Mark Martin

Mark ‘The Kid’ Martin, a name many NASCAR fans know and love.  On Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, Mark will be driving his way to his 800^th Cup Series start.  He will join an elite group consisting of famous names like Richard Petty, Terry Labonte, Kyle Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, Dave Marcis and Bill Elliott, who have reached the milestone of 800 career starts. 

When asked about his 800^th start, Mark explained, “I hate to say this isn’t a big deal, because it is. But, to me, the bigger deal is what you accomplished in those starts, not just the starts themselves.  I’ve had a really good 799 starts. We’ve had a lot of wins, a lot of success and a lot of fun. I’ve made friends out here that will be friends forever, and I can’t imagine anything else I would have rather been doing than racing all of those days. Beyond the stat itself or the records or whatever, it’s the experiences of it all that are the most important to me.”   Some of the statistics from his four decades of racing… 40 wins (has 16^th most wins all time), 264 Top Fives, 429 Top Tens, and has come in second in the Championship contention five times.

Now for some fun facts about Mark’s racing career.  On April 5, 1981, Mark made his first Cup Series start at North Wilkesboro Speedway, and finished 27^th.  On February 14, 1982, he started his first Daytona 500 with his owner, Jack Roush, finishing 30^th.  During his 113^th race, on October 22, 1989 at Rockingham, he led 101 laps, then closing the deal with a win.  723^rd race came on February 15, 2009, when he started his first race with Hendrick Motorsports in his Number 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet and managed to finish 16^th.  Finally, on April 18^, 2009, at the age of fifty years, three months and nine days, Mark won at Phoenix and became the fourth driver over fifty to win a Sprint Cup Race.

Hopefully we see Mark and that Number 5 back in Victory Lane very soon!

*quote taken from HMS article*

Phillip Smalley Press Release 3/31/11

- SMP Press Release, March 31

Fans Can Sponsor Phillip Smalley’s ARCA Truck and Help Japan!

Phillip Smalley is currently closing in on a multi-race deal with SMP Motorsports. He will be piloting the #4 race truck in the exciting ARCA Truck Series!

In order to make this happen, he needs your help! Be a fan Sponsor of Phillip and support the Japan relief effort!

When we reach certain milestones of donations, Phillip will give things away via twitter (@phillip_smalley) such as, ARCA Racing Series tickets, ARCA Truck Series tickets, and signed merchandise, among other things.

10% of every donation received will go directly to www.savethechildren.org, an organization helping kids in Japan!

Fan Sponsorship Levels:

$10   --- Recognition on www.phillipsmalley.com 

$20   --- Recognition on www.phillipsmalley.com and Autographed Photo

$50   --- Recognition on www.phillipsmalley.com, Autographed Photo, Personal message from Phillip Smalley via email

$100 --- Picture & Recognition on www.phillipsmalley.com, Autographed Photo, Personal message from Phillip Smalley via email, and mention in a SMP Motorsports Press Release

$250 --- Picture & Recognition on www.phillipsmalley.com, Autographed Photo, Personal message from Phillip Smalley via email, and mention in a SMP Motorsports Press Release, and 2 ARCA Truck Series Tickets to any 2011 or 2012 event

$500 --- Picture & Recognition on www.phillipsmalley.com, Autographed Photo, Personal message from Phillip Smalley via email, and mention in a SMP Motorsports Press Release, and 2 ARCA Racing Series AND 2 ARCA Truck Series Tickets to any 2011 or 2012 events.

$1000+ --- Contact Phillip directly so we can recognize you correctly

To donate, go to www.phillipsmalley.com and follow the “Donate” link. You can also donate by sending a check or cash directly, please email Phillip directly at psmalley92@gmail.com for more information. Thank you!

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17

Check out the video Phillip left to the fans about the sponsorship opportunity... click here.

Boring Race, Exciting Finish

"Boring Race, Exciting Finish" is the answer many people gave when asked to describe yesterday's Sprint Cup Race at Fontana.  When Kyle Busch dominated, everyone assumed we were going to be seeing Kyle Busch sweep the weekend at Fontana, giving him his sixth career weekend sweep.  That was, until Jimmie Johnson came into play in the last ten laps.  Kyle undoubtedly had one of the best cars out there yesterday, but when Jimmie showed up, the fans cheered (much to a lot of people's surprise).  Kyle scraped the wall and Jimmie took the lead with four laps to go.  At this point, third place, Kevin Harvick, came into play.  He soared past Kyle, working his way up to Jimmie Johnson’s rear bumper.  With a slight nudge, he was able to get Jimmie out of the way and lead less than half of the last lap.  The top cliché of the day was “You only need to lead one lap…the last one!”  This stood very true for yesterday’s race.  What do you, the fans think?  Here are some of your opinions…

Ryan – “Epic! The race in its entirety could have been much better.”

Teri – “I was on my feet screaming. Enough said.”

Ashley – “Without those last three laps, the race would have been a disaster.  Fontana is not an exciting race typically, but those three final laps made it quite entertaining.”

Nicole – “It was the best part of the race!! The rest was a snooze fest!”

Jerry – “Today we got a look at what racing was meant to be.  A beautifully executed “bump and run” that set up one of the most exciting finishes this season.”

Samantha – “That was awesome! It had my mom up out of her seat.  Very exciting racing at the end.”

John – “I really liked seeing those types of moves to win races.  Harvick used the old fashion “I’ll push you far enough until you give.” All in all a great day for NASCAR!”

Fraser – “Great finish! Wish there was more of it throughout the race.”

Laura – “Unreal! Amazing to see how bad drivers really want to win it.  Fantastic showdown.”

As for my opinion, I agree with all of these opinions.  I have to admit, I was out of my seat, screaming at the television for Harvick to win.  It was nice to see some excitement at the end of the race, rather than a boring finish, where the winner wins by three seconds! 

Thank you to all who submitted their comments on the end of the race, three lap battle!

Camden Murphy

• Tell us about yourself. How did you get started racing?
•  I am a 14 year old freshmen racer out of Itasca, IL and I started racing 5 years ago. It all started when we were interested in racing and wanted to get into it but didn’t know what to start with. We looked into Karts, but my dad just didn’t quite like them. So we went to the World of Wheels Car show in Chicago and saw the Super/Minicup cars and thought they were great. We got more info and eventually bought a car and I have been racing ever since. So far in my 5 years of racing I have captured 4 championships (2 in Super/Minicups and 2 in Legend Cars). When I started racing the trucks, my first year I had captured the Rookie of the Year. In 2010 in the ASA Midwest Tour I had taken a 5^th with 2 DNF’s and I had also received the Sportsmanship Award. In the United States Super Trucks in 2010 I had gotten 2^nd in the National points.
  
• What series do you race in now?

• I race in the ASA Midwest Truck Tour and the United States Super Trucks. Whenever I can, I go and race my Super/Minicup car with Central States Racing, or run my Legend car for Hansen Motorsports Inc. wherever I can.
  
• What do you enjoy most about racing? 
• I enjoy the adrenaline rush that you get every time you go around the corner. There is nothing else like it.

• What is the hardest part of racing for you? 
• The hardest part of racing for me would have to be racing against race teams and against many veterans while being a father/son team.  As a father/son team it is difficult to do the things we need to do on race day.
  
• Would you like race in Truck/Nationwide/Cup one day? 

• Truthfully, I would love to be in any of them if I get the chance, but if I really had to choose I would like to run in the Truck series.
  
• What do you like to do during the off season? 
• The thing I do in the off season to keep me occupied other than getting the truck ready for the next season, is go out to Melrose Park Grand Prix in Melrose Park, IL and run some laps there and I also race online.
  
• Do you have any plans/goals for 2011 season? If so, what are they? 
• I have many goals for the 2011 season. One of them would be to shoot for the 2011 Championship in the ASA Midwest Truck tour, and shoot for the Championship in the United States Super Trucks. I had a great season last year so I am confident of these goals.
  
• Favorite/ least favorite tracks on the circuit? 
• One of my all-time favorite tracks of all time would have to be being able to run on the Nashville Super Speedway or North Wilkesboro. It was an honor to be able to run on those tracks and I don’t really have a least favorite, they are all great!
  
• Best racing memory? 
• My best racing memory would have to be being only 7 points out of the championship in 2007 in the Super/Minicup and being able to sweep the weekend to take the championship.

To learn more about Camden please visit his Website,his Facebook, or his YouTube account.  To learn more about the ASA Midwest Tour, please visit the Website.  Be sure to join the growing legion on 85 LIVE readers by contacting them at dbrinkmann@live.com.

Ask the Crew Chief

This question wasn't asked by anyone per se, but it’s appropriate for this weekend.  “What do I think of the start-and-park rule?”

The start-and-park rule…always an interesting topic.  Easiest definition for start-and-park is when you start the race, then after a certain amount of laps you are called into the garage and sit there for a number of laps.  This is repeated during the race at certain intervals.  Now for my input on it.  I agree with it, to help save money and for the smaller teams to use the car the next week since they may not be able to afford to build new cars each week.   I also see a downside to this rule.  I don’t find it fair that these drivers who put everything on the line have to sit in the garage during the race.  I understand that it’s for the benefit of the team, but it’s horrible for the driver.  Imagine you are a driver and you’re going to, let’s say, the third race of the year.  You are ready to go, complete twenty laps and are getting comfortable with the car, then are called into the garage for another twenty laps.  You’re going to be pretty annoyed because you felt the car was good and you could have a good day with a good finishing position.  As you can see by this example, I’m on the fence about this whole start-and-park rule


Perfect example was yesterday with Jennifer Jo Cobb and 2^nd Chance Motorsports.  Jennifer was supposed to start 41^st in the Nationwide race, but ten minutes before the race, Rick Russell, the team owner told her that she would have to be a start-and-park this week to save the car for California next week.  When “Drivers, start your engines!” was said, Jennifer was not in her car.  When Cobb was found and asked what was wrong, she said, “There were rumblings all week about our team starting and parking. I have made a commitment to my sponsors, my fans and NASCAR that I’m not a start-and-park driver. I’m really serious about this. I have to work hard to prove to people that I’m serious about this. The conversation was never had with me until 10 minutes before the race started that I was to start and park.” She continued, “Ten minutes before the race he told me not only am I starting and parking to save his car for California, but that he would be replacing me as a driver in California.” Cobb also said that she has plans for next week with another team.  Seems plausible to me.  Now for her team owner, Rick Russell’s point of view.  Russell said that on Friday morning, he held a crew meting and told everyone they were there for good practice, qualifying, make a few laps, then park the car to save it for California.  When asked what he thought he said, “She waited until five minutes until start time and told her crew chief and her other people that worked for her and they left. I’m sitting on pit road with a car without a driver and made myself look stupid, NASCAR look stupid, the whole bunch of us look stupid.’’  Tim Andrews will drive the car next week at California. 


Whether you decide to believe Jennifer or Rick, it’s up to you.  As for me, I’m not sure who I believe, seeing how the two stories are totally different.    All I know is that I’m not too sure I like the start-and-park rule because it leads to incidents like this.  

Bristol Songs, Always Fun!

When you think of Bristol, the first thing that comes to mind, besides the intense racing, is the driver intro songs.  Ever notice the drivers have a tendency to pick songs that surprise us all?  Last year, you would never have imagined that Robby Gordon would've picked Eminem's "Not Afraid," right?  The drivers usually pick songs to make people laugh, tell how they plan on racing, it’s a song they like, or it may have a personal meaning behind it.  This year is no different. 

Want to know what song your favorite driver picked?  Will Mark “The Kid” Martin surprise us and not pick a rap song? Will Kyle Busch pick “Rowdy Busch” again? Keep reading!   Starting off with the drivers who will keep their songs a secret until Sunday: Trevor Bayne, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson (whose song is being picked by Brian Vickers), Martin Martin, Brian Vickers (whose song is being picked by Jimmie Johnson).  Now for the drivers who have their songs set in stone. 

• Joe Gibbs Racing:
• Kyle Busch – Yes, he picked “Rowdy Busch” by Raytona 500 again.
• Denny Hamlin – “Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys
• Joey Logano – “Opposite of Adults” by Chiddy Bang
  
  
• Richard Childress Racing:
• Clint Bowyer – The theme song from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
• Jeff Burton – “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N Roses
• Kevin Harvick – “Back in Black” by AC/DC
• Paul Menard – “Concrete Jungle” by Black Label Society

• Roush-Fenway Racing:
• Greg Biffle – “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas
• Carl Edwards – The theme song from Cheers
• Matt Kenseth – “Nightmare” by Avenged Sevenfold
• David Ragan – “No More Mr. Nice Guy” by Alice Cooper
  
  
• Stewart - Haas Racing:
• Tony Stewart – “Bawitaba” by Kid Rock
• Ryan Newman – The theme from Dukes of Hazzard
  
  
• Michael Waltrip Racing:
• David Reutimann – “Pretty Fly For A White Guy” by The Offspring
• Martin Truex, Jr. - "Homeboy” by Eric Church
  
  
• Penske Racing:
• Kurt Busch – “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” by George Thorogood
  
  
• Hendrick Motorsports:
• Jeff Gordon – “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty
  
  
• Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing:
• Jamie McMurray – “Burn It To The Ground” by Nickelback
• Juan Pablo Montoya – “Ladies and Gentlemen” by Saliva
  
  
• Red Bull Racing:
• Kasey Kahne – “A Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams, Jr.
  
  
• Richard Petty Motorsports:
• AJ Allmendinger – “Turn Around” by Flo Rida
  
  
• Other Teams:
• Marcos Ambrose – “Fuel” by Metallica
• Casey Mears – “Regulate” by Warren G
• Dave Blaney – Ohio State University fight song
• Michael McDowell – “I Saw The Light” by David Crowder Band
• Landon Cassill – “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley
• Andy Lally – “Beat You Down” by Downstait
• Bobby Labonte – “God Bless Texas” by Little Texas
• Regan Smith – “Welcome To The Family” by Avenged Sevenfold
• David Gilliland – “Wild Side” by Motley Crue

There are, however, drivers who haven’t found the perfect song yet.  These drivers include: JJ Yeley, Ken Shrader, Tony Raines, Brad Keselowksi, Robby Gordon and Joe Nemechek.  I guess we have to see what they pick!

Out of the drivers who haven’t announced/decided their songs yet, what do you think they will pick? Comment your picks below!

Ask the Crew Chief

Welcome to the second installment of our new series, ‘Ask the Crew Chief.’  This question was submitted by Jerry Smith, “A lot of people say that Jimmie Johnson won five championships because of the Sprint Cup Point System.  What do you think of the Points Systems, past and present?  Can a point system favor any one driver?”

This is an interesting question.  I’m going to start off with the past point system.  How many people (who didn’t work in/for NASCAR) were able to figure out after a race what position in the point standings their driver(s) was in?  Not many.  I always would just wait until the standings were posted on NASCAR.com, to save myself time and frustration.  In my opinion, I didn’t like this form of the point system.  Why? Like I said before, it was confusing.  It put more emphasis on having a good day than winning.  If I had a dime for every time last year a driver on a post-race interview said “…our car was good, we ran well, it was a good points day…”   I would have a heck of a lot of money right now.  So, I obviously wasn’t a fan of the old points system.

I anxiously awaited the day when they would announce the new setup for the points standings for the 2011 Season, and was happy with what I heard.  As most of you know, the winner receives forty-three points, second place receives forty-two points and so on and so forth until they reach one point for finishing forty-third.  One bonus point is also awarded to the winner and the driver who lead the most laps.  For me, this is so much easier to figure out!  When my driver finishes third, I know he receives forty points, then I just add it to the previous week’s points and we’re good to go.

 

Do I think a point system can favor a driver?  This is the part where people may agree or disagree with me.  Under the point system from last year, no one knew how many points a driver got for winning, or leading a lap, or finishing dead last, so it was a mystery for us if the person leading the points was really the person who it should’ve been.  This year, the fans are able to calculate the points, so we know if something is messed up.  (Anti-Jimmie fans please don’t be offended) I don’t think Jimmie won the five championships because the point system favored him, Jimmie proved he has the pure talent of racing a stock car.

 

This was my opinion on the point systems past and present.  I hope no one was offended.  I can’t wait to answer more questions next week! 

Ask the Crew Chief

This is the first installment of ‘Ask the Crew Chief.’  This question was submitted by Steve Vlasblom, “NASCAR keeps saying attendance is down at races and on T.V.  Will their numbers only get worse with the summer gas price highs that are coming each day?” 

Everywhere across the United States, the gas prices are increasing rapidly.  By the end of the summer, I wouldn’t be surprised if the gas prices reach over five dollars a gallon.  Due to this, people who used to plan on going to three, four, or even five races, now have to choose which race or two they want to go to most.  They also have to decide whether they want to put dinner on the table or spend a day of enjoyment at the track because of the excessive cost of gas of going there and coming home.   People don’t realize that going to a race is a luxury, and some people really can’t afford luxuries right now. 

There's a flip-side to this coin.  I do, however, think that the audience watching the race in the comfort of their own homes will stay the same or may even increase because watching it on the television is free (except for the cable bill, which most people would pay anyway).  

So, now you know my opinion on the rising gas prices and its impact on NASCAR.  Thank you, Steve, for submitting this interesting question!

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Recap

Carl Edwards Mid Back Flip (Picture from Google)

The Cup Series headed west this weekend to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 400.   Matt Kenseth claimed the Pole, setting a new track record.  When the pace laps were over, Matt led the field to the Green Flag.  On Lap 3, Greg Biffle passed Kenseth for the lead.   Keeping with the Las Vegas Motor Speedway tradition of having a caution within the first ten laps, Robby Gordon was sure to keep it going after spinning on Lap 8 in Turn Four.  Four laps later, on Lap 12, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya led the field to the Green after the rest of the field pitted.  Jeff unfortunately couldn’t lead a lap because by Lap 13, Tony Stewart took the lead.  The Green Flag didn’t last long; by Lap 15, the second caution came out when Andy Lally, in the No. 71, spun out. Once again, Tony Stewart restarted first and led until Lap 96, when he had to give up a 6.5 second lead over the rest of the field because Kyle Busch blew a tire and hit the wall. 

What happened to the long Green Flag runs?  Lap 101 came and went because on Lap 102 Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne brought out the fourth caution of the day.  When the restart came on Lap 106, Tony Stewart once again led; this time followed by Carl Edwards.  On Lap 149, David Gilliland’s tire goes down and he hits the wall and is done for the day.  This time on Lap 156, it was Carl Edwards’ chance to lead the field back to the Green Flag.  Carl held onto the lead for about forty laps before Jeff Gordon cut a tire and hit the wall in Turn Four.   Tony Stewart led the field back to Green, but on Lap 244, Cousin Carl snatched the lead away and by Lap 200, Carl opened a lead up of 2.2 seconds. 

As the Checkered Flag waved, Carl held onto his lead over Tony Stewart and won the Kobalt Tools 400!  Tony, who took two tires all race long, which worked, decided on the last pit stop to take four tires, which cost him the win.  The fastest lap of the race was set on Lap 36 at 204 mph, so much for trying to slow the cars down!

Fast Lane to Fame: an Interview with Logan Ruffin

Logan Ruffin, a sixteen-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee, began racing Quarter Midgets at the age of eight and quickly moved up to the Semi-Pro division of Legends after turning thirteen.  He then started to run Legends and testing Late Models.  Two short months later, he ran in his first Late Model race.  In September 2007, Logan stopped racing Legends and started racing late models, and in his second start, at Lanier National Speedway, he won his first Late Model race, earning the title of Youngest Race Winner at Lanier Speedway.  In February 2008, Logan was the youngest Late Model Competitor at the World Series of Asphalt – in which he won three back-to-back races – and became the youngest World Series of Asphalt Speedweeks Champion.

Logan was the youngest driver ever signed by Venturini Motorpsorts in 2009, but in 2010, he signed with Turner Motorsports, and after a very successful 2010 year in the USAR Pro Cup Series, he was crowned Rookie of the Year. 

•  Tell us about yourself. How did you get started racing?   What series do you race in now?
  I got started racing at age eight in quarter midgets. I now race in the USAR Pro Cup series for Turner Motorsports.
  
• What do you enjoy most about racing? 
  The thing I enjoy most about racing is the challenge. You have to be mentally and physically tough enough to be able to race and win. Staying focused on getting the car around the track as fast as possible and being able to do that with all of the other competitors challenging for the same piece of real estate is just awesome.  If you are not in great physical condition by the end of the race it is next to impossible to maintain the required focus to bring home the win.
  
• What is the hardest part of racing for you? 
  The hardest part of racing for me is simply trying to beat some of these veteran drivers that have been racing longer than I have been alive.  I’m constantly learning on the racetrack.  I guess the biggest issue is just trying to catch up to their level of knowledge and still be very competitive at the same time.  In most cases, they have likely raced many times at whatever track we are racing.  In many cases it may be the first time that I have ever seen the track, much less raced on them.  We still do pretty well in holding our own at the new tracks, but on return visits we are almost always better.
  
• Would you like to race in Truck/Nationwide/Cup?
   I would love to get to race in any of the NASCAR series! If that means progressing through all the series or just jumping straight to Nationwide or Cup. I just want to have the opportunity to race on Sundays. I guess really it’s been about racing on Sundays now for about half of my life.
  
  
• What do you like to do during the off season?
   During the off season I enjoy working out in preparation for the next season and I like to be around the shop so that I can learn as much as possible.  I've already mentioned the importance of being in great physical condition.  To me, it’s equally important to know as much about how all of the components on the cars work together to go fast.  The more I know, the better I can communicate with my crew chief to make the car better.
  
  
• Do you have any plans/goals for 2011 season? If so, what are they?
   Really my goals for every season are basically the same. My three main goals each year are to win races, win a championship, and just get seat time.  As for what my plans are for 2011, we are currently working on finalizing my schedule and plans.  I believe I will be racing, but we are not totally sure in what series.
  
  
•  Favorite/ least favorite tracks on the circuit?
   I really have two favorite tracks, Iowa Speedway and Langley Speedway.  Since I actually like the different challenges of all racetracks, I wouldn’t say that I have a least favorite.  What I would say is that I am least satisfied with my results from my two races at Rockingham.  I have led laps there and have had a car capable of winning, but either pit road mistakes or mechanical issues have kept us from finishing where we should.  I really want to improve on my performances there.
  
  
• Do you have a best racing memory?
  My best racing memory is definitely winning the 2008 World Series of Asphalt.  It still makes me shake my head and smile when I think about what we were able to accomplish at the World Series.  We went there for me to get quality seat time in both practice and racing.  The level of competition was very good and deep.  I believe there were 48 different cars that competed in my class during those six races.  We started the week just wanting to bring the car home in one piece and ended up with the three wins and the championship trophy.  You can bet that I will never forget that week of my racing life.  However, equally as important to me now is the 2010 USAR Pro Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year.
  
  
• How does it feel to be the 2010 USAR Pro Cup Rookie of the Year?
  
   It feels great! Winning Rookie of the Year was a goal of ours for 2010 and we were extremely happy to have accomplished it.  Raybestos has been a longstanding sponsor of Rookie of the Year programs and winning one of their titles has always been a target for me.  Now that I know that 2010 was their last year to sponsor these titles, I am especially proud to have been one of the members of the last Raybestos Rookie of the Year winning class.  That is something that I will never forget.

If you want to learn more about Logan, be sure to like his page on Facebook , follow him on Twitter, or check out his website.

Dumpert Racing

For this blog, we’re switching gears a little bit…instead of talking to an up-and-coming driver, we’re talking to an up-and-coming race team, Dumpert Racing, which is located in York, Nebraska, and the drivers of the team, Cory and Kyle Dumpert.

Cory started competing in the International Karting Federation in 1997, at the age of seven.  By 2000, he was crowned the International Karting Federation Grand National Champion and had claimed the titles of Nebraska Cornhusker Champion and Bellville High Banks Champion.

Kyle, Cory’s younger brother, started racing in the International Karting Federation in 2000, at the age of nine.  In 2003, Kyle, like his brother, was crowned the International Karting Federation Grand National Champion, earning the titles of Nebraska State Series Champion and Track Champion.  This was the first time in the International Karting Federation, that brothers have won the same title. 

After the brothers reached the highest achievement in go-kart racing, Clay Engleman of E & A Motorsports, realized the talent of these drivers.  He decided to start off their careers in Stock Car Racing.  Cory started in stock cars in 2008, in the class Hobby Stock, and earned multiple Top-Fives and three wins, earning him the title of Rookie of the Year.  Engleman realized Cory’s talent and moved him up to the NASCAR Stock Car division in 2009 and 2010, where he won many races.  In 2010, Kyle was crowned the Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Street Stock division.  After their success, they were nicknamed the “Duffy Brothers” taking on the name of the prestige trophy in Go-Karts.  Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon are two drivers that have won this trophy before moving up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. 

During the 2012 Season, their sponsor is looking for them to move up to the ARCA/Remax Series and to Late Models because he can see they are ready for more challenges, but needs additional sponsorships.  Their ultimate goal is to get another set of brothers in NASCAR, much like Kurt and Kyle Busch, Michael and Darrell Waltrip, Kenny, Mike, and Rusty Wallace and Jeff and Ward Burton. 

If you are interested or know someone who would be interested in sponsoring these brothers, please contact Debbie, the team PR at deb677@yahoo.com.  Be sure to ‘like’ their Facebook Page… click here.