St. Louis racing announcer Mike Meurer passes away

(Mike Meurer, seen here in Victory Lane at Gateway International Raceway in 2003 with NASCAR Trucks Series winner Brendan Gaughan, died Tuesday evening after an apparent heart attack. Photo by Gateway International Raceway)

A little piece of the heart of racing in St. Louis is gone.

Mike Meurer, known to area race fans as The Talker Guy, died Tuesday night. He was one of the best and I do not envy the announcer(s) who will have to take his mic.

For my St. Louis Motorsports Examiner story on Mike, click HERE.

AAA Signed as Title Sponsor for NHRA Race at Gateway

AAA of Missouri sponsored the 2010 AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway. The facility closed at the end of that season. The track, now known as Gateway Motorsports Park, will host an NHRA Full Throttle Series race Sept. 28-30, also sponsored by AAA. Read the entire story at the St. Louis Motorsports Examiner by clicking HERE.

NHRA Date at Gateway to Move Up By One Week

NHRA announced today that the 2012 return of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series to Gateway Motor Sports Park near St. Louis will be moved up one week.  The inaugural NHRA Midwest Nationals will take place Sept. 28-30, 2012. 

As a result, the 28th annual Auto-Plus NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway will be held the following week, Oct. 4-7.

Both events remain in the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs to determine world champions in the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle categories.   NHRA worked with officials at both tracks to accommodate the request for the date swap, which better suited their individual 2012 season schedules.

Gateway International Raceway to Re-Open, Host NHRA

(Warren Johnson, Robert Hight, Tony Schumacher, and Michael Phillips visited the Winner's Circle at Gateway International Raceway's 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Series event. The facility sat vacant in 2011 but will host the NHRA Midwest Nationals again 2012 after it was announced St. Louis businessman and former professional racer Curtis Francois has leased the facility. Gateway International Raceway photo)

On Nov. 3, 2010, Dover Motorsports Inc., shut down Gateway International Raceway. I was the PR director there for the last four seasons it was in operation. On Thursday, it was announced Curtis Francois has leased the track and that the NHRA Full Throttle Series will return to the St. Louis area Oct. 5-7, 2012. If you care, HERE are my thoughts on the return of Gateway.

KHI Looking for First NCWTS Win at MIS

(Between four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champ Ron Hornaday, above, and his team owner Kevin Harvick, they have 12 starts at Michigan International Speedway with no victories. They hope to change that stat this weekend in the VFW 200. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Former Gateway International Raceway winner Ron Hornaday is currently ninth in series' points and looking to turn around an uneventful year. For the full story, check out the NCWTS Examiner story by clicking HERE.

NHRA Preview: Wilkerson Looking for Third Consecutive Final Round

(Tim Wilkerson, seen here after his 2008 NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car victory at the now-defunct Gateway International Raceway, is the most recent winner on the tour after his third-straight win at Seattle. GIR Photo)

It has been a slow and steady climb for veteran Funny Car driver Tim Wilkerson, who has clawed his way into position to make the Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six-race playoffs. At one point during the season, the Levi Ray & Shoup Ford Mustang driver was mired as low as 14th in the standings.

The Springfield, Ill. driver had a great Western Swing, posting a runner-up finish at Sonoma, Calif. and claiming his first victory and No. 1 qualifying position in more than a year at Seattle.  The net result is that Wilkerson jumped to ninth in the standings and now appears solidly in the mix as the final two races of the regular season approach.

For insurance, Wilkerson will focus on moving up another points position or two by trying to keep his final round streak going at the 30th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Aug. 18-21 at scenic Brainerd International Raceway.  Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Bob Bode (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, which will be televised on ESPN2HD.

Wilkerson realized that if he was going to make a move to get into the playoffs it would need to be during the Western Swing, a part of the season where he’s had some recent success.

“There’s no doubt about it that we got hot at the right time, although this year I think we strung it out a little too far,” Wilkerson said. “We got to the point where it really was ‘now or never’ and that just happened to line up with the time when we were really getting a good handle on the car. It’s been a challenging year, and it was almost like you could throw away a bunch of our early races when we weren’t getting much done. Before Denver, the car was showing what we have now, but we didn’t have any racing luck and that can wear the team down faster than running bad. We had to stick together as a team while we kept the car running strong, and we managed to do that.”

Following a final round effort at the VisitMyrtleBeach.com NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Wilkerson posted five first round losses over the next seven races. His fortunes started to turn in Denver, when he qualified 10th and advanced to the quarterfinals. He followed that with the runner-up at Infineon Raceway and then won for the third consecutive year at Pacific Raceways.

“We have as much confidence, right now, as we’ve had all year,” said Wilkerson, who enters the penultimate race in the regular season 46 points in front of 10th place driver Bob Tasca. “We’ve got a real good handle on the car, and on things like the clutch that were driving us nuts earlier in the season, so we feel pretty good about our chances every lap now. It wasn’t that way earlier, so that’s a big step forward for us.”

During his back-to-back final rounds in Sonoma and Seattle, Wilkerson knocked off some of the category’s top competitors in head-to-head meetings, including defending world champ John Force, second place points sitter Robert Hight and Jack Beckman, who is currently third in the standings.  As an independent team owner, he knows he’ll have to continue to beat the top cars from the John Force Racing and Don Schumacher Racing stables to contend for victories and the championship as the season moves into its latter stages.

“I won’t kid you and say it doesn’t mean anything to us when we knock off the biggest hitters out here,” Wilkerson said. “It means a lot to me, to Dick Levi and LRS, and to our guys. There’s some good mojo in playing the David vs. Goliath thing and coming out on top, and you can see our guys strutting around with some pride right now. They earned it, and that sort of intensity and pride can keep building.”

Wilkerson trails eighth place driver Jeff Arend by less than one round and his goal is to move into that spot before the playoffs kick off.  He knows that his LRS Mustang is sitting directly in the sightlines of both Tasca and 11th place Johnny Gray. Tony Pedregon, who won at BIR in 2008 and 2009, will need to create some more “Minnesota Magic” if he’s going to make the Countdown, as he’s in 12th, 119 points behind Tasca.

“Momentum is a funny thing in this sport, because the car doesn’t care,” Wilkerson said. “It’s good for the crew guys, because I don’t think there’s any getting around the fact that they work a little bit better, harder, and with more focus when they’re feeling good about the results. So that’s good, and hopefully we’ll continue to have some success on the track. The thing now is that we have a real chance to move up to eighth if we can keep doing any good, so that’s what we’re after, and after that we just want to feel good about ourselves as we enter the playoffs.”

In Top Fuel, former Funny Car racer Del Worsham has posted six victories in seven finals in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster and holds a nice lead over second place Spencer Massey, driver of the FRAM/Prestone dragster. Antron Brown and Larry Dixon have posted wins this season while seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher – a three-time winner at BIR  – is still looking for his first victory of the season in his U.S. Army dragster. Those battling on the bubble in Top Fuel include 10th place David Grubnic and Terry McMillen and Bob Vandergriff, who are both less than two rounds outside the top 10.

Minnesota natives Jason Line and Greg Anderson return to their home track at the top of the standings in Pro Stock behind the wheel of their Summit Racing Pontiac GXPs. Line holds the lead with four victories, while Anderson has three victories and trails Line by 27 points. Other pre-race favorites in the 200 mph category include Mike Edwards, rookie Vincent Nobile, red-hot Erica Enders and the always tough Allen Johnson. Several drivers are locked in a tight battle for the final two positions in the Countdown, including Shane Gray, Ron Krisher, Larry Morgan, Ronnie Humphrey and V. Gaines.

 The Pro Stock Motorcycle class returns at BIR with Karen Stoffer leading the way on her GEICO Powersports Suzuki, followed by two-time season winner Eddie Krawiec on his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson and three-time season winner and defending world champ LE Tonglet, who rides the Nitro Fish Suzuki. Defending winner Hines, Matt Smith, Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana and surging Michael Phillips are all among those to watch in the two-wheel category. As many as seven riders are floating around the bubble, including Jerry Savoie, local favorite Jim Underdahl, rookie Hector Arana Jr., David Hope, Chip Ellis, Steve Johnson and Angie Smith.

 

 

* * *

MINNESOTA NATIVES LINE AND ANDERSON HAVE PRO STOCK MOMENTUM HEADING INTO LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS

BRAINERD, Minn. – Two of Minnesota’s native racing sons will return to the North Star State this weekend, one as the current NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series points leader in Pro Stock and the other as the defending NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Pro Stock world champion.

Yes, two local boys – Jason Line and Greg Anderson – have done good. Very good.

The Summit Racing Equipment Pontiac GXP duo will certainly have plenty of good things to share with the many family and friends who join them at Brainerd International Raceway this weekend. The two past NHRA world champions are multi-time winners this season and are locked in an intense battle for the No. 1 seed in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs, as Anderson trails Line by 27 points in the series standings.

They will try to win their hometown race and put some distance between themselves and the rest of the competitors in the 200 mph category at the 30th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Aug. 18-21 at the popular northern Minnesota multi-purpose motorsports facility. Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Bob Bode (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Anderson grew up in Duluth, while Line cut his racing teeth in nearby Wright, Minn. Both have since relocated to the Charlotte , N.C. area where their race shop is situated, but each driver looks forward to this date on the racing schedule each season with great anticipation. 

 

“It’s obviously special for both Jason and I to race in Brainerd because our parents, our aunts and uncles, our friends and a lot of people we went to school with still live there,” Anderson said.  “It’s the only time of the year I really get to see them, and it’s neat to go back and race in front of them, showing them what we’ve been able to accomplish. I also enjoy racing in Minnesota because it takes me back to when I would go with my dad to the track when he was racing his Hemi Barracuda in B Modified Production.   I guess that was the spark that got me started, and being home just reminds me of those days. Besides, knowing there are all those people in the stands pulling for you can be a tremendous morale booster, almost like a home field advantage.  It’s an intangible that goes in our corner every time we compete in Brainerd, and why we enjoy racing there.”

Line also looks forward to spending some time with his family and friends. This time around, he’d like to host a celebration on Sunday evening. The track was a big part of his Stock world championship run back in 1993, but he has been shut out of the winner’s circle there during his Pro Stock career, having lost to Dave Connolly in the final in 2006 and Anderson in 2009.

“It’s the one race on the schedule I want to win more than any other, and even though I’ve come close, I’ve yet to make it to the winner’s circle there,” Line said.  “Hopefully, we can take care of that this year.  As well as my Summit Racing Pontiac has been running, I think we have as good a chance as anyone.”

Line has raced to four victories, including titles at Pomona, Gainesville, Atlanta and Seattle. In three of those final rounds, he beat Anderson. Meanwhile, Anderson has posted victories at Charlotte, Chicago and Sonoma. All of these final round appearances have put the two drivers at the top of the Pro Stock category.

“Having our two Summit Pontiacs fighting for the No. 1 spot in the Countdown is the ideal situation for any two-car team,” Line said. “It just says a lot about this KB Racing team, and their commitment to doing everything to the best of their abilities.  In fact, we’d like nothing better than to have it come down to just the two of us battling for the championship at the last race in Pomona.  It will take a lot of skill, hard work and luck, but the potential is there.”

For Anderson, who pulled off an emotional championship victory last year as the team had to fight through a huge amount of adversity throughout the season and even after the season, the work the team has done this year is just a credit to their overall tenacity, he says.

“When you consider that we spent most of our off-season rebuilding after our transporter fire in November, the fact that Jason and I are currently 1-2 in the points having won three of the last four races is a testament to the ability and dedication of this KB Racing crew,” Anderson said.  “Jason and I are the guys that are lucky enough to drive these great hot rods, but we couldn’t do it without a lot of hard work by everyone on this team.  It’s great to see their efforts paying off, but we also know there is still a lot of work to be done and a lot of races to be run, so we can’t back off even for a minute, because the competition in Pro Stock is that close.”

That competition includes 2009 world champ Mike Edwards, who has won three times this season behind the wheel of his Penhall/Interstate Batteries GXP, and rookie Vincent Nobile, who has won twice in his Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger. Erica Enders, who has been to two finals and claimed two No. 1 qualifying positions, is on the verge of an historic first win, while veteran driver Allen Johnson has been very fast in his Team Mopar Avenger recently after a slow start to the season.

While those drivers are trying to move up in the standings before the Countdown, several Pro Stock drivers are locked in a tight battle to claim the final two positions in the Countdown, including Shane Gray, Ron Krisher, Larry Morgan, Ronnie Humphrey and V. Gaines.

In Top Fuel, former Funny Car racer Del Worsham has posted six victories in seven finals in his Al-Anabi Racing dragster and holds a nice lead over second place Spencer Massey, driver of the FRAM/Prestone dragster. Antron Brown and Larry Dixon have posted wins this season while seven-time world champ Tony Schumacher – a three-time winner at BIR  – is still looking for his first victory of the season in his U.S. Army dragster. Those battling on the bubble in Top Fuel include 10th place David Grubnic and Terry McMillen and Bob Vandergriff, who are both less than two rounds outside the top 10.

Mike Neff has been pulling double-duty this season in Funny Car as both driver and crew chief for his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang and has posted strong results as his four victories in seven final rounds have pushed him into the series points lead. His teammate, Robert Hight, is close behind in his Auto Club Mustang, also with four victories. Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and John Force, Jeff Arend and Tim Wilkerson have all advanced to the winner’s circle this season and would like to add another title to their collection. Bob Tasca sits on the bubble in 10th, 95 points ahead of Johnny Gray and 119 up on two-time world champ Tony Pedregon.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle class returns at BIR with Karen Stoffer leading the way on her GEICO Powersports Suzuki, followed by two-time season winner Eddie Krawiec on his Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson and three-time season winner and defending world champ LE Tonglet, who rides the Nitro Fish Suzuki. Defending winner Hines, Matt Smith, Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana and surging Michael Phillips are all among those to watch in the two-wheel category. As many as seven riders are floating around the bubble, including Jerry Savoie, local favorite Jim Underdahl, rookie Hector Arana Jr., David Hope, Chip Ellis, Steve Johnson and Angie Smith. 

* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2:45 and 5:15 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19 and at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20.  Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21.

* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals. Please call Brainerd International Raceway at (866) 444-4455 or visit www.brainerdraceway.com.

* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 11 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Aug. 20. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours and 30 minutes of eliminations coverage beginning at 10 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Aug. 21.

* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals also will feature competition in six categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 9:15 a.m. on Aug. 19. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 9:15 a.m. on Aug. 20 and continue through Aug. 21.

* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

* * *

LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS FACT SHEET

WHAT: 30th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, the 15th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories - Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle - earn points leading to 2011 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships. NHRA is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2011 and will pay tribute to the evolution of the hot rod and honor its legendary racers as well as the sport’s current stars.

WHERE: Brainerd International Raceway and Resort, Brainerd, Minn. Track is located a few miles north of the Brainerd area off Highway 371. The track is located on the east side of the highway.

WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 18-21.

SCHEDULE:

THURSDAY, Aug. 18 - LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying at 9:30 a.m.

FRIDAY, Aug. 19 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 9:15 a.m.

FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 2:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.

SATURDAY, Aug. 20 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations begin at 9:15 a.m.

FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, Aug. 21 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.

FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.

TELEVISION:      

Saturday, Aug. 20, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 11 p.m. (ET).

Sunday, Aug. 21, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two and a half hours of eliminations coverage starting at 10 p.m. (ET).

  

2010 EVENT WINNERS: Larry Dixon, Top Fuel; Bob Bode, Funny Car; Jeg Coughlin, Pro Stock; Andrew Hines, Pro Stock Motorcycle.

MOST VICTORIES: John Force, 11, FC; Joe Amato, 6, TF; Kenny Bernstein, 5, FC/TF.

TRACK RECORDS:

Top Fuel - 3.786 seconds by Larry Dixon, Aug. ’10; 320.13 mph by Doug Kalitta, Aug. ’10.

Funny Car - 4.057 seconds by Jack Beckman, Aug. ’10; 306.33 mph by Beckman, Aug. ’10.

Pro Stock - 6.593 sec. by Mike Edwards, Aug. ’10; 209.04 mph by Edwards, Aug. ’10.

Pro Stock Motorcycle - 6.904 sec. by Andrew Hines, Aug. ’10; 196.82 mph by Hines, Aug. ’05.

NATIONAL RECORDS:    

Top Fuel - 3.770 sec. by Larry Dixon, Feb. ’11, Pomona, Calif.; 327.03 mph by Tony Schumacher, Feb. ’11, Pomona, Calif.

Funny Car - 4.011 sec. by Matt Hagan, Oct. ’10, Reading, Pa.; 316.45 mph by Robert Hight, June ’11, Bristol, Tenn.

Pro Stock - 6.495 sec. by Rodger Brogdon, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.; 213.57 mph by Erica Enders, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.

PS Motorcycle – 6.777 sec. by Hector Arana, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.

TICKETS: Order tickets by phone at (866) 444-4455. Tickets also are available online at brainerdraceway.com.

GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Thursday: Adult, $20; Child (6-12 years), $10. Friday: Adult, $40; Child (6-12 years), $15; Saturday: Adult, $55; Child (6-12 years), $15. Sunday: Adult, $55; Child (6-12 years), $15.

RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) -Thursday: Adult, $45; Child (6-12 years), $35. Friday: Adult, $65; Child (6-12 years), $40. Saturday: Adult, $80; Child (6-12 years), $40. Sunday: Adult, $80; Child (6-12 years), $40.

* * *

NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES POINT STANDINGS

GLENDORA, Calif. -- Point standings (top 10) for NHRA professional categories following the 14th of 22 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series -

Top Fuel:  1.  Del Worsham, 1,256; 2.  Spencer Massey, 1,130; 3.  Antron Brown, 1,086; 4.  Tony Schumacher, 1,061; 5.  Larry Dixon, 1,034; 6.  Doug Kalitta, 751; 7.  Brandon Bernstein, 691; 8.  Shawn Langdon, 662; 9.  Morgan Lucas, 626; 10.  David Grubnic, 550.

Funny Car:  1.  Mike Neff, 1,132; 2.  Robert Hight, 1,007; 3.  Jack Beckman, 994; 4.  Cruz Pedregon, 909; 5. Matt Hagan, 861; 6.  Ron Capps, 828; 7.  John Force, 827; 8.  Jeff Arend, 729; 9.  Tim Wilkerson, 711; 10.  Bob Tasca III, 665.

Pro Stock:  1.  Jason Line, 1,110; 2.  Greg Anderson, 1,083; 3.  Mike Edwards, 1,059; 4.  Vincent Nobile, 905; 5.  Erica Enders, 874; 6.  Allen Johnson, 872; 7.  Rodger Brogdon, 845; 8.  Greg Stanfield, 840; 9. Shane Gray, 637; 10.  Ron Krisher, 595.

Pro Stock Motorcycle:  1.  Karen Stoffer, 633; 2.  Eddie Krawiec, 608; 3.  Matt Smith, 493; 4.  LE Tonglet, 487; 5. Andrew Hines, 475; 6.  Hector Arana, 459; 7.  Jerry Savoie, 394; 8.  Michael Phillips, 388; 9.  Jim Underdahl, 371; 10.  Hector Arana Jr, 334.

Harvick Takes Truck Series Win at Pocono

(Kevin Harvick, winner of the final NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the now-defunct Gateway International Raceway, drove his No. 2 KHI truck to the win Sunday morning at Pocono. The race was delayed due to inclement weather Saturday. Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)

 
Thanks to fuel-saving technique and opportune late cautions, Kevin Harvick had enough gas to survive a green-white-checkered-flag finish in Sunday’s rain-delayed Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125 and win the Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway.

The victory was Harvick’s first in three starts in the series this year and the 10th of his career. Kyle Busch finished second, followed by James Buescher, points leader Johnny Sauter and Austin Dillon.

When the race went three laps beyond its scheduled distance of 50 laps, the only question was whether Harvick had enough fuel in his tank to go the extra 7.5 miles. There was no question about the quality of his ride.

“I didn’t have anything for Kevin,” said Buescher, who lost second place to Busch on Lap 46. “He was in a league of his own.”

Harvick didn’t come to the pits on Sunday, having changed tires for the last time on Lap 15 under caution for rain the day before. The race was suspended two laps later. Harvick said his truck was so strong that he didn’t want to sacrifice track position for fresh rubber.

“I think you saw the 18 (Busch) drive back up through there with tires,” Harvick said. “Tires still meant something. Our truck was just so fast that there was really no reason to give up the track position to come and get tires, since we were good on fuel.

“That’s one of the shortest races I’ve raced in a long time, and the strategy changes a little bit. You’ve got to get out there quick and try to put yourself in position quick on strategy, and you don’t have a lot of chances to make things happen if you’re off the pace.

“They (the team) just did a great job of hitting it right off the truck, and that makes life easy.”

NASCAR called the fourth caution of the race on Lap 32, after a smoking chunk of Nelson Piquet Jr.’s flat right front tire sheared off in the middle of the racing surface on the Long Pond straight.

The caution laps provided cover for those who might have been short on fuel—notably Harvick.

Nevertheless, Harvick, wary of the possibility of a green-white-checkered-flag finish, began shutting off his engine entering Turn 1 to save fuel. But a caution on Lap 37 for a wreck involving David Starr, Brendan Gaughan and Peyton Sellers necessitated the fifth caution and gave Harvick the cushion he needed to make it to the finish of the race.

On Lap 42, Sellers stalled on the access to pit road to cause the sixth caution. Harvick pulled away on the restart on Lap 46, while Busch and Buescher battled for the second position. Harvick held a comfortable advantage, when contact from Dillon’s Chevrolet sent Todd Bodine’s Toyota spinning on Lap 49 to send the race to overtime.

Injured Keselowski Toughs Out Second Win Of 2011

(Brad Keselowski, the winner of the final NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway, took the checkered flag in Sunday's Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono. The reigning NNS champ earned the win despite having broken his ankle at a test earlier in the week. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Brad Keselowski’s challenge to the rest of the Sprint Cup field: “I can beat you with a broken leg.”

And he did.

Staying out on the track on old tires under a caution with 21 laps left in Sunday’s rain-interrupted Good Sam RV 500 at Pocono Raceway, Keselowski pulled away from Kyle Busch after a restart on Lap 185 of 200 to secure his second victory of the season—despite driving with a broken left ankle.

Keselowski, who was injured in a hard crash during testing Wednesday at Road Atlanta, kept Busch at bay over the final 10 laps. With Sunday’s victory—the third of his career—Keselowski’s fortunes took a dramatic turn with respect to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Having cracked the top 20, Keselowski is in position to claim the first wild-card spot, being the only driver in positions 11-20 with more than one victory. Keselowski leaves Pocono 18th in the standings, having gained three positions Sunday.

Kyle Busch came home second, followed by Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman. Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Paul Menard completed the top 10.

Keselowski downplayed his gutsy effort.

“I'm no hero,” Keselowski said. “The heroes are the guys that died in Afghanistan this weekend. I want to spend time thinking about them. They’re my inspiration for this weekend, the things that those guys do.

“I’m glad that we could win today, but those are the heroes. I just drive racecars for a living.”

Kurt Busch, Keselowski’s teammate at Penske Racing, gave the driver of the No. 2 Dodge a little more credit than that.

“It’s amazing what the body can do,” Busch said. “For him to go through that wreck this week and get back on his horse right away and find success, that’s only going to make Brad Keselowski a better racer.”

Just past the halfway point of the race, rain began to fall, lightly at first and then in torrents. After the cars crossed the stripe on pit road to complete Lap 124, NASCAR stopped the race with polesitter Joey Logano in the lead, hoping the deluge would continue.

That didn’t happen. The rain abated, and the race resumed after a stoppage of 1 hour, 40 minutes, 46 seconds, dashing Logano’s hopes of claiming a second career victory the same way he got his first one (New Hampshire in June 2009)—with an assist from the elements.

Keselowski and Kurt Busch got to the front of the field with a contrarian strategy that brought them to the pits for fuel and tires right before the stoppage. When the cars ahead of them came to the pits under caution after the resumption, Keselowski and Busch were elevated to positions 1 and 2, respectively, for the restart on Lap 132. That turned the race around.

“Everybody’s getting more aggressive with their calls,” said Paul Wolfe, Keselowski’s crew chief. “My engineers seemed pretty confident that we were going to go back green. We know it’s going to take calls like that to get us in the Chase. I knew it was going to take a call like today to get another win to get us closer to that opportunity.”

“Just tell ’em, Paul, you’ve got balls this big,” Keselowski chimed in.

Before the lengthy red-flag period, Joe Gibbs Racing cars had dominated the race. Logano had set the pace for 39 laps. Denny Hamlin, a wizard at Pocono from the day he set eyes on the track as a rookie in 2006, had led a race-high 65 laps to that point, and Kyle Busch chipped in with six laps led for a team total of 110 of the first 124.

Immediately before the rain delay, Logano had withstood the persistent efforts of Johnson to pass him for the lead. But for the vagaries of nature, that could have been a battle for the win, and both drivers raced as if it were.

“We knew the rain was coming, and I was trying to hold off the 48 (Johnson),” Logano said. “I saw him coming—and coming pretty hard. My spotter said it was raining pretty hard in (Turn) 3, so I tried to hold him off through the Tunnel (Turn) there.

“It was pretty exciting there coming to the end, when my crew chief, Zippy (Greg Zipadelli), told me about five laps (before) the caution came out that the 48 was catching me, and the rain was coming. I just kept on digging, and finally it just started downpouring in (Turn 3).”

Neither Logano nor Hamlin was a factor at the end. Logano had to make an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 189 and finished 26th. Hamlin’s No. 11 crew had trouble with lug nuts on his right rear tire on his last pit stop, and Hamlin was buried in the pack on the restart and finished 15th.--Reid Spencer

It's Justin Lofton's Birthday!

(The 2009 ARCA champ prepares for the CampingWorld.com 200, the final NCWTS race at the now-defunct Gateway International Raceway. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

What better present for a racer turning 25 on the same day as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona than a story written by me! Wanna read it? Hellz yeah you do! Go to the NCWTS Examiner and get yo read on!

2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview

(Can former Gateway International Raceway winner Todd Bodine become the first driver to win back-to-back NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles? Photo by Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images.)

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is known for its mixture of veterans and young drivers and 2011 will be no different. As usual, there has been a lot of movement between teams and the addition of several rookies. For the full series preview, check out the NCWTS Examiner.

Rusty Wallace gets extension with ESPN

(Rusty Wallace speaks to the media at a 2010 press conference at the now-defunct Gateway International Raceway. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and STL native Rusty Wallace will continue to be the lead NASCAR studio analyst for ESPN through 2014 after it was announced Tuesday the two reached an agreement on a contract extension. Read the full story at the St. Louis Motorsports Examiner.

Steve Wallace to Make Cup Series Debut at Daytona

(Steve Wallace, seen here at the 2009 Gateway International Raceway NASCAR Nationwide Series Media Day at Tri-City Speedway, will race in the 53rd Annual Daytona 500. Photo by Leah Vaughn.)

Steve Wallace, son of St. Louis native and 1989 NASCAR Sprint (then Winston) Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace, is making his Cup Series debut Feb. 20 in the 53rd Annual Daytona 500. He is locked in for the event, using the points the No. 77 team earned last year. That team was piloted by former IndyCar champ and Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. It appears Hornish will not race the full Cup Series season in 2011 and will run a limited NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule.

Steve joins his father and uncles Mike and Kenny as the fourth member of the Wallace family to run the Great American Race. For the full release, click HERE.

OK, let's try this again...

So after the entire sports staff left the STL Globe-Democrat and after the announcement that Gateway International Raceway would no longer host NASCAR events, leading to its eventual shutdown, I kinda let my blogging go by the wayside. I'm going to give this another shot. I'm going to Pomona this weekend for the NHRA finale, so I might have some insight on that. I may also post about the last days of Gateway. Haven't decided yet.

BTW, if you know of anyone needing a PR guy or a racing media guy, hook a fella up. Thanks.

VIDEO: Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 Finish at Gateway

Decide for yourself...

Mark Morton, Riki Rachtman featured in this week's Inside Motorsports

(Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton leaves the starting line after experiencing NHRA nitro at Gateway International Raceway in 2009. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

This week's Inside Motorsports at Globe-Democrat.com is going to be a fun one for me. I talk to Mark Morton of Lamb of God and Riki Rachtman, the host of the seminal heavy metal show, Headbanger's Ball, about their love of motorsports. Riki hosts a nationally-syndicated metal/racing show called Racing Rocks and has done a lot of NASCAR coverage on SPEED. Mark and I actually share a lot of the same friends and is a very knowledgeable NASCAR fan and is a drag racer himself.

Mark and Lamb of God, along with Rob Zombie, Korn, and Five Finger Death Punch, will be in St. Louis July 20. For tickets, go to LiveNation.com.

The column will appear in the Sports section of Globe-Democrat.com Saturday.

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.

Inside Motorsports Preview: Memorial Day Weekend Edition

Memorial Day Weekend is one of the biggest in motorsports and Inside Motorsports has you covered. This week's column focuses on Don Miller, a former St. Louis resident who discovered Rusty Wallace and was the right-hand man for Roger Penske for decades. He has also written a new book called Miller's Time and I would highly recommend you get it.

I will also be traveling this weekend to as diverse a selection of races as possible. Friday I start off at Gateway International Raceway for the Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags and then head over to Tri-City Speedway for their regular Friday night show. On Saturday, I journey to O'Reilly Raceway Park for the USAC Night Before the 500 midget series race. Sunday, I plant myself firmly in front of the tube for 1,100 miles of great racing and finally, on Monday, I head to Macon (Ill.) Speedway for their NASCAR Day featuring area favorites Kenny Wallace, Ken Schrader, and Justin Allgaier.

Be sure to check here frequently for updates, photos, and whatnot. Enjoy the racing this weekend and be safe!

TRANSCRIPT: Kevin Harvick Signs Deal to Remain at Richard Childress Racing

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

It was announced today at Charlotte Motor Speedway that two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champ and two-time Gateway International Raceway winner (2000-2001) Kevin Harvick has signed a deal to remain at Richard Childress Racing. Previously, it was believed that Harvick would leave RCR, where he has driven his entire NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career (334 starts), but since his win at Talladega, sources began saying the 2007 Daytona 500 champ would remain with Childress.

RICHARD CHILDRESS, OWNER OF RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING (RCR), AND KEVIN HARVICK, DRIVER OF THE NO. 29 SHELL-PENNZOIL CHEVROLET, held a press conference to announce a multi-year contract extension between RCR and Harvick, and discussed various elements of their agreement. Full Transcript:

MODERATOR: "Thank you all for coming today, I am the Director of Communications for Richard Childress Racing and we have a very important announcement for the present and future of RCR. As some of you may have seen on a Twitter post or somewhere else, RCR and Kevin Harvick have agreed to a multi-year contract extension for Kevin to continue in the RCR No. 29 Chevrolet Sprint Cup Series car. As I said, multi-year agreement, no we aren't going to tell you the exact years and all of that good stuff. At this time I would like to turn it over to Richard Childress. Richard, if you would, tell the folks where things stand right now and your thoughts on Kevin continuing on now well past a decade at RCR."

CHILDRESS: "We're very excited to have Kevin back. He has written a lot of history for RCR. He stepped in the car when we lost Dale in 2001 and I don't know of any driver that could have stepped in there under the pressure and handled it the way he did. We'll always be grateful. To have him come back and re-sign again, we're excited about it. I know there will be questions about sponsors. We have three or four companies that we are dealing with right now and hopefully in the very near future, we'll have something to announce there. But the key thing is to have Kevin back. He is a top driver in this Series and to have him in our group of drivers is just unbelievable and we are glad to have him back."

MODERATOR: "Kevin, as I mentioned, it is hard to believe that your first race started at RCR at 1999, well into your second decade now. Leading in points. Obviously run very well here. Talk about what it means for you to make this announcement now moving forward looking at the championship for this year."

HARVICK: "I think for us it is great to put everything, all the questions to bed. I know I have been pretty quiet about the way we have gone about everything. I felt pretty good about the way everything has gone between Richard and myself and all the internal things that have been going on. I know it is not the way you guys would like it but the last time I didn't do things very well. I feel like we did things the right way. We've been through a lot of ups and downs and I feel like as an organization and a team.  We're positioned as well as we have ever been to race for a championship this year with Scott Miller taking over the competition role. Kent Day, ECR Engines and the chassis shop and everybody that is a part of everything that really has had a tremendous amount of restructuring since probably late summer of last year.

"It has been an incredible turn around. The attitude and the morale and the people that I have been around for a long time, those are the things that you want to work out when you have so much time and effort invested in for years and years and years. To be able to race for a championship this year was our goal and we have been able to accomplish that so far. Our goal is to race for championships every year and obviously last year we didn't do that. We felt like we've made all the right changes and hopefully we can continue going forward with the performance and things that we've done and feel really comfortable with all of that."

MODERATOR: "We will now open it up for questions."

ARE YOU AT THE POINT NOW YOU ANTICIPATE FINISHING YOUR DRIVING CAREER WITH RCR?

HARVICK: "Well, you never know how things are going to shake out but obviously I don't think the sport has created, with the time and commitment and things that it takes to be competitive, I don't see myself racing until I am 50 years old. Whether it is one more contract or two more contracts, nobody knows. But right now there are a lot of years in front of us with this one. The way that we started and hopefully we can end that way and continue that going forward."

CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU HAVE GROWN AND HOW MUCH YOU HAVE CHANGED AND RCR HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST DECADE?

HARVICK: "It has been a lot of life experiences I guess you could say. I think when I came in I was what, 23-years old. Came in not a worry in the world. We raced a couple of ARCA races and went into the Nationwide Series and really just trying to learn what the sport was all about and got our feet on the ground the first year. Then everything happened and that was obviously something you really can't plan for. We went in and did well. Then the second year reality hit so we had to go through some changes there and really figure out what the sport was all about in 2002.

"There have been a lot of good times. We've won the Daytona 500. We've won the Brickyard. We've won the All Star Race, the Shootouts and we've won a couple of championships on the Nationwide side together. It has been a lot of things that have been great moments in my life. Unfortunately, the ones that get the most publicity are the ones that aren't so great but when you go back and you really start putting it all on paper and you really start thinking about everything that has happened and the accomplishments we've been able to achieve together, it wouldn't have been probably the way it needed to end based on everything we have been able to accomplish."

WAS THERE A SPECIFIC TIME OR EVENT THAT LED YOU AFTER A TOUGH YEAR LAST YEAR THAT LED YOU TO SAY HEY, WE PROBABLY SHOULD STAY TOGETHER? 

CHILDRESS: "We've been talking for quite awhile and just putting a lot of details together. We both knew what we wanted to do. It was a matter of just finalizing a few details. Like I say, having Kevin back in the car, we want to contend for a championship. You don't put a team together and contend for a championship overnight. It takes some time to build and build your people and personalities together and that is what Kevin is doing with his race team right now."

HARVICK: "I think for me there are a lot of things that went in to it. As we went through time, everybody knows we struggled through the middle of last year. But as we got to the end of the year last year, things had turned around. You have the whole winter to think about things to. As we went into the year, everybody came in with a great attitude, and I hope, including myself. We had talked about a lot of things that we wanted to do and the pieces started to fall into place before we even got started in Daytona. Just a lot of those moments made us strong through the winter too."

ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT THE DAY HAS COME THAT YOU HAVE RESIGNED WITH RCR? WAS THERE EVER A TIME WHERE YOU DIDN'T THINK THAT ALL THE PIECES WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FALL IN TO PLACE?

HARVICK: "I think as you look through the middle of that (last) year, obviously, we were both frustrated. We both want the same things and sometimes we just butt heads a little bit. We talked through those situations and both realized we want to race for championships and want to win races and be competitive. That is really what it is all about is being competitive week in and week out. Sometimes similar people get frustrated and Richard and I are the same type of people. We get frustrated and want to do things the right way and I think as we went through those moments as I said a second ago, it made us stronger as we went forward and realized we both want to achieve the same goals."

WERE THERE ANY TOUGH NEGOTIATIONS OR HARD PITCHES EITHER OF YOU HAD TO MAKE TO THE OTHER OR WAS IT MUTUALLY AGREEABLE THROUGHOUT?

HARVICK: "I didn't think it was that hard. We've been through this so many times with Fred and Richard and I really got to concentrate on what I had to do on the race track. Maybe it was. Maybe those guys just did a good job of keeping me shielded from it.

CHILDRESS: "It wasn't. Once we both knew this is this the direction we're going, it just took a little time. Attorneys have to earn their money so they may change and 'I' to an 'A' or whatever they do. But that was the biggest holdup. Kevin said it the best a while ago. Both of us want the same thing. And I think with the way we're structured now, we've got a lot of good things coming the rest of the year and hopefully we'll just get better as the year goes and we want to run for that championship. I want to walk on the stage in Vegas."

YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU HANDLED IT DIFFERENTLY THIS TIME THAN THE LAST. DOES THAT MEAN TALKING LESS ABOUT IT PUBLICLY?

HARVICK:  "Well, yeah. I think 2003 was a mess. I kind of let myself get caught up in the middle of this world and the media and it's best to handle your family matters within your family and not let the outside world dictate what you want to do. It felt like it went very well as we went through it this time, and felt like we handled it professionally and how it should have been done last time."

ON THE SPONSORSHIP, THE ECONOMY LOOKS LIKE IT'S TRYING TO TURN AROUND SOME. HAVE YOU NOTICED MORE COMPANIES WILLING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT MAJOR SPONSORSHIP DEALS?  IS IT A LITTLE BIT BRIGHTER NOW?

CHILDRESS: "Yes, for sure. Our marketing department has been talking to some new companies that's not in the sport right now that have a lot of interest. Our sport, with the Hall of Fame opening, a lot of things with racing has been really great this year and the country is still in an economy downturn a little bit, but it looks like its leveling and moving in the right direction. And I think our sport is strong enough with all the people and the companies we have in it. And the companies that are looking to get into the sport today gives us bright hope."

HARVICK: "I don't think either of us would have been as willing to do everything that we're doing today without having the confidence in that side of it. I think we both feel like that there are things will move along pretty fast on that side of it."

YOU MENTIONED THAT THE PIECES SORT OF FELL INTO PLACE EVEN BEFORE YOU GOT TO DAYTONA. WITH SHELL LEAVING, DID THAT HAPPEN SO LATE IN THE GAME THAT IT WASN'T A FACTOR IN RE-SIGNING OR WERE THERE SOME HESITATIONS?

HARVICK: "To be quite honest with you, they were kind of the ones that got the whole ball rolling. So, that was just kind of the ones to really help get the ball rolling in the right direction. I don't really know what else to say past that."

CHILDRESS: "You said it. We were talking and here we are today, signing."

WHAT IMPACT, IF ANY, DOES THIS HAVE ON YOUR NATIONWIDE PROGRAM AT KHI?

HARVICK: "Well, I think that's one of the great pieces of the whole thing. I think as we go forward, my Nationwide car will have all of the ECR engines in it as it has this year. Our trucks have ECR engines in them. We'll continue forward with RCR chassis under our Nationwide car to make sure that as we move forward with the new car on the Nationwide side, it will be tremendously closer to what we currently race on Sunday. So we've made a huge effort between the two companies to make sure that those cars are prepared similarly to my Cup car to make sure that as much transfers from Saturday to Sunday. Chassis, engines, communication from the technical standpoint will be a huge piece of this; and really, as two companies working together hand-in-hand like we will going forward, makes us a lot stronger as one than it does as two separate companies."

CHILDRESS: "Yeah, and hopefully we can pretty much in the near future we've got some plans that Kevin and I are working on with both the companies and hopefully we'll be able to announce that pretty soon in the near future."

YOU'VE BEEN A STRONG TEAM OWNER YOURSELF. ARE THERE THINGS YOU LEARNED THAT WERE MISSING OVER AT RCR? DID YOU PLAY A ROLE IN HELPING THROUGH THE RESTRUCTURING?

HARVICK: "Well, I think Richard played the biggest role. Just knowing what he wanted to do with the company and what he envisioned the company to look like going forward; I would say Scott (Miller) is probably the biggest role that's going to help not only bridge that gap between myself and the crew chiefs and Richard, but Richard and the crew chiefs from a competition standpoint to a spending standpoint. There's a line that you have to draw and it's just a matter of where that line is and how you achieve that. And when you can't get to those points from a financial standpoint, where you want to achieve on the competition side, where you go get it from within your company, and what will least affect the company. Those are things that Scott is going to help the most with in knowing what we need and when we need it and kind of deciphering through each crew chief and as a team owner you know that the crew chiefs and the drivers always want what's best for them. So, in the end it's got to be what's best for the company and what makes the cars go the fastest as a whole."

HOW CRITICAL IS IT TO GO TO A SPONSOR AND BE ABLE TO SAY YOU HAVE KEVIN HARVICK SIGNED TO A MULTI-YEAR DEAL VERSUS BEING IN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS?

CHILDRESS: "It's always kind of like the chicken and the egg or however that goes. I think that Kevin and I both have enough confidence in each other that we know that we can go out and we're going to put a really good package together and we've put really good packages together for companies in the past and we're going to put a great package moving forward. It's a huge plus when you can go to a company and say we have the driver, the driver has us, and we're ready to go. We're going to give you a package that will get more than your monies worth."

IN YOUR DECISION-MAKING, DID YOU EVER CONTEMPLATE BEING A DRIVER/OWNER FOR KHI?

HARVICK: "No. We've talked about this a lot before. It's not something that I have the desire to sit and make those decisions over $15 or $20 million or whatever decisions are; you've got to have too much money in this day and age to start a company. The RCR's of the world have that backbone and have already made those investments on the parts and pieces and the tools necessary to be competitive in the sport. It's not something I was really looking for as a challenge."

WHAT WAS IT YOU SAW IN KEVIN HARVICK WHEN YOU HIRED HIM ALL THOSE YEARS AGO THAT MADE YOU THINK HE WAS GOING TO BE PRETTY SPECIAL?

CHILDRESS: "I remember watching him race at IRP in that No. 75 truck. I watched him race (Ron) Hornaday at Bakersfield or wherever we were at and he was beating on him. Back then he was a young man I guess you'd say; he still is, but he was beating on one of his friends to win the race and I said yeah, I kind of like that. He's the kind of driver I like. So, I watched him a couple of more races and we went after him and once we got him, I knew he was the real deal. At Daytona we knew it when we rolled out."

Almirola Finally Gets an Up to Match All the Downs

(Aric Almirola relaxes prior to the start of the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the Milwaukee Mile. He currently leads the series' points standings after his win last week in Dover. Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

Aric Almirola has had a lot of ups and downs in his NASCAR career. Mostly downs.

In 2007, he was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing's NASCAR Nationwide Series program. One of his jobs was to practice and qualify the NNS car for Denny Hamlin on weekends where the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series were not at the same venue. Hamlin was obligated to drive the No. 20 car at Milwaukee for their Nationwide Series, but the Cup Series was in Sonoma that weekend, so Almirola practice the car and qualified it on the pole.

Business picked up when Hamlin got to the track late. The situation became very interesting when the helicopter carrying Hamlin got to the track to find cars parked on the helipad. He wasn't able to get to the track in time, so Almirola started the race.

Hamlin stuck around and there was word he may replace Steve Wallace, who was feeling under the weather. Almirola was leading laps and racing strong and looked like he had a great opportunity to win the race for the sponsor, who was based in the area.

The sponsor, however, wasn't happy with possibly winning the race with Almirola; they wanted their Cup star in the car. So the call was made and Almirola, who had been in the top five all evening, was taken out of the car and a confused Hamlin was put in the driver seat. Hamlin would go on to take the checkered flag in first that night, but since Almirola started the race, he was credited with the win. But it was Hamlin in Victory Lane, Hamlin hoisting the trophy, and Hamlin sitting through an awkward post-race press conference.

The sponsor, who won't be named here, celebrated in Victory Lane and the PR staff who should have been working damage control were too busy on stage, beers in hand, enjoying the festivities. Almirola, the driver good enough to win the pole, the driver good enough to keep the car up front, had quietly left the track early with only his girlfriend, Janice Goss, at his side.

He said in a phone conversation earlier this week he still has some resentment when he thinks about that night, describing feeling bitter and discontent about how everything went down. All that is in the past now as he has found a home at Billy Ballew Motorsports in the Truck Series where he leads the points after winning at the Monster Mile a week ago.

"It was truly a dream come true," he said. "To finally get to Victory Lane in NASCAR to be able to do it with Billy Ballew Motorsports and Graceway Pharmaceuticals on the truck it really meant the world to me. To be able to get to that done, and especially like I said, for Graceway Pharmaceuticals for believing in me and supporting me, because last year in the summer time I didn’t have a job.

"Roughly a year later to have a sponsor and a race team like Billy Ballew Motorsports that believed in me and to give me an opportunity it really meant a lot to get them to Victory Lane."

Through everything he's been through in the last few years, Goss, now his fiance, has been one of the only constants. She was the only one there at his side during one of his lowest moments in Milwaukee and she was one of the first to greet him in Victory Lane during one of his highest.

"You want to have someone there with you that helps in which ever way needs to be helped," the Florida native said. "It means a lot to come home and have someone that understands the sport. It makes it fun, I was really happy that when I drove into victory lane that she was standing there. She was the first person I saw. We’ve been through a lot together. It was cool to be able to go into victory lane knowing she’s been through a lot of that with me."

He is racing for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title, meaning he returns to Gateway International Raceway July 16 for the CampingWorld.com 200. He has two starts at the 1.25-mile track and brought home a fourth-place finish last year. With its characteristics to Milwaukee, a track he's obviously good at, and the information he gained from Kyle Busch, his BBM teammate last year and the winner of the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at GIR in 2009, Almirola has to be one of the favorites coming to St. Louis this summer.

"Gateway is just a really fun race track," he said. "(Turns) 1 and 2 is just so much different than 3 and 4. You really have to find a compromise between your truck because its not going to handle perfect in both corners, it just doesn’t happen. To be able to work on your truck and to get it driving good in one corner and compromise do it’s just okay in the other is really tough.

"Because, as a race car driver, you’re some what of a perfectionist and you’re trying to make it perfect, and at Gateway, it just never is perfect. You really have to be on your game and you have to know what you want out of your truck or car there to be able to go fast for 200 laps."