Riggs left to carry the Dodge, Evernham flags in Sunday's NASCAR race at Martinsville and he takes it to 10th
By JIM UTTER
The Charlotte Observer
MARTINSVILLE, Va. - Sunday's DirecTV 500 at Martinsville Speedway didn't finish like it started and that was OK for Scott Riggs, who finished 10th – the top Dodge driver and best of the three Evernham Motorsports teams.
Teammates Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne, who hadn't finished lower than 11th in the season's first five races, both ran well in the early-going but both experienced engine problems and didn't finish the race.
Mayfield was 26th and Kahne 35th.
"We had a pretty decent car. We just needed track position," said Riggs, who moved to 30th in owner points and is assured a spot in the field next week at Texas.
"The car was really sliding the nose early in the race, but we adjusted on it and got it freed up. Track position was just really key today."
Said Kahne: "We were having a lot of fun out there. It just wasn't our day. We'll regroup and bounce back next week at Texas." Kahne is fourth in points, 101 behind leader Jimmie Johnson.
Racing seriesNHRADate 2006-04-02[size=2]HARD-LUCK LOSS, STEVENS JR. LOSES ON A HOLESHOT IN HOUSTON
BAYTOWN, Texas (April 2, 2006) - Richie Stevens Jr. had one of the fastest Pro Stock cars in the first round of eliminations today at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals, but lost on a heart-breaking holeshot advantage to Erica Enders.
The New Orleans native drove the Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T to a quicker 6.703-second elapsed time at 205.60 mph, but it was Enders first at the finish line with a slower but winning 6.713/206.07. Enders' outstanding reaction time of .020 of a second (.000 is perfect) awarded her the win by .022 of a second over Stevens, who launched with a solid reaction time of .052.
Stevens' ET was the second-quickest of the round, but was not enough to advance him in the notoriously competitive Pro Stock field. "It's tough when it seems like everyone goes up there and runs one of their best runs of the weekend against you," said Stevens. "I guess I bring out the best in everyone, but that's not a good thing out here.
"We qualified out in left field (No. 14), and that put us behind the 8-ball going into today. Bob (Glidden, crew chief) completely changed the Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge around for today. He changed the clutch over and went to a set-up from last year. I just didn't hit the light like I needed to, and she nailed hers.
"I didn't want to red-light; I wanted to give myself a chance, and give the guys a chance. My guys really worked hard this weekend and they gave me a great car today. Bob did his job, the crew did their job, and we just fell short. We are all in this together, so when we lose, we lose together.
"We'll just have to block out what happened today and go to Vegas. The car ran great today and went straight down the track; now we just have to do that four times in qualifying; then that will give us a better chance on race day."
He won't have to wait long. The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series heads straight to Las Vegas for the NHRA Summitracing.com Nationals at 'The Strip' at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, April 6-9.
Team Mopar's USAC National Sprint Car Series contingent kicked off the 2006 racing season in a big way at Eldora Speedway on Saturday night, as Hoffman Auto Racing's Jerry Coons Jr. picked up the feature event win. The victory marked Coons Jr.'s first triumph at the legendary half-mile facility. Coons, Jr., and the No. 69 team also picked up a heat race win during the evening.
Hoffman Auto Racing also claimed the second finishing position on the night, as Tracy Hines drove the No. 69 to a second-place finish. Hines also took top qualifier honors for the event. Coons Jr., and Hines came away from the weekend in first and second position in the USAC National Sprint Car Series Championship.
Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises' Josh Wise and Levi Jones also turned in solid performances for the weekend, as Wise qualified third quick en route to the feature event. The No. 20 machine was running in third position early on in the feature event, when a cut oil line sidelined Wise for the night. Jones and the No. 21 team earned a Top-10 finish in the season's first event, as he drove to a ninth-place finish in the feature. Jones is ranked eighth in the series points chase.
Team Mopar and the USAC National Sprint Car Series resume action on April 9 at Anderson Speedway. For more information regarding Coons Jr., Hines, Wise, Jones or USAC Racing, log on to jerrycoonsjr.com tracyhines.com, joshwiseracing.com, levijones.com or usacracing.com.
Mopar Runs Strong At Batesville
Paul McMahan, Sammy Swindell, Joey Saldana and Kevin Swindell drove their Mopar-powered machines in World of Outlaws Sprint Series competition over the weekend, to combine for one Top-three finish, four Top-10 finishes, one Top-five finish and two B-main event victories.
McMahan's No. 20 team had been strong all night, but a high number of laps in the A-main event caused fuel levels to become a concern. McMahan was running as high as third, when on the last lap, his machine ran out of fuel. He coasted to a 14th-place finish on the night. The team wrapped up the weekend winning the B-main event from deep in the field to make the feature event.
Swindell and the No. 5 Forbrook Motorsports team earned two Top-10 finishes on the weekend, as he drove to a seventh place finish on Friday night at Batesville Speedway. The No. 5 team followed that up with a solid eighth place outing at I-55 Raceway to wrap up their weekend. The younger Swindell [Kevin] won the B-main event on Friday night en route to a 23rd place feature in the A-main.
Saldana and the No. 9 Kasey Kahne Racing team finished ninth on Friday night to set the tone for the rest of the weekend's action. The No. 9 team steadily made its way through Saturday night to set themselves up for a second place run on Saturday night. Saldana is currently ranked second in the World of Outlaws Sprint Series points championship.
McMahan, Sammy Swindell, Saldana and Kevin Swindell will resume World of Outlaws Sprint Series action on April 7-8 at Eldora Speedway. McMahan and the No. 20 will return to National Sprint Tour Series competition on April 15 at Outlaw Motor Speedway.
For more information regarding McMahan, Saldana, the Swindells, the World of Outlaws or the National Sprint Tour, log on to paulmcmahanracing.com, joeysaldana.com, swindellmotorsports.com, theworldofoutlaws.com or nationalsprinttour.com.
Mopar All-Star Showdown Headlines USAC Event
Mopar will sponsor the Mopar All-Star Showdown USAC racing event at Concord Motorsport Park in North Carolina, on Sunday, May 21. The doubleheader event will feature the stars of the USAC National Sprint Car and Midget Car Series as they do battle on the half-mile asphalt tri-oval.
"Sponsoring an event such as the Mopar All-Star Showdown is an opportunity for Mopar to showcase our authentic motorsports programs to a unique racing demographic," said Kevin Miller, Senior Manager, Mopar Brand, Performance and Motorsports. "A premier event such as the one at Concord Motorsport Park goes hand-in-hand with Mopar's success in the sport of open-wheel racing. We're pleased to sponsor an event that will continue to build our longevity within the sport."
The Mopar All-Star Showdown is expected to draw entrants from all over the country, as the event places open-wheel's best in the heart of NASCAR country. The event will mark the first appearance by USAC's two premier racing series at the facility. Expected entries include 2005 USAC National Midget Car Series champion Josh Wise and his Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises teammates Levi Jones and Kyle Nicholas. NASCAR Busch Grand National competitor Tracy Hines and Wilke-PAK Racing's Jerry Coons Jr., are also expected to compete.
The Mopar All-Star Showdown will showcase two 50-lap feature events for the USAC National Sprint and Midget Car Series. Gates are scheduled to open to the public at 2 p.m. EDT, with qualifying slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. EDT. Racing will begin at 7 p.m. EDT.
For more information regarding Mopar, the Mopar All-Star Showdown, Metrolina Brand or USAC Racing, log on to moparspeed.com, mopar.com, MetrolinaBrand.com or usacracing.com.
Win $5,000 in Mopar's Virtual Dirt track Challenge
For anyone who thinks he or she can conquer the high banks of Eldora Speedway, Mopar has got the contest for you! Mopar is proud to announce the 2006 Mopar Virtual Dirt Track Challenge. The competition, which will be hosted by Tim's Dirt Track Simulators at events across the country, will pay $5,000 to the winner of the A-main finale on Saturday, September 23, at Eldora Speedway in Ohio.
The Mopar Virtual Dirt Track Challenge will see 60 virtual sprint car drivers clash head-to-head in the event finale at Eldora Speedway on September 23. Tim's Dirt Track Simulators will travel to various events throughout the 2006 racing season, where competitors can qualify for the Mopar Virtual Dirt Track Challenge finale. Qualifying events will include USAC National Sprint Car Series and World of Outlaws Series events at Eldora Speedway and events at Ohio- Pennsylvania- and Indiana-based dirt track facilities.
Prizes presented by Mopar for the Mopar Virtual Dirt Track Challenge include $5,000 to the A-main event finale winner and $1,500 to the runner up. Kears Speedshop will present $200 Fast Time Awards. The University of Northwest Ohio will present $100 B-main awards, and Hoservilleohio.com will present a $75 C-main award. Heat Race awards of $50 will be presented by L&S Express, LLC, and Tim's Dirt Track Simulators will present $50 Hard Charger Awards during the event finale at Eldora Speedway on September 23.
The 60 eligible drivers must run five qualifying laps. Based on qualifying runs, they will be placed into six heat races, with 10 cars making up each two-round heat grouping. Top point totals from each heat grouping will transfer to the A-Main. The next overall twenty totals will transfer to the C-Main. Two C-Mains will be held, with the Top-five finishers from each C-Main transferring to the B-Main. The top four finishers from the B-Main will transfer to the 30-lap A-Main, which will start at 5 p.m. Saturday, September 23.
For more information, log on to moparspeed.com or mopar.com.
Eldora Speedway and Mopar Join For Huge USAC Payday
Eldora Speedway and Mopar have unveiled the second largest payoff in non-winged racing history. The Mopar Thunder at the USAC 4-Crown Nationals will feature $266,250 in prize money and bonuses up for grabs. The marquee September 22-23 event, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the historic 4-Crown Nationals, will offer an unprecedented $25,000 paycheck to the winner in each of USAC's premier divisions (Midget, Sprint, Silver Crown), and $2,500 to the United Midwestern Promoters (UMP) Modified victor.
Intensifying the event is a $100,000 bonus from Mopar to any driver able to sweep the three USAC non-winged events. Additionally, a $25,000 "Jack Hewitt Bonus" is being posted for a clean sweep victory in all four legs of the Mopar Thunder. This stunning feat was accomplished by Hewitt in 1998.
"We are happy to continue to build our relationship with the legendary Eldora Speedway and the race fans who support these first-class racing events," said Kevin Miller, Senior Manager, Mopar Brand, Performance and Motorsports. "Sponsoring events such as the Mopar Thunder at the USAC 4-Crown Nationals gives us a platform to build on our leadership position in the sport of open wheel racing. Working with a group such as Eldora Speedway allows Mopar the opportunity to showcase our authentic motorsports programs."
Tony Stewart, NASCAR Nextel Cup champion and owner of Eldora Speedway, explained, "Eldora has a long history of high-paying events. When I bought the track from Earl [Baltes], I knew I had big shoes to fill in following that reputation. We're ecstatic to promote such a marquee event with Mopar and celebrate what will be 25 years of the 4-Crown Nationals."
Tickets for the Mopar Thunder at the USAC 4-Crown Nationals will be available online at www.eldoraspeedway.com beginning May 1. Race fans will also be able to purchase tickets at Eldora Speedway daily, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT. The USAC Silver Crown finale from the Mopar Thunder at the USAC 4-Crown Nationals event will be televised on The Outdoor Channel on September 30, 2006, at 5 p.m. EDT.
For more information regarding Eldora Speedway, Mopar, the Mopar Thunder at the USAC 4-Crown Nationals event, USAC Racing or The Outdoor Channel, log on to eldoraspeedway.com, moparspeed.com, usacracing.com, outdoorchannel.com or mopar.com.
AUBURNDALE -- Sean Bass of Auburndale had a pretty good year last year. He notched a handful of wins and top fives in 2005, including local victories at Auburndale Motor Speedway and Orlando SpeedWorld. His No. 20 Dodge Ram was an always present threat to take the checkered flag.
His strong, and sometimes dominating, performances in 2005 landed him at the top of the FasTruck Pro Series championship points standings at season's end.
"It was a good year," Bass said. "We had a lot of luck on our side."
Bass ended the year with a 22point lead over runner-up George Morales by finishing third in the final race of the season at Auburndale Motor Speedway last December.
"Our team never gave up," Bass said. "It just seemed like, come race time, luck was on our side."
Bass then got 2006 started off in the right direction by being named The Ledger's Driver of the Year for 2005 during Speedfest at USA International Speedway in Lakeland in late January.
Although Bass finished 23rd in the South 100 later that night in a Super Late Model, he still started off the 2006 with plenty of momentum and optimism from the 2005 season.
"This year got off to a rough start," Bass said of the 2006 season. "We had a few bad races."
That early season optimism hasn't waned, however, nor has his driving skills and ability to work his way to the front.
"We've had one good race so far and I think it has changed our momentum, Bass said of his recent second-place finish at Charlotte County Speedway.
Bass added that he still has plenty of time to put together a winning streak for another run at a series championship trophy.
"I know I've got a good team and I know I've got the equipment to do it," Bass said.
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Racing seriesNHRA-SMDate 2006-04-04[SIZE=2]Harker loses close race in quarterfinals
BAYTOWN, Texas - Transplanted Aussie NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car pilot Steve Harker lost by a mere .004 of a second during this past weekend's O'Reilly Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Houston Raceway Park. Harker took the starting line advantage over his opponent, No. 1 qualifier Mick Snyder, but could not hold him off.
Harker, originally from Brisbane, Aus., who now calls Gainesville, Ga., home, qualified his 2001 Dodge Avenger eighth in the field with a 5.704 at 249.53 mph. In round one, he defeated Vern Moats with a 5.687 at 252.95 mph. In his quarterfinal match up with Snyder, Harker took a to starting line advantage, but lost with a 5.660 at 254.09 mph to a 5.635 at 255.82 mph for Snyder.
"It was a good weekend for us," said Harker. "Overall the track was killer, but the air wasn't as good as you would think with all the humidity. We definitely would have liked to go another round, but we ran consistent. NHRA really has a handle on prepping these tracks so we can run consistent. We had a new engine in the car, and it's coming around. The team is really coming together and I'm starting to drive the car a bit better."
The race marks the end of a five week span that put the team at the track four of those five weeks. The next event for the team will be the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at the Texas Motorplex just outside of Dallas, Apr. 28-30. During the off-time, the Harker family will fly back to Australia for their daughter and marketing manager Kate's college graduation ceremony from .
When the team returns to the track, Harker hopes to find the winner's circle.
"We just want to keep being consistent," explained Harker. "Consistency on race day is what wins races. Hopefully we can continue to improve so we don't keep ending up on the wrong side of these close races."
FOX Collison Center, Inc. To Sponsor The Front Row Motorsports #92 Dodge at Kansas
[FOX collison] 2006-04-05
Front Row Motorsports announced today that FOX Collision will sponsor the #92 Dodge driven by PJ Jones at Kansas Speedway, for the Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to drive the FOX Collision Dodge at Kansas this weekend,”
commented driver PJ Jones. “I think we will have a strong car this weekend. I look forward to working with the crew and providing FOX Collision a strong finish on Sunday.”
FOX Collision Center, Inc., with 9 full service body shops is owned and operated by Kansas native Todd Fox, an industry veteran with over 20 years experience in collision repair. Todd Fox began his collision repair business in Wichita and operated four facilities before moving onto Tulsa, Oklahoma in spring of 2001. After just a few short months, FOX quickly became Tulsa’s premier Collision Center. There are currently 4 FOX Collision Centers in Wichita.
Their ninth center opens October 4th in Kansas at I-35 and Antioch. This 58,000 sq. ft. facility is an original in the industry. Not only does it have the amenities of its predecessors, but also a few exclusive to this shop. While the Reception area will feature the Coffee & snack bar and Plasma Screen TV, it will also be fully equipped with an Internet Café, for those customers who need to stay connected.
Todd Fox owner of FOX Collision, “This is a tremendous opportunity for us. This gives us the chance to connect with the core of our customer base. We look to strengthen our relationship with our existing customers while exposing our business and the services we offer to potential customers.”
“We appreciate the support of FOX Collision Center, Inc. for the Kansas race”, said team owner Bob Jenkins. “They have been great to work with and we look forward to partnering with them on future races. We feel the FOX Collision Dodge will make a strong showing this weekend.”
4/5/2006 - The Preferred Line - Road racing news and commentary SPEED World Challenge Wednesday (April 4, 2006) By Jim Bourn
PHOTO: Bob Woodhouse followed up his Sebring podium with another strong finish at St. Pete. Bob finished 5th and for the second race in a row he came across the line just in front of James Sofronas. Woodhouse is 3rd in points but 1 slim point behind 2005 champ Andy Pilgrim.
Hugh Stewart is OK after St. Pete crash
The most important late breaking news of the St. Pete weekend was that Hugh Stewart was checked out and found to be in good health after his huge crash at the start of the Touring Car race. Hugh voluntarily had himself sent to the hospital to be sure.
Unfortunately not the same can be said for his Speedtechnik Dodge SRT-4 which was severely bent as it backed into the cement barriers very hard. The impact was hard enough to make a huge indentation on the wall.
In the tower it looked as if Stewart's car accelerated across the track but Hugh was said to have reported that the SRT-4 had simply lost the brakes after colliding with the wall on the inside. I guess that is how the telephoto TV cameras can skew our perspective as it looked as if Hugh's car was almost stopped against the inside wall when it suddenly shot across the track.
Last edited by hemidakota : 04-05-2006 at 01:44 PM.
Long Beach Street Course Thursday, April 6, 2006 Hubinette ready to wow Long Beach Grand Prix crowd with Drifting exhibition
by Darren Jacobs, Team Mopar
CENTER LINE, Mich. -- Fresh off his Round 1 Need For Speed Formula D Drift victory in Long Beach, Calif., last weekend, Samuel Hubinette is set to tear up the streets of Long Beach yet again. Hubinette, also known as the “Crazy Swede” for his dynamic drifting style, will take part in three drifting exhibitions during the 2006 ToyotaGrand Prix of Long Beach this weekend.
Hubinette, the current Formula D points leader after his Long Beach win, will join with Rhys Millen in his Pontiac and Ken Gushi in his Ford to form a “Team America” drifting trio. The three will take to the Long Beach streets in an attempt to duplicate the reception at the 2005 Long Beach Grand Prix, when the crowd of 150,000 gave a standing ovation to the drifting display, demonstrating the rising popularity of the sport.
“This year has been unbelievable so far,” said Hubinette, who will pilot his Mopar SRT10 Dodge Viper at the exhibition. “I finished fourth in the D1 drifting event in March, took the Formula D win last week, and now I have the chance to show the world what drifting is all about. I can’t wait to get out and drift the whole course this time. I think these exhibitions really help expose the sport of drifting to a wider audience.”
Hubinette and his fellow drivers will stage twenty-minute drifting exhibitions at 5:05 p.m. on Friday, 3:10 p.m. on Saturday, and 3:20 p.m. on Sunday (all times PST). For more info on the 2006 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, log on to www.lbgp.com.
Round 2 of the Need For Speed Formula D Drift series will take place May 12-13 at Road Atlanta in Georgia. Hubinette will look to debut his new Mopar Dodge Charger SRT8 at the event. It will also mark his second Formula D event with new BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW tires. For more info on Mopar, Hubinette or the Need For Speed Formula Drift Series, log on to www.moparspeed.com, www.mopar.com, www.samuelhubinette.com or www.formulad.com.
Mopar is based in Center Line, Mich., and is the exclusive original equipment supplier of parts and accessories for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep® vehicles.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The wait could be over for Dodge to emerge as a NASCAR power.
So, too, the wait for Evernham Motorsports to emerge as a consistent winner.
And for Kasey Kahne to join the ranks of elite Nextel Cup drivers.
Sunday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway, Kahne drove his Evernham Dodge Charger to an easy victory in the Samsung/RadioShack 500.
He did it from the pole. He did it driving away from past Nextel Cup champions Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart, who finished second and third, respectively.
Kahne, who won for the second time in four races, moved up to third place in the series standings. He now officially has a tight grip on the racing world’s attention.
Stewart, a consensus pick when people begin talking about the top drivers in racing, said he expects the grip to get even tighter.
“He was a good driver before he got here,” Stewart said of Kahne, who turns 26 today. “You didn’t have to look too far to know that it would just be a matter of time before he hit his stride.”
Kahne never lost his pole-winning stride Sunday. He briefly fell out of the top 10 about lap 120 of the 334-lap race. But before that and after that, he was constantly leading if not challenging for the lead.
In all, he led five times for 64 laps.
He took the lead for the last time with 26 laps to go when he moved past Stewart at the start/finish line.
“I was reeling him in slowly,” Kahne said of the defining moments of the race. “He got out there, and he was a little faster in the first 20, 25 laps of the run. Then we got equal, and I started reeling him in. It was a good battle. A hard battle.”
Kahne easily survived a restart with 17 laps to go and got to the finish line 5 seconds ahead of Kenseth, who passed Stewart with 12 laps to go.
“We had a really great race car,” Kahne said.
In a way, Kahne, team-owner Ray Evernham and Dodge have a lot in common. All embarked on their current journeys with big expectations laid upon them by others.
Kahne was a youngster who was a phenom in sprint cars. Evernham was a near legend as he guided Jeff Gordon to three Nextel Cup championships as his crew chief. Dodge re-entered Nextel Cup a couple of years back amid speculation its cars would be immediately successful because it had invaluable factory backing.
All three showed promise early on, but none dominated anything.
As a rookie two years ago, Kahne went winless but finished a respectable 13th in points. Last year, he slid backwards. He got his victory but wound up 23rd in points.
Kahne has had one bad race this year. That was last week at Martinsville, when he blew an engine. Other than that, all his finishes have been in the top 11.
“He’s very committed, and he’s extremely talented,” Evernham said. “For whatever things he’s worked on this year, he’s done really well giving feedback. If we can just keep him in the cars, I believe he can race with anybody out there.”
Kahne says he hopes he has broken out as a driver. But, he cites team effort, unity and all the usual things drivers cite during good times.
“It’s all coming together at the same time,” Kahne said.
And that appears to include the sometimes maligned Dodge Chargers.
They have won three of the last four races. Two have come on 1.5-mile tracks (Atlanta and Texas), one has come courtesy of Kurt Busch of Penske South on the Bristol short track.
Kenny Francis, Kahne’s crew chief, said please, no more maligning that should answer any questions about the Chargers’ ability.
“We thought the Charger was a good option and a good car,” Francis said. “We’ve proven it’s a really good car this year. We’re pretty happy to be racing the Charger.”
Scott Riggs brought more good news for Dodge and Evernham. Riggs finished a season-best seventh for his second top-10 finish in a row. Riggs placed 10th last week at Martinsville.
“That was good for us, but we had a lot better car than a seventh-place car,” Riggs said.
Jeremy Mayfield (he finished 31st Sunday) is the only portion of Evernham Motorsports operation that is struggling right now.
But with the Nextel Cup series taking a next weekend off to celebrate Easter, who knows what kind of magic the surging Evernham can summon up by the time racing renews at Phoenix.
Samsung/RadioShack 500 results
SUNDAY, IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS for results see the following link
Fellows Wins SCCA SPEED GT Long Beach Race With Last Lap Pass
LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 9, 2006) -- Canadian Ron Fellows, of Mississauga, Ont., executed an unthinkable pass two turns before the finish of the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT race, part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, to give Cadillac its first win of the year. Fellows passed then-leader Mike McCann on the outside of turn nine to take the win by 0.730-sec. in his No. 16 XM/Mobil 1/Motorola/On Star Cadillac CTS-V. Polesitter Tommy Archer also slid by McCann to finish second, leaving point leader McCann in third.
The win, which was the third in five career SPEED World Challenge GT starts for Fellows dating back to 2004, also allowed Cadillac to maintain its lead in the 2006 Manufacturers' Championship Presented by RACER Magazine.
After a clean start to the 29-lap, 57.072-mile race, Lou Gigliotti, Dallas, Texas leaped to the front in his No. 28 LG Pro Long Tube Headers Chevrolet Corvette C6 from the outside of the front row past polesitter Archer's No. 5 c3controls/Authaus Dodge Viper. Gigliotti would lead until the eighth lap, when McCann, in his No. 82 McCann Plastics/K&N Filters Dodge Viper, overtook him and held the top spot for the next 20 laps.
Fellows, however, never let McCann out of his sights, keeping pace with the Viper throughout the middle of the race, and as the pair finished its final run down the back stretch, Fellows dove first inside, then outside McCann at Turn Nine and squeezed by before the cars entered Turn 10. The move not only won Fellows the race, but also the B&M Oil Coolers "Coolest Move of the Race" Award.
"It was the lap before, coming on to the back straight, I was struggling to get power down and so was Mike [McCann]," Fellows said. "So that was the place where I thought I was going to get him going down the inside, and then we both almost hit the wall trying to get power down.
"He went a little bit tight on to the back straight, so I thought I could get a run on him. He did the right thing. He went down the inside, and I just thought 'let's try around the outside.' When he braked, I got on the brakes, and I think we were both suffering from soft brake pedals. So, I didn't really have a whole lot of choice but to go around him anyway.
"You could see there was a lot of grip on the track from the Champ Car race, and the Cadillac CTS-V, she stuck."
After the pass, McCann missed a shift, causing his Viper to slow considerably and opening the opportunity for Archer, who had the race's fastest lap of 1:27.368 (81.091 mph) on Lap 19, to pass him in Turn 10 and finish second.
Though he finished high, Archer said his Sunday run was anything but easy as a weekend-long problem flared up multiple times during the race.
"I was experiencing a problem all week long that wouldn't let me run more than about five laps," Archer said. "So, if I wasn't racing these guys, I was busy shutting my car off during the race so that the computers would recycle. Sometimes I didn't know when it was going to lay down on me, and it laid down three times on the backside [of the course].
"Once I recycled it, the car picked up its pace and I said, 'hey, I think we're back in the game.'"
Following the race, McCann was asked whether or not he ever gave thought to bumping Fellows out of the way as the Cadillac driver made the pass.
"I don't drive that way," McCann said. "He made a good pass, and he deserved it. He made a good pass, made it happen. I was like 'wow, I can't believe he's doing that.' I'm like you guys. I was like 'that's pretty good!'
"Then I made a mistake by grabbing the wrong gear, and Tommy took advantage of that as well."
After relinquishing his early lead, Gigliotti settled into fourth on Lap 15, where he would finish. James Sofronas, of nearby Newport Beach, Calif., was fifth in the No. 14 Global Motorsports Group Porsche 911 GT3 after starting seventh.
With a solid drive that earned him a career-best sixth-place finish, Rob Foster, of Phoenix, Ariz., won both the Piloti Rookie of the Race as the top finishing rookie and the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for moving up eight spots from his 14th-starting slot.
Andy Pilgrim finished seventh in his Cadillac CTS-V after starting from pit lane due to spinning on the formation lap. Rookie Lawson Aschenbach, who led the points entering Long Beach after a win in St. Petersburg, finished eighth after spinning twice during the event that ran green all the way.
McCann, who won at the season opener in Sebring, regained the point lead by one over Aschenbach, 74-73. Pilgrim is third, with 68, followed by Gigliotti (65) and Sofronas (64). Cadillac leads the SCCA SPEED GT Manufacturers' Championship Presented by RACER Magazine with 23, followed by Dodge (18), Porsche (14) and Chevrolet (nine).
The SCCA SPEED GT race, part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, will be broadcast on SPEED Channel Sunday, April 16 at 2 p.m. (EDT), 11 a.m. (PDT).
Round Four of the 2006 SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Championships is set for May 19-21 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, in Lexington, Ohio.
Scelzi Drives Mopar/oakley Dodge Charger to No. 12 in Vegas Qualifying
10 April 2006 - Gary Scelzi, who failed to qualify last weekend in Houston for the first time since 2003, drove the Mopar/Oakley Dodge Charger Funny Car safely into No. 12 for this weekend‘s NHRA SummmitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The reigning NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion clocked in with a 4.813-second elapsed time at 323.97 mph in the second round of qualifying. The bad news is is that the other three qualifying rounds (10.545/74.68, 10.422/79.78 and a 9.124/90.17 in the final pass) were still problematic, giving Scelzi and crew chief Mike Neff cause for concern.
“We‘re in the field, so we have one more shot to get this thing fixed,” said Scelzi, who faces Tommy Johnson Jr. in the first round of eliminations on Sunday. “We‘ll just go up there and take a shot at TJ and see if we can make this thing not shake. If it doesn‘t shake and it doesn‘t smoke the tires at 60 feet it will haul ass.
“But that IF is a big word right now and there‘s a lot of issues that I think are coming into play. We‘re going to work on some things, make some changes and hopefully it will work tomorrow.”
Racing seriesNHRADate 2006-04-08
[SIZE=2]STEVENS JR. LOOKING GOOD IN VEGAS, QUALIFIES NO. 4 [/SIZE]
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LAS VEGAS (April 8, 2006) - Heading into this weekend's NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richie Stevens Jr. was hoping to get the Team Mopar/Valspar Dodge Stratus R/T back on track by laying down four consistent Pro Stock qualifying runs. The New Orleans native did just that, as he put himself solidly in the No. 4 spot with a 6.790-second run at 202.42 mph.
Stevens narrowly missed the pole by three-thousandths of a second, and eventually dropped to the No. 4 position when two other drivers posted identical elapsed times but edged Stevens with a faster speed in the highly-competitive Pro Stock field.
"We could easily have been No. 2," he said, "but we lost it by speed. Warren (Johnson) and Erica (Enders) got us on the mile-per-hour, and had we gotten another thousandth (of a second) we would have been No. 2. But, I'm happy with it; it shows we are making some progress. We needed some momentum and a good string of runs."
The passes included a 6.797/202.67, a 6.790/202.42, a 6.806/202.39 and a 6.847/202.21.
The Strip is quickly becoming one of Stevens' favorite tracks. "We tested great out here in February, had some success in the Pro Stock Showdown, and now we put down four great runs when we've been struggling lately. Now, we are back here and we've got a good car heading into tomorrow. We've definitely shown that we are getting our program sorted out."
For the fourth time in five events, Stevens qualified in the top half of the field. "I don't know if lane choice will be a factor, but, regardless, we'll have preference if we need it," he said. "We face our fellow Mopar car (Allen Johnson) in the first round, which is good and bad, because a Mopar car will be going to the second round, but that doesn't mean it will be us. I hope it's us, we need some round wins. A few guys in the top 10 didn't qualify for the race, so we have a chance to make some moves," Stevens added, who is No. 11 in NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Pro Stock points.
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Some of Australian motorsport's most famous cars and drivers delighted enthusiasts at the Unique Cars Australian Muscle Car Nationals at Melbourne's Calder Park
V8 supercar driver John Bowe celebrated his birthday with a drive of the ex Ian "Pete" Geoghegan "Super" Falcon GTHO, other cars to lap the circuit included Allan Moffat's GTHO Series Production car, Kevin Bartlett's Channel Nine Chevrolet Camaro, Colin Bond's Moffat Ford Dealer Team XC Falcon, and of course circuit owner Bob Jane's 7-litre Camaro.
Bob Jane's old sparring partner of the 1960's "Stormin" Norman Beechey was on hand to sign autographs and swap stories with old fans, officials and fellow drivers.
A small field of "Muscle Cars" staged four entertaining races with Paul Sabine in a Chevrolet Corvette taking the honours ahead of former Channel Nine State Political Correspondent Colin Fulton in a DeTomaso Pantera.
Brute force came out on top at Mount Panorama last weekend as the Dodge Viper of Tasmanian driver Greg Crick led home the Lamborghini Diablo GTR of Peter Hackett to win Round Two of the Australian GT Championship.
The race was a part of the first WPS Bathurst International Motor Festival.
After taking three points for his pole position Crick won the weekend's first race from the Porsche GT3s of David Reynolds and Bryce Washington. Reynolds led for 11 laps of the 12 lap race but Crick had little trouble using the grunt of the 8.0-litre V10 to pass the Porsche driver on the final lap after a Safety car restart. David Wall was fourth in another Porsche ahead of Hackett and D'Arcy Russell in another Viper.
Race Two saw Hackett come from behind to beat Crick in a great race that kept the crowd entertained throughout its entire 12 laps. Crick jumped away to an early lead before Reynolds passed the Viper to grab the lead on lap two.
Hackett passed Crick two laps later and harassed the young Porsche driver throughout before finally taking the lead on lap nine. Crick muscled his way through into second place, two laps later but just couldn't find a way through leaving Hackett to take the win with Crick second and Reynolds.
Crick now leads the series on 171 points from Bryce Washington (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) 137 and Theo Koundouris (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup) 112.
Stars of the past as well as several current V8 Supercar drivers took part in a number of special events at Mount Panorama as part of the Festival. Paul Morris, Jason Bargwanna, Neil Crompton and Kevin Bartlett were just some of the names who took to the track in a variety of cars over the weekend.
David "Skippy" Parsons teamed with young Melbourne driver Marcus Zukanovic to win a V8 Utes legends race that also included Andrew Miedecke, Bob Holden and Wayne Rogerson.
Morris won the his first ever Aussie Racecar start but it was Crompton who came out on top after the weekend finishing a fine fourth behind series regulars Nick Simmons, James Ward and Paul Kemal.
A planned series of laps by Max Wilson in the Team Australia Champ Car failed to eventuate when the car's engine failed to arrive in time from the USA.
Organisers said they were happy with the running of the first event claiming a three-day crowd of over 21,000... A figure heavily disputed by some attendees.
Muscle Car Nationals images courtesy of Torque Photos
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