3/29/2006 - The Preferred Line - Road racing news and commentary
SPEED World Challenge Wednesday (March 29, 2006) By Jim Bourn
"Yesterday I was wondering, how am I going to hang up my helmet gracefully without my tail between my legs so you can go from a hero to a zero or the other way real fast." - Leighton Reese after qualifying on the pole at Sebring.
PHOTO: Michael McCann (Dodge Viper), winner of the Sebring GT race was smiling and laughing all week in Florida.
Lessons learned at World Challenge Series seasons opener at Sebring
"The car was really hooked up right off the truck," said Sebring GT race winner Michael McCann of his McCann Plastics/K&N Filters Dodge Viper. "I think anyone could drive that car fast right now. Just give him the keys and go. It is that well hooked up!"
We frequently hear or read comments from a driver who raves about how well his car is behaving. Usually those are the drivers who are doing well on that particular weekend.
The World Challenge Series week at Sebring in March was yet another reminder that having your car hooked up 'right off the truck' is usually highly preferable to struggling to find a setup or worse yet thrashing well into the night trying to make the darned car work at all.
When the car is working the driver and crew can start working on subtle changes and even experimentation as was the case with Leighton Reese and his Banner Engineering Chevy Corvette C6.
Confident that he had a good Sebring setup in Leighton Reese's Banner Corvette crew chief Joe Kantarik was allowed to experiment. Not everything worked but at least he was learning what did and did not work.
"This is supposed to be testing isn't it," Kantarik asked rhetorically? "If I don't come here and try new stuff and try to improve why test at all. If you want to run the same as last year we should have left the car here!"
By the time practice rolled around Reese was the fastest GT car and as he explained, "We are doing little subtle tweaks now. We keep thinking that that is all that is left in the car and then we seem to find more!"
Not only does a well setup car work well but it does something else for the driver. It builds confidence.
Mike McCann was telling everyone that even the fan walking around the paddock could cut hot laps in his car it was that well hooked up! It showed that Mike was confident in his #82 Viper and comfortable as well.
And when we are comfortable in our work space we work better. And confidence in a race car means going into the turns deeper and getting on the gas sooner coming out!
"I am getting a little more aggressive with it because I am feeling more comfortable with it," Reese said during practice. "You enter the straightaway faster because you got through the corner faster and it gives you encouragement so you drive the car deeper because it goes around the corner better."
But if you are involved in auto racing at all you know that racing machines are inherently evil so we have on the flip side are the unfortunate ones who struggled not simply to find the optimum setup but just to get a reasonably functional race car.
In the world of GT Jon Groom's talented team struggled all week to solve transmission and other maladies on Ricardo Imrey's #64 AXA Financial Porsche 996.
"I've been out (on the track) for about 8 laps so far," said Imrey as he watched the crew labor beneath, over and around his Porsche.
Does this mean that Groom's team is somehow less than McCann's?
Hardly, as every team and crew has had one of those weekends where everything you do seems to go wrong as your own equipment seems to turn against you and getting to the motel before midnight a luxury!
What it does mean is that McCann's and Reese's crews were working on minor changes while Groom's crew was swapping out major parts and searching for answers. The teams working on the #92 Viper and #6 Corvette were making minor changes, relaxed, while the crew of the #64 Porsche was working long hard, under pressure.
And when the unfortunate teams do get their cars out on track they are making educated guesses on race setups that the fortunate teams have been dialing in!
It doesn't take much to ruin a session or even the entire day as was the case for James Sofronas who discovered that his Global Motorsports Group Porsche had a severe vibration. Pits stops ensued and it wasn't until a trip to the Toyo tires truck that Sofronas confirmed that his tires weren't balanced properly.
Sofronas had had those tires balanced away from the track by a local tire shop by the way.
There was North Canton Ohio's Michael McCann who won his first World Challenge race. There was nothing but smiles and casual controlled maintenance going on under the McCann Racing tent as they were fast from the beginning of the open test day on Tuesday right up to the final lap of the race on Friday afternoon.
Fast right off the truck guarantees nothing
Fame and luck are as fleeting as air in a punctured tire because as strong and as dialed in as Reese's Banner Engineering Corvette was the transmission tried to depart company from the differential as Reese tried to begin the warm up lap ending his day before it began.
On the other side of the worm Jon Prall and Hugh Stewart struggled all week with their Touring Cars but finally had their cars running strong during the race.
"The race was the first time I got in one trouble free lap all week," said Hugh Stewart with a shrug.
Both Hugh and Jon went from the back of the Touring Car grid to 15th and 16th winning the Sunoco Hard Charger Award (Stewart's Speedtechnik Dodge SRT-4)) and the B&M Hole Shot Award (Prall's DIG Motorsports/JustRacing.com BMW 325) in the process.
Touring Car Champion Peter Cunningham and his entire force of RealTime Racing Acuras were also in the fast off the track category at Sebring as were the Tri-Point Engineering Mazda 6s. World Challenge fans almost come to expect this.
And as expected Tri-Point and RealTime performed when race day came around as these two teams filled 6 of the top ten finishing positions.
Kuno Wittmer, driving the De Sigi Autosport/Autohaus Mercedes C230, wasn't as fortunate as his Mercedes ate its final transmission during the race while Kuno was firmly inside the top ten!
Good weekend or bad fret not for the talented crew members who toil under the World Challenge racing tents. If you want to send a note about any of this I can be reached at JimBourn@TheRaceSite.com; but be forewarned, we may use your letter in an upcoming article.
/noticias.info/ -- Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch's win on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway marked his first victory for Penske Racing South, his fifth at Bristol and the 15th of his career. Entering this weekend's Martinsville battle, his 190th career race, he has won 8 percent of his races, finished in the top five [44] 23 percent of the time and finished in the top 10 (80) in 42 percent of his races.
-- Busch has "grown to love racing at Martinsville," but he chuckles when he thinks about his first encounter with the tight little 0.526-mile paper-clip-shaped track. "I looked all around the place and said, 'Wow, what a unique and fun place for us to race!" Busch said. "By the time we were finished, though, I said to myself, 'Man, this is about the most pathetic excuse for a race track that I've ever seen.' That was what went through my head the very first time I raced at Martinsville - back in the truck racing days in 2000 - back before I knew any better. Through the years, I've grown to really love racing at Martinsville."
-- For the big Bristol victory, Miller Lite Dodge crew chief Roy McCauley won the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race. In what has become typical McCauley fashion, he chose to pass the accolades on to his crew members. "Did you see those guys work on pit road on Sunday? They were absolutely awesome," McCauley said. "The win was a tribute to our whole Miller Lite Dodge/Penske Racing South organization. From the fab shop, the engine department, the guys who get the cars ready, Cindy and Stump (Lewis), who get them to the track, the guys who work on the cars at the track, and of course, the over-the-wall gang. They all share in winning this award. It doesn't hurt at all when you have Kurt Busch, the best driver in Cup racing, in the seat of our race car. I'm humbled, but it was a total team effort out there."
-- Speaking of Busch's over-the-wall gang, they did have another incredible day at Bristol. Their six four-tire stops clocked in at 12.9 seconds, 13.7, 13.7, 12.9, 13.4 and 12.5 to average 13.2 seconds for the race. Busch's 2006 crew personnel includes tire changers Jay Hackney and Kevin Hebert, tire carriers Dave Littau and Andy Brown, jackman Ray Gallahan, gasman Chris Williams and catch can man Steve Williams. Jeremy Brickhouse is the spotter, while Dustin Coonfield handles windshield duties and car chief Corey Tucker assists with the second fuel can. Kristy Cloutier, executive assistant at Kurt Busch Inc., is Busch's scorer.
-- Busch, McCauley and crew are racing PRS-092 this weekend at Martinsville. Ironically, the two races in which it was used in 2005 - Phoenix and Richmond - Kurt was recording career victories numbers 12 and 14.
-- McCauley says Martinsville is his favorite track. His reasons, however, may come as a surprise. "It's because of all the great history behind the place," McCauley explained. "It used to be as big as the Daytona 500 for the old Modified Division 30 years ago or so. The tradition and history is big. It's so much fun to remember the days when Richie Evans, Charlie J. [Jarzombek], Ray Hendrick and all of those guys battled it out there. In the old Late Model days - when guys like Butch Lindley and Geoff Bodine were driving for Emanuel Zervakis - there are just so many golden memories.
"And it wasn't just confined to the track. Mr. Earles [former track owner, the late H. Clay Earles] took such great pride in keeping the place beautiful. The big pond out front with the ducks, all the beautiful azaleas, the famous hot dogs - the place has had such tremendous character through the years.
"It probably helps, too, that Martinsville was the track where we won our first Cup race," McCauley concluded, referring to the October 2001 Old Dominion 500 when he worked for PPI Motorsports.
ROOKIE SHAUN CARLSON AIMS TO CONTINUE HIS PROGRESS IN HOUSTON
BAYTOWN, Texas (Mar. 29, 2006) - The start of the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series has proven to be an uphill battle for Don Schumacher Racing Pro Stock rookie Shaun Carlson. He is playing catch-up after landing the seat in the Team Mopar/SRT Dodge Stratus and looks to qualify in the 16-car field for the first time this season at this weekend's NHRA O'Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway.
The Southern California native has been making the most out of the team's test sessions, as well as in the qualifying runs on race weekends. "I'm just trying to absorb as much as I can with each run I make," says Carlson. "I know I'm getting better; it's just taking some time, but I really think I'll get there."
Carlson got an encouraging phone call from crew chief Bob Glidden a week after the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla. "Bob is so adamant that he is going to teach me the way a coach would in basketball, or any of those stick and ball sports," says Carlson. "He told me he'd make me a winner, and that we are gonna do a lot of testing, whatever it takes. He doesn't care if he has to strap me into the passenger side of the car while he makes a run, he says; we're gonna prove everyone wrong."
As a rookie, Carlson has not competed at all of the dragstrips on the 23-event NHRA schedule, but he's had the luxury of racing at Houston Raceway. "I've raced at Houston a couple times with my Pro FWD car, so that makes me feel better going into the weekend. I know it sounds stupid, but it relaxes you a lot when you know where everything is at a track.
"I'm always thinking about the Pro Stock class now,I'll be sitting at the stoplight and trying to time the lights, or lifting my foot quickly off the clutch; it's definitely in my system. I have the bug, and I guess any little thing I can do will help. I'm looking for any little advantage so I can make my way into the field and race on Sundays with my teammate Richie (Stevens Jr.)."
Scott Riggs No. 10 Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge Charger Bristol Motor Speedway Fast Facts
2006-03-30
Driver: Scott Riggs
Team Director: Rodney Childers
Car Director: Dave Bryant
Engineer: Kevin Kidd
Team/Owner: Valvoline
Evernham Racing
Designated team owner, Jim Rocco
Sponsors: Valvoline, Stanley Tools, Auto Value/Bumper to
Bumper
SCOTT RIGGS QUOTES:
“We had a solid top 10 at Bristol in this race last year and then in at the August race we were running top 10 when the motor blew. I think that coming back to this track with Valvoline Evernham Racing behind us this time could be the difference. Ray has given me the opportunity to run the Busch race as well, that’s also going to help us out with the Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge as far as setup and seat time for me. Once I qualify for this race it is going to be a huge weight off my shoulders because hopefully this will be the last time we have to make the field on time all season. This team has done a great job overcoming adversity in the past races and we want to continue that trend this weekend at Bristol.”
RODNEY CHILDERS QUOTES:
“We have a few solid reasons to be optimistic about this weekend. Scott is good at getting around Bristol and this week he is getting some seat time in our No. 9 Busch car, the Lawry’s Dodge. Not only that, but our Valvoline Evernham Racing over-the-wall crew gets to pit the Busch car so everyone should be familiar with how quick things can happen at that track and the size of its pit road by the time the race comes around on Sunday. Hopefully the Busch car will run well and that will help get everyone pumped up. “The Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge that we are taking is on of Kasey’s (Kahne) cars from last year, but it is also one of the nicest cars I have ever taken to Bristol. Usually the car you take there isn’t this nice because you know it is going to get banged up at some point.”
QUICK FACTS:
Sunday’s race will mark Riggs fifth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Last spring he collected his best finish at the track when he finished 10th.
In the spring Cup race at Bristol last year, Riggs started 28th but finished 10th.
In four Cup starts at Bristol, Riggs has earned one top-10 finish and $408,942.
Riggs scored his season-best finish of 11th on Monday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
If Valvoline Evernham Racing is inside the top 35 in owner’s points (currently 28th) following Sunday’s race, then they will be guaranteed a starting spot at Martinsville for the first time all season.
Link: http://www.autoracingdaily.com/article.php?cid=7966
Dodge's hard Charger
By Bob Margolis,
Yahoo! Sports
March 29, 2006
Don't look now, but the much-maligned Dodge Charger may be on the verge of winning its third Nextel Cup race in a row.
Of course, just saying that may have jinxed it for the Dodge teams, but I doubt it.
Kurt Busch's win on Sunday at Bristol driving the Dodge Charger raised a lot of eyebrows in the Cup garage, not just because of the manner in which Busch claimed his victory – with an Earnhardt-esque bump-and-run move – but because it was the second win in a row for the Charger.
Busch's victory, following Kasey Kahne's win with the Dodge Charger at Atlanta Motor Speedway, tightened the season-long manufacturers' standings after five races. Chevy leads Dodge 34-32. Ford is third with 29 points.
The win on the short oval at Bristol, along with one at the super-fast, high-downforce Atlanta track, has Dodge teams smiling from ear to ear. Their hard work seems to be finally paying off.
All last season, Dodge teams complained that the Charger was a good car in qualifying trim, but a good race day balance was nearly impossible to find.
Kahne attributed his win at Atlanta to the long offseason hours of the Evernham Motorsports team, which tried to build a car that Kahne and crew chief Kenny Francis could actually make better as the race progressed.
"It's not moving around as much on the racetrack getting into the corners," said Kahne following his win at Atlanta.
Petty Racing sits poised to be the next team to score a win with the Charger. After years of running in the back of the field, the legendary Petty organization is back to running up front.
At Bristol last Sunday, the Petty Chargers driven by Bobby Labonte and Kyle Petty finished fifth and 18th, respectively. It was former Cup champion Labonte's best showing yet for the Petty team.
"We had a little bit of luck today and we had a good race car. Of course, that's what we needed," said Labonte, whose Dodge led 13 laps at Atlanta before a sour engine ended his day. "After (Atlanta) we were confident we could run well. We just had to put everything together. The guys are building better cars. They're working hard, and it was a good team effort."
Team owner Kyle Petty has been a Charger supporter since Day 1.
"We felt the Intrepid had some plusses," Petty said. "We've learned some things from the Intrepid that we've transferred over to the Charger. I think Ray (Evernham) and those guys have done the same thing. They've learned some things from the wind tunnels and stuff that they've transferred to the Charger."
Petty also likes to point out that the Atlanta track, with its ultra-fast turns, has long favored the Ford engine and aerodynamic package. But, according to Petty, that may have changed.
"For whatever reason, with the tire Goodyear brought, our engine package was phenomenal at Atlanta," Petty said. "When you look at that package, Atlanta became a Dodge track all of a sudden."
Petty says that adding both Bobby Labonte and general manager Robbie Loomis – with their years of experience running a Chevrolet – and crew chief Todd Parrott from the Ford camp allowed them to get a solid baseline on the difference between the Charger and Intrepid. It also helped them see how the Charger and Intrepid stack up against the Chevy and Ford body.
"I think we all knew that with Robbie and Bobby and Todd – bringing those guys over, reconnecting with Paul Andrews and putting their heads together – we would go somewhere," Petty said.
"We just hadn't been getting it done when we get to the race track. I think that's one of the things Robbie has brought to the table, a lot of the knowledge of how to get it done. That has also been one of the things Todd has brought to this team. I think Paul had been trying to hammer it in our heads and we just weren't listening."
Of course, switching to Evernham engines also has made a huge difference.
"The engine performance is right there with the Chevys and Fords," Petty said. "We'll continue to tweak the Charger and get better and better."
Petty would like to be the team that makes it three in a row for Dodge.
"Obviously, when you're the only manufacturer right now that's able to go three for three, that would be big for Dodge because it's been awhile," Petty said.
"We struggled with the Charger last year, but with one year under your belt, I think everybody's got a little bit better with it, a little more tuned to the subtleties of the car. We'll just continue to get a little better."
Veteran motorsports writer Bob Margolis is a Yahoo! Sports NASCAR reporter. Send Bob a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.
NHRDA Diesel Drags In Seattle
Posted Mar 30, 2006, 12:16 PM ET by Denny
Drag Racing Season has started….DIESEL DRAG RACING THAT IS!!! The National Hot Rod Diesel Association (NHRDA) has had their first race of the season at Pacific International Raceway, in Seattle, WA. Contending two bracket racing classes this season, Pro-1 (sub 13.99 second ET’s) and Pro-2 (13.00 seconds and above) , the season began with a bang. It started with a lifted Ford Superduty spitting out a driveshaft in Pro-2, to fire breathing Dodge Cummins that ended up bending pushrods and rocker arms in Pro-1. Otherwise, it was a spectacular, sunny day in Seattle, a rare commodity in the Pacific Northwest! Randy Cole, the president of the NHRDA, has done wonders to this NRHA sanctioned body. What began as a group of rag-tag diesel-junkies are an structured, regimented racing body with points and trophies! He was even able to bring MBRP Exhaust and Edge Products as title sponsors, along with South Bend Clutch, BD Diesel Performance, Diesel Power North America, TCI Torque Converters, Randy’s Off Road, ZEX Nitrous, K&N, and Silverline Exhaust.
Congrats to James Dalenta for winning Pro-1, and Fred Dykins in Pro-2, both in Cummins powered Dodge Rams.
NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Tests at Bristol Motor Speedway
NASCAR Car of Tomorrow Tests at Bristol Motor Speedway
2006-03-30
NASCAR’s “Car of Tomorrow” tested this past Monday on the track where it will make its official debut a year from now and received high marks from both NASCAR and the drivers who participated.
Three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams – Richard Childress Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, and Roush Racing – along with NASCAR’s own prototype, tested for more than seven hours at Bristol Motor Speedway, the site where the Car of Tomorrow will run the first of 16 scheduled races for the 2007 season. Previous Car of Tomorrow tests were held at Talladega Superspeedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway.
At this week’s test, Brett Bodine, NASCAR director of cost research, drove the Car of Tomorrow. NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers who participated included Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford); Jeff Burton (No. 31 Cingular Chevrolet); and Reed Sorenson (No. 41 Target Dodge).
Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition, said Monday’s test was a great opportunity for the teams to learn and adjust, and at the same time, provide important feedback to NASCAR.
“The primary goal for today’s test session was to see how the cars would handle both in single car runs and in traffic,” said Pemberton. “It was a real positive for us, as we were able to get a close look at how the cars would run here, listen to the drivers and their team members, and have a good exchange of information.”
Pemberton said that the addition of the rear wing, which would replace the conventional spoiler, is in the “95% window of certainty” as being a new feature on the car. The wing is a bolt-on aerodynamic piece that can be adjusted so the car’s handling can be tailored to different tracks. It is just one aspect of the Car of Tomorrow that will allow for reduced costs in the teams’ overall car inventory.
“The general consensus is that the wing is the way to go and we continue to get positive feedback from it,” said Pemberton. “It’s economical and has become a great option for us in this new design. It should be a real advantage for the teams in helping to control their costs.”
Burton says the Car of Tomorrow will allow for a driver’s talents and abilities to become even more prevalent than they are today.
“Even though technology and engineering become bigger and better every year, the great thing about our sport is that you’ve got to have the driver in order to compete, and NASCAR does a great job of seeing to it that technology doesn’t take over. With the Car of Tomorrow, there’s no doubt in my mind that the driver is really going to come into play.”
Burton said that as Monday’s test progressed, he became more and more comfortable with the car’s handling and with the wing.
“When we first tested with the wing, we weren’t that comfortable with it, but we made a couple of adjustments, and we became very comfortable with it,” said Burton. “I’m looking forward to testing with it at a bigger track.
“The great thing about the wing is that you shouldn’t pick up as big of an aero push when you get behind a guy, so when you catch a guy, you might actually be able to pass and go by him.”
NASCAR focused on the car’s balance during the morning portion of the test before spending the afternoon working on the car’s aerodynamic features.
“We made some real significant progress here today,” said Bodine. “The drivers and teams gave us some positive feedback on what they liked and what they didn’t like and that’s what this is about; to refine and improve what we have.”
The Car of Tomorrow is the culmination of a five-year design program by NASCAR’s Research and Development Center. Of primary significance are safety innovations; performance and competition; and cost efficiency for the teams. The new car will begin competition in 2007 at the spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway and will race at 16 different events next season. The 2008 Car of Tomorrow implementation schedule includes 26 events. Teams will run the entire 2009 schedule with the Car of Tomorrow.
Other Car of Tomorrow tests currently scheduled include this coming Monday (April 3) at Martinsville Speedway and Tuesday, May 30 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Brent Sherman's car went sideways four times at Bristol. Credit: Autostock
Rookie Sherman takes benching in stride
By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
March 30, 2006
04:40 PM EST (21:40 GMT)
Six years spent tracking enemy aircraft all over creation for the United States Air Force has a distinct way of balancing a man's priority scale. Brent Sherman is walking proof.
He knows about sacrifice and dogged mental fortitude, and is capable of maintaining buoyancy when life's waters turn choppy. Therefore he isn't altogether devastated by BAM Racing's decision to replace him in the No. 49 Dodge this weekend with veteran Jimmy Spencer.
He's not doing cartwheels, mind you. But he's not suicidal, either. He understands there are potential positives.
"If Jimmy does well we could get back into the top 35, so that will help me," Sherman said. "If he doesn't do very well, he may be able to let the team know where we need to improve.
"Of course I don't like to miss races, but for some reason I think it will benefit me in the long run. Someway, somehow. Everything happens for a reason."
A mature perspective, indeed.
Many drivers of Sherman's experience level are emotionally incapable of prioritizing this type of setback. When you've not been around long, and folks are already skeptical of your rank, getting benched can be demoralizing.
Not for Sherman. Not yet, anyway. And the extensive military background is only partly responsible.
While in Daytona for Speedweeks, Sherman attended a Dodge Motorsports dinner function and spoke with Scott Riggs about the rigors of Cup Series life. Riggs warned him to avoid investing in the emotional rollercoaster, while stressing the importance of self-confidence.
"He told me that it would be tough, and I guess he was right," Sherman said. "I know I can get the job done, I just need to make sure I remember that. Other people may question [my ability], but I know.
"I also have to remember that a lot of factors are involved in running well. I have done a lot in seven years of racing. I have put myself in this situation every year I've raced, since the first year I raced.
"That is the only reason I made it as far as I did. If you don't test yourself, how can you get better? I have no choice but to go faster and faster every time I am on the racetrack."
When Sherman was announced as BAM's driver of choice for 2006, the industry let forth a collective "Do what?!" He'd only started 27 Busch Series races and never made a Cup start.
But he did bring sponsorship dollars. And while he admits it wasn't a large sum, these days money not only talks, it screams. So BAM's motivation was obvious.
But why would Sherman jump to Cup so quickly? Failure to succeed sometimes means starting all over again at the bottom. His reasoning speaks volumes about the current state of the NASCAR Busch Series.
"The way things are going in the Busch Series, I feel like I am competing against the same drivers," Sherman said. "If I stayed in the Busch Series, I think it would be the same struggle.
"Equipment is the most important thing, and everyone has good equipment. It's just what you do with it. I feel like if we can get a setup that I feel good with we can get better.
Jimmy Spencer also will serve as an advisor to Brent Sherman.
"I have just struggled a little with telling the team what I need to be more comfortable in the car."
Enter Spencer. Sherman is confident, though, that if he'd been given the opportunity to test Martinsville Speedway -- which, under NASCAR's new testing procedure he wasn't and isn't -- he'd be in the seat this weekend.
"I am pretty sure I would have been in the car if we tested there," he said. "I think I could have done pretty well, actually. I think a test would have helped not only me, but the entire team.
"All it takes is one tiny mistake and you are going home. The more laps you get at a track, the less chances for a mistake. I guess I will just have to wait until next time."
Sherman will attend Martinsville with the team, and said he'll return to the No. 49 Dodge next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.
After five races, BAM is 40th in the owner point standings. Therefore it must qualify for races via time-trial speeds until it secures a top-35 position. To date, Sherman's best finish is 21st, in the Daytona 500. That is also the only race in which he finished on the lead lap.
Brent Sherman is the lowest-ranked driver among those with five starts.
But aside from Bristol, where he received "four Welcome to Nextel Cup moments that stick out pretty well," Sherman hasn't been in the way. He's been respectful of his competitors.
It's a difficult proving ground for anyone, but especially for a rookie driver at the wheel of a single-car operation. Not to mention a rookie driver with less personal experience and organizational depth than any of the other first-year drivers in the heralded 2006 rookie class, all of whom drive for well-funded, championship-caliber organizations.
Compare Sherman to David Stremme, driver of Chip Ganassi's well-funded No. 40 Dodge. Stremme is but 21 points -- and just a single points position -- ahead of Sherman.
Stremme ran the past two full seasons in the Busch Series, as well as 18 of 34 races in 2003. That's 60 more Busch Series starts than Sherman, plus four Cup Series starts in 2005.
Essentially, Sherman left high school for MIT in the ninth grade.
He's taking quantum physics with Will Hunting, a literal crash course.
It's hard, and I knew it would be hard coming in," Sherman said. "I feel like the team is being very fair. They are putting a lot into this program. The team has really stuck with me the first five races.
"I think they will continue to back me once I get back in the car in Texas. I just really hope things work out for everyone. I hope everyone can learn a little something this weekend."
Not unlike college, the Cup Series education is as much about life as it is about one's chosen trade.
And when it comes to life's lessons, Sherman is way ahead of the game.
Monster Trucks Revving Up
Posted: Wednesday, Mar 29, 2006 - 04:12:17 pm CST
Making the ground shake with every push and turn, the “monsters” of the four-wheeled trucking world will be out to thrill fans in the 2nd Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Texas 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals this Saturday and Sunday, April 1-2.
In addition to the four-wheeled giants, the two-day event will offer plenty of dirt-track racing, intense rock crawling, tire burnouts and showpiece vehicles highly-polished and on display.
In all, over 1,000 four-wheeled vehicles are due for the event, which kicks off at 9 a.m. each day at the Gillespie County Fair Grounds.
The 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals’ stop here is one of six planned in the nation this year and the only one slated in Texas. Each event draws 4x4 truck owners from all over the United States who want to show off their mechanical work and driving skills.
At the front of the line will be Hall Brothers Racing, who last year took first place in every round with their Dodge “Raminator”. “Now, we want to do it again. I have no intention of giving up my title and an across the board win would definitely help set the tone for the whole season,” said driver and four-time defending champion Mark Hall.
“This is actually going to be an extra special weekend for us as it will mark the debut of my teammate Geremie Dishman aboard ‘Rammunition’. His goal is to make it an all-Dodge final every time out and there is no doubt that is what he is going to be trying to do,” Hall said.
Dishman, who joined Hall Brothers three years ago, currently leads the point’s chase in this season’s Monster Truck Winter Nationals.
While most can’t compare to the Raminator and Rammunition, which stand at 10 feet tall with tires that are five and a half feet tall and five feet wide, participant entries are being accepted of all makes and models of four-wheel and two-wheel drive trucks and sport utility vehicles for other contests.
Registration must be made on Friday, March 31, at the fair grounds with a fee of $45.
Pobst Sweeps SCCA SPEED Touring Car Practices at Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida - Combined practice results for Sunday's SCCAPro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship, part of theHonda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg at St. Petersburg Temporary Circuit,with position, car number in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, fastestlap time, and speed in miles per hour. 1,(73), Randy Pobst, Gainesville, Ga., Mazda 6, 1:24.034, 77.111.2,(42), Pierre Kleinubing, Coconut Creek, Fla., Acura TSX, 1:24.277,76.889.3,(1), Peter Cunningham, Grafton, Wis., Acura TSX, 1:24.545, 76.645.4,(72), Jeff Altenburg, Ellicott City, Md., Mazda 6, 1:24.674, 76.528.5,(43), Eric Curran, East Hampton, Mass., Acura RSX, 1:25.148, 76.102.6,(17), Chip Herr, Lititz, Pa., Audi A4T, 1:25.167, 76.085.7,(97), Charles Espenlaub, Lutz, Fla., Mazda 6, 1:25.305, 75.962.8,(2), Will Turner, Newburyport, Mass., BMW 325i, 1:25.393, 75.884.9,(34), Nick Esayian, Encinitas, Calif., Acura RSX, 1:25.681, 75.629.10,(74), Dino Crescentini, Malibu, Calif., Mazda 6, 1:25.910, 75.427.11,(38), Seth Thomas, Cumming, Ga., BMW 325i, 1:26.021, 75.330.12,(20), Brandon Davis, Denver, Colo., Acura TSX, 1:26.170, 75.200.13,(12), Justin Hall(R), Davis, Calif., BMW 325Ci, 1:26.449, 74.957.14,(18), Freddy Baker, Bedford, Ohio, Audi A4T, 1:26.562, 74.859.15,(99), Jeff Courtney(R), Slinger, Wis., Audi A4, 1:26.848, 74.613.16,(13), Brian Smith(R), Simpsonville, S.C., Dodge SRT-4, 1:27.186,74.323.17,(06), Kuno Wittmer, Montreal QB, , Mercedes-Benz C230, 1:27.250,74.269.18,(36), James Clay, Blacksburg, Va., BMW 325i, 1:27.323, 74.207.19,(66), Dan Aweida(R), Boulder, Colo., Dodge SRT-4, 1:27.729, 73.863.20,(11), Jon Prall, Los Gatos, Calif., BMW 325Ci, 1:27.908, 73.713.21,(24), Jim Osborn, Ooltewah, Tenn., BMW 325Ci, 1:28.017, 73.622.22,(26), Michael Flynn, Orlando, Fla., Subaru WRX, 1:28.169, 73.495.23,(22), Hugh Stewart, Massapequa, N.Y., Dodge SRT-4, 1:28.224, 73.449.24,(16), Phil Parlato, Commack, N.Y., BMW 325i, 1:28.373, 73.325.25,(67), Robb Holland(R), Denver, Colo., Ford Focus, 1:28.429, 73.279.26,(60), Mark Hein, Clearwater, Fla., Honda Civic Si, 1:28.674, 73.076.27,(25), Christian Miller(R), Newark, Calif., Volkswagen Jetta,1:28.869, 72.916.28,(83), Karl Poeltl(R), Knoxville, Tenn., BMW 325i, 1:29.757, 72.195.29,(14), Billy Revis(R), Clemmons, N.C., BMW 325, 1:30.338, 71.730.30,(96), Charlie Putman(R), Mills, Wyo., Mazda 6, 1:31.731, 70.641.31,(37), Paul Goldman(R), Menlo Park, Calif., BMW 325i, 1:31.822,70.571.32,(95), Henry Brosnaham, Appolo Beach, Fla., Mazda Protege, 1:35.153,68.100.33,(94), Mary Katharine(R), Delray Beach, Fla., Mazda Protege, 1:38.564,65.744.34,(6), Lance Stewart, Coconut Grove, Fla., Mazda 6, no time.35,(35), Hal Brown(R), Blacksburg, Va., Dodge SRT4, no time.36,(07), Joe Safina, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Mercedes-Benz C230, no time.http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...31/002647.html
Hubinette drifts by Millen for win Drifting part of expanded LBGP schedule.
By Robert Morales, Staff writer
Perhaps it was fitting that Samuel Hubinette and Rhys Millen on Sunday went head-to-head for the victory in the first leg of this year's Need for Speed Formula Drift Championship series.
After all, Hubinette won the series title in Formula D's first season two years ago and Millen won it last year. The series expanded from six events to seven this year, and this was the first time it was held here as part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach's expanded schedule of events.
Once the 16 qualified cars were pared down to two, only Hubinette's Dodge Viper and Millen's Pontiac GTO were left standing. By this time, the approximate 10,000 in attendance had seen all of these skilled drivers drift back and forth at high speeds over three tight turns, coming amazingly close to touching the walls at the five designated points, and with deft precision. Dae Yoshihara of Japan sprayed Hubinette with champagne.
Alas, it was a mistake by Millen in the title race with Hubinette that allowed Hubinette to emerge with the victory. Millen touched Hubinette's car on the final turn of the first round. Millen's car, which was following Hubinette's, partially spun out and he lost several style points.
Back they went to the starting line, and this time Hubinette was the follow car. All he had to do was be cool and make no big mistakes, and the first race of the season was his. He succeeded. "He hit me and that caused him to spin around and he lost a lot of points there," said Hubinette, of Newport Beach via Sweden. "And then I go against him and I kept it smooth behind him. I didn't make any mistakes, or there goes my advantage." On the winner's stage, where the top three drivers were awarded their trophies, Millen and third-place winner champion Millen in the first race of the year did not necessarily give the victory extra meaning.
"It doesn't really matter who I beat, it's all about the overall points at the end of the year," said Hubinette, 34, who took home approximately $4,000. "It was very good. Last year I had a very rough start. I had a new car so it was just hard to deal with. Now with this car dialed in, it makes it so much easier on the track."
Millen, 33, of San Juan Capistrano via New Zealand, knew that once he had touched Hubinette's car in the first round of the title match, the goof would be next to impossible to overcome.
"When you run up against a competitor like Samuel he won the championship in 2004 and he finished second to me in 2005 you're pushing so hard in this style of driving, you're right on the edge of control," Millen said. "You have to be that aggressive."
In drifting, drivers get different kinds of points depending on whether they are following or leading. There are two rounds to each head-to-head duel. Although time is not an issue, a competitor automatically wins a duel match if, as the follow car, he is able pass the lead car. The drivers normally can reach speeds of up to 100 mph, darn fast when considering much of the race is sideways. At Long Beach, however, the tight nature of the course reduced speeds to the 70-mph range.
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