Powers Proud to Represent TORC Series, U.S. Armed Forces

 (Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Rob Powers has an agenda.

As one of the voices of the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL and a pit reporter for the live streaming of the races courtesy of 3 Wide Life, GoPro cameras and eBay Motors, Powers is an entertaining figure that interacts with the drivers and fans on event weekends. He has been a professional emcee for 23 years and AMSOIL’s voice of racing for more than eight of them.

But there is much more to Powers, a Colorado native and former U.S. Olympic strength coach, than that. A veteran of both the Army and the Air Force, he retains that military bearing wherever he goes. During the National Anthem, he snaps a salute so crisp he could be just days out of boot camp. When talking about his several tours to the Middle East to entertain America’s servicemembers, the passion and pride he feels for his fellow soldiers is palpable.

Powers’ agenda is to entertain. Whether it’s in front of a crowd of die-hard off-road racing fans watching some of the most intense motorsports action in the country or it’s in Iraq or Afghanistan with some of the biggest sports celebrities in the world to provide a moment away from the warzone for our nation’s heroes, Rob Powers is there to put on a show.

After seeing two of his non-commissioned officers killed in action, Powers formed The Warrior’s Tour Foundation (www.TheWarriorTours.com).

The purpose of the organization is to bring professional athletes and sports celebrities to areas of hardship deployment to entertain the troops there. It’s a foundation several of the TORC Series’ drivers will be familiar with very soon as Powers plans to include them on upcoming tours of duty.

“When I went to the Pentagon recently,” Powers said, “I brought along some of these Traxxas radio-controlled trucks and you would think these hardened military veterans, including a full bird colonel, were little kids! They did not want to give these things back! I knew then that our men and women fighting for us overseas would love to not only have an opportunity to test drive some of these Traxxas RC trucks, but they would also get a thrill out of meeting the people who drive the full-sized trucks at some of the most challenging racetracks in the country.”

Most important to Powers is the integrity of the product. In an era where everyone has a price, fans and viewers know 100 percent that when Rob Powers promotes something, it is a quality brand. That includes the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL. “I've been a huge fan of the TORC Series for years,” he said. “USAC providing not only thrilling competition, but a playing field brings out the best in everyone from the drivers and teams to the fans.

“USAC has been the leader in producing world class racing and I like world class whether it's in supporting our troops or watching trucks fly through the air.”

For more information on the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, visit them on the Web at TORCSeries.com. For information on the United States Auto Club, visit USACRacing.com. Both sites will also feature live free streaming of all the events on the TORC Series schedule courtesy of GoPro cameras and eBay Motors.

Race fans can follow all the action throughout the TORC Series season on its official Twitter sites at Twitter.com/TORCMedia and its official page on Facebook.

PRESS RELEASE: Kerry Earnhardt to Drive Father's Brickyard 400 Winner in England

Richard Childress Racing Press Release:

The Richard Childress Racing No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Monte Carlo that the legendary Dale Earnhardt drove to victory in the 1995 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be driven by his eldest son, Kerry Earnhardt, in this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed, July 2-4, is one of the world's premier historic race car events. The event has been held annually since 1993 on the grounds of Goodwood House, West Sussex, England. Race cars past and present participate in both demonstration and competition runs up the nine-turn, 1.16-mile hillclimb circuit.

This is the second consecutive year RCR has participated in the Festival of Speed. Last year, Taylor Earnhardt, Dale's youngest daughter, drove the black No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet her father earned his 76th and final NASCAR Cup Series victory in, on Oct. 15, 2000, at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Dale Earnhardt qualified 13th for the second running of the Brickyard 400. He drove the famous black No. 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet to the top spot on lap 133 and led the final 28 laps to beat Rusty Wallace to the checkered flag by 0.37-of-a-second.

"It was an honor to again be personally invited by Lord March to enter one of Dale's No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolets in this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed," said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. "Winning the 1995 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was one of Dale's, and RCR's, proudest moments.

Both last year's car and this year's entry were prepared by and will be cared for at the Festival of Speed by former No. 3 team crew members Danny Lawrence and Rich Burgess. Lawrence is the assistant head engine builder/trackside manager for Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines and Burgess is the shop manager for RCR's No. 31 Caterpillar team in the NSCS.

"It's going to be an awesome experience for me to drive the car my dad won the Brickyard 400 in," said Kerry Earnhardt. "Dad winning that race was a pretty big deal because it's such a special race. I'm honored to be driving it at all, but doing it at the Goodwood Festival of Speed makes it that much more special. Taylor (Earnhardt) drove one of Dad's cars last year at Goodwood and she told me it was a lot of fun and there were a lot of great people there."

For General Motors, the automaker behind the GM Goodwrench brand proudly carried on the hood of the car, it is a chance to celebrate the history of the partnership with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. and the legacy of Dale Earnhardt as a champion.

"Chevrolet is honored to see the famed No. 3 GM Goodwrench Monte Carlo once again participating in the Goodwood Festival of Speed," said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President, Chevrolet Marketing. "The legendary black No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt teamed together to form a powerful combination that changed the sport of NASCAR - both on and off the race track." 

A daily blog of the eight-day adventure (June 29-July 6) will be posted on SPEED's website (www.SpeedTV.com) and linked to the Richard Childress Racing website (www.rcrracing.com).

Kincaid Doubles Down at Crandon in TORC Series Opener

(Jeff Kincaid beats Scott Douglas at the line for the win at Sunday's Crandon Cup Challenge. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

CRANDON, Wis. – It was a Father’s Day Jeff Kincaid won’t soon forget.

The Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL PRO 2WD rookie driver made all the right moves Sunday at Crandon International Off Road Raceway. He started his day with a class win over Rob MacCachren and finished it in the “Big House” Winner’s Circle after edging Scott Douglas at the finish line for the 17^th Annual Crandon Cup Challenge.

The Crandon Cup race combines racers from the PRO 4WD and PRO 2WD classes with the PRO 2s getting a 12-second headstart. Kincaid, a seven-time PRO Light champion racing at Crandon for the first time in his new class, led the field to the green flag. He was challenged by 2009 Cup winner Ricky Johnson and Johnson, who won the PRO 2 race on Saturday, briefly took the lead before falling out of the race with mechanical issues and finished seventh, four laps down.

“This is my first Crandon Cup ever that I’ve run,” Kincaid said afterwards. “It was a great race! I knew Scott was coming and was pushing me. I couldn’t slow down because I knew the pressure was coming from the four-wheel drives and I was driving my rear end off…we’re going to have a good time tonight!”

In what was the battle of the weekend, Scott Douglas caught up with Kincaid in the closing laps. In the final turn before the finish line, the two were neck-and-neck, but Kincaid was able to edge Douglas by .259 seconds. Douglas raced Kincaid clean, but joked in the Winner’s Circle that had he seen the trophy and the $15,000 check before the race, he may have changed his plans.

“Jeff’s a fierce competitor and I was picking him off little by little and on that last corner, I got inside of him and, boy, the thought really crossed my mind to just drift out a little bit and that’s all it would’ve took,” Douglas said. “But Jeff’s a good guy, but now that I see his (trophy), I guess I should have!”

Kincaid’s PRO 2 win over MacCachren was more dominant as he beat the five-time Crandon winner by more than two seconds.

He leaves Crandon only two points behind Johnson in the season points’ standings.

Rick Huseman improved his PRO 4 runner-up finish Saturday with a victory Sunday over runner-up Steve Barlow and Douglas, who finished third in both rounds this weekend.

Huseman and Kincaid both earned Oakley Bomb Awards Presented by Oakley Watches for their fast laps of 1:19.838 and 1:22.224, respectively. Kincaid’s time was a new track record and Huseman swept the category both days, earning the PRO 4 track record on Saturday. He is also the current points leader, six points over Douglas.

It was an emotional victory for Casey Currie in PRO Lights as he beat Saturday’s winner, Andrew Caddell, to the line for the win. Randy Eller rounded out the podium in an event that saw Marty Hart make a strong run for the win and then earn a DNF after mechanical issues and a scary barrel roll that took Ross Hoek out of second place with two laps to go.

“This win means the world! I’m gonna get all choked up,” he said with tears of happiness in the Winner’s Circle. “We’ve got a good team and Traxxas gave us a new carburetor this morning and I’ve got to give it up to those guys; we would not be here without Traxxas! My guys did not sleep last night. We were up all night getting this thing to be faster…I’m excited to be up here!”

Caddell did, however, earn his second Traxxas Maxx Cash Award of the weekend with a fast lap of 1:30.414 and the points lead. He leads Currie by five points after two rounds.

In the Sportsman classes, CJ Greaves took the weekend sweep in Super Buggy and his third win in four rounds of the young TORC Series season. Starting the race in eighth, he methodically worked his way through the field and, by the halfway point, took the lead and never looked back. He has a 23-point lead over Scott Schwalbe. Other Sportsman winners were: Rob Weiland (Classix), Dan Koehler (Formula 4x4), Larry Manske (Enduro), Rhonda Konitzer (Limited 2WD), Greg Stingel (1600 Light Buggy), Mark Steinhardt (1600 Buggy), and Mitch Dorr (Super Stock).

TORC Series Racing Has Begun in Crandon

(The drivers of the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL along with the Crandon International Raceway track staff and USAC officials prior to Saturday's racing at the "Big House" in Crandon, Wisc. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd.)

The racing has begun for the 2010 TORC Series season with three sportsman class races already in the books for today. For up-to-the-minute updates and photos, follow the TORC Series on its official page on Facebook and at Twitter.com/TORCMedia. Fans can also see live FREE streaming of the event at TORCSeries.com and UStream.tv.

AUDIO: A conversation with Reed Sorenson

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Two-time Gateway International Raceway winner Reed Sorenson was in town Tuesday to talk to the media about the NASCAR double feature weekend at Gateway July 16-17 and to throw out the first pitch at Busch Stadium that night prior to the Cards v. Mariners matchup. I had a chance to chat with him about racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, his thoughts on returning to a full-time schedule, and why he's so good at Gateway. To hear the full interview, click HERE.

Reed will also be the focus of this week's Inside Motorsports column, which you can find at Globe-Democrat.com Saturday morning.

What is the TORC Series All About?

If this doesn't get you excited about the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL, you may not have a pulse. Just sayin'...

TORC Season Preview from race dezert on Vimeo.

TORC Series Season Opener This Weekend

(Photo by Andy Cooper)

I'm going to be in Crandon, Wisc., this weekend for the season opener of the Traxxas TORC Series Presented by AMSOIL. If you can't be there, be sure to check out all the action via live FREE streaming at TORCSeries.com, USACRacing.com, or UStream.tv. Every race this season will be aired live on those websites and are available courtesy of GoPro cameras and eBay Motors. You can follow the TORC Series on Facebook and on Twitter. Be sure to come back here over the weekend to see updates and pics.

NHRA Statement on the Death of Neal Parker at Englishtown

The following is a statement from the National Hot Rod Association regarding the death of Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Neal Parker earlier today at the NHRA National event in Englishtown, N.J.:

Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Neal Parker, 58, from Millville, N.J., crashed today at a high rate of speed in the shutdown area during qualifying for the NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and was pronounced dead.  NHRA officials and the New Jersey State Police are investigating the accident. On behalf of everyone at NHRA and Raceway Park, we are deeply saddened and want to pass along our sincere condolences to the entire Parker family.

TRANSCRIPT: Carl Edwards Press Conference at Michigan

(Carl Edwards waves to the crowd during pre-race of last weekend's Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway. He finished second behind NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Brad Keselowski. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Earlier today, Columbia, Mo.-native and two-time Gateway International Raceway winner Carl Edwards spoke to the media at Michigan International Speedway regarding his struggles on the track, conflict resolution in racing, and who wears the firesuit in his family.

Carl Edwards is the most recent Ford driver to claim victory at Michigan International Speedway with his 2008 3M 400 win. That victory was the historic 11th owner win for Jack Roush, tying him with the Wood Brothers for the most by any car owner at MIS.  Edwards meet with the media Friday to discuss where he feels his team is headed, driver interaction, the new FR9 engine and more.

TALK ABOUT YOUR PRACTICE RUN - “We worked hard on race trim and Bob tried a couple things, then we made two qualifying runs … now we are watching it rain. I am not sure if we will get qualifying in or not, so we felt like we balanced our practice pretty well either way.” 

HOW CLOSE DO YOU FEEL YOU ARE TO REALLY BEING COMPETITIVE AND UP FRONT? “If you take the best car at each of our races, including the RPM guys, we have been very close. If you look at one individual car and look at how we’ve run through all the races, we are still pretty far off. I guess that is what we have to hope for in having all these teams to lean on, taking the best car in each race and looking at that to apply it the next time.  I am hopeful that we are close, but I can’t quite tell. Our best race was Richmond and I felt we had a top two or three car. Our team hasn’t been that fast, but our teammates have at times. I just don’t know, but I hope we are close to figure something out.” 

WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH DATA SIMULATION?  “I don’t know that there is ever a time where you say, ‘Oh, we discovered an issue’.  The evidence is the performance. That is where we are focusing our energy because Jack feels like that is the issue. I am not the person to say here are the procedural problems we have. What we are doing is not working as well as some of the other guys and considering we don’t have the opportunity to go test makes simulations hugely important. We’ve got that and a bunch of other things, that if they were better, we would be faster.” 

WHO WEARS THE FIRE SUIT IN YOUR FAMILY? (Laughter) “I’m wearing it.” 

“We’ve already proven we can win races … not right now we can’t, but we have in the past. I know what it is like to win more races than anybody in a season. I know what that feels like and I know we can do it, so for us the important thing is to be in the Chase.  If on Sunday we had to take a huge risk to try to win the race, or we could be guaranteed a third place finish, we would have to take the third place finish so that we can be in the Chase to try to win a championship. I don’t want those types of choices, but that is where we are at.” 

IS IT MORE IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO TRY TO WIN A RACE TO PROVE YOU GUYS CAN DO IT, OR ARE YOU MORE CONCERNED WITH TRYING TO STAY IN THE TOP-12? IF YOU WERE KEVIN HARVICK, WOULD YOU EXPECT TO GET ONE FROM JOEY LOGANO, AND IF YOU WERE JOEY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? “I am not either one of them. It is just racing. What is going on between them isn’t for me to comment on, it is between them.”

JACK SAID EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT THE NEW ENGINES ARE MARGINALLY BETTER, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THAT? “Here is the deal, everyone at Roush Yates Engines works very hard and they are doing a very good job. It would be nice for us to have an engine that everybody else is trying to catch up to, instead of us trying to catch up to them. I think one of the things we have been trying to do is not to think of how we can catch up to everyone because that is not going to work. We have to figure out how to be the guys everyone is trying to catch. It is a lot easier when you are in that position. The new engine seems to be very reliable and makes great power. I can only hope that the future is that it will produce more power and we can run more tape and the rest of the guys will be complaining that we have too much motor.”

YOU LEFT OUT THE WORD FAST. YOU SAID POWERFUL, BUT IS THE NEW ENGINE NOT AS FAST AS IT NEEDS TO BE? “I didn’t leave out the word fast because an engine isn’t fast. It produces power so that the car can be fast. It seems to be powerful, maybe even a little bit more than our other engine.  That is a separate thing.  A lot of people come up to us and talk about how the new engine is coming and you are going to be faster, but the problem isn’t our engines. The problem is how fast the car can go through the center of the corner and the balance. The engine is a separate thing. Right now it looks like it is as good as or better than the old engine. We are all hoping that in the next couple of months that we can gain 10 or 15 horsepower. That would be great. Then we would be faster for sure, regardless of if we fix our handling problems.”

CAN YOU LOOK AHEAD FOR US TO NEW HAMPSHIRE? “I like New Hampshire. I almost won my first time there in the trucks. I have won Nationwide there, maybe two. I felt like we were going to win the race when we had the Red Sox car. I enjoy that race track. It has been one of those tracks that we have struggled with as a group. That and Phoenix have not been our strong points. I am optimistic because we ran well at Richmond and I think that some of that thinking could be good at New Hampshire. It is a little flatter, but it is smooth and has smiliar speed as Richmond. For us as a team, having Fenway Park right up the road, there is a lot of pride for us to run well there.”

DOES THE RAIN TODAY IMPACT YOUR DOUBLE-DUTY SCHEDULE? “I have no clue what my schedule is going to be. We always try to figure it out about two weeks in advance but I can’t make a decision to be honest. I was going to ride with Joey, but we go out 45th and he goes out fourth, so he said we have to figure out our own way to get there. It frustrates Angela, my assistant, because I can’t make a decision what I want to do.”

I UNDERSTAND YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF NOT TRYING TO CATCH-UP, BUT TRYING TO GET AHEAD. DO YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT WHAT OTHER TEAMS ARE DOING? “Yeah, I am not saying we aren’t trying to catch up. We are looking at other teams. If we could go copy the fastest car we would. What I am saying is that within our team, our culture, you don’t think about being as fast as the others because it won’t make you faster. A couple of years ago when Jack figured out the axle housing, that got us ahead … and that was nice. When we were that fast, we still didn’t win all the races. We won a bunch, but not all. We aren’t going to settle for being as good as everyone, we want to be better.”

“We still go testing. I don’t think we do less work than anyone. I think why we are pointing at the simulation is because that is what determines what you are going to work on once you get to the race track. It is the interface between the work and the output on the race track. That is the formula that may or may not be right, if that makes sense.”

GOING INTO THE 2010 SEASON, DID YOU HAVE ANY INKLING YOU WOULD BE IN THIS SITUATION? “Yes I did. We were worse in 2009 I think. I think we are doing better now. I thought things could be worse now I guess. When the season started I thought we might be in real trouble. Now we have three cars in the Chase, we are able to run top-10 … it’s not terrible.  I am not pleasantly surprised, but not surprised the other way either.”

WHAT WAS YOUR DEFINING MOMENT WHEN YOU SENT THE MESSAGE YOU WOULDN’T BE A DOORMAT ON THE RACE TRACK? “I don’t know if there is a defining moment. I am simple. I don’t mind confronting anybody about anything. I hope people know that if they are going to wreck me, or take advantage of me, that I am going to address that.  I hate to talk about other people’s deals. I will speak for myself and say that as a person, you have to stick up for yourself. I don’t see anyone in the garage that doesn’t stick up for themselves. I think we are all pretty clear about that stuff. I thought last weekend went just like it should have. I don’t think there was anything out of the ordinary.  It’s not my fight though. Those guys are their own guys.  It is tough. Everybody has to deal with it. I am sure you all deal with it in your business too. Everybody does it, you just don’t have cameras and everybody’s opinion interjected into it. I am sure if somebody steals your parking space, you might have some things to say that if a camera was right there, we would all be like ‘wow!’  That is just part of being a person.”

YOU MADE IT A POINT TO CONGRATULATE BRAD KESELOWSKI AFTER HIS WIN LAST WEEK, WHAT WAS THE IMPETUOUS THERE? “Brad and I had our issues, but like we have talked about a bunch, I did not mean to flip him over into a fence. I was just trying to spin him out. That is behind us … it is done. Brad and I get along just fine. Me going over to congratulate him was just me saying he had a heck of a race. I know I had him nervous a little but he kept his cool and won that race. I thought he did a good job, so I just wanted to congratulate him like I would with anybody.”

DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS SHOULD CONTINUE TO RESOLVE THINGS ON YOUR OWN, EVEN IF IT MEANS ON THE RACE TRACK? “I think we should be able to resolve things on the tracks, or in the pits, or wherever. You have to be able to tell guys that things don’t fly. I am normal. I grew up in Columbia, Missouri. If you had an issue with somebody, you go and take care of it. You can’t let it be because it won’t fix itself. What is different now is that you are on television and everybody has an opinion and it gets twisted around. That is one dimension of it. The second part is that some of the participants understand that very well and manipulate it. They don’t act like normal people and use you guys to make whatever reality they want to be. It becomes very difficult as a driver to decide what to do. You think it would be great if you could pull a guy aside and work things out. If you can’t work it out then whatever, but you can’t do that now. It is like this big mess now.”

ARE WE GETTING TO THE POINT LIKE HOCKEY WHERE THEY SETTLE THINGS WITH A FIGHT?  IS THAT WHAT IS COMING NEXT? “I don’t know what to say about that. Every situation is different and you just have to do what you have to do.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE INTENSITY RATCHETING UP EACH WEEK? “It is crazy. It is incredible really. I think it is hard for people to understand who aren’t in the cars. I heard a lot of talk this week about give and take and racing hard all the time. As a race car driver when you are in the car, there is stuff you realize like risk versus reward. Some of those restarts were just crazy. People are taking chances. I think that is a function of a couple things. The double file restart puts you in a position there to do that. Also, with the cars, it is so tough to pass that sometimes when they drop the green, guys with less to use just say ‘screw it’ and they go for it. Everybody else just gives them a wide birth and watches to see how it goes.  I can drive down in there and go three-wide and door slam someone just like the next guy. It is a tough balancing act on how hard to go on the restarts. In the end, as long as we get through without wrecking it is exciting for the fans.”

DO YOU THINK THE GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED POSSIBILITY WILL TAKE AWAY THE FUEL MILEAGE ISSUE HERE? “That is a good question. I thought about that a lot at Pocono. I guess you just have to have a brace crew chief if he is going to stretch it to the very end. It depends on what everybody else is going to do. What is going to end up happening is that the last time everybody stops, lets say there is that caution but the best guy is one lap shy, of course everyone is going to get fuel there and save for that last lap. If a caution comes out before we get to that white flag … man there are going to be a lot of things going on. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it will be different.”

PRESS RELEASE: Justin Allgaier to Compete in the 2010 Prelude to the Dream

From Penske Racing

Justin Allgaier, driver of the Penske Racing No. 12 Verizon Dodge in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will return to his dirt racing roots this Wednesday night, June 9, when he will compete in the sixth-annual Prelude to the Dream at the legendary Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. 

Allgaier, who began his racing career on dirt at the age of five, will join stars from NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, Rally Car and motocross as they battle not only for bragging rights, but also for charity. Allgaier will team with A.J. Allmendinger, Ron Capps, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Kenny Wallace and team captain Clint Bowyer to raise money for the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The 2010 event format will be team-driven. Four teams will each represent one of four children’s hospitals - Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Levine Children’s Hospital, Riley Hospital for Children and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Each individual driver’s finishing position in the feature event will contribute to each team’s total score. An individual champion will also be crowned.  

“I’m really looking forward to participating in The Prelude to the Dream this year,” said Allgaier. “It’s an incredible event that raises a lot of money for great causes. I’ve always hoped that I’d be able to participate in The Prelude someday, so when I got the call I didn’t hesitate to jump at the opportunity. I raced dirt late models for about eight years, so I’ve always wanted a chance to race with those guys and get back to our roots. Tony Stewart and everyone at Eldora Speedway does such a great job with this event, and I can’t wait for Wednesday night.”

Allgaier will partner with car owner Dewaine Hottinger, who has owned and driven cars for some 16 years in and around Arkansas. His No. 65 Rocket Chassis will be wrapped with Allgaier’s familiar No. 12 Verizon scheme for the event.

The sixth-annual Prelude to the Dream will be televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View from Eldora Speedway on Wednesday, June 9 (7 PM EDT/ 4PM PDT) while The Prelude to the Dream Countdown Show will be televised live on SPEED at 6 PM EDT.

TRANSCRIPT: Justin Allgaier Press Conference at Nashville Superspeedway

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Justin Allgaier, a native of Riverton, Ill., and birthday boy (turns 24 Sunday), is racing at Nashville Superspeedway this weekend with the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He finished fourth here in April and spoke with the media earlier today before Nationwide practice, where he topped the speed charts in session no. 1.

JUSTIN ALLGAIER (No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger) YOU’RE FIFTH IN POINTS, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE TRANSITION OVER THE LAST YEAR AND RETURNING TO NASHVILLE?

“I think coming off of last year, we had a great season.  Being able to come out of the year sixth in points and Rookie of the Year was a great season for us.  Bringing Verizon in the sport as a full-time sponsor is really cool.  Coming into this season, we felt like we knew some of our problems from last year.  Over the winter, we sat down and tried to figure out how we could fix them.  Adding a second car definitely has helped not only on our program, but Brad’s as well.  Last year here, we had a really good car both times that we came.  Unfortunately, we had mechanical failures and stupidity on my part took us out of good finishes.  We came back earlier this year and had a really good run.  The difference is day (this race) versus night (last race).  I feel like I’m a better night racer, but so does everybody else.  Hopefully we can come out of here with another good run.  Unfortunately, we’ve had really good finishes here lately, but we’ve still lost points to the guys in front of us.  We need to work on that and we have great a opportunity being here as a stand-alone race.  It’s going to be a lot of fun and hopefully we can gain some points on the guys we’re racing against.”

WITH SO FEW CUP DRIVERS IN THE RACE TOMORROW NIGHT, DOES THIS FEEL LIKE THE FIRST STAND-ALONE RACE?

“The stand-alone races are fun, but there’s still (Cup) guys that come in and run them.  As we have stand-alone races, the guys that are normally here feel like we step up our game and make it even tougher on the others.  There seems like there’s just as much competition at these races as anywhere.  It’s all a matter of how comfortable you can get you car.  With Brad and Carl here, it’s going to be tough.  They’re going to be just as strong as ever.  With Kyle and Kevin not being here, that definitely opens some doors.  This is probably one of the races that we all want to win as a stand-alone.  I’m not sure why that is; I think the trophy is the best part.  That Sam Bass guitar is pretty awesome.  I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.  I think that it’s going to be competitive no matter if the Cup guys are here or not.”

WITH BRAD POSSIBLY NOT BEING HERE FOR PRACTICE, WILL YOU GUYS SHARE INFORMATION?

“I think that’s one of the coolest parts about Penske Racing, how well information flows back and forth between all the teams.  Not only on the Nationwide side, but Cup teams as well.  We’re definitely going to work together.  They’re going to have Parker (Kligerman) in the car today until Brad gets here.  I’m sure they’ll (Keselowski) be OK.  Coming off a good race here in the spring, I don’t think that they’ll stray too far from their setup that they had.”

THERE HAS A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR THE FLOOD VICTIMS IN NASHVILLE BY THE NATIONWIDE SERIES AND NASCAR?

“It’s unbelievable to look at where everybody is and all the flood victims and everybody that’s lost things.  It’s easy for us to get so wrapped up with what we do on a day-to-day basis.  If we have a bad day, blown an engine or crash, you really don’t sit back and think about how devastating it to lost stuff like that.   We’re not out there re-building a house, but as racers, if there’s something that we can do, we will.  We all feel for them.  We want to help them any way that we can.  More than anything, for them to know that we care will hopefully mean something.  It doesn’t fix anything or get their valuable back, but hopefully it means something.”

BRAD SAYS HE PLANS ON WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP.  DO YOU STILL FEEL LIKE YOU’RE A CONTENDER?

“Brad’s definitely done a great job this year and obviously they’re doing well in the points.  I think we’re 256 points back which is doable.  It’s going to take some bad races for them (for us to catch-up).  I’m not going to wish bad luck on anybody because the minute you do, it turns around on yourself.  We kind of had our bad luck a few races.  Some stupid stuff happened and it seems like everybody has to go through it at some point in the year.  Hopefully, if they do have that bad luck, we can capitalize and gain some of those points back.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE SAM BASS GUITAR AS A TROPHY? 

“It’s custom done by Sam Bass.  All of us respect Sam’s work.  We see it a lot.  To see how much stuff (Bass) does, whether it’s for a cover of the program or for the guitar.  When you look at trophies, there are some really significant ones that we get in our sport, especially in the Nationwide Series.  When you get one that’s different, it is really cool to embrace that and to enjoy it.  This is a stand-alone race and if the statistics are right, this is the best for first-time winners.  That gives a lot of people more hope to win a race and I think the trophy is tied into that for sure.”