Happy Tuesday! March 30, 1964: Marvin Panch starts from the pole and leads all 200 laps at quarter-mile Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. The only other driver on the lead lap, Ned Jarrett, finishes a distant second. Richard Petty is third a lap back in the field of 16. Picture yourself cruising in Tony's 2010 Camaro Coupe 2SS. It's a "Summit White", list price at over $35,000! Tony asked Will Castro of Unique Autosports to work his magic and add a few customizations! Buy a ticket for $50 – you'll be entered to win the Grand Prize including the Camaro, A VIP Trip to Stewart-Haas Racing and a personal meet & greet with Tony!!! 70 Early Bird prizes starting March 15th. Get 'em while you can!!!! Just go to www.smokescamaro. Bits and Pieces Mears to sub for Hamlin if needed, may return to the #90 team: Casey Mears was selected Saturday to sub for #11-Denny Hamlin while he recovers from ACL surgery. It's a deal that came together in just a few days, but one Mears knows could relaunch a fledgling Cup career after going 1-for-6 in making races with underfunded Keyed-Up Motorsports a deal that ended with a DNQ Friday. "It's just an opportunity I couldn't pass up," he said. "It's one of those deals where I could just be sitting on the pit box if Denny feels pretty good, but if he doesn't it's just a great opportunity to possibly get in a good car." It's also a chance to pair with an organization that would one day like to expand to four teams. "You see him in passing, and it's hi, hello, but I've never really spoken with those guys," he said. "So it's an opportunity for me to just kind of get to know those guys a little bit, and you never know what the future holds." Hamlin had high praise for Mears in his press conference Saturday morning, calling him "the best option to get a good finish" of all the drivers available in case he falters. If Hamlin's pain is overwhelming, the plan would be to run to the first caution, then have Mears take over for as many races as possible until his recovery's complete. "I think it means a lot to think your peers think of you that way," he claimed. "I think that hopefully if I can get in there, I can do a good job for them, and keep them in the running for where they want to be." In the meantime, Mears' relationship with Keyed-Up is expected to continue once his subbing is complete. He claims owner Raymond Key will run in the interim, although no driver has been selected to sub for him in the #90 Chevy as of yet. "I still want to run with those guys some more," he said. "Hopefully, I can get through this year and get something going rolling positive for 2011."(Frontstretch Impact Racing products to be decertified by the SFI; Impact responds: SFI Foundation, Inc., has issued a Notice of Decertification; Notice of Cease and Desist, and a notice terminating all Contracts of Participation to Impact Racing [owned by safety pioneer Bill Simpson]. Effective April 27, 2010, all products manufactured and/or distributed by Impact Racing pursuant to SFI Specification Programs 3.2A, 3.3, 16.1, and 16.5 are decertified. Evidence obtained by SFI shows that over a period of years Impact Racing has engaged in the production and use of counterfeit SFI conformance labels and patches, and affixed them to Impact products for use in motorsports. Under the Contracts of Participation between SFI and Impact, SFI conformance labels and patches may only be obtained from SFI and no other source. Evidence shows that Impact had counterfeit SFI labels and patches made in Asia and then affixed them to Impact products it distributed to members of the racing community. To SFI's knowledge, Impact never advised its customers that its products contained phony SFI labels and patches. Impact never advised SFI of its systematic and longstanding practice of counterfeiting and distributing SFI patches and labeling. Hamlin to have surgery, sub not named UPDATE Mears: #11-Denny Hamlin will have reconstructive surgery on his left knee Monday, sources close to the driver and Joe Gibbs Racing told ESPN.com. Hamlin, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in December playing pickup basketball, planned to wait until the end of the 2010 season to repair it. But growing fear of long term damage forced his hand, sources said. Sources said Hamlin plans to start every race and doesn't expect to miss any competition, but plans to have a driver on standby for several races just in case. Sources are uncertain at this time whom that driver would be. Per NASCAR rules, the driver that takes the green flag in the car earns the championship points for that race, even if he gets out prematurely. Hamlin's ability to drive the #11 Toyota is more about his pain tolerance than anything else, sources said. Strength-wise he should be fine. If he can handle the pain, he can race, the sources said. Hamlin, widely considered the biggest threat to upend Jimmie Johnson's championship stranglehold, has begun slowly in 2010. He is 19th in the point standings and has yet to earn a top-10 finish in the season's first five events.(ESPN) UPDATE: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announced Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will undergo surgery on Monday, March 29 to repair the ACL in his left knee. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Patrick Connor with OrthoCarolina. Hamlin injured the knee in January prior to the start of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. "When we first reviewed the situation we thought Denny couldn't do any further damage to his knee if he waited to have surgery, but as the season progressed we determined that the best plan of action was to go ahead and have it repaired," said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing. "Hopefully this will take care of the situation and he should get stronger each week." Hamlin is expected to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in Phoenix on April 10.(JGR) Biffle and the Friends of the Animals Ink Land Deal: Friends of the Animals, a non-profit group co-chaired by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his wife Nicole created to promote responsible pet ownership, provide low cost spay-neuter services and promote the adoption of homeless animals, has inked a valuable land deal with Langtree Group for 1.5 acres in the lakeside development. Langtree at the Lake is located off Interstate 77 North at exit 31. Friends of the Animals plans to use the land to build a no-kill animal and education center that will include a low-cost spay and neuter clinic. The group hopes the center will be open within the next two years. The animal sanctuary will house 150 animals; 60 cats and 90 dogs, which will be available for adoption. The animal education and community center will be available to churches, community groups and the public for birthday parties and meetings. The developers at Langtree at the Lake have worked with Friends of the Animals to allow them to use their green space for a community dog park and walking trails. The Langtree at the Lake community will be home to lakeside condominiums and village-center lofts with sweeping lake views and easy water access. The mixed use development will offer access to exclusive specialty shoppes and boutiques, small cafés and unique restaurants, as well as Class-A office space. There will be 40 acres of Green Space: 2 1/2 miles of walking trails around a man-made lake and over a mile of beautiful Lake Norman shoreline. "Friends of the Animals searched for several years to find a location that would be easy for the public to access. If the location is easy and friendly, we know it will increase adoptions and spay/neuters for the animals," says Nicole Biffle, President of the Friends of the Animals Board. Friends of the Animals is working with several other rescue groups and shelters in the area with the goal of sharing resources to benefit all animals in the area. "Our Board is excited to take this step toward reaching our goal of saving cats and dogs through adoption and by providing a low cost spay/neuter option to the public," says Biffle. (Roush Racing) Charlie Glotzbach talks about Bristol wreck: Thursday, March 25 on SIRIUS NASCAR Radio, host Claire B. Lang spoke with Charlie Glotzbach, who was injured in a wreck with Larry Pearson in the Showdown charity race at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend. Glotzbach was released from the hospital on Wednesday. Stremme back in the #26 at Martinsville: David Stremme, who was out of the Sprint Cup Series since last fall before stepping-into Latitude 43 Motorsports' #26 Ford at Bristol, will get another shot this weekend at Martinsville. Stremme, who scored the new team's best finish in its five-race history, 24th at Bristol; was named Wednesday to replace entered-driver Boris Said in the car tuned by crew chief Frank Stoddard. Stoddard said Stremme did a good job for the team in Bristol, despite the team falling from a locked-in spot in the top 35 in owners' points, which means Stremme is a go-or-go-home qualifier on Friday at Martinsville. Kurt Busch to be honored: Las Vegas native and 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch will be honored at the annual Mel Larson Night of Champions on April 14 at Rain in the Palms Casino Resort. All proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Las Vegas chapter of Speedway Children's Charities. This is the fifth year for the event in which a community member is recognized for his contributions to motorsports. Previous Mel Larson Night of Champions honorees include: Mel Larson, Dr. Dale Carrison (LVMS medical director and University Medical Center's chairman of emergency medicine), NHRA Pro Stock championship team owner Ken Black and automotive legend Carroll Shelby. The speedway also will recognize the 2009 season champions at its drag-racing facility The Strip at LVMS and its 3/8-mile oval, the Bullring. The event begins at 6:30pm and Kurt will participate in a private meet-and-greet reception prior to dinner. Event tickets include dinner and an open bar.(LVMS) New driver named for #90 Keyed-up Motorsports ride: Keyed-Up Motorsports team owner Raymond Key announced that Scott Riggs will drive the #90 Keyed-Up Motorsports Chevy at Phoenix and Texas. "We are thrilled to have Scott in our car," Key said today. Riggs, the current driver for the #09 RAB Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will make his 2010 Sprint Cup debut at Phoenix in the #90 Keyed-Up Motorsports Chevy. The team started the season with Casey Mears behind the wheel, but Mears' contract was for the first six races only, and he opted to be a back up driver for Denny Hamlin in the #11 FedEx Toyota while Hamlin recovers from ACL surgery. "Casey is a great guy and did a good job for us," Key said. "Both parties fulfilled the 6-race deal and parted on good terms, we have even discussed the possibility of having Casey back later this year." The team has qualified for only one (1) of the first six (6) races this season. Key added, "We had competitive speeds this year in qualifying attempts but the 'Top 35' rule has kept us from racing. We now look to Scott for his input on how we can succeed in getting into the top 35 in points with him behind the wheel."(Keyed- Successful Charlotte Test has Elliott, Woods Ready to take on Texas: Bill Elliott and the #21 Wood Brothers Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion shed their wings and spent Tuesday and Wednesday getting reacquainted with an old friend the conventional rear spoiler. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team was among 40 Sprint Cup outfits that participated in the two-day test at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The wing that was on the Car of Tomorrow for its first 93 races will be replaced by a flat blade rear spoiler beginning with this week's race at Martinsville Speedway. Elliott and the Woods, running a limited schedule this season, won't race with it until the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 16-18. Elliott posted the ninth fastest speed in Wednesday morning's session, turning a lap at 185.134mph. But he said that although that speed got his car number on the upper side of the speed chart it wasn't the true measure of what the team accomplished at the test. "The important thing is we learned a lot," he said. "The test went well, and we collected a lot of data." (Wood Brothers Racing) Matt McLaughlin's Thinkin' Out Loud Matt McLaughlin · Frontstretch. Martinsville Editor's Note: Matt McLaughlin is off today. Vito Pugliese filled in … look for Matt's thoughts on the race to pop up a little later this week! The Key Moment: On a green-white- Dramatic Moment: Which one? With four laps to go, Hamlin restarted ninth – five rows back. The next lap, he went three-wide for fourth place, where he would stay until Paul Menard got together with Kyle Busch. That brought out the final caution and green-white- What They'll Be Talking About Around The Water Cooler This Week: All we heard last week from just about every news source on television, print media, and the internet was about the formation of a new independent group so steadfast in their beliefs and deeply held convictions, they would do whatever they could in their power to help bring about and effect change. No, not the Tea Party, the informal ABJ Group: Anybody But Johnson. Well, following Denny Hamlin's second consecutive win at Martinsville, and third in ten attempts, the potential stands that there might be an ABH Group forming shortly. It's probably for the best they don't, though; that acronym is already taken. (If you have ever watched Gangland on The History Channel, you'll know what I'm talking about…) Might Casey Mears get a shot at driving one of the best cars in Sprint Cup Racing next week at Phoenix? Very possible, with Monday's rain-delayed race delaying Denny Hamlin's scheduled surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered in a basketball game early this year. But should Hamlin not be able to go, or need to be relieved, Mears would be climbing into a car that has been hard to handle at flat tracks. And Mears' career at Phoenix hasn't exactly been stellar, either. With an average finish of 27.2 at PIR, he has to be wishing that surgery could have come a week later at Texas (where he has four career Top 10s and a pair of Top 5s). Then again, considering the sled he has been trying to get into races this year, he'd probably feel just as fortunate driving a Fed Ex truck. If there is indeed any truth to the rumors Martinsville is in danger of losing a date to Kansas or Kentucky, please NASCAR, come to your senses. Use this race as witness to the glory of short track racing, as it was easily the best we've had in quite some time. Time and time again, the old tracks never disappoint, and today – on NASCAR's sole original track remaining from 1949 – was no exception. If there is anything more beautiful than the sights and sounds of 43 unmuffled, 900-horsepower stock cars pulling off the second turn at Martinsville amid the greenery on a crisp, sunny, spring afternoon, these four eyes and two ears have yet to feast upon it. Then again, producing one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history at Rockingham in 2004 did nothing for The Rock to free its melon from the unrelenting guillotine of "progress…" so stay tuned. Attendance Sunday was listed at 58,000 (10,000 short of capacity), and Monday's crowd was estimated at 40,000 – even though the stands looked less than half full. Those are the worst attendance numbers for the 2010 Sprint Cup season to date. If it wasn't enough that he didn't win for the fourth time in six races, Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knaus were heard to be – gasp! – disagreeing with each other on the radio early in the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500. Under caution, Johnson asked Knaus for some assistance getting into the pits, to help him avoid pushing the envelope too far and getting busted for speeding. Surprised, Knaus responded repeatedly and emphatically that Johnson was to absolutely not try and slow his entry down at all because: "it is impossible for you to get caught speeding in that section!" And to think some fans actually dare to raise the specter that it's anything less than honorable the way Knaus and company have managed to win those 50 races and four championships. (Or is that 48 races? Knaus was suspended for two of them for cheating with an adjustable rear window during Daytona 500 qualifying in 2006. Whatever.) It appeared there may be another entry into the Brad Keselowski saga after Keselowski's No. 12 Dodge, sporting the new corporate logo of two diagonal slashes (apparently a long-horned sheep just didn't resonate as Chrysler's performance icon) bounced off the curbing in Turn 4 and into Carl Edwards' No. 99 Aflac Ford. But nobody was put on their lid this week, and when informed of Keselowski's apology, Edwards responded, "That's fine." So all appears to be forgiven between these two… until you remember that driver of the No. 99's still on probation. Remember, Edwards took responsibility for the Atlanta incident right before sending Keselowski skyward. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and crew chief Lance McGrew were both pleased with the performance of the No. 88 AMP Sugar Free Chevrolet during practice this past weekend. But come race time, the car was again not quite right and just a tick off the pace in coming home 15th. A pit road problem was once again the key to self-destruction, with a call by McGrew to pit closer to the box costing Earnhardt precious time on a caution flag stop; it dropped him well outside the top 10, and while stuck in traffic the duo was never able to work their way back up. That left them stuck with a mixed bag result in what's typically been a mixed bag season to date. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is still in the Top 10 in points, 159 markers out of first. However, he is also less than 100 points out of 19th. Maybe McGrew should accuse him of something heinous again to help spark his tone up a little. You know, April 15th is fast approaching; he should probably mention something about him driving like he cheats on his taxes. Even though the whole world doesn't need to be hearing that… While Matt Kenseth and A.J. Allmendinger have both campaigned this season in cars dressed in the Valvoline paint scheme that was ran by Mark Martin from 1992-1995, it's Martin who has seemingly regained his luck from that era. Three consecutive miserable weeks have stymied a strong start to his 2010 season that saw a pole win at Daytona, followed by back-to-back fourth-place finishes at California and Las Vegas wiped out by hitting a wall (literally) at the short track swing of Bristol and Martinsville. But fans of the Little Guy need not worry – it was at this point last season he came to life with a dominant win at Phoenix, and that just so happens to be the next track on the schedule. Through the slump, the performance of the No. 5 team has not been in question… only the propensity for bad things to happen to them at the most inopportune time. But the mental toughness that Martin credited as being his greatest asset and contribution to his new team last year is being put to the test early on in 2010. The Hindenburg Award For Foul Fortune: Jeff Gordon was within all of 100 feet of crossing the start/finish line as the white flag was displayed, only to have it be replaced with a yellow rag as he drove under the spotter's stand on lap 499. At least the legion of No. 24 fans will have somebody else to kick around this week instead of Steve Letarte – who, by the way, called a fantastic race and had it all but won if not for the Kyle Busch/Paul Menard incident behind them. By not pitting and staying out, he still stood the best chance they had at winning after leading 92 of 500 laps. And if third place finishes are disappointing… you have got to be doing something right. Kevin Harvick need not fret over leading the Sprint Cup standings by one measly point, as did entering Martinsville. While running second on lap 106, the rear brakes disappeared on the Shell-Pennzoil Impala, sending him to the garage area for repairs. Harvick would return but 33 laps down, eventually falling 100 laps back by the end of the race in a finish that cost him the points lead. But he would not be the only contending RCR machine to suffer problems this day… Mark Martin once again had a car capable of a Top 5 finish for the third straight week – and capable of winning for the second week in a row – only to be felled by a blown right front tire with 21 laps remaining. That, of course, happened after scrambling from 24th to sixth over a 100-lap period, following a pit road penalty when the air hose was snagged on a bowed out lower quarterpanel extension. The extra four inches of sheet metal hanging down was the result of mandated body modifications to help maintain aerodynamic sideforce, a result of the addition of the new spoiler (which replaces the former wing's side plates.) Kyle Busch had tumbled back as far as 34th in the early going, but was in line for a top 10 finish late when Paul Menard slid into him entering turn three. Busch smacked the wall between turns three and four, ending what was a Herculean effort to rebound from what appeared to be a disaster in the making (and it was, joining Hamlin for a "scratch your head" pit stop call he could never recover from). Juan Pablo Montoya should just give up and quit at this point. I don't mean that sarcastically, or to cast aspirations on Montoya or his team. Sometimes, the world just really is out to crush and destroy you. His day at Martinsville was proof positive, as he blew a right front tire on lap 126, sending him headlong into the frontstretch wall. Upon completing repairs to the Target Chevrolet, he returned to the track, only to have the same thing happen – at the same place. So unless the ghost of Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock was concealed amongst the shrubbery in turns one and two and picking out his Goodyears, Montoya was the recipient of either some really bad luck, excessive front camber, brake heat, or something cutting into his tire for it to happen with the kind of regularity one would expect from a tablespoon of Metamucil. Jeff Burton had perhaps the one car that was capable of keeping pace with Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota – and passing it. The RCR driver was poised to claim his first win of the season – and in a year and a half – until he, too, suffered right front tire detonation on lap 491, causing the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet to plow into the Turn 4 wall like an Israeli bulldozer through a terrorist compound on the Gaza Strip. (With that being said, I'd also like to wish our Jewish readers a Happy Passover today.) Jeff Gordon may have had a sure win snatched from his grasp about two seconds before crossing the stripe on the white flag lap that would have ended the race – but at least he didn't blow a tire like Matt Kenseth did coming to the white flag. He just helped cause it, after contact with Kenseth in turn 1 of that final restart kept both cars tangling with each other instead of Victory Lane. The "Seven Come Fore Eleven" Award For Fine Fortune Denny Hamlin showed why it isn't often you restart with four laps to go five rows deep and are suddenly in contention to win a race. (Unless you're Kevin Harvick at the Daytona 500, or Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at the Daytona 500.) I guess that's the whole point of the green-white- Joey Logano, in keeping with the Jewish holiday theme here, saw Denny Hamlin as his Moses, parting the Red Sea for the orange Home Depot No. 20 to sneak through for a one-two Joe Gibbs Racing Finish. It was his best ever run at Martinsville (and first top 10 in seven short track starts) which is really not all that surprising; after all, the kid is all of 19 years old and has raced here on just two other occasions – his previous best being a 12th place run last Fall. Marcos Ambrose succeeded in running into just about everything except the hot dog carts, bringing home what was left of the No. 47 Little Debbie Toyota in 11th place. With the alacrity of his spins, swipes, and spastic actions on the .526-mile paperclip today, the Tasmanian Devil lived up to his nickname Monday afternoon. However, at Phoenix or Richmond in the coming weeks, don't be surprised to see his car being delivered to the garage on a flatbed early in the going, by way of retribution from at least five drivers who had reason to be angry at his tactics. Paul Menard continues to hang on to a Top 12 points performance by way of a 14th place finish, his sixth top 20 in as many races. But his steady-as-she- Martin Truex, Jr. and crew chief Pat Tryson finally have a strong finish (fifth) to reflect the number of solid runs the No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing team has assembled this year. Clearly, the results have not reflected the effort or the performance thus far in 2010. But rest assured, while Truex may be struggling for camera time on the track, the U.S. Navy can set their atomic clock with the consistency that his NAPA commercials air each and every commercial break. He may not know how to get to the moon, but when it comes to pressing Mute, I know just what to do. Worth Noting: · Denny Hamlin's win is his third at Martinsville, tying his career high for wins at a particular track (Pocono). In the last eight races at the paperclip, there have just been two winners: Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson. · Joey Logano's second place finish was his best since winning New Hampshire last June. · Ryan Newman (4th) had his first top 5 finish since Pocono last June – a span of 30 races. · Brian Vickers (6th) had his best ever finish at Martinsville and his best at a short track in 32 career starts at Bristol, Martinsville, and Richmond. · Clint Bowyer was the only Richard Childress Racing entry to finish in the Top 10 (7th), despite teammates Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton combining to lead nearly 200 laps. · Jimmie Johnson is indeed human after all. He came home with a rather pedestrian ninth place finish, and failed to lead a lap for the third time this season. It's also the first time he's failed to lead at Martinsville since Fall 2005 … in those other eight starts in between, he led 1,380 laps, won five times, and never finished lower than fourth. · Greg Biffle (10th) is the only driver to finish in the top 10 in all six races this season. · The top 10 Monday drove four Toyotas, four Chevys, and two Fords. Beyond that, two of each car make managed to finish in the Top 13. Short track |
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