive and Grand-Am is seeking another open house, possibly coinciding with the series Brumos Porsche 250 in July.

Official Grand-Am Standings click here.


KONI CHALLENGE SERIES


KONI Challenge driver Andy Brumbaugh gives readers insight to what he does between races.

KONI Challenge official standings click here.


INDY CAR

ABC reporter Jack Arute check in, with his tracksuit on, to give his weekly "Views from Pit Lane" segment.

IndyCar Series official standings

Up Next: Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi

News from the track.....

If you've noticed that I have not been posting lately, you weren't alone. I do apologize for the lack of coverage as of late, it's been very hectic and I am trying to properly balance all my duties, including keeping you informed with news surrounding the Rolex Grand-Am Series, IRL and Nascar.

Without further ado, here's some news.

With the second race of the Grand-Am schedule just days away, Southard Motorsports driver Bill Lester is having to deal with a lighter schedule than he has previously experienced.

Updated Nascar standings through Bristol.

Scott Wimmer wins in Nashville--off topic....if you're ever in Nashville, check out Vittles restaurant off the Brentwood exit. Best. Southern. Food. EVER.



What can Brown do for you? David Reutimann is now out of the Dream Machine and into the #44 UPS Michael Waltrip Racing Camry. Reutimann takes over for the retiring Dale Jarrett.

Next week the Rolex Series and IRL kick off at Homestead. I will have all the action for you and upload some photos as well. Happy Easter everyone!

The Midweek Roundup

What's happening race fans? Here's the news from this week.



Bill Lester, formerly of the Craftsman Truck Series, has returned to sports car racing. Lester recently wrote an article for Grand-Am.com. Really great to have a quality driver like Bill Lester back in sports car racing.

David Carviello of Nascar.com takes a look at how the open-wheel vets turned Cup rookies are faring.

IRL and Rolex Series driver Ryan Hunter-Reay threw out the first pitch at a recent Grapefruit League contest between the Minnesota Twins and the best baseball team ever, the Florida Marlins(a little biased? you betcha). Hunter-Reay had just finished testing at Homestead and Sebring in anticipation for the upcoming season. I wonder if Billy Crystal can play for the Yankees, the Ryan Hunter-Reay could don the teal pinstripes of the Marlins. Well I don't know, I'd have to see if his pitch went over the plate.

That's all I got for now, I'll post again before the weekend.

News, News, and More News.

I'll just get down to business:

Kyle Busch wins at Atlanta and quiets the critics of Toyota. Joe Menzer of Nascar.com tells naysayers to "deal with it".

Krohn Racing, of the Rolex Grand-Am series, has just wrapped up testing at Savannah. The new Lola was impressive.

Dave Lewandowski of indyracing.com gives readers insight to how IRL driver Victor Miera plans to get to victory lane.

Beck Motorsports inked its driver for the IRL race in Motegi, Japan. Find out who he is.

F1 news!! Click here!!

IRL testing at Sebring wraps up and RacingOne has their recap of the event.

Who will win first in the new IRL?

Milka Duno.....


...or Danica Patrick

You Write the Caption

What do you think Danica is saying to Dario?

Midweek-ish Roundup

Robbie Gordon is sitting pretty after NSCRC ruled that Robby Gordon should not receive a points deduction for an illegal nose the team ran at Daytona.

The new SunTrust Racing Pontiac Dallara does well in its first test session. Wayne Taylor and Co. recently went to the Dallara after the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

David Poole of ThatsrRacin.com and the Charlotte Observer has a great perspective on safer barriers at the track.

More news about the Robby Gordon and Carl Edwards rules violations. Is it just me or was the CoT supposed to stop all the cheating?

Can you believe it? At the end of the month both Grand-Am and IRL go back to the track. I'm excited, are you?

The open-wheel wing of Penske Racing topped the chart at Sebring Testing.

XM Satellite Radio will broadcast the new IRL races this year starting with the first race of the season at Homestead

Pick the Podium: Las Vegas

Here's my top 3 finishers plus some honorable mentions.

1. Jimmie Johnson

2.Mark Martin

3. Kyle Busch

Also be on the look out for Carl Edwards and Mike Skinner (yeah I can't even believe I'm saying that). Skinner landed a top 5 qualifying spot for today's race and posted a top 5 speed in the practice session. Not to be "that guy", but I gotta wonder about Jacques Villenueve. Mike Skinner can start the car fifth and Jacques can't even get it into the race. Interesting....

Weekend Preview: March 3rd

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, but this week has been nightmarishly (is that even a word?) busy. But enough about that, let's get into it.

Jerry Bonkowski of Yahoo Sports poses a great question about the length of some Nascar races.

Danica Patrick overcame a bout of illness to climb to the top of the speed charts on the second day of IRL testing at Homestead.

Here's the lineup for today's Sprint Cup race.

Mark Martin wins at Las Vegas....Nationwide Series that is.


Don't know if you saw, but there sure is a lot of different faces in the top 10 lineup for today's race.

Johnny Sauter.....what can I say. I feel for the dude I really do. I just wish he could get in a cup race. He failed to make the race in the Wood Bros. car that, until this weekend, was driven by Bill Elliott. Put him in a good car and he's a champ-caliber driver.

Weekend Review

Great news for fans of open-wheel racing. The IRL and Champ Car World Series have reached an agreement to unify the two series for 2008. Can I just say it's about time! It will be nice to finally have the best open-wheel driver in North America on the same series. I'm glad Nascar now has some viable competition. Competition will only make both the new IRL and Sprint Cup a better product.

Aracracing.com has a new myspace-type of friend network for fans of the ARCA series. Follow this link for more information.

Nascar batted just above .300 for the weekend, having only the Craftsmen Truck Race completed as scheduled at The Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. The Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series were postponed due to wet conditions on the track.

Yahoo! Sports columnist is reporting that Cup Champion Bobby Labonte might be on the move to Richard Childress Racing in 2009. RCR is looking to add a fourth full-time team beginning next year.

Midweek Roundup

Here's some news to get you through to the weekend.

Jerry Bonkowski of Yahoo! Sports responds to emails regarding the Daytona 500.

For those of you interested, IndyRacing.com has a contest for a signed Danica Patrick swimsuit poster. This will help melt away the winter blues.

Bob Margolis of Yahoo! Sports jumps into the open-wheel consolidation debate.

Nascar.com asks if Toyota and Dodge can do it again.

They're back. The Rolex Series begins testing next week in Homestead.


Stay tuned for more updates throughout the week.

Daytona 500--Picking up the pieces

Random thoughts from the 500:

Penske 1-2....who would have bet that this time yesterday.

Tony Stewart was a mile away from winning his first Daytona 500. Will he be the new Dale Earnhardt, multiple winner of the Daytona 498 and 499? Let's hope Smoke will eventually get his time in victory lane like Dale Earnhardt.

My bold prediction for Furniture Row Racing to finish in the top 20 went to hell in a handbasket, finishing 41st and 43rd respectively.

I'm usually not that guy that whines about TV coverage, but FOX was shocking with their coverage of the race. It seemed that every yellow flag occurred during a commercial. After the break, I heard no mention of what caused the caution. To top it off, with under 20 laps to go, FOX breaks off right as the action on the track was hitting a crescendo. You just felt that someone was gonna cause a wreck. Sure enough, as soon as FOX was back on the air, the first image I see is Jimmy Johnson skidding down the backstretch. The producers of the FOX broadcast have no concept of how to capture racing momentum. They'd rather show a bumper cam instead of a pass for the lead. Anyone pissed off about that?

What do Casey Mears, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth have in common? They all finished 35th or worse.

Here's what I don't understand: Kyle Petty ended up 34th in the same equipment that teammate Bobby Labonte finished 11th. The CoT sure does tell you how teammates stack up to each other in regards to talent.

Finally, did anyone catch Ryan Newman's press conference? Newman described the feeling he got when he crossed the finish line as, "...I got that tingly feeling, I mean, you only get that with certain things." After a few chuckles from the media, Newman blurted out, "I didn't get it there! Just down my back." Never heard the feeling of winning the Daytona 500 described like that. Good one Newman.

Photos

Check out myspace.com/speedwayinsider to see the photo gallery.

Daytona 500: Penske Returns to Victory Lane

Ryan Newman wins after being pushed to the front by teammate Kurt Busch to give Penske racing a one-two finish at the Daytona 500. When asked about how he got to the front, he replied, “Kurt was the push from heaven that made it all happen. Without a doubt, he could have easily gone three-wide and split us through the center and made one heck of a mess there. But he chose to be a teammate, and that was the most honorable thing that he could do.”

In victory lane, Newman's dad interrupted the FOX interview to embrace the Daytona 500 winner with a tearful hug. Team owner Roger Penske was thrilled with the result, “We’ve been working here for many years. Certainly Kurt and the teamwork was just unbelievable. It’s a big day in our life and for our whole team.”

Here's how the rest of the field finished.

Keep checking SpeedwayInsider.com for more reaction from Daytona.

Rolex Series News

Here's the news from around the track.

Michael Annett wins at Daytona. Annett, who drives for Bill Davis Racing, now sits atop the ARCA points race as well as the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge.

Nothing on TV? Then head to SPEEDtv.com to watch a season long documentary on KONI Challenge Series rookie James Hunt.

VIR races now have a sponsor. Bosch Engineering will become the sponsor of all Grand-Am events at Virginia International Speedway.

I'm sorry about the lack of material on the site as of late. I do a lot more work than just write about racing. Trust me, if I had the time, I would post more material.

For those of you new to the website, I primarily cover Grand-Am Racing (Rolex and KONI series), ARCA and some Nascar. There are a lot of well-informed media outlets that cover Sprint Cup better than I can, because they do it full time. While I pay out of pocket and take vacation days to go to the track. On my Links page, there are plenty of websites that give you (and me) all things Nascar. Check 'em out.

However, I live in Ohio and I plan to go to Nascar events that are in the area. Primarily, I will focus on Grand-Am and ARCA, but I won't be limited to just those racing series. I hope all of this babbling makes sense. Well, I gotta get to work, but I will be posting this weekend so check back for more news.

Later,

Derrick from SpeedwayInsider.com

Rolex Series: MSR recap

Michael Shank Racing has their own recap of what went on during the race.

Grand-am.com takes a look back on the Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing three-peat of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Rolex Series Standings after the Rolex 24.

Wanna drive like the pros? Check out the Mid-Ohio driving school at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

This is a dead week for Rolex Series news, I will look to get some interviews with the teams soon. Check back frequently for updates.

Rolex 24 at Daytona: Ganassi Make History

This year’s version of the “twice ‘round the clock” race was won in both classes by cars who consistently ran up front and dominated the race. Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates Racing made history by winning the Rolex three times in a row. The No. 01 team lead by drivers Scott Pruett and formula F1 veteran Juan Pablo Montoya beat the closest competitor, the No.99 GAINSCO/Stalling Racing car driven by Alex Guerney, by two laps. The No. 01 Telemex/Target Lexus Riley has led 53% of the laps run at Daytona over the past three Rolex 24 events. Strong throughout the race, the No. 01 took command of the lead in the mid-morning hours after Michael Shank Racing’s No. 6 car led by AJ Allmendinger and Burt Frissele broke a rear suspension on the backstretch of the speedway.

SpeedSource’s No. 70 car, driven by Sylvan Tremblay, hardly had any troubles since winning the GT class pole. Leading the class for the majority of the race, SpeedSource went on to win the class for the team’s first class victory at the Rolex 24. “We all deserved this victory”, said driver Raphael Matos, after completing just his first Rolex 24.

Other quick facts from the Rolex 24:

Sprint Cup drivers Kurt Busch, Dario Franchetti and Jimmie Johnson all landed on the podium for their respective teams, but will have to celebrate at 35,000 feet as they jet off to Las Vegas for Nascar testing starting tomorrow.

Actor Patrick Dempsey and his SoBe Life Water No. 40 race team finished 24th in class. The key word being finished. Dempsey had his fair share of difficulty throughout the race, but HyperSport Racing managed to keep the car running and finished the race running.

The father-son duo of Derek and Justin Bell only completed 65 laps. Derek Bell, who said this Rolex 24 would be his last international race, did not even turn a lap in the car before the RVO Motorsports No. 12 retired from the event.

Team Salhen No.42 Corvette and Team Spencer Motorsports withdrew before the race
began.

GT Class winner SpeedSource No. 70 and GT Class runner-up TRG No. 66 finished in the Top 10 overall.

The No. 01 Telemex/Target Lexus Riley has led 53% of the laps run at Daytona in the last three Rolex 24 events.

Dario Franchetti became the third driver to win the Rolex 24 the year after winning the Indy 500.

For more information regarding the Rolex 24 and Grand-am series, visit grand-am.com.

Rolex 24: News and Notes

Currently Leading (6:30 EST) is the No. 01 Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus-Riley driven by Scott Pruett.

The weather in Daytona has been a bit spotty with showers off and on throughout the night.

Some notable drivers that have headed home:

Boris Said (No. 15 GT)
Derek Bell (No. 12 DP)
Milka Duno (No. 11 DP)

Five DP class cars are still on the lead lap as of right now, and there's still a lot of race left.

There have been a record 15 leaders so far at the Rolex 24. All have been in the Daytona Prototype class.

The race goes through till 1:30 EST and SPEED channel is covering the race until the checkered flag.

Rolex Week: Pick the Podium

DP and Overall Podium:

1. Michael Shank Racing No.60 -- Negri and Co. will get it done this year for the Columbus,Oh based team. (photo courtesy of daytona24hr.com)


2. GAINSCO/Stallings Racing No. 99 -- The Jimmies(Vasser and Johnson) will yield a 2nd place finish.

3. Target/Ganassi Racing No. 01 -- A return to the podium for the 2007 Rolex 24 Champs.

Could be in the mix...


Look out for the No.09 Penske Taylor Racing team of Busch, Briscoe and Castroneves. They've had solid practice sessions and are quick on the track. Also, one can never count out the Brumos Porsche team of the No. 58 and 59. Notable drivers for Brumos are JC France and sports car legend Hurley Haywood. Last but certainly not least is the MSR No. 6 team piloted by AJ Allmendinger, Burt Frisselle, John Pew and Ian James. MSR could finish one-two on the podium if both these teams are in sync.

GT Class:

1. Farnbacher Loles Racing No. 87 -- Solid practice times makes this team the favorite in my book.

2. TRG No. 62 -- One of the fastest TRG Porsche's yesterday.

3. SpeedSource No. 70 -- The GT class pole-sitter could stay up front all day.

Also, keep in mind that the two teams of TRG and Farnbacher Loles Racing are favorites to run strong this year. Each team is a multiple car team and they make up a good portion of the GT Class. But keep your eye out for some other hot teams that have run high on the speed chart:

Blackforest Motorsports No. 15 -- Boris Said and Co. will keep their Ford Mustang in the top 10 all race long.

Orbit Racing No. 34 -- This team has run up front all month long at testing and qualifying.

Synergy Racing No. 80 -- Another team that could go the distance in the 24 hour race.

Hyper Sport No.40 -- Look for the SoBe Green No. 40 car to......well.....get a lot of camera time whenever Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey is driving the car. Other than that, this team won't run that high towards the finish and would have no other reason to take up air time.

I'll be posting updates throughout the race as well, so keep it locked on speedwayinsider.com!

Rolex Week:Front Row Belongs to MSR

Michael Shank Racing have swept the front row for the running of the Rolex 24. Leading the field off pit road will be the No. 60 Ford-Riley. The lap posted by Oswaldo Negri(1:40.793/127.151 mph) beat a track record by almost 2.5 seconds. MSR's No. 60 car driven by A.J. Allmendinger and Co. will join their teammates on the front row. Watch out for MSR to have a great season this year.

Rolex Week: First Practice

Looks like the No. 58 Brumos Porsche is leading the lap times at the first practice at Daytona. The second Brumos Porsche No. 59 is fyling fast as well in fourth position on the charts. You can follow the lap time here.

Grand-Am.com has launched a live video player of some select press conferences. Also, a live track cam will be available throughout the race.

Farnbacher Loles Racing gives us a breakdown of all the happenings with the race team heading into the Rolex 24.

Michael Shank Racing is "quietly confident" leading up to the Rolex 24. I smell a sleeper. I will pay close attention to this team throughout the race.

Last but not least, if the sheer speed and intensity of the Rolex 24 won't peak your interest maybe seeing shots of Milka Duno will keep you locked on FOX and SPEED. Duno will suit up for the No. 11 SAMAX Motorsports Pontiac Riley. Currently, the team is in the top 20 in practice.

Check back this weekend for more from the Rolex 24.

Rolex 24 at Daytona: DP Class Teams to watch

Five teams to watch at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Southard Motorsports No. 3 -- Nascar Series veteran Bill Lester has signed up for a full season ride alongside Shane Lewis. The duo will tackle the "twice 'round the clock" race with drivers Ted Christopher and Alex Barron.

Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates No. 1 -- The all-star driver lineup will almost certainly put this car on the podium, but will they be able to get a watch for their other wrist?

Michael Shank Racing No. 60 -- MSR led the charts at the Daytona test sessions earlier this month. Their practice speed will transfer to the race, and look for this team to be on the podium when it's all said and done.

GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing No. 99 --Jimmie Johnson and Jimmy Vasser have joined the No. 99 to make it one of the strongest lineups in the Rolex 24. Alongside Rolex series vets, Alex Guerney and Jon Fogarty, the team is determined to come out of Daytona with a strong finish.

RVO Motorsports No. 12 -- The father and son duo of Derek and Justin Bell are going to be a treat to watch. Derek Bell has previously raced with his son Justin at the 2003 Rolex 24 at Daytona in the GT class. This will be their first race together in a Daytona Prototype.

Later this week, I'll give a preview of the race and we'll play a little "Pick the Podium" for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Coverage of the race begins at 1:30 on FOX and continues for 15 more hours on SPEED. For more information go to grand-am.com

Daytona Daily: Entry List for Rolex 24

Grand-am.com has the entry list posted for the Rolex 24. If you're bored, you can play "Where's that Celebrity" be it your favorite Nascar or Indycar driver, or Grey's Anatomy star. Also, hit up the myspace page at myspace.com/speedwayinsider.com.

Daytona Daily: The Weekend Edition

Michael Shank Racing's Mark Patterson and John Pew are competing for the Trueman Award this upcoming season. The award is given to the "gentleman driver with the best race results, which are multiplied by the miles completed by the driver through the course of the season".

Pirelli Tires will be the official provider of tires at the 2008 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Along with this weekend famous race, Pirelli will provide all Rolex Series teams with tires throughout the 2008 season.

Rolex 24 at Daytona is only days away. Keep up with the latest information and scoring at the newly re-designed grand-am.com

Daytona Daily: Grand-Am News

Guy Cosmo has signed a deal with Spirit of Daytona Racing to race in seven events in the upcoming 2008 Rolex Series. A few of the races include Daytona, Homestead, and Watkins Glen. For more information, visit grand-am.com.

Source: trackbytes.com

Daytona Daily: Truck News

Veteran Steve Park has secured sponsorship for the upcoming 2008 Nascar Craftsman Truck Series. Waste Management will be the primary sponsor for the entire schedule.

source: yahoo.com

Interview with MSR's Dave Kanning

I recently spoke with Dave Kanning of Michael Shank Racing. Kanning is the engineer for the No. 60 Ford Riley piloted full-time by drivers Mark Patterson and Oswaldo Negri Jr. The Columbus-based team recently changed from Lexus to Ford, and I asked Kanning how the change to Ford helped or improved the team's performance. Kanning said, "The access to the huge palette of engineering resourced Ford has made available to us. They've really given us the tools so we can learn about the car finally, which is wonderful."

Earlier in the week I had spoke with Burt Frisselle, driver of the No. 6 MSR Ford Riley, about his team's speed in the Rolex Test Days at Daytona. Frisselle said that his team had been fast ever since they unloaded at Daytona. Presenting the same question to Kanning, he said, "For the whole three days we made just very minor adjustments. We like to have the car come out of the box darn competitive. It gives us a chance just to rub on things a bit, find the little details."

A question that many people wonder about is the engineering aspect of such a long race like the Rolex 24 at Daytona. "It's a 40-hour workday." said Kanning. "The biggest challenge is balancing the sheer speed versus how much we use the car up to get that speed, and balancing the reliability versus the outright speed. That's the hardest thing. It's difficult to get them[the drivers] to slow down to get that tenth of a second to get that car to last the 24 hours."

Michael Shank Racing has a few new drivers this year for the Rolex 24. Joining the team this year is Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson. I asked Kanning what it's like to have an experienced veteran like Mark Patterson switch off to a relatively new face to the sport in 19-year old Graham Rahal. "To be honest, Graham is so mature for a 19 year-old, its amazing. I will have absolutely no qualms when Graham gets in the car. He's wise well beyond his years, and he's smart with his decisions."

After topping the speed charts this past weekend at Daytona testing, look for Michael Shank Racing to land at least one team on the podium at the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Daytona Testing: Rolex Series

As the sun rose over the grandstands at Daytona International Speedway this past weekend, teams officially began their yearly quest to conquer the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Since the teams finished the 2007 season at Miller Motorsports Park, many changes have taken place in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16. Changes of note include Bill Lester, formerly of Nascar Craftsman Truck fame, joining the No. 3 Southard Motorsports team alongside Shane Lewis. When asked about his change of racing series, Lester stated, "I'm excited, you know I like these cars. They're fun to drive and they reward you."

Proven champions are migrating to the garage of Bob Stallings/Gainsco Racing lately, as two-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmy Johnson and open-wheel veteran Jimmy Vasser have teamed up with regulars Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney as they try to lead the No.99 Pontiac Riley to victory lane at Daytona. Vasser has come out of semi-retirement to race in the Rolex 24, but he won't take this race lightly, saying "This is a race I want to win. I won this race in class in 1992, and I got a baseball hat, that's all I got. So I'd kinda like to have the watch."



Michael Shank Racing has been one of the fastest teams on the track since they unloaded on Friday. The change from Lexus to Ford has propelled MSR into higher expectations as the season approaches. Burt Frisselle, driver of the No.6 Ford, was very frank when asked about the team's performance over the test weekend "We set out this weekend with a pretty simple plan, we feel like we unloaded strong. We're in a spot right now where we're just polishing our rock, and we don't have to throw darts at the board and see what sticks."

With testing now complete, teams will continue preparation for Rolex 24 at Daytona which begins on Saturday, January 26th. Over 17 hours of the race will be covered live by FOX and SPEED Networks. For more information, please visit grand-am.com.

Daytona Daily: The Weekend Edition

Hey Everyone,

Tomorrow I will be heading to Daytona to cover Rolex Series testing. Be sure to check back to the site for all of the latest updates. If you want to see the latest test results from the track, be sure to visit grand-am.com . Have yourself a great weekend.

Derrick from SpeedwayInsider.com

Daytona Daily: Nascar News

Here's the latest news from around the Nascar world.

Yahoo Sports is reporting that the Dakar Rally is cancelled due to terrorist threats. Robby Gordon was set to race in the endurance race therefore skipping the Daytona test session. It looks as if Gordon could be down in Daytona after all.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will compete in the 50th running of the Camping World 300 this February at Daytona. Earnhardt Jr. will then give the No. 5 ride to 18-year old rookie Landon Cassill. Cassill plans to compete in 19 more race for JR Motorsports.

Follow this link to find when your favorite driver will be testing in the weeks to come at Daytona.


source: sports.yahoo.com
daytonainternationalspeedway.com

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Daytona Daily: Rolex Series News

SAMAX signs four drivers to complete their lineup. Henri Zogaib is eagerly counting down the days until the Rolex 24. The Orlando-based businessman wasn't beating around the bush when asked what his expectations are, saying "I just want to win this thing". Zogaib is joined by former F1 driver Allan McNish, along with sports car veterans Mike Rockenfeller and Lucas Luhr. Rolex testing at Daytona begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday.