McMahan Hopes to Supersize WoO Sprint Series Success

by Misha Geisert, Tony Stewart Racing

INDIANAPOLIS — This week’s World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint Series schedule will see the nomadic winged warriors take to three very distinct track configurations in racing action across the northern plains. Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) Paul McMahan has a unique perspective on how he and his No. 20 TSR/Bass Pro Shops/Eagle hope to come away from the experience.

“We’re hoping we end up with a happy meal out of the deal,” McMahan said. “Or, at the very least, a very big trophy.”

Along with the rest of the WoO competitors, the TSR team will race on what McMahan refers to as a menu of small, medium and large race tracks, beginning with River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., on Friday. The 3/10-mile facility will host the first leg of the Duel in the Dakotas mini-series battle. In McMahan’s last appearance at the facility with the National Sprint Tour (NST) Series (July 8, 2006), he earned a solid ninth place finish.

The second leg of the Duel in the Dakotas will take place Saturday at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D. McMahan will visit the high-banked half-mile track for the first time since 2005, as the No. 20 TSR team’s commitment to the NST in 2006 didn’t allow them to make the journey northward. McMahan earned a 10th-place finish in his last WoO A-main race at the track on August 8, 2005.

The northern swing will wrap up on Sunday at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis. In McMahan’s last appearance at the 3/8-mile high-banked oval (July 10, 2006), he grabbed a third place finish with the NST Series.

The team enters this week’s racing action only 189 points out of the top-five in the WoO championship standings. McMahan is currently ranked eighth in the series points race with 4,604 markers.

“With consistent racing that produces top-five and top-10 finishes, we can definitely make up the points to get back into the top-five,” McMahan said. “If we’re consistent, we could be in a top-five points position by the end of July or the Knoxville Nationals. We’ve made up 100 or more point deficits to gain several positions in the past and we’re capable of doing it again. We just need to work to get our cars back to where they were earlier in the season or towards the end of last year. I know my crew chief, Jimmy Carr and the guys are working hard to do so and I think we’ll be able to put the Bass Pro Shops car back in victory lane several times again this year.”

On Friday, gates will open to the public at River Cities Speedway at 4 p.m. CDT. Hot laps are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Gates will open at 4 p.m. CDT on Saturday at Red River Valley with hot laps set to begin at 6 p.m. Cedar Lake will open its gates to the public at 4:30 p.m. CDT, with racing slated to start at 7 p.m.

This week’s Duel in the Dakotas events at River Cities and Red River Valley Speedway are being promoted by SLS Promotions. For tickets or information regarding both events, log on to www.slspromotions.com or call 815-344-2023. The official web sites of River Cities and Red River Valley are www.rivercitiesspeedway.com and www.redrivervalleyfair.com. For ticket or more information regarding the WoO Sprint Series event at Cedar Lake, call 612-363-0479 or visit www.cedarlakespeedway.com.

Race fans can listen to all the action from this weekend on the DIRTVision.com cybercast, as well as on the DIRT Radio Network. Visit www.DIRTVision.com for more information on all the features, including updated results from each night of racing, as well as a chat room to interact with other fans listening to the action.

The WoO Sprint Series also returns to television this Sunday with the broadcast of the June 30 event at Red River Valley Speedway on ESPN2 set for 12:30 p.m. EDT. A total of 20 races will be televised either on SPEED or ESPN2, including the World of Outlaws SuperClean Summer of Money Series. ESPN2 is broadcasting eight races from last Sunday through August 5. All shows on ESPN2 begin at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Rollin’ into Richmond

by Misha Geisert, Tony Stewart Racing

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — If Tony Stewart Racing’s (TSR) USAC teams were to place a personal ad in the Richmond Times-Dispatch for this Friday’s USAC National Sprint Series race at Richmond International Raceway (RIR), it might read something like this…

“In Search Of: Indiana-based USAC Sprint team seeks out-of-state pavement victory at RIR. Only good omens or lucky persons need respond. See racers Levi Jones or Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., to apply.”

While the No. 20 and No. 21 TSR/Chevrolet/BEAST teams aren’t ready to place an ad just yet, they do have an advantage heading back into this week’s Sprint Car race at Richmond. Tracy Hines is back on the scene as he continues to heal from his April 30 off-road motorcycle accident, albeit in a slightly different role. Feeling better and almost back on his feet, Hines is now working as a consultant to TSR crew chiefs Bubby Jones and Bobby Barth. Focusing on pavement setups and strategy, Hines just may prove to have answered any personal ad his team could have produced.

As Jones and Stenhouse head to the ¾-mile track for this Friday’s race, they’ll be armed with a renewed approach to their pavement program with the reemergence of Hines.

Jones is no stranger to running at the front at Richmond, as his last two appearances have seen him grab a top-five and a top-10 finish on the racy short-track. In 2006, Jones drove his TSR entry to a sixth place finish in USAC Sprint Series competition at RIR on June 23. He and the No. 20 team lead the USAC Sprint Series championship standings heading into this weekend’s event with 610 points. Jones has also scored four Sprint Car victories thus far in 2007, making him the series’ only four-time winner this year.

This Friday’s race will mark Stenhouse’s first appearance at Richmond. It will also be the 19-year-old’s fourth pavement race in the No. 21 entry. Stenhouse has one Sprint Car victory thus far this season, having claimed the checkered flag at Big Diamond (Penn.) Raceway on June 7. He also has two Midget Car victories to his credit and is ranked 13th in the USAC Sprint Car Series standings with 308 points.

Grandstand gates will open to the public for this Friday’s event at Richmond at 10:30 a.m. EDT. Practice for the USAC Sprint Series will begin at 11 a.m., with a second session following at 2:30 p.m. Qualifying for the 60-lap feature event will take place at 5:30 p.m., with racing scheduled to begin at 8:40 p.m. For race tickets or more information regarding the USAC Sprint Series event at RIR visit Richmond International Raceway.

Quotes from Levi Jones, driver of the No. 20 TSR/Chevrolet/BEAST

You won your first USAC Sprint Series pavement event in May, but it came on a ¼-mile track. What is the key to success at a larger track such as Richmond?

“The key is being able to stay in the gas all the time. You definitely don’t want the car to be loose, especially getting into turn one. Richmond is a big, fast track that we can really race hard on for the entire night. It’s got these tight corners that force you to really pay attention to your lines and entry, but it’s also big enough that you can also race side-by-side with guys. It’s a fun track to compete at. I’ve really enjoyed racing there in the past couple of years. I’ve had some good runs in the past two years and I think we’ll be in contention to get Chevrolet and Bass Pro Shops back in victory lane at a pavement track.”

Quotes from Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., driver of the No. 21 TSR/Chevrolet/BEAST

This Friday’s race will be your first at Richmond and your second pavement event on a larger track. Do you think the No. 21 team is ready for a second go-around with a bigger track?

“I’m really looking forward to heading to RIR. We were decent in the sprint car at O’Reilly Raceway Park a few weeks ago and I think we’ve begun to really step-up our pavement program. It’s great to have Tracy in the shop more now that he’s feeling better. He’s helped us prepare for this event and will continue to work with all of us on our pavement programs as he heals. Realistically, we’d like to come away with a top-10 finish. Ideally, we’re shooting for a top-five, but we’ll take a top-10 finish. I think that both Levi and I will be in contention as the season continues and that we’re going to put Chevrolet and Bass Pro Shops in the winner’s circle several more times this year.”

Stewart has a knack for navigating New Hampshire

by Mike Arning, Joe Gibbs Racing

ATLANTA — In 16 career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series starts at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, Tony Stewart has racked up two wins, six top-threes, nine top-fives, 10 top-10s and has led a total of 764 laps. And before Stewart became the regular pilot of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet in 1999, he won an IRL IndyCar Series race at New Hampshire in 1998 after finishing second earlier that year in the NASCAR Busch Series race at the 1.058-mile oval.

Needless to say, Stewart has found a knack for navigating New Hampshire’s tricky confines. But he hasn’t done it alone. Much of Stewart’s success has come under the watchful eye and calculating mind of crew chief Greg Zipadelli.

Zipadelli is a native of Berlin, Conn., and he built his racing resume by wrenching NASCAR Modified Tour cars and NASCAR Busch East Series cars to victory lane at the “Magic Mile.” For Zipadelli, New Hampshire was his New Yankee Workshop, where he made the parts and pieces that propelled the likes of Mike Stefanik and Mike McLaughlin to New Hampshire’s winner’s circle before getting there with Stewart for his first New Hampshire win in July 2000.

Today, Stewart and Zipadelli enjoy the longest active driver/crew chief relationship in the Nextel Cup garage. And back on Zipadelli’s home turf with this weekend’s Lenox Industrial Tools 300, the tandem look to add to their history of rock-solid performances in the Granite State.

Explain a lap around New Hampshire.

“It’s a big motor deal. With the corners being so tight, you’ve got to put a lot of gear in the car to get it up off the corner. Forward bite is always an issue there too – trying to get the car to go forward. So, it’s hard to get up off the corners. Then you’ve got long straightaways where you can kind of relax a little bit. Coming into the corners, you use a lot of brake, and it’s hard to not only get the car stopped, but to get it to turn. Then you go through that challenge all over again.”

So, is a fast lap all about throttle control?

“No, not necessarily. A lot of times when you get in the gas, you’re able to stay in the gas. It’s just a matter of having a good enough handling car to where you can get into the corner, roll through the center, and then get in the gas and stay in the gas when you do get back in the throttle.”

While you’ve won at New Hampshire, you’ve also had races where you’ve struggled. How can one race weekend turn out great and another turn into one you’d rather forget?

“If you miss on something it can be a miserable day. It seems like you don’t see but three or four guys during the day that really hit it. That’s what makes a day there miserable when you miss. It’s just a matter of keeping a well-balanced car all day. And it seems like you can have bad track position, but if you have a car that drives well, you can drive your way to the front. It’s not a situation you cringe at if you have a good driving car.”

What are the key elements to a successful, long-term driver/crew chief relationship?

“I don’t know. Greg and I just get along really well. We understand each other. I’m hard to get to understand sometimes, but with Zippy, even though we may not have raced in the same backgrounds, a lot of the things that have happened with us have been very similar. It’s kind of like having a big brother that you learn from, whether it’s stuff that goes on at the race track or away from the race track. I lean on him quite a bit. We both have the same passion and desire to win, and I think that’s a pretty strong bond right there.”

GREG ZIPADELLI, crew chief on the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing:

You’re from Berlin, Conn., and you spent a lot of time working on race cars at New Hampshire International Speedway long before you returned to the track as a Nextel Cup crew chief. Considering your ties to the track and the area in general, do you put more pressure on yourself to run well there?

“Yes, because I love the race track. I always have. But I don’t think that I want to win there any more or less than I do any other place.”

When you do win there, does it feel like things have come full circle for you?

“Yes, absolutely. I think that it’s a tough place to win at. There’s not been a lot of winners. It’s one of those deals where everything has to be good. Your car has to be good. Your pit stops have to be good. You’re driver has got to be ‘on.’ That to me is what’s exciting about it. It’s kind of like road racing or racing at short tracks where it seems like there’s a lot involved rather than just having a really fast car at Michigan or something like that.”

When you go back to New Hampshire, do you look back and think about how far you’ve come in such a short amount of time? Or does it seem like things have progressed as you imagined they would?

“You really don’t have much time to think about that stuff. I’m just thankful to be where I’m at. I’m enjoying what I do. I love what I did back then. I was fortunate to have some opportunities to move up and that’s what you need. You need good opportunities. I think I did a good job when I was there doing the Busch North stuff and that’s what allowed me to get the job and be where I am today.”

Does your time spent in what is now known as the Busch East Series seem like eons ago, or does it seem like it was yesterday?

“Eleven years ago seems like a long time. At the pace we run today and the schedule we have, the places we go, the tests, and the amount of days we work, I almost can’t remember a lot of it.”

Do you feel like you’re working in dog years?

“I’m pretty confident that I am.”

How much has the sport changed since you were a crew chief in Busch East?

“There’s no working on the car anymore. It’s all paper. It’s all meetings. It’s dealing with people. It’s planning. I still do set-up sheets and things of that nature, but I don’t get much time to spend on the floor with what’s going on. There’s something that always seems like it’s going on at Joe Gibbs Racing that I’m involved with, whether it be our future stuff, the other teams and things of that nature. We stay really busy when it comes to administrative-type stuff right now.”

Is that just the nature of the beast nowadays?

“Yes. It’s just time consuming. The problem is that there’s so much that you have to do and we’re going so much that when you are at the shop, you have to do the administrative stuff. If we had more time, I could spend more time on the car, but I’ve still got paper work, set-up sheets, meetings, planning, body builds, all that stuff that you have to do. Lately we’ve been home three days, sometimes two days because of testing, because of the rain, those types of things. You kind of adjust and count on other people to do the hands on stuff.”

Speaking of tests, you tested at The Milwaukee Mile on June 12 to get ready for New Hampshire. Does Milwaukee have some of the same characteristics like New Hampshire? And because of long straightaways and tight corners, are you seeing some things that will be unique to the Car of Tomorrow?

“We were (running at Milwaukee) like we were in Phoenix when we ran decent all day. We had a new car (at the test). We built a new snout, so I just wanted to take it and make sure there was nothing different and it wouldn’t react differently when we got to Loudon where we would be chasing something. We took the car we ran Martinsville with and the new car – the car that we ran at Bristol and Darlington. It’s a good car. We brought that to Milwaukee and that’s what’s going to be our primary. We just took it to run three-quarters of a day worth of stuff – parts and pieces. I wouldn’t say we went up there and tuned very hard on it for Loudon just because (the tracks) are different.”

Has the Car of Tomorrow changed the racing any? You used to manipulate body panels and aero-stuff, but now it seems like you’re in a box as to what you can do. Does that mean you have to spend more time working under the hood?

“Yes. For sure. It’s just really hard to get these templates to fit the tolerances that they give us. That’s kind of what we’re working on is trying to get the cars consistent and get our body builds the same. There isn’t a lot you can do. The only thing you can do is build the best car we can and just try and duplicate them. There are a lot of suspension things and other things that we’re doing this year that we didn’t do in the past because of the rules.”

Stewart Done In by Fuel Mileage

Tony Stewart had the fastest car on the race track in Sunday’s Toyota/SaveMart 350k NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., but it also meant it was one of the thirstiest.

In yet another Nextel Cup race dictated by fuel mileage, Stewart had to pit for fuel with 35 laps to go while a handful of his competitors were able to stretch their mileage to out-fuel Stewart’s No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet when the checkered flag dropped on the 110-lap contest. Stewart wound up sixth, despite leading twice for six laps and opening up a four-second advantage before that final pit stop.

“We did exactly what we planned because our fuel mileage was what it was,” said crew chief Greg Zipadelli. “That’s what dictated our race. Sometimes you catch the cautions and sometimes you don’t, and today the last caution fell about six laps too soon. If it fell a little bit later, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. We would’ve been in really good shape. But what it did was give all of the slow cars an opportunity to come in and put tires on and save fuel. And there’s no way in the word we could’ve saved that much (fuel), unless there was another caution. It’s just disappointing.”

The race’s final caution came out on lap 68, with the race restarting on lap 70, leaving Stewart and Co. six laps short of their scheduled fuel window for a pit stop.

Other teams were able to gamble, and as Stewart pushed his Home Depot Chevrolet hard to open up a margin that would buy him some extra time on pit road, those cars that pitted conserved fuel and tires for a long-distance run to the finish.

It was a bitter pill for Stewart to swallow, who has seen recent races at Pocono (Pa.) and Charlotte (N.C.) dictated by a fuel mileage strategy he’s been unable to meet.

“It’s tough to be so good but not have the finish to show for it,” said Stewart, who won at Sonoma in 2001 and 2005.

Stewart’s disappointment was tempered by the fact that Sonoma marked his fifth top-10 finish in the last six races and his 11th this season. It was also Stewart’s 11th top-10 finish in his 17 career road course starts, as the Nextel Cup Series visits Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, the other road course venue on the series’ 36-race schedule.

The strong finish gained Stewart one spot in the championship point standings, as the two-time Nextel Cup champion is now sixth in points, 480 behind series leader Jeff Gordon.

Stewart’s JGR teammates – Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley – finished 10th and 21st, respectively, in the Toyota/SaveMart 350k. Hamlin maintained his second-place point standing, where he’s 271 markers behind Gordon. Yeley, meanwhile, held steady at 18th in points.

Former Formula One driver and Nextel Cup rookie Juan Pablo Montoya won the Toyota/SaveMart 350k to score his first career Nextel Cup victory. Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five. Stewart, Gordon, Kyle Busch, Boris Said and Hamlin comprised the remainder of the top-10.

NASCAR Drivers Looking Forward to Richmond this Weekend

by Richie Denzler

RICHMOND, Va — With the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series visiting New Hampshire this coming weekend, would you expect the minds of NASCAR drivers Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards and Jason Leffler to be on the June 29-30 USAC/IndyCar Series open-wheel weekend at Richmond International Raceway? Well, believe it or not, those NASCAR drivers will be paying a lot of attention to what happens on Friday and Saturday when the USAC National Sprint Car Series and USAC Silver Crown Series descend upon America’s Premier Short Track.

Tony Stewart, who has visited Richmond International Raceway’s Gatorade Victory Lane five times in his NASCAR career, owns two USAC National Sprint Car Series cars which have enjoyed quite a bit of success. His #20 car, driven by Levi Jones, sits atop the owner and driver points standings. In 12 starts, Jones has compiled four wins, six top-fives and 10 top-10 finishes. Stewart also fields the #21, which is currently piloted by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Stenhouse has one win, two top-fives and four top-10 finishes. The #21 is sixth in driver points, while Stenhouse is 13th in driver points. (The #21 car was driven by Tracy Hines during the first three races before he was involved in a motorcycle accident.)

“I’m really excited for my guys to be driving at Richmond International Raceway this weekend,” said Stewart. “I’ve had a lot of success there in both the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Craftsman Truck Series, so I hope they can build upon that success for me. Both Levi and Ricky have been awesome for Tony Stewart Racing and I hope I get some more good news this weekend.”

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne also owns two cars in the USAC National Sprint Car Series. Kasey Kahne Racing’s cars are third and seventh in owner points. His drivers, Kevin Swindell and Brady Bacon, are fourth and fifth in driver points, respectively. Jason Leffler fields a USAC National Sprint Car Series car—the #71, driven by Damion Gardner. Gardner is seventh in driver points. On the USAC Silver Crown Series side, Carl Edwards fields a car which is first in entry points.

The USAC National Sprint Car Series and USAC Silver Crown Series return to Richmond International Raceway during the fastest weekend of the season at America’s Premier Short Track, June 29-30. The weekend starts with NBC12 Day on Friday, featuring practice and qualifying for the SunTrust Indy Challenge Presented by XM IndyCar® Series race, as well as the USAC National Sprint Car Series race. The weekend continues on Saturday with the USAC Silver Crown Series race, followed by the SunTrust Indy Challenge Presented by XM. Tickets are available by calling 1-866-455-7223 or visiting www.rir.com.

Source - RIR

Stenhouse Jr Takes Knoxville Midget Nationals

KNOXVILLE, Iowa — Tony Stewart Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Olive Branch, Miss. Won Saturday’s “Knoxville Midget Nationals” main event, co-sanctioned by BMARA, ARDC, RMMRA, SMRS and POWRi. Stenhouse led all 25 laps in his Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops Spike/Chevy to beat Coons, Davey Ray, teammate Levi Jones and Kevin Swindell.

Tony Stewart Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Olive Branch, Miss. Won Saturday’s “Knoxville Midget Nationals” main event, co-sanctioned by BMARA, ARDC, RMMRA, SMRS and POWRi. Stenhouse led all 25 laps in his Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops Spike/Chevy to beat Coons, Davey Ray, teammate Levi Jones and Kevin Swindell.

Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., on The Team’s Second USAC Midget Series Victory:

“It was awesome to not only get my second midget series win, but to do it at Knoxville was just unbelievable. In the Doodlebug Classic, I had a really good car. I started 12th, but it only took a few laps to get up to fifth. We battled up there for most of the race and I had actually passed Dustin Morgan and Levi (Jones, teammate) for third but then the caution came out, which put me back into fifth place. We finished in fifth, which locked us in for the Knoxville Midget Nationals feature. “

“Levi and I both drew very well – one and two – and we ended up starting on the front row. At the start, I got a good jump on Levi and just spent the next 25 laps trying not to mess up. I wasn’t thrilled to see the last caution come out near the end of the race, as it was taking my engine a few laps to get up to speed. I didn’t panic, and we got a good start and I was able to get the win. “

“The Chevrolet motors were nearly perfect all night. They were great in the corners and on the straightaway, which is really important at a horsepower track like Knoxville. Not only was it great to win, but we put TSR, Chevrolet and Bass Pro Shops in contention to win the USAC Midget Series championship again. ”

Levi Jones on the no. 20 TSR team’s two top-five finishes at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday:

“We had an awesome points weekend at Knoxville Raceway. Both TSR teams are now back in contention to win the USAC Midget Series championship. The rain on Friday night really helped the track. It was very fast on Saturday night, especially in the first feature. We were able to run wide-open at just about anywhere on the track. With the rain, we had a different format to work with on Saturday night, and both Ricky and I were able to finish in the top-five in the Doodlebug Classic to give ourselves a good position to start the second feature event. “

“We both drew very well. We pulled the one and two pills to make it an all TSR front row. The car was great throughout the feature event. We were very competitive throughout the race. My engine wasn’t taking off as well as Ricky’s and I lost a spot on the last restart but we finished in fourth. We’ll take it. We’ve been working very hard to step up our midget program and I think that was evident last weekend. We had a great weekend for Chevrolet and Bass Pro Shops, and I think that our competitors are also aware that we’ve become contenders for the championship. ”

“While we had a great weekend in Iowa, our thoughts were with my crew chief, Bubby Jones, and his family. His mother, Lorene Jones, passed away on Saturday morning. Bubby returned to Illinois to be with his family on Saturday. We missed him but we hope that he and his family are doing well at this time. ”

USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CAR SERIES STANDINGS

1. Darren Hagen 301
2. Jerry Coons Jr. 283
3. Levi Jones 264
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 263
5. Kevin Swindell 246
6. Brad Kuhn 234
7. Bobby East 230
8. Brady Bacon 195
9. Brad Loyet 174
10. Davey Ray 174

Aric Almirola Scores First Busch Win

What a great couple of race at Milwaukee.  Racing at the Milwaukee Mile is always exciting but this weekend it seemed to even be better.

Friday night Johnny Benson picked up the checkers  for the second year in a row.  Way to go Johnny!

Tonights Busch race was great.  Cousin Carl dominated the first half but it was Denny Hamlin coming from a lap down to take the win.

The record books will say that Aric Almirola was the winner since he started the race in the 20 car.  While Denny was in Sonoma preparing for the Cup race, Aric practiced and qualified the car.  When Denny wasn’t there on time, Aric started the race and ran very well.

The decision was made to put Denny in around lap 60 and the team lost a lap during the driver change.

Denny fought his way through the field, finally getting his lap back.  From there he fought his way through the field again.  A flat tire caused race dominator Carl Edwards to go a lap down, effectively ending his evening but making for some great racing as he fought his way back to the lead lap.

There was plenty of exciting racing by both Hamlin and Edwards as they overcame adversity.  A great race and another great weekend of racing from the Milwaukee Mile.

Get an Autographed Piece of the Bristol Start/Finish Line

BRISTOL, Tenn. — Owning a piece of the concrete surface from Bristol Motor Speedway’s start/finish line is proving to be quite popular with fans from all over the country. Beginning July 2 those same fans will have the opportunity to bid on pieces autographed by past Nextel Cup winners at BMS.The concrete blocks, approximately nine inches long and four inches in width, have been autographed by drivers who won on the original concrete surface, which made its debut at BMS in August of 1992. Drivers who have autographed the pieces are Darrell Waltrip, who won the very first race on concrete, Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Kyle Busch, the last winner on the old concrete this past March, and Elliott Sadler.

An online auction will begin on July 2 at www.bristolmotorspeedway.com with the piece autographed by Harvick up for bids first. Each successive Monday leading up to the August race week (Aug. 22-25) another autographed piece will be auctioned off.

The concrete pieces will be mounted in a display case, complete with the driver’s history of wins on the BMS concrete etched on a plaque inside the case. A certificate of authenticity, signed by BMS president Jeff Byrd, also will be included.

Bids will begin at $500 for each of the 12 concrete pieces. All proceeds will benefit the Bristol chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.

The auction will begin Monday, July 2 at 8 a.m. The auction will end for each piece of concrete on the following Sunday at 7 p.m., meaning the Harvick piece will be up for bids from July 2-July 8.

Most of the rest of the concrete pieces will be auctioned off on the following dates:

July 9-15 – Kyle Busch
July 16-22 – Mark Martin
July 23-29 – Matt Kenseth
July 30-Aug. 5 – Kurt Busch
Aug. 6-Aug. 12 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Darrell Waltrip
Aug. 13-19 – Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart

Pieces signed by Elliott Sadler, Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett will be auctioned off at the Eastman Motorsports Auction in the Bruton Smith Building at BMS on Thursday, Aug. 23.

TaxBrain.com to Sponsor Tony Stewart at All-Star Challenge on June 26

Tracy, CA - TaxBrain.com has joined up with RK Race Promotions to sponsor the third annual All-Star Challenge at Madison International Speedway in Oregon, Wis., on June 26, 2007.

The All-Star Challenge will match-up top Super Late Model drivers from around the country with NASCAR stars Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart. TaxBrain.com will be sponsoring the Tony Stewart entry in the main event and is providing additional sponsorship coverage along with lead sponsors, First Supply®, the Midwest’s premier distributor of plumbing, HVAC, fluid handling and industrial supplies; and Capital City Harley-Davidson.

According to Craig Petz, Vice President of TaxBrain.com, “We are especially excited that Tracy’s own 17-year-old Justin Philpott has made the qualifying slate for the Challenge. TaxBrain.com is the primary sponsor of Justin Philpott Racing, and this is a giant step for our young hot-shoe as he pursues a NASCAR career.”

Justin, along with more than fifty other Super Late Model drivers, will attempt to qualify to race against Wisconsin’s own Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart. The 100-lap feature event gets rolling at 8:00 p.m. CDT. In addition, the night’s event will include racing on the quarter-mile oval featuring legends and bandoleros.

Tony Runs Third at Sedalia

Sedalia, MO - With 3 previous feature wins in the Winged Outlaw Warriors, Tony Stewart visited the State Fair Motor Speedway in Sedalia with high hopes.  Unfortunately, another win was not in the cards for the Old Spice #20.Driving George Lasoski’s Michael Ross Memorial Foundation Eagle, Brian Brown edged NASCAR star Kasey Kahne in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Winged Outlaw Warriors portion of the annual Michael Ross Memorial Foundation race at Sedalia’s State Fair Motor Speedway. Brown jumped into the lead from the pole and was followed by Kasey Kahne, Mike Trent, Gabe Maycock, and former Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart. The top five would stay this way for the first four laps with Stewart getting by Maycock for fourth on lap five.

During the early portion of the race, the driver who was on a mission was World of Outlaw regular Tim Shaffer in Missouri sprint car legend Tom Corbin’s car. Shaffer had moved from his tenth starting positioin into sixth by lap five. The race’s only yellow occurred at the completion of lap five as Jonathan Cornell’s engine let go in the family-owned car. On the restart, Brown would again jump out to a huge lead with Kahne in tow. Shaffer would work his way to fourth as he got by Maycock and Stewart.

For the next couple of laps the running order was Brown, Kahne, Trent, Shaffer, and Stewart.

On lap nine, Shaffer and Stewart were able to get by Trent as Brown and Kahne continued to run first and second. For the next few laps, the top five would stay this way as rookie Josh Fisher started to gain on Trent for fifth. Finally, on lap fifteen, Fisher worked his way by Trent and set his sights on Stewart and Shaffer. On lap sixteen, Fisher would get by Stewart for fourth, but as he climbed the cushion in turn one, Stewart was able to get back by the sixteen-year old. A lap later, Shaffer’s great run would end as he took his Corbin-owned car pitside.

By lap eighteen, Kahne had cut Brown’s once insurmountable lead down to a few car lengths as both drivers were in lapped traffic. As the driver’s took the white flag, it looked as if Kahne might have a chance to take the win away from Brown, but Kahne would run out of time as Brown beat him to the checkers for his twenty-seventh career WOW win. Following the lead duo to the finish was Stewart in his Old Spice #20 followed closely by Fisher in the Ozark Dock and Barge Service Maxim. Rounding out the top five was Trent in John Hillman’s #14c.