2015 iwanna nascar season update

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2015 MID-SEASON UPDATE COPYRIGHT © IWANNA, USA LLC 2015 MARTIN TRUEX JR. WELL-DESERVED POCONO WIN HIGHLIGHTS BREAKTHROUGH SEASON DALE JR WINS AT TALLADEGA KEVIN HARVICK EAGER FOR REPEAT JEFF GORDON LAST SEASON BEHIND WHEEL SPRINT CUP RACE RECAPS IN PICTURES FREE POSTER INSIDE JIMMIE JOHNSON LEADS IN VICTORIES JOEY LOGANO TAKES DAYTONA SERIES STANDINGS TO DATE RESULTS

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  • 2015 MID-SEASON uPDATECO

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    Martintruex Jr.WELL-DESERVED POCONO WIN HIGHLIGHTS BREAKTHROUGH SEASON

    DALE JRWINS AT TALLADEGA

    KEVIN HARVICKEAGER FOR REPEAT

    JEFF GORDONLAST SEASON BEHIND WHEEL

    SPRINT CUP RACE RECAPS IN PICTURES

    FREEPOSTERINSIDE

    JiMMie JohnSonLEADS IN VICTORIES

    Joey loGanoTAKES DAYTONA

    SerieS StandinGSTO DATE RESULTS

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATE iwanna.com2 IWANNA 06.30.15

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    NASCAR MID-SEASON UPDATE, a publication of IWANNA, has accepted contributions which may not refl ect the opinion of the publisher. No portion of NASCAR MID-SEASON UPDATE may be reproduced without permission of the publisher.

    featured drivers: 4 | MARTIN TRuEx, JR16 | kEVIN hARVICk23 | JIMMIE JOhNSON28 | JOEY LOgANO32 | CARL EDWARDS42 | ARIC ALMIROLA49 | DALE EARNhARDT, JR50 | PAuL MENARD53 | BRAD kESELOWSkI

    ALL VIDEOS ARE FED TO

    KEYVIOLATIONS MONITORED

    WITH EIGHT NASCAR OFFICIALS REPORTING TO RACE CONTROLPRO TRAILER

    PRO trailer

    to tower Over The Wall Too SoonEquipment Violations Uncontrolled Tire

    Too Many Crew Members Over The Wall

    Driving Through Too Many Pit Boxes

    Pitting Outside The Box

    STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY

    960GB =total RAM computersdesktop240

    40TB =of storage

    10,000full HD movies

    90GB = 18,000moves more thansongs per second

    PIT ROAD TECHNOLOGYHOW NASCAR IS COMBINING AUTOMATED PENALTY DETECTION AND HUMAN CONFIRMATION TO MONITOR PIT ROAD

    RECORD ALL PIT ROAD ACTIVITY

    2 PIT STALLS

    THROUGHOUT EVERY RACEWITH EACH CAMERA POINTING TO

    30 SERVERS =

    45 + HD CAMERAS

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    22:24:11

    TimePit # NoteInfractions

    REVIEWINGVehicle #: 10

    Pit Box: 5

    Login

    System Status - NOT RECORDING TO DISK

    User: NONE

    CREW OBJECT VEHICLE

    Search:

    22:24:07

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    22:00:36

    processing power compared to most recent space shuttle

    9,000x s

  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAteiwanna.com IWANNA 06.30.15 3

  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAte iwanna.com4 IWANNA 06.30.15

    martin truex Jr. is making a meteoric rise in his belated breakthrough season, with re-cord-tying top-ten consistency and his Pocono victory showing a low-funded team can slay the Goliaths.the last time a single-car team won the Cup was 23 years ago, in 1992, with the late alan Kul-wicki behind the wheel. One-car operations have finished in the top 15 only three times in this millenniums decade and a half.Yet truex can buck odds and history, and ironically earn a ride with a much better-funded team after his contract expires later this year. He looms as the top-rated and most coveted free agent. Were as good as anyone out there, truex proclaimed. We went head-to-head with the big guys, the 48 (Jimmie John-son) and the 4 (Kevin Harvick), the guys to beat. Weve been right there, toe-to-toe.truexs first Cup victory in two seasons and third in his decade-long career vaulted him into second place in Cup stand-ings. He finished just ahead of leader Harvick in the race. then he slashed the gap from 39 to 15 points at 576-561, after finishing third June 14 in the Quicken Loans 400 at michigan

    international Speedway.the Pocono win clinches a 15-car Chase berth for truex. He was the 10th different driver to win a Cup race this year. He outdid rivals in four restarts in the final 40 laps, varying tactics. We picked the right gear ratio for restarts here, and that is criti-cal. He was circling much faster than 78 rpm, in the no. 78 Chev-rolet. He opened a 2.75-second lead, with 12 laps to go.Winning at Long Pond, Pa. fits truexs longshot journey, rising in his 10th full-time season. truex was due victory. He led the most laps for the fourth consecutive Cup contest. truex is the first Cup driver since rich-ard Petty in 1969 to register top ten finishes in 14 of the first 15 Cup races.truexs 35th birthday is June 29. He is a classic late bloomer. He was the top Cup prospect, after taking titles in the junior (now xfinity) circuit in 2004 and 05 when winning 12 times for Dale earnhardt Jr.s Chance2 (now Jr) motorsports. Junior relates to belated success, to how difficult it is to get in the right situation. Hes got a team that believes in him. theyve come a long way. theyre doing some pretty cool stuff being

    that far (based in Denver) out of the inner circle. Hats off to them. truex is a hell of a race car driver.But first, truex struggled with Ganassi racing, winning only at Dover in 2007. He qualified for the Chase in 2012 and won at Sonoma in 2013, with michael Waltrip racing. But Spingate decimated mWr, costing spon-sor naPa and truexs ride after 2013. naSCar cast truex out of the Chase, ruling that at richmond his mWr teammates manipulated the outcome with Clint Bowyer purposely spin-ning for a caution and Brian Vickers pitting. this helped truex win a points tiebreaker with ryan newman.truex promptly landed a two-year deal with Furniture row that is up this year. He suc-ceeded Kurt Busch, who went to new Stewart-Haas racing. this year is a rebound from 2014, when truex with a weak engine led one lap all season.the Furniture row/Visser Preci-sion Cup car truex steers is the lone one owned by furniture baron Barney Visser of Denver, Colo. truex is placing Furniture row at naSCars elite table.But money limits might catch up. the mostly-plain black car

    lacks independent sponsorship. team G.m. Joe Garone said keeping truex likely requires a major sponsor and perhaps a shift from Chevy, which he said focuses on its main teams.Still, this season soared with technical support of richard Childress racing. Weve had a great season, truex said. We have had everything it has taken to win races. ive gotten used to disappointment ... where it didnt go your way, even though you didnt do anything wrong.awesome, awesome, awe-some! was the goateed Jersey natives reaction on team radio, upon crossing the Pocono finish line. He tweeted i feel like the luckiest guy in the world right now. never give up!He kept going after losing his Cup ride, and as longtime girl-friend Sherry Pollex battled stage iii (of four) ovarian can-cer with major surgery and chemotherapy. its helped me appreciate the things i do have, truex said. Sherry showed me what she was made of. if she can do that i can do this. People got insight into what im made of, which is cool. Sucks i had to show it. But its definitely a hum-bling feeling to have the respect of the great people in this garage

    area. He said challenges make you pretty damned proud of what youve accomplished. this is easily the biggest win of my career.Hes been through a lot of stuff both inside the car and outside the car the last several years, his long-time friend and real estate partner earnhardt said after spraying victor truex with Diet mountain Dew. Jim-mie Johnson added, hes had to overcome more personally and professionally than prob-ably anybody sitting in a seat right now. rival Harvick said, You have to be super-happy for Sherry and martin. to see them have that bright spot is something i think the whole garage supports.Johnson describes truex as a popular, persevering driver al-ways with a smile on his face and relentless effort. truex told the a.P. that more critical than winning races and titles is the legacy you leave, and how people look at the person that you are.

    by PETE ZAMPLAS

    Martin SlayS GoliathS: truex SurGeS into Second in pointS after pocono win

    MArTin TruEx, jr affixing his winner decal at Pocono (Jeff Zelevansky/NASCAR via Getty Images)

    I feel lIke the luckIest guy In the world

    rIght now. never gIve up!

  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAteiwanna.com IWANNA 06.30.15 5

  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAte iwanna.com6 IWANNA 06.30.15

    race recapscourtesy of NASCAR MEDIA via Getty Images

    2015

    SUNDAY, MAY 31FeDeX 400

    DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

    Jimmie Johnson holds off Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson on a G-W-C finish to capture his 74th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. Johnson only led 23 laps, and didnt take the top spot until he beat race runner up Harvick to the stripe for a restart on Lap 383. Kyle Larson ran third, followed by Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola.

    Jimmie Johnson Wins 10th Nascar

    sprint cup series race at Dover

    Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch & Denny Hamlin spent most of the race in front but none of that

    mattered when Carl Edwards got 62 laps out of his last tank of fuel & took the checkered flag 4.785

    seconds ahead of Greg Biffle, also on a fuel-saving strategy. The victory was Edwards first of the

    season, his first for Joe Gibbs Racing, his first at Charlotte, and the 24th of his career.

    SUNDAY, MAY 24cOca-cOLa 600 ChARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    Fuel strategy gives carl edwards first win at charlotte

    With 3 laps left and Kevin Harvick glued to his tail, Denny Hamlin moved his car up a lane in the corner

    and took Harvicks line away, the No. 4 Chevrolet

    to lose momentum. Danica Patrick lost 32 laps for repairs. Greg

    Biffle, brushed the Turn 4 wall twice during the first segment and was never a

    factor thereafter.

    SATURDAY, MAY 16sprINT aLL sTar raceChARLOTTE MOTOR

    SPEEDWAY

    Hamlin holds off Harvick for sprint all-

    star race victory

    After Ricky Stenhouse Jr. clipped the outside wall and brought the final caution, Jimmie Johnson made a split second decision not to pit. It ended up being the right choice. With 6 to go, the race became a 3-driver affair as Johnson, Earnhardt and Harvick edged to the front. Martin Truex Jr.s No. 78 Chevrolet was fastest on the track for most of the race - it led a race-best 95 laps, but fell behind after final pit.

    SATURDAY, MAY 9spONgebOb

    squarepaNTs 400

    kANSAS SPEEDWAY

    Johnson secures 3rd win of the season

    Dale Earnhardt, Jr. celebrated a 0.159-second

    victory over Jimmie Johnson. Points leader

    Kevin Harvick, racing with a mangled hood after an early accident, was

    eighth. Jeff Gordon was penalized for going too fast on pit road. Trevor

    Bayne lost control of his No. 6 Ford triggering a

    crash that affected 14 cars.

    SUNDAY, MAY 3geIcO 500

    TALLADEgA SuPERSPEEDWAY

    Dale earnhardt Jr. captures sixth career sprint cup victory at

    Talladega

    Joey Logano maintained the race lead through Lap 94, when Kurt Busch challenged and inherited the lead on Lap 95. The end of the race was a 26-lap shootout between Busch, Jamie McMurray, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Logano. Harvick ended second followed by Johnson.

    SUNDAY, APRIL 26TOYOTa

    OWNers 400RIChMOND

    INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

    Kurt busch dominates to win, seals chase berth

    In an overtime race (the longest in Bristols history) Matt Kenseth crossed the finish

    line .287 seconds ahead of Jimmie Johnson, who survived 2 wrecks. Brad Keselowski

    lost control on Lap 18, causing Joey Logano to slam into him. Kevin Harvick was unable

    to avoid David Ragans wrecked car and spent 43 laps in the garage for repairs,

    ending the race in 38th place.

    SUNDAY, APRIL 19FOOD cITY 500BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    kenseth breaks 51-race drought with win at rain-soaked Bristol

    Jimmie Johnson took the lead on Lap 321 of the scheduled

    334 when he drove under and past Jamie McMurray and

    Kevin Harvick. The final 14 laps featured a battle between Johnson and Harvick, who

    finished second despite scraping the Turn 4 wall on Lap 331.

    SATURDAY, APRIL 11DucK

    cOmmaNDer500 TExAS MOTOR

    SPEEDWAY

    Texas tussle of champions: Johnson outduels Harvick to

    win Texas

    Martin Truex Jr. snaps a 69-race winless

    streak with his win at Pocono. Truex avoided

    the need to hold off Kevin Harvick when

    Danica Patrick (whose crash brought out a caution on Lap 135) went spinning for a second time, right

    through the entry of pit lane.

    SUNDAY, JUNE 7aXaLTa

    We paINT WINNers 400

    POCONO RACEWAY

    martin Truex Jr. wins at pocono

    racewayStarting 24th in a backup car, Kurt Busch fought his way to the front of the field through intermittent rain showers and won Sundays Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway when a deluge halted the race after 138 of a scheduled 200 laps. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second when NASCAR red-flagged the event for the fourth time. Martin Truex Jr. was credited with third, followed by Matt Kenseth and Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.

    SUNDAY, JUNE 14quIcKeN

    LOaNs 400MIChIgAN INTERNA-

    TIONAL SPEEDWAY

    Kurt busch wins at michigan when rain

    halts race

    FRIDAY, MAY 15sprINT sHOWDOWN ChARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    biffle, bowyer, patrick take different routes into sprint all-star race

    Greg Biffle led every lap of the caution-free first 20-lap segment. Clint Bowyer

    needed an early caution in the 2nd segment to validate crew chief Brian

    Patties four-tire call. Biffle and Bowyer earned the two transfer spots into the

    All-Star Race. Ninth-place finisher Danica Patrick also made the field as the first

    multiple winner of the Sprint Fan Vote.

  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAteiwanna.com IWANNA 06.30.15 7

  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAte iwanna.com8 IWANNA 06.30.15

    Kevin Harvick lead 224 of 312 laps with a string of 7 straight

    Top 2 finishes, the longest since Richard

    Petty rattled off 11 consecutive top-

    results in 1975. Dale Earnhardt Jr. blew a right rear tire &

    slammed the wall on Lap 180.

    SUNDAY, MARCH 15campINg-

    WOrLD.cOm 500

    PhOENIx INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

    In his 1st win of the season, Denny Hamlin took the lead for good on Lap 473 of 500,

    passing teammate Matt Kenseth for the top spot. Two laps later, Brad Keselowski

    surged past Kenseth and tracked down Hamlin, setting up a breathtaking battle

    in the closing laps. Keselowski could have won by wrecking Hamlin but chose not to

    win with his bumper.

    SUNDAY, MARCH 29sTp 500 MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

    Denny Hamlin holds off brad Keselowski for martinsville win

    Benefitting from a four-tire call on the last lap of regulation and 2 opportune cautions that extended the event 9 laps beyond its scheduled distance, Brad Keselowski passed polesitter Kurt Busch on the final lap (209) and pulled away to win his first race of the season. Trying to make one last desperation run at Keselowski, Busch scraped the wall in the final corner allowing Kevin Harvick to pass him for the runner-up spot.

    SUNDAY, MARCH 22auTO cLub 400 AuTO CLuB

    SPEEDWAY

    4-tire call propels brad Keselowski to surprise

    victory at Fontana

    Once Kevin Harvick got to the front of the field from his 18th-place starting spot, he was untouchable. Even with

    a disquieting vibration on the final green-flag runand a left-rear tire

    that shredded during his celebratory burnoutHarvick had enough of a

    working margin to hold off runner-up Martin Truex Jr. by 1.640 seconds.

    SUNDAY, MARCH 8KObaLT 400LAS VEgAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    Kevin Harvick dominates at Las Vegas

    Jimmie Johnson didnt take the lead until Lap 198 of 325, but from then on, his No. 48 lead six times for 92 laps. After Johnson took the top spot, a massive nine-car wreck in Turn 3 slowed the field for the 10th time. The race produced 28 lead changes among 12 different drivers, though Johnson, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano combined to lead 292 of 325 laps. For the 2nd straight week, Jeff Gordon was the victim of a late wreck.

    SUNDAY, MARCH 01quIcKTrIp 500

    ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    Jimmie Johnson starts from the back and dominates late

    Joey Logano won the 57th Daytona 500 under caution, when a multicar wreck on the backstretch

    forced NASCAR to wave the yellow flag as Logano led the field into the final corner on the second lap

    of a G-W-C finish. Polesitter Jeff Gordon, racing in his last Daytona 500, was a victim of the wreck.

    Gordon dominated early, leading a race-high 87 laps, but dropped to 33rd at the finish.

    SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22DaYTONa 500DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

    Logano caps spectacular race with Daytona 500 victory.

    Harvick rides to 4th straight phoenix win

  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAteiwanna.com IWANNA 06.30.15 9

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATE iwanna.com10 IWANNA 06.30.15

    RANK +/- DRIVER POINTS BEHIND STARTS WINS TOP 5 TOP 10 POLES EARNINGS1 -- KEVIN HARVICK 576 Leader 15 2 10 13 1 $4,840,151

    2 -- MARTIN TRUEX JR. 561 -15 15 1 5 14 0 $2,668,758

    3 +1 JOEY LOGANO 520 -56 15 1 8 11 4 $4,015,820

    4 +1 DALE EARNHARDT JR 508 -68 15 1 8 9 0 $3,171,955

    5 -2 JIMMIE JOHNSON 506 -70 15 4 9 10 0 $3,718,871

    6 -- BRAD KESELOWSKI 480 -96 15 1 3 9 0 $2,790,295

    7 -- JAMIE MCMURRAY 464 -112 15 0 2 7 0 $2,426,215

    8 +1 MATT KENSETH 456 -120 15 1 5 9 2 $2,835,930

    9 -1 KASEY KAHNE 447 -129 15 0 2 5 1 $2,175,249

    10 -- JEFF GORDON 434 -142 15 0 2 8 3 $2,835,180

    11 +1 KURT BUSCH 426 -150 12 2 5 7 3 $1,935,170

    12 -1 PAUL MENARD 421 -155 15 0 2 4 0 $1,962,550

    13 -- DENNY HAMLIN 412 -164 15 1 3 6 1 $3,429,537

    14 +2 CARL EDWARDS 401 -175 15 1 1 2 0 $2,042,873

    15 -1 ARIC ALMIROLA 401 -175 15 0 1 1 0 $2,350,110

    RANK +/- DRIVER POINTS BEHIND STARTS WINS TOP 5 TOP 10 POLES EARNINGS1 CHRIS BUESCHER 528 Leader 14 2 8 10 0 $595,522

    2 TY DILLON 499 -29 14 0 3 10 0 $470,036

    3 -- CHASE ELLIOTT 485 -29 14 0 6 11 0 $516,957

    4 -- REGAN SMITH 466 -62 14 0 5 9 0 $483,007

    5 DARRELL WALLACE JR. 462 -66 14 0 1 5 1 $456,699

    6 ELLIOTT SADLER 447 -81 14 0 1 6 0 $424,951

    7 BRIAN SCOTT 430 -98 14 0 2 10 0 $445,881

    8 +1 BRENDAN GAUGHAN 419 -109 14 0 2 7 0 $456,581

    9 -1 RYAN REED 410 -118 14 1 1 1 0 $474,849

    10 -- DANIEL SUAREZ 407 -121 14 0 1 5 0 $431,847

    11 -- JEREMY CLEMENTS 366 -162 14 0 0 1 0 $397,137

    12 DAVID STARR 342 -186 14 0 0 1 0 $401,480

    RANK +/- DRIVER POINTS BEHIND STARTS WINS TOP 5 TOP 10 POLES EARNINGS1 MATT CRAFTON 370 Leader 9 3 7 8 0 $294,557

    2 TYLER REDDICK 358 -12 9 2 6 7 0 $285,437

    3 +1 ERIK JONES 344 -26 9 1 5 6 3 $269,585

    4 -1 JOHNNY SAUTER 327 -43 9 0 4 7 0 $182,035

    5 JOHN WES TOWNLEY 294 -76 9 0 1 4 0 $169,999

    6 +1 SPENCER GALLAGHER 288 -82 9 0 1 3 0 $166,374

    7 +2 TIMOTHY PETERS 283 -87 9 0 1 5 0 $154,637

    8 -- DANIEL HEMRIC 282 -88 9 0 1 5 0 $154,069

    9 -3 CAMERON HAYLEY 280 -90 9 0 2 3 0 $153,787

    10 -- BEN KENNEDY 269 -101 9 0 1 4 1 $159,973

    11 -- RAY BLACK JR 257 -113 9 0 1 1 0 $154,426

    12 -- JUSTIN BOSTON 255 -115 9 0 0 4 0 $142,806

    STATISCAL SERVICES courtesy of NASCAR MEDIA

    [2015 STANDINGS]

    [2015 Sprint Cup Standings]

    [2015 Xfinity Standings]

    [2015 Camping World Standings]

    (AS OF 6/24/15)

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATE14 IWANNA 06.30.15 IWANNA 06.30.15 11

    SAT, JUL 4 SUBWAY FIRECRACKER 250 Daytona International Speedway NBCSN/ 7:30 PM

    FRI, JUL 10 JULY RACE AT KENTUCKY Kentucky Speedway NBCSN/ 7:30 PM

    SAT, JUL 18 LAKES REGION 200 New Hampshire Motor Speedway NBCSN/ 4:00 PM

    SAT, JUL 25 LILLY DIABETES 250 Indianapolis Motor Speedway NBC / 3:30 PM

    SAT, AUG 1 US CELLULAR 250 Iowa Speedway NBCSN/ 8:00 PM

    SAT, AUG 8 ZIPPO 200 Watkins Glen International NBCSN/ 3:00 PM

    SAT, AUG 15 NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL 200 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course NBCSN/ 3:30 PM

    FRI, AUG 21 FOOD CITY 300 Bristol Motor Speedway NBCSN/ 7:30 PM

    SAT, AUG 29 ROAD AMERICA 180 FIRED UP Road America NBCSN/ 3:00 PM

    SAT, SEP 5 VFW SPORT CLIPS HELP A HERO 200 Darlington Raceway NBC / 3:30 PM

    FRI, SEP 11 VIRGINIA 529 COLLEGE SAVINGS 250 Richmond International Raceway NBCSN/ 7:30 PM

    SAT, SEP 19 JIMMY JOHN'S FREAKY FAST 300 Chicagoland Speedway NBCSN/ 6:00 PM

    SAT, SEP 26 VISITMYRTLEBEACH.COM 300 Kentucky Speedway NBCSN/ 8:00 PM

    SAT, OCT 3 HISENSE 200 Dover International Speedway NBCSN/ 3:30 PM

    FRI, OCT 9 DRIVE FOR THE CURE 300 Charlotte Motor Speedway NBCSN/ 8:00 PM

    SAT, OCT 17 KANSAS LOTTERY 300 Kansas Speedway NBCSN/ 4:00 PM

    SAT, NOV 7 O'REILLY AUTO PARTS CHALLENGE Texas Motor Speedway NBC / 3:30 PM

    SAT, NOV 14 NOVEMBER RACE AT PHOENIX Phoenix International Raceway NBCSN/ 4:00 PM

    SAT, NOV 21 FORD ECOBOOST 300 Homestead-Miami Speedway NBC / 2:45 PM

    2015 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES SCHEDULE

    2015 CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE

    FRI, JUNE 19 AMERICAN ETHANOL 200 Iowa Speedway FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

    THU, JULY 9 UNOH 225 Kentucky Speedway FOX Sports 1 / 7:30 PM

    WED, JULY 22 1-800-CARCASH MUD SUMMER CLASSIC Eldora Speedway FOX Sports 1 / 9:00 PM

    SAT, AUG 1 POCONO MOUNTAINS 150 Pocono Raceway FOX Sports 1 / 1:00 PM

    SAT, AUG 15 CAREERS FOR VETERANS 200 Michigan International Raceway FOX Sports 1 / 1:00 PM

    WED, AUG 19 UNOH 200 Bristol Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

    SUN, AUG 30 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 250 Canadian Tire Motorsports Park FOX Sports 1 / 1:30 PM

    FRI, SEP 18 SEPTEMBER RACE AT CHICAGOLAND Chicagoland Speedway FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

    SAT, SEP 26 UNOH 175 New Hampshire Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1 / 1:00 PM

    SAT, OCT 3 RHINO LININGS 350 Las Vegas Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1 / 10:00 PM

    SAT, OCT 24 FRED'S 250 Talladega Superspeedway FOX / 1:00 PM

    SAT, OCT 31 KROGER 200 Martinsville Speedway FOX Sports 1 / 1:30 PM

    FRI, NOV 6 WINSTAR WORLD CASINO 350 Texas Motor Speedway FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

    FRI, NOV 13 LUCAS OIL 150 Phoenix International Raceway FOX Sports 1 / 8:30 PM

    FRI, NOV 20 FORD ECOBOOST 200 Homestead-Miami Speedway FOX Sports 1 / 8:00 PM

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATE12 IWANNA 06.30.15 IWANNA 06.30.15 13

    SUNDAY, JULY 5 NBC/7:45PM COKE ZERO 400DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

    SUNDAY, JULY 19 NBCSN/ 1:30PM NEW HAMPSHIRE 301NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    SUNDAY, JULY 26 NBCSN/3:30PM'YOUR HERO'S NAME HERE' 400 AT THE BRICKYARDINDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    SUNDAY, AUGUST 2 NBCSN/1:30PMPENNSYLVANIA 400POCONO RACEWAY

    SUNDAY, AUGUST 9 NBCSN/2:00PMCHEEZ-IT 355 AT THE GLENWATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL

    SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 NBCSN/1:30PMPURE MICHIGAN 400MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

    SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 NBCSN/7:30PMIRWIN TOOLS NIGHT RACEBRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 NBC/7:00PMBOJANGLES' SOUTHERN 500DARLINGTON RACEWAY

    SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 NBCSN/7:30PMFEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

    SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 NBCSN/3:00PMSEPTEMBER CHICAGOLANDCHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY

    SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 NBCSN/2:00PMSYLVANIA 300NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 NBCSN/2:30PMAAA 400DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

    SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18 NBC/ 2:15 PMHOLLYWOOD CASINO 400KANSAS SPEEDWAY

    SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 NBC/7:00PMBANK OF AMERICA 500

    SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25 NBCSN/2:30PMALABAMA 500TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

    SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1 NBCSN/1:15PMGOODY'S HEADACHE RELIEF SHOT 500MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY

    SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8 NBC/2:00PMAAA TEXAS 500TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

    SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15 NBC/2:30PMQUICKEN LOANS RACEFOR HEROES 500PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

    SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22 NBC/3:00PM FORD ECOBOOST 400HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

    2015 SCHEDULE

    IWANNA.COM

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  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAte iwanna.com16 IWANNA 06.30.15

    KeVin HarViCK is leading the pack, in his quest to repeat as Cup champion for Stewart-Haas racing.

    Harvick has accumulated the most (576) points of all Cup driv-ers, after the first 15 of 36 races. Harvick, who does not turn 40 until Dec. 8, hopes by then he has two trophies in a row.

    He was first known as the driver who by tragic fate inher-ited Dale earnhardt Sr.s car, after Seniors death crashing into a wall on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Harvick raced 13 years for richard Chil-dress racing, finishing in the top five in Cup standings six times including his last year with rCr in 2013. He was third. By then, his contract expired, and he joined Stewart-Haas in 2014. He promptly won his first Cup title, by winning the grand finale at Homestead, Fla. over ryan newman and two other finalists.

    Harvick led 2,137 total laps in 2014, becoming merely the third Cup driver to top the 2,000 mark since 2000, and far exceed-ing his prior best of 895 laps in 2006. Harvick clearly is a roaring frontrunner again this season. He has led for 116 or more laps five times, another time for 91 laps. most impressively, he led at Phoenix for 224 of 312 laps which is 72 percent of the time. So dominant from start to finish, he has led there for more than 200 laps in three of his last four wins there.

    Harvick is a longtime friend of team co-owner tony Stewart; both are feisty. Stewart, Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick also drive for Stewart-Haas. Busch won in a backup car in a rain-shortened race at michigan June 14, when Harvick led the most laps. Busch moved to 11th in points, far ahead of teammates

    Patrick (19th) and Stewart (26th) but well behind team pace-setter Harvick.

    Harvick is one of merely three multiple-race winners as of mid-June, with two victories and 30 in his Cup career. Kurt Busch won at michigan, to equal Harvicks two wins. Harvick won back-to-back at Phoenix in the Cobalt 400 at Las Vegas, then the CampingWorld.com 500 at Phoenix for his fourth win in a row there and seventh overall. Jimmie Johnson leads the circuit as of mid-June, with four victories.

    But Harvick has come so close, so often in the no. 4 Bud-weiser/Jimmy Johns Chevrolet. amazingly, he was runner-up in eight of the first Cup 14 races starting with Daytona then atlanta, where he led the most laps but was outdone by John-son. those runner-up finishes enabled him to tie a Cup record, with a sensational tally of top two finishes in 10 of the first 14 contests.

    its almost scary how well things are going, Harvick said. You dont want to talk about it too much, because you want (to avoid a jinx and) it to keep going. But im just really proud of these guys on this team, and everything that they do.

    no one else reached double-digits in top-fives, through 15 races. He has 13 top tens, and fell behind martin truex Jr.s record pace after finishing 29th at michigan. Yet he still leads in points. His other finish outside the top 10 was 38th at Bristol.

    many credit crew chief rod-ney Childers, for getting the most out of the car and Harvick when it counts most including pulling away on restarts after cautions. the restarts were just really slippery, Harvick said of his Phoenix win. You

    had to really maintain your entrance speed, and really slide the thing through the center of the corner to try to help keep it pointed up off.

    a week earlier at Vegas, he persevered despite radioing his crew he suspected a tire was getting flat. i dont really know what was going on with our tires in the last 20 laps or so, he said. Luckily, we were able to hang onto it. We had a big enough lead, that we could pace ourselves and keep the lead.

    ultra-competitive, hot-tem-pered Harvick wishes he could reach Victory Lane more often. He led briefly at michigan June 14, in a rain-shortened race

    KEvin hArvicK (NASCAR via Getty Images) which had a handful of rain delays. He was very flustered when racing resumed, despite rain still falling: it was a down-pour, he said on his team radio. it was raining when we came to the green. they can see the freakin sky you know what i mean?!

    a week earlier at Pocono, the Bakersfield, Calif. native was runner-up to martin truex who is on his tail in the points race. in this race roles reversed, as Har-vick pursued truex. He slashed the 1.7-second lead in half dur-ing the final 14 laps, gaining a tenth of a second per lap.

    But Harvick was plagued by poor gear ratios, as his third

    gear wasnt conducive for re-starts and he could not over-take truex in the end. We just couldnt go on restarts, Harvick said. We would lug really bad in third gear, and have to go into defense mode.

    Such misfortune and/or Jim-mie Johnsons greater ability to find the checkered flag this year may keep Harvick from a repeat. But if Happy Harvick is still in the running on the final lap at Homestead with the title on the line, he assuredly will go all out and have a tremendous chance to win it all.

    by PETE ZAMPLAS

    KeepS finiShinG firSt or Second, leadS in pointS in Bid for repeat

    Kevin harvicK

  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAteiwanna.com IWANNA 06.30.15 17

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATE iwanna.com18 IWANNA 06.30.15

    Any trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame puts fans face-to-face with some of the sport's most remarkable artifacts, stories and legends.

    F ive more of those all-timers will live on forever, as NASCAR announced the inductees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2016.

    The five newest members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame to be inducted on January 22, 2016, are O. Bruton Smith, Terry Labonte, Curtis Turner, Jerry Cook and Bobby Isaac. In addition, NASCAR announced that Harold Brasington won the second ever Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

    JERRY COOKJerry Cook made his name in

    modifieds, winning six NASCAR

    Modified championships, including four consecutively from 1974-77. All the while, he was vying with another driver from his hometown of Rome, New York, nine-time champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans, for supremacy in NASCARs open-wheel realm. After retiring from racing in 1982, Cook stayed with the sport and helped shape the series known today as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Cook served as the series director when it began in 1985 and remains with NASCAR as competition administrator.

    BOBBY ISAACBobby Isaacs uncanny skill

    at drawing speed from a race car puts him on a short list of NASCAR legends. His 49 career poles ranks 10th all time. Maybe more impressive: Isaac captured 19 poles in 1969, which still stands as the record for poles in a single

    season. Isaac began racing in NASCARs premier series in 1961. He finished runner-up in the series standings in 1968 behind NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson. In 1969, he finished sixth in the standings after posting 17 wins and those 19 poles. In 1970, Isaac won the championship posting 11 victories, 32 top fives and 38 top 10s in 47 starts. Isaac won 37 races in NASCARs top series, ranking 19th on the all-time list.

    TERRY LABONTETerry Labonte is a two-

    nickname NASCAR star. Early in his career he was known as the Iceman for his coolness under pressure. But his demeanor belied his determination. Later in his career he became known as the sports Iron Man thanks to 655 consecutive starts in NASCARs premier series, a record which stood until

    2002. Winning two premier series championships, in 1984 and 96, is impressive; the 12-year gap distinguishes Labonte further. No other driver has won his first two championships that far apart and Labonte is one of only six drivers with championships in two decades. Labontes stellar career is tucked between perfect bookends his two Southern 500 wins, in 1980 and 2003. His 361 top-10 finishes ranks 10th all time.

    O. BRUTON SMITHO. Bruton Smith, executive

    chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., promoted his first stock car race in Midland, North Carolina at the age of 18. Smiths early endeavors included operating the National Stock Car Racing Association seen as an early competitor to NASCAR and building Charlotte Motor Speedway. CMS became the foundation

    of Speedway Motorsports Inc., which currently owns eight NASCAR tracks hosting 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and additional high-profile motorsports activities. Smith took SMI public in 1995, the first motorsports company to be traded at the New York Stock Exchange. He was inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame and National Motorsports Press Associations Hall of Fame, both in 2006; and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2007.

    CURTIS TURNERCalled by some the Babe

    Ruth of stock car racing, Curtis Turner was among the fastest and most colorful competitors in the early years of NASCAR premier series racing. Turner competed in NASCARs first Strictly Stock race in 1949 in Charlotte and was the only driver to win a NASCAR premier series race in a Nash. He posted his first of 17 career victories in only his fourth start on Sept. 11, 1949, at Langhorne (Pennsylvania) Speedway. Although many of Turners victories came on short tracks and dirt ovals much of his career pre-dated NASCARs superspeedway era he won the 1956 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and the first American 500 at Rockingham Speedway in 1965. He remains the only series driver to win two consecutive races from the pole leading every lap. He also won 38 of 79 races in which he competed in the NASCAR Convertible Division.

    COURTESY OF NASCAR MEDIA& ISC ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES

    terry lABonteBoBBy IsAAcJerry cook o. Bruton sMIth curtIs turner

    Cook, Isaac, Labonte, Smith, Turner Comprise Halls Seventh Class

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATEiwanna.com IWANNA 06.30.15 19

    hArold BrAsIngton, a South Carolina businessman, believed in Bill Frances fledgling NASCAR business, created

    the sanctioning bodys first superspeedway a one-of-a-kind egg-shaped oval, paved on an old cotton and peanut field. Expecting 10,000 fans to show up at Darlington Raceways first competition on Labor Day of 1950, 25,000 spectators showed up for the inaugural Southern 500 NASCARs first 500-mile race. Darlingtons success inspired Brasington to extend his reach north -- to North Carolina. He employed his track building and promoting expertise, helping in the creation of Charlotte Motor Speedway and building North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina.

    nAscAr hAll of fAMe lAndMArk AwArd for outstAndIng contrIButIons to nAscAr:

    hArold BrAsIngtonbusinessman, believed in Bill Frances fledgling NASCAR business, created

    the sanctioning bodys first superspeedway a one-of-a-kind

    1950 - FirST SOuThErn 500 (via DarlingtonRaceway.com)

    SEARCH

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATE iwanna.com20 IWANNA 06.30.15

    a S C a r H a l l o f Fa me d r iver Bi l l e l l i o t t t u r n e d back the pages of

    history in may at talladega Superspeedway, reliving the day when he and his iconic no. 9 thunderbird stunned the racing world with the greatest, improbable comeback win in naSCar history.

    the Sunday, may 3, GeiCO 500 marked the 30th anniversary of elliotts amazing run in the 1985 Winston 500 where he made up over a 5-mile deficit without the benefit of a caution period to capture the impossible triumph. elliott, with smoke billowing from under his Fords hood, was within a few hundred yards of going two laps down to the leaders on the 2.66-mile track after taking an unscheduled pit stop to make repairs to an oil fitting line. the cool, calm elliott didnt sweat it, climbing all the way back to the front and rocketing to Gatorade

    Victory Lane.So how did elliott celebrate

    his tremendous 30-year accomplishment? He donned a helmet, fired up the engine of the famed red, white and gold Ford that made him a legend, and made hot laps around naSCars biggest and baddest track. the cars engine hadnt been cranked since the car was put on display at the nearby international motorsports Hall of Fame in 1986.

    it felt like a million bucks (being back in his historic car), said elliott, who made five laps around the track, then drove to Gatorade Victory Lane and was presented a replica trophy from 30 years ago. i really miss the competitive side of racing week-in and week-out. i ran so many laps around this race track and tested here so many times in my career. it feels like it was yesterday i was racing here.

    the car actually drove surprisingly well. i dont know

    Bill elliott relives naSCars Greatest, improbable Comeback Victory - 1985 Winston 500 at talladega Celebrates 30th anniversary of Overcoming 5-mile Deficit under Green Flag Conditions to Win

    in 1987 BiLL ELLiOTT became the fastest man in naSCar when he ran 212.809 mph, the official naSCar Qualifying record. todays photo includes miss international motorsports Hall of Fame Shane Denney. (Photo courtesy of ISC)

    how fast i went couldnt see for some dirt blowing in my eyes (laughing). i think that is the way i drove here in 85 - with my eyes closed most of the race, so i was right at home. i wanted to go faster but the oil temp went up a bit and i said it (engine) isnt going to live long.

    When asked if he wanted to come out of retirement to compete at talladega again, elliott joked, i want to come back next Sunday (for the GeiCO 500). Dont tell anyone. i hope the car gets through inspection.

    that unexpected 1985 pit stop, which occurred on lap 48 after elliott had already led 25 laps, lasted one minute and nine seconds, putting the Dawsonville, Ga, native within shouting distance of falling two laps down. He began his march up the

    leaderboard by turning laps nearly a second faster than the leaders, banking that his brothers (ernie elliott) prepared engine would last. ninety-seven laps later on lap 145, he passed Cale Yarborough down the alabama Gang Superstretch for the lead.

    i will never forget that day in 1985, said elliott, who would top the scoreboard 35 of the last 44 circuits, including the final 20. i remember coming down pit road and our guys dealing with the oil line issue. We went back out and ran wide open and i was totally shocked the motor lived all day long.totally shocked. We were a bunch of misfits put together, 12 of us total on the team, and that included the motor shop and the chassis shop. most of the guys who pitted the car came in on weekends. We all had a good understanding of the race cars, though. it seems like it was yesterday.

    His margin of victory was 1.72 seconds ahead of a pack of cars, including Kyle Petty, who edged Yarborough at the finish line for second. elliott averaged a then record of 186.288 mph in the race, which only had two cautions, both late in the event. the trip to Gatorade Victory Lane was his first at talladega, and he would add to his legacy two years later with another victory. His thoughts after that day in the Winners Circle were as follows:

    i about kissed everything good bye because i didnt know what happened when it started missing there (and engine started smoking), the 16-time naSCar most Popular Driver said that momentous day in 1985. But, they raised the hood and got it fixed faster than i thought they would. it felt like i sat there six or 10 laps. i worked my tail off to try and keep up. i just kept on digging. this old car kept on digging. i want to thank the good Lord for making up

    those laps. the old car just held together and worked.

    the triumph made elliott 2-for-4 in his quest to win the Winston million, the first year of a $1 million bonus program for a driver winning three of the four Crown Jewel races in naSCar during one single season. He opened the year with a win in the Daytona 500 and backed that up at talladega, and in the process won a $100,000 bonus. He would experience trouble at Charlottes Coca-Cola 600 but pulled off the $1 million dollar feat with a win in Darlington raceways Southern 500, the anchor event. as a result, he became known as million Dollar Bill and became the first naSCar driver to adorn the cover of Sports illustrated (Si) magazine.

    the 1985 talladega win was one of many accomplishments for elliott at naSCars most Competitive track. in addition to his two victories, he had four runner-up efforts. He is the all-time leader in pole positions at tSS with eight, including six straight with sweeps in 1985, 86 & 87. each of those years, the top qualifying speed was a new naSCar official qualifying record that would be eclipsed the following year. His 1987 pole result of 212.809 mph still stands today as the official fastest ever.

    as for the rest of that magical 1985 season, elliott would win 11 superspeedway races and 11 pole positions before finishing a disappointing runner-up to Darrell Waltrip in the battle for the naSCar Sprint Cup Series Championship. He would capture that elusive championship three years later in 1988.

    courtesy of nAScArMEDiA

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATEiwanna.com IWANNA 06.30.15 21

    in 1987 BiLL ELLiOTT became the fastest man in naSCar when he ran 212.809 mph, the official naSCar Qualifying record. todays photo includes miss international motorsports Hall of Fame Shane Denney. (Photo courtesy of ISC)

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATE iwanna.com22 IWANNA 06.30.15

    aryn Winters, an 8-year-old entering third grade from Basehor, Kan., 8,

    who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (t1D) at age 4, has won the race Car Design Contest for JDrF, hosted by motorcraft & Quick Lane tire and auto Centers.

    maryns colorful design which features children holding balloons that spell out HOPe and JDrF, a rainbow and flowers was selected from 10 finalists by the Ford Customer Service Division, JDrF and Wood Brothers racing, owners of the motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion in the naSCar Sprint Cup Series.

    i a m so exc ited about winning this contest, said maryn whose design raised $3,460 at fordracecar.jdrf.org during the contest. i entered last year and couldnt wait to design another car this year. this is awesome!

    When asked about her design, maryn said, i drew the kids because they are the other kids i have met that are fighting this disease everyday like me. the rainbow is a sign of hope. the balloons are for hope for a cure.

    the contest started in march with close to 50 children ages 5-18 living with t1D from around the country raising money at www.FordraceCar.jdrf.org. Ford dealership Victory Ford of Bonner Springs, Kan., assisted maryn in her fundraising efforts during the final phase of the contest.

    maryns winning design will be the paint scheme for the Wood Brothers no. 21 Ford Fusion for the Crown royal 400 at the Brickyard at the indianapolis motor Speedway, July 26, 2015. She and her family will experience a trip of a lifetime, seeing the car that she designed race at the famed indiana speedway in person.

    Were exc ited to h ave

    maryn Winters, 8, Wins race Car Design ContestKansas girls winning design raises $3,460 for Juvenile Diabetes research

    TunE in juLY 26 to see Winters winning design on the no. 21 Ford Fusion at the indianapolis motor Speedway. (Photo courtesy of jdrf.org)

    maryns beautiful design on our car at the Brickyard, said eddie Wood, co-owner of Wood Brothers racing. as a team and as a family we get tremendous satisfaction from being able to contribute to JDrFs cause of eliminating type 1 diabetes.

    every child who entered the contest raised money for JDrF by asking their friends and family to vote with donations. the money raised, more than $39,000 thus far, will help to continue JDrFs efforts to turn type One into type none through the support of research.

    Congratulations to maryn for winning the race Car Design Contest for JDrF hosted by motorcraft & Quick Lane, said mary Lou Quesnell, director of marketing for Ford Customer Service Division. not only is she a talented artist as evidenced by her race car design, but is a great ambassador for JDrF and its effort to create a world without t1D. We cant wait to

    see her design running at the Brickyard.

    t1D is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cel ls in t he pancreas, rendering millions of americans dependent on insulin injections and 24/7 vigilance to survive.

    F o r d m o t o r C o m p a n y s

    relationship with JDrF spans three decades. in 2008, motorcraft and Quick Lane racing joined the effort. in five years, the race car design contest has raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for JDrF, the worlds leading charitable funder of t1D research.

    courtesy of jDrF.OrG

  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAteiwanna.com IWANNA 06.30.15 23

    Jimmie JOHnSOn leads Cup drivers with four victories in the first 15 contests, as he looks to reclaim the championship.Johnson seeks his seventh Cup title. He won five in a row in 2006-10, then again in 2013.

    the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff finale is nov. 22 at Homestead-miami Speedway. it is a winner-take-all, among the four finalists after earlier eliminations. thus, a driver who repeatedly wins has an advantage. that buoys well for Johnson. He won four of the first 13 Cup contests for Hen-drick motorsports, in the 48 Chevrolet. Johnson prevailed

    twice in three weeks may 9 at Kansas, then two weeks later in the Fedex 400 on may 31 for his 74th naSCar vic-tory and record-tying 10th Cup win at Dover.

    You cant dream that big, Johnson said. im just blown away and honored by the suc-cess what weve done with our opportunity in 14 Cup seasons. He has 301 top-ten Cup finishes and 33 poles.

    Staying on the track and running ahead instead of pitting was crucial in three of Johnsons four victories. On Dovers high banked one-mile track, he and rival Kevin Har-

    vick kept racing while other contenders put on fresh tires. they finished one-two. they did just fine on old tires, and held those guys off, Johnson said.

    Cars had to be sponged off during a rain delay of over two hours in the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway, where Johnson won for a record-tying third time. He thus won a Cup race on a 1.5-mile track for the third time this year, and a record 23rd time overall. in a restart with 12 laps to go, while others pitted Johnson stayed on the Kansas track. He radioed to

    crew chief Chad Knaus, man, i feel like gambling.

    that tactic also worked in Johnsons initial victory, in week two, in the rain-delayed Folds of Honor Quicktrip 500 at atlanta. He started 37th. He zoomed ahead with 15 laps left, on a restart caused by an eight-car pileup. track posi-tion there at the end set things in place, he said, helping him fend off Dale earnhardt Jr. then reigning Cup champ Kevin Harvick.

    Johnson also won the Duck Commander 500 at texas; the next Cup race there, on nov. 8, is the middle of three races in the pivotal Chase eliminator round. He is that tracks all-time winner with five, and two in a row. after a late restart, Johnson passed two drivers including Harvick to seize the lead. He was able to reboot, relax and get back into the swing of things after an off week before this race.

    Johnson has nine top-five finishes and another top ten, in the first 14 races. His aver-age finish of 11.6 is bloated by three finishes of 35th or worse. Yet it still outdoes his average start of 14.9. He started in the top five merely four times. He

    is a superb finisher, as he led more than 50 laps in only two of the first 15 races. His fin-ishes in weeks seven through 11 were first, second, third, second and first. then after an off week in Charlotte, he won at Dover. a week alter, he was third at Pocono and gained places in the end despite a cut tire.

    Yet Johnson then slipped two spots to fifth in points after a 19th at michigan. His three lowest finishes by far were 41st at Las Vegas after two wall crashes, 40th at Char-lotte, and 35th in martinsville. His other non top-ten finish was 11th, in week four.

    Still, he was only 14 points out of third. and he leads the Chase standings, thanks to his four victories.

    Lowes remains his main sponsor. Kobalt tools sponsors him for four races. Hendrick motorpsorts teammate Jeff Gordon owns the 48 car that Johnson drives.

    Johnson faces another milestone, as he will turn 40 on Sept. 17. By then he hopes to be firmly in the thick of the Chase playoffs.

    by PETE ZAMPLAS

    MaSter tactician JiMMie JohnSon

    leadS in victorieS, iS eaGer to

    reclaiM throne

  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAte iwanna.com24 IWANNA 06.30.15

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATEiwanna.com IWANNA 06.30.15 25

    R I V E N M a t t Craf ton: Bor n to Race chronicles the l i fe a nd hu mble

    u p b r i n g i n g o f NA S C A R Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver Matt Crafton, and what led him to become the successful driver he is today.

    Crafton is the defending two-time NCWTS champion, and the first driver ever to win back-to-back championships in the Series. He is the current points leader for the 2015 season on the strength of 3 wins in 8 races.

    Im just a racer, and I absolutely love to race, said

    Crafton. Ive always known this is what I wanted to do.

    The show will explore the professional racing career of Danny Crafton Matts father in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series, and how their small, family-owned automotive shop in Tulare, CA helped fund the racing dreams of both father and son.

    Growing up, I didnt have ever yt h i ng g iven to me, said Crafton. It was always scratching by to try to get to the next race.

    At the age of 7, Matt began racing go-karts, and he has

    FOX Sports Souths EMMY Award-Winning Series DRIVEN Continues with Matt Crafton: Born to RaceCatch up with Crafton and family with new programming

    ncwTS driver MaTT crafTon at Texas Motor Speedway in June. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

    not stopped racing to this day. Today, Crafton holds the record for the most consecutive starts by a driver in the NCWTS a streak that is still active. The show will take viewers on a journey through Craftons 16-year career as a driver in the NCWTS and the consistent improvements he made on his way to the top of the standings.

    DRIVEN Matt Crafton: Born to Race will also be available on FOX Sports GO, a free mobile app that wil l provide l ive streaming video of DRIVEN in addition to other FOX Sports programming. FOX Sports GO is

    available for iOS, Android, select Windows devices, Fire Tablets, Fire Phones, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, and on desktops at FOXSportsGO.com.

    Debut i ng on FOX Spor t s South in 2012, DRIVEN is an award-winning original series featuring stories of dedication, focus and success both on and off the field of play. DRIVEN will continue next month with

    an episode centered on Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer John Smoltz, followed by episodes about the 1990 National Champion Georgia Tech football team, Hockey Hall of Famer Ron Francis, Atlanta Hawks legend and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Famer Danny Manning.

    courtesy of naScarMedia

  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATE iwanna.com26 IWANNA 06.30.15

    1 deceMBer 1947: By late 1947, stock car racing was growing in popularity, and tracks were struggling to handle the crowds and cars. Recognizing this and other issues, including less than trustworthy promoters who would often leave events before paying drivers, facing his sport, Bill France, Sr. organized a meeting in Daytona Beach, Fla. France, Sr. gathered owners, drivers and even mechanics at the Streamline Hotel, setting the foundation for NASCAR. Within months, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing would form.

    2 feBrUary 1948: Behind the wheel of his Ford Modified, Red Byron wins the first sanctioned NASCAR race on a beach course in Daytona.

    3 SepTeMBer 1950: Darling-ton International Raceway becomes the first asphalt su-per speedway to host a NASCAR event. Driving a 1950 Plymouth owned by France, Sr., Johnny Mantz won the 500-mile event.

    4 JUly 1952: The first NAS-CAR competition to take place outside of the United States is held on a dirt track in Stamford Park, Ontario, Canada.

    The 200-mile event was won by Buddy Shuman and marked the only victory of Shumans career.

    5 feBrUary 1959: The first Daytona 500 is held at what is now the Daytona Inter-national Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The event, which re-mains the sports most prestigious race, coincided with the opening of the speedway. Lee Petty won the race, which featured a prize of just more than $19,000. By 2013, when Jimmie Johnson won his second Daytona 500, the winners purse had ballooned to more than $1.5 million.

    6 deceMBer 1963: Wendell Scott wins a NASCAR race at Jacksonville Speedway, becoming the first African-Amer-ican in NASCAR history to win a premier division race.

    One of the most popular sports in the United States, NASCAR has a rich history steeped in tradition. The following are some of the more important moments in the history of stock car racings governing body.

    7 noveMBer 1979: Richard Petty, the son of inaugural Daytona 500 winner Lee Petty, wins his seventh series championship, a record at the time. Dale Earnhardt would later tie Petty, and both men still hold the record today.

    8 feBrUary 1998: Racing in his twentieth Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt wins his first one, snapping a 59-race win-less streak in the process.

    9 2003: Brian France, the grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr., takes over as American CEO and Chair-man of NASCAR, taking over the position from his father.

    10 2004: The Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup is announced. This announcement gave the sport

    a postseason similar to a playoff. Since 2008, this has been referred to as the Chase for the Sprint Cup, a name change made necessary by the merger of NEXTEL and Sprint.

    11 noveMBer 2009: Jimmie Johnson becomes the first driver to win four consecutive championships. Johnson would add to his legend the following season by winning his fifth consecutive championship and then again in 2013 by winning his sixth overall championship, leaving him one shy of the all-time record of seven championships held by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.

    courtesy of MeTro creaTive connecTion

    1979: richard peTTy sets record with 7 championship wins (NASCAR via Getty Images)

    1998: dale earnhardT wins at Daytona (NASCAR via Getty Images)

    2009: JiMMie JohnSon sets record with 4 consecutive championships (NASCAR via Getty Images)

    wendell ScoTT in car #34 (NASCAR via Getty Images)

    red Byron (NASCAR via Getty Images)

    1957: Bill france Sr & Jr & contractor with Daytona plans (RacingOne Multimedia)

    1950: Johnny ManTZ at Darlington (RacingOne/Getty Images)

    Key MoMents in nasCar history

    & contractor with Daytona

    sets record with 4 sets record with 4

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  • NASCAR 2015 MID-SEASON UPDATE iwanna.com28 IWANNA 06.30.15

    JOEY LOGANO, Fords wide-grinning top driver in Cup points this year and last season, roared to Victory Lane at Day-tona and is third in points and tops for many fans.

    The affable young phenom, who has a cameo in the Shark-nado 3 movie, is a popular pursuit of autograph seekers. Just make sure you have the right lanky Penske Ford Fusion driver. My Joey signature is terrible, his teammate Brad Keselowski said. He confesses he might sign for Logano, when mistaken for him. People run up to me saying, Joey! Joey! So I just sign Joey. I get called Joey a lot. Joey and I scratch our heads at that, because he gets called Brad. Other than maybe being skinny and tall, we have zero resemblance. So I always think its funny. Logano is six-foot-one and weighs merely 140 pounds.

    More pertinent numbers are 22 on his flaming yellow-red

    Shell/Pennzoil car, and 520 which is his points total as of mid-June. He trailed only de-fending champ Kevin Harvick and upstart Martin Truex Jr. He drew closer to the lead, going from 79 down to 56 after fin-ishing fifth at Michigan (MIS). He and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both leapfrogged Jimmie Johnson af-ter that race, on June 14. Logano has led more (194) Cup laps than anyone at MIS and nearly twice as many as the next racer, since driving for Penske in 2013.

    Middletown, Conn. native Logano turned 25 on May 24. He has run extremely well this season. He finished in the top five in eight (tied for third most) of the first 15 races, and top ten in 11 (third most) of them.

    He already has nine Cup victories in a half-decade, with none bigger than taking the checkered flag in the Great American Race to ignite this season. That is really amazing. The Daytona 500. Oh my God.

    Are you kidding me?, he said. I was so nervous pretty much the whole race. We worked so hard in the offseason. Super-speedways are my weakest race track. We worked so hard at them. I couldnt be more proud. A helpful change was NASCARs new rules further restricting horsepower and downforce series-wide, relegat-ing Cup cars to a much looser, less-performing Xfinity level.

    Logano is a record-setter. He was the youngest ever to win a Cup race when prevailing at Loudon, N.H. a month after his 19th birthday in 2009. He was Sunoco Rookie of the Year in 09. Last year Logano won (in order) at Texas, Richmond, Bristol, New Hampshire, and Kansas. He was the first to reach the Eliminator Round. He regis-tered 16 top-five and 22 top-ten finishes in 36 races in 2014.

    Logano has been the top Ford driver for two consecutive sea-sons, emerging as an elite title

    Joey loGano (NASCAR via Getty Images)

    that is really

    amaZing. the daytona

    500. oh my god. are you Kidding me?

    contender. He finished eighth in Cup series points in 2013, his Penske Racing debut after leav-ing Joe Gibbs Racing. He was fourth overall last year, when he won five Cup races. He would have been series champ under the prior Chase rules.

    Logano is making his mark for good causes, off the track. He helped launch a Midwest fundraiser for Paralyzed Veter-ans of America that starts July 1. He and Earnhardt are among nominees for 2015 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Sports Awards that air July 16. Children can vote until July 9 for winners. Logano is in the Favorite Newcomer category. Others include NFL star Odell Beckham Jr., baseball slugger Jose Abreu, NBA star Andrew Wiggins, and golfer Jordan Spieth.

    by peTe ZaMplaS

    Ford phenoM joey Logano Wins daytona, is third in points

    - WIN TRACKER -AS OF 06/25/15

    JIMMIEJOHNSON

    - 4 -ATLANTA, TEXAS, KANSAS & DOVER

    KEVINHARVICK

    - 2 -LAS VEGAS & PHOENIX

    KURTBUSCH

    - 2 -RICHMOND & MICHIGAN

    JOEYLOGANO

    - 1 -DAYTONA

    MARTINTRUEX JR

    - 1 -POCONO

    DALEEARNHARDT JR

    - 1 -TALLADEGA

    BRADKESELOWSKI

    - 1 -FONTANA

    MATT KENSETH

    - 1 -BRISTOL

    DENNYHAMLIN

    - 1 -MARTINSVILLE

    CARL EDWARDS

    - 1 -CHARLOTTE

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  • NASCAR 2015 Mid-SeASoN UpdAte iwanna.com30 IWANNA 06.30.15

    ive-time Brickyard 400 winner and four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon

    will drive a Corvette Z06 pace car for the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500 mile race, May 24 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    It is the 13th time a Corvette has served as the official pace car, dating to 1978, and the 26th time a Chevrolet has led the pack for The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Corvette has served as the pace car more

    than any other vehicle in the races history.

    Gordon, who grew up in nearby Pittsboro, Ind., is no stranger to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 1994 he won the inaugural Brickyard 400 the first-ever NASCAR race at the Brickyard, and has visited the winners circle there four more times. That makes him one of only two five-time winners at Indy in any series. Michael Schumacher won five Formula One races there.

    Its great to have Jeff Gordon

    Jeff Gordon Drives Indy 500 Pace CarFive-time Brickyard winner lead pack for 99th running of the Indianapolis 500

    honorary pace car driver Jeff Gordon poses with wife Ingrid Vandebosch & children Ella Sophia and Leo Benjamin before the start of the 99th running of the Indy 500 on May 24. (Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

    serve as this years pace car driver, said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports. He is a true champion who has earned the respect and admiration of competitors and race fans alike. It will be very special to have Jeff lead the Indy 500 field to the green flag, behind the wheel of the most powerful and capable production car ever from Chevrolet on a day hell also be competing in the Coca Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

    Wit h 650 superc ha rged horsepower, a seven-speed manual transmission and a track-capable chassis system, Gordon will have no trouble keeping in front of the race field in the production-spec Corvette Z06. Featuring an Arctic White exterior and Adrenaline Red interior, only its unique Indy graphics package and safety strobe lights distinguish it from other production models.

    Indy is hallowed ground for racers like me and I couldnt

    be more thrilled to drive the Corvette Z06 pace car around the track that helped drive my success over the years, Gordon said. The Indianapolis 500 is one of the most celebrated races of the year and an event I always dreamed of racing while growing up in California and in nearby Pittsboro. Ive won five NASCAR races at IMS and the track will always be a special place for me, so to be able to participate in such a historic day will be something I remember for the rest of my life.

    Like Gordon, Chevrolet has a long, shared heritage with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Chevrolet was founded in 1911, the year of the inaugural 500-mile race, and the Chevrolet brothers company co-founders Louis, Arthur and Gaston all competed in early Indy 500 races. Arthur Chevrolet competed in the 1911 race and Gaston Chevrolet won it in 1920.

    Jeff is a great choice to lead this years starting 33 drivers in Indianapolis 500 to the green flag, said J. Douglas Boles,

    president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jeff has such a strong connection to the state of Indiana and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and his appearance in the Corvette Z06 pace car reinforces Chevrolets important place in the past, present and future of the Indianapolis 500 as well. We also look forward to seeing him back here on July 26, to see if he can make it six wins for the Crown Royal 400 at the Brickyard.

    Jeff Gordon is a NASCAR legend, a n icon of g loba l motorsports and has a special history of success racing at The Brickyard in Indianapolis and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. This is a unique honor for him to be recognized in th is way by our partners at Chevrolet and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The day certainly will be another special one in the storied history that Jeff already has written at Indianapolis and Charlotte.

    courtesy of naScarMedia

    The Z06 rejoined the Corvette lineup for 2015 as the most capable model in the iconic cars 62-year history. It stretches the performance envelope for Corvette with unprecedented levels of aerodynamic downforce and it is the first Corvette Z06 to offer a supercharged engine, an eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission and, thanks to a stronger aluminum frame, a removable roof panel.

    The new LT4 supercharged 6.2L V-8 engine is SAE-certified at 650 horsepower (485 kW) at 6,400 rpm and 650 lb-ft of torque (881 Nm) at 3,600 rpm making the 2015 Corvette Z06 the most powerful production car ever from General Motors and one of the most powerful production cars available in the United States. With the available Z07 package, its capability enables:

    0-60 mph acceleration in 2.95 seconds with the eight-speed automatic & 3.2 seconds with the seven-speed manual transmission

    Quarter-mile times of 10.95 seconds at 127 mph with the eight-speed & 11.2 seconds at 127 mph with the seven-speed transmission

    lateral acceleration of 1.2 g

    60-0 mph braking in only 99.6 feet best of any production car tested by gm

    about the Corvette Z06

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    Fix that

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    CARL EDWARDS was the mar-quee free agent driver entering this season, but apart from a win at Charlotte he seems still ad-justing to handling a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing after a decade in a Roush Ford.

    Edwards has merely two top-ten finishes with one (a win)

    a top-five, in his first 15 races in the no. 19 Arris Camry. His average start is 9.3; his average finish of 18.1 is nearly twice as bad. This indicates a challenge with in-race handling in traffic.

    He has the fewest points of any Cup race winner this season. The victory guarantees

    him a slot in the Chase, unless more than 16 drivers win a race and ten have already won. He is merely 14th best in points, tied with Aric Almirola with 401, but ahead of him on the tiebreaker by virtue of winning a race. Edwards passed Almirola and Ryan Newman after finishing 12th at Michigan on June 14.

    Edwards and Almirola trail leader Kevin Harvick by 175 points. However, they are mere-ly 33 points out of the top 10 with Jeff Gordon in 10th. And just ahead of them, in 13th, is Edwards JGR teammate Denny Hamlin. Gibbs has three Cup titles but none in the last 10 years, nor since shifting to Toyota in 2008.

    Edwards high point was winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway May 24, for his 24th career Cup vic-tory and first for Gibbs and first in Concord. For once, he both had the car and drove it well. He started third. He led for 25 laps, most importantly on the final one to take the checkered flag. Martin Truex Jr. led for 131 laps, and Kurt Busch and Hamlin also often led. Thanks to crew chief Darian Grubbs call, Edwards was among four who pitted with 62 laps remaining and stretched fuel the rest of the way. Former Roush teammate Greg Biffle, the race runner-up, caught up to Edwards before losing fuel pressure with two laps to go and fell five seconds back. I made a decision that I was going to try and beat Carl, Biffle said. I got pretty close.

    Edwards enjoyed this victory backflip more than most. Its so cool to get this win weve had such bad luck, he said. This is

    carl edwardS at Bristol in April (NASCAR via Getty Images) For us, the win was just a huge

    giFt... now we can relax and Focus

    on getting better results.

    adjusting to toyota & gibbs in post-roush era

    truly a gift. I took advantage of it to win. And well get better.

    Yet so far, his only other top 10 was 10th at Texas. He qualified second for the Axalta We Paint Winners 400 at Pocono June 7, but finished a disappointing 15th. He has started in the top five in five races including at MIS and also at Bristol, where he led for 86 laps (his most in any Cup race) but finished 24th.

    Recently, Edwards stepped up in his return in a Toyota to Brooklyn, Mich. where he and the Fords have excelled on the home track of domestic auto-makers. He led nearly one-third of the way for 41 of the 138 laps in the rain-shortened Quicken Loans 400. That was second most behind Kevin Har-vicks 63 laps led, with all others in single digits.

    Edwards in pre-Michigan interviews was gracious about Roush Fenway Racing (RFR), which he left after 11 seasons for Gibbs. He said of RFR they dont quit. Theyre the toughest guys in the world. They will keep working ... I always expect them each week to come back and be faster and faster. Theyre great competitors.

    He added about MIS, where he won twice in Cup races but not since 2008, it felt strange to come here to this race, and not be driving for Jack Roush. Be-cause we put so much emphasis on this event for so many years. Theres always been a lot of pride driving for Jack here. For the do-mestic car manufacturers, this is their backyard. They bring their best stuff.

    Edwards turns 36 on Aug. 15. He has often knocked on the door of a Cup title. He finished

    in the top five in points in four of his 11 prior Cup seasons, and was runner-up in 2008 and 2011. He led the series in wins with nine, in 2008. In 11, he tied Tony Stewart who had more victories to earn the title. Edwards was third (again losing a tiebreaker) in 2005, and fourth in 10. He was among point leaders early last season, won two races and reached the Chase semifinal round of eight drivers.

    Rule revisions already made and looming affect Edwards and others. He said about high speeds yet corner maneuvering at MIS, it really doesnt matter to any of us if were going 200 mph down the straightaway as long as we have to get in that corner and slide the car and brake, and use our skill set to get through the corner.

    He spoke about rumored changes to the new Cup Car as early as July 11 at Kentucky, to ease downforce to result in more passing. Id be in favor of anything that makes the cars able to race around each other, and to put more speed into the drivers hands. Everyone wants this thing to be the best possible show for the fans, and I dont think NASCAR is scared to make changes. I think its cool that theyve been talking with the drivers more ... I think were heading in the right direction.

    by peTe ZaMplaS

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    hoenix International Raceway will officially be renamed Jeff Gordon Raceway on Nov. 15,

    2015 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500, PIR President Bryan R. Sperber announced today. The race is the semifinal race for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and will be Gordons last Sprint Cup Series race at the track as a full-time competitor.

    Jeff has had an amazing career in NASCAR, both as

    a tremendously successful competitor and as an incredible ambassador for the sport, Sperber said. When we thought about how to recognize his accomplishments for the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500, we knew we had to put together a celebration that was bigger than anything weve done in the past. It doesnt get bigger than renaming the race track and Jeff Gordon is a person who is truly deserving of that honor.

    Phoenix International Raceway To Be Renamed Jeff Gordon Raceway On November 15 For The Quicken Loans Race For Heroes 500

    Jonathan Ferrey/NASCAR via Getty Images)

    The renaming of the track will be a way for all PIR fans to celebrate the importance Gordon had on the track, the fans and the sport as a whole. It is the first time that a track has been renamed for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

    Its an honor to have the track named after me, even if only for a day, said Gordon. What a cool gesture by Bryan Sperber, his staff and ISC. Ive had some great moments at Phoenix International Raceway, and this will just add to the many great memories I have of racing in Phoenix.

    PIR will also release a series of five individual trading cards featuring Gordons image and key moments throughout his 24-year career at PIR. A limited number of each card will be randomly distributed to ticket holders both with their ticket mailing and at the gates each day during the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 race weekend. Fans will have the opportunity to trade with each other at locations on the Fan Midway throughout the weekend in order to collect the complete set.

    Leading up to the race, PIR will present 24 Moments of Greatness on its social media channels highlighting some of the tracks and fans favorite

    moments with Jeff Gordon.In addition, the event will be

    commemorated with an official logo displayed throughout the track, and fans will be able to purchase apparel online and on race weekend through a partnership with Fanatics, the market leader for licensed sports retail.

    Gordon has four career wins at PIR, including three in NASCAR-sanctioned races. Each of his wins represented a significant moment to the tracks history. On Nov. 6, 1999, he raced to victory in the inaugural Xfinity Series race at Phoenix, before tying the legendary Dale Earnhardt with his 76th career Sprint Cup Series win on April 21, 2007. Forever

    etching his name into PIR history, Gordon kicked off the repaving of the track by digging the first piece of pavement following his win on Feb. 27, 2011. His 23 top-10 finishes at Phoenix is a track record, and he will tie Mark Martin for the record for most Sprint Cup Series starts at PIR in November when he makes his 34th start.

    In January of 2015, Gordon announced that the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season would be his last. The four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will join the FOX broadcast team full-time in 2016 as race analyst.

    courtesy of naScarMedia

    JEFF GORDONS CAREER NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES STATISTICS AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY:

    Category Gordon pir rank record holder Top-10 finishes 23 1 Jeff Gordon, (23)

    Races 33 2 MArK MArTIn, (34)

    Laps compLeTed 10,137 2 MArK MArTIn, (10,477)

    Lead-Lap finishes 25 2 MArK MArTIn, (30)

    Top-5 finishes 12 T-2 JIMMIe JoHnSon, (14)

    poLes 3 T-2 rYAn neWMAn, (4)

    Wins 2 T-3 KeVIn HArVICK, (7)

    aveRage sTaRT (min. 5 races)

    10.8 3 rUSTY WALLACe, (8.1)

    aveRage finish (min. 5 races)

    10.9 T-6 ALAn KULWICKI, (5.2)

    Laps Led 442 9 KeVIn HArVICK, (1202)

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    Five of the six NASCAR K&N Pro Series race winners in 2015 are 21 years old or younger. The

    championship points leaders in both the East and West are 17 and 16, respectively. And a 17-year-old just became the highest-finishing female in the 61-year history of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

    It is fitting that as fans celebrate Jeff Gordons final year of competition, the ranks of NASCAR are filled with young drivers battling to one day fill that void. And on Tuesday, in a building that honors the sports history, NASCAR introduced some of those potential future stars of the sport.

    During a ceremony at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, 12 drivers were formally announced as the newest NASCAR Next class, a group of up-and-coming talent that joins the industry program aimed at spotlighting NASCARs emerging stars.

    The NASCAR Next initiative spotlights the future of NASCAR, a collection of promising young talent who have shown the potential to one day reach the highest level of our sport, said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president for Industry Services. Alumni and current members of the NASCAR Next program are achieving success at the national series level, and we are confident that this class will build upon that foundation of excellence for many seasons to come.

    Now in its fifth season, the career rsum of NASCAR Next alumni is impressive,

    highlighted by Chase Elliotts 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series championship, Kyle Larsons 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award, and Cole Custers September 2014 win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, making him the youngest winner in NASCAR national series history.

    Of the 28 drivers previously selected for the program, 21 have raced in one of NASCARs three national series (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), and 11 are competing full-time there in 2015.

    The team was selected through an evaluation process that included input from industry executives and veteran racers. Drivers must be between the ages of 15-25, have tangible and expressed goals in eventual competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and demonstrate the potential to realize that goal.

    Each driver in NASCAR Next must be actively competing in a NASCAR touring or weekly series NASCAR K&N Pro Series East or West, NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series or NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitors also are eligible provided they are not slated to run a full season in their respective series. courtesy of naScar Media

    New NASCAR Next ClASS AlReAdy MAkiNg MARk oN tRACk

    nasCars Future is bright ...and young

    Kyle benjamin17 / eASley, SC

    @kylebenjamin71

    this Roush Fenway Racing developmental driver earned his first k&N Pro Series win at Bristol Motor Speedway, and is the youngest race winner in

    ARCA history.

    tied the series record for highest finish by a female driver in just her fifth k&N west start with her second place mark at irwindale event Center, and has top-10 finishes in four of six west starts.

    nicole behar17 / otiS oRChARdS, wA

    @NicoleBehar33

    rico abreu17 / BoCA RAtoN, Fl

    @Rico_Abreu

    james bicKFord17 / NAPA, Fl

    @Bickford_James

    ruben garcia jr.19 / MexiCo City, MexiCo

    @rubengarcia4

    dylan lupton21 / wiltoN, CA@luptondylan

    austin hill21 / wiNStoN, gA

    @_Austinhill

    dalton sargeant17 / BoCA RAtoN, FlA

    @daltonSargeant

    john hunter nemecheK17 / MooReSville, NC

    @JhNemechek

    jesse little18 / SheRRillS FoRd, NC

    @jesselittle97

    william byron17 / ChARlotte, NC

    @williamByron

    cole custer17 / lAdeRA RANCh, CA

    @colecuster00

    A 2014 USAC national champion and winner of the 2015 Chili Bowl, he has two top-10 finishes in three k&N Pro Series east starts, his first season racing

    in stock cars.

    the 2014 k&N west Sunoco Rookie of the year earned his first win at State line Speedway last season and finished fifth in

    the season championship.

    the runner up in last seasons NASCAR Mexico Series season championship, he had one win and 10 top-10 f inishes there while also competing in three NASCAR xFiNity Series races.

    w a s t h e 2 0 1 4 k & N w e s t championship runner up with a win at kern County Speedway & registered 14 top-10 finishes; made his NASCAR xFiNity Series debut at Phoenix international

    Raceway in March.

    had three consecutive k&N east wins, in the final two races in 2014 & the 2015 season opener at New Smyrna Speedway where he captured his first pole

    award and led every lap.

    has a w in a t kern Coun t y Raceway Park in the wes t this season, and four top-five finishes in five combined east

    and west races.

    earned six top-10 finishes in 10 NASCAR Camping world truck Series starts in 2014, and won the prestigious Snowball derby late Model race at Five Flags

    Speedway in december.

    had a win at New hampshire Motor Speedway, four top-five & 10 top-10 finishes in 2014 to finish 4th in the season standings. won the pole at Bristol Motor Speedway in his 2015 k&N east

    debut.

    with a win at greenville Pickens Speedway and three top 10 finishes, he sits atop the k&N Pro east season championship

    standings.

    he holds the records for youngest pole award & race winner in both the NASCAR Camping world truck Series & NASCARs touring series, and led late in the truck race at Martinsville Speedway

    earlier this season.

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    went y of t he best and brightest college students from across the country descended on Charlotte Motor Speedway in May as the sport introduced the 2015 NASCAR Diversity Internship Program (NDIP) class at NASCAR Sprint All-Star Weekend. .

    The interns come to NASCAR from as far north as the University of Minnesota and as far south as the University of Puerto Rico, and will take part in the 10-week, paid program, created to expose

    multicultural college students to employment opportunities within Americas number one motorsport.

    As the NDIP grows in popularity, so has the number of internship roles at NASCAR and other companies within the industry, in the areas of engineering, finance, marketing, licensing and public relations. Hendrick Motorsports, Rev Racing, Pocono Raceway and Switch, a marketing agency, are among the companies participating in 2015.

    NASCAR Diversity Internship Program Welcomes 2015 ClassTop College Students to Gain Valuable Experience Working Across Motorsports Industry

    kyle larSen poses with the 2015 NDIP class at NASCAR Sprint All-Star Weekend. (Lauren Houston/NASCAR)

    Since 2000, the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program has grown to become one of the premier internships in sports, said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. For NASCAR, the program is an important part of our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

    Nearly 300 interns have participated in the NDIP since its inception, and many secured full-time jobs in motorsports following their internships. Recent graduates have found roles at NASCAR, International Speedway Corporation, Octagon and Toyota, among other companies tied to the industry.

    The NASCAR Diversity Internship Program has

    proven to be an effective pipeline for hiring top talent across the industry, said Paula Miller, NASCAR senior vice president and chief human resources officer. We have several former interns who now have key roles in helping to grow our sport.

    Pedro Mojica, a graduate of The University of Texas at San Antonio, completed his NDIP internship in 2014 and now works full-time as an engineer for Toyota Racing Development.

    As an intern, I had the opportunity to become immersed in the world of NASCAR a sport I was passionate about, said Mojica, who also participated in the NASCAR Mentorship Program. The NASCAR Diversity Internship Program provided me with a platform to launch my

    career in motorsports.Several former interns are

    now employed at NASCAR within multiple business units, including: Brandon Thompson, director, racing operations; Marvin Aylor Jr., manager, marketing; Lauren Houston, senior account executive, multicultural development; Kathryn Lee, senior coordinator, events; Jusan Hamilton, account executive, industry services; Ade Herbert, coordinator, communications; Jason Simmons, licensing assistant; and Cameron McCarty, pit road technician.

    The class includes the following students from colleges and universities across the country:Kent Booze - Dartmouth CollegeKarl Bostick - Elon UniversityAdrienne Bright - Central Michigan UniversityNichole Dominguez - University of Central FloridaSydnei Fryson - Hampton UniversityJames Harris - UNC CharlotteZubin Jhambani - Syracuse UniversityGiridhar Kathiresan - UNC CharlotteVictoria Kim - Penn State UniversityJordan Leatherman - Oklahoma State UniversityYuyi Li - Duke UniversityBice Lizza - Penn State Jade McCrary- Florida A&M UniversityCole McGinnis - University of IowaJasmine Neely - UNC Chapel HillHakeem Onafowokan - University of MinnesotaAlexandre Pendegrass - Howard UniversityKeyzza Plaza - University of Puerto Rico at MayaguezTonya Vanderpool - University of Central FloridaAshleigh Young - Oklahoma State University

    courtesy of naScarMedia

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    hen the Mirai hit the field back in April at Toyota Owners 400 in

    Richmond, it served as the first hydrogen-fueled vehicle to pace a NASCAR race. It lead the Sprint Cup Series field to the green flag emitting only water out of its tailpipe along the way.

    Having a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle pace the Toyota Owners 400 is a historic moment for both Toyota and NASCAR and were proud its the Toyota Mirai, said Ed Laukes, vice president of marketing, performance and guest experience, Toyota Motor

    Sales, U.S.A. Bringing the Mirai to Richmond to pace this important race is another way for Toyota to showcase our innovation and environmental leadership.

    The Mirai is a four-door, mid-size sedan with performance to pace the 43-car NASCAR field at Richmond International Raceway (RIR) while using no gasoline and emitting nothing but water vapor. The groundbreaking fuel cell electric vehicle is powered by hydrogen, refuels in about five minutes and travels up to 300 miles on a full tank. It will arrive first to

    Toyota Mirai Takes to the TrackMirai is the first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle to pace a NASCAR race

    buyers in California later this year.

    The Mirai was tested and approved by NASCAR to pace the Toyota Owners 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race after a test session at RIR. In the test session, the Mirai met NASCARs performance requirements to pace the 400-mile NSCS race.

    There is Toyota precedent

    bringing hybrid and alternative fuel technology to track. The Toyota Camry Hybrid earned praise as the first hybrid vehicle to pace a full NASCAR race when the hybrid vehicle was used for the Coca Cola 600 in May 2009.

    From fuel-efficient vehicles to developing groundbreaking technologies, Toyota is proud to be at the forefront of

    environmental sustainability and the Mirai pace car showcases this commitment. Toyota has more than 2 million hybrid vehicles on U.S. roads more than any other manufacturer and continues to develop new breakthroughs in plug-in, electric and hydrogen fuel cell technologies.

    courtesy of NAScArmEDiA

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