“Dash 4 Cash” Bonus Program Returns To NASCAR Nationwide Series In 2012

Credit: NASCAR

“Dash 4 Cash” Bonus Program Returns To NASCAR Nationwide Series In 2012

Potential $1 Million Bonus, Four Consecutive Races, Fan Element Drives Excitement

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 27, 2012) — For the fourth consecutive year, NASCAR and Nationwide Insurancehave combined to bring the popular – and exciting – “Dash 4 Cash” bonus program back for NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers and fans alike.

Introduced in 2009, “Dash 4 Cash” (Twitter hash tag: #Dash4Cash) is a one-of-a-kind element that rewards the highest-finishing eligible driver in four designated races with a $100,000 bonus above and beyond the race purse. Fans also can participate via a sweepstakes that culminates with one lucky fan also winning $100,000.

Its basic format hasn’t changed: In four select races during the 2012 season, four drivers who have earned the designation to compete for the $100,000 per-race bonus will “have at it.” As a refresher, the “Dash 4 Cash” winner in the designated races does not have to win the race. He or she simply must be the highest-finishing eligible NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship contender in those designated races.

There are two key revisions. First, the July 6 race at Daytona International Speedway will serve as the  “qualifier” where the top four drivers to receive NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship points in that race will carry the “Dash 4 Cash” designation in the first race of the bonus program, July 14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Additionally, for the first time, the four “Dash 4 Cash” races will be successive: The July race at New Hampshire followed by the July 22 race at Chicagoland Speedway, the series’ inaugural event on July 28 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and culminating at the Aug. 4 race at Iowa Speedway.

Driver eligibility is as follows:

• New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 14) – Top four drivers to receive NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) championship driver points at Daytona qualify for New Hampshire.
• Chicagoland Speedway (July 22) – New Hampshire “Dash 4 Cash” winner plus top three finishing drivers to receive NNS championship driver points.
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 28) – Chicagoland “Dash 4 Cash” winner plus top three finishing drivers to receive NNS championship driver points.
• Iowa Speedway (Aug. 4) -- Indianapolis “Dash 4 Cash” winner plus top three finishing drivers to receive NNS championship driver points.

Another returning perk: Should one driver collect the “Dash 4 Cash” bonus from the three previous designated races andwin the Iowa Speedway race outright, Nationwide Insurance will pay an additional $600,000 to that driver in Victory Lane, making $1 million in total bonus money up for grabs at the onset of the program.

“We’re looking forward to partnering with Nationwide Insurance for another round of the ‘Dash 4 Cash’ program,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “Since its inception, ‘Dash 4 Cash’ has brought increased notoriety to the drivers, teams and participating tracks in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

“We believe the $100,000 guaranteed winner for the select ‘Dash 4 Cash’ races will continue to elevate the series. Additionally, the condensed schedule will help our fans follow the exciting storylines and finishes we anticipate with the 2012 program.”

"Offering a $1 million bonus opportunity for NASCAR Nationwide Series teams brings another level of intensity to the race track and more attention to our series," said Jim McCoy, director of strategic partnerships for Nationwide Insurance. "There's a very good chance a driver could get hot and take home the million dollar bonus at the dramatic conclusion of our ‘Dash 4 Cash’ series at Iowa Speedway, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won both races in 2011."

The program isn’t just for the drivers. Since the fans drive the sport, they’re encouraged to participate as well by visiting www.NASCAR.COM/dash4cash to register for a chance to win $100,000.

As part of the NASCAR Nationwide Series $100,000 Sweepstakes, four lucky fans and a guest of each will win an all-expense paid trip to the final “Dash 4 Cash” race at Iowa. In addition to a VIP experience, those fans will be randomly paired with the four eligible “Dash 4 Cash” drivers for the final bonus program race at Iowa. The fan whose driver wins that “Dash 4 Cash” award also will receive a check for $100,000.

Denny Hamlin Short Track Challenge

Credit: RIR.com

Tonight, April 26, the Denny Hamlin Short Track Challenge returns to Richmond International Raceway for the Showdown which will be televised live on SPEED at 8:30 p.m. ET. 

The race, a one hundred lap NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model division shootout, features a mixture of Late Model racers and NASCAR drivers.  Some of the NASCAR drivers participating are:  Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, Michael Waltrip, Tony Stewart, Aric Almirola, Chase Elliott, Timothy Peters, Jason White, Joey Logano, Darrell Wallace, Jr., and Curtis Markham.  There are fifty-two cars trying to make the race, but the field is only comprised of thirty-six cars - sending sixteen cars home. 

The race helps the Denny Hamlin Foundation, which raises money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis.  Denny has said in the past how fun the race is and how good all of the drivers feel knowing that they're (A) racing for fun and (B) racing to help others who are sick. 

So tune in to SPEED at 8:30 p.m. ET tonight for an action-packed and fun race!

Weekend Schedule: Richmond International Raceway

Credit: RIR.com

This weekend the K&N Pro Series East, the Nationwide Series, and the Sprint Cup Series head to Richmond International Raceway for three exciting races!  

Thursday, April 26

• 12:00 p.m. ET - K&N Pro Series East Practice (Not Televised)
• 1:30 p.m. ET - K&N Pro Series East Final Practice (Not Televised)
• 4:30 p.m. ET - K&N Pro Series East Qualifying (Not Televised)
• 6:40 p.m. ET - K&N Pro Series East Driver Introductions (Not Televised)
• 7:00 p.m. ET - K&N Pro Series East Race (100 laps - 75 miles) (On SPEED)

Friday, April 27

• 9:00 a.m. ET - Nationwide Series Practice (Not Televised)
• 12:00 p.m. ET - Sprint Cup Series Practice (On SPEED)
• 2:30 p.m. ET - Sprint Cup Series Final Practice (On SPEED)
• 4:00 p.m. ET - Nationwide Series Qualifying (On ESPN 2)
• 5:30 p.m. ET - Sprint Cup Series Qualifying (On SPEED)
• 7:00 p.m. ET - Nationwide Series Driver Introductions (Not Televised)
• 7:30 p.m. ET - Nationwide Series Virginia 529 College Savings 250 (250 laps - 187.5 miles) (On ESPN 2)

Saturday, April 28

• 7:00 p.m. ET - Sprint Cup Series Driver Introductions (Not Televised)
• 7:30 p.m. ET - Sprint Cup Series 400 (400 laps - 300 miles) (On FOX)

Top Gear Goes Behind The Scenes Of NASCAR April 30 On BBC America

Top Gear Goes Behind The Scenes Of NASCAR April 30 On BBC America

The World’s Biggest Car Show Brings Host Richard Hammond To Texas For The Ultimate NASCAR Experience With Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon And Juan Pablo Montoya

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 17, 2012) – Top Gear, the world’s biggest car show, sends host Richard Hammond to Texas, fully immersing the native-Brit in the world of NASCAR.

During his visit to Texas Motor Speedway, Hammond explores the history of NASCAR and discovers how the sport evolved into the spectacle that it is today. He also discusses American motorsport culture and learns what it’s like to be behind the wheel of a machine running 800-850 horsepower from those who know best, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya. Hammond even gets a driving lesson from Kyle Petty, former NASCAR driver and son of NASCAR legend Richard Petty.

NASCAR fans and petrol-heads alike can catch all the action from race weekend when this episode of Top Gear premieres on BBC AMERICA Monday, April 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.

“I’m not alone in believing in the supremacy of NASCAR,” said Richard Hammond. “It’s currently the most popular spectator sport in America and there are many reasons why it hits the spot with the fans.”

Prior to the Top Gear episode’s premiere, in an exciting event for both NASCAR and BBC AMERICA, five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson, will join Top Gear host, Richard  Hammond, for a teleconference on Tuesday, April 24 at 2:30 p.m. ET to discuss their shared experiences at Texas Motor Speedway and the upcoming episode of Top Gear. Further teleconference information will be distributed for media participation on Monday, April 23.

To view photos from BBC AMERICA’s upcoming Top Gear episode featuring NASCAR, please click here. To view a video clip from the upcoming episode, please click here.

Be sure to tune in this Sunday, April 22 to catch Johnson, Gordon, Montoya and the rest of NASCAR’s stars in the STP 400 live from Kansas Speedway at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages. In the U.S., races are broadcast on FOX, TNT, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2, SPEED and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. NASCAR fans are among the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. Also part of NASCAR is GRAND-AM Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., NASCAR has offices in eight cities across North America. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.nascar.com. Follow NASCAR on www.facebook.com/NASCAR or on Twitter: @NASCAR.

About BBC America

BBC AMERICA delivers US audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy®, five Golden Globes® and ten Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable’s most affluent and educated audiences and is available on digital cable and satellite TV in more than 77 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist. Find out more by visiting www.press.bbcamerica.com or follow us on www.twitter.com/bbcamerica.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Crew Chief Fined For Infractions At Texas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Nationwide Series Crew Chief Fined

For Infractions At Texas Motor Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 19, 2012) – NASCAR announced today that Wayne Grubb, crew chief of the No. 27 car in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, has been fined for violations during this past weekend’s event at Texas Motor Speedway.

Grubb was fined $2,500 for violation of Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing), 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20A-12 (use of hollow bolts in truck trailing arms and panhard bar) of the 2012 NASCAR Rule Book. The infractions were discovered during opening day inspection on April 12.

Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 Starting Lineup

Credit: Speed TV

The following is the starting lineup for the Camping World Truck Series (CWTS) Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 presented by Cheerwine at Rockingham.  This is the third race of the season for the CWTS drivers and teams and will be televised live on SPEED today at 12:30 p.m. ET!

1. Nelson Piquet, Jr.
2. Paulie Harraka
3. Timothy Peters
4. Jason Leffler
5. Brad Sweet
6. Parker Kligerman
7. Todd Bodine
8. Matt Crafton
9. Grant Enfinger
10. Johnny Sauter
11. Dakoda Armstrong
12. Ty Dillon
13. Cale Gale
14. Ross Chastain
15. Max Gresham
16. James Buescher
17. Joey Coulter
18. Chad McCumbee
19. Justin Lofton
20. John Wes Townley
21. David Starr
22. Ron Hornaday, Jr.
23. Miguel Paludo 
24. Caleb Holman
25. John King
26. Tyler Young
27. Jeb Burton
28. Jason White
29. Tim George, Jr.
30. Brennan Newberry
31. Bryan Silas
32. Ryan Sieg
33. Chris Cockrum
34. Johnny Chapman
35. Norm Benning
36. Jeff Agnew

Samsung Mobile 500 Starting Lineup

Credit: TexasMotorSpeedway.com

Tune into FOX at 7:00 p.m. ET tonight for the seventh Sprint Cup Series race of the season: the Samsung Mobile 500 live from Texas Motor Speedway!

1. Martin Truex, Jr.
2. Matt Kenseth
3. Greg Biffle
4. Mark Martin
5. Kasey Kahne
6. Ryan Newman
7. Marcos Ambrose
8. Brad Keselowski
9. Jamie McMurray
10. Jimmie Johnson
11. Paul Menard
12. A.J. Allmendinger
13. Denny Hamlin
14. Joey Logano
15. Kevin Harvick
16. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
17. Kyle Busch
18. Clint Bowyer
19. Trevor Bayne
20. Carl Edwards 
21. David Ragan
22. Casey Mears
23. Aric Almirola
24. Jeff Burton
25. Juan Pablo Montoya
26. Regan Smith
27. Kurt Busch
28. Landon Cassill
29. Tony Stewart
30. Bobby Labonte
31. David Reutimann
32. Josh Wise
33. Michael McDowell
34. Jeff Gordon
35. David Gilliland 
36. J.J. Yeley
37. Travis Kvapil
38. Scott Speed
39. Reed Sorenson
40. Scott Riggs
41. Dave Blaney
42. Tony Raines
43. Mike Bliss 

Failed to Qualify for the race:

• David Stremme 
• Joe Nemechek
• Stacy Compton

My Visit to CGH Motorsports

Last Monday I had the chance to visit CGH Motorsports, the home of the No. 58 in the ARCA Racing Series piloted by Chad Hackenbracht.  You've heard that name on this blog before; Chad was the latest driver that I interviewed.  If you didn’t know that, be sure to check out the interview here.

The following are some pictures taken while at the shop. 

Rockingham Speedway Isn’t Finished Making NASCAR History

Rockingham Speedway Isn’t Finished Making NASCAR History

NASCAR Camping World Trucks Re-Christen One Of Sport’s Iconic Venues

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 11, 2012) – Rockingham Speedway, a piece of NASCAR history lost for nearly a decade, roars back to life Sunday when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes its initial visit to North Carolina’s sand hills region.

Opened in 1965 – NASCAR’s fourth paved track measuring a mile or greater in length – Rockingham Speedway hosted 78 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events through 2004. The final race ranked as one of the track’s most exciting as Matt Kenseth held off Kasey Kahne’s furious last-lap, final-turn challenge to win by .010 seconds.

Appropriately, Kahne intends to be in the field for Sunday’s (SPEED, 1 p.m. ET) Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 Presented by Cheerwine.

Known upon completion as North Carolina Motor Speedway, the track was built by Harold Brasington and Bill Land. Brasington also built Darlington Raceway, which heralded NASCAR’s superspeedway era in 1950.

The track saw a succession of owners including the DeWitt family, Roger Penske, International Speedway Corp. and Speedway Motorsports. Its closure in 2004 coincided with transfer of the track’s remaining date to Texas Motor Speedway. Current owner and former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Andy Hillenburgpurchased “The Rock” at auction in 2007.

This week’s race is the culmination of a five-year project by Hillenburg. Three ARCA races were held at the track in 2008-10 – two of them won by current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitors Ty Dillon and Parker Kligerman.

“Kudos to Andy for being able to pull that off,” said Mark Martin, whose 13 victories – two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 11 NASCAR Nationwide – lead all drivers at Rockingham. “It’s cool to see them have the truck race there. Rockingham is just a ball to race on.”

Some Rockingham history:

• Curtis Turner won the track’s inaugural 500-mile race in October 1965 that took nearly five hours to complete. Turner and runner up Cale Yarborough were the only lead-lap finishers.
• Fifteen NASCAR Sprint Cup champions – all but two during the track’s existence – won races at Rockingham led by Richard Petty, who visited Victory Lane 11 times.
• Ten Rockingham winners are members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame: drivers Petty, Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison and David Pearson; car owners Junior Johnson, Bud Moore and Glen Wood and crew chief Dale Inman.
• Benny Parsons, whose car was owned by Rockingham promoter L.G. DeWitt, never was able to win at the track. Parsons, however, clinched the 1972 championship there on an afternoon where his Chevrolet literally was rebuilt after an early-race accident.
• Steve Park drove a Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet to victory at Rockingham in February 2001, the race following Dale Earnhardt’s death in the Daytona 500. It also marked the debut of Kevin Harvick with Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 team – which carried the No. 29 it bears today.
• Johnny Benson, the 2008 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, won his only NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Rockingham in 2002.
• For many years, the track’s fall race played host to the Unocal Pit Crew Challenge, an event that put names to faces of the sport’s over-the-wall crew members creating iconic names such as RCR’s “Flying Aces.” Its spirit continues with the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge to be held May 17 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C.

Jamie McMurray solidly etched his name in Rockingham lore winning the track’s final four NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2002-04. He did it with three owners – Clarence Brewer, James Finch and Todd Braun – and four different crew chiefs. In 2002 McMurray led just the final two laps when the two leaders crashed in front of him. The next year he led 192 of 197 laps.

“I never went there with the mindset that I would be the driver to beat,” said McMurray, who won both Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 for his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet team in 2010. “But even when I was having a bad year, we’d get a good finish (at Rockingham) and it would be a big confidence builder.”

McMurray is anxious to see Sunday’s race – if only on television. “Whether you are a crew member or driver, we’re all looking forward to it,” said McMurray, who finished third behind Kenseth and Kahne in Rockingham’s final race. “It’s one of the cooler tickets to buy. I didn’t think it would ever come back.”

Not everyone participating this weekend will be a Rockingham rookie – far from it. At least seven competitors have raced the track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and/or NASCAR Nationwide Series. Todd Bodine, a two-time NASCAR Camping World Series champion, won two NASCAR Nationwide events, most recently in 2001. Another half-dozen drivers were in the fields for the track’s past ARCA races.

“Both my wins were very special and memorable to me,” said Bodine. “The first win (in 1995) was a three-wide, photo finish. I think I won that race by about six inches.”

Bodine and his brothers Geoff and Brett each have a NASCAR Nationwide victory at “The Rock” – a NASCAR rarity. “It’s really special for our family,” he said.

Bodine doesn’t expect the racing to be any different than it was nearly a decade ago. The track surface is rough, weathered and hard on tires. Patience likely will be a virtue, although fans can expect to see two and three-wide racing most of the afternoon.

“After about five laps there is no grip,” he said. “You’ll really have to have a truck that’s just well balanced. A lot of self-control goes into it. The last thing you want to do is over-drive it.”

* Official NASCAR Press Release *

Future NASCAR Star Smalley Gains Support from Lakepointe

Phillip Smalley Racing Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Future NASCAR Star Smalley Gains Support from Lakepointe

Future NASCAR Star, Phillip Smalley, has teamed up with Macomb, Michigan’s Lakepointe Church. The Lakepointe logo will grace the hood of Smalley’s No. 52 Pure Stock race car this season at the Dixie Motor Speedway, Owosso Speedway, and many others. Lakepointe Youth Pastor Jared Sabo said, “We are so excited to be apart of Phillip Smalley Racing (PSR), it’s been such a cool experience so far." Smalley added, “This partnership is cool because it’s not just a money deal, it’s us teaming up to use my racing talents for God’s glory, and that’s the best support there is!”

Lakepointe Church is a new church plant in Macomb, Michigan.  Lead Pastor, Scott Blanchard, his wife, Karen, and their son, Nathan moved to Michigan from Florida to start Lakepointe. Pastor Scott is 80 percent deaf, yet he continues to spread God’s glory, not allowing his “disability” to stop him. In just over two years, Lakepointe has grown to almost 200 members.

Phillip Smalley is a future NASCAR Star. He currently races a Pure Stock (Street Stock) and a Pro (Limited) Late Model. Smalley comes with high praise from NASCAR team owner & Host of “Chris Lafferty’s Motorsports TV” on Fox Sports, Chris Lafferty. So much so that, Smalley was invited to a two-day test with Lafferty Motorsports, a full time Camping World Truck and ARCA Racing Series team.

Smalley made his stock car debut in the summer of 2011 driving the No. 79 Pure Stock at the Dixie Motor Speedway; he finished on the lead lap with an impressive 13th (out of 24) place finish. In 2012, he plans on running the full schedule at the Dixie Motor Speedway and Owosso Speedway in the No. 52 PSR Pure Stock, competing for Rookie of the Year at both tracks. He also will run a partial Pro Late Model schedule including a few CRA JEGS All Star Tour events.

Smalley is currently seeking additional marketing partners. Smalley said, “I would really love to run some more CRA races, ARCA races, or Camping World Truck Series races but we need some businesses to step up and help us out.” He added, “I don’t think people realize what great value motorsports marketing has. I challenge any business to give us a call; I guarantee they will be pleased they did.” For more information about Phillip’s racing career or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities please email psmalley92@gmail.com or chris@laffertymotorsports.net. Follow Phillip on twitter, @psracing52 or visit his website, www.phillipsmalley.com.

- Phillip Smalley Racing Public Relations