Sprint Cup News

CONCORD, N.C. -  Even though some race fans may think he's finally "flipped," H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler named Carl Edwards as his pick to win Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Wheeler revealed his selection Wednesday in uptown Charlotte with assistance from a pack of four-legged friends, including Princess, the back-flipping dog.

"Carl Edwards is a racer's racer in the mold of Dale Earnhardt and Cale Yarborough," said Wheeler. "He will put his car in places angels fear to tread and beneath that big smile and his trademark back flip, Carl has an abnormal fire in his heart to win that I have seldom seen.

"A lot of guys race to get on that New York stage and are satisfied with third, fourth or even worse, but not him," Wheeler added. "Vince Lombardi is surely looking down and saying he would have loved to have had Carl on his team."

Known for his promotional flair and Karnac-type ability, Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway, has correctly picked the winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race 10 times in the past 19 races.

While Edwards' burning determination was key in Wheeler's decision, it was the early season performance of the No. 99 Office Depot Ford that proved to be the determining factor.

"Carl ran really well at Atlanta, Vegas and Texas, which are similar to Lowe's Motor Speedway," Wheeler noted. "He's one of the few who has been able to ride this wild bull of a new car that has been difficult to tame on the intermediate tracks.

"He is also not at all adverse to combat conditions with other drivers, and that is often what the Sprint All-Star Race is all about."

"I know Humpy's history of picking winners for the All-Star race and it's an honor that he picked me," said Edwards. "He picked me one time before (2006) and we didn't come through. So he's got some real guts to pick us again. I hope we can prove him right this time.

"Humpy's a real wise man. There is a little bit of extra pressure now, because I know if I mess up he's gonna come and grab me on the shoulder, and shake me a little bit. We'll get it done for him."

In preparation for making his selection, Wheeler analyzed early season race results and studied NASCAR Sprint Cup Series testing at Lowe's Motor Speedway. His final decision came down to a choice between Edwards and Kyle Busch.

"Kyle Busch has astonished us all this season and, if not for Carl's performances at the other 1.5-mile  tracks in the new car, he would have been my pick," Wheeler noted. "Kyle got some hard raps over what happened at Richmond. Everybody wanted to see Dale Jr. break his drought, but how many drivers have you seen lately that would take a car that was a tick slower, with second in the bag, and try to pass the leader? Kyle Busch did what every race fan buys a ticket for, and that is to see two guys fight it out for the victory in the closing laps."

With no points on the line and a $1 million prize for the winner, Wheeler has visions of the ultimate finish to Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

"Imagine what that grandstand would be like on the last lap if Busch and Edwards come off Turn 4 side-by-side with Dale Jr. lurking right off their rear bumpers," Wheeler said with a big smile.

Each year since 1994, Wheeler has also named a dark-horse selection who he thinks could pull off a surprise victory. This time he's going with Tony Stewart to fill that role.

"Tough season for a great driver, but, obviously, Tony still has it and he can smell the big money," Wheeler concluded. SCR

Sprint Cup News

DAYTONA BEACH , Fla. – Less than two months away from defending his Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola victory, Jamie McMurray was part of a trio of drivers participating in a two-day Goodyear tire test on Tuesday and Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway.

For the past two days, McMurray, who wheels a Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, was joined by Mike Skinner in the No. 84 Red Bull Racing Toyota and Petty Enterprises driver Bob by Labonte in a Gillett-Evernham Motor sports Dodge in testing different tire compounds and structures for Goodyear in preparation for the 50th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola scheduled for Saturday night, July 5.

“I guess they had some tire concerns with the tire we had here in February,” McMurray said. “We’ve got three teams here. One team is working with the construction of the tire. I guess the side wall construction. Then one team is working on compounds. We’re just doing the test with the load sensors to let them know how much load is on the car whether you have an aggressive type front-end set up or just a standard setup. There are three teams here with three different objectives.”

In last July’s Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at DIS, McMurray picked up his first Sprint Cup Series win since October of 2002, a losing streak of 166 races. He used to some cleaver side drafting coming out of Turn 4 to nip Kyle Busch at the start/finish line by .005 seconds, the second closest finish in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history.

As the defending champion of the upcoming Independence Day holiday classic, McMurray was honored to be included in the Goodyear tire test at DIS.

“It’s exciting to come back to Daytona,” McMurray said. “I came back here for the go-kart race in December and that was the first time I was back since winning (in July). Daytona is special to all of the drivers because this is the biggest race of the year for us. I got to my hotel room last night and the 1978 Daytona 500 was being replayed on television. Daytona just has a lot of history and it’s a great place to come back to.”

“A lot of guys will joke around and say it’s boring, but with the size of the restrictor plate that we have on the car to run 47-second lap times, it’s pretty thrilling to go around. It’s kind of fun to do that. With the other car running regular speed, it’s not that exciting but if the team is learning something, that’s kind of all part of it.”

McMurray will try to join Fireball Roberts, A.J. Foyt, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Tony Stewart as the sixth driver to notch back-to-back victories in the 50th annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola on Saturday night, July 5, part of a triple header of races on the Independence Day holiday weekend at “The World Center of Racing.”

During the lunch break, McMurray, who first raced at DIS in go-karts in the 1990s, looked back on last year’s thrilling last-lap finish.

“I’ve been really close to winning at the Speedways,” McMurray said. “I think I finished second two or three times prior to winning here. Speedway races are a little bit of luck getting yourself in that right position. For me (last July) being able to be on the outside on the white flag lap with all the cars lined up. It’s a little bit different at Daytona because at Talladega , you can make it three or four wide or however many wide you want where handling is so important at Daytona. (At Daytona), once you get two wide and the tires are old, it’s really hard for that guy behind you to split you and make it three wide. If you can be on the outside, that seems to be the place to be on the last lap off Turn 4.” SCR

Sprint Cup News - Source: Scene Daily

Hall of Fame Racing and competition director Philippe Lopez have parted ways, according to a team spokesman.

Lopez had been with the team since its inception in 2006. The team has struggled this year with J.J. Yeley currently sitting outside the top 35 in NASCAR Sprint Cup owners points.

The team has not named a replacement.

Track News

DOVER, Del. - Just days before the May 30 - June 1, 2008 race weekend at Dover International Speedway, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon visited the Monster Mile on Wednesday afternoon to participate in a dedication ceremony for the new 46-foot Monster Monument at Victory Plaza, presented by AAA.

Joined on stage by Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner, Dover Mayor Carleton E. Carey Sr., Donald Gagnon, president and COO of AAA Mid-Atlantic, and Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover Motorsports, Inc., Gordon addressed the large crowd of over 300 people gathered together in front of the monument.

"It's an amazing monument and it really symbolizes what this track is all about to the drivers and the fans," said Gordon. "The Monster Mile brings out the monster in all of us. It's a grueling, fast race track that is very, very tough.

"It's also a pleasure to have my name etched on this monument four times," said Gordon, a four-time Dover winner referring to the plaques on the base of the monument. "I'm hoping to add a fifth and sixth this year."

Governor Minner spoke about what the Speedway means to both the city of Dover and the state of Delaware. "Dover International Speedway not only offers visitors great entertainment as a sporting destination, but also contributes to the state and local economy," said Minner. "This monument is in such a great position. It'll give visitors to the state a great opportunity to see the monument from the highway (Route 1) when visiting Delaware."

The dedication ceremony concluded with Gordon unveiling the marquee plaque on the front portion of the monument's base. The 4ft. high granite plaque includes a laser-engraved image of the monster and briefly describes the importance of the structure.

Following the ceremony, Gordon met with local and regional television stations and news reporters to discuss his thoughts about the capital improvements at Dover and the upcoming Dover race weekend. He also paused for a few moments to greet fans in attendance and personally thank them for coming to the dedication ceremony.

Crews at Dover will continue to work on the site of the monument and Victory Plaza in the coming days to put the finishing touches on the structure and surrounding areas. All construction is scheduled to be completed prior to the May 30 - June 1, 2008 race weekend. SCR
Photo: Dover Motorsports

ARCA RE/MAX Series News

TOLEDO OH - When it comes to "charity for all", ARCA RE/MAX Series teams notoriously step up to the plate.

And that's certainly the case for this weekend's Hantz Group 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway.

At present, six ARCA RE/MAX Series teams have pledged support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio, the Charity of Choice for the 4th annual ARCA Fan Fest, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 17 & 18 at Toledo Speedway.

Sheltra Motorsports, by way of the Patrick Sheltra Foundation, was the first ARCA RE/MAX Series team to donate to the cause and more teams have come forward in support of the charity.

"We are very excited about our strong involvement with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio this weekend at Toledo Speedway," said Chris Knight, Public Relations Representative for Sheltra Motorsports and driver Patrick Sheltra. "I am also extremely grateful to the other teams that are making a huge difference for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio."

Sheltra Motorsports has donated $250 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio so that children in the program can ride for free on carnival rides at the ARCA Fan Fest. Andy Belmont Racing with driver Tom Hessert III, Fast Track Racing with driver Bryan Silas and Win-Tron Racing with driver Andy Hanson, have also contributed to the cause.

"This is a great cause and we are thrilled to be a part of it," said former ARCA RE/MAX Series driver and current car owner Andy Belmont. "We hope the kids really have a great time and we look forward to seeing their smiling faces this weekend."

In addition to sponsoring the carnival rides for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio, Sheltra Motorsports will donate $1 to the organization for every lap the team completes in Sunday's Hantz Group 200 presented by Federated Car Care. The team has challenged other teams to match the pledge. So far, Spraker Enterprises and Team Glock Racing with driver Dexter Bean have vowed to match the $1 contribution. Hixson Motorsports with driver Donny Kelly has exceeded the pledge, vowing to donate $1.50 to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio for every lap the team completes in Sunday's ARCA RE/MAX Series race.

The Fan Fest will serve as a prelude to the ARCA Touring Series double header weekend, featuring the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series Champion Credit Union 50 on Saturday afternoon, May 17, and the ARCA RE/MAX Series Hantz Group 200 presented by Federated Car Care on Sunday, May 18.

"We are excited to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters for this event, and hope to help them in their efforts to find matches for kids who want and need a big brother or big sister," said Mark Gundrum, VP Marketing and Communications for ARCA.  

The 4th Annual ARCA Fan Fest has been designed as a family and fan friendly motorsports promotion allowing ARCA fans to interact with ARCA officials, drivers, teams, crews, and sponsors at ARCA's hometown track. In addition, fund raising efforts including a raffle for motorsports collectables and a 50/50 raffle will be administered on behalf of the charity.

"Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio is very excited to team with ARCA for the 4th annual Fan Fest," said Bruce Johnson, VP of Fund Development BBBSNWO. "It is a proven fact that a positively mentored child will become a competent, confident and caring adult. I would encourage everyone to come out and enjoy some great racing, while investing in the future-the children!"

The Fan Fest, which will take place in the parking lot area directly in front of Toledo Speedway, is free to the public. Fans will be required to purchase tickets to enter the speedway for the racing action. SCR

Sprint Cup News

CONCORD, N.C. - Defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Carl Edwards led the speed parade Tuesday at Lowe's Motor Speedway as teams made final preparations for the May 24 CARQUEST Auto Parts 300.

Edwards, the 2006 winner of the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300, circled the 1.5-mile superspeedway in 29.555 seconds, at an average speed of 182.710 mph, in the No. 60b Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Edwards' lap was fastest of the two-day session, topping the 182.217 mark set Monday night by Denny Hamlin in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Defending CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 winner Kasey Kahne was third fastest in the No. 9 Gillett Evernham Motorsports Dodge and veteran Jason Keller was fourth on the official speed chart at 180.584 in the No. 11 CJM Racing Chevrolet.

Edwards rounded out the top five with a lap at 180.457 mph in the No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford.

For veteran Mike Bliss, the two-day session was his first to test since joining James Finch's No. 1 Chevrolet team in early April.

"We are still learning about traveling the race cars. Some teams have already got it perfected and some teams are still working on it," Bliss explained. "Myself, I hadn't tested with them yet, so this is a good chance for us to try stuff that I think would work and what they think would work. As a team, we are still getting better, but we're not as good as teams that have been together for a year or two."

Bliss also expressed displeasure with NASCAR's tampered carburetor spacer that was mandated this season and is being used at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the first time. Teams say the spacer cuts 80 horsepower from the engine.

"We're probably running the same speed, we're just running through the corners harder, putting more pressure on the tires," Bliss said. "There just is not enough motor there to accelerate up off the corner."

David Reutimann also noted that the carburetor spacer has changed how teams adjust the handling on their Nationwide Series cars.

"You have to keep the cars freed up because they don't have the horsepower," said the driver of the No. 99 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota. "We are just trying to free the car up to make it run faster. We're trying a bunch of stuff on the front end and doing a bunch of stuff so we can run as close to wide open as possible."

"The test was pretty decent for the No. 88 Navy team," said Brad Keselowski. "Our teammates with the No. 83 Navy Chevrolet weren't as fortunate (David Green wrecked Dale Earnhardt's No. 83 on Monday). Between that and our rough weekend at Darlington, we really focused on getting through the test with both of our No. 88 Chevys intact.

"The biggest thing for us was to keep our two cars in one piece and hopefully learn something. You don't have to be the fastest car on the charts to learn. We came here to learn, and hopefully leave with something we could apply when we come back next weekend. We were successful with that, so overall it was a good test for us." Keselowski concluded.

The only serious incident of the day took place at 6:40 p.m. when Reutimann lost control of his No. 99 Toyota and slammed the outside SAFER barrier. Reutimann, who was evaluated and released from the Carolinas HealthCare System Infield Medical Center, said the car just "snapped around."

The start of testing was delayed 70 minutes due to track repairs. Cars hit the track shortly after 2 p.m. and the session ran until 9 p.m.

Lowe's Motor Speedway will return to action Friday with the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 presented by Circle K for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Afternoon Session

1. Kasey Kahne, 9, 180.802

2. Carl Edwards, 60b, 180.060

3. Chase Miller, 19, 179.832

4. Carl Edwards, 60, 179.342

5. Bryan Clauson, 40b, 179.259

6. Clint Bowyer, 2, 178.974

7. Mike Bliss, 1, 178.548

8. Stephen Leicht, 29b, 178.471

9. Jason Leffler, 38, 178.353

10. Bobby Hamilton Jr., 25b, 178.124

11. Mark Green, 70b, 178.047

12. Kelly Bires, 47b, 177.901

13. Kelly Bires, 47, 177.801

14. David Ragan, 6, 177.772

15. Cale Gale, 77, 177.708

16. Bryan Clauson, 40, 177.684

17. David Ragan, 6b, 177.614

18. Brian Vickers, 10, 177.387

19. Robert Richardson, 23, 177.282

20. Bobby Hamilton Jr., 25, 177.142

21. Jason Keller, 11, 177.055

22. Brad Keselowski, 88, 177.003

23. Mike Bliss, 1b, 176.893

24. Marcos Ambrose, 59, 176.881

25. Brad Coleman, 27, 176.615

26. Cale Gale, 77b, 176.528

27. Kenny Wallace, 28, 176.517

28. David Reutimann, 99b, 176.419

29. Mike Wallace, 7t, 176.246

30. Brad Keselowski, 88b, 176.206

31. Derrike Cope, 4, 175.942

32. Sam Hornish Jr., 12, 175.936

33. Jason Keller, 11b, 175.781

34. Clint Bowyer, 2b, 174.571

35. Danny Efland, 0, 170.218

36.Eric McClure, 24, 165.837

Evening Session

1. Carl Edwards, 60b, 182.710

2. Chase Miller, 19, 181.159

3. Kasey Kahne, 9, 180.832

4. Jason Keller, 11, 180.584

5. Carl Edwards, 60, 180.457

6. David Ragan, 6, 180.439

7. Mike Bliss, 1, 180.421

8. Clint Bowyer, 2, 180.313

9. Brian Vickers, 10, 180.301

10. Jason Leffler, 38, 180.102

11. David Ragan, 6 b, 179.796

12. Mark Green, 70b, 179.689

13. Bobby Hamilton Jr., 25, 179.641

14. Cale Gale, 77, 179.593

15. Marcos Ambrose, 59, 179.474

16. Brad Keselowski, 88b, 179.432

17. Sam Hornish Jr., 12, 179.301

18. Brad Keselowski, 88, 179.158

19. Sam Hornish Jr., 12b, 178.772

20. Robert Richardson, 23, 178.684

21. Bryan Clauson, 40b, 178.589

22. Kelly Bires, 47, 178.518

23. Derrike Cope, 4, 178.465

24. Jason Keller, 11b, 178.247

25. Mike Wallace, 7t, 178.235

26. Kenny Wallace, 28, 178.100

27. David Reutimann, 99, 177.392

28. Mike Bliss, 1b, 177.363

29. David Reutimann, 99b, 176.898

30. Brad Coleman, 27, 176.864

31. Clint Bowyer, 2b, 175.993

32. Danny Efland, 0, 174.092

33. Eric McClure, 24, 168.313 SCR

DIRT Motorsports WoO Sprint Series News

Sarver, PA - When Jason Meyers first took to the road full-time in 2000, the first track he won at was Lernerville Speedway in Sarver , Pennsylvania . He has been trying to return to Victory Lane at the high-banked four-tenths mile ever since that date with the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, coming close on a number of occasions. He left no doubt on Tuesday night, as he led the final 18 laps of the Commonwealth Clash to earn his series leading fourth A-Feature win of 2008 and second career triumph at Lernerville.

"It's certainly more than we can ask for right now," Meyers said, after the win. "These guys are doing a great job and everything is running well. We just have to keep it up. It's going to be a long year and a long summer and we have to keep up what we are doing now. I'm just happy to see it all paying off for this team that works very hard every day. It means a lot to me and everyone involved in this team."

Meyers lined up third for the 35-lap contest and actually fell back to fifth in the early going, before tracking down Chad Kemenah and then Jac Haudenschild. On the 12th lap, he slipped by early leader Dale Blaney to move into the runner-up spot. He then took the lead from Terry McCarl on the 18th lap exiting the four turn, as McCarl slipped up the banking. Late in the race, Haudenschild dove low in the first turn to take the lead, but Meyers again used a strong run off the fourth turn as Haudenschild slipped up the track to remain in the lead and was officially scored the leader at the line.

"You just had to lay it in there and just kind of hold on to it," explained Meyers, the driver of the GLR Investments KPC, of the fourth turn which provided a challenge to the drivers. "The bottom was kind of slick and we were a little tight on top, but we were definitely fast up there. We just had to get up in there and hang on to it."

Meyers used his eighth Top-10 finish of the season to take a one-point lead in the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series championship standings over Craig Dollansky. Meyers was third quickest in time trials on Tuesday night, which earned him three bonus points. He also tightened the gap in the Qwik Liner Cup, which awards points to the Top-Five qualifiers in each of the first events of the 2008 season.

"That is really exciting," said the native of Clovis , California . "We have had a great start to the year, as have Craig Dollansky and Donny Schatz. To be able to call home to Chris (Luck) and Guy (Stockbridge) and everyone involved and tell them we were able to take the point lead is real exciting. I'm looking forward to hopefully holding on to it."

The First Commonwealth Bank Clash began on Tuesday night with Dale Blaney charging past Jac Haudenschild to take the lead into the first and second turns. Terry McCarl quickly moved into third on the opening circuit. The leaders were setting a blistering pace and encountered lapped traffic on the just the fifth go-around. Blaney continued to lead with Haudenschild closing in a couple of times, including on the sixth lap when he looked high for the lead exiting the fourth turn.

McCarl moved into the runner-up position on the eighth circuit, using the high side of turns one and two. On the next lap, McCarl dove to the lead as Blaney drifted high off the fourth turn. McCarl would begin to pull away as he sliced through traffic.

He wound up leading nine laps on Tuesday night and earned his best finish of the season as he came home second aboard the Big Game Treestands Eagle. It was the first race for the veteran driver with new crew chief Dave Lawrence turning the wrenches.

"It felt good," said McCarl. "My car has won here before so that put a little pressure on me to win. We haven't done too good here the past few years, so it was great to have a strong run. Dyno Dave ( Lawrence ) joined me here tonight. I am pretty excited. We have a great crew right now."

Meyers used a strong restart after the first caution of the night on the 13th lap to shadow McCarl. The 18th lap would be the decisive one, as McCarl hit a rut exiting the fourth turn and Meyers was there to sweep past him for the lead. A couple of more cautions bunched the field and gave McCarl two more chances to make a move on Meyers. Down the stretch, Meyers opened a comfortable lead en route to the $10,000 triumph.

Chad Kemenah earned his best finish of the season as he wound up third in the Kantor Oil Company Maxim. The Ohio native battled Meyers early in the race and charged around Blaney with just four laps remaining.

"We had a good night," said Kemenah, the 2006 World of Outlaws Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year. "We've been good lately and we just haven't been able to get races in with the rain. This goes out to Mike Cool, my crew chief. He's been around so long and has such good experience and he gets us on the same page each night. We feel like we are competitive when we come to the track. It feels good to be competitive."

After leading early in the race, Blaney who has three career A-Feature wins with the World of Outlaws wound up fifth aboard the Berlin Bakery Maxim.

Craig Dollansky who entered the Commonwealth Clash as one of just three drivers that has finished in the Top-10 in each event this season, extended that streak, as he worked his way to a fifth-place finish, after lining up 20th. He has now finished sixth or better in each event this season driving the Auto Value Parts Stores Maxim.

"We got ourselves into a hole early in the night in qualifying and we kept working on our race car," said Dollansky. "It still was not a happy car when the feature started. Mike (Woodring) did a good job bringing the thing around. We just kept plugging away. I would have liked to have seen a 40-lap race. At the end we were able to pick more cars off than we did at the beginning. As the race wore on, the car got stronger."

Joey Saldana finished sixth, after setting fast time aboard the Budweiser/Open Joist Mopar-powered JEI, with two-time defending series champion Donny Schatz in seventh driving the Armor All J&J for Tony Stewart Racing, after starting 21st. Kerry Madsen, the reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year finished eighth in the TK Concrete Maxim, to earn his fifth Top-10 finishes of the season. Sam Hafertepe Jr. turned in a season-best ninth-place performance driving the G.H. Plumbing J&J. Daryn Pittman was 10th in the Titan Garages Maxim.

After running in the Top-Five all night, Haudenschild spun off the third turn late in the race, challenging Meyers for the lead and restarted at the back of the field. He wound up 12th in the Owens-Corning Fiberglass Maxim.

After the 22nd A-Feature win of his Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series career, Meyers is excited to head to Williams Grove Speedway on Thursday and Friday, as the series makes their first of three separate visits to the legendary half-mile this season. He will take an impressive streak into the race, which has seen him finish in the Top-10 in each and every sprint car race he has competed in since the middle of last October.

"That's always a big test," noted the native of Clovis , California . "How you run when you go through Pennsylvania wins and loses championships. It will be very important for us to run well there this weekend. Hopefully we can take this momentum there. I have never won a World of Outlaws event at Williams Grove. Charlie Garrett who builds our engines is from right down the street there and hopefully we can go in and get him a win this weekend."

McCarl, who led his first laps of the 2008 season, began the night by winning the second heat race and also ran fourth in the Crane Cams Dash. The native of Altoona , Iowa now has four Top-10 finishes on the season and is seventh in points.

"We had a great car," said the six-time Knoxville Raceway and Huset's Speedway track champion. "I think we were capable of wining. We kind of ran back up on them on the last restart and I thought we had something for them. I think we were better in traffic than most of them, but I hooked a rut. The track was pretty tricky, but it was a lot of fun."

After battling rain again last weekend, Kemenah like the rest of the World of Outlaws drivers and teams was thrilled to be back in action on Tuesday night. Not only did he earn his best finish of the season, but he also matched the career-best finish for car owner Jon Kantor with the World of Outlaws.

"I think everyone will get into a rhythm the more we race," Kemenah shared. "Everyone kind of walks around in a daze right now waiting for the next rainout. We're tickled to death to have a great run for Jon Kantor. He's given us an opportunity to come out here and race. Our Maxim race car was very good tonight."

The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action at the famed Williams Grove Speedway on Thursday, May 15 and Friday, May 16.

A-main (35 laps) - Starting Position [#]

1) 14-Jason Meyers[3] [$10,000]

2) 24-Terry McCarl[4] [$5,500]

3) 8K-Chad Kemenah[5] [$3,200]

4) 2B-Dale Blaney[2] [$2,800]

5) 2-Craig Dollansky[20] [$2,500]

6) 9-Joey Saldana[8] [$2,300]

7) 15-Donny Schatz[21] [$2,200]

8) 55-Kerry Madsen[6] [$2,100]

9) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[12] [$2,050]

10) 21-Daryn Pittman[7] [$2,000]

11) 30C-Lance Dewease[10] [$1,500]

12) R19-Jac Haudenschild[1] [$1,200]

13) 11-Steve Kinser[17] [$1,100]

14) O-Brandon Wimmer[14] [$1,050]

15) 22-Greg Hodnett[11] [$1,000]

16) 51-Fred Rahmer[16] [$900]

17) 20E-Brian Ellenberger[15] [$800]

18) 6F-Bob Felmlee[18] [$800]

19) 6-Tim Shaffer[25] [$0]

20) 13-Paul McMahan[23] [$800]

21) W20-Greg Wilson [24] [$800]

22) 33-Brent Matus[26] [$0]

23) 19E-Jason Johnson[19] [$800]

24) 10-Carl Bowser[28] [$0]

25) 5B-Chad Blonde[22] [$800]

26) 20-Kraig Kinser[27] [$0]

27) 8-Mike Lutz[13] [$800]

28) 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.[9] [$800] SCR

Sprint Cup News

Dale Jarrett will make his final NSCS start in Saturday's NASCAR Sprint All-Star race as he pilots the No. 44 UPS Camry for one final time. "It's just an opportunity to say goodbye to the fans," says Jarrett. "The fans that you see come to that All-Star event are the fans that really make up what this sport is about. This is really my opportunity to get in front of a huge crowd in a place that means a lot to me." SCR

Sprint Cup News

Welcome, NC - Richard Childress Racing (RCR) will enter a fourth car in the Coca-Cola 600 that NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader will pilot. Schrader will pilot the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet as he attempts to qualify the fourth RCR entry into the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway May 24th. SCR
Matthew Blaylock

Sprint Cup News

This event will take place on Friday, May 23rd from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Tickets for the event are being sold on Martin's official website www.martintruexjr.com. Tickets are limited so hurry and get your's.

It is never too late to become a Martin Truex Jr. Fan Club Member and come join the private gathering. All members attending the event will receive a goody bag filled with racing related products from Martin's sponsors. The first 100 members to purchase tickets will receive an autographed item from Martin.

Come and enjoy an afternoon with Martin and his staff. Registration will begin at 11:00 am, Lunch will be served at 11:30 am, and the private autograph session will be at 1:00 pm. There will be various door prizes and chances to win autographed memorabilia. You can bid on some priceless silent auction items such as a team autographed photo, autographed sheet metal, autographed shoes, tires, gloves and much more during the event.

The Martin Truex Jr.'s Bass Pro Shops Showcar will be on display during the event. There will be live entertainment and John Boy & Billy's staff will be cooking various food samples using their famous sauces.

All proceeds raised at this event will be donated to the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation - Helping Children In Need. For more information about Martin's foundation visit www.martintruexjrfoudation.org.

For more information about this event visit www.martintruexjr.com or call the office at 1-704-402-3319. SCR

Sprint Cup News

Mooresville, N.C. - Petty Enterprises announces its driver lineup for the No. 45 Marathon/Wells Fargo/PVA Dodge for the races beginning with the June 1 event at the Dover (Del.) International Speedway through the July 12 event at the Chicagoland ( Ill. ) Speedway.

Kyle Petty is scheduled to step away from the car at Dover to attend his daughter's wedding.  Petty will also return to the broadcasting booth to cover the NASCAR Sprint Cup events that will air on TNT Sports, which begin with the June 8 event at the Pocono ( Pa.) Raceway.  Petty made his TNT Sports broadcasting debut in 2007 to rave reviews and accolades.

Petty will return when the series makes its annual mid-summer trek to the Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway.

Chad McCumbee will bookend Petty's hiatus by getting behind the wheel of the No. 45 Dodge at Dover and Chicagoland.  He previously filled in for Petty at Pocono and the Michigan International Speedway in 2007 and at the Texas Motor Speedway last month.  McCumbee's best finish for Petty Enterprises came at Pocono when he came home 25th.  In two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Dover , McCumbee has a high finish of 13th, which came in 2007.  The Chicagoland race will be his debut on the 1.5-mile oval.

"As a father there aren't many days more special than the day you get to give your daughter away in marriage," said Petty.  "I appreciate Chad jumping in the car at Dover to allow me to do that.  He is strong on the intermediate tracks and I'm confident that he will do a great job at Dover as well as Chicagoland.  It's just another part of our evaluation process of him."

For the remaining five races, Petty will turn the reins of the No. 45 Dodge over to a familiar friend and competitor.  Two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Terry Labonte, will become a teammate to his younger brother, 2000 series champion Bobby, for only the second time in their Sprint Cup careers.  The Labontes are the only brothers to both win the series championship and have combined to win 43 Sprint Cup races.

"It is an honor for me, personally and professionally, to have Terry drive my car," sounded Petty.  "He is a longtime friend and one of the true gentlemen to ever compete in our sport.  Everyone at Petty Enterprises is excited to have he and Bobby in our Dodge Chargers. I know Terry will do a great job for us and all of our partners over this five race stretch and I look forward to covering it from the TNT booth."

In addition to his 1984 and 1996 Sprint Cup championships, Labonte is a 22-time winner in NASCAR's top division.  His most recent track time came when he competed in three races during the 2007 season.

"Bobby and I have always enjoyed the time we have spent together on the race track," said Terry Labonte.  "We haven't been teammates very much, but when we are it makes that time even better.  And I'm honored that Kyle would ask me to get behind the wheel of the 45 car for these five races.  I feel confident that we can go out and have some good runs."

Bobby Labonte agrees that his older brother can still get the job done.

"This was a great move by us because Terry is the same driver today that he was when he won the 2003 Southern 500 or when he finished third at Sonoma a few years ago," said Bobby Labonte.  "When he jumps behind the wheel of a racecar he is still the ‘Iceman.'  To have him as a teammate again is special for our whole family.  It means a lot to me because I grew up wanting to be just like him." SCR

DIRT Motorsports WoO Sprint Series News

Paducah, KY - The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series event which was postponed by rain last Saturday night at Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, Kentucky has been rescheduled for Monday, July 28.

By way of Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series rules, a complete restart to the program will be in order, despite time trials and two heats races being completed last Saturday night. All ticket stubs and wristbands from May 10 will be honored at the rescheduled race on July 28.

The event will be part of a busy swing through the Midwest for the series to close out the month of July. The race at the state-of-the-art Paducah International Raceway will follow a doubleheader weekend at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa , Michigan and K-C Raceway in Chillicothe , Ohio on Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26, while preceding the series inaugural stop at 34 Raceway in West Burlington , Iowa on Wednesday, July 30.

The month of July will feature 16 events over a four-week period for the winged warriors of the World of Outlaws.

The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action on Tuesday, May 13 with the First Commonwealth Bank Clash at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania.
SCR

Sprint Cup News

The NASCAR race from Darlington Raceway was the most watched program during prime time Saturday night. The race which 7.67 million viewers beat out a repeat episode of CSI Miami and the NBA Playoff game between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavilers.

NASCAR beat out the NBA in head-to-head timeslots by over 3 million viewers. SCR
Matthew Blaylock

Sprint Cup News

H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe's Motor Speedway will make his annual pick as to who will win the NASCAR All-Star race Wednesday.

Wheeler will utilize four-legged friends from the canine community to make his annual prediction of who will win NASCAR's All -Star night. Wheeler has picked 10 of the past 19 winners correctly, but has missed the past two straight. SCR
Matthew Blaylock

Sprint Cup News - Source: Roanoke Times

Terry Labonte will team with his brother Bobby starting next month when he will share the No. 45 Dodge with Chad McCumbee when Kyle Petty steps of for seven races. Petty will miss seven races this summer as he becomes a NASCAR analyst for TNT for six races and the seventh race he will miss is because of his daughter getting married.

Labonte will take the seat of the No. 45 per sponsor approval; his first race with Petty will likely be at Pocono June 8, 2008. In addition to Pocono Labonte will likely race for Petty Enterprises (PE) also at Michigan, Infineon, New Hampshire and Daytona. McCumbee will likely pilot the No. 45 Dodge at Dover and Chicago.

With Labonte driving for PE in five races the No. 45 team would be guaranteed a starting spot in all five races. Labonte will be the most recent past champion guarantying the team starting in all five races. Currently Bill Elliott is the most recent past champion drive the No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing. SCR
Matthew Blaylock

DIRT MOtorsports WoO Sprint Series News

Paducah, KY - With the third heat race staged and ready to roll onto the track, the skies opened and rain forced the postponement of the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race at Paducah International Raceway on Saturday night.

A rescheduled date for the event will be announced shortly. By way of Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series rules, the event will be started completely over with time trials and heat races when it is made up.

Chad Kemenah began Saturday night by setting fast time with a lap of 13.471 seconds, while wins in the first two heats races went to Jason Meyers and Joey Saldana.

The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action on Tuesday, May 13 with the First Commonwealth Bank Clash at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver , Pennsylvania. SCR

ARCA RE/MAX Series News

SPARTA KY - SunTrust Rookie of the Year contender Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., in the No. 99 RoushFenway.com Ford, got the best of Scott Speed over the course of three late-race restarts to earn his career first ARCA RE/MAX Series victory in only his sixth series start Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway.

The Olive Branch, Mississippi driver not only left with the top trophy, he also left with the point lead by a slim five point margin over Frank Kimmel.

"I don't know if it has really sunk in yet," said Stenhouse. "I think the win probably won't sink in until a little later on. We've come out here and have had good runs and to finally have a win is great. We're coming towards the end of a long stretch of races and so hopefully after winning here we can do well at Toledo and go off on a high point before taking a few weekends off. The Roush Fenway Ford Fusion and the Roush Yates engines are awesome. We could pull up next to someone and just keep going. I've actually been struggling really bad on the restarts until those last few. The thing that really helped was nailing those restarts."

Speed, who led 55 of 112 laps in the Red Bull Toyota, had a 10-length advantage over the field with less than 10 laps remaining before a series of late-race wrecks bunched the field up time and time again. Speed survived the first green-white-checkered restart, but not the second during which Stenhouse got a run and blew by on the outside. Speed would get one more chance to get the lead back on the final restart, but to no avail. Stenhouse held firm and cruised under the checkered flag .374 seconds in front of Speed, who finished second.

Surrey British Columbia driver Ryan Fischer battled back from an early-race spin to finish a career-best third in the Venturini Motorsports-TufTruckdirect.com Chevrolet. Fischer's crew chief Billy Venturini earned the Cometic Crew Chief of the Race award as a result.

Speed's teammate Ken Butler III, who started 20th, finished fourth in the Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine Toyota earning the Casite Hard Charger award. John Wes Townley finished fifth in the Zaxby's-SPS-BB&T Ford.

Rookie Sean Caisse, in his first series start, was impressive earning the SIM Factory Pole Award and leading the first seven laps before Bill Davis Racing's Michael Annett took control of the top-spot on lap eight. Annett led up through lap 31 before rookie Jake Francis marched his way into the lead on lap 39. Francis led the next 13 circuits before Speed, fresh from his one and only pit stop, passed Francis for the lead on lap 52. From there, Speed kept the field at bay, leading the way up through lap 106 before Stenhouse took control for good.

The race was extended 12 laps to accommodate the ARCA-mandated rule that no race can finish under caution. Ten cautions slowed the race for 55 laps for a variety of incidents. Despite all the cautions, only five cars were listed as ‘accidents' on the final result sheet. There were no injuries.

The late-race restarts also played havoc with teams' fuel mileage plans. Tom Hessert III was running third coming to the final restart when his Maaco Auto Painting Ford ran out of gas. Speed's fuel tank also went bone-dry as the Manteca, California driver crossed under the checkered flag after stretching his final run 84 laps.

Stenhouse also earned the SunTrust Highest Finishing Rookie of the Race honors while Speed was credited with the Aaron's Lap Leader award for leading the most laps. Francis was the Klotz Halfway Leader. Caisse posted the Accel Fastest Lap of the Race. SCR

 

Pos	No	Driver
1	99	Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
2	2	Scott Speed
3	25	Ryan Fischer
4	22	Ken Butler III
5	09	John Wes Townley
6	39	Brett Hudson
7	60	Patrick Sheltra
8	11	Bryan Silas
9	28	Michael Annett
10	32	Dominick Casola
11	4	Tayler Malsam
12	77	Todd Hansen
13	44	Frank Kimmel
14	1	Tom Hessert III
15	18	Billy Leslie
16	5	Bobby Gerhart
17	7	Frank Kapfhammer
18	23	Donny Kelley
19	48	Jake Francis
20	47	Tom Berte
21	16	Justin Allgaier
22	37	Dexter Bean
23	20	Justin Lofton
24	84	Norm Benning
25	90	Gabi DiCarlo
26	06	Tim Mitchell
27	26	Brad Smith
28	01	Sean Caisse
29	46	Matt Carter
30	30	Jesse Smith
31	00	Robb Brent
32	21	Todd Bowsher
33	29	Ron Cox
34	79	Mike Koch
35	34	Darrell Basham
36	24	Mike Harmon
37	94	Jason Basham
38	45	Michael Phelps
39	14	Grant Enfinger
40	0	Wayne Peterson
41	8	Greg Seevers

Sprint Cup News

Kyle Busch picked up his third win of the 2008 Sprint Cup season as he won the Dodge Challenger 500 Saturday night at the Darlington Raceway. Busch had to overcome a pit road penalty on lap 140 raced his way back through the field for the win.

Finishing a distant second was Carl Edwards and he was followed by Jeff Gordon in third. Gordon's teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. crossed the finish line fourth and David Ragan inched out his Roush Fenway Racing teammate Matt Kenseth for fifth.

Kenseth came home sixth; he was followed by Denny Hamlin, Travis Kvapil, Dave Blaney and Jeff Burton.

The ninth place finish for Blaney was the best for his team in 2008. SCR
Matthew Blaylock

Craftsman Truck Series News

MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA - Mays Meats, a leading meat packer, wholesaler and retailer located in Taylorsville, North Carolina, and a product sponsor of the Key Motorsports NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team, is stepping up its support for next week's North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

Mays Meats will serve as an associate sponsor of the #40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado that will be driven at LMS by Chad Chaffin.

"Mays Meats has been providing our race team with their fine meat and poultry products for the last two seasons, and we are thrilled that the company wanted to finally break out and support our race team at our "home" race track," said Key Motorsports Vice President of Operations Rich Rubenstein.

"We are confident that many of the race fans who will be watching next Friday night's race from the grandstands at Lowe's Motor Speedway will come from the Taylorsville area, and we hope that this increased exposure that the company will get may help create some new customers," Rubenstein added.

A familiar store front at 541 E. Main Street in Taylorsville for nearly 30 years and providing walk-in trade of fine meats, poultry and other food items for local residents, Mays Meats also services numerous restaurants and institutions throughout the Carolinas through its wholesale business.

Founded by Wayne Mays, the business is now in the capable hands of Wayne's son Jimmy who has elevated the company's business model to now include another level Sugargrove Country Ham.

Sugargrove Country Ham is the award-winning, sugar cured country ham that preserves the rich tradition and heritage of slow curing quality hams. The curing house is located in the mountain valley of Sugar Grove, North Carolina where great care is taken in selecting the choice hams and ingredients that make up this authentic brown sugar cure.

Sugargrove Country Ham is a featured product at Mays Meats and is available in individual slices or whole. SCR

Carolina Clash Series New

Dennis Franklin picked up another Carolina Clash Series win Friday night. Franklin held off Casey Roberts to pick up the win. Roberts held on for second and was followed by Ed Gibbons third. Jeff Smith and Ricky Weeks rounded out the top five. SCR
Matthew Blaylock

Pos	No	Driver
1	2	DENNIS FRANKLIN
2	101	CASEY ROBERTS
3	O7	ED GIBBONS
4	70	JEFF SMITH
5	25	RICKY WEEKS
6	O4	RICHIE CORLEY
7	22	G.R. SMITH
8	5	SCOTT NEIGHBORS
9	2X	JOHN HENDERSON
10	I4	DAMON ELLER
11	360	CRAIG SHUFFIELD
12	22	CHRIS FERGUSON
13	4	ED BASEY
14	18M	RICKY BOAHN
15	42	DOUG SANDERS
16	6	SHANE RINER
17	88	SCOTT SHIREY
18	O1	TRAVIS PENNINGTON
19	421	ANTHONY SANDERS
20	14	TERRY LUMLEY
21	3	CHELSEY DIXON
22	D1	DION DEASON
23	1D	BRENT DIXON
24	1N	JORDY NIPPER
25	95	DEANO LONG
DNS	M31	MICHAEL AKESON
DNS	22	RANDLE CHUPP
DNS	27	BRANDON IFFT

Nationwide Series News

Tony Stewart added a win to his resume at the Darlington Raceway Friday night. The win was not in NASCAR's top series but Stewart held off Clint Bowyer in a four lap sprint to pick up his first career win at the "Lady in Black." Bowyer finished second and was followed by David Reutimann in third. Reutimann just edged out Todd Bodine for third, Bodine finished fourth and Steve Wallace rounded out the top five. SCR
Matthew Blaylock