Almirola, Menard Hang Tough Going Into All-Star Break

Almirola, Menard Hang Tough Going Into All-Star Break

Unofficially, NASCAR Sprint All-Star break represents the closing in on the halfway point of the "regular season."
By no means set, the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field does seem to be taking shape. Two races from the official midpoint of the 26-race regular season, the points suggest that only major stumbles should deter a number of drivers from missing NASCAR’s playoffs.
Jimmie Johnson remains the points leader for the sixth consecutive week, and currently enjoys a 108-point cushion from the Chase cutoff of 11th place. Likewise Carl Edwards (second), Matt Kenseth (third), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fourth) and Clint Bowyer (fifth) hold 30-plus points advantages over 11th. And if he needs it, Kenseth’s three wins should be enough for a Wild Card berth come regular season’s end.
After that, it’s anybody’s guess. Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski are each 11 points ahead of 11th, and Kyle Busch is 10 points ahead of the cut-off spot. Then there’s the curious cases of Aric Almirola, Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard, all separated by two points. Harvick, a six-time Chase contender, won his first race of 2013 at Richmond and comes off a fifth-place finish at Darlington. Neither Almirola nor Menard have made a Chase in their careers, but have enjoyed career-year starts to 2013. Almirola has finished in the top 10 in four of the last five races; Menard has four top 10s this year and has been in the top 10 in points after six of the last eight races.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Etc.

The NASCAR Foundation and NASCAR industry will come together on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway to celebrate the 10th Annual NASCAR Day. This special day supports a range of charitable causes that are relevant and meaningful to those within the NASCAR family. Fans can get commemorative NASCAR Day pins and make donations at Camping World SuperCenters nationwide or at NASCAR.com/foundation. … For the first time since this year’s Daytona 500, FOX Sports and SPEED bring CAMCAT back to the track. The 85-mph, high-tech camera is suspended a maximum of 140 feet above the race track by a pair of gigantic cranes. … Mark Martin will make his 24th NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race start on Saturday, which is the most all-time.

Larson Armed And Ready For Darlington

Larson Armed And Ready For Darlington

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Kyle Larson received some valuable experience and advice recently that could serve him well this weekend at Darlington Raceway.
Larson, along with Turner Scott Racing teammate Nelson Piquet Jr., participated in a private team test at the egg-shaped oval in April. Although Piquet had raced at the track in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the Darlington test was Larson’s first trip to the Track Too Tough To Tame.
"I thought that our test went okay, and it was good to get some laps at a tough track like Darlington," said Larson, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader and driver of the No. 32 Chevrolet. "I got my first Darlington stripe, so maybe I’ll be lucky and have that part out of the way."
While there, Larson received advice on how to navigate the challenging track from veteran NASCAR driver Todd Bodine, who won there in 2003. 
With information from the test and advice from Bodine in hand, Larson is prepared for his first Darlington race and poised to make a run at the top 10 in the standings. He currently sits 12th, 95 points behind leader Regan Smith, and 20 points behind 10th-place driver Trevor Bayne.
In eight races this season, Larson has a runner-up finish at Bristol and two other top-10 finishes.

No. 34 to Victory Lane

David Ragan’s win on Sunday at Talladega marked the third time the No. 34 car won an NSCS race. The other two: Jim Roper took the No. 34 to Victory Lane in the very first race in what is now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte Speedway in 1949; Wendell Scott’s historic win came at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Fla., On Dec. 1, 1963. … Quietly, the No. 51 of Phoenix Racing is having a strong season. Currently 14th in the owner points, it will be driven by Regan Smith this weekend. Smith won the Southern 500 in 2011. … The NASCAR Foundation and many throughout the industry will come together on Friday, May 17, at Charlotte to celebrate the 10th Annual NASCAR Day. For the first time, The NASCAR Foundation launches a "Ten Days of Giving" tour that includes philanthropic activities in several markets across the country. At each stop on the tour, beginning this week on Wednesday, May 8, in Atlanta, Ga., and culminating on NASCAR Day in Charlotte, N.C., The Foundation will partner with various organizations to deliver surprise acts of kindness.

Denny Hamlin: I won't be racing at Richmond

Denny Hamlin: I won't be racing at Richmond

Apr. 24, 2013

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

WASHINGTON—Denny Hamlin entered Wednesday optimistic he'd return to his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota this weekend at Richmond. He left the day with a tweet that ended those hopes.

Wednesday evening, Hamlin took to Twitter to announce he'll miss his fourth consecutive race while recovering from a back injury.

"Unfortunately I won't be racing this weekend at Richmond," Hamlin tweeted. "It kills me to not be in the car for my team and sponsors but after long discussions with the doctors we have decided to wait on my return back to racing. Thanks to all of my fans who have sent encouraging messages over the last month. I'll be back in no time."

Hamlin, sidelined with a compression fracture of his first lumbar vertebra during a last-lap wreck Mar. 24 at Fontana, Calif., Wednesday morning said he had been preparing to get back into his No. 11 Toyota Friday at Richmond if he had medical approval. Charlotte neurosurgeon Dr. Jerry Petty has the final say and getting input from the group.

Still, Hamlin plans to start the race next week at Talladega and then give way to a relief driver. He'll exit the car at Talladega at the first opportunity after riding in the back.

"We do have an agreement, I believe, on starting next week and getting out, so at least we'll get some points starting next week," Hamlin said. "After that, I don't know. It just depends on what the doctors, the results of this (the scan) are and when they want to re-scan and check progression again...

"Physically, I'm not much different than I am every day with my mobility. ... We obviously have to be smart about this, because it is just one season. Hopefully, there's many more to come. I'm just trying to do the right thing for my team and sponsors, because I feel like they need me."

Hamlin is leaning toward back surgery during the offseason—or perhaps sooner if his prospects of making the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup evaporate - because the compression fracture exacerbated a problem with bulging discs that existed before the crash. The bulging discs are far more painful to the 32-year-old-driver than the compression fracture was.

"(The accident) really screwed 'em up," Hamlin said. "I'm at the point now where, if they don't let me back in the car in a timely fashion, where I'm going to be racing for nothing for the rest of the year, I'd just as soon do it now and get it over with and come back next year strong and ready to go."

Hamlin visited Washington in advance of America's Small Business Summit, where FedEx (the primary sponsor of Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota), the Red Cross and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce together will offer disaster preparedness tips to small businesses.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hamlin toured the American Red Cross Disaster Operations Center, the primary point of contact for all disaster services, before driving a street-legal version of his No. 11 Camry to the Grooming Lounge to participate in a preparedness review.

"The last couple of years we've informed some kids on what to do when a disaster strikes, to prepare themselves, their families and all that," Hamlin said. "What we're doing now is trying to get these small businesses to be informed, because, ultimately, our economy works around small businesses.

"Forty percent of small businesses that are affected by natural disasters never reopen. That's a very disturbing stat. It affects a lot of families, because everyone that works here has two or three family members that live in their household, and they get fed off them being open. So we have to get them informed and very educated on what they can do in case a disaster strikes, to make sure their business is stronger on the way out."

Mears says additional funding is helping team's performance

Mears says additional funding is helping team's performance: From an interview with Frontstretch:
Q: You finally have enough sponsorship this year to run the full schedule?
Mears: Yes. What happened was GEICO was very influential in making it happen. They stepped up to a level where Bob Germain was able to go ahead and make the full season. So we are doing the full season, but we're not quite fully-funded. It's a little tight in some areas, but we'll be able to run.
Q: That must be a weight off your shoulders, not having to pull in early.
Mears: That's a huge weight off. Last year, we'd have two or three good runs and then have to start and park. We didn't really realize how tough that was to rebound from and how frustrating. The start and parks just killed us last year, just deflated the team and it was really hard to rebound from. The guys would get frustrated - it was like, "wait a minute, we're working hard yet, what for? We're going to have to park." So, I think mentally, that was a tough process to get through. Having that weight lifted off our shoulders and knowing we're going to go run all the races definitely set a new tone in the shop.
Q: As a competitor, how hard was it for you to hear that call on the radio to pull it in?
Mears: The first time I had to do that was probably one of the hardest things I ever did. I mean, I grasped the concept. I understood that as a whole, it was better for our team and for our program, but the first time I ever did that, I just thought, "What am I doing? What are we doing here?" It was definitely difficult and to have that weight lifted definitely allows us to focus on the things we need to focus on.(Frontstretch)(4-12-2013)

Jimmie Johnson’s Entry Form Talladega Superspeedway is in The Mail!

April 9 2013      

Jimmie Johnson’s Entry Form for The Aaron’s 499 At Talladega Superspeedway is in The Mail!

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Who is the most anxious driver to mail in his “entry form” for the upcoming Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, May 5? It’s none other than the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ most recent winner - Jimmie Johnson, who by the way also was victorious in the season-opening race at Daytona, a restrictor plate track like Talladega.  Johnson’s No. 48 team is on a roll and will be a favorite in the Aaron’s 499 at NASCAR’s most competitive track, hoping to get a third career win at the 2.66-mile unpredictable track.

The most competitive racing in NASCAR combined with a mix of southern hospitality returns to Talladega Superspeedway May 3-5 for the Aaron’s Dream Weekend.  Experience the excitement as the superstars of NASCAR attempt to tackle the high-banks of ‘DEGA at 200 mph.  Secure your tickets at www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or by calling 877-Go2-DEGA.  This is more than a race…This is Talladega!

Ganassi not rushing Larson

Ganassi not rushing Larson: Kyle Larson, who has been praised as a potential superstar by Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne, is back to work crisscrossing the country racing anywhere he can during a long break in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series. He spent last weekend at home in California racing at Antioch and Calistoga in Outlaws and 360 sprints, was back in North Carolina to run his kart at MMX on Wednesday, then was off again Thursday to Sacramento to repeat last week's schedule at Antioch and Calistoga again. Next week it's back to MMX for karting and then on to Texas Motor Speedway to resume racing in the Nationwide Series. So far, team owner Chip Ganassi hasn't been disappointed. But Ganassi is being cautious. It is early, after all, and Larson has just five races with Turner Scott Motorsports under his belt. Just how long Ganassi actually allows Larson to be a kid is another question. He holds options for next year on both #1-Jamie McMurray and #42-Juan Pablo Montoya, who sit 16th and 30th in the Sprint Cup standings right now. His loyalty to Montoya is unquestioned, but he's admittedly frustrated that the results still aren't there as the duo heads into their seventh season together in NASCAR. If Ganassi has something already in mind for Larson as a potential replacement to one of his Cup drivers he isn't saying. He initially joked there was no firm plan for Larson, "we just, every Monday morning, we just throw a dart at the board," before getting serious about the importance of going slow with his young driver.(Associated Press)(4-5-2013)[JAYSKIS]