Friday, April 30, 2010

Q1 is Complete at Gateway

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

The first round of NHRA Full Throttle Series Pro Class qualifying for this weekend's AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway is in the books. If, for any reason, no other qualifying rounds can be completed, the field would be set for Sunday's elimination rounds based on the times from this session. That shouldn't be the case, however, as it looks like most, if not all, of the qualifying rounds should be run.

Two rain delays halted Pro Stock qualifying for a total of approximately 40 minutes, but the overcast conditions allowed some fast times for the four classes: Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Stock, Funny Car, and Top Fuel. Leading their respective classes after Q1 are: Craig Treble (PSM, 6.920 ET), Mike Edwards (PS, 6.644 ET), John Force (FC, 4.103 ET), and Tony Schumacher (TF, 3.829 ET). In the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series, Danny Rowe earned the top spot for now with a run of 5.955 seconds.

Pro class qualifying should resume at approximately 7 p.m. For the full weekend schedule, click HERE.

Be sure to check GatewayRaceway.com, Facebook.com/GatewayRaceway, and Twitter.com/GatewayRaceway for up-to-the-minute updates and visit the Sports section of Globe-Democrat.com tomorrow morning for the full rundown of today's events at Gateway.

Qualifying Moved Up at Gateway

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Pro Mods have made their first run of the weekend for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway. The Pro classes (PSM, PS, FC, TF) have been moved up about 30 minutes by the NHRA in an effort to miss potential inclement weather in the area. For the full schedule of this weekend's event, click HERE.

Meet John Force Racing at Gateway

(Gateway International Raceway Photo)

Want to meet the drivers of John Force Racing? You can meet John Force and Robert Hight TODAY at 2:45 at the John Force Racing souvenir trailer and at 11:15 a.m. tomorrow, you can meet John, Robert, and Ashley Force Hood at the AAA booth. You can get your tickets at the gate all weekend for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

Cars Are Racing at Gateway

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

While the skies may be a little dreary, there are cars on the track at Gateway International Raceway for this weekend's AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. While there may be some periods of rain over the weekend, it looks like Mother Nature will allow all the racing to take place. For weather information around the track, click HERE and for a full schedule of this weekend's event, click HERE.

For full updates of the NHRA Full Throttle Series' return to the St. Louis area, visit GatewayRaceway.com, Facebook.com/GatewayRaceway, Twitter.com/GatewayRaceway, Twitter.com/Brandon_Mudd, and, of course, here at the Globe-Democrat.com Inside Motorsports blog.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Robert Hight to Throw Out First Pitch at Busch Stadium

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

2009 NHRA Funny Car champ Robert Hight knows about speed and control. The fifth year professional Funny Car driver enjoys powering his Auto Club Ford Mustang down NHRA race tracks all across the country at speed in excess of 300 mph but as an avid baseball fan Hight also enjoys watching a 95 mph fastball fly from a pitcher’s hand towards home plate. On Wednesday, April 28, 2010 Hight will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the St. Louis Cardinals game versus the Atlanta Braves.

“I grew up playing baseball in Northern California and love the game. I am really thrilled to have this opportunity. I have been able to enjoy a number of exciting experiences since I won the Funny Car world championship but being able to get down on the field of Busch Stadium and throw out the ceremonial first pitch will be really cool,” said Hight a former catcher. “I want to thank AAA Missouri for the opportunity to represent them and I hope I can bring the heat on Wednesday as well as at Gateway International Raceway over the weekend.”

Hight will be in St. Louis as a guest of AAA Missouri prior to the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals which start on Thursday, April 29, at Gateway International Raceway.

The game starts at 7:15 p.m. and Hight’s ceremonial pitch will precede the official start time. Busch Stadium is located at 700 Clark Street, St. Louis, MO 63102. Tickets for the Cardinals game are available at www.cardinals.com, by calling (314) 345-9000 and at the Busch Stadium ticket office.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Kevin Harvick Press Conference Transcript from Talladega

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

It's been an interesting week for Kevin Harvick, a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champ and two-time Gateway International Raceway winner. It was announced that Shell/Pennzoil is not returning to Richard Childress Racing, but rather heading to Penske Racing to adorn the No. 22 Dodge that former Cup Series champ Kurt Busch will pilot starting next season. There was also a piece run in Sports Illustrated claiming Harvick had burned his bridges with Childress. "Happy" discussed these topics and more this morning during a press conference at Talladega Superspeedway.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO WIN THIS WEEKEND? “I think we just got to keep doing what we’re doing. We ran really well at Daytona and hopefully that correlates to this particular race track. I feel good about where things have been. We have good days, and when we have bad days we turn them into good days. Everything has gone well so far and we’re looking forward to continuing that this weekend. I like the plate racing and enjoy this style of racing at this particular race track. It’s a lot of fun.”

YOUR RECORD AT DAYTONA IS QUITE A BIT BETTER THAN YOUR RECORD AT TALLADEGA. THE ODDS OF DISASTER ARE GREATER HERE, BUT WHEN YOU SAY THAT PEOPLE ARE EXCEPTIONAL PLATE RACERS IS THAT TOO SIMPLE? ARE TALLADEGA AND DAYTONA TWO DIFFERENT ANIMALS? “Usually if you’re good at one, you’re going to be good at the other. For us, we’ve finished second a lot here and we’ve always run well here. I’ve always told people when you get here you have a 50/50 shot—you’re going to have a good day or you’re going to wreck. That’s just the way it is and there is no reason to beat around the bush, it’s been like that for as long as I’ve race here. That’s just Talladega. I enjoy it and whether the records are one way or the other, we’ve always run well here and I don’t look for anything to be any different this weekend.”

YOU MADE A COMMENT ON TWITTER EARLIER THIS WEEK. YOU WROTE, “THESE MEDIA PEOPLE CRACK ME UP. THEIR THEORIES HAVE A LOT OF REALLY BAD SOURCES.” ON BEHALF OF THE MEDIA, CAN YOU CORRECT US? “Sure. If you guys are going to—most of you are this way—you line it up with credible backing to your quotes, your sources and your people. If you’re going to quote a source, quote their name. Otherwise, if they’re too chicken to give you their name, don’t put their quote in the paper. It’s that simple. Anonymous sources are crap. If you want real sources go talk to real people.”

I ASSUME YOU WERE REFERRING TO A STORY ABOUT BURNED BRIDGES. DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT WAS A CASE WHERE BRIDGES WERE BURNED, AND WHAT’S YOUR STATUS ABOUT WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO BE? “Richard Childress and myself have a great relationship, and we’ve been talking about a lot of things for several months. It’s not any different than what we would normally do at this particular time. Cars are running well, everybody is communicating well, and I don’t know what else to say other than Richard and I have had many, many, many, many, many, many, many conversations over the last several months. Where all that leads—it’s right now, I’m driving the 29 car and we’ll see. I don’t see where anything is going or this and that. I know Richard and I have had a lot of conversations over the last three months.”

KEVIN YOU SAY THAT YOU THRIVE ON CONTROVERSY. DID YOU NOTICE LAST WEEK ALL OF THE BEATING AND BANGING BOTH ON THE TRACK AND VERBALLY BETWEEN THE 24 AND 48? IF YOU NOTICED IT, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF A LITTLE ACTION BETWEEN THE SQUEAKY-CLEAN GUYS? “I think we’re all competitive, and I think those guys are just as competitive as all of us who are vocal about it. I don’t think that’s abnormal. I don’t think it’s the first time that those guys have been competitive with each other, and it’s not the first time that me and my teammates will be competitive with each other. I think the mutual respect comes in for your owner to not crash your cars. You do the best that you can on that particular side of it and sometimes it happens because everybody’s racing hard. From an owner’s standpoint, you want guys that want to beat their teammates but they also don’t race their teammates harder than they race anybody else. I think that’s the thing that you look for from an owners standpoint—somebody who is going to race, not only their teammates really hard, but also is going to race everybody else the same way.”

ANOTHER SUBJECT, IN A COUPLE WEEKS WE HAVE THE ALL-STAR RACE. YOU WON IT IN 2007, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW BIG THAT WAS IN YOUR CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS, AND THAT ATMOSPHERE AND HOW FUN THAT IS AS A RACER? “Yeah, it’s a fun weekend. I look at Charlotte as probably the biggest challenge for me. It’s the race track I dislike going to the most, and for us to win the All-Star race was a huge accomplishment. It was a good weekend for us as far as speed and putting ourselves in position to win that race. The race is fun; the format is fun just because you have the pit stop for qualifying and you make a couple laps. There aren’t any points involved, so it makes it kind of a free-for-all as far as pushing every lap to the limit. It’s a fun race and it’s great for us because we get some extra track time at what I feel is our worst race track.”

CAN YOU FATHOM WHAT KASEY KAHNE HAS DONE WHERE HE DOESN’T REALLY KNOW WHAT HE’S GOING TO DO IN 2011, CAN YOU FATHOM DOING ANYTHING LIKE THAT? ALSO, PLEASE ENLIGHTEN US ON WHEN AND WHERE YOU GOT YOUR JOURNALISM DEGREE. “Yes, sir. I don’t have a journalism degree; I have a common-sense degree. I’m not going to go any further than that. I think when you have to make decisions and when you have situations that are presented to you, you have to weigh out all the options. I don’t particularly know all of the options that he had in front of him. It’s going to be a situation where I’m sure that he gets put in a good situation, whether it’s 2011 or 2012. Me, personally, I still think there are a lot of cards that haven’t fallen yet for 2011. I just find it hard to believe that 2012 will be as far out as it as it gets put, but that’s just my opinion—my journalism opinion.”

WHAT WERE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT PENNZOIL’S DECISION TO GO TO PENSKE? WERE YOU UPSET, WERE YOU ANGRY, OR DID YOU KNOW IT WAS COMING? “Yeah, I don’t have any ill-will towards anybody or anything like that. I don’t particularly agree with the way the whole situation was handled, but in this particular situation, I’m the driver and it’s not anything new to the sport. There are sponsors that come and go and things change. In this particular situation there was a lot of business-to-business that took place. It’s not anything new, and being an owner you understand that there are a lot of those decisions that take place. Other than that, it is what it is and you roll on”

WHEN THE DUST SETTLES HERE, WE START HITTING SOME TRACKS THAT ARE PRETTY RACEY. RICHMOND IS ONE OF THEM. YOU’VE WON THERE AND I THINK YOUR AVERAGE FINISH IS 9TH. WHAT IS IT ABOUT RICHMOND THAT YOU ALWAYS SEEM TO BE CONTENDING FOR THE VICTORY THERE? “It’s been a good track for us and over the past couple years it’s been good for us as well. I think last year we wrecked in the first one with a flat left-rear tire, but it’s a race track that kind of goes with everything we do—from my driving style to the cars to everything that goes with it. I enjoy racing there. You can run the top, you can run the bottom and you can run the middle. It’s a fun race track from a drivers’ standpoint because it gives you options. I think it’s just been a good place for us.”

WE COULD END A LITTLE BIT OF THE SPECULATION HERE. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU’RE NOT REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THIS, THAT YOU HAVE OPPORTUNITIES, AND THAT THERE IS NO PRESS FOR TIME. IS THAT WHAT WE’RE GETTING? YOU SEEM TO NOT REALLY BE WORRIED ABOUT IT. ARE YOU TALKING WITH GUYS LIKE TONY STEWART AS WELL AS RICHARD CHILDRESS? “Right now, we’re really just trying to focus on what we’re doing to be honest with you. I just really trying not to get in the middle of it like I have in the past. When that time comes, I don’t think there is anything pressing time-wise for anybody whether it’s the team at RCR or myself. Rightfully so, I think that’s the opportunity that we have to try to work out first. Like I said, that is where we’ve been headed over the past several months. As far as talks and things like that, I think it’s only far that we work on all that first. So that’s what we’ve been doing.”

YOU SAID SOME BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS THINGS HAPPENED BEHIND-THE-SCENES WITH THE SHELL THING. ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT AN AGREEMENT WITH PENSKE AND HIS DEALERSHIPS AND TRYING TO WORK THINGS LIKE THAT OUT? “I don’t know. Like I said, I don’t know all the details of all that. Those would be great questions for Richard.”

THE LAST FEW TIMES YOU’VE COME HERE, YOU’VE SEEN CARS GOING AIRBOURNE. ARE YOU SATISFIED THAT NASCAR HAS DONE WHAT THEY CAN TO TRY TO FIX THAT? AS A DRIVER, DOES IT MENTALLY AFFECT YOU? DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THAT WHEN YOU’RE OUT THERE? “I don’t think so. From a driver’s perspective, once you get going you don’t think about that kind of stuff. You just go in there. There’s so much going on here that you’re looking backwards to go forward, you’re two-three-four wide pretty much all day. At this particular race, you don’t think about any of that stuff until you go home during the week and you go back and watch the race and see how it all played out. If you look at what they’ve done with the cars, with the spoiler, with the new fins on the sides of the cars, and [how NASCAR was] really trying to pay attention to where the speeds needed to be at the test, and restrictor plates that they came back with. They’re obviously—that was their number one concern with the cars going upside-down. It may happen again; nobody knows. I think everybody’s done as much research as they can to do the best that they can with the cars, the scenarios that they feel like they can put the cars in at the wind tunnels, and things like that. Like I tell you guys all the time, there is nothing that you can do to simulate 43 cars on the racetrack pushing and shoving; things just happen differently than anything in a fixed environment. It’s just one of those things where you have to do the best that you can with the tools that you have to make things the best that you can and try to prevent things from happening. I feel strongly that they’ve—I think just the things that they’ve done with the cars has been really good, but the things that they’ve been trying to do to the car, just out-of-the box things that they’ve been working on, are really good as well.

“You just have to keep plugging along and they’re in the same situation that we are as far as trying to develop the cars to go faster and they’re trying to make them safer. They spend millions and millions and millions of dollars [on improving safety]. I think that’d be a great story for somebody to go in and follow NASCAR on a weekly-basis and see how much time they actually spend on it.”

YOU TALKED ABOUT WHEN YOU SHOW UP HERE, YOU’RE EITHER GOING TO HAVE A GREAT DAY OR A HORRIBLE DAY. SO WHEN YOU DRIVE THROUGH THE TUNNEL FOR THE FIRST TIME EVERY TIME YOU COME HERE, WHAT IS YOUR INITIAL THOUGHT WHEN YOU SHOW UP AT THE RACETRACK HERE? “It’s exactly that. It’s like throwing your money down on red or black, you spin the wheel and whenever it winds up it winds up. Either you walk off pissed or you walk off with a smile on your face and pocket full of money. It’s really no different. You roll through and you’re either red or black this week.”

THE NFL DRAFT IS GOING ON AND OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS WE’LL START TO LEARN THE DETAILS OF THESE CONTRACTS WITH THE BIG FOCUS BEING ON THE MONEY THAT’S ATTACHED TO THE DEAL. NASCAR TEAMS ARE A LOT QUIETER WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE KINDS OF DETAILS ON THE CONTRACT BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND THEIR DRIVERS. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS? “That’s a good question. I don’t have an answer to that one. I think it’s a much different environment. They have a lot more rules as far as luxury taxes and salary caps and things like that; here, there’s none of that. In the end, the off-track stuff is a lot like the on-track stuff. It’s very competitive and everybody is trying to take everybody’s sponsor, I guess would be the best way to put it. You don’t really want everybody to know what you’re paying your driver because it might be too low, or it might be too high. You want to keep all those things to yourself because that’s another element of the competition off the racetrack that is just like on the racetrack. You keep your driver’s salaries quiet, you keep your crew chief’s salaries quiet; everybody in the garage pretty much knows where everybody else is at. The sponsors are really good now-a-days with keeping each other in check as far as knowing how much everybody is paying each team. There is a lot of different scenarios that pop up as far bonuses and salaries and you’ll never hear anything about them unless you’re in the garage.

WOULD YOU THINK THAT ONCE SOMEBODY GETS OUT OF LINE AND IT GETS OUT, WOULD IT START A BIG THING ON NEGOTIATING AND BARGAINING AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF? HAVE YOU SEEN CONTRACTS BETWEEN DRIVERS AND TEAMS CHANGE SINCE YOU’VE BROKEN IN? “I think the contracts, being on the ownership side of it you see a lot of changes. The sponsors have gotten so big and with so much money there is a lot of stipulations as far as what you can do if you leave a team, not leave a team, where the sponsor can go and can’t go. It all just depends on the situations and it winds up in the lawyer’s hands more than it does in the actual driver’s and owner’s hands.”

YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING IN THE FUTURE. KNOWING THAT YOU ARE SO HEAVILY INVESTED WITH CHEVROLET IN THE NATIONWIDE AND TRUCK SERIES, NOT JUST WITH YOUR TEAM, BUT ALSO WITH BUILDING CHASSIS FOR OTHER TRUCK TEAMS. IS IT FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT NO MATTER WHERE YOU DRIVE IN THE CUP SERIES IN THE FUTURE THAT IT WOULD PROBABLY BE A CHEVROLET? “That’d be a good, fair statement.”

LAST FALL WE JUST SAW TWO CARS GET ON TOP OF EACH OTHER ALL THE WAY AROUND THE RACE TRACK. I’M CURIOUS BECAUSE NOW THAT WE HAVE THE “HAVE AT IT BOYS” THING AND YOU CAN DO THAT IF YOU WANT TO, HOW MUCH OF A TICKING TIME BOMB IS THAT FOR THE CAR IN THE REAR IN TERMS OF HOW FAST YOU’RE GOING TO HEAT UP AN ENGINE? IF GET DOWN TOWARDS THE END OF THE RACE AND TWO CARS DO MANAGE TO BREAK AWAY BY THEMSELVES, IS THAT A THREE-LAP, FOUR-LAP, FIVE-LAP—HOW FAST DOES THE GAUGE GO UP? “I did it yesterday in the Nationwide car and it’s a little bit different than a Cup car. In one lap, it was 260 degrees. That’s pretty fast. It won’t take long. I think if you’re down at the end of the race, you might be able to get three laps out of it, but I don’t know that you’ll be able to stick together that long. It’s going to happen. You’re going to see guys get pushed out there and things like that. It’s very easy here as long as you’re straight. Once you get on him, as long as you’re square up on that guy’s back bumper, you just hold it on the mat and go, baby, go.”

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Ashley Force Hood Asks Fans to Help Stamp Out Hunger May 8

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

For the second year in a row Castrol GTX Ford Mustang Funny Car driver and Orange County resident Ashley Force Hood is asking her fans and fans of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series to help her Stamp Out Hunger. This year Force Hood has ramped up her participation and produced a video starring her two cats, Simba and Gizmo, drag racing down a track constructed of canned food that will be donated. Additionally, Force Hood is scheduled to host representatives of the Stamp Out Hunger program at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway outside St, Louis on April 30th.

For the rest of the story, click HERE.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Exclusive Interview with John Force

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

If you're a fan of the NHRA Full Throttle Series, you know of John Force. He's the 14-time Funny Car champ who won his 129th race last weekend in Las Vegas. More importantly, you know how John loves to talk. And talk. And talk. But when he starts talking, every word is gold. If you aren't familiar with John, you're in for a treat. I had a chance to talk to him today for a story that is appearing at Globe-Democrat.com this weekend, but just for you because you've been good, here is the complete audio from that interview. Trust me, you're going to love it.

Inside Motorsports Preview

This week's Inside Motorsports will feature St. Louis native Jesse Smith, a talented ARCA racer making his NASCAR Camping World Truck Serie debut at Kansas Speedway May 2. Jesse grew up racing against former ARCA champ and Riverton, Ill., native Justin Allgaier and is following Justin's blueprint to success.

Also this weekend at Globe-Democrat.com, I sit down with 14-time NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car champ John Force on the heels of his 129th win in that class last weekend in Las Vegas. John and the rest of the NHRA return to Gateway International Raceway next week for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. For all the info, visit GatewayRaceway.com, Facebook.com/GatewayRaceway, and Twitter.com/GatewayRaceway.

Speaking of Twitter, fans will definitely want to follow Gateway on their Twitter account for an opportunity to meet some of the biggest names in NHRA next weekend.

Be sure to check out Globe-Democrat.com all next week for full coverage of the NHRA's return to the St. Louis area.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Supercross Racer Justin Barcia Featured in Inside Motorsports


(Photo by Steve Cox)

Justin Barcia, the 18-year-old AMA Supercross rider appearing at the Edward Jones Dome this weekend with the rest of the series, is the focus of this week's Inside Motorsports at Globe-Democrat.com. For the full story, click HERE.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Previewing the World of Outlaws at I-55 Raceway


With the schedule beginning to pick up, one of the most exciting tracks on the World of Outlaws circuit will host the series for the first of two visits this season, as the best sprint car drivers in the world roll into the always exciting I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri on Saturday, April 17 for a full night of racing.

Joey Saldana and Craig Dollansky split wins at the high-banked 1/3-mile bullring last season during the inaugural Ironman 55 weekend, after the spring race at the track was rained out. For each of them, it was their second career wins with the World of Outlaws at I-55 Raceway.

Jason Meyers, the current World of Outlaws point leader, was victorious for the first time in his career at I-55 in 2008, in a thrilling battle with Dollansky. Meyers heads into this weekend having won each of the last two World of Outlaws events and leads the series with four victorious so far in 2010 and is the only driver that has finished in the Top-10 in each and every race this season.

Steve Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, leads all drivers at I-55 with four wins in World of Outlaws action. His most recent win at the high-banked track came in 2003. He is currently second in points, with a win earlier this season, along with nine Top-10 finishes in 10 races. Kinser’s teammate at Tony Stewart Racing, Donny Schatz was victorious at I-55 Raceway in 2006.

Jac Haudenschild has won three times over the years with the World of Outlaws at Pevely. The Hall of Famer is closing in on his first win of the 2010 campaign and always runs strong on the high-banked bullring.

Other current drivers following the World of Outlaws full-time that have won at I-55 Raceway include: 2001 series titlist Danny Lasoski, who won at the track in his home state in 2004, along with Chad Kemenah, who scored his first series win at the track in 2005 and third generation driver Kraig Kinser who also won in 2005.

The Buzz-

• The event this weekend will be the only tune-up for the Second Annual Ironman 55 on August 6-7 at I-55 Raceway.

• Joey Saldana looks for his second consecutive win at I-55 as he was the victor in the inaugural Ironman 55 last season at the track.

• Jason Meyers, the current series point leader, enters the weekend with two consecutive victories. He won at I-55 Raceway in 2008.

• Steve Kinser is the winningest driver in World of Outlaws action at I-55 Raceway with four wins and is looking for his first at the track since 2003.

• All three drivers competing full-time with the World of Outlaws in 2010, who have won series championships, have won with there series at I-55 Raceway, Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz and Danny Lasoski.

• Craig Dollansky, who won earlier this season, has won twice in his career at I-55 Raceway with the World of Outlaws, including in the opener of the Ironman 55 weekend last season

• Chad Kemenah scored his first career World of Outlaws A-Feature win at I-55 in 2005, becoming the second driver to accomplish that feat, as Randy Hannagan also did it in 2001.

• Kraig Kinser won at I-55 in 2005. He picked up a season-best third-place finish last weekend in Oklahoma

• Ben Gregg, one of the contenders for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award will make his first start at I-55 Raceway.

Sound Bites

Jac Haudenschild

“Pevely is a high-banked track and a pretty racy race track. The banking always makes for good racing and we just enjoy going there. It’s usually pretty tacky and good racing there. Usually in the spring, the track is a little tackier and not quite as slick. It can get a little choppy, but it seems like every time we go there its good racing and I would imagine it will be the same this time.”

Lucas Wolfe

“I had a great time at the Ironman last year. We’ll go back with some track time there and hopefully we can improve on last year’s results. I’m really looking forward to going back there and hopefully we can get rolling at the main part of the season.”

Jason Meyers

“It’s been a fantastic start to the season. My crew worked so hard over the winter and that is paying off now. We worked really hard to have a lot of options this year and to be able to adapt to the changes in the tires and things like that. So far it’s really out really well and the competition has been very good this year.”

By the numbers- I-55 Raceway

0.33- Miles around I-55 Raceway

1- Driver competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that hails from the state of Missouri- Danny Lasoski

2- Drivers competing for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year Award this season

3- Wins for Jac Haudenschild in his career with the World of Outlaws at I-55; Drivers that led laps in feature racing competition last season at the track

4- Total races for the World of Outlaws in the state of Missouri this season

6- Drivers that have won A-Feature events in 2010

7- Drivers that have been fastest in time trials this season

8- Drivers that have won a dash to earn a pole position so far in 2010

9- Drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws that have won at I-55 Raceway

10- Top-10 finishes for Jason Meyers this season to lead all drivers

10.189- Track record established by Stevie Smith in time trials in 2002

11- Drivers that have led laps in feature events in 2010

18- Drivers currently competing full-time with the World of Outlaws

19- Drivers that have won A-Feature events with the World of Outlaws at I-55 Raceway dating back to 1987

20- Laps led by Craig Dollansky last season to win the opener of the Ironman 55

24- Points separating current point leader Jason Meyers and 20-time series champion Steve Kinser

31- A-Feature events the World of Outlaws have contested at I-55 Raceway dating back to 1987

37- Laps led by Joey Saldana win the finale of the Ironman 55 weekend last year at the track

42- Drivers that competed in the opener of the Ironman 55 weekend in 2009

71- Laps led by Joey Saldana this season to lead all drivers

85- Points that currently separate the Top-Five in the World of Outlaws standings

168- Miles from Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky where the World of Outlaws compete on Friday, April 16 to I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri

1987- Year the World of Outlaws first competed at I-55 Raceway

10,000- Dollars the winner will receive on Saturday, April 17

51,690- Dollars in the total purse on Saturday, April 17

Tickets

On Saturday, April 17 at I-55 Raceway, reserved tickets will be $32 with general admission tickets $30, while children ages 12-under will be admitted free of charge in the general admission section. For ticket information call the track at 636-479-3219 or visit http://www.i55raceway.com/.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Rick Hendrick/Kasey Kahne Teleconference Audio

(Kasey Kahne, right, participates in a fan Q-and-A with Steve Page of Infineon Raceway during a media event there yesterday as the news was breaking of his signing with Hendrick Motorsports. Photo by Mike Doran.)

Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, and NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne participated in a media teleconference today to discuss Kahne's departure from Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of this season and the move to the No. 5 HMS team in 2012. To hear the complete teleconference, click HERE.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Kasey Kahne Going to Hendrick Motorsports? UPDATE

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

UPDATE: Here is the latest on Kasey Kahne leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of 2010 from Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press.

Earlier story...

According to a report on ESPN.com, Kasey Kahne has signed a deal to race for Hendrick Motorsports starting in 2011. Since all the HMS drivers are signed through next year, the announcement leads to speculation that Kahne may actually drive for Stewart-Hass Racing, a Hendrick satellite team co-owned by two-time NASCAR Cup Series champ Tony Stewart. If this pans out, it could become the immediate favorite race team of dirt fans everywhere, with all three (including SHR driver Ryan Newman) having solid USAC backgrounds and Stewart and Kahne both owning their own respective USAC/World of Outlaw teams.

However, according to the Charlotte Observer and Jim Utter, the deal is actually for Kahne to start racing with HMS in 2012 as Martin's replacement. Both are viable options for Kahne, who hasn't been pleased with his performance at Richard Petty Motorsports and their switch this season to Ford.

Stay tuned...

Kelly Bires Out at JR Motorsports

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Kelly Bires was released from the No. 88 JR Motorsports this morning due to what team general manager Kelley Earnhardt called a lack of chemistry. Joplin, Mo., native and Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray will step into the car this weekend and will compete with that team, led by Tony Eury Sr., in eight additional races. There has been no word as to who will race that car, as well as the No. 7 JRM car, at Gateway International Raceway July 17 in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250. The driver of the No. 88 car is also TBD for the Oct. 23 NNS race at Gateway. Danica Patrick is scheduled to drive the No. 7 at that event. There was no response to an e-mail sent to JRM at the time this post was published.

Bires started racing with JRM late last year and was supposed to compete for the Nationwide Series championship. The Wisconsin native faced adversity early in the season when he was bumped from his car in the season opener at Daytona for Patrick. Dale Earnhardt Jr., the co-owner of JR Motorsports, was in the other car and it was announced the the team did not have the funding the field a third car.

“We are extremely appreciative of Kelly Bires and wish him the best,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “Internally, it was evident the chemistry that is imperative for us to succeed in this highly competitive industry was simply not there. That is the fault of no one person. We owe it to our fans and sponsors to make necessary adjustments in an effort to put our best product on the track, and we’ll continue evaluating our progress until we are confident that our full potential is being reached.”

In five of the six races on the schedule this year, Bires had a best finish of seventh at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., and finished on the lead lap in four of those five races. On his official Twitter account after his release was made public, Bires said, "Not a good day. I know I belong and will be successful in this sport. JRM gave me an opportunity, it just didn't work out."

Both JR Motorsports are still expected to run the full season. Originally just scheduled for a limited number of events with Patrick behind the wheel, the No. 7 team is now racing the full compliment of races with drivers such as Scott Wimmer and Landon Cassill. The chance was made in order to ensure the open-wheel star is locked into the top-30 in owners' points during the events she is slated for so she will be guaranteed a spot in those races. Patrick's next race is scheduled to be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June.

Follow GIR on Twitter for the Chance to Meet NHRA Drivers



Gateway International Raceway is offering fans attending the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at the end of the month an opportunity get up close and personal with some of the stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series. The track is putting together a Tweet-Up, tentatively scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, May 1. The location has yet to be disclosed, but drivers, crew chiefs, and media personalities have already volunteered to meet with fans. The only way to get all the information is to follow Gateway International Raceway on Twitter at Twitter.com/GatewayRaceway.

Another opportunity to meet drivers will take place at Casino Queen Thursday, April 29, from 8-9 p.m. at Club Sevens. Larry Dixon, Melanie Troxel, Morgan Lucas, and more will sign autographs for this open-to-the-public event.

To purchase tickets for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway, call 866-35-SPEED or visit GatewayRaceway.com.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Can Biffle Earn the NASCAR Triple Crown?

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Be sure to check out this week's Inside Motorsports column at Globe-Democrat.com tomorrow as I write about Greg Biffle's chances to become NASCAR's first-ever Triple Crown (Camping World Trucks, Nationwide, Sprint Cup) winner. Biffle, the only driver to have won both the Trucks and Nationwide Series events at Gateway International Raceway, is currently second in the Sprint Cup Series' points and is having a career year so far. Inside Motorsports can be found every Friday in the More Sports section of Globe-Democrat.com.

NHRA Sportsman Open at Gateway This Weekend


The NHRA Spring Sportsman Challenge is this weekend at Gateway International Raceway. Some of the baddest muscle cars in the Midwest will be at the Madison, Ill.-based track for the chance to win one of the most coveted trophies in motorsports, the Wally. The event is also Round 2 of the GIR Championship Bracket Series. Drag racing fans will not want to miss this. Also, from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Bo Matthews and WIL are broadcasting live from the track and will provide tons of giveaways, including free passes to the NHRA Drags Street Legal Style Presented by AAA at Gateway every Tuesday night. For more info on the event, visit GatewayRaceway.com.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Inside Motorsports Update

From here on out, the Inside Motorsports column at Globe-Democrat.com will appear every Friday in the More Sports section of the G-D sports page. Also, just wrapped up the conversation with 31-time NHRA Full Throttle Series Top Fuel winner and 1994 USAC Sprint Car champ Doug Kalitta. My column on him will be tomorrow's Inside Motorsports, but if you want to hear the entire interview uncut, just click HERE. Doug has been to three finals in four races this year and lost to Cory McClenathan on Monday at Charlotte by .001 seconds. NOT to Antron Brown, as you will hear the idiot doing the interview say...disregard THAT guy...just listen to Doug.