Joey Logano stands on the hood of his No. 22 Ford Fusion at the after race celebrationLogano edges ahead of teammate Brad Keselowski at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday August 23, 2014
Bristol, Tennessee – Joey Logano took the lead at Bristol on Saturday night in his No. 22 Ford Fusion race car with just 44 laps to go and then won the race to the finish line in amazing fashion. This first win at Bristol Motor Speedway cements his position in the race to the Sprint Cup Chase in two weeks time and serves notice to the other drivers with three wins this season that he’s definitely ready to battle for the championship.
Currently, the three teammates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Logano’s teammate Brad Keselowski also have three race wins this Sprint Cup season. It appears the main battle for the Sprint Cup Championship for 2014 is going to be headed by the three drivers for HendrickMotorsports and two for Penske Racing.
During the after race interview Joey Logano said he wants this win to say one thing, “That we can win the thing. What a Shell/Pennzoil Ford there. When I woke up this morning I wasn’t sure if we were a winning car or not, but Todd Gordon is good salesman. He pretty much sold me into thinking we had a winning car and we made some small adjustments on it all night and got our third win of the year. What a year we’re having. I’m having so much fun. The past six or seven races have been unbelievable. We’ve been running up front and it’s just been so much fun. I’ve got to thank Shell, obviously Ford, Sprint and everyone that helps out at Penske – Discount Tire, Hertz, Auto Trader. This is like one of the three biggest races of the year, I feel like – the Bristol Night race – and to have this in the record books with your name on it is really, really cool.” HOW IMPORTANT WAS PATIENCE TONIGHT? “Important and not important. On the restart there when we were sixth with tires I said, ‘I’ve got to capitalize right now.’ So I went as hard as I could, raced the 20 really hard and got everybody I could and then I was trying to keep up. The 20 was really fast and then there at the end I had something going wrong. I don’t know if it was the brakes or a hub failing in the rear, but it started vibrating really bad and getting really loose. I’m like, ‘Oh, come on. A couple more laps, a couple more laps.’ So of course there’s always added drama at the end that you don’t want, but patience didn’t come into play and then when I was racing the 24 there at the end it did come into play. We were able to make there at the end.”
“I feel like the Bristol night race is maybe the third or fourth biggest race of the year,” Logano said. “Just the atmosphere before the race, if it doesn’t pump you up, nothing does. It’s just the baddest mamma jamma race track ever built.”
The full race result for the Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 23, 2014 are below.
Watch 12 Hours of the Biggest Event in Drag Racing this weekend
Watch12 hours of the best drag racing in the world on ESPN2 and 3 this weekend
Do you love to watch the big boys race down the track at 300 mph? ESPN is showing 12 hours of one of the most popular races in the NHRAMello Yellow Drag Racing Series season on ESPN2 this weekend. This is your chance to enjoy the 60th running of the boys in the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.
Coverage begins at 6 p.m. Friday, with qualifying rounds on ESPN3. Viewers can watch the qualifying rounds of the race on the multi-screen capability of the network. On Sunday viewers can watch qualifying rounds for the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes on ESPN2 starting at 11 a.m. The action culminates on Monday with six hours of drag racing eliminations that are fun and exciting to watch. There will be two sessions on Monday, the first will be telecast on ESPN3 at 11 a.m. and the second will air at 12 noon on ESPN2.
Four-time NHRA champion Gary Scelzi will be on hand, along with ESPN’s normal lineup of announcers, to lend a useful comment or two and add a little class to the show. You can even watch all of the competition on computers, smartphones, tablets, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV via WatchESPN.
Were you planning on watching the Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on ABC this Saturday night? Plans to broadcast this NASCAR race live nationally on ABC starting with NASCAR Countdown at 7 p.m. ET will be preempted in 15 different regions of the country due to the scheduled showing of NFL preseason football on local channels.
One of the few true race arenas left, Bristol is a lot of fun.
People planning on watching this race who are also satellite TV customers can view the competition on channel 209-1 for DirecTV and 145 on DISH. Cable customers can also view the race in 11 of the 15 markets named on different channels.
Viewers in Milwaukee, the Arkansas cities of Little Rock, Fort Smith, and Jonesboro, and Tyler, Texas planning on tuning in to watch NASCAR Countdown will be disappointed. Unfortunately, due to the showing of local news this broadcast will not be shown, but the channels in question will air the scheduled NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway starting at around 7:30 p.m ET.
The green flag is expected to drop about 7:43 on this Sprint Cup Series race, so check below to see if you’re in one of the 15 regions named, and make the appropriate changes.
Austin, Texas – race telecast on digital cable: Time Warner channels 811 and 1240, Suddenlink channel 721, AT&T Channel 3024.
Charlotte, N.C. – race telecast on WAXN TV64. Available on Time Warner channel 1230, Charter channel 703, Compas channel 16, Comporium channel 110. WSOC-TV will join race in progress after football game ends.
Casper, Wyo. – only available to satellite TV subscribers
Cheyenne, Wyo. – only available to satellite TV subscribers
Duluth, Minn. – race telecast on digital cable: Charter channel 398, Mediacom channel 113.
Harrisburg, Pa. – race telecast on digital cable: Comcast channel 246, Verizon channel 461, Blue Ridge Cable channel 152, Kuhn channel 67, Nittany Media 228.
Houston – race telecast on digital cable: Comcast channels 315 and 685.
Louisville, Ky. – race telecast on digital cable: Comcast channel 432, Time Warner channel 207.
Nashville, Tenn. – race telecast on digital cable: Comcast channel 245, Charter channel 136.
St. Joseph, Mo. – only available to satellite TV subscribers
San Antonio, Tex. – only available to satellite TV subscribers
Sioux Falls, S.D. – race telecast on digital cable: Mid-Continent channels 596 and 614. (Also DISH channel 36).
Tulsa, Okla. – race telecast on digital cable: Cox channel 131.
Washington, D.C. – race telecast on digital cable: Comcast channel 205, Cox channel 806, Verizon FiOS channel 467.
Weslaco, Tex. – race telecast on digital cable: Time Warner channel 877.
ESPN Films recently announced a series of four new documentaries for the SEC Storied franchise begins Thursday, August 14, 2014 at 9 p.m ET on the new Sec Network (Southeastern Conference) with the first documentary in the series “The Stars Are Aligned”.
“The Stars Are Aligned” is a 50-minute documentary directed by Andy Billman featuring 14 celebrity SEC sports fanatics talking about their devotion to their SEC college and its sports heroes. Ashley Judd, Melissa Joan Hart, Emmitt Smith, James Carville, and Governor Rick Perry, along with 9 other notable celebrities explain their love and loyalty to the place where they grew up. You can watch the trailer for this documentary here.
The second documentary in this SEC Storied series “Bo, Barkley and the Big Hurt”, directed by Larry Weitzman, airs Thursday, August 21 at 9 p.m. ET on the Sec Network. This documentary tells the story of how three college athletes destined to be sports legends went from orange and blue of the Auburn Tigers to the Sports Hall of Fame. The story is told through the famed reunion of these three Auburn sports heroes during the 2013 Iron Bowl. Watch the trailer here.
On Wednesday, August 27 at 8 p.m. ET the third documentary in this SEC Storied series, directed by Kenny Chesney and Shaun Silva, “The Believer” airs on the Sec Network. “The Believer” shows viewers the heart and soul of Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier, a sports legend many consider to be the coach willing to go-the-furthest in the toughest football conference in the country. Watch the trailer here.
The fourth and last documentary in this SEC Storied series “Its Time” airs on the Sec Network on Thursday, September 4, 2014 at 8 p.m ET. Directed by Fritz Mitchell this documentary tells the heart warming and inspirational story of defensive back Chucky Mullins and running back Brad Gaines. Two athletes brought together by tragedy on the football field, their fated meeting on the field of play heralded the birth of a friendship for the ages. Watch the trailer here.
You can watch the first documentary in this SEC Storied series “The Stars Are Aligned” on the new Sec Network Thursday and check out all the shows airing on this new sports channel during the year ahead. The year ahead in the southeastern conference is going to be hot and the competition for the championship is expected to be fierce. Drop by and check out the action, you won’t be disappointed.
Sparta, Kentucky ( 2012-03-12) – Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) just announced they had acquired 143-acres of land to be used to expand parking facilities at the Kentucky Speedway. They are also hiring new staff and engineering personnel to help manage automotive and pedestrian traffic at the track during race days. Presently, the firm plans on investing $7.5 million in order to achieve these goals in the months ahead.
Speedway Motorsports Inc. is improving parking facility at the Kentucky Speedway
The Kentucky Department of Transportation is also planning on enhancing parking access by improving connecting highways to the Kentucky Speedway.
“We learned meaningful lessons during our inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race weekend and we committed that the traffic congestion that occurred on race day would not happen again. It was important for us to act quickly and I am thrilled to report this solution, which was formed in only seven short weeks. I compliment and thank SMI Chairman and CEO Bruton Smith, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and KYTC Sec. Mike Hancock for working collaboratively on this plan,” Kentucky Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger said.
Speedway Motorsports expects the expanded parking facilities to increase available parking at the race track by about 35 percent with this announcement. They also plan on further improving the track by reenforcing all areas using gravel and by implementing new painting guidelines to maximize parking at the site.
The firm has hired Veteran’s Security and Patrol to manage parking during up coming races at the Kentucky Speedway. This security firm currently provides similar security and parking services at racing venues like the Daytona International Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Watkins Glen International. The Kentucky Speedway will also use the services of a top traffic engineering firm to help implement and assimilate the changes being planned and create the best possible traffic plan for the site.
“Kentucky Speedway is a premier destination for the country’s best racing, and it’s clear that tens of thousands of people want to be right here to experience those events. The NASCAR race weekend this July was a huge success, but it did experience traffic problems, caused largely by inadequate parking,” said Gov. Beshear. “To assure visitors have an even better experience next year, we’ve worked hand in hand with SMI to plan improvements that will benefit fans on race day and Gallatin County residents year-round.”
Joey Logano wins the 2013 Nationwide Series 5-Hour Energy 200
Dover, Delaware (September 28, 2013) – Joey Logano raced his way into the history books again on Saturday, winning his fourth straight NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Dover International Speedway in the 5-Hour Energy 200. Joey Logano is now the only NASCAR Nationwide driver to ever win four times on the Monster Mile of Dover and the only driver to win four consecutive events in any racing series at the mile long superspeedway in Delaware.
When asked about his historic day, Joey answered. “This has been my favorite place ever since I started here. Even when I barrel-rolled down the straightaway, it’s still my favorite place.”
With four straight wins at the Monster Mile, it is not hard to see why this track is his favorite place to race. The race on Saturday at the old track was recorded as the fastest ever in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, beating the previous record of 130.152 set in 1998 by Dale Earnhardt. Jr. by 1.082 mph.
The fast race was really due to the 160 laps they raced under a green flag. Logano had the pole advantage and due to this was ahead for the first 18 laps, before Kyle Busch made his move. By the time they reached the 26th lap things became a lot tighter on the track, when the caution flag was raised due to a spin by Brian Scott. The caution flag was raised again during Lap 37, when Donnie Neuenberger ran into the wall. By this time in the race, the race car of Joey Logano was running noticeably slower on the track. This prompted Joey to come into the pits for a long stop, during which time he had this to say.
“[Busch was] really fast in the beginning of the race and we were really loose,” Logano said. “I even wanted to stop at the caution before that. But we decided to stay out a little bit longer and got that next caution. We took that hit on pit road making these big adjustments. “These Nationwide races are short and you have to make big swings early. [Crew chief] Jeremy [Bullins] made some big swings on this thing and got it close, and we just needed the one more stop to fine tune it. I was just able to run my race and take care of the tires, and do the right things in the car.”
The extended pit stop worked wonders for the race car of Logano and Busch had elected to stay out on the track and gain ground, instead of pitting. When Busch eventually had to head into the pit during Lap 87, the rest of the field followed his example a few laps later, and this put Busch behind the rest of the racers on pit stops, and would mean he would need to stop one more time before the end of the race.
By this time the tires of Logano were 30 laps newer than the race tires of Busch and he started to rapidly gain ground on the leader. He caught Busch on Lap 141 and from that point on there was nothing but open race track between him and the finish line.
Logano “When your car drives good here and you have what you need, when you have lapped traffic it doesn’t even slow you down,” Logano said. “When you’re loose, you get stuck. In these Nationwide races, being able to get through the lapped traffic as quick as possible is key to winning these things.”
At the press conference after the 5-Hour Energy 200 Joey Logano had a few things to say.
Joey Logano – No. 22 Hertz Ford Mustang – We had a fast race car. I don’t know what else I need to say. This Hertz Ford was really good when we unloaded and then throughout practice the track changed on us a little bit and last night we made some good changes on the race car. Jeremy and all the guys and girls on the team did a good job tuning the thing up for me. We started the race too loose and they went for it. These Nationwide races are short. You’ve got to make big swings real early and I feel like Jeremy and I have worked enough together now that when I say loose and how loose he kind of knows how much it is and he made some big swings on this thing and got it pretty close. Then we needed one more stop to just kind of fine-tune it. After that second green-flag stop it was dialed in pretty good. I was just able to run my race and take care of the tires, make sure I was doing the right things in the car, and get another victory. It’s just really cool to get four in a row here at Dover. That’s pretty awesome. It’s been my favorite race track ever since I started here, yes, even when I barrel-rolled down the back straightaway it’s still my favorite place, and I think we showed it today. Hopefully, my Shell/Pennzoil Ford tomorrow is just as fast as this one. If that’s the case, it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
The No. 22 Hertz Ford
The crew chief for the No. 22 Hertz Ford Mustang, Jeremy Bullins, also had few comments on the race and car.
Jeremy Bullins – Crew Chief -No. 22 Hertz Ford Mustang “It means a lot that we’re continuing to build good cars. This is another brand new car that the guys at the shop built. We just keep pushing forward and, like Joey said, the first race here we learned a lot about what the car needs for him. I feel like we’ve learned a lot about, like what he says, when he says ‘loose’ we’re learning how to work on it and we’re getting closer with that. We talked about it before the race, there were a lot of streaks to be kept alive today and I think we managed to pull that off, so it was just a great day on pit road. The guys did a good job. The whole team just did an excellent job today.”
When asked why it has been so hard for him to have success on the race track on Sunday at Dover International Speedway, Joey answered.
Joey Logano “I tell you what, on the Cup side I really do feel like I’ve had some strong cars here. I’ve had a lot of misfortune in the Cup races, but I’ve had a lot of fast race cars here that are capable of running top five. I’ve had loose wheels. I’ve had flat tires. I’ve had motors blowing up. I’ve gone through a lot here at this race track and that’s why if you look at the stats like you did, you wouldn’t know that we ran as well as we did, but we have run really well at this race track on the Cup side. I’m expecting tomorrow to be similar, I hope. As far as the way the Chase has gone, Chicago, we were doing everything we were supposed to do. We got the pole and we were leading laps, but unfortunately things break on race cars every now and again and that cost us a really good finish there and a lot of points, obviously. Last week at Loudon, it’s probably my toughest race track that I go to. I go from the place that I hate the most to the place I love the most this week and we came out of there with a 14th-place finish, which is not good, but, for me, is decent actually. We come here this weekend and we know that we can still run up there. We still have a lot of momentum on this team and we know what we did to get in the Chase and how good we are, and we’ve just got to keep pushing forward and keep fighting. I always say that the 22 team over there never quits and they never die and that’s what we did to get here. We’re not out of it yet. We can still win it. We’ve got a tough road ahead of us and we really can’t have a bad race in the next eight, but we can still do it. We’re not out yet. The fat lady is not singing yet. She’s warming up her voice, but she’s not singing yet.”
Was it surprising to see this race run 160 laps to the finish line without a caution and were you surprised how easily you caught up to Busch after the series of green flags evened out?
Joey Logano “Yes and yes. They were really fast in the beginning of the race. We were really loose, so I even wanted to stop the caution before that because we were hanging on. We were pretty loose, but we decided to stay out a little bit longer and then got that next caution. We took our hit on pit road a little bit making these big adjustments that we were gonna lose a couple spots and some guys took two, and then we were able to drive our way close to the front and then, obviously, he didn’t pit so he has to pit earlier than us, and then at that point we have newer tires so we were able to kind of run him back down. I don’t really know what happened after that. I was just driving in circles as fast as I could.”
“That’s when we just came out on new tires and I radioed in to Jeremy and said, ‘This car is right on. It’s right where I need it to be,’ and I was able to carry really fast lap times. When your car drives good here and you have exactly what it needs, when you get to lap traffic it doesn’t even slow you down. But if it’s loose like it was, you get to a lapped car and you’re just kind of stuck and you can’t go anywhere. He had it right where I needed to be that I was able to pass cars when I got to them and really make up that gap a lot because in these Nationwide races having a fast car is one thing, but being able to get through the lap traffic as quick as possible is key to winning these things.”
Concord, North Carolina (Oct. 12, 2013) – Kyle Busch will be looking to win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the thirteenth time during the upcoming Bank of America 500 Sprint Cup Series race on October 12, 2013. His twelve victories at the old track in North Carolina rank him first in Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series wins, but he still hasn’t managed to win a Sprint Cup Series race on the legendary 1.5-mile superspeedway in Charlotte.
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile monster drivers either love or hate, or both
Kyle recently stated he was looking forward to getting his first Sprint Cup Series win during the Bank of America 500, and taking home a Bruton Smith trophy to put on his mantle.
Kyle is ready to race on October 12 for his chance at a championship
Kyle Busch “That elusive win in the Cup series has eluded us here,” Busch said. “We’ve had a lot of great runs – some second place finishes and third place finishes and a lot of good runs where we’ve led a lot of laps, but in the last run of the race it seems like we’re just a little bit off. But we’re looking forward to Oct. 12 here at the Bank of America 500 and being able to take home one of those nice gold (Bruton Smith) trophies.”
Kyle will need to have a strong Bank of America 500 on October 12, if he wants to make a run at winning the Chase. This race will be the fifth of the ten races included in the Chase, and he’ll need to have a strong position heading into this event. His overall record on this superspeedway gives him a good chance, one would think, but anything can happen out on the track. Once you get out there all previous records get thrown out the window and it’s everybody for himself. He’ll need Lady Luck on his side, if he’s going to be successful.
Kyle certainly knows the value of this race, “You want to get off to a good start (in the Chase),” he said. “Our team, the Joe Gibbs Racing team, obviously has gotten off to a good start. Once you get past the halfway point, that’s sort of when you define the contenders… That’s when you know who you’re going to be racing against for the championship.”
Winner of two Bank of America 500 races and NASCAR legend Dale Jarrett was recently asked if he had some advice to give Kyle Busch on how to win at the old track in North Carolina. “What am I going to tell Kyle Busch about winning here? He obviously knows how to win,” said Jarrett, who was seated in front of all 12 of Busch’s trophies from his Nationwide and Camping World Truck series wins at Charlotte. “He’s, if not the best driver I’ve seen come through the ranks of NASCAR, he’s certainly one of the top three. It’s just incredible what he does with a racecar. What I can offer is that, as much as you can have a good car – he has plenty of talent – but good fortune is probably the best thing you can have on your side.”
Kyle Busch fans can watch their hero race for his thirteenth win and first Sprint Cup Series victory at the superspeedway in Charlotte on October 12, 2013. They can also catch all of the fun happening on October 10 and 11, like the Bojangles’ Pole Night and the UNOH Southern Slam, and the Dollar General 300. Just tell them Warren sent you over to have some fun.
The 2013 Better Half Dash is set for October 10 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina (Sept. 26, 2013) – Ladies start your engines! The girls of NASCAR are set to race 25 laps for charity during the third annual Better Half Dash on October 10 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The last two events saw Jacquelyn Butler walk away with the prized six-foot pink trophy in 2011. Last year the wife of NASCAR driver Travis Pastrana, Lyn-z Pastrana, drove to victory during the second annual Better Half Dash. This year last seasons champion indicates she is looking forward to repeating her success at Charlotte.
Lyn-z showing off her 2012 big pink Better Half Dash trophy
The ladies of NASCAR are set to run down the track in North Carolina just before the NASCAR Sprint Cup racers head out on the track to see who can do the fastest lap on Bojangles’ Pole Night. The ladies of NASCAR will drive U.S. Legend Cars International Banderos around the frontstretch quarter-mile for bragging rights and charities like Motor Racing Outreach and Speedway Children’s Charities.
The ladies from the 2012 Better Half Dash
Below you can check out which ladies are set to drive during the 2013 Better Half Dash.
Wendy Venturini, motorsports analyst for Fox Sports 1
Lyn-z Pastrana, wife of NASCAR driver Travis Pastrana
Kristen Yeley, wife of NASCAR driver J.J. Yeley
Michelle Gilliland, wife of NASCAR driver David Gilliland
Ashley Stremme, wife of NASCAR driver David Stremme
Heidi Stoddard, wife of NASCAR team owner Frank Stoddard
Jessica Park, wife of NASCAR driver Steve Park
Gina Cope, wife of NASCAR crew chief Ernie Cope
Amy Gordon, wife of NASCAR crew chief Todd Gordon
Melanie Self, a representative of Motor Racing Outreach
The better half of the team of Pastrana, Lyn-z is a sports professional, being a eight-time X Games medalist, and keeps her trophy from last year in their bedroom. She apparently likes her big pink trophy and expectations are for Lyn-z to be very competitive during the 2013 Better Half Dash.
Better Half Dash defending champion and eight-time X Games medalist, Pastrana is no stranger to winning, and she has a special fondness for her six-foot pink Better Half Dash trophy. “It’s actually sitting in our bedroom. None of Travis’ trophies are in our bedroom,” Pastrana said. “I’ve never gotten a trophy like that ever in all my action sports.” “It’s definitely a really fun experience,” Pastrana said. “It’s cool to get to know some of the other wives and bring the community together a little bit more.”
The starting positions for the 2013 Better Half Dash will be determined by qualifying on October 7, 2013, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Race enthusiasts hoping to lend a hand to their favorite driver can show up to add their support, since the driver collecting the most donations will be in front of the field heading to the green flag. You can also help the charities each driver is helping by donating a few dollars in their name by visiting www.go2mro.com/betterhalfdash.
Race fans can also have a little fun watching their favorite drivers act as crew chiefs and spotters during the 2013 Better Half Dash. The husbands will be in the pit taking care of the girls’ cars, but aren’t allowed to make any engine, chassis or suspension changes.
The lady that walks away with the 2013 Better Half Dash Championship will be given $10,000. $5,000 she can hand out to her favorite charities, while the other $5,000 will be given to Speedway Children’s Charities and Motor Racing Outreach.
This event is a must attend party for all race fans and ladies looking to have a little fun. Men can bring their better halves, while the ladies can hang out and talk to the girls of NASCAR.
See you at the track in Charlotte on October 10, 2013, for the 2013 Better Half Dash.
This weekend the NASCAR Sprint series will be at Dover International Speedway. Ford racing fans are looking forward to another great run on this track for Greg Biffle, who always seems to run well at this venue.
Greg Biffle is currently fifty in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings as we head to Dover International Speedway this weekend for the AAA 400. We asked him if he would drop by the infield media center after his practice session to talk about his chances of driving his way to the Chase championship in the No. 16 3M Ford Fusion.
Greg looked pretty fast on the track during the practice session
“What are your thoughts on the race this weekend?”
Greg Biffle “It’s been a great track for us, although as of late we’ve struggled a little bit here as an organization. We’re looking forward to turning that around like we’ve been able to do at Richmond and some of the short tracks we’ve been a lot better on as of late. We targeted this place to be a place we need to improve at and I feel that so far we’ve been a little bit better than we had been in the spring time here. That gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the weekend and what we’re able to do with the car tomorrow.”
“Some think the Chase is really a three-man race this year. What are your thoughts on making it a four-man race? You always seem to have success during the Chase.”
Biffle “The Chase, from what I understand, is made up of 10 races and to be two races into the Chase and say it’s a three-man race already, to me, seems silly as to why somebody would want to put themselves in that position and say it’s a three-man race. Obviously, you don’t have anything on the line. It’s not like we’re making a wager in Vegas that it’s a three-man race. It’s somebody’s opinion and everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but I can’t imagine with eight races to go that somebody would be willing to say, ‘Oh, this is a three-man race.’ Take for instance last week, we finished third and moved up six spots in the points to fifth. I don’t know how one would say it’s a three-man race. Now, if Kenseth goes on and wins the title does that mean it’s a three-man race or does that mean it’s a one-man race? I don’t know. I just think there are more than three cars in this thing right now. Now, if we get past Talladega and there are four races to go or three races to go, I could see that. But they could break for three races in a row and maybe not even go to Vegas and not even be in the top 10. So I’d say it’s a little early is all I was getting at. I wouldn’t be the one putting my name on the line to say there are only three cars in this hunt right now. I wasn’t necessarily saying that for the 16 team. I wasn’t making the case that it’s not a three-man race because of us, I wouldn’t count out Carl Edwards or any of those other guys that are right there in the hunt. Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, I wouldn’t be counting those guys out just yet is all I was saying. I wasn’t saying it just because of our case of one race we finished third and moved to fifth in points, that wasn’t the point I was making.”
“Ford racing hasn’t won a Chase in quite awhile. Are there any common reasons you can think of that would have caused this during the last decade? Do you feel a lot of added pressure, because of this, to win the championship this year?”
Biffle “I can’t really answer why we haven’t won a title. You look at Carl and Carl tied for the points championship. It doesn’t get any close than that and in 2005 we finished under the old point system 35 points behind Tony with a major hiccup with three races to go. Potentially, with not much in history changed, we’ve got two championships right there. Some teams have probably done a little better job than we have and you look at Matt Kenseth for example. He’s got seven wins on the season. That might indicate some of the reasons why they’ve got more championships than we’ve got. We’ve still got a little bit more work to do. We’ve come a tremendously long way and I think we’re fairly competitive right now.”
There have been people who have suggested you Ford racers haven’t always garnered the attention other drivers get, even though you have showed pretty good, finishing in the top five year after year. Do you feel these comments are warranted?
Biffle “I think that’s just historically the way it’s been. You talk about the guys that are having success and how great it is. That’s sort of been the way it is. Am I surprised they’re not talking about Carl? A little bit. Am I surprised they’re not talking about the 16? Not really because we tend to slide a little bit under the radar all the time anyway, so it doesn’t bother me. It gives you motivation to do well and compete every week and try to get what you can. Like I always said before, if you’re winning races or you win the championship, they have to talk about you so put yourself in that position – put yourself in the position Matt is and they’re gonna be talking about you.”
Would you rather be in the position Matt was in? Can you think of any particular reason Matt didn’t have consistent success during his run with Roush?
Biffle “That’s a hard one. I couldn’t pinpoint any particular reason why, but the other thing is I don’t mind flying a little under the radar. It’s a little less pressure sometimes.”
How does it feel to have a teammate in the Chase? What things do you share with each other? How do you compete against each other?
“Carl and I have a lot of respect for each other. We had an incident earlier in the season at Michigan where the whole organization sat down and I think we understand each other and appreciate each other’s abilities a lot more since that meeting and we kind of do what we can to help one another that doesn’t hurt yourself and that’s what came out of that meeting in Sonoma after the Michigan race and that’s the way we’ve really handled it since then. Carl and I are parked next to each other in the garage and we’re talking about our cars and competition and how our car is in race trim versus qualifying trim, so we share everything and try to help one another with what we can.”
Charlotte Motor Speedway (Sept. 18, 2013) – The hovercraft comes of age this weekend during the Charlotte AutoFair at the speedway in North Carolina. People on hand will have a chance to have a closer look at a vehicle that can travel over just about any land surface and talk to experts on hand about their all-terrain vehicle. Expectations are for the co-creator, Michael Mercier, to possibly be on hand at times to talk about his invention and everything it is capable of doing.
Hovercraft were first mentioned in the documents of Swedish scientist Emanuel Swedenborg back in the early 1800s.
The first recorded vehicle capable of travelling over water, like an invention of this type, was built around 1915 by Dagobert Muller.
Christopher Cockerell is credited with designing and engineering the first practical all-terrain vehicle supported on air during the 1950s.
Michael Mercier and his invention were on hand Tuesday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and we had a chance to take a look at the vehicle. The driver sits in an open cockpit, with the co-pilot next to him for support. The overall length of the hovercraft is around 150 inches and it comes in at only 800 pounds, which is reasonably light. This vehicle is constructed using materials and techniques first developed in the aerospace, marine and automotive industries, like carbon fiber and metal alloys.
The driver sits in an open cockpit
This vehicle is powered by a 40-horsepower engine, similar to the one on a V-twin Harley, that provides the energy to operate three independent motors, which are connected to the fans used to push this baby around. Getting from zero to 50 mph takes about ten seconds on average, with top speed reaching around 80 mph. The designers also added a 10-gallon fuel tank to this vehicle, which allows it to cruise for around 150 miles, before being refuelled.
You can expect to pay around $30,000 for this new hovercraft, once they begin selling this vehicle, sometime in the future. Drop by the apocalypse survival vehicles display this weekend during the Charlotte AutoFair and have a look at this vehicle. This new invention could be the best way to survive the next zombie infestation and you want to be able to outrun the dead.
While you’re at the fair check out the vehicles on display and the latest in automotive parts and memorabilia for sale. Expectations are for sellers to bring around 1500 collectible cars and 200 newer cars to the fair to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. There will even be rides, games and other forms of entertainment on hand to keep the kids happy.
All of the fun runs from Thursday to Saturday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and we expect thousands of car, and hovercraft, lovers to be on hand. Prices for the affair are very reasonable, at $10 for adults, while kids under 13 enter free when with an adult. Just tell them Warren sent you down to have a good time.
For more information on the Charlotte Motor Speedway and the events occurring this weekend, drop by www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.
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