NASCAR Pole Position 2012 June/July

FREE!

FREERACEMAG.COM

PG.24 GREG BIFFLE: BACK IN THE HUNT PG.31 DRIVER PROFILES

N I T R A M JR.

E U X TSRTRONG

R E D N E T N CO

N A SC A R NE W S & NOTE S | TA IL G AT IN G T IP S | GE A R | N A SC A R FUE L | ROSTE RS & SCHE DULE S | FUN & G A ME S ON T HE ROA D | DA NIC A T RI V I A | DININ G AT T HE T R ACK | INSIDE R’S V IE W

nascar women How Well Do You Know

?

Danica Patrick 0-20 Rookie 30-40 Spectator 50-60 Fan 70-80 Race Chaser 90-100 Superfan

1

Danica Patrick made her first NASCAR Nationwide Series start in 2010 at which track?

A. Charlotte Motor Speedway B. Kansas Speedway C. Daytona International Speedway D. Chicagoland Speedway

Take the quiz and score 10 points for each correct answer.

Add up your points and see how you rank!

3

At which Japanese track did Danica become the first woman to win a major closed-course automobile race?

A. Twin Ring Motegi B. Suzuka Circuit C. Fuji Speedway D. Tokachi International Speedway

5

What former Indianapolis 500 winner gave Danica her first IndyCar Series ride in 2005?

A. Mario Andretti B. A.J. Foyt C. Rick Mears D. Bobby Rahal

7

What driver took Danica’s place in the No. 27 GoDaddy.com IndyCar this season?

A. Mario Moraes B. Vitor Meira C. Will Power D. James Hinchcliffe

9

50

POLE POSITION // 2012

In what year did Danica earn the Indianapolis 500 Rookieof-the-Year award?

A. 2004 B. 2002 C. 2005 D. 2007

2

4

What is Danica’s best finish in the Indianapolis 500?

A. Second B. Third C. Seventh D. Tenth

Which of the following publications has NOT featured Danica on its cover?

A. TV Guide B. Sports Illustrated C. Ladies’ Home Journal D. ESPN: The Magazine

6

8

Danica and her husband, Paul Hospenthal, reside in which city?

A. Roscoe, Ill. B. Phoenix, Ariz.

C. Mooresville, N.C. D. Indianapolis, Ind.

Danica is scheduled to run 10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2012. Who is driving the No. 10 Chevrolet in the remainder of the events?

A. Scott Speed B. David Reutimann C. Brian Vickers D. Bill Elliott

10

Who is Danica’s NASCAR Nationwide Series teammate this season at JR Motorsports?

A. Cole Whitt B. Aric Almirola C. Travis Pastrana D. Johanna Long

ANSWERS // 1. C; 2. B; 3. A; 4. C; 5. D; 6. B; 7. D; 8. B; 9. C; 10. A

The latest products from our advertisers, who help provide this magazine for free. Learn more about these products at FreeRaceMag.com.

1 1 HONDA SUPER QUIET GENERATORS

Honda’s Super Quiet Series generators — the EU1000i, EU2000i, EU3000is, EU3000i Handi and the EU6500is — are inverter-equipped, lightweight models that feature extremely quiet performance. Designed for the ultimate in quality, portability and convenience, these models are ideal for tailgating, camping or any trip to the great outdoors.

Honda is proud to support several teams such as Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports and others with EU series generator products that provide smooth, reliable power for their racing needs.

2 MEGUIAR’S WHEEL POLISHING KIT

Meguiar’s Wheel Polishing Kit includes everything you need to keep your specialty wheels looking their best! DynaCone™ Polisher and All Metal Polish make it fast and easy to achieve a mirror-like shine on wheels and metals in just minutes! Use with your drill, Meguiar’s® proprietary diamond-shaped tool easily accesses and safely polishes even the most delicate and tricky wheel surfaces.

3 MEGUIAR’S ENDURANCE

Do you love your tires to look shiny, but hate that the look only lasts a few days? Meguiar’s has a solution for you – Endurance Tire Spray! Available in aerosol or trigger, Endurance is Meguiar’s best performing, longest-lasting tire shine.

Endurance provides a rich, dark, high-gloss shine and UV protection that lasts weeks longer than ordinary tire shines.

2

3

4 LUMINOX

Wear your racing stripes proudly with watchmaker Luminox’s latest release, the Regimental Stripes Colormark Series. Available in six color options, Luminox’s new straps fit easily onto any 23mm lug width watch, including the customer favorite Colormark Series, allowing consumers to create their own customized look.

No matter what color of Regimental Stripe you choose—from brilliant blue to raging red—it’s time to show your stripes!

Straps are sold separately for $40. Please visit luminox.com to find a retailer in your area.

5 FOLEX®

FOLEX® is perfect for removing stains from upholstery, vinyl, clothing and practically any other material that is “colorfast” and “color-stable.” Even hard surfaces, painted surfaces, walls and woodwork that can be safely dampened with water will be quickly and easily cleaned with FOLEX®! Please visit folex.net for a list of retailers in your area and other useful information!

6 BFGOODRICH

Pull into Walmart® for a four-tire change to get the next level of control – and fun – with BFGoodrich® tires. They deliver race-inspired grip, record-setting acceleration and toughness that we’ve proven in Baja for 36 years. Whether you love driving off-road or on the street, upping your performance is as easy as bolting on a set of BFGoodrich tires. To learn more, visit bfgoodrichtires.com.

52

POLE POSITION // 2012

4

7 GORILLA TAPE

Gorilla Tough on a roll. Introducing Gorilla Tape, from the Gorilla Glue people. Gorilla Tape bonds to things other tapes simply can’t, including brick, stucco, wood and more. Made with double thick adhesive, strong reinforced backing and a tough all-weather shell, it’s the biggest, strongest, toughest thing ever to happen to tape. For the toughest jobs on planet earth. gorillatough.com

5

8 SYLVANIA HEADLIGHTS

6 g-Force ™ Super Sport A/S Z

All-Terrain T/A® KO

7

Poor visibility, especially at night, is a serious driving hazard. Did you know that headlights dim over time? SilverStar® ULTRA Headlights from SYLVANIA are up to 50 percent brighter, provide up to 40 percent increased downroad visibility and up to 50 percent sideroad visibility. A whiter, brighter light improves your reaction time, helps to avoid roadside hazards and pedestrians, and can provide you with a better nighttime driving experience. Upgrade today to start seeing better on the road. Available at most automotive product retailers. sylvania.com/auto

9 LUBRIPLATE

Chain and Cable Fluid – Penetrating Oil. A superior, cleansing, non-gumming penetrating oil for wire rope, chains, cables and general lubrication.

Prevents rust and corrosion, protects brightwork and loosens rusty nuts and bolts. Excellent for drilling, tapping and sawing. Available in a 12-ounce spray can, Part No. L0135-063. Buy it today at lubriplate.com or CARQUEST Auto Parts stores.

9

10 SPRAYWAY

10 8

Automotive professionals and car enthusiasts alike trust Sprayway Glass Cleaner to cut through smoke, bugs, grit and grime, and deliver a streakfree shine to their windows, windshields and mirrors every single time. With no Ammonia and no-drip foam, no wonder it’s the “World’s Best Glass Cleaner.” spraywayretail.com

11 WHITE CLOUD

Premium quality at an affordable price – that’s why White Cloud® is The Smart Alternative for bath tissue. Some bath tissue brands believe that a high price proves they’re “premium.” Not us! White Cloud two-ply bath tissue has all the softness you want and now it’s even thicker so you get more comfort with more money left in your pocket. Why pay more? mywhitecloud.com

11

12

12 TIGER BALM

When you need industrial-strength pain relief, but don’t want to risk the side effects caused by pills, Tiger Balm is your best tool for the job. For more than 100 years, Tiger Balm’s proven blend of herbal ingredients has delivered safe, fast and effective pain relief without the pills. It’s no wonder millions of users around the world reach for Tiger Balm to soothe their aches and pains. Available at Walgreens, CVS, drugstores, mass merchants and super markets. tigerbalm.com/us FREERACEMAG.COM

53

careers Jon Edwards ROAD MANAGER/PUBLICIST FOR JEFF GORDON

L

ife as the publicist for Jeff Gordon is a bit hectic, as to be expected. Whether it’s writing press releases, making his driver available to the media at the appropriate times or coordinating sponsor appearances, Jon Edwards always has work to do.

Yet for the veteran public relations representative, the last 12 years as road manager for one of NASCAR’s most sought-after drivers have been nothing less than a blast.

“He makes my life easy,” Edwards said of Gordon. “He understands it and gets it with the media. I hate to use that term, but he ‘gets it.’ I think that everyone in the media who works with him understands that. It’s not me.

It’s him. I work every single race. I have no qualms about that. I enjoy what I do.”

Edwards’ path to becoming the right-hand man of a four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion was fairly straightforward, too. Upon completing his education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1994, Edwards joined Performance PR Plus, a small Charlotte, N.C.-based firm that secured Gordon and sponsor DuPont as clients not long after the firm was established in 1992.

Edwards took on the responsibility of Gordon’s hospitality program and DuPont’s NHRA program, but it wasn’t until 2000 that he began handling the media relations side of Gordon’s NASCAR program. The 40-year-old native of Durham, N.C., has been at it ever since.

But Edwards’ relationship with Gordon predates his promotion to road manager – or even his time at Performance PR Plus.

“When I was at UNC-Chapel Hill, I would go help out North Carolina Motor Speedway and assist them with events during the year, just to get my feet wet,” Edwards recalled. “And one of those events was the Winston Cup Preview, which used to be held up in Winston-Salem (N.C.) every January. So I was actually introduced to Jeff in ’93 and when I came on board in ’94, I had already dealt with him through a couple events we had done and when I worked with Performance PR Plus in ’94, I started seeing him every weekend through our hospitality program.

“So before any races were won, I was already seeing and working with him on a weekly basis, so I wasn’t star-struck at all. It was just Jeff Gordon.”

Edwards looks back on his time at North Carolina Motor Speedway – now known as Rockingham Speedway – as VITAL STATS: the key to getting him where he is today.

■■ Name: Jon Edwards “If I was getting paid, it was just ■■ Resides: Charlotte, N.C. enough for my gas to and from Cha■■ Age: 40 pel Hill down there,” Edwards said of ■■ Occupation: Media Relations, the Rockingham experience. “But I Performance PR Plus wasn’t concerned about that. I was TIPS FOR STUDENTS: more concerned about meeting in■■ Build professional relationships ■■ Pursue a journalism/writing dividuals and building relationships background that could hopefully get my foot in the door. It certainly helped me.”

54

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY JARED TURNER

Ray Shough HAULER DRIVER & MERCHANDISE SALESMAN

H

ardly a weekend passes that Ray Shough isn’t selling Dale Earnhardt Jr. Sometimes, it’s hats and T-shirts. Often, it’s die-cast cars. He’s even been asked about the availability of Dale Jr. underwear.

Whatever item he’s selling at any given moment, Shough never grows bored with being the face behind the counter of the JR Motorsports souvenir hauler on race weekends.

The 55-year-old Floridian has been selling driver merchandise and driving souvenir haulers to race tracks since linking up with the late Tim Richmond in the 1980s.

Shough has done contract work for Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports team for five seasons now. He’s at every race with a smile on his face.

“It’s living the dream,” said Shough, who spends 12 hours at the track most every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. “It’s great. I love it. My wife travels with me. My daughter has traveled with me. Both of my sons have worked in the business before going on to other jobs.

“We enjoy the people, the race fans. I enjoy the travel because you get to see a lot of the country. We go from track to track, and it’s a family atmosphere out here, too.”

In addition to driving the souvenir truck to each race, Shough is responsible for restocking it ahead of each race weekend.

This usually occurs midweek, when Shough picks up the merchandise from the team’s car hauler, which transports any merchandise that was sold out at the previous event.

Shough adds the new items to whatever is left over on the souvenir truck, and sets up shop early on the first day of the race weekend. There is little down time once the fans start pouring into the track, but he doesn’t mind.

“We see people I’ve been waiting on for 30 years that come back, and we have great friends on that side of the counter that come and see us, and we go out to dinner with them,” he said. “We have so many friends that we meet doing this.”

lifestyle DOWNTIME WITH TY DILLON

S

ince moving from the ARCA Racing Series to the more competitive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season, Ty Dillon hasn’t found as much time to pursue his interests outside of racing. But when Dillon isn’t at the track or the race shop, the 2011 ARCA champion can usually be found in the woods.

“We’ve always hunted,” said the 20-year-old grandson of team owner Richard Childress and younger brother of reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Austin Dillon. “My grandfather got us into hunting at a young age. That’s what we like to do. My brother and I bought some hunting land, so we go over there and work on it and try to manage it a little bit and get some deer and turkey out there. We’re country boys. We like to be outdoors.”

The Dillon brothers try to hunt “probably 10 or 11 times a year,” Ty says, and “it could be anything from a pheasant to a bear or going to Africa hunting or fishing in British Columbia.”

He concludes: “We’ve done it all with my grandfather. Mainly we’ve done a lot of whitetail deer hunting.”

TRAINING WITH BOBBY LABONTE

B

obby Labonte is big on working out. “I do cardio, I lift weights, just do stuff,” said Labonte, who turned 48 in May. “We don’t do the same thing over and over. I get too bored too easy. ADD kicks in. So it’s crazy. We’ll do calisthenics, we’ll do cross-fitting, we’ll do cycling, we’ll do slow weights, we’ll do stretching.”

Unlike some of his fellow drivers, Labonte doesn’t have a certain number of hours that he aims to train over a certain period of time.

“Really, I’ve found that you can work out less and get more out of it,” said the 2000 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. “It depends on what you can do.”

When he’s at home in North Carolina, Labonte rarely goes a day without some form of cardio exercise, whether it’s running or biking.

“Everybody’s doing it,” he said. “It’s just a thing where not only do I feel better in the car, I just feel better totally. I try not to be any other way. It’s not just for racing. It’s for life.”

MENTAL PREP WITH RON HORNADAY How do you mentally prepare to race? Is there anything special you do to get your mind ready?

I go up in the motor home and relax for a little bit and let the dog out. I’ll have a small thing to eat in the morning, maybe a bagel or something, and I’ll drink water and maybe a little soda pop just before the race for a little energy.

FUELING UP WITH PARKER KLIGERMAN

Breakfast:

“ON A TYPICAL DAY AT home if I eat breakfast, I’d have scrambled eggs and bacon. That’s my favorite thing for breakfast, maybe with some fruit.

I have Celiac disease, which means I’m gluten intolerant. I’m gluten-free all the time, so I don’t eat any wheat products.”

Lunch:

“I DON’T KNOW. USUally I stick with salads and such, chicken salads or some sort of chicken or lighter meal. Then I usually work out in the afternoon. I’m a workout enthusiast, I guess.

I work out five to six days a week.”

Dinner:

“IF PEOPLE were to ask me what would be my favorite dinner, it would be surf and turf, steak and lobster with mashed potatoes and some sort of broccoli. That’s about it.”

Snack:

“THERE’S NOT MUCH because of my [Celiac disease]. I do love candy, although I’ve had to wean off of it. When we used to race at the lower levels, I’d eat way too much candy.

Sour Power, which is a special brand of candy from Dorval, is my favorite thing in the whole wide world.”

FREERACEMAG.COM

55

Study the top photo, then see if you can find the 10 changes that were made in the bottom photo.

56

POLE POSITION // 2012

ANSWERS // (1) Airplane in sky (2) Water tower outside of track (3) Sunoco on the awning is red (4) Smiley face on awning support pole (5) Bird in the sky (6) Pit crew member is looking at wall (7) Extra gas can on red gas wagon (8) A.E. Engine logo has been placed on the ground (9) Pit crew member holding broom (10) Tire tracks on ground

fun pages

PHOTOHUNT

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

2

FAN ARTWORK

■ [1] Nick Kluksdahl – Age 12 – Buford, Ga. ■ [2] Tristan Drew Baker – Age 11 – Charlotte, N.C. ■ Visit freeracemag. com to learn more about the Winner’s Circle.

1

Can you draw NASCAR?

N

ow is your chance to be featured in the pages of NASCAR Pole Position!

Send us your NASCAR-themed artwork. The lucky winners will receive a race jacket of their favorite driver! On a piece of paper, send us your name, age, complete mailing address, email address or phone number and the driver jacket you would like to win. No purchase necessary. All entries are eligible.

Submissions cannot be returned. Questions?

Email poleposition@ae-engine.com. Send your artwork, unfolded, in an oversized envelope to: NASCAR Pole Position Magazine c/o A.E. Engine, Attn: Stacey Foster 11880 28th St. North, Suite 101 St. Petersburg, FL 33716

WORDSPELL How many words can you spell using only the letters that appear in this driver’s name?

danica patrick pat, trick...

WHO AM I?

MATCH UP

■ I was born in Vancouver, Wash.

■ I was the 2001 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year ■ I race for Roush Fenway Racing ■ I have 17 wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ■ My first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win was in 2003 in the July race at Daytona

Match the driver to his car number:

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Kevin Harvick Kasey Kahne Aric Almirola Kyle Busch Brad Keselowski

ANSWERS // WHO AM I? Greg Biffle // MATCH-UP: Kevin Harvick (29), Kasey Kahne (5), Aric Almirola (43), Kyle Busch (18), Brad Keselowski (2)

FREERACEMAG.COM

57

rosters & schedules 2012 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES ROSTER No.

Driver

Team

Sponsor & Make

Crew Chief

Hometown

Birthdate

1

Jamie McMurray

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Bass Pro Shops/McDonald’s Chevrolet

Kevin Manion

Joplin, Mo.

June 3, 1976

2

Brad Keselowski

Penske Racing

Miller Lite Dodge

Paul Wolfe

Rochester Hills, Mich.

Feb. 12, 1984

5

Kasey Kahne

Hendrick Motorsports

Farmers Insurance/Quaker State Chevrolet

Kenny Francis

Enumclaw, Wash.

April 10, 1980

9

Marcos Ambrose

Richard Petty Motorsports

Stanley/DeWalt Ford

Todd Parrott

Tasmania, Australia

Sept. 1, 1976

10

Danica Patrick

Stewart-Haas Racing

GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

Greg Zipadelli

Roscoe, Ill.

March 25, 1982

David Reutimann

Tommy Baldwin Racing

Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet

Tommy Baldwin Jr.

Zephyrhills, Fla.

March 2, 1970

11

Denny Hamlin

Joe Gibbs Racing

FedEx Toyota

Darian Grubb

Chesterfield, Va.

Nov. 18, 1980

13

Casey Mears

Germain Racing

GEICO Ford

Robert “Bootie” Barker Bakersfield, Calif.

March 12, 1978

14

Tony Stewart

Stewart-Haas Racing

Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet

Steve Addington

Columbus, Ind.

May 20, 1971

15

Clint Bowyer

Michael Waltrip Racing

5-Hour Energy Toyota

Brian Pattie

Emporia, Kan.

May 30, 1979

16

Greg Biffle

Roush Fenway Racing

3M Ford

Matt Puccia

Vancouver, Wash.

Dec. 23, 1969

17

Matt Kenseth

Roush Fenway Racing

Best Buy Ford

Jimmy Fennig

Cambridge, Wis.

March 10, 1972

18

Kyle Busch

Joe Gibbs Racing

M&M’s Toyota

Dave Rogers

Las Vegas, Nev.

May 2, 1985

20

Joey Logano

Joe Gibbs Racing

The Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota

Jason Ratcliff

Middletown, Conn.

May 24, 1990

21

Trevor Bayne

Wood Brothers Racing

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford

Donnie Wingo

Knoxville, Tenn.

Feb. 19, 1991

22

AJ Allmendinger

Penske Racing

Shell/Pennzoil Dodge

Todd Gordon

Los Gatos, Calif.

Dec. 16, 1981

23

Scott Riggs

R3 Motorsports

R3 Motorsports Chevrolet

Greg Conner

Bahama, N.C.

Jan. 1, 1971

24

Jeff Gordon

Hendrick Motorsports

Drive to End Hunger/DuPont Chevrolet

Alan Gustafson

Vallejo, Calif.

Aug. 4, 1971

26

Josh Wise

Front Row Motorsports

Front Row Motorsports Ford

Charles Dickey Jr.

Riverside, Calif.

Feb. 7, 1983

27

Paul Menard

Richard Childress Racing

Menards Chevrolet

Richard “Slugger” Labbe Eau Claire, Wis.

Aug. 21, 1980

29

Kevin Harvick

Richard Childress Racing

Budweiser/Rheem Chevrolet

Shane Wilson

Bakersfield, Calif.

Dec. 8, 1975

30

David Stremme

Inception Motorsports

Inception Motorsports Chevrolet

Steve Lane

South Bend, Ind.

Jun 19, 1977

31

Jeff Burton

Richard Childress Racing

Caterpillar/Wheaties Chevrolet

Drew Blickensderfer

South Boston, Va.

June 29, 1967

34

David Ragan

Front Row Motorsports

Front Row Motorsports Ford

Jay Guy

Unadilla, Ga.

Dec. 24, 1985

36

Dave Blaney

Tommy Baldwin Racing

Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet

Ryan Pemberton

Hartford, Ohio

Oct. 24, 1962

38

David Gilliland

Front Row Motorsports

Front Row Motorsports Ford

Pat Tryson

Riverside, Calif.

April 1, 1976

39

Ryan Newman

Stewart-Haas Racing

U.S. Army/Quicken Loans Chevrolet

Tony Gibson

South Bend, Ind.

Dec. 8, 1977

42

Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing

Target Chevrolet

Chris Heroy

Bogota, Colombia

Sept. 20, 1975

43

Aric Almirola

Richard Petty Motorsports

Smithfield Foods Ford

Greg Erwin

Tampa, Fla.

March 14, 1984

47

Bobby Labonte

JTG Daugherty Racing

Clorox/Kingsford Charcoal Toyota

Todd Berrier

Corpus Christi, Texas

May 8, 1964

48

Jimmie Johnson

Hendrick Motorsports

Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet

Chad Knaus

El Cajon, Calif.

Sept. 17, 1975

51

Kurt Busch

Phoenix Racing

Phoenix Construction Chevrolet

Nick Harrison

Las Vegas, Nev.

Aug. 4, 1978

55

Mark Martin

Michael Waltrip Racing

Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota

Rodney Childers

Batesville, Ark.

Jan. 9, 1959

56

Martin Truex Jr.

Michael Waltrip Racing

NAPA Auto Parts Toyota

Chad Johnston

Mayetta, N.J.

June 29, 1980

78

Regan Smith

Furniture Row Racing

Furniture Row Chevrolet

Pete Rondeau

Cato, N.Y.

Sept. 23, 1983

83

Landon Cassill

BK Racing

Burger King Toyota

Doug Richert

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

July 7, 1989

87

Joe Nemechek

NEMCO Motorsports

NEMCO Motorsports Toyota

Steven Gray

Lakeland, Fla.

Sept. 26, 1963

88

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Hendrick Motorsports

Diet Mt. Dew/National Guard Chevrolet

Steve Letarte

Kannapolis, N.C.

Oct. 10, 1974

93

Travis Kvapil

BK Racing

Burger King Toyota

Todd Anderson

Janesville, Wis.

March 1, 1976

95

Scott Speed

Leavine Family Racing

Leavine Family Racing Ford

Wally Rogers

Manteca, Calif.

Jan. 24, 1983

98

Michael McDowell

Phil Parsons Racing

Curb Records Ford

Gene Nead

Glendale, Ariz.

Dec. 21, 1984

99

Carl Edwards

Roush Fenway Racing

Fastenal Ford

Bob Osborne

Columbia, Mo.

Aug. 15, 1979

2012 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE

58

Feb. 18

*Daytona International Speedway

May 27

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Sept. 2

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Feb. 26

Daytona International Speedway

June 3

Dover International Speedway

Sept. 8

Richmond International Raceway

March 4

Phoenix International Raceway

June 10

Pocono International Raceway

Sept. 16

Chicagoland Speedway

March 11 Las Vegas Motor Speedway

June 17

Michigan International Speedway

Sept. 23 New Hampshire Motor Speedway

March 18 Bristol Motor Speedway

June 24

Infineon Raceway

Sept. 30 Dover International Speedway

March 25 Auto Club Speedway

June 30

Kentucky Speedway

Oct. 7

Talladega Superspeedway

April 1

Martinsville Speedway

July 7

Daytona International Speedway

Oct. 13

Charlotte Motor Speedway

April 14

Texas Motor Speedway

July 15

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Oct. 21

Kansas Speedway

April 22

Kansas Speedway

July 29

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Oct. 28

Martinsville Speedway

April 28

Richmond International Raceway

Aug. 5

Pocono Raceway

Nov. 4

Texas Motor Speedway

May 6

Talladega Superspeedway

Aug. 12

Watkins Glen International

Nov. 11

Phoenix International Raceway

May 12

Darlington Raceway

Aug. 1

Michigan International Speedway

Nov. 18

Homestead-Miami Speedway

May 19

*Charlotte Motor Speedway

Aug. 25

Bristol Motor Speedway

*Non-Points, Special Event

POLE POSITION // 2012

2012 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES ROSTER & SCHEDULE No.

Driver

Hometown

Team

Make

Crew Chief

Feb. 25

Daytona International Speedway

01 09 2 3 4 6 7 10 11 12 14 15 18

19 20

22 23

31 33 38

39 40 43 44 51 54

60 70 81 87 88 89 99

Mike Wallace Kenny Wallace Elliott Sadler Austin Dillon Danny Efland Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Danica Patrick Jeff Green Brian Scott Sam Hornish Jr. Eric McClure Blake Koch Denny Hamlin Michael McDowell Tayler Malsam Joey Logano Denny Hamlin Brad Keselowski Robert Richardson Jr. Jamie Dick Justin Allgaier Kevin Harvick Brad Sweet Kasey Kahne Joey Gase Josh Wise Michael Annett Mike Bliss Jeremy Clements Kyle Busch Kurt Busch Trevor Bayne Johanna Long Jason Bowles Joe Nemechek Cole Whitt Morgan Shepherd Travis Pastrana

St. Louis, Mo. St. Louis, Mo. Emporia, Va. Lewisville, N.C. Irmo, S.C. Olive Branch, Miss.

Roscoe, Ill. Owensboro, Ky. Boise, Idaho Defiance, Ohio Chilhowie, Va. West Palm Beach, Fla. Chesterfield, Va. Glendale, Ariz.

Seattle, Wash.

Middletown, Conn.

Chesterfield, Va. Rochester Hills, Mich.

McKinney, Texas Albuquerque, N.M. Riverton, Ill. Bakersfield, Calif.

Grass Valley, Calif.

Enumclaw, Wash.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Riverside, Calif.

Des Moines, Iowa Milwaukie, Ore. Spartanburg, S.C. Las Vegas, Nev. Las Vegas, Nev. Knoxville, Tenn.

Pensacola, Fla. Ontario, Calif.

Lakeland, Fla. Alpine, Calif.

Conover, N.C. Annapolis, Md.

JD Motorsports RAB Racing Richard Childress Racing Richard Childress Racing JD Motorsports Roush Fenway Racing JR Motorsports Tri-Star Motorsports Joe Gibbs Racing Penske Racing TriStar Motorsports Rick Ware Racing Joe Gibbs Racing

Chevrolet Toyota Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet Ford Chevrolet Toyota Toyota Dodge Chevrolet Ford Toyota

Newt Moore Scott Zipadelli Luke Lambert Danny Stockman Patrick Magee Mike Kelley Tony Eury Jr. Todd Myers Kevin Kidd Chad Walter Wes Ward George Church Matt Lucas

March 3

Phoenix International Raceway

TriStar Motorsports Joe Gibbs Racing Penske Racing R3 Motorsports

Toyota Toyota Dodge Chevrolet

Eddie Pardue Adam Stevens Jeremy Bullins Greg Conner

March 10

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

March 17

Bristol Motor Speedway

March 24

Auto Club Speedway

April 13

Texas Motor Speedway

April 27

Richmond International Raceway

May 5

Talladega Superspeedway

May 11

Darlington Raceway

May 20

Iowa Speedway

May 26

Charlotte Motor Speedway

June 2

Dover International Speedway

June 16

Michigan International Speedway

June 23

Road America

June 29

Kentucky Speedway

July 6

Daytona International Speedway

July 14

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

July 22

Chicagoland Speedway

Turner Motorsports Richard Childress Racing Turner Motorsports

Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet

Jimmy Elledge Ernie Cope Mike Shiplett

July 28

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Aug. 4

Iowa Speedway

Aug. 11

Watkins Glen International

Go Green Racing The Motorsports Group Richard Petty Motorsports TriStar Motorsports Jeremy Clements Racing Kyle Busch Motorsports

Ford Chevrolet Ford Toyota Chevrolet Toyota

Clinton Cram Gary Showalter Phillippe Lopez Paul Capprood Ricky Pearson Mike Beam

Aug. 18

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

Aug. 24

Bristol Motor Speedway

Sept. 1

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Sept. 7

Richmond International Raceway

Sept. 15

Chicagoland Speedway

Sept. 22

Kentucky Speedway

Roush Fenway Racing ML Motorsports MacDonald Motorsports NEMCO Motorsports JR Motorsports Faith Motorsports Diamond-Waltrip Racing

Ford Chevrolet Dodge Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet Toyota

Chad Norris Mark Gutekunst John Monsam Gary Cogswell Bruce Cook Gary Ravan Mike Greci

Sept. 29

Dover International Speedway

Oct. 12

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Oct. 20

Kansas Speedway

Nov. 3

Texas Motor Speedway

Nov. 10

Phoenix International Raceway

Nov. 17

Homestead-Miami Speedway

2012 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES ROSTER & SCHEDULE No.

Driver

Hometown

Team

Make

Crew Chief

Feb. 24

Daytona International Speedway

08 09 2 3 5 6 7 9 11 13 17 18 22 23 24 29 30 31 32 33 39 57 60 82 88 92 98

Ross Chastain John Wes Townley Tim George Jr. Ty Dillon Paulie Harraka Justin Lofton John King Ron Hornaday Jr. Todd Bodine Johnny Sauter Timothy Peters Jason Leffler Joey Coulter Jason White Max Gresham Parker Kligerman Nelson Piquet Jr. James Buescher Miguel Paludo Cale Gale Ryan Sieg Norm Benning J.R. Fitzpatrick Grant Enfinger Matt Crafton David Reutimann Dakoda Armstrong

Alva, Fla. Watkinsville, Ga. New York, N.Y. Lewisville, N.C. Fair Lawn, N.J. Westmorland, Calif.

Kingsport, Tenn.

Palmdale, Calif.

Chemung, N.Y. Necedah, Wis. Providence, N.C. Long Beach, Calif.

Miami Springs, Fla. Powhatan, Va. Stockbridge, Ga. Westport, Conn.

Brasilia, Brazil Plano, Texas Nova Prata, Brazil Mobile, Ala. Tucker, Ga. Level Green, Pa. Cambridge, Ontario Fairhope, Ala. Tulare, Calif.

Zephyrhills, Fla. New Castle, Ind.

SS Green Light Racing Robby Benton Racing Richard Childress Racing Richard Childress Racing Wauters Motorsports Eddie Sharp Racing Red Horse Racing Joe Denette Motorsports Red Horse Racing ThorSport Racing Red Horse Racing Kyle Busch Motorsports Richard Childress Racing GunBroker.com Racing Joe Denette Motorsports Brad Keselowski Racing Turner Motorsports Turner Motorsports Turner Motorsports Eddie Sharp Racing RSS Racing Norm Benning Racing Turn One Racing BRG Motorsports ThorSport Racing RBR Enterprises ThorSport Racing

Toyota Toyota Chevrolet Chevrolet Ford Chevrolet Toyota Chevrolet Toyota Toyota Toyota Toyota Chevrolet Ford Chevrolet Dodge Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet Ford Toyota Chevrolet Toyota

Bryan Berry Chris Rice Marcus Richmond Scott Naset Richie Wauters Danny Bormann Chad Kendrick Jeff Hensley Rick Gay Jr. Joe Shear Jr. Butch Hylton Eric Phillips Harold Holly Doug George Richie Snyder Doug Randolph Chris Carrier Michael Shelton Mike Hillman Jr. Jerry Baxter Tony Wilson Ted Walters Kevin Starland Josh Bragg Carl Joiner Jason Overstreet Dan Stillman

March 31

Martinsville Speedway

April 15

Rockingham Speedway

April 21

Kansas Speedway

May 18

Charlotte Motor Speedway

June 1

Dover International Speedway

June 8

Texas Motor Speedway

June 28

Kentucky Speedway

July 14

Iowa Speedway

July 21

Chicagoland Speedway

Aug. 4

Pocono Raceway

Aug. 18

Michigan International Speedway

Aug. 22

Bristol Motor Speedway

Aug. 31

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Sept. 15

Iowa Speedway

Sept. 21

Kentucky Speedway

Sept. 29

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Oct. 6

Talladega Superspeedway

Oct. 27

Martinsville Speedway

Nov. 2

Texas Motor Speedway

Nov. 9

Phoenix International Raceway

Nov. 16

Homestead-Miami Speedway

FREERACEMAG.COM

59

did you know?

NASCAR Drive for Diversity: Ryan Gifford THESE DAYS YOU CAN HARDLY RECOGNIZE RYAN GIFFORD, EITHER ON THE TRACK OR OUT OF HIS CAR.

N

ot only did Gifford shed nearly 20 pounds over the offseason and commit himself to becoming a better all-around race car driver, but the third-year veteran of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East is off to an impressive start to 2012. He finished third in the season opener at Bristol Motor Speedway in March – the highest-finishing series regular in the race – and nearly won in April at Richmond International Raceway.

“It’s really been good for me this year,” said Gifford, a native of Winchester, Tenn., and driver of the Rev Racing No. 2 Universal Technical Institute Toyota. “I have a really good group of guys behind me, they all believe in me. They know I’m capable of winning races in this series and they’re encouraging me to go out there and do it.”

Gifford isn’t alone in having undergone a dramatic offseason transformation.

Rev Racing changed its name from Revolution Racing, overhauled its lineup of NASCAR K&N Pro Series drivers and took its organizational structure in an entirely new direction.

The results? Three drivers, including rookies Kyle Larson and Bryan Ortiz, sitting in the Top-8 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings and two more drivers – Trey Gibson and Mackena Bell – are running successfully in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model division at Hickory Motor Speedway.

Rev Racing owner Max Siegel, who formed the team as part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program four years ago, said the road has been a long one, though the organization has finally found its footing.

“Being a new organization and a new model [was difficult],” Siegel said. “Getting both the startup costs as well as the startup effort, that was really a big challenge. We’ve had the pleasure of having some really good professionals in our organization, but getting the right chemistry and the right teamwork together was key.

“I don’t want to harp on it, but it was about right-sizing the business model. It’s no secret it’s expensive to field a race team, so those are things that have been a challenge for us.”

Rev Racing has fielded a multi-car team in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series since the start of the 2010 season, and last year it found plenty of on-track success. Between them, Darrell Wallace Jr. and Sergio Pena won exactly half of the races on the schedule – six out of 12 – but both left for new teams in 2012. Siegel said that while the on-track performance was starting to get noticed, the behindthe-scenes workings at Rev Racing needed attention.

To help treat some of the in-house ailments, the organization looked at where it was spending its money and focusing its overall effort.

“Darrell was Rookie of the Year (in 2010), and we won several

60

POLE POSITION // 2012

races last year as a team – we won 50 percent of the races, which was unprecedented,” Siegel said. “It validated both the (academystyle) training model that we had and the entire program.

“We know the work that went into driver development at this level. The model works. ... That being said, we’re always looking to improve as an organization. We’re doing more data-driven analysis; we’ve created an exciting partnership with St. Vincent Sports Performance – which works on everything from sports psychology to medical treatment, and a lot of simulation work.”

Gifford has noticed the difference and thinks it’s translated directly to the races. In his third year at Rev Racing, he said the team made more leaps over this past off-season than at any other point in his time there.

“They’ve completely restructured and downsized their program,” Gifford said. “I think we’re focused on the competition part of it more than anything now. That’s done a lot for our on-track performance, and it’s helped us with our relationship with Toyota.

“It’s really awesome.”

NASCAR Pole Position is now available on your tablet or PC Head to Zinio.com or download the app on your device for more information.

NASCARÂŽ is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc.

dining at the track

INDIANAPOLIS

On The Menu

NASCAR TRACKS FEATURE UNIQUE CONCESSION ITEMS

F

ood and beverages are as important to the NASCAR experience as the racing. Therefore, race track personnel go to great lengths to offer fans an extensive variety of concession items.

Naturally, there are the standards, such as cheeseburgers, French fries, hot dogs and popcorn. However, each speedway likes to showcase at least one unique item, which usually is attached to the facility’s regional roots. Here’s a look at the most unique menu offerings at the speedways hosting NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in June and July.

Dover International Speedway: Nicknamed the “Monster Mile,” Dover International Speedway opened an eatery last year that can easily satisfy the monster appetite.

Frankie’s Monster Mile Café, located next to the track’s monster monument, serves Tony Luke’s cheesesteak. Yep, that’s the same Tony Luke cheesesteak made popular in

62

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY DEB WILLIAMS

Philadelphia. In fact, Luke came to the track last year to instruct everyone on the proper way to cook the cheesesteak. The café also offers a chicken cheesesteak. In addition to cheese, available toppings are onions, hot and sweet peppers, and mushrooms.

The café also offers 10- and 12-inch breakfast subs, grilled turkey burgers with a tomato bruschetta on a wheat roll, a turkey wrap, a grilled chicken sandwich, crinkled and sweet potato fries, fried Oreos, pastries, cannoli and a wine bar.

Pocono Raceway: Before Drs. Joseph and Rose Mattioli focused their sole attention on Pocono Raceway, they established their dental and podiatry practices in Philadelphia. Therefore, it’s only fitting that the Philadelphia cheesesteak is the fan favorite at the track now operated by the couple’s grandchildren.

Created in Philadelphia, the sandwich is comprised of thinly-sliced pieces of steak and melted cheese placed in a long roll.

Onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, mayonnaise, hot sauce, salt, pepper and ketchup may be added.

Michigan International Speedway: Michigan International Speedway honors

the nearby town of Jackson with its Michigan Coney Dog, a hot dog smothered in chili and onions. Created in Jackson, Mich., in 1914, the Michigan-style Coney hot dog is unique because of its thick, meat, bean-less chili.

However, food is often a work-in-progress and this year a new version of the popular hot dog will be introduced at the Michigan races. Inspired by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger, the Dinger Dog will have spicy chili and jalapenos along with the regular toppings found on a Michiganstyle Coney Dog. Infineon Raceway: A hamburger with a Northern California twist is being unveiled this year at Infineon Raceway’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Freshly ground Niman Ranch beef will be the foundation of the much-loved raceway staple. It will be served on an artisan bun with cheese and organic vegetables, locally made and grown in the raceway’s neighboring Northern California wine country. The burgers will be sold in specially built hamburger stands by local, non-profit organizations. However, the burger will be prepared by the raceway’s on-site concessionaire, Levy Restaurants.

KENTUCKY

Kentucky Speedway: Kentucky Speedway’s new Flame & Fuel concession stand will feature the Kentucky Hot Brown Burger; however, a savory turkey burger is also on the menu. Served on grilled Texas toast, the turkey burger is topped with Mornay sauce, cheese, apple wood smoked bacon, sliced tomato and grated Parmesan.

For those on a low carb diet, a skewer of six hand-made meatballs, known as Meatball Mania, is available. If bread isn’t an issue, the three-flavored meatballs also are served sub style in a hoagie roll.

On the desert side, there’s the bourbon chocolate bacon ball. This delectable sweet is comprised of a bourbon-infused chocolate center wrapped in smoky bacon, then blanketed in fluffy funnel cake batter and fried to crispy perfection. It’s served with a rich caramel sauce.

Daytona International Speedway: Picnics with plenty of hot dogs and hamburgers are synonymous with the Fourth of July. Therefore, it’s only appropriate for Daytona International Speedway’s traditional Independence Day race to feature the Daytona Dog. A jumbo, all beef, one-third pound hot

DOVER

dog, the Daytona Dog is served on a 10inch freshly baked bun with a generous portion of chili, cheese, relish and onion.

Daytona’s signature concession item definitely means no one will leave the 2.5-mile speedway hungry.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway: When you think of New England, what food comes to mind? That’s right, lobster and clam chowder, and both can be found at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The Lite Lobster Lounge showcases all of the food for which New England is known.

One-pound lobsters and clam chowder are both available in the Lite Lobster Lounge’s family-friendly atmosphere. There’s also a new menu item this year – lobster nachos.

Beverages and entertainment are provided in the Lite Lobster Lounge as well.

It’s definitely food that says one thing: Welcome to New England.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Long before the Hulman family acquired Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hulman & Co. owned Clabber Girl Baking Powder, the nation’s leading brand. Today, the two historic American icons provide race fans with products that leave them smiling.

INDIANAPOLIS ■■ Rex Coffee, with its premium roasts, is a favorite at the Clabber Girl concession trailer.

Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway ■■ Scrumptious cookies baked with Clabber Girl Baking Powder will satisfy any sweet tooth.

Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway KENTUCKY ■■ Meatball Mania features a skewer of six hand-made meatballs. They come in three flavors: traditional beef with marinara; chicken with green chili Verde; and Thai pork with ginger-soy barbecue sauce. Photo Courtesy of Kentucky Motor Speedway DOVER ■■ Tony Luke’s Cheesesteak is the most popular item at Frankie’s Monster Mile Café. Photo Courtesy of Dover Downs Hotel & Casino A Clabber Girl concession trailer located near the speedway’s internationally famous Gasoline Alley garage area serves biscuits and gravy, cookies and strawberry shortcake parfaits with biscuits. The biscuits are made with the double-action Clabber Girl Baking Powder.

Rex Coffee, owned by Hulman & Co. since the late 1800s, also is sold in the Clabber Girl trailer.

FREERACEMAG.COM

63

insider’s view FRESH FACES

James Buescher

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES DRIVER

5

THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT JAMES BUESCHER

1

I’ve got four dogs. I have a yellow lab and a Maltipoo. They’re both puppies. They’re about two weeks apart in age. And then we have two Dachshunds that are 4 and 6 years old.

I drive my own motor home.

2 3

D

escribing himself as “pretty low-key” and “not into big and flashy,” James Buescher won’t win an award for most flamboyant NASCAR driver. In fact, he probably wouldn’t even be in the discussion about it. That’s just fine with him, though.

“It doesn’t bother me if people don’t know who I am,” said the soft-spoken 22-year-old Texan. “I’m here to race, so I’m not into trying to be the coolest guy out there. I just like to be low-key and have good people around me.”

On the race track, Buescher is delivering good results – and getting better all the time. And, despite not being the least bit showy, he’s turning plenty of heads.

Buescher first made a strong impression with a third-place finish in the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings – a truly remarkable feat after failing to qualify for the season’s second race at Phoenix International Raceway.

The youngster has picked up in 2012 right where he left off, scoring a huge victory in the NASCAR Nationwide Series opener at Daytona, and posting a dominant win in the April 21 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway.

Both came driving for Turner Motorsports, the organization he joined full time ahead of the 2011 season. He’s running a full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and part-time NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule this season.

“Last year was definitely a breakthrough season for us, and then winning Daytona [in the NASCAR Nationwide Series] at the beginning of this year definitely helped, too,” said Buescher, who competes for the organization owned by his father-in-law, Texas businessman Steve Turner. “So I think more and more people are starting to realize that we are capable of doing this and we’re here to win races and we’re here to win championships.”

Like most young drivers, Buescher harbors hopes of reaching the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. But unlike a lot of others with similar goals, he’s in no huge hurry.

As Buescher points out, he’s only 22 years old. Time appears to be on his side.

“You’ve got to take the right opportunity when it comes along and you can’t go force your way into a bad opportunity just to say that you’re a [NASCAR Sprint] Cup driver,” Buescher explained. “You shouldn’t take the first opportunity that comes your way if it’s not a good fit, or maybe not one of the best teams. I look at it as you get one shot. And if you don’t take the right opportunity when you get the opportunity, once you go and fail, you don’t get another opportunity.

“So whenever I do get to go to [NASCAR Sprint] Cup, I want to be in the right situation and make it where I can stay in the sport for a long time. I don’t want to go race [NASCAR Sprint] Cup for three weeks and then not race anymore.”

64

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY JARED TURNER

I got married in the offseason to my wife, Kris. We’ve been together a little over seven years now. I don’t know how to really explain it. Everybody told us it would be different when we got married, but we weren’t convinced.

And now we know everybody else is right. It is different, but there are a lot of things that are still the same.

You just have a different outlook on things.

I play golf and try to relax and get out of the hustle and bustle. I’ve only played golf once this year, so I haven’t had a lot of time. It’s been pretty busy, but I like to play at least once or twice a month. We do it to have fun. We don’t take it too seriously.

I live in Katy, Texas, (20 minutes) outside of Houston. Most of the other drivers live in North Carolina, so it’s a little bit different. I just like it there. It goes back to wanting to relax when I can and keep myself refreshed and try to get away from everything as much as I can, but everything for racing’s still a phone call away.

4

5

MIDSEASON REPORT driver profiles

BY JARED TURNER

driver profiles: MIDSEASON REPORT

▐ OWNER: MARGARET HAAS ▐ TEAM: STEWART-HAAS RACING ▐ CAR: OFFICE DEPOT/MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: STEVE ADDINGTON

14 tony stewart TONY STEWART

A notoriously slow seasonal starter, Tony Stewart got off to an unusually fast start in 2012. The driver nicknamed “Smoke” seemed to pick up close to where he left off in 2011 when he won five of the final 10 races en route to an improbable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

Stewart, who typically doesn’t bring his “A Game” until mid-summer at the earliest, came out of the gate swinging – despite the inevitable adjustment of being paired with new crew chief Steve Addington, who Stewart brought on board to replace 2011 champion crew chief Darian Grubb following Grubb’s release from Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of last season.

With veteran Addington calling the shots for Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet team, the three-time champion won his Gatorade Duel qualifying race at Daytona leading up to the season’s official kickoff with the Daytona 500. After finishing 16th in the Daytona 500 and 22nd the following weekend at Phoenix, Stewart really began to rumble. The owner/driver won twice in three weeks, scoring a convincing victory at Las Vegas and winning again two weeks later in a rain-shortened race at Auto Club Speedway in California.

Following a seventh-place finish at Martinsville, Stewart moved all the way to third in the standings heading into the Easter off-weekend. If there was a negative to be had of Stewart’s early-season performance, it was lack of consistency. The Indiana resident netted just three top-10 finishes in the first eight races, finishing outside the top 20 on two occasions.

32

POLE POSITION // 2012

NASCAR Pole Position is now available on your tablet or PC Head to Zinio.com or download the app on your device for more information.

NASCARÂŽ is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc.

driver profiles: MIDSEASON REPORT

driver profiles

▐ OWNER: JEFF GORDON ▐ TEAM: HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS ▐ CAR: LOWE’S CHEVROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: CHAD KNAUS

48 JIMMIE JOHNSON JIMMIE JOHNSON

Jimmie Johnson began the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season in the most unusual of positions – without carrying the mantle of reigning series champion. Johnson, who reeled off an unprecedented five straight championships from 2006 to 2010, finished sixth in the 2011 standings after winning just two races. It was the California native’s worst points finish since placing fifth in 2005, and his lowest ever seasonal win total.

But 2012 is looking like it could be Johnson’s time to reclaim the throne and remind his competitors that he’s still the same guy who took them to the woodshed in five successive campaigns. Despite not winning in the season’s first eight races, Johnson and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team appeared to regain their mojo where strong finishes are concerned. Johnson earned six top 10s, four of them top-five finishes, and ranked a solid seventh in points with eight races in the books.

The five-time champ got a major break in March when NASCAR chief appellate officer John Middlebrook made the surprise decision to overturn a 25-point penalty levied against the team for unapproved C posts discovered on the No. 48 car during pre-Daytona 500 qualifying inspection.

Johnson, who actually carried a negative points total after a 42nd-place in the Daytona 500, moved from 17th to 11th in the standings when the penalty was lifted, and began climbing the ladder even more from there. Crew chief Chad Knaus, a repeat offender on matters involving the legality of the No. 48 car, also saw a six-week suspension vanquished as part of Middlebrook’s ruling.

34

POLE POSITION // 2012

AVAILABLE AT

driver profiles: MIDSEASON REPORT

driver profiles

▐ OWNER: RICK HENDRICK ▐ TEAM: HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS ▐ CAR: DIET MOUNTAIN DEW/NATIONAL GUARD ▐ CREW CHIEF: STEVE LETARTE

88 DALE EARNHARDT JR. DALE EARNHARDT JR.

Building on a strong 2011 season in which he made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the first time in three years, Dale Earnhardt Jr. began 2012 in a big way by finishing second to Matt Kenseth in the Daytona 500. NASCAR’s most popular driver was just getting started, however.

In his fourth season with Hendrick Motorsports and second with crew chief Steve Letarte, Earnhardt Jr. finished no worse than 15th over the season’s first eight races, completed every lap of competition and climbed into sole possession of second in the standings following a third-place finish at Martinsville Speedway on April 1.

Earnhardt Jr. led 75 laps over the first six races, a notable improvement over 2011 when he led only 52 laps over the course of 36 points-paying races. Earnhardt Jr. appeared poised – based on the first part of 2012 – to go to Victory Lane for the first time since winning at Michigan International Speedway in June 2008.

And as his performance continues to rise, so does his confidence.

“I just want the good fortune to keep going,” said the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet and son of the late seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt. “In the big span of things, you are not here for a very long time, and I feel like I’ve got a lot of career left and I know how difficult it is to right the ship, and how difficult it is to be competitive and compete in this series. I just want to have a solid year, win some races and get back to Victory Lane.”

36

POLE POSITION // 2012

driver profiles: MIDSEASON REPORT

▐ OWNER: RICK HENDRICK ▐ TEAM: HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS ▐ CAR: DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: ALAN GUSTAFSON

24 JEFF GORDON JEFF GORDON

Jeff Gordon enjoyed a renaissance kind of year in 2011, winning three races, making the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and moving into sole possession of third on NASCAR’s all-time win list with his 85th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series triumph.

With crew chief Alan Gustafson returning to Gordon’s pit box for a second year, all the ingredients seemed in place for the veteran driver to make a serious run at a long-awaited fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2012. But based on early indications, Gordon will be hard-pressed to make it happen.

After a 2011 full of promise, the first part of 2012 was a bigger struggle for Gordon than just about anyone envisioned. The Hendrick Motorsports driver recorded just two top-10 finishes – and only one top-five – in the first eight races and was mired down in 18th in the standings heading into the ninth race at Richmond.

Gordon showed signs of life, however, by posting his best finish up until that point – a fourth – two weeks earlier at Texas. Gordon’s other top-10 finish, an eighth at Phoenix in week two, helped the California native bounce back from a 40th-place in the Daytona 500 where his engine expired after just 81 of 200 scheduled laps. Gordon suffered another major setback in March at Bristol, where he limped home 35th after contact with teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. cut a tire and sent Gordon’s No. 24 Chevrolet spinning into the wall.

38

POLE POSITION // 2012

Take Your Pa r t y to the Ne xt L e v e l with the Best of Times Bar & Entertainment Center

Enjoy all year at home!

Make wherever you are... the place to be!

• Interchangeable Print Sets offer unlimited design options • Steel Frame Construction for Maximum Durability • Sets up in minutes, No Tools Required, All the benefits of a built-in bar • Perfect for Patios, Balconies, Mancaves & Game Rooms • One product - unprecedented versatility - limitless options • Full Custom Printing- Trade Shows, Event Marketing, Food Sampling

NASCAR

TO ORDER

NCAA

PARTY THEMES

CALL TOLL-FREE 800-400-4BAR

or ORDER ONLINE AT: www.bestoftimesbar.com © 2012 Best of Times Bar, LLC. All Rights Reserved. U.S. Patent Issued, U.S. Patent Pending, Foreign Patent Pending NASCAR® is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. TM 2012 Stewart-Haas Racing.

CUSTOM PRINTING

PARTY ANYWHERE!

driver profiles: MIDSEASON REPORT

▐ OWNER: JACK ROUSH ▐ TEAM: ROUSH FENWAY RACING ▐ CAR: FASTENAL FORD ▐ CREW CHIEF: BOB OSBORNE

99 CARL EDWARDS CARL EDWARDS

After Carl Edwards lost the 2011 championship to Tony Stewart on the basis of a tiebreaker (Stewart’s five wins to his one), the Roush Fenway Racing driver was expected by some observers to come out of the gate flying in 2012. It didn’t exactly happen that way, however.

While Edwards posted five top-10 finishes in the first eight races, his best showing over that stretch was fifth — coming at both Las Vegas and Auto Club Speedway. While such results aren’t terrible, they’re not exactly terrific

by Edwards’ lofty standards, and certainly not quite the fast start he hoped to achieve a year after being so close to claiming his first title.

The Missouri native did open the year on a strong note, however, by winning the pole for the Daytona 500. Edwards turned a lap of 194.738 mph – the fastest pole-winning speed for the race since Jeff Gordon’s lap of 195.067 mph in 1999.

“It’s so neat to come down here and to be so fast and to really have fun qualifying here,” said the driver of the No. 99 Ford after snaring his first Daytona 500 pole in eight tries. “These are the best race cars we’ve ever had at Daytona. Coming down here, I didn’t even consider the pole, so this is huge.”

Edwards shared the front row with teammate Greg Biffle – giving Roush Fenway a 1-2 qualifying sweep – but Edwards didn’t fare quite so well in the race. Edwards finished eighth, failing to lead a lap, as teammate Matt Kenseth took the win with Biffle coming home third.

40

POLE POSITION // 2012

When you rebuild your engine, remember...

Lubriplate No. 105 Motor Assembly Grease has something your motor oil does not... ®

A Zinc-Oxide Anti-Wear Additive.

• Prevents scoring and wear on camshafts, lifters, pistons and bearings.

• Provides instant lubrication during initial start-up before the motor oil has circulated.

• Dissolves into the motor oil, will not clog filters or oil lines.

Also try these great lubricants from Lubriplate.

Lubriplate

Also Available At:

®

Lubricants Company

Newark, NJ 07105 / Toledo, OH 43605 / Phone 1-800-733-4755 Online Webstore: www.lubriplate.com / Visa / MC / AmEx

for store locations CARQUEST.com

driver profiles: MIDSEASON REPORT

▐ OWNERS: RICHARD CHILDRESS ▐ TEAM: RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING ▐ CAR: BUDWEISER/RHEEM CHEVROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: SHANE WILSON

29 kEVIN HARVICK KEVIN HARVICK

After finishing third in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points in each of the last two seasons, expectations were understandably elevated for Kevin Harvick coming into 2012.

His decision to close the competition side of Kevin Harvick Inc. – the organization he co-owns with wife DeLana – was widely regarded as a positive, with the popular view being that giving up the headaches and time demands of team ownership would allow him to focus squarely on winning his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title. So far; so good.

While Harvick failed to win during the first eight races, the Richard Childress Racing driver notched a handful of top-10 finishes (including two top fives) and a pair of 11th-place finishes. The only notable blemish on Harvick’s early-season record was a 19th-place finish at Martinsville, where his Shane Wilson-led team struggled to find the handle on the No. 29 Chevrolet.

The driver nicknamed “Happy” nearly pulled off the victory in the season’s second race, at Phoenix, where he finished second after leading 88 laps.

Illuminating Harvick’s early-season success were the relative struggles of RCR teammates Paul Menard and Jeff Burton, who combined for just one top-five finish over the first eight races.

Harvick appears poised to make the Chase a third straight year, while his teammates might be hard-pressed to make the 12 driver championshipdetermining field. Either way, 2012 is going to be big for the Harvicks as they are scheduled to become first-time parents.

42

POLE POSITION // 2012

▐ OWNER: JOHN HENRY ▐ TEAM: ROUSH FENWAY RACING ▐ CAR: BEST BUY FORD ▐ CREW CHIEF: JIMMY FENNIG

1 7 MATT KENSETH MAT T KENSE TH

Matt Kenseth arrived at Daytona International Speedway for Speedweeks 2012 with the same objective as every other driver: Win the Daytona 500.

When all the dust finally settled, it was Kenseth – and only Kenseth – leaving the World Center of Racing with the coveted Harley J. Earl trophy.

With drafting help from teammate Greg Biffle in the final laps, Kenseth held off a late charge from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the sport’s biggest race for the second time in four seasons (his first Daytona 500 win came in 2009).

Kenseth, understandably, was ecstatic about kicking off the 2012 season in such fantastic fashion.

“To win the 500 is certainly a lot more than I would have expected or really thought we were going to do,” Kenseth said. “So it’s always special to win races.

It’s really hard to win these races. The older you get and the more you race, you realize how hard it is, and you really try to enjoy all those moments.”

Kenseth’s victory capped arguably one of the wildest Daytona Speedweeks in history, as the start of the Daytona 500 was delayed some 30 hours due to rain, and extended well beyond its expected run time due to Juan Pablo Montoya’s freakish collision with a track safety vehicle.

As for Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion followed his Daytona 500 victory with four top-five finishes in the next seven races, including a second-place showing at Bristol in March. All of which had him in position for a probable Chase berth and possible title run.

FREERACEMAG.COM

43

driver profiles: MIDSEASON REPORT 22 ▐ OWNER: WALTER CZARNECKI ▐ TEAM: PENSKE RACING ▐ CAR: SHELL/PENNZOIL DODGE ▐ CREW CHIEF: TODD GORDON AJ allmendinger AJ Allmendinger was undoubtedly the biggest “winner” of the NASCAR offseason, taking over the Penske Racing No. 22 Dodge after Kurt Busch’s release. But Allmendinger failed to experience an immediate performance gain, needing six races to secure his first top10 finish. However, when Allmendinger did finally score a top 10, he did so in a big way by finishing second at Martinsville.

9 ▐ OWNER: RICHARD PETTY ▐ TEAM: RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS ▐ CAR: DEWALT FORD ▐ CREW CHIEF: TODD PARROTT Marcos Ambrose Paired alongside new teammate Aric Almirola, Marcos Ambrose failed to finish better than 13th over the first eight races as Richard Petty Motorsports seemed to be searching for a missing ingredient. Ambrose, a road-racing expert who notched his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory last season at Watkins Glen, may need to be at a road course to have a legitimate shot at winning in 2012.

1 6 ▐ OWNER: JACK ROUSH ▐ TEAM: ROUSH FENWAY RACING ▐ CAR: 3M FORD ▐ CREW CHIEF: MATT PUCCIA Greg Biffle The most pleasant surprise of early 2012, Greg Biffle took over the points lead after race No. 3 and held the spot for an extended period as his No. 16 Ford proved to be a paragon of both speed and consistency. In his first full season with crew chief Matt Puccia, Biffle opened the year with three straight third-place finishes and placed no worse than 13th over the first eight races.

1 5 ▐ OWNER: MICHAEL WALTRIP ▐ TEAM: MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING ▐ CAR: 5-HOUR ENERGY TOYOTA ▐ CREW CHIEF: BRIAN PATTIE Clint Bowyer Clint Bowyer’s questionable move from Richard Childress Racing to Michael Waltrip Racing appears to have been a good one.

Bowyer, who bolted for MWR when RCR didn’t have sponsorship for its fourth car, has made an immediate impact with his new team. The Kansas native nearly won Martinsville in April and posted top-15 finishes in all but one of his first six starts in the No. 15 Toyota Camry.

44

POLE POSITION // 2012

PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

ADVERTIORIAL

driver profiles: MIDSEASON REPORT 3 1 ▐ OWNER: RICHARD CHILDRESS ▐ TEAM: RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING ▐ CAR: CATERPILLAR CHEVROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: DREW BLICKENSDERFER Jeff Burton Paired with new RCR crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, Jeff Burton harbored high hopes for a much-improved season. Unfortunately for Burton, there was no instant turnaround under Blickensderfer’s guidance. Aside from finishing fifth at Daytona and sixth at Bristol, Burton placed no better than 14th in the first eight races. Over that same stretch, he finished outside the top 20 five times.

5 1 ▐ OWNER: JAMES FINCH ▐ TEAM: PHOENIX RACING ▐ CAR: PHOENIX RACING CHEVEROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: NICK HARRISON Kurt Busch More than any returning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, Kurt Busch made a major change in moving from Penske Racing to the single-car Phoenix Racing organization.

Despite being arguably one of the sport’s best pure talents, Busch has struggled to make the team a contender. After eight races, Busch only had one top-10 finish and making the Chase appeared to be a slim proposition.

18 ▐ OWNERS: JOE GIBBS ▐ TEAM: JOE GIBBS RACING ▐ CAR: M&M’S TOYOTA ▐ CREW CHIEF: DAVE ROGERS KYLE BUSCH Kyle Busch opened 2012 with a victory in the Budweiser Shootout, but wasn’t nearly as strong once points started counting.

Through eight races, he had just three top-10 finishes. Busch, who went to Victory Lane four times in 2011, will be looking to return to winning form in the season’s second half as he and crew chief Dave Rogers continue to grow together.

1 1 ▐ OWNERS: J.D. GIBBS ▐ TEAM: JOE GIBBS RACING ▐ CAR: FEDEX TOYOTA ▐ CREW CHIEF: DARIAN GRUBB Denny Hamlin Looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2011, Denny Hamlin began 2012 with the newfound optimism of having champion crew chief Darian Grubb calling the shots for his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team. Grubb seems to be a good fit for Hamlin, who needed just two races to pick up a victory, at Phoenix, and he won again six races later at Kansas.

46

POLE POSITION // 2012

Relief for Race Day Whiplash.

All that neck and head turning watching the big race can cause strain and pain.

Luckily, Tiger Balm delivers safe, fast and effective relief for neck, shoulder and muscle aches and strains. It’s the perfect race day companion.

Pain relief without the pills.ÂŽ Available at major drug stores, supermarkets, mass merchandisers and health food stores.

Ti g er B a l m .co m /u s

driver profiles: MIDSEASON REPORT 5

▐ OWNER: RICK HENDRICK ▐ TEAM: HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS ▐ CAR: FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: KENNY FRANCIS

KASEY KAHNE Finally making his long-awaited move to Hendrick Motorsports, Kasey Kahne showed tremendous speed early in the season.

Unfortunately for Kahne, that speed didn’t translate into many good finishes. Kahne finally scored a top 10 with a seventh in the season’s seventh race, at Texas Motor Speedway, and backed that up with an eighth-place finish the next weekend in Kansas.

2

▐ OWNER: ROGER PENSKE ▐ TEAM: PENSKE RACING ▐ CAR: MILLER LITE DODGE ▐ CREW CHIEF: PAUL WOLFE

BRAD KESELOWSKI Coming off a breakout campaign in 2011, Brad Keselowski continued to show considerable speed in the early part of 2012. Consistency was a problem, however. In what seemed to be a feast or famine proposition, Keselowski posted three top-10 finishes – including a dominant victory at Bristol – only to finish 32nd or worse in three of the first seven races.

47 ▐ OWNER: TAD GESCHICKTER ▐ TEAM: JTG DAUGHERTY RACING ▐ CAR: KINGSFORD CHARCOAL TOYOTA ▐ CREW CHIEF: TODD BERRIER BOBBY LABONTE Veteran Bobby Labonte began the year with a new crew chief in Todd Berrier, who joined JTG Daugherty Racing following a long tenure at Richard Childress Racing. It was hoped that Berrier’s addition might breathe new life into the struggling JTG organization, but his presence didn’t yield any quick miracles. Labonte finished no better than 14th in the first eight races, and ranked 27th in the standings.

2 0 ▐ OWNER: JOE GIBBS ▐ TEAM: JOE GIBBS RACING ▐ CAR: THE HOME DEPOT TOYOTA ▐ CREW CHIEF: JASON RATCLIFF Joey Logano This is a contract year for Joey Logano and the verdict is still out on whether he will retain his seat in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Logano and new crew chief Jason Ratcliff showed early potential with finishes of ninth and 10th, respectively, in the first two races. But then Logano slipped, failing to finish better than 15th over the next six events.

48

POLE POSITION // 2012

1

▐ OWNER: TERESA EARNHARDT ▐ TEAM: EARNHARDT GANASSI RACING ▐ CAR: BASS PRO SHOPS CHEVROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: KEVIN MANION

Jamie McMurray For all that went right for Jamie McMurray in 2010, winning three races including the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, just as much went wrong in 2011. McMurray failed to win and was never a Chase contender. The early part of 2012 didn’t produce a major rebound for McMurray, but the Missouri native could find some encouragement from two top-10 finishes in the first four races.

27

▐ OWNER: RICHARD CHILDRESS ▐ TEAM: RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING ▐ CAR: MENARDS CHEVROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: RICHARD “SLUGGER” LABBE

Paul Menard Back at Richard Childress Racing for a second year, and following the best season of his career, Paul Menard had every reason to be optimistic entering 2012. While this season may not ultimately measure up to 2011, it got off to a fairly good start. Menard recorded three top-10 finishes in the first four races and ranked 13th in points – better than last year’s 17th-place finish – after eight races.

42

▐ OWNER: CHIP GANASSI ▐ TEAM: EARNHARDT GANASSI RACING ▐ CAR: TARGET CHEVROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: CHRIS HEROY

Juan Pablo Montoya On the heels of a miserable 2011 at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, Juan Pablo Montoya began 2012 with a new crew chief in Chris Heroy and a newfound optimism coming from both Heroy’s presence and a host of offseason personnel changes intended to make the organization stronger. But the changes were no magic fix, and Montoya claimed just one top-10 finish in the first eight races.

▐ OWNER: TONY STEWART ▐ TEAM: STEWART-HAAS RACING ▐ CAR: U.S. ARMY CHEVROLET ▐ CREW CHIEF: TONY GIBSON

39

Ryan Newman Despite posting several subpar finishes, Ryan Newman showed flashes of brilliance early in the season. He won at Martinsville and finished fourth at Las Vegas – two tracks that couldn’t be more different in their characteristics. But three 21st-place finishes and a 20th in the first eight races leave some doubt on whether Newman and his team can be consistent frontrunners.

FREERACEMAG.COM

49

presented by

food & fun at the track Tailgating Equals Camaraderie BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS AND SHARING MEMORIES

F

or Shawn Jeffery, a NASCAR fan from Charleston, W.Va., the best part of tailgating isn’t the food, relaxation or the particular race track. Tailgating is about so much more than that.

It’s about building friendships and sharing memories – the latter often being of the comical nature.

The highlight of Jeffery’s tailgating experience is always meeting new people, especially when those people happen to be fans of drivers other than his man, Dale Earnhardt Jr. In fact, it’s when neighboring tailgaters happen to support rival drivers that Jeffery, wife April and 7-year-old daughter Makayla have the most fun.

“We all are diehard fans of a certain driver and have our own opinions about the others,” said Jeffery, who has tailgated at some 18 NASCAR events since doing so for the first time at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the spring of 1996. “That’s what’s so nice about race fans: You could have 20 of us together and we might all be rooting for five to eight drivers, and we find a way to just have fun. Everything is done in fun at the tailgate, whether you are an Earnhardt Jr. fan or a Kyle Busch fan.”

Jeffery, a lab technician who spends his weekends cheering on Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88

Chevrolet, backed Earnhardt’s legendary father – the late Dale Earnhardt – prior to the seven-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion’s death as a result of an accident in the 2001 Daytona 500. Like most fans of “The Intimidator,” Jeffery recalls receiving his fair share of ribbing when the elder Earnhardt was alive.

But he’s been prone to do his fair share of teasing too, like with one unforgettable prank he helped play the weekend of the 1997 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“We met a group of guys in a van parked behind us who happened to be from West Virginia also,” Jeffery, now 37, recalled.

“One of the guys was a Dale Earnhardt fan like me; the owner of the van was a Dale Jarrett fan. The Earnhardt fan asked if I could help him with a joke.

“He asked if I would put an Earnhardt tag on the front of his buddy’s van to replace the Jarrett tag that was there. When the race was over and we all left, the Earnhardt tag was still on the front of the van.”

Of the overall tailgating experience, Jeffery says: “We can adapt to anyone and any kind of weather,” and adds that, “To us, it is about just enjoying the moment.”

Those moments for the Jeffery family are usually both before and after the race, when they open the bed of the family pickup truck, pull out their food and travel chairs and chow down. Jeffery has tailgated at Charlotte, Martinsville, Darlington, Richmond, Bristol, Kentucky and Memphis, but considers Martinsville his all-time favorite.

The family recently spent a weekend tailgating at the .526-mile short track’s spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.

“Martinsville, it just seems everyone enjoys each other no matter which driver you pull for or where you are from,” Jeffery said.

And Jeffery has some advice for those who might be considering tailgating at a NASCAR event for the first time.

“The biggest ‘do’ is to just have fun and enjoy yourself,” he said. “The biggest ‘don’t’ is not to take anything done around you personally.”

NASCAR Pole Position is now available on your tablet or PC Head to Zinio.com or download the app on your device for more information.

NASCAR® is a registered trademark of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc.

20

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY JARED TURNER

Heart of a winner.

Honda portable generators provide hours of quiet, reliable, fuel-efficient power. Whether it’s for working outside, home backup or tailgating, with Honda, everybody wins.

Official Generator Of

gen.honda.com

Please read the owner’s manual before operating your Honda Power Equipment and never use in a closed or partly enclosed area where you could be exposed to carbon monoxide. Connection of a generator to house power requires a transfer device to avoid possible injury to power company personnel. Consult a qualified electrician. ©2012 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

tailgating presented by

TAILGATING CHEAT SHEET DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY Tailgate Period: Feb. 18, Feb. 23-26; July 6-7 Acreage Available for Tailgating: 290 acres Average Weather Conditions on Race Weekends: February – 60 degrees; July – 85 Description of Tailgating Environment: Fans tailgating outside the track have access to remote parking lots that provide free shuttle transportation to and from the speedway. Those tailgating inside park in the heart of Daytona’s infield among hundreds of tailgaters from all over the world gathered centrally near the Sprint FANZONE. Unique Tailgating Feature: DIS offers vast tailgating space both outside the track and in the infield, and due to the length of February Speedweeks, the track offers more days for tailgating than most venues.

Why Tailgate Here: “For race fans that enjoy tailgating with their friends prior to the race, Daytona International Speedway has plenty of excellent spots both inside and outside the race track.”

■■ ANDREW BOOTH, DIS MANAGER OF PUBLIC RELATIONS

DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Tailgate Period: June 1-3; Sept. 28-30 Acreage Available for Tailgating: 840 acres Average Weather Conditions on Race Weekends: June – 75 degrees and sunny; September – 65 degrees and sunny Description of Tailgating Environment: The tailgate scene at Dover is whatever you want to make it. If you’re looking to just kick back in a chair, and enjoy some food and beverages, it’s a perfect venue for that. If your ideal tailgate is a scene with music pumping, grills fired up and parking lot games in full swing, you can find that, too.

Unique Tailgating Feature: Fans can bring their own food and beverages, so they don’t have to limit their tailgate to just a parking space. An eight-acre FanZone features live music, interactive games and displays, driver appearances and autograph sessions.

Why Tailgate Here: “A NASCAR weekend at Dover is more than just a race. The community of fans that come here, plus the off-track attractions at the Monster Mile and our tailgate-friendly property make Dover the ideal destination for any race fan.”

■■ GARY CAMP, DIS SENIOR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS 22

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY JARED TURNER

INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY Tailgate Period: July 26-29 Acreage Available for Tailgating: Approximately 40 infield acres plus approximately 125 acres outside the track Average Weather Conditions on Race Weekends: Generally warm and dry; temperature at green flag over the last 14 years has averaged 83 degrees with a high of 93 and a low of 73 Description of Tailgating Environment: Inside the track, especially inside Turn 3, generally a party-like atmosphere.

Unique Tailgating Feature: Inside Turn 3 features viewing mounds, and cars can Photo by Forrest Mellott park close to the track in an upbeat, party atmosphere.

Why Tailgate Here: “Tailgating inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for our fans has been a tradition that began over 100 years ago when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway first started conducting auto races. Today, IMS is a great place to tailgate because of the facility’s size, the many vendors and activities located inside the track, and the fact that IMS allows fans to bring their own drinks and food inside the track’s designated tailgate areas.”

■■ DOUG BOLES, IMS VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

INFINEON RACEWAY

Tailgate Period: June 22-24 Acreage Available for Tailgating: Approximately 40 acres Average Weather Conditions on Race Weekend: Sunny; low to mid 80-degree temperatures Description of Tailgating Environment: There’s a tailgating area located in a reserved parking section behind Turns 7 and 9. It is a family-friendly environment, but also a great locale to visit with friends before, during or after the races.

Unique Tailgating Feature: There is a tailgating area within 100 yards of spectator seats, which allows tailgating before the races. Or fans can head back to the area during a break in the races without having to go through turn-styles or having their tickets re-checked.

Why Tailgate Here: “Infineon Raceway is located in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and the best tailgating area is nestled right alongside the track in the Sonoma Valley hills. There is no better place to tailgate than close to your seats in a reserved area with family and friends.”

■■ GARY PHILLIPS, IR VICE PRESIDENT OF TICKETING AND CUSTOMER RELATIONS

NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY Tailgate Period: June 28-30 Acreage Available for Tailgating: Permitted in all parking areas, including an additional 173 acres purchased after last year’s inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Average Weather Conditions on Race Weekends: Usually hot, low 90s.

Description of Tailgating Environment: Festive, vast.

Unique Tailgating Feature: Bag toss, lots of pop-ups, personalized bars, team flags, driver flags and plenty of camaraderie Why Tailgate Here: “Kentucky Speedway race weekends are a celebration of speed. Tailgaters epitomize the very nature of the sport. Our fans form a unique community in June with one of the few three-day race weekends on the NASCAR circuit.”

■■ TIM BRAY, KS DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Tailgate Period: July 13-15; Sept. 21-23 Acreage Available for Tailgating: Roughly 300 acres Average Weather Conditions on Race Weekends: July – warm (70s and 80s); September – cool (50s and 60s) Description of Tailgating Environment: NHMS encourages fans to arrive early, avoid traffic, park in the free parking lots and take advantage of the extra time to tailgate.

Unique Tailgating Feature: An “Ultimate Tailgate Party Experience” package features a pre-race tailgate party, VIP pre-race pit tours, a tailgater parking pass, 50 VIP parking spots for guests and an overflow parking area adjacent to your tailgating area.

Why Tailgate Here: “Camping and tailgating have been very popular at New Hampshire Motor Speedway since the speedway opened in the early ’80s. It’s a part of the racing culture in New England. Our events don’t start when the green flag waves; they start a week before the race. We have one of the most camperfriendly environments of any facility. Besides, where else will you see lobsters in a tailgating environment?”

■■ KRISTEN COSTA, NHMS DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY

Tailgate Period: June 15-17; Aug. 17-19 Acreage Available for Tailgating: 1,400 acres Average Weather Conditions on Race Weekends: June and August are usually mid-70s to 80s Description of Tailgating Environment: MIS entertains a lot of day visitors who arrive early and stay late. They host big tailgates, inviting friends – and strangers who eventually become friends – to join them before and after the race. Tailgating takes place in the parking lots and the campgrounds.

Unique Tailgating Feature: MIS is in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, so tailgating takes place among some of the most beautiful and picturesque parts of the state. And parking is free.

Why Tailgate Here: “I’ve never seen tailgating like race weekends at MIS. Our guests take out all the stops, making the pre-event tailgating almost as big as the show. We are surrounded by college campuses so our guests use the summer weekends at MIS as warm-ups for college football tailgating. That and the Midwest atmosphere make everyone so inviting and friendly that your belly will likely be stuffed before you even make it to the grandstands. Ours is a can’t-miss tailgate event.”

■■ ROGER CURTIS, MIS PRESIDENT

POCONO RACEWAY Tailgate Period: June 7-10; Aug. 2-5 Acreage Available for Tailgating: Approximately 200 acres Average Weather Conditions on Race Weekends: June – mid 70s; August – low to mid 80s Description of Tailgating Environment: Varies by area, but it’s all good food, great friends, fun and exciting racing.

Unique Tailgating Feature: Pocono Raceway is located in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Restroom and shower facilities are available. There are also areas for souvenir shopping and entertainment.

Why Tailgate Here: “Pocono Raceway has an RV area for everyone’s taste and budget – everything from a quiet family atmosphere to a vibrant party atmosphere. Combined with exciting NASCAR Sprint Cup Series action, Pocono can’t be beat.”

■■ BOB PLEBAN, PR VICE PRESIDENT

FREERACEMAG.COM

23

BACK IN THE HUNT Greg Biffle Ready for a Run at the Championship

G

reg Biffle has been a fixture in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since 2003. The native of Vancouver, Wash., came close to winning the series championship in 2005, finishing second to Tony Stewart.

After several difficult years, Biffle looks to once again be in position to challenge for the championship. The driver of the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford was second in points after the Daytona 500 and had taken the points lead by the third race of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Biffle claimed the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title in 2000 and the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship in 2002. At 42, he’s more than ready to collect his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

“I feel the urgency because I’m ready to win it, but that’s really, to me, about it,” Biffle said. “I feel great. I feel better than I ever have in these past five seasons with the way our team is and how competitive we are, and how I’m driving the car and how I feel personally. Yeah, I think anybody feels the urgency to want to win it and, obviously, someday I’m not gonna be doing this anymore.”

Biffle starts thinking about the championship at the beginning of each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

“I start thinking about points when we go to Daytona for the Daytona 500,” he said.

“I’m thinking about the Chase and how I’m gonna win the championship this year, next year or last year. It’s never too early and what I think about going into each race is exactly that. One, how am I gonna perform in this race, but, more importantly, when it

24

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY BEN WHITE

comes down to the last 10 of the season how does this compare to one of those 10 race tracks and how are we gonna compete in one of those last 10. And how are we gonna be better now looking forward to the last 10?

“Obviously, you’ve got to make the Chase and we’re off to a good start on that, but I’m always thinking about that because the last 10 races are what really count. All these races in between now and then there are two things – one is to win because that gets you bonus points, and, truthfully, other than that, it doesn’t really matter unless you’re learning something, learning about your cars and learning about your setups for those last 10.”

Biffle is definitely enjoying the turnaround. He struggled to a 16th-place points finish and had no wins in 2011 as numerous problems within the team made it a very long season. It was no secret changes needed to be made and as the 2012 season started, Biffle had the former No. 6 crew in his pit with new crew chief Matt Puccia calling the shots.

“There were a lot of things going against us last year,” Biffle noted. “We had a ton of issues. Fuel mileage was another issue.

You put those two together, not getting full of gas half the time or 25-30 percent and then not getting great fuel mileage. When you did get full you couldn’t make it. It was like we couldn’t win, you know? That wasn’t all of it. That was the surface of it, but it went deeper. Man, the deck was stacked against us last year tremendously.

“Matt [Puccia] has prepared. There isn’t a rock that is not unturned on that car. When you say he sleeps with them or babies them, he is at the shop late making sure these cars are 100 percent,” Biffle continued.

“He won’t settle for everything not being perfect. He will make the guys go back and do it over if he doesn’t like it. He wants it to be perfect and they want it to be perfect too. I am happy to have that group.”

Puccia agrees there is a total team effort working to give Biffle his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

“It is everybody involved,” Puccia said. “At the end of last

season we sat down and established what our weaknesses were, what we needed to work on and we went to work. Robbie Reiser [the team’s general manager] has done a lot for us and this team and we’ve assembled a good team here. We went to work on our cars and it has shown. We started the season off and are running really good and the team is focused and ready to go into the rest of the season.”

Biffle went winless in 49 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races dating back to Kansas Speedway on Oct. 3, 2010, but returned to Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway on April 14. Going that long without a victory can certainly take its toll.

“It will wear on you. It will take years off your life. I’ve probably lost several,” Biffle said. “I’ve been doing this deal a long time and what kept me going or what keeps your spirit up is when you run good. You lead laps and qualify good or run good or are leading a race and you have to stop because you can’t make it on fuel. Or you put two tires on and everyone else takes four. Or you stay out and everybody pits behind you and you get waxed. Eventually you are going to win again. When you can’t run very good, when you are running in the 20s and aren’t fast and competitive, then that is the time to worry about how you are going to win. If you are running 20th and that is the best you can run, then you aren’t going to win.

“What has given me confidence over the

last 49 races is that we have run good – we just hadn’t finished. That is why we didn’t make the Chase last year. We ran plenty good enough, but no matter what we did we couldn’t finish compared to where we had run.”

Team owner Jack Roush rides a roller coaster of emotions each time one of his teams isn’t performing to expectations.

Biffle’s troubles last season were very trying for him.

“In my case, I count a race whether it is good or bad by how many small victories I can find in it,” Roush explained. “If the pit stops are good, if the decisions are good, if the engine ran good or if the driver did a great job recovering from some adversity, I consider that a win. On the other hand, if we break a part or miss an opportunity then I consider that a loss and I take that to heart. Through the drought as I think of it, there was a lot of encouragement. We didn’t come back and find that we needed to revolutionize or to replace and tear up our hardware package.

“It was really an unusual thing when we went after the team the way we did last year and said that we just have great people, but weren’t working together as well as they needed to and needed to organize differently. That was a rarity that we do that, but it was the key to getting the momentum we’ve got going right now.”

FREERACEMAG.COM

25

STRONG CONTENDER Martin Truex Jr. Shines as MWR Surprises IN 2004, WHILE ON THE WAY TO HIS FIRST OF TWO CONSECUTIVE NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES TITLES, MARTIN TRUEX JR. TRIED HIS HAND AT DRIVING IN THE ULTRACOMPETITIVE NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES.

E

ven though the second-generation race car driver made just two starts for team owner Teresa Earnhardt, the opportunity was a dream come true that began many years earlier when he was driving street stocks at Wall Stadium near his home in Mayetta, N.J. After seven more NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races for Earnhardt in 2005, Truex Jr. became a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup driver for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2006 and showed great promise. His best season was in 2007

26

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY BEN WHITE

when he won his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway.

Prior to the 2010 season, Truex Jr. joined Michael Waltrip Racing when the Cornelius, N.C.-based team expanded its operation. Steadily, the organization has worked on building better cars, perfecting communication and finding ways to make its cars go faster.

This season, Truex Jr. is a strong contender to win races and many believe he will be

among the 12 drivers in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Through the April 22 race at Kansas Speedway, Truex Jr. had four consecutive top-10 finishes. He entered the Kansas race ranked fourth in points and was the lead driver for the surprisingly resurgent Michael Waltrip Racing team.

Truex Jr. started sixth at Kansas and dominated the race as he led 173 of 267 laps. He ultimately finished second to Denny Hamlin, but a championship-caliber statement had been made.

The fact Truex Jr. led 69 of 334 laps at Texas Motor Speedway a week earlier gave the story additional validity. But the fact he’s solidly in the top five in points speaks loudest, even though some of his goals, and those of MWR, have yet to be reached.

“It’s been a work in progress. Everybody has put a lot of effort into it. I feel like I’ve put a lot of effort into getting to where we’re at as a team,” Truex Jr. explained. “For me, it’s very gratifying. I’ve really just been having

a lot of fun with my team. I’ve got a great bunch of guys. I’ve really enjoyed working with Chad [Johnston], my crew chief, and watching him come into his own. He’s really getting a lot of confidence in his decisions.

The things he’s been able to do are showing.

He’s really growing as a crew chief.”

Mark Martin, in his first year with Michael Waltrip Racing, feels something very special going on with Truex Jr. and his team. Martin has been with many racing organizations throughout his long career and knows a potential championship contender when he sees it.

“Martin Truex Jr. has been phenomenal,” Martin said. “The teamwork I’m feeling right now at MWR is second to none. Martin Truex Jr. is really, really engaged and he’s working hard to help the whole program.

We’re racing three cars to put two in the Chase for sure and win races and try to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Hendrick [Motorsports] and Roush [Fenway Racing] and those guys. That’s a tall order for right now.

I’m very proud of the results we’re getting.

It’s coming from a lot of good attitudes and hard-working people.”

Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, is happy that the season is going well for his longtime friend.

“You know, at the end it’s a no-lose situation for me because I’m a fan of Martin’s, I’m a fan of Michael Waltrip, and they’ve really done some great things with that program,” Hamlin said after beating Truex Jr. to the checkered flag at Kansas. “But, my job is to win for my guys and really drive as hard as I can to get them those wins because they’re so hard to come by now that you have to just do everything you can.

“It was a good day for Toyota because Michael Waltrip Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing have a bond that’s working better and better together, obviously, with the common engine package and everything, so we’re starting to see these Toyotas make a run.”

Truex Jr. believes Waltrip’s management style has made a huge difference in how well the team is performing.

“I think he’s been a big part of how we’ve gotten to where we are,” Truex Jr. said. “He’s done a very good job of putting people in the right places, letting them do their job – not micro-managing, not telling people they are doing things wrong or things aren’t good enough. He’s really done a nice job of just letting people do what he hires them to do.

All three of our teams [including the No. 55 of Martin/Brian Vickers and No. 15 of Clint Bowyer] are working very well together.

“Michael does a nice job of just letting people do their job and that’s what he’s good at. He understands how this sport works. He understands that he’s not an

engineer and he’s not a competition director, but he is a heck of an owner and he’s done a really, really good job of putting the right people in the right places.”

Truex Jr. says he’s been thinking about what it would be like to have a place in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. “I think we’re happy with where we’re at in the points and we want to kind of keep doing the same thing,” Truex Jr. said. “You have to constantly keep moving forward.

You have to keep working on your cars, working on your program and you can’t say each week that our cars are good and we can stop working on them – that’s not the case. The sport changes by the week, by the month and you have to keep up with it.

“For us, we’re running good now. We’re going to keep pushing and really I think that kind of the whole atmosphere at MWR is since the middle of last year, we’re not good enough, we’re never going to be good enough – we always have to keep working.

That’s been a good thing for us. That’s what’s put us where we’re at and hopefully at the end of the season, we’ll be better than we are now and we’ll be right where we want to be.”

Truex Jr. says the 2012 season reminds him of seasons past when he was winning and finishing well on a consistent basis.

“To be honest, I feel like it is 2008, you know?” he said. “The 2007 season was obviously the best year of my career. That’s how it feels. It feels like last year was ’07 and this year is the next step. … I’ve got a lot of confidence in my team. We’ve got great teammates. We’ve got great race cars. We can go to any race track on any given week and run up front and have a shot at the win.

That feels good.”

FREERACEMAG.COM

27

on the road presented by JACK KURTZNER

DALE LACKEY

There’s Rarely a Dull Day for a NASCAR Team Hauler Driver

H

auling 3,450-pound stock cars up and down highways to 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races a year is unquestionably a job not for the faint of heart.

Encapsulated within each team’s transporter is equipment worth millions of dollars, two cars that represent endless hours of preparation and dedication, and a sponsor brand identity that at times rests squarely on the hauler driver’s shoulders.

Therefore, those who wheel the sport’s big rigs to and from the race tracks understandably take their big responsibility seriously.

It’s not all business all the time, however.

Helping ease the pressure-packed nature of their job and sustain them through the long days and nights on the road is a steady diet of joke telling and namecalling, mixed in with an array of comical encounters.

Just ask Jack Kurtzner, driver of the No. 42 Earnhardt Ganassi Racing rig carrying the cars of Juan Pablo Montoya.

After a mechanical failure sent Montoya’s

28

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY JARED TURNER

car abruptly veering into a safety vehicle in February’s Daytona 500, setting part of the track ablaze in jet fuel and requiring more than two hours’ worth of repairs, Kurtzner heard all about it over his CB radio in the days and weeks that followed.

“The fans either hate him or love him,” Kurtzner, a 57-year-old from Upstate New York, said of Montoya. “A lot of the fans I talk to on the CB going down the road, they actually love him. Especially after that incident that happened in Daytona, all I get on the radio is, ‘Hey, 42 hauler.

Watch out for the jet dryers.’ And I just tell everybody I’m not hauling race cars anymore. I’m hauling jet dryers.”

Kurtzner, known as “Two-Snack” by cohorts in the industry, clearly doesn’t mind the friendly ribbing – be it from fellow NASCAR team hauler drivers or commercial truck drivers he connects with on the road.

NASCAR team hauler drivers are a unique fraternity, as most all of them are identified by nicknames that usually indicate some aspect of their personality.

“ We all h ave a C B h an dl e.

That’s what we go by on the CB,” said Dale Lackey, who wheels the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing hauler of Bobby Labonte. “My CB handle is ‘Groundhog’ and I’ve had that ever since I was in college. On the CB, you don’t want to say your real name so everybody has nicknames or CB handles that we go by.”

Many hauler drivers travel in groups from track to track, which makes their journeys a bit less stressful.

“A lot of us, even though we’re not teammates, we’ll run together and travel together,” said Lackey, a 48-year-old North Carolinian who is in his ninth year on the road and second with JTG. “That way if one of us breaks down; there are two or three of us there that can maybe help the other guy if he breaks down. It’s good to run together. If you run in pairs, you’ve got people that can maybe help you.”

One of the drivers that Lackey often tags along with is Bill “Stump” Lewis, the man at the controls of the No. 56 Martin Truex Jr. rig from Michael Waltrip Racing. Lewis’ road ventures have generally been a bit tamer than those of Lackey and Kurtzner, but they’ve supplied some amusing tales, nevertheless.

When stopping off for fuel and food, Lewis has found that fans almost always assume his driver and other high-profile team figures are on board the vehicle.

“Oh, they always do,” Lewis, a hauler drive since 1994, said with a grin. “Some people think the whole team rides in the truck like in the movie ‘Days of Thunder,’ but that doesn’t happen.”

Lackey has had similar experiences.

“A lot of fans think Bobby actually rides with us in the hauler,” he said. “They don’t realize he flies. And I’ve had fans come up to me at truck stops and say, ‘Hey, can you go wake up Bobby out of the sleeper and let him sign a hat for me or sign a T-shirt for me?’ And then some of the fans, they go wild when they see a race hauler.”

Rarely is there a dull day on the road for these guys.

Show your colors

Show Your True Colors.

Listen up! JVC’s Gumy and Marshmallow headphone lines are the industry’s best selling with good reason — they sound as good as they look. Available in a variety of colors to match your iPod® or favorite gear, they also deliver excellent sound quality with a soft and comfortable fit. Best of all, they are so affordable, you can choose multiple colors for every occassion.

To hear more about JVC’s quality and affordable Gumy and Marshmallow headphones, visit jvc.com today!

Because you never outgrow jumping in puddles.

People Who Love Cars Love Meguiar’s™ For years, car guys have loved Meguiar’s Endurance Tire Gel, because it lasts for weeks even through rain. Now, Meguiar’s has expanded its Endurance line into tire spray and aerosol. Simply put it’s our longest-lasting tire dressings ever. So you don’t have to avoid puddles anymore.

For free personal car care advice, go to Meguiars.com or call 800.347.5700 Mon-Sat, 6:00 am to 5:00pm Pacific Time.

Hank Parker, host of “Hank Parker’s Outdoor Magazine”and 2-time Bassmaster Classic champion

Your source for top brands at low prices.

Find all these brands and more at your local store.

IT FEEDS ON ASPHALT. © 2012 Adam Ewing

The BFGoodrich® Rugged Terrain T/A® tire is for drivers who want to upgrade their rides. It combines a bold, off-road look with a smooth, comfortable ride on-road. A 50K Mile Manufacturer’s Limited Tread Life Warranty* and excellent wet traction mean you’ll be ready for the road ahead. bfgoodrichtires.com *See bfgoodrichtires.com and owner’s manual for more details.

FREERACEMAG.COM

departments green flag

6 News & Notes From Around 10 12 12 14 15 16 17 18

the World of NASCAR The King of Daytona 3M Touches Every Facet of Racing Giveaways & Getaways Team Chatter Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation Q&A with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver Greg Biffle Walmart Race Time Bush’s Racin’ Recipes

tailgating 20 Tailgating Equals Camaraderie 22 Tailgating Cheat Sheet

driver profiles 31 Midseason Reports

nascar fuel

FEATURES 24

greg biffle

26

martin truex jr.

28

on the road

50

nascar women

52 58

Back in the hunt

Strong contender

Rarely a Dull Day for a NASCAR Team Hauler Driver How well do you know Danica Patrick?

gear

The latest products from our advertisers

rosters & schedules

Teams and dates for the top three NASCAR series

60

did you Know?

62

dining at the track

64

INSIDER’S VIEW

NASCAR Drive for Diversity: Ryan Gifford NASCAR tracks feature unique concession items Fresh Faces: James Buescher

Jeff Gordon (24) and AJ Allmendinger (22) lead the field at Talladega NASCAR Pole Position is now available on your tablet or PC. Head to Zinio.com or download the app on your device for more information.

NASCAR POLE POSITION RACE FAN GUIDE AN OFFICIALLY LICENSED PUBLICATION OF NASCAR 11880 28TH ST. N, SUITE 101 • ST. PETERSBURG, FL 33716 PHONE (727) 209-0792 • FAX (727) 209-1776 WEB FREERACEMAG.COM, AE-ENGINE.COM

NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE PUBLISHER: CRAIG BARONCELLI VICE PRESIDENT, SALES: DAVID WATSON VICE PRESIDENT, EXECUTIVE ACCOUNTS: DAYNE MAASDORP

SALES NATIONAL ACCOUNT EXECS: CHRIS VITA, RON TRYTEK, DUSTIN “DOC” LAWSON, ANDREW FISHER, KRISTY LIMOTTA

PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR: JASON TEDESCHI GRAPHIC DESIGNER: STACEY FOSTER • WEB DEVELOPER: NICOLE HESS COPY EDITOR: KEITH WALTZ • WRITERS: JARED TURNER, KEITH WALTZ, BEN WHITE, DEB WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY: CIA STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY SPECIAL THANKS TO: JOHN FARRELL, NASCAR A.E. ENGINE SPECIFIES THAT POST-PRESS CHANGES MAY OCCUR TO ANY INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PUBLICATION AND TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR GOODS OR SERVICES ADVERTISED. NASCAR® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR STOCK CAR AUTO RACING, INC. MAIL ORDER: TO RECEIVE A 2012 SUBSCRIPTION NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE, SEND A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER FOR $20.00 TO: POLE POSITION, C/O A.E. ENGINE, 11880 28TH ST. N, SUITE 101, ST. PETERSBURG, FL 33716. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR RETURN MAILING ADDRESS AND AN EMAIL ADDRESS. ONLINE ORDER: DIGITAL EDITIONS OF NASCAR POLE POSITION CAN BE FOUND AT ZINIO.COM. DISTRIBUTION: IF YOU ARE A BUSINESS OR AN ORGANIZATION INTERESTED IN DISTRIBUTING FREE COPIES OF NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE, PLEASE CONTACT CRAIG BARONCELLI AT (727) 209-1750 OR CB@AE-ENGINE.COM. SALES INQUIRIES: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING IN NASCAR POLE POSITION MAGAZINE OR WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A FIELD REPRESENTATIVE, PLEASE CONTACT DAVID WATSON AT (727) 209-0789, OR DKW@AE-ENGINE.COM.

54 Careers 55 Lifestyle 56 Fun Pages

FREERACEMAG.COM

05

news & notes from the world of NASCAR Enter to Win a Roush Mustang

O

ne lucky race fan will drive home from the Aug. 19 Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway in a custom Roush Ford Mustang as part of a promotion presented

by Pure Michigan, Roush Fenway Racing and the speedway.

“This is an opportunity for a NASCAR fan to win a hot car – the Pure Michigan 400 Roush Mustang, at a cool race – the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway,” said George Zimmermann, vice president for Travel Michigan, a division of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

The online sweepstakes runs through Monday, Aug. 6, with two first prize winners receiving a trip for two to the Pure Michigan 400 with transportation, accommodations, tickets and pit passes for the three-day race weekend included.

These two winners will be finalists in the Grand Prize drawing for the Pure Michigan 400 Roush Mustang with one additional finalist being selected at the track during race weekend.

One hundred second prize winners will receive two tickets and pit passes for the Aug. 17-19 Pure Michigan 400 race weekend.

No purchase is necessary and fans can enter the sweepstakes by visiting michigan.org/mis. Full sweepstakes rules are available at mispeedway.com/mustang.

MOST POPULAR DRIVER VOTING UNDERWAY VOTING FOR THE NATIONAL

Motor-sports Press Association NASCAR Most Popular Driver award is now underway. Fans can visit MostPopularDriver.com and vote once a day for their favorite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.

Voting for the full field of drivers ends Sept. 8. The 10 drivers with the most votes will be announced as finalists, and the vote count will reset to zero. Fans will then have 10 weeks to cast their votes once a day to determine the NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver from the final field of 10 drivers.

Voting will conclude Nov. 18 and the winner will be announced in December.

06

POLE POSITION // 2012

NASCAR HALL OF FAME EARNS RECOGNITION

T

he NASCAR Hall of Fame received the 2012 About.com Charlotte Readers’ Choice Award for the Best Museum in the Queen City.

Now in its fifth year, the About.com Readers’ Choice Awards honor the best products, features and services across more than a dozen categories, ranging from technology to hobbies to parenting and much more, as selected by its readers.

“Being voted Best Museum in Charlotte is a huge honor for the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” said Winston Kelley, the facility’s executive director. “We are genuinely honored to receive such a prestigious award especially considering the remarkable array of museums that we are fortunate to have in Charlotte.”

U.S. ARMY SUPPORTS NASCAR STEM INITIATIVE THE U.S. ARMY AND TEN80 EDUCATION

have formed a partnership focusing on immersing students in real-life applications of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.

The U.S. Army was seeking a highperformance educational initiative that is research-based, compelling for youth and reaches a widely underserved audience.

The level of engineering and teamwork on display at the race track is reflective of the Army’s leading-edge technology and the powerful, realistic training of its Army Strong Soldiers making this program the right fit for the U.S. Army and for the NASCAR STEM Initiative. A list of Army STEM-focused programs can be found at ArmyEdSpace.com.

The U.S. Army’s participation makes it possible for new teams to join the STEM league and to benefit from regional competitions and support events with professional mentors. Teachers benefit from professional development focused on project-based education and learn how to integrate STEM ideals into science and math classrooms. The U.S. Army is also sponsoring one winning team from each region to travel to the 2012 Ten80 National Finals in Charlotte.

“NASCAR racing is one of the few sports that actively use science, technology, engineering and math in real time,” said Jeff Thompson, mechanical engineer and vice president of technology for Ten80 Education. “For every one driver, hundreds of technicians and engineers are behind the scenes making this week’s win a possibility. Our student teams operate the same way.”

Students across 27 states that work with Ten80’s coalition of engineers and educators collaborate and compete through challenges that parallel the arduous preparation of real NASCAR teams.

• • • •

Cut out, fold and wrap Go to luminox.com/vr Download the software View the collection on your wrist

TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT.

ESSENTIAL GEAR.

Invented in the United States. Made in Switzerland.

Tony Kanaan Series No. 1148: 44mm asymmetrical black PVD case with carbon fiber inlay sides, polished ceramic bezel, black PVD crown and pushers, antireflective sapphire crystal, integrated genuine leather strap with signature buckle, created in Tony Kanaan’s signature colors, water resistant to 100 meters, and Luminox self-powered illumination. Swiss Made.

Preferred timepiece of Champion Race Driver Tony Kanaan. Luminox.com TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT Virtual Reality allows you to try on any Luminox watch using a PC or MAC. Try one on today and experience the Luminox Always Visible technology.

Available at fine jewelers, watch specialty shops, outdoor stores, and other fine retailers nationwide.

green flag NASCAR Unites to Support Military Families

N

ASCAR Unites – An American Salute, a patriotic program that unites the NASCAR industry and fans in celebrating America and supporting U.S. military families, continues through the Coke Zero 400 weekend July 5-7 at Daytona International Speedway.

The six-week program, launched at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the CocaCola 600 weekend, features numerous retail programs and sponsor promotions.

“The entire NASCAR community has a long history of recognizing the efforts of the men and women who serve in our country’s military,” said NASCAR President Mike Helton. “With this effort, we continue to rally the NASCAR industry to collectively express our gratitude to those who serve our country and their families.

This program will reinforce our sport’s commitment to honoring the United States military while also raising funds to help support military families.”

Teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, along with their partners and sponsors, are supporting NASCAR Unites in their own individual ways, from displaying the customized logo on their cars and trucks to developing red, white and blue paint schemes.

As part of the program, NASCAR and The NASCAR Foundation are working with charities to fund initiatives that support military families.

FORD’S FOCUS ELECTRIC MAKES HISTORY

F

ord Motor Co. made NASCAR history during the Capital City 400 at Richmond International Raceway when the new Focus Electric became the first all-electric pace car to lead the field for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

“Ford research shows the majority of Americans would consider buying an electrified vehicle but do not yet understand the different technologies,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas.

“Highlighting the Focus Electric as a pace car is a fun way to educate consumers about the kinds of benefits our electrified vehicles deliver – from EcoBoost-powered gasoline vehicles and hybrids to plug-in hybrids and full electrics.”

“Our fans are customers,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. “And just like in racing, they expect both fuel economy and performance from their daily drivers, and that’s what Ford is delivering.”

Using an all-electric car to pace a race is the latest in a line of groundbreaking moments for Ford in NASCAR. In addition to being the first manufacturer to compete with a four-door sedan as its flagship model in 1998, Ford was also first to use a hybrid to start a NASCAR event when the Fusion Hybrid served as pace car for the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2008.

08

POLE POSITION // 2012

KROGER BACKS BRICKYARD WEEKEND

K

roger will sponsor the Super Weekend at the Brickyard as part of an expanded partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The July 26-29 event will be known as Kroger Super Weekend at the Brickyard and will culminate with the 19th annual Crown Royal 400 at the Brickyard.

The weekend includes the IMS debut of the NASCAR Nationwide Series and GRAND-AM Road Racing, joining the Crown Royal 400 at the Brickyard for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. There will be four races in three days, as action takes place on the IMS oval and road course on the same event weekend for the first time.

FANS SPEAK, SMITH LISTENS

C

onstruction crews will finish reconfiguring the high-banked turns of Bristol Motor Speedway before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to the Tennessee track for the IRWIN Tools Night Race on Saturday, Aug. 25.

Bruton Smith, chairman and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., announced plans to alter the half-mile track’s concrete surface after studying fan input following the Food City 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in March.

NASCAR Rolling Along on Twitter

BY JARED TURNER

N

ASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers continue to light up the Twitter universe with various musings.

@KYLEBUSCH

At the front door of White House w @Samantha_Busch enjoying the beautiful sun shinny day!

April 17: While President Obama hosted the drivers of the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Following: Jay Cutler, Ray Evernham @CLINTBOWYER

When it rains it pours!!! Headed down to MWR for comp meeting and just broke down.

April 23 Following: Weather Channel, Blake Shelton @55MARKMARTIN

Good Morning. Back, Biceps, Abs. Going to change it up today with a new rep range 12 to 15 and going to try Pandora, Todays Country.

April 23 Following: Athletes Quarterly, Dale Jarrett @KURTBUSCH

30 kids running around grabbing eggs was the funniest thing to watch. Makes you wish you were a kid again April 7: One day before Easter Following: Carrot Top, Las Vegas Motor Speedway @JEFFGORDONWEB

Best of both worlds. Just finished lunch with my mom while watching truck race on TV in the background.

April 15 Following: Simon Cowell, Jerry Seinfeld @KASEYKAHNE

3 races no dents. Now that’s a good weekend April 15: After running races at Texas Motor Speedway and Rockingham Speedway over three days Following: Mark Sanchez, Brad Paisley

You can’t always see what’s coming. But the reinvented, technologically advanced 2012 Toyota Camry has got eyes where you don’t. With the available Blind Spot Monitor (BSM),

you’ll be alerted to vehicles that are

hiding there on your left and right. And when combined with a cabin that’s redesigned for better visibility, you’ll be able to see like never before. Because one of the best ways to avoid an accident is to see it coming.

Prototype shown with optional equipment. Production model may vary. 1. Do not rely exclusively on the Blind Spot Monitor to determine if a lane change is safe. Always look over your shoulder and use your turn signal before changing lanes. There are several limitations to the function, detection, range and clarity of the monitor. For a complete list of limitations and directions regarding use of the monitor, please see the Owner’s Manual. 2. Blind Spot Monitor available on XLE and Hybrid XLE models only. ©2011 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

toyota.com/camry

green flag

The King of Daytona

R

ichard Petty enjoyed phenomenal success at Daytona International Speedway during his storied 35-year career as a stock car driver.

His incredible 200 victories in NASCAR’s top series include a record seven wins in the Daytona 500, three more than any other driver. Petty also won the 400-mile July race at Daytona three times – in 1975, 1977 and 1984. The ’84 triumph was his 200th and final NASCAR victory and President Ronald Reagan was among those on hand to witness the milestone event.

The first time Petty saw the high-banked 2.5-mile Florida speedway in 1959, it was a bit overwhelming.

“I remember going through the infield tunnel for the very first time and seeing what a big place it was,” Petty recalled.

“We all looked around and just couldn’t believe what we were seeing. I stood on the track and couldn’t see the turns on either end. That’s when I realized how big the place is. We were all used to racing on small dirt tracks just about every day of the week. Not something as big as Daytona.

“We had Darlington Raceway [a 1.366mile superspeedway built in 1950] for about 10 years before Daytona was built,

10

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY BEN WHITE

and we were all sort of used to it. But Daytona was something enormous. I remember there were only a couple of small buildings in the middle and the rest of the inside of the track was wide open. It wasn’t completely finished in the infield but the track was. It was the biggest thing I had ever seen in my life.”

Driving the No. 43 Petty Enterprises Oldsmobile, Petty’s engine lasted only eight laps in that inaugural Daytona 500 and he ended up 57th among the 59-car field. His father, Lee Petty, was eventually declared the race winner in a photo-finish over Johnny Beauchamp, but he didn’t receive the winner’s prize money or trophy until three days after the checkered flag.

In 1964, the younger Petty claimed his own Daytona 500 victory after leading 184 of the race’s 200 laps. It was one of nine victories Petty recorded in 61 starts that season as he claimed the first of his seven championships in NASCAR’s premier division.

On Feb. 27, 1966, Petty overcame a two-lap deficit to become the first two-time winner of the Daytona 500. That race was stopped on lap 198 of 200 because of a strong thunderstorm.

Petty claimed his third Daytona 500 trophy on Feb. 14, 1971, driving a Plymouth.

He won by 10 seconds over his Petty Enterprises teammate Buddy Baker, who was behind the wheel of a Dodge.

On Feb. 18, 1973, Petty outlasted Baker again to win his fourth Daytona 500 after Baker’s engine gave out six laps from the checkered flag. A year later, Petty won the Daytona “450” as the race was shortened by 50 miles due to the energy crisis. It was his fifth win in the sport’s biggest race and started him on the road to his fifth series title.

Petty won the Daytona 500 for a sixth time in 1979 when leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed on the final lap, resulting in the now infamous fight among Yarborough, Allison and his brother, Bobby.

Petty’s final Daytona 500 victory came in 1981 when crew chief Dale Inman made the call to take gas only on the final pit stop. The move got Petty out ahead of his closest competition and his old tires were good enough to hold on for the victory.

“I can’t say that we set out to win seven Daytona 500s at any point. They just came over time,” Petty explained. “We went to Daytona each year feeling like we had a good shot at winning, but we also knew

Winning Seven Daytona 500S Is a Neat Deal there were some really good drivers and teams we had to beat. We always went there knowing the race was part of the schedule each year.

“Winning seven Daytona 500s is a neat deal, especially since it’s considered NASCAR’s biggest race. My name is on the trophy and in the record books and all that, but I shouldn’t get all the credit for winning them. I had a lot of help from a lot of really good people along the way and without them, none of it would have happened.”

Richard Petty

The King of Speed

Trace Adkins

©2011 GlaxoSmithKline Read and follow label directions.

Expert on tough pain

NEED PAIN RELIEF FAST? PICK YOUR POWDER. These guys know tough pain. Richard swears by Goody’s and Trace relies on BC. After all, powders dissolve faster than tablets and get to work fast.

Whose team are you on? You decide at pickapowder.com.

green flag GIVEAWAYS & GETAWAYS

3M Touches Every Facet of Racing FANS, COMPETITORS BENEFIT FROM COMPANY’S INVOLVEMENT

3

M is probably best known by NASCAR fans as Greg Biffle’s sponsor, but the St. Paul, Minn.-based company’s racing program encompasses items and programs for fans as well as other competitors.

For a decade, 3M products associated with automotive, industrial, professional, home–use applications and medical supplies and equipment have been designated as exclusive NASCAR licensed products with the rights to use NASCAR-themed marketing elements in advertising and promotional materials. The international company expanded its racing footprint in 2005 when it joined Roush Fenway Racing as a team sponsor.

This year, 3M is providing fans with an opportunity to win Goodyear tires, Sunoco and Best Buy gift cards, race tickets and a new Ford Focus via two sweepstakes. To enter the 3M Racing Brand Engagement Sweepstakes, which is awarding the Ford Focus, go to 3M’s United States section on its website, then locate 3M Racing under features.

Additional sweepstakes entries can be obtained by “liking” the company on Facebook. The other items have winning stickers packed inside 3M’s Automotive Aftermarkets Division’s top products. More information on that sweepstakes, which ends Dec. 31, can be obtained at 3mcollision.com.

In addition to the two sweepstakes, various 3M merchandise may be purchased, including jackets, sport shirts, T-shirts, caps, car-shaped coolers, pens, golf tee packs, chrome racing mugs, backpacks, blankets, Nike Power Distance Long golf balls and barstools.

12

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY DEB WILLIAMS

■ COMPANY INFO: 3M ■ DETAILS: 3M is a diversified technology company serving customers and communities with innovative products and services.

■ HEADQUARTERS: St. Paul, Minn.

■ BECAME A NASCAR PARTNER: 2002 ■ RACING WEBSITE: solutions.3m.com/ wps/portal/3M/en_US/NASCAR/racing/ ■ COMPANY WEBSITE: 3m.com ■ COMPANY FOUNDED: 1902

For competitors, 3M participates in NASCAR’s contingency program in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series. For each NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the diversified technology company contributes $5,400 to the event’s posted winnings for those cars carrying a 3M decal. In the NASCAR Nationwide Series, it’s $2,200 per race.

This year, 3M ESPE Dental is again partnering with the American Dental Association Foundation and Henry Schein Inc. to promote good oral health with Biffle as the effort’s national spokesman. The year-long education program includes reaching out to parents and children through dental offices, community events and media.

There will be more than 1,600 Give Kids A Smile events held around the country this year with dental services being provided to more than 400,000 underserved children.

At designated NASCAR tracks, the Give Kids A Smile program will provide children with free dental evaluations, fluoride treatments and, if needed, dental sealants.

With its innovative products and services, 3M truly touches every facet of life in the motorsports community.

M&M’s When We Win, You Could Win Sweepstakes Jan. 16 – Nov. 21 mms.com/us/racing/wewinyouwin Kraft’s Win a Nabisco VIP NASCAR® Experience Feb. 1 – Sept. 30 nabiscoworld.com Kraft’s NASCAR® Night Out May 14 – Sept. 30 facebook.com/ritzcrackers

Driver Pick ’em Presented by Nationwide Insurance Feb. 20 – Nov. 17 espn.com, search for keyword “Nationwide Insurance” NASCAR Nationwide Series $100k Sweepstakes April 27 – Sept. 22 nascar.com/dash4cash

Sunoco’s Weekly NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ticket Giveaway Feb. 24 – Nov. 16 facebook.com/OfficialFuel

Your Ticket to the Track Feb. 1 – Dec. 30 3Mcollision.com

Growth Energy’s Go Green on Race Day American Ethanol Ticket Giveaway April 1 – Nov. 18 americanethanolracing.com/ go-green-on-race-day

Coca-Cola’s NASCAR Racing Sweepstakes (McDonald’s) June 28 – Sept. 6 Visit any McDonald’s in the 50 states to enter SiriusXM Ultimate Sports Fan Fantasy Game May 28 – June 22 siriusxm.com

© 2011 Electrolux Home Products, Inc.

Electrolux premium front load washers

.

ENERGY STAR® Most Efficient 2011.

Most Efficient 2011.

Electrolux is living its commitment to create environmentally conscious, beautifully stylish appliances that offer power, performance, and functionality. The ENERGY STAR® Most

2 designation recognizes Electrolux front load washers as the leading edge Efficient 2011 in energy efficient products this year. Electrolux washers are as gentle on the environment as they are on your clothes, up to 161% more energy-efficient1 and use 66% less water2.

Electrolux washers are one of the most efficient, so you can be even more amazing.

2012 Drop into our Virtual Kitchen and Laundry Room.

Go to electroluxappliances.com Energy efficiency based on current DOE Federal minimum standard for washers based on MEF. 2Water savings based on DOE ENERGY STAR® energy-savings calculator.

1

green flag TEAM CHATTER NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE GARAGE AREA

R

ace teams – comprised of the men and women who build and prepare the cars – are an integral part of the NASCAR equation and they generate a tremendous amount of off-track news.

ELLIOTT TO WHEEL WALMART CHEVY: Turner Motorsports, which fields multiple entries in both the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, plans to make its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut Saturday night, July 7, in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

1988 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bill Elliott is scheduled to drive the team’s No. 50 Walmart Chevrolet with Trent Owens serving as crew chief. The effort is in conjunction with Walmart’s Race Time program.

G ANA S S I E ARN S PRE S T I G I O U S HONOR: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner Chip Ganassi was one of five people honored during the 20th annual History Makers Award Dinner at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.

The awards recognize outstanding men and women whose achievements, while rooted in Western Pennsylvania, transcend geographical boundaries. Ganassi was honored as a History Maker in Sports.

A PAIR OF KINGS: Jani-King, the world’s largest commercial cleaning franchise company with more than 12,000 franchise owners, has joined Richard Petty Motorsports and driver Aric Almirola as a sponsor of the famed No. 43 Ford.

14

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY KEITH WALTZ

The company and its crown logo will be on Almirola’s car as an associate sponsor for the remainder of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Launched by an entrepreneurial college student in 1969, Texas-based JaniKing now services tens of thousands of business clients in 15 countries and has consistently been ranked at the top of the commercial cleaning industry.

“We’re proud to have another ‘King’ working with us,” said team owner Richard Petty.

“I think I’ll wear the cowboy hat and let them wear the crown.”

2011 DAYTONA 500 WINNER ON DISPLAY: The No. 21 Ford Trevor Bayne drove to victory in the 2011 Daytona 500 is now on display at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.

The car, exactly as it was after Bayne won at Daytona International Speedway and still covered in celebratory confetti, Gatorade and Coca-Cola, is featured in the museum’s Driving America exhibit, next to Henry Ford’s 1901 Sweepstakes car and the Lotus-Ford Jimmy Clark drove to victory in the 1965 Indianapolis 500.

The car was donated to the museum by Eddie and Len Wood of the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team.

NEWMAN IS BLOOMIN’: Each time Ryan Newman records a top-10 finish in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, fans can celebrate with a free Bloomin’ Onion at Outback Steakhouse on the Monday immediately following the race.

“Now, we have even more incentive to get a top-10 finish every weekend – for us and for the fans,” said Newman, driver of the No. 39 Outback Steakhouse Chevrolet.

“A free Bloomin’ Onion for every top-10 finish? You can count me in for that.”

Fans only need to mention the promotion to receive the free Bloomin’ Onion.

HERE’S THE BEEF: Cargill Beef has renewed its sponsorship with Roush Fenway Racing and defending NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is scheduled to drive the Cargill Beef Ford Mustang in 12 races.

RYAN TRUEX COMES CLEAN: Secondgeneration NASCAR race car driver Ryan Truex is running select NASCAR Nationwide Series races this season for Joe Gibbs Racing with sponsorship from Grime Boss, a line of heavy duty hand cleaning wipes. The 20-year-old driver from Mayetta, N.J., has two more races scheduled in the No. 20 Toyota and three in the team’s No. 18 entry.

CHECK OUT THOSE SHADES: Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon is the spokesman for DVX, a new line of sun and safety glasses produced

by Wiley X and sold exclusively through Walmart Vision Centers.

“With a truly unique combination of fashion, function and protection, DVX sunglasses will be ideal for every type of outdoor activity and every lifestyle,” said Myles Freeman Jr., president of sales and co-owner of Wiley X. “We’re honored to be working with a progressive retailer such as Walmart, and to have the promotional support of a racing icon like Jeff Gordon.”

■■ Brad Keselowski with veterans who were honored at Talladega Superspeedway in 2011.

Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation Aids Wounded Veterans

W

ounded warriors struggle daily to overcome injuries that have changed their lives forever. It may be the loss of a limb, a head injury, or post-traumatic stress disorder that has them facing challenges they never imagined. It’s a world where small achievements become major accomplishments.

Brad Keselowski recognized the veterans’ challenges and in 2010 created his Checkered Flag Foundation’s Race to Recovery program, located online at checkeredflagfoundation.org. Designed to inspire those working to overcome service-related injuries, the program provides a three-day VIP race experience for six service members/veterans and one

“crew chief” – the person who has inspired them the most in their recovery. Last year, more than 800 wounded veterans, military members, first responders and their families experienced Keselowski’s Race to Recovery program.

Those honored by the program receive numerous at-track perks, including a team shirt, private time with Keselowski and other Penske Racing drivers, and video and photographs from their personal experience. The day after the race the six honorees and their guests join the Checkered Flag Foundation team at the track and are treated to a ride with the NASCAR driver in a Dodge Charger similar to the one he races.

In addition to those honorees, another 30 veterans and their guests are invited to watch either the Saturday or Sunday NASCAR race in the Checkered Flag Foundation’s at-track suite. VA case managers determine those receiving the suite tickets, with an emphasis being placed on rewarding those who have met certain milestones in their treatment. Those individuals also receive garage and pit tours, meet-and-greets with drivers and team owners, and recognition in at-track events and race programs.

This year Keselowski’s Foundation is partnering with Veterans Administration hospitals around the nation to reward men and women who have been severely wounded in the line of duty and are working the hardest to overcome the physical adversity they now face on a daily basis.

Five Race to Recovery programs are slated for this year. Richmond International Raceway hosted the program in April, while Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway joined the program in May. The program also was scheduled for Michigan International Speedway in June and Bristol Motor Speedway in August.

“Recreational activities like Race to Recovery assist combat veterans with community reintegration by providing the opportunity to socialize with fellow comrades and with community members,” said Sarah Nowitzke, Seamless Transition Program manager for the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. “The event was embraced by many of our wounded combat veterans as their first venture into a large recreational venue.”

BY DEB WILLIAMS

Rip it. Stick it.

Done.

Gorilla Products Promise: • Incredible Strength • Maximum Performance

Welcome to Tough...

Made in

USA

www.GorillaTough.com 1-800-966-3458

© 2012 Gorilla Glue Company

Scan for Video

FREERACEMAG.COM

15

green flag

Q&A

with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver Greg Biffle

What would you be doing if you weren’t racing?

That’s a great question. I really don’t know. I enjoy real estate a lot. I don’t know if I’d be maybe buying and selling real estate or maybe have some real-estate type of company or something like that. There’s a lot of things I enjoy but it’s tough to make a living at.

What’s your favorite childhood memory?

Probably some favorite childhood memories are going camping and fishing with my dad, my brother and my mom, and going motorcycle riding and going camping. Camping kind of revolved around a lot of the things we did. We snow skied. We’d go to Aspen [Colorado] for four or five days, and we were [really short] and didn’t use poles yet, so we had a lot of fun growing up. We have a lot of memories of things like that.

What do you enjoy outside of racing?

I enjoy going to the desert and off-road cars, and taking my sand car to the sand dunes. I really, really enjoy that. I only go a couple times a year but we’re trying to go more because I really have a lot of fun doing it. I love riding a motorcycle, a dirt bike. I love to fish. I really enjoy fishing and I like the outdoors. I love going on the lake and like to wakeboard, wake surf. I’m just an active type of person.

What’s a typical day like at the Biffle house?

I get up and go to my office in the morning. I get up and usually go get [my daughter] Emma [born July 6, 2011] up, or when she’s up I get her up, and change her, and get her ready to have breakfast. Of course right now that’s milk. I usually help with that part of it and then shortly after that, I’m out of the house. I’m home in the afternoon.

16

POLE POSITION // 2012

BY JARED TURNER

She takes a couple naps during the day and does all that and in the evening it’s the same thing: We’re going outside doing stuff, taking the dogs for walks, feeding her, playing. A lot of your personal time that you used to have is dedicated to playing with her and doing that.

What makes you happy in life?

What makes me happy is success and enjoying what you’re doing, whether it’s success racing, success in your family, or having fun with Emma and my dogs and other things. Having fun and everything kind of going well, everybody healthy – and when I say success, that’s what I mean – everybody getting along, that makes me happy.

Why do you race?

I just absolutely love driving the car. I love cars. I love what we’re doing. I have off-road cars, I have UTVs [off-road vehicles] and I have street cars. I just love cars, I love driving, I love competition, I love competitiveness. So it’s just in my blood, second-nature.

GREG BIFFLE AT A GLANCE ■■FAVORITE BAND ■ ■ Nickelback ■■FAVORITE FOOD ■ ■ Mexican

■■FAVORITE VACATION SPOT ■ ■ Mexico ■■FAVORITE DRINK ■ ■ Coke ■■FAVORITE SEASON ■ ■ Fall ■■FAVORITE NON-RACING SPORT

■ ■ UFC Fighting

■■FAVORITE ANIMAL ■ ■ Dog

Fans Win with Relationship Between Walmart and NASCAR RACE TIME IS BACK!

UPCOMING FAN EVENTS AT WALMART STORES DOVER

Wed., May 30, 2012 Thurs., May 31, 2012 Fri., June 1, 2012 Sat., June 2, 2012

POCONO

W

almart and NASCAR have once again teamed up to give race fans new NASCAR branded merchandise and special savings on tickets for select races nationwide.

The retail program, branded “Race Time,” is the largest retail promotion in NASCAR’s history and was launched last year. This year, it has been expanded to more than triple the companies offering authentic merchandise, double the number of fan events in race markets and increased the number of tracks where Walmart is offering the Walmart Family Track Pack.

Walmart customers and NASCAR fans can save money by purchasing a “Walmart Family Track Pack,” discounted ticket packages available exclusively through Walmart.com/NASCAR for select NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

Ticket packages include four race tickets, four hot dogs, four soft drinks and one race program for just $99, a savings of more than $100, while supplies last. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster kiosks in select markets.

Special NASCAR fan events, featuring stock car displays, racing simulators and driver appearances, are also planned at select Walmart stores in each race market.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Walmart will sponsor racing legend Bill Elliott in the Walmart No. 50 car at the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona on July 7. Elliott will also appear at select Walmart stores before race day, along with his show car.

“We want to bring affordability and accessibility to NASCAR fans,” said Rand Waddoups, senior director, Entertainment Properties and Brands, Walmart. “We’ve offered authentic NASCAR merchandise in our stores for years, and we’re excited to expand our offerings and provide great Race Time experiences in stores and at the track.”

Thurs., June 7, 2012 Thurs., June 7, 2012 Fri., June 8, 2012 Fri., June 8, 2012 Sat., June 9, 2012 Sat., June 9, 2012

MICHIGAN

Wed., June 13, 2012 Thurs., June 14, 2012 Fri., June 15, 2012 Sat., June 16, 2012 Sat., June 16, 2012

SONOMA

Thurs., June 21, 2012 Thurs., June 21, 2012 Fri., June 22, 2012 Fri., June 22, 2012 Sat., June 23, 2012

KENTUCKY

Tues., June 26, 2012 Tues., June 26, 2012 Wed., June 27, 2012 Wed., June 27, 2012 Thurs., June 28, 2012 Thurs., June 28, 2012 Fri., June 29, 2012 Fri., June 29, 2012

DAYTONA

Mon., July 2, 2012 Mon., July 2, 2012 Tues., July 3, 2012 Tues., July 3, 2012 Wed., July 4, 2012 Wed., July 4, 2012 Thurs., July 5, 2012 Thurs., July 5, 2012 Fri., July 6, 2012 Fri., July 6, 2012

LOUDON

Wed., July 11, 2012 Wed., July 11, 2012 Thurs., July 12, 2012 Thurs., July 12, 2012 Fri., July 13, 2012 Fri., July 13, 2012 Sat., July 14, 2012 Sat., July 14, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS Wed., July 25, 2012 Wed., July 25, 2012 Thurs., July 26, 2012 Thurs., July 26, 2012 Fri., July 27, 2012 Fri., July 27, 2012 Sat., July 28, 2012 Sat., July 28, 2012

11:00am - 5:00pm 11:00am - 5:00pm 11:00am - 5:00pm 1:00pm - 7:00pm

705 Middletown Warwick Rd. 939 North Dupont Blvd.

263 Walmart Dr. 36 Jerome Dr.

Middletown, Del., 19709 Milford, Del., 19963 Camden, Del., 19934 Dover, Del., 19901

10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm

1091 Millcreek Rd. 3722 Easton Rd. 2150 Wilkes Barre Twp. Mktpl.

900 Commerce Blvd.

355 Lincoln Ave. 500 Route 940

Allentown, Pa., 18106 Easton, Pa., 18045 Wilkes-Barre, Pa., 18702 Dickson City, Pa., 18519 East Stroudsburg, Pa., 18301 Mount Pocono, Pa., 18344

11:00am - 5:00pm 11:00am - 5:00pm 11:00am - 5:00pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 1:00pm - 7:00pm

800 East Chicago St. 701 Olds St. 7000 East Michigan Ave. 1601 U.S. 223 1700 West Michigan Ave.

Coldwater, Mich., 49036 Jonesville, Mich., 49250 Saline, Mich., 48176 Adrian, Mich., 49221 Jackson, Mich., 49202

10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 11:00am - 5:00pm

6650 Hembree Ln. 4625 Redwood Dr. 681 Lincoln Ave. 2701 North Texas St. 7011 Main St.

Windsor, Calif., 95492 Rohnert Park, Calif., 94928 Napa, Calif., 94558 Fairfield, Calif., 94533 American Canyon, Calif., 94503

10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 12:00pm - 6:00pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm

3450 Valley Plaza Pkwy.

7625 Doering Dr. 500 Taylorsville Rd. 1015 New Moody Ln. 20 Ferguson Blvd.

200 Floyd Dr. 567 Ivy Tech Dr. 200 Floyd Dr.

Ft. Wright, Ky., 41017 Florence, Ky., 41042 Shelbyville, Ky., 40065 La Grange, Ky., 40031 Dry Ridge, Ky., 41035 Carrollton, Ky., 41008 Madison, Ind., 47250 Carrollton, Ky., 41008

10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm

1601 Rinehart Rd. 1699 North Woodland Blvd.

174 Cypress Point Pkwy.

1521 West Granada Blvd.

1905 North Nova Rd. (NHM) 3155 State Rd. 44 1101 Beville Rd. 1590 Dunlawton Ave. 1101 Beville Rd. 1590 Dunlawton Ave.

Sanford, Fla., 32771 Deland, Fla., 32720 Palm Coast, Fla., 32164 Ormond Beach, Fla., 32174 Daytona Beach, Fla., 32117 New Smyrna Beach, Fla., 32168 Daytona Beach, Fla., 32119 Port Orange, Fla., 32127 Daytona Beach, Fla., 32119 Port Orange, Fla., 32127

10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm

59 Walton Way 35 Fresh River Rd. 39 E. Main / I-93 Exit 20 3 Commerce Dr. 116 Farmington Rd. 344 Loudon Rd. 116 Farmington Rd. 344 Loudon Rd.

Somersworth, N.H., 03878 Epping, N.H., 03042 Tilton, N.H., 03276 Hooksett, N.H., 03106 Rochester, N.H., 03867 Concord, N.H., 03301 Rochester, N.H., 03867 Concord, N.H., 03301

10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm 10:00am - 4:00pm 11:30am - 5:30pm

7245 U.S. 31 South 8191 Upland Bend 7325 North Keystone Ave. 4545 Lafayette Rd. 2373 East Main St. 1133 North Emerson Rd. 400 West Northfield Dr. 9500 U.S. 36

Indianapolis, Ind., 46227 Camby, Ind., 46113 Indianapolis, Ind., 46240 Indianapolis, Ind., 46254 Plainfield, Ind., 46168 Greenwood, Ind., 46143 Brownsburg, Ind., 46112 Avon, Ind., 46123

■ All dates and locations are subject to change.

FREERACEMAG.COM

17

green flag Racin’ Recipes

R

ecipes created for BUSH’S® Grillin’ Beans® exclusively by Chef Jeffrey Saad, grilling expert, television host of numerous food- and cooking-related shows and author of the new cookbook, Jeffrey Saad’s Global Kitchen: Recipes Without Borders.

BUSH’S® ORANGE-BLACK PEPPER CHICKEN ■ ■ Servings: 3 to 5 ■ ■ Preparation Time: 15 minutes (plus 3 hours to overnight for marinating) ■ ■ Cooking Time: 15 minutes INGREDIENTS ■ ■ 1 can (21.5 ounces) BUSH’S® Sweet Mesquite Grillin’ Beans®

FOR CHICKEN ■ ■ 2 each chicken breasts (skin on or off) ■ ■ 2 each chicken thighs ■ ■ 2 each chicken legs ■ ■ Salt ■ ■ 2 tablespoons canola oil ■ ■ ½ tablespoon light brown sugar ■ ■ ½ each lemon, cut into wedges ■ ■ 1 12-inch sheet plastic wrap

FOR MARINADE ■ ■ ½ cup fresh orange juice ■ ■ 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped ■ ■ 2 teaspoons ground black pepper ■ ■ 1 teaspoon salt ■ ■ 1 tablespoon light brown sugar

BUSH’S® CITRUS PORK CHOP ■ ■ Servings: 4 to 6 ■ ■ Preparation Time: 15 minutes ■ ■ Cooking Time: 10 minutes INGREDIENTS ■ ■ 1 can (21.5 ounces) BUSH’S® Sweet Mesquite Grillin’ Beans® ■ ■ Optional Garnish: Fresh cilantro, chopped DIRECTIONS FOR RUB ■ ■ In small bowl, mix together chili powder, pepper, allspice and cumin.

FOR PORK CHOPS Using paper towel, dry off chops. Rub mixture evenly on both sides of chops and season with salt.

Set clean, well-oiled grill to medium heat.

When grill is hot, using tongs, place chops on grill and cook 3 minutes or until dark grill marks appear.

18

FOR RUB ■ ■ 2 tablespoons chili powder (or ancho chili powder) ■ ■ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper ■ ■ ¼ teaspoon ground allspice ■ ■ ¼ teaspoon ground cumin FOR PORK CHOPS ■ ■ 4 each bone-in pork chops, about 1-inch thick ■ ■ Salt FOR SAUCE ■ ■ ¼ cup fresh orange juice ■ ■ 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

FOR SAUCE While chops are cooking, combine orange and lime juice in small bowl using whisk or spoon. Set aside.

Using tongs, flip chops and cook 3 minutes or until chops are pink in center and internal temperature is at least 145 degrees F. With basting brush, coat one side of chops with sauce and cook 45 seconds.

Flip chops using tongs. Coat second side of chops with sauce and cook 45 seconds. Set remaining sauce aside.

Using tongs, remove chops from grill and place on platter. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Drizzle chops with remaining sauce and garnish with cilantro, as desired.

Serve with BUSH’S® Sweet Mesquite Grillin’ Beans®.

1 2

1

3

2

4 5 6

POLE POSITION // 2012

DIRECTIONS FOR MARINADE ■ ■ In large bowl, mix together orange juice, rosemary, pepper, salt and sugar.

FOR CHICKEN Place chicken in large bowl of marinade, turn to evenly coat.

Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight.

Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry using paper towel, removing any excess marinade. Season both sides of chicken with salt and set aside.

Pour marinade into small saucepan. Set aside for later.

Set one side of clean grill to medium-high heat and one side to low heat. (Note: If using charcoal grill, push coals to one side of grill.) Drizzle oil on both sides of chicken to prevent sticking.

Using tongs, place chicken on hotter side of grill, skin side down (if keeping skin on). Cook 3

1

2

3 4 5

minutes or until dark grill marks appear. Flip chicken using tongs and move to low heat side of grill.

Cook 5 minutes or until internal temperature is at least 165 degrees F. (Tip: Closely monitor chicken while grilling and move aside if flames rise up.)

While chicken is cooking, add remaining sugar to saucepan with marinade. Simmer over low heat until marinade reduces by ⅓ in volume, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat.

With basting brush, coat one side of chicken with marinade and cook 45 seconds. Flip chicken using tongs. Coat second side of chicken with marinade and cook 45 seconds. Set remaining marinade aside.

Using tongs, remove chicken from grill and place on platter. Squeeze lemon wedges over chicken and top with remaining marinade.

Serve with BUSH’S® Sweet Mesquite Grillin’ Beans®.

6 7

8 9

BUSH’S® PEPPERY CHICKEN KABOBS ■ ■ Servings: 4 to 6 ■ ■ Preparation Time: 30 minutes (plus 3 hours to overnight for marinating) ■ ■ Cooking Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS ■ ■ 1 can (21.5 ounces) BUSH’S® Sweet Mesquite Grillin’ Beans® ■ ■ Optional Garnish: Fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped FOR MARINADE ■ ■ 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped ■ ■ 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika ■ ■ ½ teaspoon ground (cayenne) red pepper ■ ■ 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves ■ ■ 2 tablespoons olive oil ■ ■ 2 teaspoons salt FOR KABOBS 2 pounds skin on chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces ½ each large white onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 each red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces Salt and pepper

1 2 3 4 5 6

B:8.625”

1 12-inch sheet T:8.375”

©2012 Bush Brothers & Company. JTG Daugherty Racing,™ Bobby Labonte name and/or likeness and race team, race car and car number used by authority of JTG Racing, Inc. TOYOTA AND ALL ASSOCIATED MARKS, EMBLEMS AND DESIGNS ARE THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OF TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION AND USED WITH PERMISSION.

plastic wrap S:7.875”

Wooden or metal skewers (recommend metal)

DIRECTIONS FOR MARINADE ■ ■ In large bowl, mix together garlic, paprika, red pepper, thyme, oil and salt.

FOR KABOBS Place chicken in bowl of marinade, turn to evenly coat. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours to overnight.

Using skewers create kabob by threading chicken, onion and pepper, leaving ½-inch of space between each piece for even grilling. Alternate between chicken, onion and pepper until all pieces are used.

(Tip: If using wooden skewers, soak in cold water for at least 1 hour before use to prevent burning).

Season kabobs with salt and pepper.

1 2

3 4

Set clean, well-oiled grill to mediumhigh heat. When grill is hot, using tongs, place kabobs on grill. Cook 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip kabobs and cook 5 minutes or until chicken internal temperature is at least 165 degrees F and onions and peppers are slightly crispy.

Using tongs, remove kabobs from grill and place on platter. Garnish with parsley, as desired. Be sure to remove all ingredients from skewers before eating.

Serve with BUSH’S® Sweet Mesquite Grillin’ Beans.

5

6

DRIVE BOLD. GRILL BOLD.

With New BUSH’S® Sweet Mesquite Grillin’ Beans®.

Root for Bobby Labonte, driver of #47 BUSH’S® Beans-sponsored car.

FREERACEMAG.COM

19