WoO-NST Split Good for Racing/ Kevin Swindell Attempts ARCA Race/ Tony Stewart likes Phoenix/ Iowa Speedway Releases Weekend Schedules
WoO-NST Split Good for Racing
Sprint Car and Midget Magazine publisher, Doug Auld appeared on Sirius Speedway Wednesday to talk about the so-called winged 410-sprintcar split between the World of Outlaw Sprint Series and the National Sprint Tour.
Auld said some people scoff at the split, comparing it to the Champ Car World Series and IRL split. He says the outcome will not be the same. Doug Auld told Dave Moody that the split has produced a better product for 410 fans. Both series have fewer car counts which allow more of the locals to run against the big boys in the A main. The stars are divided into both series so that it is not a one driver show every night. The split has produced a tighter show that ends earlier so fans are not at the track until 2am.
The interview touched on a few other items that you can read about in the November issue of Sprint Car and Midget Magazine. You can purchase a subscription or back issue of the magazine by going to http://www.sprintcarandmidget.com
Kevin Swindell to Attempt First ARCA Race
Kevin Swindell will take the next step in his racing career this weekend as he makes his first attempt at an ARCA Re/Max Series start at Salem Speedway. Swindell, is scheduled to be behind the wheel of the Cunningham Motorsports Dodge. The 17-year-old tested at Salem last week. The third-generation driver recently joined the Dodge/Evernham Motorsports Driver Development program. As most of you know, Swindell is not a newcomer to big time auto racing. In 2005, he became the youngest driver in the history of the World of Outlaws to score a top 10 finish in a feature event. He was just 15-years-old when he finished sixth in the event at Paramatta Speedway during his first ever trip to Australia. Practice and qualifications are set to take place on Saturday with a 50-lap late model and 200-lap ARCA RE/MAX Series race scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The race is not on TV.
Tony Stewart likes Phoenix
Our Open Wheelers are headed to the valley of the sun, Phoenix, Arizona for NASCAR racing under the lights this weekend. USAC Triple Crown Champion, Tony Stewart loves the one-mile oval. The Indiana native has fond memories of the facility from his days in USAC and the Indy Racing league.
“I've been there a long, long time with USAC and the Copper Classic,” said Stewart. “Then when I switched to the Busch Series and Indy Racing League. I didn't get a chance to run there in Busch, but was there quite a bit in the IRL. I got to be really close friends with Dennis Wood, who was part of the track out there, Buddy, who owned the facility before NASCAR bought it. It was kind of really considered and still is considered my West Coast home away from home.”
Tony Stewart won the 1998 Copper World Classic Silver Crown race before the track was reconfigured. He says he missed the way the track used to look and feel.
”Honestly, I liked it the way it was,” said Stewart. “It was just really unique the way it was. Having bridges going over the top of racetracks, it was a walkway bridge is what it was. But I remember going to Winchester, Indiana, they had a walkway bridge that went over, because they didn't have a tunnel that went underneath the racetrack. It's things like that that kind of take the past of our sport. Obviously, you want to update facilities all the time to bring them into current standards. That was the last track in the Cup Series that had something nostalgic like that. Just the way turn two was, it was very challenging getting off of turn two. I liked it that way. In every division I ran there, it made it a lot more fun. It's still a unique track.”
Tony Stewart never won at Phoenix in his IRL career, but he did finish second at the facility in 1997 and 1998. He has one Cup win at Phoenix. Stewart says event with the changes, PIR is still an exciting place to race.
“Turns one and two are a tighter radius than turns three and four are, and having the two ends different like that are what give the Phoenix track its own personality. There's not too many tracks you go to that you look over the backstretch and you see mountains and cactus everywhere, you hear people talking about cowboys going up there in the morning with a bag and grabbing rattlesnakes the day of the race to clear them out so people can sit down. It's just a pretty special racetrack.”
Iowa Speedway Releases Weekend Schedules
Iowa Speedway has released their weekend schedules for the 2006 schedule. The track will host the HOOTERS Pro Cup Series, ARCA/REMAX Series, ASA Late Model Series and all three USAC National Divisions this fall. The USAC weekend schedule calls for practice and qualifying for all three USAC divisions on Saturday September 16th and all three features on Sunday September17th. The three feature races will be preceded with a concert. The HOOTERS Pro Cup race will christen the track on Friday night under the lights.
Helio Castroneves Fastest at Motegi
Helio Castroneves turned in the fastest time Thursday during practice at Motegi, Japan. Castroneves top lap speed was 201.223 mph. Tony Kanaan was second quick at 200.088 mph. Rain slowed the practice sessions. Castroneves’ teammate Sam Hornish hit the wall earlier in the day but was ok. Hs car was not and the team rolled out a backup car.
Aaron Fike Must Qualify on Speed
Aaron Fike will have to qualify based on speed after NASCAR penalized his team 25 points. The penalty knocks the USAC star out of the top 30 in owners points. A team needs to remain in the top 30 in owners points to assure themselves an automatic qualifying spot. Forty-eight cars have entered this weekend’s event. The No. 43 Curb-Agajanian Motorsports team was penalized 25 owners points after a NASCAR found the car too low in post race inspection at Nashville.
Busch Series Entries for Phoenix
10 John Andretti
11 Paul Menard
14 Tracy Hines
18 J.J. Yeley
32 Jason Leffler
34 Mike Bliss
42 Casey Mears
43 Aaron Fike
60 Carl Edwards
66 Ken Schrader
77 Burney Lamar
Two TV Notes
In Wednesday’s TV Notes I accidentally omitted two items which will be broadcast featuring Open Wheelers:
Thursday, April 20
8:30 pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying Phoenix (LIVE) SPEED
10:00 pm NASCAR Regional Tour Phoenix (LIVE) FSN Arizona
Don’t forget to nominate who you think is the best race babe. Nominations are accepted by emailing me at johnsonbjv@aol.com. Leave me your comments about why your favorite gal is the best and I may post them on this website. The voting will begin next week.
Images appearing in this blog courtesy of Sprint Car and Midget Magazine and R.E. Technologies.
Sprint Car and Midget Magazine publisher, Doug Auld appeared on Sirius Speedway Wednesday to talk about the so-called winged 410-sprintcar split between the World of Outlaw Sprint Series and the National Sprint Tour.
Auld said some people scoff at the split, comparing it to the Champ Car World Series and IRL split. He says the outcome will not be the same. Doug Auld told Dave Moody that the split has produced a better product for 410 fans. Both series have fewer car counts which allow more of the locals to run against the big boys in the A main. The stars are divided into both series so that it is not a one driver show every night. The split has produced a tighter show that ends earlier so fans are not at the track until 2am.
The interview touched on a few other items that you can read about in the November issue of Sprint Car and Midget Magazine. You can purchase a subscription or back issue of the magazine by going to http://www.sprintcarandmidget.com
Kevin Swindell to Attempt First ARCA Race
Kevin Swindell will take the next step in his racing career this weekend as he makes his first attempt at an ARCA Re/Max Series start at Salem Speedway. Swindell, is scheduled to be behind the wheel of the Cunningham Motorsports Dodge. The 17-year-old tested at Salem last week. The third-generation driver recently joined the Dodge/Evernham Motorsports Driver Development program. As most of you know, Swindell is not a newcomer to big time auto racing. In 2005, he became the youngest driver in the history of the World of Outlaws to score a top 10 finish in a feature event. He was just 15-years-old when he finished sixth in the event at Paramatta Speedway during his first ever trip to Australia. Practice and qualifications are set to take place on Saturday with a 50-lap late model and 200-lap ARCA RE/MAX Series race scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The race is not on TV.
Tony Stewart likes Phoenix
Our Open Wheelers are headed to the valley of the sun, Phoenix, Arizona for NASCAR racing under the lights this weekend. USAC Triple Crown Champion, Tony Stewart loves the one-mile oval. The Indiana native has fond memories of the facility from his days in USAC and the Indy Racing league.
“I've been there a long, long time with USAC and the Copper Classic,” said Stewart. “Then when I switched to the Busch Series and Indy Racing League. I didn't get a chance to run there in Busch, but was there quite a bit in the IRL. I got to be really close friends with Dennis Wood, who was part of the track out there, Buddy, who owned the facility before NASCAR bought it. It was kind of really considered and still is considered my West Coast home away from home.”
Tony Stewart won the 1998 Copper World Classic Silver Crown race before the track was reconfigured. He says he missed the way the track used to look and feel.
”Honestly, I liked it the way it was,” said Stewart. “It was just really unique the way it was. Having bridges going over the top of racetracks, it was a walkway bridge is what it was. But I remember going to Winchester, Indiana, they had a walkway bridge that went over, because they didn't have a tunnel that went underneath the racetrack. It's things like that that kind of take the past of our sport. Obviously, you want to update facilities all the time to bring them into current standards. That was the last track in the Cup Series that had something nostalgic like that. Just the way turn two was, it was very challenging getting off of turn two. I liked it that way. In every division I ran there, it made it a lot more fun. It's still a unique track.”
Tony Stewart never won at Phoenix in his IRL career, but he did finish second at the facility in 1997 and 1998. He has one Cup win at Phoenix. Stewart says event with the changes, PIR is still an exciting place to race.
“Turns one and two are a tighter radius than turns three and four are, and having the two ends different like that are what give the Phoenix track its own personality. There's not too many tracks you go to that you look over the backstretch and you see mountains and cactus everywhere, you hear people talking about cowboys going up there in the morning with a bag and grabbing rattlesnakes the day of the race to clear them out so people can sit down. It's just a pretty special racetrack.”
Iowa Speedway Releases Weekend Schedules
Iowa Speedway has released their weekend schedules for the 2006 schedule. The track will host the HOOTERS Pro Cup Series, ARCA/REMAX Series, ASA Late Model Series and all three USAC National Divisions this fall. The USAC weekend schedule calls for practice and qualifying for all three USAC divisions on Saturday September 16th and all three features on Sunday September17th. The three feature races will be preceded with a concert. The HOOTERS Pro Cup race will christen the track on Friday night under the lights.
Helio Castroneves Fastest at Motegi
Helio Castroneves turned in the fastest time Thursday during practice at Motegi, Japan. Castroneves top lap speed was 201.223 mph. Tony Kanaan was second quick at 200.088 mph. Rain slowed the practice sessions. Castroneves’ teammate Sam Hornish hit the wall earlier in the day but was ok. Hs car was not and the team rolled out a backup car.
Aaron Fike Must Qualify on Speed
Aaron Fike will have to qualify based on speed after NASCAR penalized his team 25 points. The penalty knocks the USAC star out of the top 30 in owners points. A team needs to remain in the top 30 in owners points to assure themselves an automatic qualifying spot. Forty-eight cars have entered this weekend’s event. The No. 43 Curb-Agajanian Motorsports team was penalized 25 owners points after a NASCAR found the car too low in post race inspection at Nashville.
Busch Series Entries for Phoenix
10 John Andretti
11 Paul Menard
14 Tracy Hines
18 J.J. Yeley
32 Jason Leffler
34 Mike Bliss
42 Casey Mears
43 Aaron Fike
60 Carl Edwards
66 Ken Schrader
77 Burney Lamar
Two TV Notes
In Wednesday’s TV Notes I accidentally omitted two items which will be broadcast featuring Open Wheelers:
Thursday, April 20
8:30 pm NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying Phoenix (LIVE) SPEED
10:00 pm NASCAR Regional Tour Phoenix (LIVE) FSN Arizona
Don’t forget to nominate who you think is the best race babe. Nominations are accepted by emailing me at johnsonbjv@aol.com. Leave me your comments about why your favorite gal is the best and I may post them on this website. The voting will begin next week.
Images appearing in this blog courtesy of Sprint Car and Midget Magazine and R.E. Technologies.
posted by Blake Johnson at 2:54 PM
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