Charlotte

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charlotte_test_rainThe first day of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Gen-6 testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway has been canceled due to weather. Testing is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Friday. Drivers are scheduled to be on track from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and from 1 until 5 p.m. Fans will be admitted into the grandstands free of charge beginning at 8:30 a.m. via Gate 5A near the speedway’s main ticket office.

Any fan who purchases a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or NHRA race ticket will get a free 1:24 scale diecast and a free day-of scanner rental to listen to their favorite driver during Friday’s test session.

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2013 Daytona Preseason Thunder Day 3 Kyle Busch On TrackCar# – Team Name – Driver
1 – Earnhardt Ganassi Racing – Jamie McMurray
2 – Penske Racing – Brad Keselowski
5 – Hendrick Motorsports – Kasey Kahne
9 – Richard Petty Motorsports – Marcos Ambrose
10 – Stewart Haas Racing – Danica Patrick
11 – Joe Gibbs Racing – Denny Hamlin
13 – Germain Racing – Casey Mears
14 – Stewart Haas Racing – Tony Stewart
15 – Michael Waltrip Racing – Clint Bowyer
16 – Roush Fenway Racing – Greg Biffle
17 – Roush Fenway Racing – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
18 – Joe Gibbs Racing – Kyle Busch
20 – Joe Gibbs Racing – Matt Kenseth
21 – Wood Brothers Racing – Trevor Bayne
22 -Penske Racing – Joey Logano
24 – Hendrick Motorsports – Jeff Gordon
27 – Richard Childress Racing – Paul Menard
29 – Richard Childress Racing – Kevin Harvick
30 – Swan Racing – David Stremme
31 – Richard Childress Racing – Jeff Burton
34 – Front Row Motorsports – David Ragan
36 – Tommy Baldwin Racing – Dave Blaney
39 – Stewart Haas Racing – Ryan Newman
42 – Earnhardt Ganassi Racing – Juan Pablo Montoya
43 – Richard Petty Motorsports – Aric Almirola
47 – JTG-Daugherty Racing – Bobby Labonte
48 – Hendrick Motorsports – Jimmie Johnson
55 – Michael Waltrip Racing – Mark Martin
56 – Michael Waltrip Racing – Martin Truex Jr.
78 – Furniture Row Racing – Kurt Busch
88 – Hendrick Motorsports – Dale Earnhardt Jr
95 – Leavine Family Racing – Scott Speed
99 – Roush Fenway Racing – Carl Edwards

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121112hh5728_580xCONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 15, 2013) – NASCAR drivers from many of the sport’s top teams will return to Charlotte Motor Speedway this week for a second round of NASCAR Gen-6 testing, and fans can watch all the action free of charge.

More than 30 cars are expected to take the track during the two-day test. Among the teams expected to participate are Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, Penske Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing and more.

Testing is scheduled from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Fans who just can’t wait for the green flag to drop on the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race or the Coca-Cola 600 during the 10 greatest days in racing can watch the testing from the grandstands. Fans can enter at Gate 5A beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day.

The fun doesn’t stop with the action on the track. Every fan who buys a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or NHRA ticket in the speedway ticket office during the test will receive a free 1:24-scale diecast car. They will also receive a voucher for a free day-of scanner rental so they can listen to their favorite driver during the test session, courtesy of Racing Electronics.

In addition, Charlotte Motor Speedway will offer behind-the-scenes tours and concessions for purchase during both test days.

The new car made its on-track debut in December to positive reviews from many drivers and crew chiefs. Drivers are looking forward to hitting the track again this week before  they return in May for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600.

“I’m excited and eager to get to the Charlotte test and just see how I stack up to the rest of the field because we didn’t participate in the December test,” said Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. “I know our cars were fast. I think Kasey (Kahne) was whipping around there pretty quick in the December test. Change is good, but if the down force package stays like it is, they will be easier to drive in some respects and a lot faster.”

Don’t miss a minute of the action during the biggest Memorial Day tailgate party around with the Coca-Cola 600 Weekend Pass. With packages starting at just $99, the Weekend Pass includes a reserved frontstretch seat to the Coca-Cola 600, HISTORY 300 and LiftMaster Pole Day. Tickets for all Charlotte Motor Speedway events can be obtained by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or online atwww.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

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2012 Vegas Portrait Brad Keselowski SunglassesCharlotte, NC (January 14, 2013) – It is often said, “To the victor go the spoils.” As the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Brad Keselowski has done many things he may have never thought he would have the opportunity to do.

The latest is one that he is sure to enjoy.

On Friday, January 25, Keselowski will slide into the deejay chair at WEND 106.5 FM The End, an alternative rock station in Charlotte, NC, to fulfill a lifelong fantasy of becoming one of the voices he often hears on the local radio station. DZL, the afternoon drive host for the station, will turn over his seat to the 28-year-old from “Detroit Rock City.”

“This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid,” said Keselowski. “I always thought that radio deejays, along with racecar drivers, had one of the coolest jobs around. Why wouldn’t you like fast cars and rock and roll?”

Keselowski, who hails from the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, Mich. quickly became a fan of 106.5 FM after making the move to the area in 2007.

“I’m a fan of all types of music, but a lot of what I listen to is rock and alternative rock,” continued Keselowski. “We love our loud rock music in Detroit. WEND is a station that I quickly became a fan of when I moved here.”

For WEND, it’s not an everyday occurrence to have the current Cup Series champion eager to learn the nuances of running a radio station.

“It all started during the 2012 NASCAR Season,” stated DZL. “Brad and I were backstage at Food Lion Speed Street (a race festival in uptown Charlotte during All-Star week.)  He suggested I play more of ‘this band or that band’ on my afternoon drive radio show here in Charlotte.  I told him to worry about winning the Sprint Cup championship. If he did that I’d let him come in and play whatever he wanted!”

“He obviously held up his END of the bargain so I guess I’ll have to hold up mine,” continued DZL. “On Friday, January 25TH, I’m handing Brad the keys to my race car and letting him turn a few laps during the equivalent to my Bristol race… a Friday DRIVETIME (5p-6p!)  Who knows what will happen. I just hope he doesn’t hit the wall with my race car!”

In addition, fans can partake in an online auction to meet Keselowski at the WEND station that day. The money raised from the auction will benefit the Checkered Flag Foundation (CFF). Started in 2010 by Keselowski, the foundation assists wounded military and first-responders, along with their families. Keselowski will also take song requests via Twitter, provided those making the request make a donation to the CFF.

“I really just wanted to play some music, but the guys at 106.5 wanted to make a bigger deal about it to benefit my foundation,” said Keselowski. “That meant a lot to me. Music people have always been very generous. I hope to be able to return the favor.”

 The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season officially takes the green flag on Sunday, February 24 with the 55th Running of the Daytona 500.

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2012 CMS Testing Brad Keselowski on Track“Off Season” Ends At Charlotte Motor Speedway
All Eyes On New Sixth-Generation NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Car

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (December 11, 2012) – Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sport’s 10-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Most Popular Driver, ran his first laps in the new sixth-generation race car. His review of the 2013 Chevrolet SS? It’s a must see.

“The car has really awesome potential,” Earnhardt said during testing Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “The cars that you see in the garage; you’ll stand there and see Fords and Toyotas and Chevrolets driving by. It’s great because everything looks different, everything is instantly recognizable.”

At Charlotte Motor Speedway today, 16 cars participated in the last open test session of the year. Fans and media were treated to all three manufacturers on the race track at once, including the fully unveiled Chevrolet SS which was debuted in Las Vegas during NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week. There was an air of excitement from the drivers and teams in the garage surrounding the looks and performance of the sixth generation car.

“All in all the feedback in the garage area has been very positive,” said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition. “It looks to me that all the hard work from the teams, manufacturers and our engineers at the R&D Center is going to pay off. Like I said last month when we hand this car off to the teams, it will be in the best shape that we have ever handed a car off to the teams to start a new season.”

While fans were seeing the Chevrolet fully unwrapped without camouflage, several drivers were getting used to new fire suits, car manufacturers and teammates. For the first time in his career, former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Matt Kenseth was sporting a new number (20), team (Joe Gibbs Racing) and manufacturer (Toyota). Kenseth was happy with the car; however, his team was forced to make an engine change during today’s morning session.

“I’ve been kind of nervous but (about) coming into this morning and walking to a different truck and a different team and all of that stuff,” Kenseth said. “My last run I proceeded to go from second gear to first gear and over-revved the engine so they’re back there changing it. So, I think the guys are in love with me right now. Like, ‘Where did we find this clown? Give us the other one back.’ Other than that it’s been good.”

While Kenseth got to know his new team, current NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski learned to work with new Penske Racing teammate Joey Logano.

“I feel like there are a lot of areas that I can improve and be better,” said Keselowski. “I think there are things Joey does right out of the gate that are better than what I do. I think he has the ability to unload at a place like this and just instantly be fast and that’s not my style.”

In addition to the off season testing sessions scheduled next month for Daytona and Charlotte, plans call for an extra day of testing before the events at Las Vegas and Texas to provide teams with an opportunity to learn more about the sixth-generation race car early in the season. Extra practice time will also be added to the schedule at Auto Club Speedway in March.

The test continues Wednesday at 9 a.m. at Charlotte Motor Speedway.