tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336 2009-07-21T18:20:23Z The motorsport and autoracing blog for NASCAR, Formula 1 and motorsports news. Movable Type 3.36 tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.205684 2009-07-21T18:13:07Z 2009-07-21T18:20:23Z

ESPN kicks off its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage this weekend with the Allstate Brickyard 400 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We took time out to speak with ESPN’s lap-by-lap announcer, Dr. Jerry Punch Named ESPN’s lead announcer for NASCAR...

Bobby Cassidy ESPN kicks off its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series coverage this weekend with the Allstate Brickyard 400 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We took time out to speak with ESPN’s lap-by-lap announcer, Dr. Jerry Punch Named ESPN’s lead announcer for NASCAR coverage prior to the start of the 2007 season, Punch has been associated with ESPN since 1984. He has served as sideline reporter and play-by-play man for the network’s college football broadcasts but his primary role has been motor sports. He started as a pit reporter for NASCAR races and has been part of the Emmy Award-winning broadcast crew covering the 1989 Indianapolis 500. The North Carolina native worked as a mechanic and driver in high school and college, when he was also a walk-on, backup quarterback for North Carolina State. Following several years as a mechanic and driver on the short tracks of the Carolinas, Punch began substituting for the track announcer (Ned Jarrett) in 1975 in Hickory, N.C. He then covered NASCAR races for the Motor Racing Network on radio beginning with the Daytona 500 in 1980. He branched out into television in 1982. Punch received his medical degree from Wake Forest University in 1979 and became an emergency room physician. Twice in 1988, his two careers dramatically combined. In Bristol, Tenn., in August, Punch revived driver Rusty Wallace, who crashed in practice and was not breathing. Then in November in Atlanta, Punch joined the rescue effort to save Don Marmor who crashed in an ARCA race but survived. Dr. Jerry Punch has been with ESPN since 1984. Here he is standing outside of Dale Earnhardt's car at a race in 1988. Photo courtesy of ESPN. Trading Paint: Tell us a little bit about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dr. Jerry Punch: I don't think I've ever been around anything that is as big, it has a combination of a small town county fair or carnival, but it also has the feel of a Super Bowl or World Series. There is so much at stake during the day, you look in the drivers eyes and you can see that it means so much. The sheer magnitude and size of the venue can literally take your breath away. In sports, there is Wimbledon, Augusta, and maybe Fenway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of those places. If you win there, your legend is set. You can be an unknown, and suddenly you are known. TP: The Brickyard has such an IndyCar tradition, but how important is it to the NASCAR drivers? DJP: Everyone I have ever spoken with – the Daytona 500 is the crown jewel -- but a very close second is the Brickyard 400 because of where it is held and the tradition. It’s arguably the most hallowed ground in all of motor sports. When you come through the tunnel here, it's special. TP: Is the economy hurting NASCAR? DJP: I think NASCAR enjoyed unprecedented growth and success for three decades. The numbers were staggering. That opened a lot of eyes, But with the economy and the grass roots fan being among the hardest hit, there has been a bit of a leveling off, Still, I think we have to step back and look at the big picture and say, it's still probably the second most viewed sport in America, aside from the NFL. TD: You’ve been on board for the rise of ESPN and NASCAR, did you ever imagine that? DJP: I don't know that I ever did. I grew up in the south listening to the Southern 500 and the Daytona 500 on the radio or sitting outside under a tree and cutting up a watermelon and listening to races. I raced short tracks in North Carolina, I built cars in high school. Me and another redneck named Dale Earnhardt were running around together. I’ve been on the inside of it, I’ve welded trailers together, washed out the inside of a car after a driver gets sick. No, I don’t think I knew the sport or ESPN would get this big. NASCAR and ESPN grew up together. It was a symbiotic relationship. We held hands we grew up together. When we went to Bristol back in the early days, it was 17,000 people sitting on a blocks of concrete on the side of a hill. But the more we started to show, the races, the tracks, the inside look, the bigger it grew. Now you have fans driving from almost all 50 states to get to Bristol. TD: Talk about how athletic the drivers are. DJP: I don’t know how to put it. They are like marathoners, there is no huddle, there is no timeout, they are in a car for four and a half hours and many times the floorboard is 120 degrees. So, you are sitting in an oven, just baking. Most football games are 3 hours, and there is a halftime. In the car, the G force pulls your blood pressure down, so in order to keep your blood pressure up, your heart rate goes higher. It’s a different kind of conditioning. Everyone knew never to bum a ride with Bobby Allison because he’d drive around Alabama in the summer with the windows up and the heat on. One time, they put Joe Frazier into the car with Bobby Allison. Now Joe Frazier was a great heavyweight champion, a very strong man. Inside that car, Joe couldn’t even keep his head up. TP: What was it like working on “Days of Thunder” with Tom Cruise? DJP: It was a great experience. Tom Cruise was the ultimate gentleman. He really wanted to immerse himself in the part of being Cole Trickle. He came to Watkins Glen and walked around incognito as part of one the crews. No one up and down pit row new that it was Tom Cruise. He had a mic wired to his hat so he could pick up the dialect. I thought Robert Duvall was as good an individual playing his role as Harry Hogge as I've ever seen. I was able to interject some things. We'd be in the middle of shooting an interview at victory lane and I’d hesitate and Tom would say, “What’s wrong?” And I’d tell him that I would never ask that question. He would say, “What would you ask?” So we would stop and they’d have to call to get the script changed. Some of the best lines in the movie is what we did off the cuff." -- CASSIDY ]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.205459 2009-07-20T19:30:59Z 2009-07-20T19:32:08Z

Inbox Item: From ESPN. ESPN Classic will air four consecutive nights of past NASCAR Sprint Cup events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week to help NASCAR fans get ready for the 2009 edition airing Sunday, July 26, at 12:30 p.m....

Bobby Cassidy Inbox Item: From ESPN. ESPN Classic will air four consecutive nights of past NASCAR Sprint Cup events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week to help NASCAR fans get ready for the 2009 edition airing Sunday, July 26, at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The inaugural NASCAR event at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1994 is widely credited with helping elevate the popularity and status of NASCAR racing. Highlights of that event, won by Jeff Gordon, air Monday, July 20, at 6 p.m. Dale Earnhardt, one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, put his stamp on the Brickyard the next year, and ESPN Classic airs highlights of the 1995 race on Tuesday, July 21, at 6 p.m. The 2000 edition of the race airs Wednesday, July 22, at 6 p.m. The four-race run on ESPN concludes Thursday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m. with the 2007 race. tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.205276 2009-07-19T20:39:43Z 2009-07-19T20:40:43Z

After a rookie season of near-misses, it's starting to look like de Ferran Motorsports can do no wrong. Simon Pagenaud and Gil de Ferran won again in the American Le Mans Series, their third straight on the year, in the...

Bobby Cassidy After a rookie season of near-misses, it's starting to look like de Ferran Motorsports can do no wrong. Simon Pagenaud and Gil de Ferran won again in the American Le Mans Series, their third straight on the year, in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park on Saturday. Pagenaud crossed the finish line in his Acura ARX-02a 43.776 seconds ahead of David Brabham, who appeared to be on his way to a second straight Lime Rock victory with Patran Highcroft Racing teammate Scott Sharp. A punctured tire with 13 minutes left ended those hopes. De Ferran and Pagenaud haven't lost since the St. Petersburg street race in early April. "We started in the middle of last year; not only do we have a steep learning curve in sports cars, but we started a team from scratch," said team owner de Ferran. "We are just over a year old, and we really used these last two months to our advantage. I am quite happy about the evolution of the team. We had a little good fortune today. But it was good. We had a good race." Courtesy - ALMS tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.204818 2009-07-16T16:09:10Z 2009-07-16T16:10:03Z

The American Le Mans Series officially began Growing a Greener Tomorrow…Faster as Lowe’s Fernandez Racing team owner Adrian Fernandez and co-pilot Luis Diaz as well as BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team driver Bill Auberlen planted sugar maple trees alongside soccer...

Bobby Cassidy The American Le Mans Series officially began Growing a Greener Tomorrow…Faster as Lowe’s Fernandez Racing team owner Adrian Fernandez and co-pilot Luis Diaz as well as BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team driver Bill Auberlen planted sugar maple trees alongside soccer fields in Torrington, Connecticut’s Alvord Park. In support of the Series’ newest off-track initiative - Green Park - Fernandez, Diaz and Auberlen made a quick pit stop into Torrington to clean up and plant trees for a locally admired area before entering the gates of Lime Rock Park for the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix in nearby Lakeville on July 17-18. In the spirit of camaraderie, help and support came from the Torrington community - Mayor Ryan Bingham, Chamber of Commerce President and CEO JoAnn Ryan, Parks and Recreation Superintendent J. Brett Simmons, Lowe’s Home Improvement General Manger Fred Munk and his employees, and 30 local youth campers. A commemorative Green Park plaque was also marked the occasion by Lime Rock Park President Skip Barber, who will be remembered as hosting the first American Le Mans Series Green Park site in the country followed soon by Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America, Mosport International Raceway, Road Atlanta and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to finish out the 2009 American Le Mans Series season. Courtesy -- ALMS tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.204704 2009-07-16T00:40:40Z 2009-07-16T00:42:02Z

Here is the latest from the Associated Press on this story: NASCAR said Jeremy Mayfield once again tested positive for methamphetamine and asked the federal judge who lifted the driver's drug suspension to reinstate the ban. The positive result from...

Bobby Cassidy Here is the latest from the Associated Press on this story: NASCAR said Jeremy Mayfield once again tested positive for methamphetamine and asked the federal judge who lifted the driver's drug suspension to reinstate the ban. The positive result from a July 6 random test was included in a U.S. District Court filing Wednesday that included an affidavit from Mayfield's stepmother, who claimed she personally witnessed the driver using methamphetamine at least 30 times over seven years. Mayfield once again denied ever using the illegal drug. "I don't trust anything NASCAR does, anything (program administrator) Dr. David Black does, never have, never will," Mayfield told The Associated Press in a phone interview. Lisa Mayfield said she first saw the driver use meth in 1998 at a race shop in Mooresville, N.C. She said Mayfield cooked his own drugs until the ingredient pseudoephedrine was taken off the shelves and it became too difficult for Mayfield to obtain the ingredients. She said her stepson then began to purchase meth from others. "Between 1998 and 2005, I am personally aware that Jeremy used methamphetamines often," she said in her affidavit. "I was concerned about his heavy use and talked to his father about it. I saw Jeremy use methamphetamine by snorting it up his nose at least 30 times during the 7 years I was around him. Jeremy used methamphetamine not only in my presence, but also when we were both in the presence of others." Mayfield angrily contested his stepmother's account. "Now they got this lying (expletive) to tell lies about me, someone I am embarrassed even uses the Mayfield name. She's tried everything she can do to get money out of me, I won't help her, so I guess she found a way to get money from NASCAR by giving them an affidavit full of lies." In the affidavit, Lisa Mayfield said she married Mayfield's father in a 2003 ceremony immediately following Mayfield's marriage to his wife, Shana. Lisa Mayfield said the driver told her he used meth before a season-ending NASCAR awards ceremony while driving for Ray Evernham. She also said Mayfield used meth during a 1999 trip to Myrtle Beach that preceded a race at nearby Darlington Raceway. "We left Myrtle Beach and traveled to Darlington for the race," she wrote. "I saw Jeremy using methamphetamine again when we reached Darlington." Mayfield was suspended May 9 for failing a random drug test conducted eight days earlier. NASCAR later said he tested positive for methamphetamine. He sued, and U.S. District Court Judge Graham Mullen issued an injunction July 1 that allowed Mayfield to return to competition. Mullen based his decision on Mayfield's argument that the testing system is flawed and there was a reasonable likelihood of a false positive. He also gave NASCAR the right to test Mayfield at any time. NASCAR did just that July 6 at Mayfield's home and said in its filings that the "A" sample had levels of methamphetamine consistent with habitual users who consume high doses. "My only comment is that's their result," Mayfield attorney John Buric said. "But what I want you to keep in mind is that test was performed by the defendants in the case. Aegis Laboratories and Dr. Black are defendants in this case. I don't know if NASCAR has the right to ask the defendant to test Jeremy's urine sample. It ought to be done independently, but NASCAR didn't do that." On July 6, Mayfield also had a second test at a lab chosen by his attorneys. Buric said that test came back negative but was sent back to the lab Wednesday for "reconfirmation" after the NASCAR test results were received. The filing also claims Mayfield and his attorneys have failed to select a qualified laboratory to test the backup "B" sample. Buric acknowledged the two sides are still haggling over a lab for the B sample and said NASCAR rejected the lab they picked. Mayfield's lawyers also filed their response Wednesday to NASCAR's motion last week to overturn Mullen's injunction. The brief, which didn't include the results of Mayfield's latest drug case, argued NASCAR was trying to "fashion the rules to their liking" by not meeting the requirements needed to overturn the ruling. Mayfield's lawyers argued Mullen had correctly ruled that Mayfield faced irreparable harm from a suspension and doubts remain about the accuracy of NASCAR's testing policy. "NASCAR is absolutely corrupted by power, and it's untenable motion to stay should be denied," his lawyers wrote. tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.204601 2009-07-15T18:31:09Z 2009-07-15T19:10:09Z

If there’s every a team that is in need of some home-track luck, it’s BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team. Lime Rock Park, site of this weekend’s American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix, is only a couple of hours from BMW...

Bobby Cassidy Courtesy - ALMS The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn, is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 18. The race will air live on SPEED. Courtesy - ALMS]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.204409 2009-07-14T21:22:06Z 2009-07-14T21:25:49Z

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The top-12 cut-off bubble — which will decide who earns a spot in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup — is must-see stuff this time of the year. After each race, there’s something new...

Bobby Cassidy DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The top-12 cut-off bubble — which will decide who earns a spot in the 12-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup — is must-see stuff this time of the year. After each race, there’s something new — and unexpected. Two races ago, after the night race at Daytona International Speedway, ninth-place Greg Biffle (No. 16 3M Ford) was a comfortable 114 points ahead of 13th-place Mark Martin (No. 5 Kellogg’s/CARQUEST Chevrolet). Pretty safe, right? Wrong. Just a week later, a dominating win at Chicagoland Speedway by Martin and an uncharacteristic 31st-place finish by Biffle led to a major shuffle around the all-important top-12 bubble. Currently, only 13 points separate 10th-place Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota) and 13th-place Biffle. Winning means everything. Take a look at what the standings would look like if the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup began today (graphic on right available at NASCARMedia.com). Once the Chase starts, the top-12 drivers will have their points reset to 5,000. An additional 10 bonus points will be added to that total for each win in the first 26 races. Mark Martin would launch up the standings, leapfrogging 10 other drivers, to take the top seed. Currently in 11th place, and fighting to hang on to Chase spot, Martin’s four wins would give 40 potential bonus points. Kyle Busch would also benefit from his frequent visits to Victory Lane. He currently has 30 potential bonus points, thanks to his wins at Las Vegas, Bristol and Richmond. Busch would jump from 10th place to the second seed in the Chase. And though Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Toyota) currently enjoys a top-five points position, he has no wins and zero potential bonus points. His lack of victories would make him the ninth seed if the Chase started today. Gold Standard: Martin Enjoying Best Year In Over A Decade The wins list for drivers in Mark Martin’s age bracket is a short one. Only four drivers over the age of 50 have won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race: Martin, Harry Gant, Bobby Allison and Morgan Shepherd. This season, Martin joined Gant as the only over-50 drivers to win multiple races. Gant won eight after his 50th birthday, including five in 1991 as a 51-year-old. But Martin says he doesn’t feel like a 50-year-old — while in the race car, anyway. “That adrenaline is something, there's nothing like it,” Martin said after his win on Saturday. “When I'm pumped up driving fast racecars, I certainly don't feel 50. But I do on Monday mornings, or tomorrow Sunday morning. It's going to be nearly daylight by the time I get home. I don't care. But that is certainly past my bedtime.” Martin’s season — his first with Hendrick Motorsports — is the definition of a rebirth. Prior to 2009, he had run two partial, winless seasons in 2007-08. His last win came in 2005. And the last time he won this many races was over 10 years ago, when he visited Victory Lane a career-high seven races. That 1998 season, he finished second in the series standings, 363 points behind Jeff Gordon. It was the third time Martin — considered by many as the best never to win a championship — finished runner-up in the points standings. Already, 2009 is arguably a top-five season in Martin’s 27-year career. It’s the fourth time he has won four races in a season. The 5’s Alive Mark Martin needed only 19 races to make 2009 the most successful season ever for the No. 5 car. Below are the top four seasons for wins by the No. 5 car. Year Driver Wins 2009 Mark Martin 4 1995 Terry Labonte 3 1994 Terry Labonte 3 1984 Geoffrey Bodine 3 Off Weekend? What Off Weekend? NASCAR Sprint Cup Drivers Stay Busy During Break Some NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will take advantage of the penultimate off weekend of the 2009 season, using the time to relax from the rigors of racing in the world’s most competitive motorsports series. Still others can’t get enough. Four NASCAR Sprint Cup regulars will head to the St. Louis area to race in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway. Another heads close to home for some dirt track racing. Here’s a breakdown of how some of the NSCS stars will spend the break: Carl Edwards (No. 99 Aflac Ford): No surprise here, Edwards will be competing in the NNS race at Gateway, attempting to cut a 192-points deficit to points leader… Kyle Busch: Busch owns a season-high five NNS wins this season. This weekend, he’ll try to make it six at Gateway. Reed Sorenson (No. 43 McDonald’s Dodge): Sorenson has joined the NNS Braun Racing No. 32 Toyota stable on a part-time basis. His first race behind its wheel is this weekend at Gateway. Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet): Harvick will run his fourth consecutive race in his own NNS equipment — the No. 33 Chevrolet. He has finished in the top 10 in his last three NNS races — but has 15 consecutive finishes outside the top 10 in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition. Greg Biffle: The Vancouver, Wash. native returns to the Pacific Northwest and the local dirt track for a Saturday night race. Biffle will run a 10-lap exhibition race at Sunset Speedway in Banks, Ore., which is just over 30 miles from his hometown. This is Biffle’s second trip to Sunset Speedway. Last year, he won the event. Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet): Gordon will be a presenter at Wednesday night’s ESPY Awards, where his teammate Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) is nominated in two categories: Best Male Athlete and Best Driver. Scott Speed (No. 82 Red Bull Toyota): The 26-year-old Speed will wed fiancé Amanda Mathis on Saturday in a ceremony to be held at Graylyn Estate in Winston-Salem, N.C. Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Hamburger Helper/Cheerios Chevrolet): Bowyer will head home to Kansas to spend the off-week with friends and family at the lake. But it won’t be all relaxation. He’ll also be getting things in order for his charity golf tournament to be held in August. Loop Data: 2009 A Serious Numbers Game The statistics coming out of this season have storylines galore. For instance: 1.004 — The average margin of victory in seconds this season. Last weekend’s race at Chicagoland Speedway had a miniscule MOV of .415 seconds that put the average a shade over one second. 11 — It’s the number of different winners this season (compared to 12 different winners in all of 2008); the average number of different leaders per races; and the number of races with an MOV under one second. 7 — Number of drivers who won last season, but who have yet to win in 2009. The list is a who’s who: Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman. 109.9 — Jimmie Johnson’s series-best Driver Rating. Quietly — and despite a third-place points position — Johnson has earned the top statistics in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series this season. He also leads the series in Average Running Position (8.3), Fastest Laps Run (568) and Laps in the Top 15 percentage (83.5%). 773 — Number of times Mark Martin has been passed during a green flag run, fewest on the series. The number is staggeringly low, especially considering where everyone else stands in the category. Jeff Gordon has been passed the second fewest times at 967, the only other driver under the 1,000 mark. 7.6 — Tony Stewart’s average finish, the only driver to average a top-10 finish. 7.8 — Kyle Busch’s average start. But here’s the problem for Busch: his average finish is 17.0. The start-to-finish difference of 9.2 is the worst of any driver who has started all 19 races. Logano Shrugs Off Rough Start, In Fast Lane To ROY Award Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate Joey Logano (No. 20 Home Depot Toyota) came into 2009 with much fanfare, discussion, expectations and pressure. Not since Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 42 Target Chevrolet) in 2007 has a rookie been expected to perform so well so immediately. After all, Logano had excelled while climbing NASCAR’s developmental ladder, winning the NASCAR Camping World Series, East championship in 2007. And when he finally turned 18 last year and was eligible to run in any of NASCAR’s three national series, it took Logano only three races to nab his first win, at Kentucky Speedway. So the pressure to perform was massive, to say the least. Immediately, it looked like the competition might be too great for Logano. He finished last in the season-opening Daytona 500, and outside the top 20 in seven of his first eight races. But those struggles now seem forever ago. Since that rocky start, Logano has earned his first victory — at New Hampshire Motor Speedway — and four top-10 finishes. Logano’s success has launched him to the top of the Raybestos Rookie standings, 23 points ahead of second-place Scott Speed. He’s met most of those preseason expectations, as did Montoya in his rookie season. In fact, the two share a number of rookie similarities. Through 19 races in 2007, Montoya had one win, three top 10s and sat 20th in the standings. Through 19 races this season, Logano has one win, four top 10s and also sits 20th in the points standings. Through 19 races in 2007, Montoya held a 14-point lead in the Raybestos Rookie standings over David Ragan (No. 6 UPS Ford). Logano’s in a more favorable position with his 23-point lead over Speed. Up Next: Indianapolis Motor Speedway The 16th annual Allstate 400 at The Brickyard takes place Sunday, July 26 at 2 p.m. ET at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fans and competitors alike consider the event, in an historic racing setting, one of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ marquee races. Defending and three-time series champion Jimmie Johnson is the defending winner and pole sitter at Indianapolis. He seeks his third victory there. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon leads all drivers with four wins at Indianapolis. He also leads all drivers with three poles, nine top fives and 12 top 10s in 15 starts there. Fast Facts Next Race: Allstate 400 at The Brickyard The Date: Sunday, July 26 The Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway; 2.5 mile oval The Time: 2 p.m. ET The Distance: 160 laps/400 miles TV: ESPN , 1 p.m. ET Radio: IMS Radio and Sirius Satellite 2008 Polesitter: Jimmie Johnson 2008 Winner: Jimmie Johnson Schedule: Friday—Practice 2-3 p.m.; 3:30-4:30 p.m.; Saturday—Qualifying, 10:10 a.m.; Practice 2-3 p.m.; Final Practice, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Courtesy -- NASCAR ]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.204318 2009-07-14T18:06:17Z 2009-07-14T18:12:26Z

Luis Diaz enters Lime Rock Park and the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix unbeaten in LMP2 with Lowe’s Fernandez Racing teammate Adrian Fernandez. The pairing was a perfect 4-for-4 in the first half of the 2009 American Le Mans...

Bobby Cassidy
Luis Diaz in action, courtesy, ALMS The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn, is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 18. The race will air live on SPEED. Courtesy -- ALMS ]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.204314 2009-07-14T18:03:31Z 2009-07-14T18:05:34Z

The Acura Sports Car Challenge will officially mark the start of a new era in Corvette Racing with two new Corvette C6.R entries set to debut in the American Le Mans Series’ annual visit to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Wearing...

Bobby Cassidy The Acura Sports Car Challenge will officially mark the start of a new era in Corvette Racing with two new Corvette C6.R entries set to debut in the American Le Mans Series’ annual visit to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Wearing the familiar Nos. 3 and 4, cellulosic E85-fueled, V8-powered Corvettes will go head-to-head with Ferrari, Porsche, Panoz, BMW, Ford and Dodge among others throughout the second half of the 2009 season. Johnny O’Connell and Jan Magnussen will drive one Corvette C6.R at Mid-Ohio with Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin in the other. The team is transitioning to GT2 from GT1 where Magnussen, O’Connell and Antonio Garcia won in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and gave Corvette Racing its sixth victory in the world’s greatest race since 2001. “For several years now, the competition in GT2 has been the closest and most competitive among all our classes,” said Scott Atherton, American Le Mans Series President and CEO. “With the news of Corvette Racing’s official entry into the category at Mid-Ohio, the class quite possibly becomes the most diverse and competitive ever. It also serves as another example of the continued growth and success of the American Le Mans Series. Corvette never truly left, but it’s safe to say that they were missed by the countless participants at our Corvette Corrals and fans worldwide. We would like to be the first to officially say, ‘Welcome back!’” Corvette Racing owns more Series victories (70) than any other entrant. It won eight consecutive GT1 championships (2001-08) against the likes of Ferrari, Saleen, Aston Martin and many other of the world’s top supercars. Courtesy -- AMLS tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.204128 2009-07-13T20:33:07Z 2009-07-13T20:34:49Z

Ron Hornaday Jr. driver of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series No. 33 Chevrolet, will be in this week's NASCAR CAM Video Teleconference, on Tuesday, July 14, 3 p.m. ET. Copy and paste this into your browser to watch the...

Bobby Cassidy Ron Hornaday Jr. driver of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series No. 33 Chevrolet, will be in this week's NASCAR CAM Video Teleconference, on Tuesday, July 14, 3 p.m. ET. Copy and paste this into your browser to watch the video: http://americaneg-nascar-liveevent1.wm.llnwd.net/americaneg_nascar_liveevent1 tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.204123 2009-07-13T20:29:13Z 2009-07-13T20:30:06Z

The 1994 Brickyard 400 is regarded as one of the most important events in NASCAR’s 60-year history, and NASCAR fans will have an opportunity to go back in time and watch history in the making as ESPN Classic presents highlights...

Bobby Cassidy The 1994 Brickyard 400 is regarded as one of the most important events in NASCAR’s 60-year history, and NASCAR fans will have an opportunity to go back in time and watch history in the making as ESPN Classic presents highlights of the watershed event on Monday, July 20, at 6 p.m. ET. The presentation kicks four consecutive nights of past Brickyard 400 telecasts on ESPN Classic, helping get fans ready for the 2009 edition airing Sunday, July 26, at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN. Jeff Gordon won the inaugural race in 1994, the first stock car race ever held on the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Also this week on ESPN Classic, the ESPN signature series SportsCentury featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. airs Wednesday, July 15, at 8 a.m. Courtesy -- ESPN tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.203928 2009-07-13T00:49:37Z 2009-07-13T00:52:58Z

TORONTO - Sunday, July 12, 2009 - Dario Franchitti held off Ryan Briscoe to claim his third win of the season at the Honda Indy Toronto on the street of Exhibition Place. Franchitti beat Briscoe to the checkered flag by...

Bobby Cassidy TORONTO - Sunday, July 12, 2009 - Dario Franchitti held off Ryan Briscoe to claim his third win of the season at the Honda Indy Toronto on the street of Exhibition Place. Franchitti beat Briscoe to the checkered flag by 1.6745 seconds. Will Power, making his first start since the Indianapolis 500 in May, finished third. Franchitti's teammate, Scott Dixon, was fourth followed by Watkins Glen race winner Justin Wilson. In an 85-lap race that included something for everyone - passing, crashing, cheers and jeers - favorite son Paul Tracy was in contention early but retired after colliding with the No. 3 Team Penske car driven by Helio Castroneves with 18 laps left; Quebec native Alex Tagliani led laps for the first time in the IndyCar Series; Tomas Scheckter threw his gloves at Tagliani's car following a Lap 75 incident that knocked him out; and Danica Patrick advanced 12 positions to finish sixth. Franchitti, who gained three bonus points for winning the PEAK Performance Pole Award and leading the most laps, regained the championship points lead by two over Dixon through 10 of 17 events. Franchitti passed Castroneves for the lead in Turn 2 of Lap 65 and held off multiple challenges and two restarts. DAY 3 NOTEBOOK: Paul Tracy will be carrying the names of his many Canadians with him during today's Honda Indy Toronto. Tracy's race day firesuit has been on display at Exhibition Place this weekend and for a small donation to woundedwarriors.ca, fans had the opportunity to sign Tracy's suit. "Racing in Canada has always been very important to me," said Tracy, a native of nearby Scarborough, Ontario. "I really appreciate all the fan support I get here and to be able to race in support of Wounded Warriors.ca is an honor." *** HONDA INDY TORONTO POST-RACE NOTES: This is Dario Franchitti's third win of the season and the 11th win of his IndyCar Series career. This is Target Chip Ganassi Racing's sixth victory of the season and its 30th in the IndyCar Series. Ryan Briscoe finished second. He has finished second in five of the last six races. Will Power finished third, his second podium in four starts this season. Power has finished sixth of better in all four of his starts this year. Scott Dixon finished fourth, his fifth-straight top-five finish. Justin Wilson finished fifth, his third top-five finish of the season. HONDA INDY TORONTO POST-RACE QUOTES: DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, winner Honda Indy Toronto): "I guess we timed it right with strategy. We really struggled in that first stint, towards the end. We really used up the reds and I was struggling. Then I got stuck by some really slow cars in the middle stint - (Mario)_Moraes in particular didn't do the same thing twice in any corner, so I just stayed out of his way, but I couldn't get past him. Then we came in (to the pits) just as it went yellow, and it helped me get close to the front. I passed a couple cars and then on the restarts, I was able to take off. The Target car was fast on the restarts and we were really able to take off. It's 10 years since my first one here and it feel good." (About team owner Chip Ganassi missing the race): "I spent a lot of years chasing the Target cars here and finishing behind. I have to thank Chip. He gave me the opportunity to come back here and drive these cars. So, thanks." RYAN BRISCOE (No. 6 Team Penske, finished second): "It was a tough day. I got run into going into Turn 3 on the first lap and cut a tire. That really put us back. We made some pretty dramatic changes to the car coming into the race today. We just had our fingers crossed going into it. The car felt awesome and we were able to put in some really good lap times. It was a fun race with lots of passing. WILL POWER: (No. 12 Penske Truck Rentals, finished third): "We were almost a lap down, and I didn't realized that I hadn't done my two laps on the reds, so we had to pit again and put the reds on til the end. It was a good result. I had so much fun. I never passed so many cars before in a race." (About the start): "I think the car went sideways, and touched Graham Rahal's front wing." SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, finished fourth): "The car was really good. We were strong today. I think we probably made the most passes. Our pit team was pretty good also. I'm pleased with the car but not with the result. All-in-all I think we had a really decent day we just got really screwed on that pit strategy, when the yellow comes out and you get stuck all the way in the back." JUSTIN WILSON (No. 18 Z-Line Designs, finished fifth): "It was ok, not too bad. Thats how it goes some days. We just had to survive and it was pretty tough out there. I think it got us some good points, but that's racing, you just have to keep working at it and sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't" (About battle with Will Power): "I think Will got a run on me to get position, and then Will was just plain blocking, so since that last restart he slowed right down and let the leaders pull away and then did his own restart. It's just how it goes. We beat up on Penske and Ganassi last week and they got their own back this week." DANICA PATRICK (No. 7 Boost Mobile/Motorola, finished 6th): "You definitely have to be aggressive on street courses, and today we were. We started in the back of the field and fought our way up to the front. The Boost Mobile/Motorola guys did a great job in the pits and they made the right calls with the strategy. I lost a few positions on the second to last restart, but I was trying to save fuel. But it's a great result considering the weekend we had. I have to thank all the fans for coming out today, and I can't wait to come back next year." RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 14 ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt Racing, finished seventh): "I'm happy for these guys to be able to roll the ABC car back in the truck and it's nice not having anyone run into us on the first lap. We got going good early and we had a good car and then we got caught out on a full course yellow with our pit strategy. We had been running 5th and then we were 16th but we were able to work our way back up and get a top ten, thanks in part to good clean pit stops. So it's a big positive for the ABC Supply team. Maybe we finally got that monkey got our back." MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 26 NYSE iShares, finished 8th): "It didn't turn out as too bad of a day for the NYSE iShares car considering it seemed to turn into an attrition race. We were able make it to the end and work our way toward the front. The #26 car was quick on the black tires so the longer stint we ran on reds cost us some time and I think we lost a little ground there. The boys did a great job in the pits all day and we're nearing the top-five in points. Overall I'm happy with the top-ten finish today." RAPHAEL MATOS (No. 2 US Marines Luczo Dragon Racing, finished 10th): This was the most difficult race of the season, it was very challenging. There were a lot of drivers taking a lot of risks and that's why so many guys didn't finish. It was good for us to get another top 10 and pick up some points. The Marines Luczo Dragon team did a really good job all weekend. We just keep progressing as a team and I keep getting more and more experience. It was important for us to finish for our confidence and for the sponsors, but we're a little disappointed because we had a much better car than 10th place." *** The 2009 IndyCar Series season continues July 26 with the Rexall Edmonton Indy at Edmonton City Centre Airport. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 5p.m. (EDT) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2009 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Firestone Indy Lights Grand Prix of Edmonton on July 25 at Watkins Glen International. The race will be telecast at 4 p.m. (EDT) on July 27 by VERSUS. This report, courtesy -- IndyCar tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.203776 2009-07-11T01:49:05Z 2009-07-11T02:14:09Z

A lot of racing news this weekend. NASCAR is in Chicago, ALMS is prepping for Connecticut and IndyCar is in Toronto. Here is a compilation of notes and quotes from the respective PR folks in each organization....

Bobby Cassidy A lot of racing news this weekend. NASCAR is in Chicago, ALMS is prepping for Connecticut and IndyCar is in Toronto. Here is a compilation of notes and quotes from the respective PR folks in each organization. NASCAR and the Red Cross: The NASCAR Foundation announced today that it will partner with the American Red Cross for The NASCAR Foundation Fourth Annual Blood Drive Presented by Nationwide Insurance on Sept. 11, 2009. Each year the Drive mobilizes some of NASCAR’s biggest entities - tracks, drivers, teams and sponsors - in an effort to help meet the on-going need for more than 39,000 blood donations every day. Approximately four million people give blood through the Red Cross each year, making it the largest single supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. Through its partnership with the American Red Cross, The NASCAR Foundation hopes to expand The NASCAR Foundation Blood Drive to help maintain safe blood supply levels and lessen the blood shortages that often occur during the summer months and around holidays. “Last year the blood drive, through this partnership, collected 4,261 pints of blood that was vital to people in need,” said Mike Helton, NASCAR president and NASCAR Foundation board member. “We continue to be very proud of the work the partnership has accomplished and ask the industry and the fans to rally around this important cause. We appreciate the continued support of Nationwide Insurance, our tracks and all the NASCAR fans who come out every year to donate blood and help save lives.” NASCAR Sprint Cup driver of the No. 16 3M/Red Cross Ford Fusion and American Red Cross blood donor, Greg Biffle, will appear in an advertising campaign promoting the drive. ALMS goes Green: The American Le Mans Series, the environmental pioneer within motorsports, expands its role by launching Green Park, a tree-planting event aimed at off-setting the Series’ carbon impact and motivating fans to become more involved in their community during each race week in host cities around the United States. In an effort to further reduce its carbon footprint, the American Le Mans Series will provide the sustainable gift of a Green Park to each race community. The local promoter at each venue will select the location - either at the racetrack or in the community - that is in need of more trees and when feasible a children’s playground set. The Series with support from partners Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores and Michelin then develops a plan that can be supplied, delivered and installed with local and eco-friendly resources. Under the premise that Green Park is intended to 1) create a safe and fun place for children and their families; 2) be aesthetically pleasing; and 3) create a cleaner and healthier atmosphere (through the reduction of CO2, conservation of energy and the improvement of air quality), the Series and race promoter invite the community to participate in the event. The Series plans to unveil its first Green Park in conjunction with the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park. The Series hopes to provide the message of how teamwork builds not only a stronger community but a more sustainable environment at the event in Torrington, Conn. Children and their families will be invited to help clean Alvord Park and erect 10 indigenous trees on Tuesday, July 14 alongside Lowe’s Fernandez Racing team owner and driver Adrian Fernandez and co-pilot Luis Diaz. Open-wheel racing not new to Toronto: An auto racing event on the streets of Toronto was first staged in 1986 as part of the PPG/CART IndyCar World Series. Then known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it marked the first time that open-wheel cars raced in the English-speaking part of Canada since the United States Auto Club sanctioned races on the Mosport road course about an hour north of Toronto in 1977 and '78. The Toronto course is a combination of public streets and roads that wind their way through the Canadian National Exhibition Centre, a permanent fairgrounds area five minutes from downtown. From the start, the 1.721-mile circuit was considered an exciting and challenging street course; the sharp, right-hand Turn 1 and the Turn 3 hairpin at the end of the back straight (known most of the year as Lakeshore Drive) provide excellent passing opportunities. The rest of the course is tight and technical, with the exception of the fast left-hander that closes the lap. That corner was modified in 1994 after Bryan Herta crashed and suffered leg injuries during the 1993 race. The initial Toronto GP was won by Bobby Rahal -- part of the season in which he also won the Indianapolis 500 and the CART championship. However, the name most closely associated with the Toronto event is Michael Andretti, who won in 1989, '91, '92, '94, '95, 2000, and '01. Other multiple winners include Al Unser Jr. (1988 and '90) and hometown hero Paul Tracy (1993 and 2003). The winner of the Toronto race went on to win the CART-sanctioned championship six times -- Rahal, Unser (1990), Andretti (1991), Alex Zanardi (1998), Cristiano da Matta (2002) and Sebastien Bourdais (2004). Driving a Walker Racing Reynard-Honda, Gil de Ferran set the outright track record at 57.143 seconds in 1999 for an average speed of 110.565 mph. Returning to the streets with the IndyCar Series will be Tracy, who will drive a second entry for KV Racing Technology; 1999 winner Dario Franchitti of Target Chip Ganassi Racing; 2005 winner Justin Wilson of Dale Coyne Racing; and Will Power, winner of the last race on the circuit in 2007, who will drive for Penske Racing. Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, which has won the Toronto race eight times, will enter Graham Rahal and series rookie Robert Doornbos. With its enthusiastic new promoter in Andretti Green Promotions, proximity to downtown and the enthusiasm that the knowledgeable fans have for open-wheel racing, the revived Honda Grand Prix of Toronto promises to be a highlight of the IndyCar Series schedule for years to come. Soldier Field-day: Today, NASCAR stars Kurt Busch, Sam Hornish Jr. and David Stremme -- as well as Dan Patrick and NFL Hall-of -Famer Dan Hampton drove fuel-efficient smart fortwo cars through a number of "challenges" on a miniature road course outside of Soldier Field in Chicago to raise awareness for ways consumers can save fuel during the busy summer driving season. Earnhardt at IMS: While the rain kept National Guard racing stars Dan Wheldon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. from sharing a ride together in the Indy Racing Experience two-seater at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, Earnhardt Jr. still didn’t hesitate at the chance to jump in the cockpit of the No. 4 car to get a feel for it’s like to sit behind the wheel of a racecar that goes well over 220 mph. “I would love to drive one,” Earnhardt Jr. said after a Wheldon, the 2005 Indy 500 champ, showed him around the car. “I’m intrigued how the IndyCar drives, what driving an IndyCar feels like. In the first seconds I had out there, I picked (Wheldon’s) brain as hard as I could. That’s all me and Dan would probably do if we had our choice today, was sit around and talk about it. But, you know, it definitely interests me.” Wheldon, who was flanked by Panther team owner John Barnes and Indiana National Guard Adjutant General Martin Umbarger, quickly pointed to his bosses and said, “I’m sure these guys could arrange that for you, Dale.” Wheldon, who had to leave immediately after the appearance to catch a flight to Toronto for this weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto IndyCar Series event, was also discouraged by the rain shower but happy to spend time with his National Guard teammate from the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. “Anytime I’m at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway you’re going to see a smile on my face,” Wheldon said. “Especially when I’m here with another great driver like Dale Earnhardt Jr. He and I are both very competitive and we both drive for great teams. We both have team owners who take a lot of pride in their relationship with the National Guard, and John Barnes in particular is an amazing advocate for the National Guard. It’s great to be here today with General Umbarger and all these Soldiers to help highlight everything they do for this country.” A.J. detours at Indy with Tony: A.J. Foyt took a detour to Indianapolis en route to Toronto to do an interview on Wednesday with NASCAR star Tony Stewart for ABC/ESPN ‘s pre-race show on the Brickyard 400. The interview was conducted on the yard of bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Amidst much good-natured ribbing, the two men revealed their deeply held respect for each other. Stewart announced his decision to start his own team in partnership with Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series nearly a year ago. He chose the No. 14 for his car in honor of A.J. Foyt’s illustrious history with the number which had been campaigned by the likes of past Indianapolis 500 winners Wilbur Shaw and Bill Vukovich. The last time the No. 14 visited victory lane was ten years ago when Kenny Brack won the Indy 500 driving for Foyt. Television times: NASCAR's Lifelock 400 will be televised on TNT July 11 at 7:30 p.m. from Chicagoland... The Honda Indy Toronto will be broadcast live at 1:00 p.m. eastern time Sunday afternoon, July 12 on ABC-TV... The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 18. The race will air live on SPEED. ]]> tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.203497 2009-07-09T22:07:55Z 2009-07-09T22:14:29Z

Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart took time out to talk about the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Sunday, July 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Here's a transcript:...

Bobby Cassidy Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart took time out to talk about the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard Sunday, July 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Here's a transcript: Tony, we're going to start with you. You've been talking a lot lately about the success of your team and it's surprising a lot of people. When you looked at the schedule for this year and set expectations, did the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard jump out as one of the goals for the team? TONY STEWART: You know, honestly this was a project that was so big that I'm not sure that we really actually set goals other than what I had instilled in Bobby Hutchens and Darian Grubb and Tony Gibson and Ryan. I wanted us to go to the racetrack each week, give 100 percent, and our competition meetings are on Monday. I wanted us to go back on Mondays and sit down and discuss everything that happened during the weekend; talk about the things we did right, talk about the things we did wrong, and talk on both of those sides how we can make things better for the next week. So that was my goal was just to make progress every week. You know, the success that we've had up to this point of the season has come much quicker than any of us I think would have dreamed, but we're very pleased with it, very excited about it. I feel fortunate about it. Ryan has done a great job coming in and working with the new group of people, and I look at Ryan's season up to date and I look at mine, and I've had the easy side of it. Ryan has absolutely been like a warrior through every weekend. He's battled through adversity at every race, and that really makes me proud, not only of him as a teammate and a driver but also of his crew on the U.S. Army car and how they're able to overcome each weekend. They've been able to do things I think battling adversity during the races that I think a lot of teams can't do and get the result and the outcome that they've had. From our side it's been pretty painless up to this point. Our Office Depot Old Spice team has done a great job, and I'm really proud to work with Darian Grubb. I'm excited about our relationship so far and how quickly it's grown in such a short amount of time that we're extremely excited about the progress of this race team and the organization and watching how the organization has grown over the last year now. THE MODERATOR: Ryan, you have family close by. You have a favorite fishing hole out here in the infield. How do you approach this race, or do you approach it any differently than any other races? RYAN NEWMAN: I bring different worms for the pond out here. They don't always work (laughter). Realistically, it's a place that I'm a big racing historian. I like the history of the sport, and I've always said to know that people A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti and Jim Hurtubise and Mel Kenyon, all those people have been through here at some point walking the same path out to the pit lane and driving the same line on the racetrack. That to me means more than anything else, just the history of all of auto racing here at this racetrack. It's a great race. It's a unique racetrack. We all know that. It's a lot of fun, especially when you're up front. It seems like the straightaways become forever and you can just sit there and relax and drive the race car. I just look forward to coming here with our U.S. Army Chevrolet and trying to run good. We're working our way to kind of solidify ourselves to be in the Chase, and that's our goal at this point in the season is to make sure that we can lock up that position, or a position. It's a great racetrack, a lot of great fans, both Tony and I being from this area, meaning Indiana, with the open wheel side of things, the racing that we've done all across every part of Indiana pretty much. I would speculate there's very few racetracks in this state that either one of us hasn't raced at. It's just a great place to come back and enjoy the racing and the fans. THE MODERATOR: I should point out right now that first of all this is being streamed live around the world. This is also part of the NASCAR Sprint Cup weekly teleconference so we will also be taking questions from the teleconference participants, as well, here in the room. Q. Tony, do you approach this race any different as an owner rather than just as a driver? TONY STEWART: No, honestly you can't. You know, it's obviously an important race for both of us. That's why we're here today to talk about it. But it's kind of the same that you do what got you to the dance. You hear people talk about it when it goes to playoff time or anything like that in any other sport. You pretty much stick to what you've been doing and what's working for you. You don't come here and try to do anything any different. That's when you get yourself outside the box. You know, the great thing for me is I've got a great support structure at Stewart Haas. The great thing is it allows me the flexibility and Ryan the flexibility to just come here and worry about doing what we do best, and that's drive. It's hard to play the owner role and the driver role on the weekends. I mean, I don't want to sit there and worry about what the tire bill is for the weekend. I want to worry about making sure I know what I need to do as a driver. You know, we've worked really hard to establish that system before we ever got to Daytona, and it's worked to this point, so we won't change it when we come here. Q. Ryan touched on this a little bit, just the history of this track, the centennial era. Do both of you just have a favorite story growing up or maybe even as a driver from this racetrack? RYAN NEWMAN: For me I'd say one of the coolest things ever was I was around here a little bit when the IndyCars ran. I came to one race when I was probably about six years old and it got rained out. It was the year it rained until I think Tuesday and I had to go back to school. But I was down here with my mom. I forget if we were picking up tires at Hoosier or what we were doing, and we drove by the racetrack and we heard a different noise, and it was the stock cars. I believe that was, what, '94, early '90s, '92, and the bottom line was we came TONY STEWART: You're such a historian. RYAN NEWMAN: It's 15 years ago, man. We snuck into the racetrack and came over and talked to Jeff Gordon and some other drivers, and it was just neat because we got to be here firsthand for when the stock cars hit the racetrack. TONY STEWART: I think every memory was huge. I mean, the thing that I remember most was every day after school was over, I rode my bike to school every day, and your parents beat it in your head to stop at stop signs and wait for green lights before you cross the road. I played Frogger going home basically with a bicycle trying to get home as fast as I could trying to get the TV on. That's my biggest memory is just growing up and watching, loving the opportunity to get home. I didn't care how much homework I had. It was the last priority when the month of May was going on and whatever coverage was on TV. You were just glued to it. There wasn't any one particular moment, it's just been something that's been a huge, huge part of my life. Q. Tony, two quick Indy related questions. First of all, do you share the confidence level some of the other drivers have voiced going up to Indy with kind of that tire issue being resolved and behind everybody? TONY STEWART: Do you want to translate that for me? Q. Do you share the confidence level that we've heard so many drivers voice about going up to Indy and the tire situations from last year being resolved? TONY STEWART: Am I concerned about the tires? Not at all. I came up here for two days. Ryan has been up here quite a bit with Goodyear, and I can promise you they have put a full court press on making sure we don't have the issues that we had last year. I've gained a lot of respect for Goodyear over just the process of working on the tire for Indianapolis and the dedication that they've shown to making sure that that doesn't happen again. We were able to run almost 30 laps and still not even be down to the cords and the tires, so I'm very confident that with a full field here that there shouldn't be any issues at all. You obviously can't guarantee that, but I can tell you that from the test session, and normally the test is a lot worse on tire wear than it is during a race weekend that we were able to run 30 laps and feel very comfortable, but they've got a tire that will be just fine when we come back here that not only is it going to be durable but also I think the way that the tire that the laps fell off time wise I think is going to make for a great race, too, with the way that the tire performance falls off. It doesn't wear out fall off, but it just falls off because of heat. I think they've come back with a combination that not only is durable but also made where it should be better racing at that time, too. Q. I believe you went up to Akron earlier this year and kind of went through the process with the Goodyear folks. Can you tell me what you kind of took out of that whole process? TONY STEWART: Well, it's nice to go up there to Akron and see how it's done. It's a process that makes you shake your head because you just don't realize what goes into making a tire. And the good thing is it's not done by a machine, it's done by a physical person that actually puts that tire together. There's a lot of machines that assist in that process, but some of the key components are still done by a Goodyear engineer that sits there and makes sure it's as perfect as it can be. That put my mind at ease a lot, being able to see firsthand how the production of those tires is made. Q. I was wondering, what's been your biggest challenge as a driver/owner? You mentioned balancing on the weekends, being a driver, being an owner. Is that kind of where the meat of that challenge comes from? TONY STEWART: It's been a very easy part. I mean, we worked really hard before we ever left to go to Daytona to have that separation to where and I was really emphatic about when I spoke to Darian Grubb with the fact that I work for him on the weekends, and I'm not his boss, he's my boss on the weekends. It's just knowing what each other's roles are, and it works best if I'm working for him. All the guys on the team, I worked really hard with my guys saying, Hey, I'm just one of you guys, I'm just one of the guys on the team. I'm your driver on the weekends. We've worked really hard on that relationship early in the season to make it to where it's as easy as possible. But there really hasn't been that one hard thing or that one thing that has surprised me yet. It's been so smooth right now that it's the whole process has gone much better than I think we all could have expected. There's definitely challenges that we have each week that we're trying to overcome. But honestly, it's not something that I haven't been used to. I mean, Eldora Speedway and partial ownership in Paducah, Kentucky, the racetrack there, and one in Macon, Illinois, and having two World of Outlaw teams and two full USAC operations, it's the same challenges, it's just at a different scale. It's not all totally new to us, but it's just the size of it is really the new factor of it. Q. And why do you think it's been relatively pain free so to speak? Is it just surrounding yourself with good people? Is that part of it do you think? TONY STEWART: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the one thing that being with somebody like Joe Gibbs for the last 12 years, you learn a lot about how to organize people. And I can promise you, Joe doesn't know anything about those race cars. He doesn't know how they work, but he knows how to hire the right people to do the right jobs in the organization, and that's what has made him successful in the NFL, it's what's made him successful in NHRA and NASCAR. He's extremely successful at hiring the right people to do the right jobs. Part of that process is being able to take five résumés that can be identical and being able to pick which guy is going to work with everybody else in the organization and has the right mindset, no matter whether there's eight more guys that have the same skills they have. That's something that I feel like I was able to bring from Gibbs Racing and apply it to Stewart Haas. Q. Kind of switching gears to Ryan, your friendship with Tony has been pretty well documented, at least this year. How important is that relationship right now to the success of this team and you two guys, especially in this kind of unique situation? RYAN NEWMAN: No different than anybody else on the team, whether it's Tony Gibbs or Tony Stewart or the guy that's sweeping the floor at the shop, we all have to do our part. Like Tony was talking, it's a people business. People make the big difference in everything that we do. They build the race cars, they work together to do pit stops and everything else. Our friendship is definitely important. As I stated, our friendship off the racetrack to me weighs sometimes more than our friendship on the racetrack. We have to compete against each other, which we try to do our best at to make sure we don't penalize each other for the way we race each other, but the bottom line is just getting along off the racetrack, it's huge for me, just gives us something else to talk about besides a right front swing or a sway bar. Q. And lastly for you, Ryan, what's impressed you most about Tony Stewart the owner? RYAN NEWMAN: I'd say overall just his ability to manage the people and get the right people, which is not an easy thing to do. But his level headedness, his calmness when it comes to the different situations, just how he's adapted himself from a driver to a driver/car owner is pretty amazing. I think that's the same thing that a lot of people have asked, just like was asked earlier, what's it like to be a driver/owner in your situation and be successful. It takes a big person to do that. I didn't mean that size wise, I meant that mentally. (Laughter.) Q. Tony, my question is for you. I saw some photos from Daytona with Darryl Gwynn in victory lane with you guys after the race, and I'm curious what that meant to you, and as his foundation continues to grow and I know you're still a big part of that, what are your thoughts on the fact that 20 years after that crash now he's still contributing to racing and still doing what he's doing? TONY STEWART: Darrell is as committed to that foundation as he ever was as a driver or a team owner. You know, I consider him a good friend. But he is one of those people that makes you count your blessings every morning when you wake up, and every time that you see Darryl it makes you put your life in perspective. You know, I have not been in the situation obviously that Darrell has been in, and it's hard to imagine how life altering is really is. But to see how much dedication that he's put into not making his life better but making other children and adults that really need a wheelchair, a new wheelchair like that, to improve the quality of their life and to see how dedicated he is to that is extremely impressive. I mean, it makes you proud to be a part of anything that he does. Ryan and I both support the fishing tournaments that we have at Daytona and Homestead each year, and we're proud to be associated with him. I mean, I really respected him as a driver, but once his injury happened and through his foundation now and the work that we've been able to do, we've become closer friends through that. Knowing that every time that you do an event that there's a lot of times you do charity events and money gets raised and you know what the amount that's going to be donated is, and that's kind of the end of it. But with Darrell's foundation, every event you see a little boy or a little girl or a young person receive a new wheelchair and you see instantly the gratification on their face and knowing that the quality of their life is going to be better. And that's due to Darryl and how committed he is to it. It's something that I've been very, very please to be a part of and very proud of him and his efforts and his continued dedication to it. Q. You seemed genuinely pretty upset with the way the race ended the other night. I just wonder if you had a chance to talk to Kyle yet. TONY STEWART: I did. I got a chance before I went to Sharon Speedway last night I got a chance to catch up with Kyle. I checked first of all just to make sure he was all right. But when something like that happens, you want to make sure that both guys are on the same page with what happened, and we definitely were. I mean, there was no question on either one of our parts of what happened. I mean, we were instantly on the same page with it. It's just part of racing. But it was something that happened before that phone call even happened, and I've mentioned it to Kyle and even kind of laughed about it was the fact that everybody has made such a big deal about this all of a sudden happening. A good friend of mine reminded me of the very first TV race, the very first 500 that they showed on national TV, and it was Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough, same type of incident on the backstretch for the win. What happened this weekend, what happened at Talladega, none of this is new, and I think it's our responsibility to educate everybody that, hey, this isn't something that this is the first time this has happened. This is something that's been going on for a long time. There's little differences here and there about how the accident happened, but David Pearson and Richard Petty coming off of Turn 4 and both of their cars crashed and who could get it started and get it limped across the start/finish line to win. There's just so many instances and cases where that's happened in the past, too, it's really no different than what we've got going on other than the fact that instead of two cars being involved, now we have 32 cars in the pack. That's the only variable that's changed. It's a product of superspeedway racing. Kyle knew that my job was to get to his quarter panel, he was trying to move up to defend his spot, and nobody in his position would have just stayed there and let somebody drive back by him. You've got to do something, and he wasn't trying to wreck us, he was just trying to make me make a move to slow me down. It was good to have that conversation with him yesterday. I was glad he wasn't hurt. And I got a chance to see Kasey last night and make sure he wasn't hurt, as well. It was good to touch base and make sure we were all on the same page, which we were. Q. Thinking back to when you started racing as a young boy and how hard it was, do you wish that these young racing leagues were easier, like stick and ball sports, like summer league at Blackwell Park in Columbus? TONY STEWART: Easier in which way? Q. Maybe not as expensive, maybe more accessible for all families and not just families that have connections maybe to racing industries. TONY STEWART: Absolutely. I think there's plenty of organizations out there. I mean, we're going to have a chance here in a little bit to go see a bunch of kids that are here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They're running quarter midgets right now. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point I would be surprised if Ryan does, but I want to try to squeeze in one and make a couple laps. RYAN NEWMAN: I don't know if I'll fit. (Laughter.) TONY STEWART: But there's a lot of whether it's go kart racing or quarter midget racing, the hardest part is technology is the factor that keeps growing and getting better, and it makes racing better. But with that comes a price of cost. It would be nice to find a little better way at some of these beginner levels to control the cost to where it is more attractive for families to get involved. And I think that can happen pretty easily, just the sanctioning bodies like USAC has taken over some of the quarter midget stuff, and if they can get involved and find a way to not necessarily spec everything but to control the boundaries enough where they can control the costs, that would definitely make it better and you're going to attract more people that may not have the finances to do it like some of these teams do it now. Q. And my last question would be in your opinion, Tony, how young is too young to start racing? Do you think five is too young to start racing these days? TONY STEWART: I mean, the quarter midget kids out here, they get I think five is the age RYAN NEWMAN: I started driving when I was four and a half and I started driving quarter midgets, racing them when I was five. TONY STEWART: You were doing illegal stuff at four and a half? RYAN NEWMAN: Yeah, my parents had an influence on me. That hasn't changed. TONY STEWART: I'm going to have a talk with your mom. Anyway, I've watched kids go through their what's the test that they go through before they're allowed to race? RYAN NEWMAN: They have a novice division and quarter midgets. TONY STEWART: Isn't there a test deal that you have to pass as far as official on the track and going between cones? RYAN NEWMAN: I don't know what that's called, but yeah. TONY STEWART: They have a process of making sure that even at the age of five that you know where the gas pedal is, that you know how to use the brake and all that. I think it establishes boundaries early. But you know, I think at some of these bigger racetracks I think there is and you're seeing it now, even the United States Auto Club is talking about bumping up the age of some of the racetracks so that they go to up to 18 years old. You have to be 18 to run some of the larger racetracks with these cars. NASCAR has had the same discussions about upping the age to 18, I think, for the touring series. I'm guessing on that, but I'm pretty sure that's where it's at. You need a little bit of that just to maintain you don't want a 12 year old kid out there trying to go race at Daytona. RYAN NEWMAN: It's not that you don't want a 12 year old kid out there because there are 12 year old kids that are just as good as we are, but it isn't every 12 year old kid that is capable of doing that. When one family sees the opportunity for a 12 year old kid to do it and he thinks his kid can do it but the kid can't, that's when we get in trouble, and we have to monitor that. Q. I wanted to ask Ryan a question. The restrictor plate, Tony mentioned that we've seen this style of racing at Daytona and Talladega for quite a while, but what would make you comfortable as a driver in terms of changes? Is it the yellow line rule that's causing problems? Is it the blocking that's allowed? Is it the plate itself? What would make you feel better about racing at those tracks? RYAN NEWMAN: I'd say in general the biggest thing for me, and it was kind of in all ways in more ways than one, no pun intended, an eye opener at Talladega when the cars got airborne. That's the biggest thing is we don't want to be up in the catchfence. Knocking off the wall or trying to knock down the wall is one thing, but being in the catchfence is something you don't want to do for yourself and for the fans. The line is kind of a product of the situation that we're in with restrictor plate and a big pack of cars. You know, it's and some of the crashes that we've seen, just for instance Tony and Kyle's crash, you go back to some of the other crashes, Dale, Jr., and Vickers at Daytona, to me those were just blocking incidents where a guy is trying to block and it's not the best choice to make and you end up getting turned around and end up causing a crash because we're in a pack of it seems 13 cars every time. It's just a product of the environment. NASCAR has done a good job of making the field more competitive for every car, and when you do that you put the cars more in a pack. The fans like that. The racing is a little bit more exciting that way, and it's just a product of that. It's up to the drivers to not put ourselves in positions to end up turned around or turn somebody else around at the same time. Q. Tony, there's a lot of talk and there's been talk here today, too, about how tough the Cup level is because basically it is. My question is what's toughest do you think for drivers in general, and what's toughest for you still? RYAN NEWMAN: What gives you a bad day? TONY STEWART: What's toughest about what? Q. What's toughest about driving at this level for drivers in general and what's toughest for you? TONY STEWART: I think having to sit in the media center and try to figure out what everybody is asking. I don't know, I mean, the hardest thing, I think, in the big picture, I'm not sure how detailed you're wanting, but it seems like at this level with the responsibilities we have and added responsibilities this year as an owner, it's budgeting your time is one of the biggest things. Once we get to the racetrack and we get in the race car, that's what we all love to do and what we're comfortable doing. It's just knowing that there's 24 hours in a day and only 365 of those days in a year to get everything that you need to get done. That's your practice, your racing, your photo shoots, commercial shoots, appearances. There's a lot that goes on in those days, press conferences. I told somebody the other day, they said, If there was one thing that you could change, what would it be. I'd said, We'd make 30 hour days and 400 day years to get everything that we want to get done. It's just finding the time with everybody's schedules as hectic as they are to be able to get everything that needs to be done. That seems to be the hardest part of what we do. Q. And for Ryan, you've been in the Army now for about eight months. What were your expectations going into it what you thought you would have to do with that sponsor and what's been the most important revelation, I guess? What's surprised you about RYAN NEWMAN: I haven't exactly been in the Army, but biggest thing for me is just seeing what the troops and what all the Army soldiers do. At Fort Bragg it was neat to see the guns and some of the training missions that we went through. They were shooting live rounds in 30 by 30 rooms with rubber walls and they were soaking up the bullets, and I'm thinking to myself, wouldn't the bullet bounce off the rubber? Luckily it didn't. But just in general what the soldiers go through and all the different stories and things like this, it's really amazing. They're all great people and they all give us the opportunity to do what we love, whether it's sit and write a press release or drive a race car. It was pretty amazing just the Army celebrating its birthday in Michigan and then Independence Day and all the things we've been doing with the Army. It's a lot of fun, a lot of great people, and I really enjoy it. Q. Two questions if I may. First for Tony, I know winning your first Brickyard race was special and you'll never forget it, but how would winning it with your own team compare to your first Brickyard win? TONY STEWART: It would be awesome. I know how gratifying it was to win the All Star race at Charlotte earlier this year. I remember when a perfect example was the first year we won the Chili Bowl, which is the biggest midget race in the country, I won it for a good friend of mine, Keith Kunz and Pete Willoughby, and then we were able to win it two years later and it was the first time I had won it driving my car. You know, it's just an unbelievable feeling knowing that you've had a hand in helping build it, built the program. So it would be awesome. It was a dream come true. It's always been a dream to win in Indianapolis, and I've been very blessed and fortunate to win it twice now, and that's something that if I died tomorrow I would die a happy man because of those two races. But it would be that much more special to win it as a team owner, too. It's been so much fun working with this group of guys, and even if I didn't win it, if Ryan won the race, I would have the same feeling of gratification just being a part of it and being able to help Ryan realize his dream. I think it would mean just as much to be the winning car owner for Ryan as it would be for me to win it as a driver and owner, also. Q. Kind of following up on that, yesterday on NASCAR.com we actually debated the top story for the first half of the 2009 season. I suggested what you've done with Stewart Haas Racing is the top story. What do you think about that? If you don't think that's the top story, what do each of you think is the top story from the first half of the season? TONY STEWART: I don't know. I guess I don't think about it that deep. Ryan is the much smarter of the two of us, in case you guys haven't figured that out. I don't use words that have more than about five letters in them. RYAN NEWMAN: You used emphatic earlier and I was really impressed. TONY STEWART: I wasn't even sure it fit but I took a stab at it. I honestly don't know. There's so much that goes on every week that I'm not sure I'm smart enough to know what the biggest story line of the year should be, really. RYAN NEWMAN: I mean, I think that is debatable, but I think obviously the situation with the economy and everything else and how the sport is being affected and the world is being affected. But obviously that's not a positive story, so I'd go with the Stewart Haas one. I don't watch the news, either, because I don't like watching all the negative stuff. Q. This is for Tony. Morgan Shepherd qualified 10th Friday in Daytona, which is something that would have been impossible without your support. Morgan has been on your radio show as a guest. You surprised him a couple years ago by bringing him a birthday cake, and he's now running Eldora Speedway on the 89 car. I'd like to hear your thoughts on Morgan. Did you grow up a Morgan fan, how you became friends, and what's motivating your generous support for Morgan Shepherd? TONY STEWART: I think we've all respected Morgan and what he's been able to do. I'm really good friends with the Wood Brothers, and I know he drove for them for a while. Really how our support with Morgan started is another good friend of both of ours, Kevin Harvick, and two years ago Kevin started helping Morgan by building him a couple cars, and we were sitting around one day and we were talking about what Kevin was doing, and I said, Hey, is there something I can do to help that would help fit in with what you're doing. So that's how we came up with my side of it, of helping with the lease of the motors this year and the tire program, and Kevin still helping him with the use of his shop and his guys to help prepare and build Morgan's cars right now. It's not just me, and I'm real I stress that strongly that it's not just me, it's Kevin that really was the one that spearheaded this and started this. But to see how hard Morgan works to come to the racetrack and come with a limited amount of people, you know, he has to beg, borrow and steal people to work on the pit crew for race day. But his passion and desire and obviously his belief in Christ, that's something that we're very supportive of, and I'm really proud to be a part of that. We're not the heroes, Kevin and I are not the heroes of the deal, it's Morgan that is the hero of the whole program, and we're just proud of him as a person. That's what drew him to Kevin, and with that it drew us in, too. It's a part of our program. We sit there on Saturday and we'll be doing our debrief, and we know Nationwide is on the track, and we're like, Where is our team car at. We consider him part of our team. Q. Did you grow up a Morgan Shepherd fan? TONY STEWART: Well, I have to be honest, coming from Columbus, Indiana, and where Cummins Engine Company is headquartered, we were Mark Martin fans because of his association with Mark's car. But Morgan was always one of the guys that you followed. You followed all of them. You followed Waltrip and Earnhardt and Rick Mast and Sterling Marlin and all those guys. It was like you had all your little die cast cars on the floor, and when the race got ready to start, you had your cars on the floor and you were playing with them like you were having the race. Q. Do you still have your Morgan car? TONY STEWART: I think we do still have the Morgan car. Q. Tony, Ryan, as drivers, what is your feeling now that you've had a double file restart on a superspeedway? How do you like that? Second question for Tony, as an owner, what are your feelings with the limited test schedule that you have now, and also the fact that racetracks like Kentucky Speedway have been taken out of the equation because they have another NASCAR event? RYAN NEWMAN: On the double file restarts, I think it's been great in more ways than one. I think from a driver's standpoint, I like it because you have the opportunity to move up, and when you pass one, you might be passing two if you go three wide, and I think that's made the racing more exciting. We're racing the guys we should be racing, and I mean that in essence of you're not racing the guys that are a lap down who have their own separate race to try to get a lucky dog. Before when you had the lap down cars on the inside and the lead lap cars on the outside, if you started 6th you were starting 12th and you had to pass those other guys who were working just as hard and made their cars better, and you had less opportunity to move yourself forward throughout the day. To me some of the racetracks are more conducive for the double file restarts, but in general it's been across the board a good thing. TONY STEWART: Yeah, and something that going along with what Ryan is saying, a lot of those times we know that green flag run can last 80 laps. We take off and budget our tires to make that 80 lap run and be fast for the whole run, not necessarily fast for one or two laps. A lot of times the lucky dog guys don't have that luxury and they were having to run 100 percent. A lot of times it created a lot of havoc for you if you were a lead car because they don't know when the caution is going to come out. It may come out one lap after the restart or it may come 61 laps after. But they don't know; they have to run every lap as hard as they can, and a lot of times that created an extra variable in the equation that we don't see now. But I think that's a variable that was confusing to the fans, it's confusing to the drivers at times because sometimes you didn't know when you got to one of those cars, you didn't know if he was somebody that just stayed out and got track position or if he was truly a lap down. I think it's been one of the greatest things and decisions that NASCAR has made in a long time. Like Ryan mentioned, the biggest thing is if you're a 5th place car, instead of lining up 10th, now you're lining up 5th, and everybody around you you're racing for position. It really hasn't been I think Loudon was probably one of the examples of you wanted to be on the outside most of the time, but there's even during those races and even with tracks that are going to be predominantly one particular group is going to be better than the other for a restart during the course of the race, it's going to work for you and it's going to work against you. But all in all, I think you guys see it from the stands better than we do, but from what I've seen and being in the cars, it seems like it makes the racing a lot better for us. As far as the second part of the question, I'm all for it, to be honest. I've got a lot of things on our plate, and testing is not one of my favorite items. It's a lot more fun when there's people in the stands and there's other cars to race around versus racing a stopwatch and collecting data. You know, I don't think it's hurt the racing this year. I think if anything it's helped because it hasn't allowed teams the opportunity to go out and find one or two things that really will set them up a step above everybody else. I think it's helped make the racing a lot better for these guys. You know, I'm all in favor of it. I've never been a huge fan of going testing anyway, especially in an economic time like we have right now. That's a major way to help trim the budgets down and keep them in check to where it's the same for everybody that way, but it's saving money for everybody, too. THE MODERATOR: July 26 will be the 16th running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Tony and Ryan, good luck. We appreciate your time today. TONY STEWART: I know obviously the biggest topic about this race is obviously the tires going into it, and I know we mentioned that earlier, but personally I truly believe that when we come back here that we're not going to have those problems that we had last year, and I know there's a lot of fans that are on the fence on whether they want to spend the money to come back to this event. I'd strongly urge you to come. I honestly feel like we're over that hump now, and like I said, Goodyear really put a huge effort into making it right. So I think we're going to be I personally think we're going to be all right with it and I think it's going to be a good show, and I'd hate to see people make the decision to not come with the fear of it being like last year because I think they've got over that and past it, and I think everything is going to be just fine. That's my two cents on the personal side. I think it's going to be fine, and I don't think it's anything that the fans should worry about. I think they should come and anticipate a race like they're used to seeing here. THE MODERATOR: Guys, thank you. Good luck on July 26th. Courtesy: NASCAR tag:weblogs.newsday.com,2009:/sports/autoracing/blog//336.203180 2009-07-08T18:47:44Z 2009-07-08T18:51:25Z

Bill Sweedler is one of the competitors in the American Le Mans Series' new Challenge class. The 42-year-old will make his second career start in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix next week at Lime Rock Park, his home...

Bobby Cassidy Bill Sweedler is one of the competitors in the American Le Mans Series' new Challenge class. The 42-year-old will make his second career start in the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix next week at Lime Rock Park, his home track. From Westport, Conn., Sweedler has been part of IMSA GT3 competition the last two years and will drive an ORBIT Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry with longtime friend Ed Brown. The next round of the American Le Mans Series is the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn. The race is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 18. The race will air live on SPEED. American Le Mans Radio presented by Porsche and Live Timing & Scoring will be available at Racehub on americanlemans.com. You also can follow the Series on Twitter (almsnotes). An RSS feed of Series news also is available. Courtesy - ALMS ]]>