NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Teams Test Jan. 20-22 At Daytona International Speedway
Driver Interviews

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 14, 2011) — This week’s three-day NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test at Daytona International Speedway brings the first official engine firings of 2011.
Don’t think for a second that it represents the new year’s first official work.
“I don’t ever remember being this busy in my life,” said Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet). “We are so full-speed ahead already.”
Wide-open shops mean wide-open anticipation. Teams participating in the 2011 edition of NASCAR Preseason Thunder at Daytona will use the time to prepare for both the 53rd Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 20 and the track’s new asphalt surface.
The test – scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 20 through Saturday, Jan. 22 – runs from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. ET daily, weather permitting.

“It’s a very demanding time of the year,” Gustafson said, “but it’s very gratifying because you see projects get started and you see them come to fruition.”
A successful Goodyear tire test on Dec. 15-16 set the stage for this week’s session.
Last year’s repave – only the second at 2.5-mile Daytona and the first since 1978 – began after the NASCAR Sprint Cup event on July 3 and ended in early December. During the tire test (open to all series teams), those attending validated Goodyear’s compound selection for the Daytona 500, the series’ traditional season-opener, plus drivers and crew chiefs provided the sport’s first on-track feedback about the new pavement to track and NASCAR officials.
“The upcoming test at Daytona should go a long way in helping the teams get their setups right for next month’s Speedweeks,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition. “We received a lot of positive feedback from the competitors about the new racing surface at Daytona following the Goodyear tire test last month. We believe the 53rd running of the Daytona 500 has all the makings of being the most exciting one we’ve ever seen.”
Expect some re-affirmation this week, but NASCAR Preseason Thunder at Daytona means three days to shake down new equipment, personnel and strategies. And long, detailed checklists.
“It’s a huge race for everyone,” Gustafson said of the Daytona 500. “A race that everybody wants to win; the biggest race of the year. Everybody had some reservations, so going down there with the tire test and coming back, it just confirms that Daytona is Daytona – it’s the track we all love. That’s wonderful to know. So going back there now, it’s trying to exploit what little nuances of speed we can.”
Fans can join the fun by attending the NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest at Daytona – the companion event to on-track activity. Along with watching NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing, fans can enjoy three Fan Fest sessions in Daytona’s Sprint FANZONE – from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 20 and from 5-7 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21.
Among the offerings: Driver question-and-answer and autograph sessions. Fans also can watch each day’s testing at no cost, beginning at 9 a.m. Visit http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com for more information on NASCAR Preseason Thunder Fan Fest at Daytona.

Guest Column By Cathy Elliott

Like NASCAR, the GRAND-AM Series opens the season with its biggest race, at the very same venue. The 49th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will be held on Jan. 29-30 at Daytona International Speedway.

If a landscaper who is sidelined by weather issues for a day or two feels bereft in the absence of his weed whacker, which to him is like an extension of his own arm, and for a singer with a sore throat, silence is anything but golden. Just imagine what the “off-season” must be like for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers. For them, competing in a race car isn’t just what they do. It is what they are.

The span of weeks between Homestead-Miami Speedway and Speedweeks at Daytona seems all too brief when it begins in November, but by the time early January arrives, the days seem to be dragging along as slowly as the director’s cut of “Braveheart.”

If you’re like me – human, busy and kind of lazy – the days you look forward to most during the year are the ones designated as ‘vacation.’ That precious week (or two, or even three if you’re lucky) of doing either completely nothing or absolutely everything, depending on your definition of down time, looms like an oasis in the desert. In the mind’s eye, it offers rest, relief and perhaps a couple of umbrella-adorned beverages for sojourners parched and dry from the rigors of their everyday duties. It is hard to get there, and even harder to leave.

We never want our vacations to end.

Well, most of us don’t, but there are always exceptions. During the NFL playoffs last weekend, the FOX network broadcast several advertisements for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20. A friend remarked, “That seems like an awfully long break.”

I agree; it does. I returned home from the flurry of Champion’s Week in early December to realize that Christmas was mere days away and I might need to go shopping at some point. After cramming the stuff into gift bags, which are the greatest invention since Joey Logano (or sliced bread, take your pick), and celebrating the holidays pleasantly enough with my family and friends, it was actually nice to get back to a normal work routine.

The Cup Series stars still had a while to wait. Of course they have families to spend time with, and hobbies to enjoy. But while watching football and college basketball to pass the time is fun, we are race fans. Racing is what we love, and what we want. The drivers are just like us – only much, much worse. Their crew chiefs, engine builders and the rest of the team members get right back to work, preparing equipment and formulating strategies for the new season, but the only part of the car a driver generally puts his hands on is the wheel on race day. So how do they pass the time?

It should come as no surprise that many of them race, and we’re not just talking about computers, video games and the local go-kart track. These guys are accustomed to being at the top of their game, and that’s exactly where they head when they’re playing someone else’s game. In the case of a number of NASCAR’s biggest names, this is the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

The Rolex 24 is a round-the-clock drama that spins around and through DIS while the earth makes a complete revolution around its axis. The iconic 24-hour endurance race is the kickoff for Speedweeks, and the first major motorsports event of the year, with an impressive list of former winners whose names include Bobby Rahal; Buddy Rice; Al Unser Sr.; Mario Andretti; and A.J Foyt.

More familiar to NASCAR fans, guys like Rusty Wallace, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon have all competed in the prestigious event, and Casey Mears, “road course specialist” Scott Pruett and Juan Pablo Montoya have all been part of winning Rolex 24 teams. In addition to Pruett and Montoya, this year’s entry list for the Rolex 24 includes 2010 Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray; AJ Allmendinger; Kenny Wallace; and reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson likes streaks; the five-time NASCAR champion will be competing in his fourth consecutive Rolex 24 At Daytona. His No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings entry, with teammates Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty, has finished second in two of the past three years. That’s pretty good, especially in somewhat unfamiliar territory, but not good enough for Johnson. A win would add his name to the list of drivers who have won both the Rolex 24 and the Daytona 500. The current list is short, to say the least: Andretti and Foyt. That’s it.

It’s always fun to tune in to the Rolex 24 at various points during the race. For a NASCAR fan, it is an intriguing blend of the exotic and the familiar. Fords and Chevys are on the track, but now they are racing side by side with Dallaras, Porsches and Ferraris. Johnson and Wallace are competing against names like Jorg Bergmeister from Germany and Christophe Bouchut from France. Patrick Dempsey is there, and he’s not shooting a scene for “Grey’s Anatomy” – he’s racing one of the cars.

The bottom line is the Rolex 24 at Daytona offers us some of the world’s greatest drivers competing in a legendary event at a track so famous it is known simply as the World Center of Racing. Although it might not be exactly what we’re accustomed to as stock car fans, that scenario sounds awfully familiar.

A NASCAR race is like a rock concert, full of sound and lights and the sheer spectacle of intense, unrelenting performance. The Rolex 24 is more like a symphony, a series of crescendos and plateaus, which is played out over a longer period of time before reaching its dramatic conclusion.

Considered that way, perhaps racing, rather than music, is the true universal language – and thank goodness, intermission is ending at last.

The 49th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will be held on January 29-30. For more information, visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com.

The opinions expressed in this articles are solely those of the author and not this website.

TURNER MOTORSPORTS ANNOUNCES MARK MARTIN TO DRIVE THE NO. 32 DOLLAR GENERAL CHEVROLET IN SELECT 2011 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES EVENTS

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (January 12, 2011) – Turner Motorsports is pleased to announce the addition of racing legend, Mark Martin, to its 2011 driver line-up. Martin will pilot the No. 32 Dollar General Impala in NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Kentucky Speedway with crew chief, Trent Owens, calling the shots. He will also drive the No. 32 Silverado in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) races at Michigan International Speedway and Pocono Raceway.

“I’m excited to be running back in the Nationwide and Truck Series again,” said Martin. “Everyone at Dollar General and Turner Motorsports has been great and I’m looking forward to hitting the track with them next year. Working with Turner [Motorsports], I get to extend my relationship with Chevrolet and continue to have Hendrick horsepower under the hood which is really, really good.”

Martin brings unparalleled experience to Turner Motorsports. With a NASCAR career spanning 30 years, he has 40 wins in 794 Sprint Cup Series starts, holds the all-time Nationwide Series records for most wins (48) and most pole positions (30), and seven wins in 23 NCWTS starts. In 2006, motorsports media members acknowledged his accomplishments by naming him the greatest Nationwide Series driver of all-time. Martin continues to compete full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports machine.

“The races we picked for both series are personal favorites of mine. I’d love to win another truck race, and I’ve got to get back to Victory Lane in the Dollar General car so I can keep Kyle [Busch] from breaking my Nationwide Series record,” Martin joked.

Martin has experienced tremendous success at the tracks at which he will compete for Turner Motorsports. In five Nationwide Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Martin has three wins, four top-fives, five top-10s and two pole awards to his credit. In only two Nationwide starts at Auto Club Speedway, he has earned one win and a third-place finish. At Michigan International Speedway, he has two wins, eight top-five and nine top-10 finishes and one pole position in his 11 starts. Martin will make his Nationwide Series debut when the team travels to Kentucky Speedway in July.

Team owner, Steve Turner, is very pleased with the experience that Martin brings with him and has high expectations for his organization in 2011.

“We are thrilled to announce the addition of Mark Martin to our stable of drivers,” commented Turner. “Mark [Martin] shares my same passion for helping groom young talent and has expressed interest in helping us get our young drivers to the NASCAR Sprint Cup level. I can’t think of a better mentor than Mark Martin. Everyone at Turner Motorsports knows the value and experience he brings to our organization and we are all delighted to have him join our team. We look forward to getting Mark [Martin] and Dollar General into the winners circle in 2011.”

SHOW #141 – In our first talk show of 2011, Toby Christie joins Paul and I from rubbingsracing.com, we discuss the Bud Shootout, Drivers choose your championship, off season news, and much more. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Paul Northrop

LISTEN HERE (About 54 mins)

SUBSCRIBE HERE

DOWNLOAD HERE

SUBSCRIBE FROM iTUNES: Take us with you! Subscribe to our audio shows from iTunes, and they will automatically show up on your computer as soon as we post fresh shows..it’s easy, FREE, and we take no information. It’s like a DVR for audio so you can take us with you anywhere and listen on your schedule!

Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter

NOTE: Also HEARD on Stitcher Radio

CREDITS:
Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Paul Northrop
Production: Kerry Murphey
Music: Radium Sound
Voice Over: Thomas Moog

GET READY FOR MORE “EXCITEMENT” AND “DRAMA”
AS AUTO CLUB 500 BECOMES AUTO CLUB 400
~ Great ticket packages available at NASCAR’s only stop in Southern California ~

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. (Jan. 11, 2011) – NASCAR continues to listen and respond to its fans and as a result, they will be the beneficiary of more exciting NASCAR Sprint Cup racing when it comes to Southern California in March.

Changing the mileage from 500 to 400 for Auto Club Speedway’s October event along with double file restarts resulted in an action-packed three hours that media, drivers and fans called “the best race ever at Auto Club Speedway.” With that feedback, ACS officials announced today that the Auto Club 500 will now be the Auto Club 400. The race will take place on Sunday, March 27 beginning at noon (PT) on FOX.

October’s “gem” resulted in a Tony Stewart victory by 0.466 seconds over Clint Bowyer – one of the closest races ever recorded at the Southern California facility. The intense side-by-side racing elicited rave reviews from everyone, including Stewart who said, “The restarts early in the race were out of control. We were five wide!”

Others agreed with Stewart wholeheartedly:

Motor Racing Network: “Simply put, Sunday’s race was the best Sprint Cup Series race ever at the two-mile Southern California track.”

Motor Sports Weekly News: “Fans that stayed home this time or didn’t tune in on TV missed what just might have been the best race this track has ever put on.”

Clint Bowyer: “They say you’re only as good as your last race. Well, for this place, that was a hell of a race.”

“It’s impossible to ignore the on track excitement we experienced at Auto Club Speedway in October, as a result of NASCAR reducing the Chase race from 500 to 400 miles,” said ACS President Gillian Zucker. “We’re confident the newly remileaged Auto Club 400 will continue the momentum we have been experiencing and that March’s race will be the most exciting ever at Auto Club Speedway.”
In response to the mileage change and the excitement that it likely will produce, Auto Club Speedway is offering several ways to see the 5-wide excitement of NASCAR at Southern California’s premier motorsports facility.

Auto Club Members Section – Save Up to 50%!
§ Turn 1 seating
§ Upper Reserved (Sections 77-91, Rows 24-48) – Adults $50, Kids (12 and under) $25
§ Lower Reserved (Sections 69-91, Rows 11- 23) – Adults $30, Kids (12 and under) $15
§ Seating now located closer to the start/finish line than previous years
While supplies last

Free Pit Pass Offer – Save $55!
§ Purchase a $75 Upper Reserved (rows 24-33) ticket and receive a free pre-race pit pass
§ Seating now located in higher rows than previous years
Expires February 25, 2011

Save $10 on NNS 300 race
§ Save $10 on any ticket for the NNS 300 race on Saturday, March 26, 2011

Call 1-800-944-RACE or visit www.autoclubspeedway.com to get tickets to what will no doubt be another “gem” at Auto Club Speedway.