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Sunday, December 12, 2010

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

test 2

In the Garage: Team Sahlen
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January 15, 2010 in Uncategorized

The paddock is a peculiar place — filled with teams as different as the paint scheme sketched on the cars themselves. Some race teams have to deal with newcomers getting to know each other. Many aiming to use testing as a time to get comfortable in the car, figure out driving style, etc. Other teams enjoy having spent a few seasons together, returning a dual team of regular drivers and introducing a new driver or two that comes on board for the Rolex 24.

Team Sahlen, however, has set itself apart from the rest of the field. Not only has the lineup stayed consistent for many years, but it’s become a “real family affair”.

“Every team has their own atmosphere and personality, just like any pro sports team. Our team is all about family.” says Team Sahlen driver Will Nonnamaker. The lineup for Rolex 24 at Daytona will be consist of Joe Nonnamaker, father of co-drivers Will and Wayne Nonnamaker and Joe Sahlen, owner of Buffalo’s famous meatpacking company bearing his last name. Father-Son driving combinations are not rare in Grand-Am. In 2008, Justin Bell drove the Blue and Orange No. 12 RVO Motorsports Daytona Prototype alongside his father, former F1 great Derek Bell. Later this month, Ricky Taylor will join his father, Wayne, in the No. 10 Suntrust Ford Dallara as they compete for a spot on the overall podium at Daytona.

The father and sons are not the only Nonnamaker’s that you’ll bump into in the garage. “You’ll see my mom up on the time scoring stand (along with Anita Sahlen). My wife and my brother’s wife both help with the cooking, which is a lot when you’re talking about 50 people to cook for, (laughs) so it’s not just a couple of sandwiches….it’s become a family reunion. But it’s also very professional, we’re serious about this (season)”. Even the crew members have a history of hanging around the garage for a few years. Will remarks, ” We’ve got a lot of team members, in fact, we’ve just had a gentleman who’s been with us for 10 years, another member that’s been with us for 16 (years) and a lot of part-timers that have been here for 20 years. Even the people that aren’t related to us– it’s all about family.”

When asked about the goals for this season, Will did not hesitate in making known Team Sahlen’s intentions for the 2010 Rolex Series, “Even if you talk to SpeedSource and Sylvan Tremblay, his goal is not to win the driver championship, it’s not to win the team championship, their goal is to win the manufacturers (championship). Dempsey Racing’s goal is to win the manufacturers, Racers Edge and our goal is to do it. Hopefully, we’re just that next catalyst to it. But that’s Mazda’s goal”.

Team Sahlen is not new to Mazda, having ran the manufacturer back in the 1990’s and most recently in the Koni Challenge with an RX-8. With the new branding of the series to Continental Tire Challenge, Mazda has equipped the team with a new MazdaSpeed3 for the 2010 campaign. Regarding the switch , Will seemed optimistic, “It was nice to have that opportunity. That’s part of (Mazda’s) marketing program, to promote that car in that (Continental) series.” Freedom Autosport will join Team Sahlen in competing with the new MazdaSpeed3 in 2010, starting with the Fresh From Florida 200 on January 29th.

Team Sahlen’s RX-8 consistently ran close to the top 10 in GT class during the Roar Before the Rolex 24 last weekend at Daytona. The North Canton, Ohio team fared better in the CTSCC testing, spending most of the time running towards the top 5 in the ST class.

While the chill that swept through the garage on the final test weekend caused some to wonder if temperatures will be similar come January 30th, Will Nonnamaker calmly dismissed the theory,” This morning, people were throwing snowballs. It’s hasn’t been this cold in 32 years. I terribly don’t believe that we’re going to have this weather again, and that’s the only thing you can gain from saying, ‘It’s cold and I’m going to learn something from this’ . Even at night, in the middle of the 24 hours, it doesn’t get this cold.”A few cars did end up getting off track while trying to brave the elements in the early morning sessions last weekend. Will reminded me, ” You can’t win test days, you can only lose them”. Wise words from the savvy veteran.

Look for Team Sahlen’s No. 43 Mazda RX-8 on the track Jan 30-31st at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. For more information and tickets to the race, click here. Check out Team Sahlen for more information on their quest for the 2010 Rolex Series GT Manufacturer’s Championship.

testr

In the middle of one of the worst cold spells Florida has seen in years, one team in the garage had to feel right at home while preparing for the Fresh From Florida 200. Based out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Chris Prey Racing felt right at home in the cold and got down to the task of dialing in the setup of their No. 86 Royal Purple Porsche Boxster for the late-January event.

Team Owner and co-driver Chris Prey made his first laps around the legendary track during the Friday session. Gene Sigal, co-driver of the No.86, gave Prey valuable pointers throughout the test session. "(Sigal) Had some really good feedback, we took that and kept running with it. Everything he was giving me back for information made sense to exactly what we were having issues with so far. Car was right where we want it to be, now we're just doing some chassis (work)."

Prey brought Gene Sigal on board over the winter. A mutual friend helped link the two drivers together on team that as Sigal put it is, " A bunch of good guys, working out of their heart and not out of their pocket." . A veteran of multiple forms of racing, including Spec Boxsters, Sigal praised the crew's effort to bring the car along. "These guys have done a tremendous job with the car. When we first took it out of the trailer it wasn't the best, but ultimately the (lap) times have shown, we're coming right down towards the leaders, we're only about a second off the pace right now. From the driver's prospective, I think the car has more in it than that."


I could tell Sigal, a previous Rolex Series Overall Race Winner at Mid-Ohio, is the type of guy who enjoys racing for the fast under-the-radar team. Speaking about his previous success in Grand-Am, " We've (SigalSport) won in the DP class, Grand-Am actually gives you a good, competitive series to go against the likes of Ganassi and beat them, piss 'em off a little bit so that's always fun." That's what racing is all about in my book.

As the speeds picked up later in the afternoon session for CPR, I asked Chris what changed "I don't know, I jumped in the car and I just do what I do" , laughing in a way that just would make you nervous if you're a fellow competitor on raceday.Prey continued, " I walked out of there feeling that I could've easily had another 1.5-2 seconds , just because I'm learning brake zones. You break hard, and (say) 'Oh, the corner's up here'. All said and done, if I would have had those two seconds, we would have been quickest on the charts. The car really came a long way with the development we've been doing over the winter. Really looking forward to the year, we'll see what happens."

Each team's mentality is different and CPR is no exception. Prey describes his race team as "...kinda just a skunk works team, where everybody's mean and lean, just making it work out there and it's starting to pay off."

The team plans on running the first five races along with the help of primary sponsor Royal Purple and other opportunities that are in the works as well. Lastly, Prey says, "The future looks really positive not just even in this car, but other opportunities possibly, we'll see how things work out."

With a few tricks still up their sleeves, be on the lookout for Chris Prey Racing in 2010.

Visit www.chrisprey.com or www.royalpurple.com for more information.


This photo taken by speedwayinsider.com

Other photos courtesy of grand-am.com and chrisprey.com

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Spinnin' the Tires: December 27th

Good morning,

Is it just me or has anyone else got to the point where they've thrown out leftovers because you just can't eat anymore? I'm shooting to start eating again on Tuesday. I hope all of you had a great Christmas weekend.


Lets get to it.

-- ARCA is quite popular in Lebanon,PA

-- Ladies, want to smell like success? Then try Danica's new scent "Danica Patrick For Her". Does that mean there will be a "for him" scent? Maybe. I can see it now available in truck stops bathrooms all across America.

-- In case you haven't heard. Michael Schumacher is coming back to F1 in a Mercedes. The Face of Ferrari, Schumacher has left brand loyalists upset. Schumacher said Ferrari will "always stay in my heart". Imagine Dale Earnhardt Sr. driving a Toyota. Yeah, now you understand.

-- Duno or Danica. You Decide.

-- Team Seattle snags 2009 GT Class Champion Leh Keen.

-- Sad news out of RCR today. Crew Member DJ Richardson has passed away due to complications from the H1N1 virus. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.

Have a great day and we'll spin the tires again tomorrow.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas from SpeedwayInsider.com!

Merry Christmas! I hope you are enjoying a good mid-day Christmas nap about now. My biscuit and gravy induced nap will commence as soon as I upload this post. In the meantime, we are a mere few weeks away from the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Let's catchup with some of Grand-Am's finest and see how they will be spending this Christmas.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Final ARCA December Test Results

Direct from arcaracing.com

No. Name Time Speed Make Sponsor
25 Mikey Kile 49.164 183.061 Toy Venturini Motorsports
60 Patrick Sheltra 49.176 183.016 Dodge Sheltra Motorsports
15 Alli Owens 49.192 182.957 Chev Venturini Motorsports
55 Steve Arpin 49.192 182.957 Toy Venturini Motorsports
36A Robb Brent 49.269 182.671 Dodge JAM Motorsports
51 James Buescher 49.312 182.511 Toy Phoenix Racing
2 Brandon McReynolds 49.323 182.471 Toy ESR Racing
66 Mark Thompson 49.367 182.308 Toy Venturini Motorsports
16A Randy Renfro 49.374 182.282 Chev Coulter Motorsports
11 Bryan Silas 49.394 182.208 Ford Rockingham Speedway
22 Dakoda Armstrong 49.408 182.157 Dodge Cunningham Motorsports
52K Josh Richards 49.418 182.120 Chev Ken Schrader Racing
82 Sean Corr 49.438 182.046 Ford Empire Racing
88 Danica Patrick 49.443 182.028 Chev JR Motorsports
69 Steve Blackburn 49.460 181.965 Dodge Blackburn Motorsports
97 Matt Lofton 49.474 181.914 Chev Strutmasters Racing
90 Milka Duno 49.475 181.910 Toy Braun Racing
30 Terry Jones 49.486 181.870 Dodge Jones Group Racing
07 Ricky Byers 49.494 181.840 Chev Stott Classis Cars Racing
59 Leilani Munter 49.512 181.774 Dodge Mark Gibson Racing
5A Bobby Gerhart 49.529 181.712 Chev BGR Racing
16 Joey Coulter 49.531 181.704 Chev Coulter Motorsports
43 Kyle Martel 49.545 181.653 Chev Martel Racing
4 Ricky Carmichael 49.564 181.583 Toy Turner Motorsports
83 Grant Enfinger 49.570 181.561 Ford Grant Enfinger Racing
31 Tim George Jr. 49.680 181.159 Chev RCR
51B Ryan Crane 49.782 180.788 Toy Phoenix racing
21 Jennifer Jo Cobb 49.795 180.741 Chev Bowsher Racing
30B BJ McLeod 49.864 180.491 Dodge Jones Group Racing
77 Tom Hessert 49.865 180.487 Dodge Cunningham Motorsports
28A Chris Cockrum 49.885 180.415 Chev ECG Motorsports
36C Glen Reen 49.990 180.036 Chev JAM Motorsports
54 Brad Means 49.998 180.007 Dodge Jimmy Means Motorsports
66A Hal Martin 50.038 179.863 Toy Venturini Motorsports
14 John Ferrier 50.057 179.795 Ford Andy Belmont Motorsports
12A Russ Dugger 50.094 179.662 Chev DGM Racing
10 Darryl O'Young 50.181 179.351 Ford Fast Track Racing
75 Scott Stenzel 50.213 179.236 Chev Bob Schacht Motorsports
76 Jerick Johnson 50.313 178.880 Dodge Rick Markel Racing
70B Richard Clifton 50.317 178.866 Ford 7VN Motorsports
0 Butch Jarvis 50.351 178.745 Dodge Butch Jarvis Motorsports
54B Chris Lawson 50.434 178.451 Dodge Jimmy Means Motorsports
54A Zach Bruenger 50.482 178.281 Dodge Jimmy Means Motorsports
75A Chuck Walker 50.487 178.264 Chev Bob Schacht Motorsports
36D Ashley Parlett 50.516 178.161 Chev JAM Motorsports
12 Derek White 50.567 177.982 Chev DGM Racing
58 Chad Hackenbracht 50.606 177.845 Chev Hackenbracht Motorsports
70 Tony Palumbo 50.669 177.623 Ford 7VN Motorsports
8 Jill George 50.674 177.606 Ford Fast Track Racing
48 James Hylton 51.288 175.480 Dodge Hylton Motorsports
28 Brent Cross 51.383 175.155 Chev Lacross Motorsports
73A Angela Cope 51.498 174.764 Dodge Rick Markel Racing
73 Amber Cope 51.676 174.162 Dodge Rick Markle Racing
1B Tony Yawn Jr. 51.900 173.410 Ford Andy Belmont Motorsports
03A Donny Kelley 52.031 172.974 Chev PGM Racing
23 Frank Wilson Jr. 52.234 172.302 Chev Hixson Motorsports
89B Justin Boston 52.805 170.438 Chev Lafferty Performance
89 Chris Lafferty 52.905 170.116 Chev Lafferty Performance
36E Jason Bowles 53.583 167.964 Chev JAM Motorsports
03 Stephan McCurley 54.508 165.113 Chev PGM Racing

Monday, December 21, 2009

ARCA Test Results

A little late but better than never.

Sunday Afternoon Test Speeds:
Pos. No. Name TIME Speed
1 60 Patrick Sheltra 49.176 183.02
2 36A Robb Brent 49.269 182.67
3 66 Mark Thompson 49.367 182.31
4 82 Sean Corr 49.438 182.05
5 88 Danica Patrick 49.443 182.03
6 97 Matt Lofton 49.474 181.91
7 59 Leilani Munter 49.512 181.77
8 5A Bobby Gerhart 49.529 181.71
9 16 Joey Coulter 49.531 181.70
10 83 Grant Enfinger 49.57 181.56
11 30 Terry Jones 49.633 181.33
12 22 Dakoda Armstrong 49.712 181.04
13 55 Steve Arpin 49.717 181.02
14 43 Kyle Martel 49.734 180.96
15 21 Jennifer Jo Cobb 49.795 180.74
16 52K Josh Richards 49.855 180.52
17 30B BJ McLeod 49.864 180.49
18 77 Tom Hessert 49.865 180.49
19 16A Randy Renfro 49.905 180.34
20 69 Steve Blackburn 49.908 180.33
21 11 Bryan Silas 49.926 180.27
22 88A Danica Patrick 50.014 179.95
23 12A Russ Dugger 50.094 179.66
24 12 Derek White 50.567 177.98
25 58 Chad Hackenbracht 50.606 177.84
26 77A Tom Hessert 50.668 177.63
27 25A Mikey Kile 50.72 177.44
28 4 Ricky Carmichael 50.799 177.17
29 48 James Hylton 51.288 175.48


Some interesting positions. I feel for James Hylton- 2 MPH off the pace...Mercy!