HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announces today that David Gilliland will drive the No. 02 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota in three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, starting October 17 in Charlotte, and continuing with the November 8 race at Texas Motor Speedway and the November 22 season finale at Homestead Speedway.

Wally Brown, JGR’s R &D/Test Team crew chief, will serve as crew chief for each of the three races.

Earlier this year, Farm Bureau Insurance announced that they would sponsor six races in 2009 with Joe Gibbs Racing. Two of those races have been run in the No. 11 Toyota, driven by Denny Hamlin, earlier this month in Darlington and Atlanta. Farm Bureau Insurance will also appear on the No. 20 Toyota driven by Joey Logano on October 25 in Martinsville.

Continue reading “David Gilliland to drive three for Joe Gibbs Racing”

San Bernardino County, Calif. (Sept. 23, 2009) – For the first time ever, race fans will have the opportunity to choose what time the green flag for a NASCAR race will wave.

Auto Club Speedway is giving that option to race fans across the country to choose either a noon or a 4:30 p.m. (both times PT) start time for the Auto Club 500, the West Coast Premiere of NASCAR on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010.

Continue reading “Auto Club Speedway has fans choose start time”

Amanda’s articles

By Amanda Vincent

In recent years, NASCAR teams (especially at the Sprint Cup level) and sponsors have seemed to turn their focus to younger talent when it comes to choosing a new driver. That trend has probably been mostly initiated by sponsors looking for younger, hipper spokesmen for their products.

Mark Martin is showing race teams that younger may not always be the way to go, especially if the focus is to remain on the on-track results side of things and not just on a sponsor’s desire to target the younger crowd.

Granted, the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup is only two races old, but Martin, the oldest guy in the Chase field at 50 years of age, looks poised to win his first Cup title. And that’s after he tied Kyle Busch for most wins during the 26-race “regular season” with four.

In the two races since this year’s Chase began, New Hampshire and Dover, the “old man” has a win and a second-place finish and has been the only driver to lead in points so far in the 2009 Chase. Not bad for a driver who is in his first full-time season since coming out of semi-retirement.

“I said in February before we got started that I was, you know, mentally the toughest I’d ever been,” Martin said.

PHOTO CREDIT: CIA STOCK PHOTO

Martin isn’t the only 50 or older driver getting it done on the national level in NASCAR either. Ron Hornaday, at age 51, is on track to win his fourth Camping World Truck Series title, the most of any driver in the series. It would be his second in three years.

Continue reading “Martin, Hornaday prove age is just a number”

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup: Race 3, Kansas Speedway

THE RACE: Price Chopper 400

WHEN: Sunday, October 4

TV: ABC (1 p.m. ET)

RADIO: MRN, Sirius NASCAR Radio/Channel 128

THE CHASE STANDINGS: Mark Martin 5,400, Jimmie Johnson 5,390, Juan Pablo Montoya 5,335, Kurt Busch 5,325, Tony Stewart 5,294, Denny Hamlin 5,292, Ryan Newman 5,290, Jeff Gordon 5,278, Greg Biffle 5,262, Brian Vickers 5,249, Carl Edwards 5,247, Kasey Kahne 5,211.

DEFENDING NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES CHAMPION: Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

DEFENDING PRICE CHOPPER 400 RACE CHAMPION: Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet)

Continue reading “The Chase: Race 3 – Kansas Speedway”

NSCS Recap: Johnson Makes Statement With Dover Win
(Photo credit: CIA STOCK PHOTO)
DOVER, Del. (Sept. 27, 2009) — Polesitter Jimmie Johnson threw down the gauntlet in Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway, but Mark Martin was up to the challenge.

With his fifth victory at Dover and second at the track this year, Johnson affirmed that his No. 48 Chevrolet team is a serious threat to win a fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

Martin, however, retained the lead in the series standings with a runner-up finish to Johnson, who led 271 laps in claiming his fourth victory of the season. Martin leads his Hendrick Motorsports teammate by 10 points after two of 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Continue reading “Race Recap: Johnson wins Dover”