John Wes Townley Approved For Daytona

John Wes Townley's performance in the ARCA Daytona race on February 7th helped NASCAR make a decision. That decision is to approve John to be able to drive at Daytona in the Nationwide event.

John steps back into his car and is ready to compete on Saturday.

His stand in (Wouldn't that be a sit-in?), Travis Kvapil, is available to anyone needing a driver for the weekend folks!!

Source: ARCA Racing.com,

For The Consummate Jason Keller Fan

So how does Jason Keller feel about headed to Daytona in this new 2009 racing season?  Check out a few quotes:

Jason Keller's Race Outlook

 "Usually by now you've done some testing, know where you stand and can make adjustments.  Without the testing it is tough to determine how fast you are and where you stand compared to other teams.  We've made a lot of changes since the end of last season and all of our numbers from the wind tunnel look better than ever.  As a team we've made a lot of improvements to the cars and I have a lot of confidence in my Crew Chief Todd Gordon and the entire crew on the No. 27 Kroger Racing Ford Fusion.  We head into this race with a very positive attitude and we're looking to leave Daytona one step in the right direction of our ultimate goal; competing for a championship this season."

 

Jason Keller on the Entire Team Being on the Same Page

 "As a veteran of this series I realize the importance of having the support of a great sponsor that understands what it takes to be successful on and off the track and after working closely with the folks at Kimberly-Clark this off-season I know that we have that.  Everyone involved with our team is on the same page and we've made great strides in improving our cars this off-season in an effort to improve our performance on the track and we're ready to reap the rewards of our entire team's efforts and compete for a championship."

 

It's the same tale told as anyone else this year.  No testing has made this a grab bag of a guessing game going into the gates of Daytona.  Jason has been an icon of the sport to me for some time now and I enjoy watching him apply his skills to the wheel.

Good luck this year Jason. 

Check Out The Fantasy League Over -On Pit Row-

There's a new fantasy game in town and it's called One and Done, NASCAR Fantasy game from OnPitRow.com.

It's simple. Pick a driver each week (They break the season into 13,13 and 10 race games). You can only take a driver once, in any of the segments / games.

There are some fantastic prizes with this fantasy league. First place is a Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure, for each segment! Despite the prizes, the league is free and sign up takes under a minute.

So go on over and check it out at http://onpitrow.com/fantasy/!

I'm signing up, but I'm probably gonna kick your butt!!! See ya there!

UPDATE: 2/10/09: If some of you headed over there, you might have found some technical difficulties in signing up.

The site is now up and running... so come on over so I can kick your ***!!!!

500 Front Row Set

Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin are on the front row of the Daytona 500.

In both of these x-DEI drivers cases, the change would appear to have done them well.

Truex didn't leave DEI. DEI merged with Ganassi, now EGR, I can't help but think this helped boost Truex to the pole position. (His 2nd in this race) Yet, DEI always had a grip on restrictor racing and maybe this was a boost for Ganassi.

With Mark Martin having left DEI for the Hendrick stable, this too looks like Martin is benefiting from the change as this is his first career front row start.

All good moves for both it would seem. BTW: Ryan Newman made an impressive appearance, being third in the qualifying sprints. It looks like Bill Elliott may be locked into the race also, per the FOX telecast.

Image cr: Getty Images for NASCAR

Is It Time To Run The Gatorade Duels On The Weekend?

As I watch the qualifying run for the Daytona 500, presently Martin Truex (pole) and Mark Martin on the front row as I write this.

I realize that if I want to watch the Gatorade Duels live, I need to figure out something out work wise so I can do this.

With NASCAR changing the practice rules, the drivers had a lot of time to make public appearances in the preceding weeks, I have to wonder if it's time to change the race schedule also?

What I mean by that is rather than having the qualifying runs today, should they have had them last weekend? In this way, we get our racing back on TV a week earlier. But more importantly, could they run the Gatorade Duels on a Saturday so we don't have to either play hooky, take a long lunch, or risk watching the streamed event at work?

I know I'm bucking tradition, but NASCAR is already doing that as they change the rules and cars and what not. I think it's time they think of the viewing audience for this one. I also think they should think of their precious advertisers return on the their dollar. I'd think it would be higher on a weekend than it would be during the week.

I'd like the Duels on a weekend. What do you think?

The 2009 Budweiser Shootout Observations - Kevin Harvick Wins

The Budweiser Shootout started out with a bit of a fizzle as the broadcast was a little blotchy on my end of my Comcast cable transmission in the Bay Area.

Dierks Bentley's song seemed to not be connected with FOX so we experienced what felt like someone at the track was holding up their cell phone so we can catch the experience.

The track itself seemed to be having issues as the National Anthem was cutting in and out.

During the Anthem, I believe we got a sample of Scott Speed's attitude as he had a sort of mocking attitude to the snaggy Anthem transmission that got caught on camera. Nice start so far.

I think Scott Speed will be the new wildcard this year, if what I've read in the past is any indicator of things to come.

Ahh... the Shootout starts and we have NASCAR racing back on our TV's for the 2009 season.

The first caution involved Logano, Speed, Ragan, R. Gordon. There was a lot of checking up that seemed a bit dangerous as cars started to accordian a bit for a few laps before this incident.

Ad Opinion:
The Kasey Kahne GPS ad was pretty funny, and one of my perennial favorites, the Mikey fan asking Michael Waltrip to sign his simulated wrecked diecasts.

I can't mock that too much as I've done that with a Ryan Newman diecast from '01, '02. I towed an Alltel diecast behind my truck. These things handle as well as the real cars! After one sharp turn, I had myself my Ryan Newman superspeedway raced diecast. (He used to get caught up in everything at the superspeedways. I was frustrated.)

New Rules, An Opinion:
I get the new rules NASCAR have dispatched on the sport. They want all the manufacturers represented. And by setting the rule to the top "x" of cars for each manufacturer gets some folk in the race that shouldn't be. Then of course, NASCAR recognized a slight shortcoming and had to add a gimme type of rule to allow Tony Stewart to be in the race.

I still sit in shock watching last years Daytona 500 winner, Ryan Newman, sitting on the sidelines watching the race while some new drivers that shouldn't even be near this race are in it.

As my wife puts it, (A live fan perspective) That's f****ing bull**** with all these new rules. It should be the driver, not the car that gets in this race. Oh, wait, she's not a fan anymore after all the new rules that pop up every year.

In-Race Opinion:
Is it me, or was the track excessively bumpy tonight? Or has it just been that long since we've seen a race? Nah, these cars ARE much more jumpier than they used to be. I don't remember so many near accidents in a race, as they've been having every lap it seems.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said that after a few laps the cars got real loose. It seemed that way throughout the field.

Meanwhile, David Stremme in Ryans old No. 12 Dodge seems to be in it a lot as Stremme takes out Greg Biffle with 3 laps to go. If this race is any indicator, this driver placement of Stremme may not pan out as well as I had hoped for him. This was the third altercation for Stremme tonight.

By virtue of a multi car wreck in the last lap of the race, Kevin Harvick gets himself past Jamie McMurray just before the yellow flag as Jeff Gordon got into the 07 car that took the rest of the field out.

Congratulations to Kevin Harvick, being in the right spot at the end of the race.

Image credit: Jerry Markland of Getty Images

Extraneous Budweiser Shootout Tidbits

Here's some Budweiser Shootout Tidbits for you:

• 91 drivers have participated in the Budweiser Shootout;
42 of those drivers have participated in two or less; 28 in only one.

• There have been as few as seven drivers in one race, (1981) and a high of 23 in 2008.
(Which will be broken this year)

• Whose competed the most times in the Budweiser Shootout?:

• Bill Elliott (23)
• Mark Martin (21)
• Rusty Wallace (19)
• Ken Schrader (18)
• Geoffrey Bodine (16)
• Ricky Rudd (16)

• Whose competed in the most consecutive number of Shootouts?
Mark Martin has appeared in 20 straight events from 1989-2008.
Unfortunately, Mark will not compete in this year’s race.
With that, the active lead will be taken over by Jeff Gordon with 16 (including this year’s event).

• How many multiple winners have there been?
There have been seven multiple winners in the Budweiser Shootout:

• Tony Stewart has won three of the last eight Budweiser Shootouts (2001, 2002 and 2007).
• Dale Earnhardt won six of the 23 races between 1979 and 2001. His six victories came in 12 appearances.
• Dale Jarrett won in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
• The other multiple winners: Neil Bonnett (1983 and 1984), Ken Schrader (1989 and 1990), Jeff Gordon (1994 and 1997) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2003 and 2008).
• Bonnett, Schrader and Stewart are the only drivers to win back-to-back races.

• Who won the Shootout in their first appearance in the race?

• Buddy Baker (1979),
• Dale Earnhardt (1980),
• Jeff Gordon (1994),
• Dale Jarrett (1996) and
• Denny Hamlin (2006)

• How often has the winner gone on to win the Daytona 500?:

• Bobby Allison (1982)
• Bill Elliott (1987)
• Dale Jarrett (1996 and 2000)
• Jeff Gordon (1997)

• Do you know how many drivers won from the pole?

• Darrell Waltrip (1981),
• Bill Elliott (1987) and
• Ken Schrader (1989).

.

Budweiser Shootout Manufacturer Win Stats

Budweiser Shootout Manufacturer Recap


Manu: Victories, Last Victory, Driver
Chevrolet 17 2008 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Ford 7 2004 – Dale Jarrett
Buick 2 1982 – Bobby Allison
Oldsmobile 2 1980 – Dale Earnhardt
Pontiac 2 2002 – Tony Stewart
I bet Tony wants to change that stat!)
.
.

Some Bits and Pieces About the Budweiser Shootout

By the Numbers: Budweiser Shootout at Daytona

.08 seconds
Is the margin of victory Dale Earnhardt beat Sterling Marlin by in 1995. The closest margin in Budweiser Shootout history

1 lap.
The # of laps led, by Rusty Wallace (1998), Neil Bonnett (1983-84), Dale Earnhardt (1980) and Dale Jarrett (2004) in the Budweiser Shootouts they won

2.75 –
The average finish in the Budweiser Shootout by Dale Earnhardt, best by any driver with multiple starts

5 –
The # of Drivers who have won the event in their first appearance
(Buddy Baker, 1979; Dale Earnhardt, 1980; Jeff Gordon, 1994; Dale Jarrett, 1996; Denny Hamlin, 2006)

19 –
The number of lead changes in 2001, the highest number since race began in 1979

19 –
The starting position of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2003, the lowest starting position of a Budweiser Shootout race-winner

23 –
Is the largest number of participants in the Shootout ever, in 2008.
That number will be broken this year with 28 cars competing.

44 –
The most laps led in the Shootout by a non-winning driver. Greg Biffle (2005) Ain't that a wonderful stat to have?

47 –
The most laps ever led in the Shootout... Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2008)

NASCAR 2009 TV Season Outline Announced

NASCAR released an outline of telecast strategies that are going to be shared across the digital domain known as TV. So it's time to set your recording times or snack times, depending how you approach your NASCAR race viewing! Here's how the TV schedule is looking right now as announced by NASCAR:

First up:
The non-points Budweiser Shootout at Daytona at 8:10 p.m. (ET) on Feb. 7 at Daytona International Speedway. (FOX)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Cup points races will be spread across FOX, TNT, ESPN or ABC networks, with America's Funniest Videos alloted to the last 30 minutes of each race on ABC! (Please tell me you know I'm joking, right?)

SPEED gets in on the act when they broadcast the non-points events –
the Gatorade Duel at Daytona (2 p.m. ET on Feb. 12) and the
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (7:30 p.m. ET on May 16 at Lowe's Motor Speedway).

FOX has the first 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup points races, starting with the
Daytona 500 (Feb. 15, 2 p.m. TV start time; green flag 3:20 p.m. ET) and their telecast reign
ends on May 31 with the race at Dover International Speedway at 2 p.m. (ET).

TNT takes over with the next six races starting with
The Pocono 500 at 2 p.m. (ET) on June 7 at Pocono Raceway and ending with
Chicagoland Speedway's LifeLock.com 400, July 11 at 8 p.m. (ET).

ESPN / ABC will broadcast the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup events.
ESPN starts with the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at 2 p.m. (ET) on July 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and ends with the
Sept. 6 event at Atlanta Motor Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET).

ABC completes the season with 11 broadcasts, or 11 chances to get it right starting with the 26th race of the season,
Richmond International Raceway on Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. (ET).
ABC also will air the entire 10-race Chase where it culminates with the final race of the season with the Ford 400 on Nov. 22 at 3:15 p.m. (ET) at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Nationwide Series
The 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series season will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.
ABC will broadcast four events, ESPN will broadcast five and ESPN2 will broadcast 26.
ESPN2 opens with the Camping World 300 at 1:15 p.m. (ET) on Feb. 14 at Daytona.
New to the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule is a race at Iowa Speedway, held on Aug. 1 at 4:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN.
ESPN2 will also present the airing of the season-finale Ford 300 on Nov. 21 at Homestead-Miami (4:30 p.m. ET).

Camping World Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be on SPEED beginning with the season-opening
NextEra Energy Resources 250 on Feb. 13 at 8 p.m. (ET) at Daytona.
The season-finale Ford 200 on Nov. 20 at Homestead-Miami begins at 8 p.m. (ET).
Allin all, SPEED will broadcast 23 of the 25 races.

FOX will broadcast two Truck Series events, with the first being at the Auto Club Speedway on Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. (ET).
FOX also will broadcast the NCWTS Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway on March 28 at 2 p.m. (ET).

There ya have it gang. TV contracts spelled out. Now will ABC really have learned their lessons from last year or do they stick with their contractual obligations yet again, hoping a race doesn't run over on their watch? Like that ever happens!?

Any bets on how rain delays / field set by weather we might see this year? I hope it's less than last year, that's my guess!!