Let There Be Lights!

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Oct. 12, 2016) – After nearly seven decades of automotive racing without lights, historic Martinsville Speedway is finally set to flip the switch. International Speedway Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select Market: ISCA; OTC Bulletin Board: ISCB) (“ISC”) today announced that it will commit $5 million to equip the track with LED lighting, making it the first major motorsports facility to do so.

The lights, which will begin installation following this year’s Goody’s® Fast Relief 500 on October 30 and are scheduled to be in place by January 2017, represent the largest capital investment by ISC into Martinsville to date.

“Bringing lights to Martinsville Speedway is something that has been a priority for us,” said ISC President John Saunders. “But just like Martinsville, we wanted the lights for this project to be unique. They had to be of the highest-quality for both the competitors and the fans.”

The project, dubbed “Light Up Martinsville,” will see the installation of an industry-leading LED lighting solution, which provides better illumination, greater flexibility and more efficiency than traditional metal halide lights. In addition to enhancing the fan experience at Martinsville Speedway, LED lighting will also enhance the quality of the broadcast for fans watching at home. The lighting solution will consist of multiple structures located around the perimeter of the facility and the infield of the track.

“To be able to light this track up when the sun goes down, that’s going to be something truly special,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “Our fans have told us that they want lighting. We’re pleased to provide them with another amenity which will ensure Martinsville continues to be one of the premier destinations in motorsports.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports, was at Martinsville earlier today to help unveil the project.

“As a driver, I always get excited about coming to Martinsville,” said Earnhardt. “Adding lights to the track will only add to its legacy.”

Graybar, a leading distributor of high-quality electrical and communications products and services, will oversee the addition of Eaton’s Ephesus Stadium 750 LED professional sports lights to Martinsville.

“We’re proud to be a part of this historic project,” said Bill Mansfield, Graybar Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “When you combine Graybar’s services along with the products from Eaton’s Ephesus lighting business, this project will create the best lighting for the best drivers and fans in the world. We can’t wait to ‘Light Up Martinsville.’”

DENVER, Colo. (Oct. 12, 2016) – Martin Truex Jr., who will make his 400th career Sprint Cup Series start in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, is keenly aware of the stakes at hand as the high-pressure Chase continues to unfold.

After winning two of the three races in the first round of the Chase, the Furniture Row Racing driver slipped to a 13th-place finish in the opening race of Round 2 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He was running in the top three when the clutch malfunctioned while leaving his pit stall with fewer than 30 laps remaining.

The good news for Truex is that he returns to Kansas where he has come close to winning a number of times, including at this year’s spring race. As was the case at Kansas in May, Truex will drive the No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Toyota Camry.

Truex captured the pole, led a race high of 172 laps and enjoyed a commanding lead on Kansas’ 1.5-mile oval. But after pitting for fresh tires on Lap 210 of 267 he reported that he had a loose wheel and the car was shaking. The culprit was a broken head bolt off the brake that got lodged behind the right-front wheel. Truex had no choice but to make an unscheduled pit stop. He finished 14th.

“That was just one more race at Kansas where we were dominant but didn’t close the deal,” said Truex, who also scored a pair of runners-up at Kansas in 2012. “But right now I am happy we’re headed to Kansas, this is a race we feel we can run up front and possibly win. When we left Kansas in May I said, ‘If we keep on bringing cars like we had tonight we’re going to win.’ Since Kansas we have done that, winning four times.

“I am hoping that my 400th Cup start will be much better than my first one (Oct. 31, 2004 at Atlanta, finished 37th). Can’t believe it’s gone by this fast but I am sure enjoying every race, especially this season. It’s been awesome to be part of a great race team.”

Truex ranks seventh in Chase points among the 12 playoff drivers, 19 points to the good of being in the top eight, the number of drivers who will advance to the next round. However, he feels it is important to increase his lead above the cut line at Kansas since the final race of Round 2 will be at the wildcard Talladega Superspeedway.

“The ideal scenario would be to win Kansas and not worry about Talladega,” said Truex. “But if you don’t win Kansas you want to finish high and have somewhat of a cushion (in points) for Talladega where the odds of getting collected in a wreck are higher than we would all prefer.”

Truex enters Kansas as the Sprint Cup Series lap leader (1594) and is tied for season wins at four.

“We have a great team,” stated Truex. “I’m just honestly thankful that I am getting to show my talent, my capabilities behind the wheel and focus on continuing this roll that we’re on, and what it’s going to take to do that, so I don’t take it for granted. I know that in two weeks it could be gone. You just never know in this sport, that’s why I’m living in the moment and enjoying myself. I love working with my race team.”

In 16 Sprint Cup career starts at Kansas, Truex has garnered four top fives, five top 10s and 518 laps led. His average starting position is 12.1 and average finishing position is 17.1.

Welcome, N.C. (October 10, 2016) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series veteran Ryan Newman has agreed to a multi-year agreement to remain with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) as the driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet. The renewal marks Newman’s fourth year with RCR and 16th full season in NASCAR’s premier series.

“Ryan’s consistency on the track has been a benefit to our organization and this extension solidifies the future of our racing program,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of RCR. “Ryan proved the first year he was here that we could contend for championships and with this continuation, I believe we can fulfill our commitment to winning races and a championship. Ryan has worked hard to represent many of our partners, especially the primary sponsors Caterpillar, Grainger and WIX Filters, helping them to get the most out of their respective racing programs.”

Newman’s tenure at RCR with crew chief Luke Lambert boasts two-straight Chase appearances including the 2014 effort that culminated in a single point separating the 38-year-old driver from the coveted Cup title and a career-best finish in the Cup point standings. Entering this weekend’s Cup race at Kansas Speedway, Newman and his No. 31 team have accumulated 11 top-five, 39 top-10 and 65 top-15 finishes in 102 starts.

“I am pleased to continue driving for Richard Childress Racing,” said Newman. “Our goal to win a championship all but turned into a reality during our first year together. I feel like since then, we have some unfinished business to complete. I’m fortunate to have forged a great relationship with my crew chief Luke Lambert, and I very much want to not only help him reach our goal of winning a Cup championship but also getting him his first Cup victory.”

Before joining RCR, the South Bend, Indiana native’s Cup career spans 17 years and over 540 races totaling 17 victories including the 50th Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in 2008 and the 2013 Brickyard 400.

Oct. 9, 2016

By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service

CONCORD, N.C. – After Sunday’s victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson can proclaim justifiably “The Boys are Back in Town.”

But for five other Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, all of whom finished 30th or worse in the rain-delayed Bank of America 500, the race ended in a medley of dire straits.

Taking the lead from Matt Kenseth after a restart on Lap 317 of 334, Johnson pulled away to win by 1.474 seconds over the driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Johnson put his No. 48 Chevrolet in Victory Lane for the third time this season, the eighth time at Charlotte – the third since the repaving of the track in March 2006 – and the 78th time in his career.

The real prize for the six-time champion, however, was a guaranteed berth in the Chase’s Round of 8 and the accompanying stress-free trip to Talladega two weeks hence.

“That is massive,” said Johnson, who led 155 laps in breaking a 23-race winless streak, the longest of his career. “I’m so happy about that. So happy to be in Victory Lane with this guy, with Chad Knaus (crew chief).

“We’re a brotherhood on this No. 48 team, and just so thankful for the friendship and the hard work. Same thing for everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. We’re really going to enjoy this.”

And no doubt Johnson’s automatic advancement to the next round certainly will enliven the talk of a record-tying seventh title.

Kasey Kahne finished third on Sunday, followed by Ryan Newman and Kyle Larson.

For 2014 champion Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin, the Charlotte race was an unmitigated disaster.

Logano blew a right front tire on Lap 117 to cause the third caution of the race. On Lap 155, he sustained severe damage from hard contact with the outside wall, lost 78 laps in the garage for repairs and finished 36th.

“One was the left front and one was the right front, from what I hear,” Logano said after his second wreck. “Once you hit the wall once, it kind of throws the front-end geometry out of line, and that’s probably what screwed up the second one for all I know.

“Who knows? I know it hurts a lot when you hit the wall that hard, but I’m glad I’m all right… We had a fast car. Our car was capable of winning the race. We drove up from 10th and were up to third and running down the leaders, so I felt really good about what we had. I don’t know. Things happen. It’s part of racing, I guess.”

Right before Logano’s No. 22 Ford hit the wall, Harvick’s No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet lost power. Harvick retired in 38th place, and spoke to reporters while his crew was still trying to diagnosed the engine problem that killed the car.

“It just suddenly shut off, and the things that it points to are no oil pressure,” Harvick said. “It’s definitely not a power issue with the battery or anything like that. They’re trying to diagnosis it.

“I hate it for everybody on our Busch team. They made some great adjustments today and got our car back where we needed to be to run up front, and everything was going fine. Lots of things can go wrong, and today they did.”

But misery loves company, and on Lap 259, a 12-car pile-up ended the race for Chasers Austin Dillon and Chase Elliott. Trying to push Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet, which had taken two tires to gain track position, Martin Truex Jr. tapped the bumper off-center to the right, turning Dillon’s car into the infield wall.

“I tried to give him a shove,” an apologetic Truex said on his radio. “I just turned him around like a damn idiot.”

Dillon felt the contact and was immediately out of control.

“I’m fine,” Dillon said after exiting the infield care center. “It just sucks. We’ll have to work hard the next two weeks to get the points back. I felt like I got to third gear pretty clean, and then the next thing – I feel contact, and I’m spinning through the grass.

“It’s part of it, and we took two tires there and you know the risk when you get into it. You just hope that doesn’t happen, obviously. I got to third without spinning the tires, and I felt like we got contacted. We’ll just go on to next week.”

As Dillon spun, Elliott checked up behind him – and right in front of Kyle Busch, who couldn’t avoid contact and turned Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet into the outside wall. Busch’s car was damaged, but held together with pop rivets and Bear Bond, his No. 18 Toyota salvaged a sixth-place finish.

Elliott wasn’t as lucky. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader retired in 33rd place.

“We had such a good car, and I’m devastated that we didn’t get the result that the guys deserved,” said Elliott, who had led 103 laps before the accident. “They gave me such a fast 3M Chevy and that’s all you can ask for. We just have got to go and do more of that next week (at Kansas).”

Hamlin was running second when his engine exploded with 26 laps left. The mechanical failure relegated the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a 30th-place result.

Hamlin, at least, is in eighth place in the Chase standings with a cut to the top eight looming at Talladega. But there’s a huge separation of 16 points between Truex in seventh and Hamlin. Realistically, as things stand now, five drivers are fighting for the final spot in the Round of 8.

But any of those drivers can advance automatically with a win.