Kurt Busch Starting His New Ride Early

We all know (I presume) that Kurt Busch is going to Furniture Row Racing (FRR) next year, replacing Regan Smith in the car.  But what I didn't realize was that it's not just for next year, but as a season closer act.

Seems that Kurt Busch will be driving for Furniture Row Racing in the last six races for the 2012 season, getting Regan booted sooner than expected.  That means starting October 13th, he's in the car at Charlotte.

In some earlier conversations, Kurt made mention that this ride switch is a no-brainer because of the under-funded scenario that Phoenix Racing has faced.  They've been showing up that the track with only 8 guys, old chassis, etc., etc..  FRR on the other hand, is a fairly well stocked team, and Smith sits two spots in front of Kurt in driver points.

I can't help but wonder if this sounds a death knell for Phoenix, with no sponsor lined up.

In owners points, the No. 78 is 25th, the No. 51 is 27th.

And speaking of owners points, the top-35 is not really a story this year.  The 35th spot is held by the No. 36 car and and 119 points back is the 36th place car of the No. 21.

[ESPN]

NASCAR Chairman And CEO Brian France On The Passing of Chris Economaki

It's a sad day indeed for the cadre of press as a predecessor and role model passes away today.

via press release, from Brian France
 

 

Statement From NASCAR Chairman And CEO Brian France On The Passing of Chris Economaki

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 28, 2012) – "The passing of Chris Economaki is a tough loss for me on both a personal and professional level, having known Chris throughout my life. Many people consider Chris the greatest motorsports journalist of all time. He was, indeed, 'the Dean.' Chris was a fixture for years at NASCAR events, and played a huge role in growing NASCAR's popularity. I'll miss seeing him and of course, I'll miss hearing that voice. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughters Corinne and Tina and the rest of Chris' family."

NASCAR 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule Released

Ah, finally, the schedule for next year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...

Check it out and see if you like what you see...

via press release

NASCAR Announces 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule

New Cars, Same Fierce Competition In Store For 2013

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 25, 2012) – NASCAR announced today the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule for the 2013 season, a highly anticipated campaign that will welcome redesigned race cars to the track.

Though unveiled and tested throughout the 2012 season, the new models – Chevrolet's SS, Ford's Fusion and Toyota's Camry – will make their official entrance into NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition on Feb. 16 with the preseason non-points Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. Qualifying for the "Great American Race" will take place on Feb. 17, followed by the season-opening 55th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 24.

"The new NASCAR Sprint Cup cars for next season have dominated fan conversation for more than a year, and the time is approaching to unleash them on the race track," said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. "Next year's schedule again will offer a strong mix of challenges for our talented drivers, and we believe fans will continue to enjoy what they've come to expect – the most exciting and competitive racing in the world."

The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, marking the 65th season for NASCAR's premier series, will have a familiar feel, opening with the Daytona 500 before moving west to Phoenix International Raceway (March 3) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 10) for races Nos. 2 and 3. For the third consecutive season, NASCAR's playoffs – the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – will start at Chicagoland Speedway, near one of the country's biggest markets. The Chase will conclude with the season finale on Nov. 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

With Kansas Speedway's repave project now complete, next season's Talladega Super-speedway autumn event will return to its traditional spot on the calendar. Talladega's 2013 Chase race, No. 6 during the 10-race stretch, will run Oct. 20. Kansas will host its 2013 Chase event on Oct. 6.

Below is the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule in its entirety.

2013 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE

Date	Site	Network
2/16	Daytona International Speedway (Shootout)	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
2/17	Daytona International Speedway (Daytona 500 Qualifying)	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
2/21	Daytona International Speedway (Duel)	SPEED, MRN, SiriusXM
2/24	Daytona 500	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
3/3	Phoenix International Raceway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
3/10	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
3/17	Bristol Motor Speedway	FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
3/24	Auto Club Speedway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
4/7	Martinsville Speedway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
4/13	Texas Motor Speedway	FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
4/21	Kansas Speedway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
4/27	Richmond International Raceway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
5/5	Talladega Superspeedway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
5/11	Darlington Raceway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
5/18	NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (Charlotte Motor Speedway)	SPEED, MRN, SiriusXM
5/26	Charlotte Motor Speedway	FOX, PRN, SiriusXM
6/2	Dover International Speedway	FOX, MRN, SiriusXM
6/9	Pocono Raceway	TNT, MRN, SiriusXM
6/16	Michigan International Speedway	TNT, MRN, SiriusXM
6/23	Sonoma	TNT, PRN, SiriusXM
6/29	Kentucky Speedway	TNT, PRN, SiriusXM
7/6	Daytona International Speedway	TNT, MRN, SiriusXM
7/14	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	TNT, PRN, SiriusXM
7/28	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	ESPN, IMS, SiriusXM
8/4	Pocono Raceway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/11	Watkins Glen International	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/18	Michigan International Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
8/24	Bristol Motor Speedway	ABC, PRN, SiriusXM
9/1	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
9/7	Richmond International Raceway	ABC, MRN, SiriusXM
9/15	Chicagoland Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
9/22	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
9/29	Dover International Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
10/6	Kansas Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
10/12	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ABC, PRN, SiriusXM
10/20	Talladega Superspeedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
10/27	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
11/3	Texas Motor Speedway	ESPN, PRN, SiriusXM
11/10	Phoenix International Raceway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM
11/17	Homestead-Miami Speedway	ESPN, MRN, SiriusXM

-

NASCAR Nationwide Series Official Race Results from Kentucky

via press release

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES OFFICIAL RACE REPORT No. 27
INAUGURAL KENTUCKY "300"
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY

Sparta, KY - September 22, 2012
1.5-Mile Oval
200 Laps - 300 Miles Purse: $1,098,207

---

Fin	Str	Car				Series	Bonus	Driver			Leader
Pos	Pos	No	Driver	Team	Laps	Points	Points	Rating	Winnings	Status	Times	Laps
1	1	3	Austin Dillon #	Advocare Chevrolet	200	47	4	139.5	$94,868	Running	3	65
2	3	12	Sam Hornish Jr	Alliance Truck Parts Dodge	200	43	1	122.8	55,743	Running	2	5
3	6	33	Brendan Gaughan (i)	South Point Chevrolet	200	0	0	110.0	43,943	Running
4	4	18	Drew Herring	SportClips Toyota	200	41	1	109.1	33,943	Running	1	2
5	8	2	Elliott Sadler	OneMain Financial Chevrolet	200	41	2	131.4	30,943	Running	2	93
6	15	88	Cole Whitt #	Clean Coal Chevrolet	200	38	0	107.9	27,068	Running
7	5	43	Michael Annett	Pilot/Flying J Ford	200	38	1	101.1	24,793	Running	1	2
8	10	31	Justin Allgaier	Brandt Chevrolet	200	36	0	95.4	23,568	Running
9	20	22	Ryan Blaney (i)	Discount Tire Dodge	200	0	0	90.7	22,543	Running
10	13	38	Brad Sweet #	Great Clips Chevrolet	200	34	0	87.6	23,193	Running
11	7	11	Brian Scott	Dollar General Toyota	199	33	0	92.4	21,468	Running
12	12	70	Johanna Long #	Keen Parts Chevrolet	199	32	0	84.2	20,943	Running
13	19	30	James Buescher (i)	Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet	199	0	0	80.8	20,393	Running
14	11	7	Danica Patrick	GoDaddy.com Chevrolet	198	30	0	77.0	19,868	Running
15	18	51	Jeremy Clements	All South Electrical Constructors, Inc. Chevrolet	198	29	0	77.4	23,418	Running
16	23	81	Jason Bowles #	Thrush and Son/HI Technologies Toyota	197	28	0	73.6	19,418	Running
17	2	6	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	Ford EcoBoost Ford	197	28	1	93.4	20,293	Running	1	32
18	17	44	Mike Bliss	BANDITChippers.com Toyota	197	26	0	76.7	19,143	Running
19	16	23	Jamie Dick	Viva Auto Group Chevrolet	196	25	0	66.0	12,550	Running
20	22	01	Mike Wallace	G&K Services Chevrolet	196	24	0	66.9	19,568	Running
21	27	39	Josh Richards	JOY Ford	196	23	0	58.5	12,300	Running
22	24	14	Eric McClure	Hefty/Reynolds Wrap Toyota	196	22	0	55.4	18,643	Running
23	33	19	Tayler Malsam	G-Oil Toyota	195	21	0	56.1	18,493	Running
24	30	40	Erik Darnell	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet	194	20	0	51.3	18,343	Running
25	9	99	Alex Bowman	Penserra Securities/Allegiant Air Toyota	194	19	0	87.1	18,468	Running
26	21	8	Scott Lagasse Jr	HybridLight/BSA Chevrolet	187	18	0	58.3	11,805	Running
27	32	87	Joe Nemechek	AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota	143	17	0	53.9	17,943	Engine
28	14	54	Kurt Busch (i)	Monster Energy Toyota	128	0	0	93.9	11,355	Rear Gear
29	40	41	Timmy Hill	RWR Ford	104	15	0	39.7	11,220	Handling
30	25	4	Danny Efland	Tradebank Chevrolet	81	14	0	46.1	17,878	Engine
31	42	89	Morgan Shepherd	Victory In Jesus Chevrolet	55	13	0	42.0	11,000	Handling
32	29	24	Benny Gordon	O.C.R. Gaz Bar/Snappy Tomato Pizza Toyota	52	12	0	42.0	10,890	Vibration
33	36	50	David Starr (i)	Gulf Coast Loss Prevention Chevrolet	47	0	0	44.8	10,785	Rear Gear
34	34	86	Kevin Lepage	DT Trivette Trucking Ford	46	11	1	47.9	10,675	Vibration	1	1
35	37	52	Joey Gase #	Metro Ministries Chevrolet	38	9	0	38.9	10,560	Clutch
36	43	08	Mike Harmon	Randy Hill Racing Ford	22	8	0	39.1	10,525	Vibration
37	41	15	Carl Long	Lilly Trucking Chevrolet	16	7	0	41.1	10,475	Overheating
38	38	00	Tanner Berryhill	O.C.R. Gaz Bar Toyota	15	6	0	41.1	10,431	Rear Gear
39	26	46	Chase Miller	The Motorsports Group Chevrolet	13	5	0	39.5	10,295	Vibration
40	39	75	Matt Carter	Lilly Trucking Chevrolet	13	4	0	37.9	10,210	Transmission
41	31	47	Matt DiBenedetto	Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet	10	3	0	36.5	10,150	Vibration
42	35	42	Matt Frahm	Key Motorsports Chevrolet	6	2	0	34.8	10,120	Brakes
43	28	10	Charles Lewandoski	TriStar Motorsports Toyota	4	1	0	33.4	10,053	Vibration

# Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contender.
Bonus Points: includes winner, lap leader & most laps led points
(i) = Ineligible for driver points in this series

Failed to qualify: n/a
Race Comments: Before an estimated crowd of 23,000, Austin Dillon won the Kentucky 300, his 2nd NASCAR Nationwide Series victory. Prior to the green flag, the following car dropped to the rear of the field for the reason indicated: 54 (driver change).
TIME OF RACE: 2 hours, 10 minutes, 55 seconds AVERAGE SPEED: 137.492 mph MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.059 second(s)
COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD: Austin Dillon (177.264 mph. 30.463 secs.)
3M LAP LEADER: Elliott Sadler (93 Laps )
FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER: Jeremy Clements (15 Places)
MAHLE CLEVITE ENGINE BUILDER OF THE RACE: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (#3)
MOBIL 1 OIL DRIVER OF THE RACE: Austin Dillon
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Austin Dillon


Caution Flags: 6 cautions for 26 laps. [Beneficiary in Brackets] 3-5 (87, Spin Back Stretch [None]); 9-12 (38, Spin Turn 4 [None]); 32-35 (Competition [50]); 40-43 (18, 43, Accident Turns 3 And 4 [40]); 87-92 (19, Spin Front Stretch [None]); 162-166 (14, Spin Front Stretch [31]).

Lap Leaders: 11 lead changes among 7 drivers. Dillon-pole, Stenhouse Jr 1-32, Lepage 33, Dillon 34-43, Hornish Jr 44-46, Sadler 47-87, Dillon 88-92, Sadler 93-144, Hornish Jr 145-146, Herring 147-148, Annett 149-150, Dillon 151-200.

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES TOP 10
Driver	Points	Wins
1 - Elliott Sadler	1014	(4)
2 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr	1010	(5)
3 - Austin Dillon	995	(2)
4 - Sam Hornish Jr	968	(0)
5 - Justin Allgaier	911	(1)
6 - Michael Annett	875	(0)
7 - Cole Whitt	805	(0)
8 - Mike Bliss	748	(0)
9 - Brian Scott	666	(0)
10 - Joe Nemechek	651	(0)

NEXT EVENT: September 29, 2012 - 27th Annual OneMain Financial 200, Dover International Speedway, Dover, DE (200 Miles) (200 Laps)
NOTE: The above figures are based upon team winnings and include racing purse and cash contingency awards by participating manufacturers. (9/24/2012)