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T E X A S M O T O R S P E E D WAY
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SPEEDREADS May 10, 2016
Dixon Looking for repeat
Defending Firestone 600 champion continues to learn as he looks for third title at TMS PAGE 2
Young Nemechek using years of experience
One of the top drivers in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series using veteran knowledge of his father and crew chief PAGE 3
Pagenaud/rahal rivaLRy continues
Longtime drivers continue to battle it out in Verizon IndyCar Series PAGE 4
School In Session
Alvarado High School sophomore one of the many headliners at Texas World Dirt Track Championship this weekend at TMS PAGE 4
Defending Firestone 600 champion Scott Dixon Te x a s M o t o r S p e e d w a y | M a y 1 0 , 2 0 1 6
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LEAD LAP
TOP NEWS FROM TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Defending Firestone 600 Champion Dixon Looks to repeat During last week’s Verizon IndyCar Series test at Texas Motor Speedway in preparation for the Firestone 600 on Saturday, June 11, four-time series champion Scott Dixon was asked by a media member if the 35-year-old veteran thought he was getting better with age. Before he could answer, his Ganassi Racing teammate Tony Kanaan that was seated next to him in the press conference blurted, “I hope not!” And with good reason. If Dixon is getting even better, that doesn’t bode well for his competitors – including his teammates – given his success at this stage of his career. He joined former Ganassi teammate Dario Franchitti as the only drivers in series history to win four Verizon IndyCar Series championships when he captured the crown last season. That title extended his streak to nine years of finishing among the top three in the championship standings. Dixon also continues to move up in the INDYCAR record book after earning his 39th career victory earlier this season at Phoenix International Raceway. The win placed him in a tie with Al Unser Sr. for fourth most all-time and next up on the list is former driver and current INDYCAR team owner Michael Andretti with 42. Dixon’s wins are highlighted by an Indianapolis 500 triumph from the pole in 2008 and a pair of victories at Texas Motor Speedway, including last year’s Firestone 600.
Dixon said the key to the victory was making adjustments to the car throughout the race until it was perfect.
Scott Dixon takes the checkered flag to cap his record-setting victory in the 2015 Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. “I think you are always improving,” Dixon said. “There is something every weekend that you do or you see that either you want to do more of or you never want to do again. I’ve definitely done some stupid stuff in the past and hopefully I don’t do those things again. “Each weekend is such a new thing – where the tire package is different or the aero package is different. There are so many different things you can utilize. You are constantly learning new things. I hope I’m getting better.” Dixon became the fifth multiple Verizon IndyCar Series winner in Texas Motor Speedway history when he won last year’s Firestone 600. He led 97 of 248 laps while cruising to victory last June, establishing a record for the fastest Verizon IndyCar Series race in speedway history with an average of 191.940 mph for the 248 laps. That speed erased the previous mark of 185.710 mph set in 2006. The fact there was only one caution in last year’s race helped Dixon set that record.
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“It didn’t start awfully good because we had a lot of understeer in the car, but once we got the balance right the car was basically on rails,” Dixon said. “With the pit stop exchange, we got the lead and then the car was just very good in traffic and we were able to keep the speed up. I knew once we got the balance right we could get up there and duel with (Kanaan) to the end. “Our team stayed on top of it all night to get that win. Once we got it on rails, the car was super fast.” Dixon rolled to the victory over Kanaan and joined Helio Castroneves (four wins), Sam Hornish Jr. (3), Scott Goodyear (2) and Scott Sharp (2) as a multiple winner at Texas Motor Speedway. His first TMS win came from the pole in 2008. “It’s always good to be able to wear the cowboy hat at Texas,” Dixon said. “I hope I can pick up another one this year.” The Firestone 600 (7:45 p.m. CT, TV: NBC Sports Network, Radio: SiriusXM INDYCAR Channel 209, IMS Radio Network, 95.9 FM The Ranch locally) is the ninth event on this year’s 15race schedule. It also will be 28th Verizon IndyCar Series race hosted by Texas Motor Speedway, the most in series history.
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NEMECHEK USING HIS TEAM’S YEARS OF EXPERIENCE TO be Amongst Point Leaders John Hunter Nemechek is using his family’s support and knowledge to take him to the top of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver standings. Nemechek’s second career victory came at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this year and set up the 18-year-old to be in this year’s inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase championship playoff format. The son of former NASCAR veteran Joe Nemechek had only 30 career starts in the series heading into this season. While John Hunter has leaned on his father and his vast NASCAR knowledge, his namesake is from his uncle who was killed in an accident at a truck series race at Homestead-Miami in 1997 just three months before this John Hunter was born. His uncle drove the same No. 8 that teen Nemechek drove to victory at Chicagoland on Sept. 19, 2015, the first victory ever for the No. 8. “To have the same name as him is something I look at as an honor,” John Hunter said. “He (Uncle John Hunter) is still lingering in spirit around the shop. There’s been a few stories where tool boxes have moved at night and sometimes you’ll get a thump on the head and no one is around … that type of stuff. He’s still there.” Nemechek, who had been leading the series standings before slipping to fifth after finishing 28th at Kansas this past weekend, said it has been instrumental that he is surrounded by so much experience on this small, underfunded team. “I have two of the most veteran (people) here in Dad and (crew chief)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver John Hunter Nemechek is using the experience of his father and crew chief to ascend to the top of the driver standings. Gere Kennon,” he said. “They like to do stuff the old way, old school; all their experience and knowledge I’ve learned from.” The elder Nemechek won four times during a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career that spanned more than two decades. He also recorded 16 wins in the XFINITY Series and was that division’s series champion in 1992. “Dad has taught me everything he’s learned in 20 years in a three- to fouryear period,” he said. “That’s sped up my learning curve. Then bringing Gere on board, he’s taught me a lot about these trucks; he’s been in the sport forever.” Kennon’s racing resume includes title-winning runs with two-time series champion Sam Ard in what is now known as the NASCAR XFINITY Series as well successful stints with Brett Bodine and Ron Hornaday in that series. Kennon also was in a crew chief
role in the mid-‘90s for team owner Butch Mock and driver Morgan Shepherd in the Sprint Cup Series. Between his father and Kennon, he has a wealth of experience that belies a teenager in the sport. “Growing up in the sport you see all the different perspectives of the sport from Dad owning a team, to him driving for someone else from him being in the shop working on his own stuff,” John Hunter said. “You learn a bunch of different traits as you grow up through the sport. His advice is just to work hard, never give up and it’s always going to play out.” Nemechek and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series make their first of two stops at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, June 10, for the Rattlesnake 400 (8 p.m. CT, TV: FOX Sports 1, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR, 95.9 FM The Ranch locally).
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Pagenaud, Rahal Continue Rivalry As Verizon IndyCar Season Heats Up a very good driver. I have a lot of respect for him because he can sometimes outdrive the car; make it better than it actually is. He’s doing a great job.”
Simon Pagenaud is off to a fast start in 2016 with a pair of wins and two second-place finishes in four races.
The rivalry between Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Graham Rahal and Simon Pagenaud has been a decade in the making. They competed in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship in 2006, the same season Pagenaud edged Rahal in the championship by a mere 16 points.
standings in the Verizon IndyCar Series for Team Penske, leading second-place Scott Dixon by 48 points heading into Saturday’s Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Rahal currently is sixth in the standings for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Since then, the two have continued to compete against each other including time in the Champ Car World Series and now in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Earlier this season at Barber Motorsports Park, the two finished 1-2 with Pagenaud coming out on top.
“He’s a hell of a driver, a great competitor,” Rahal said of Pagenaud. “And a great guy. It’s not like I dislike him. I like Simon a lot.”
“That’s the way it’s always been and when I see him particularly as the rabbit in front of me I’m going to get him,” Rahal said of the rivalry between the two drivers. “It’s just my mentality. Obviously, he’s in a pretty good place right now.” That good place right now for Pagenaud is atop the driver
The respect is mutual.
Pagenaud’s impressive start to the season with two victories and four finishes of second or better has provided him with what he feels is an advantage heading into this weekend’s race, along with the upcoming 100th running of theIndianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29. “Because we’ve started so strong, I don’t have to prove anything,” Pagenaud said. “I can work on what I have to work on. I think that’s what makes for a bit of an advantage in my opinion, in my head.” While Pagenaud looks to continue to pad his points lead, Rahal will continue to maintain the same mindset he has had for 10 years in tracking down his chief rival. “I don’t want to make a bigger deal out of it than it is,” Rahal said. “For sure, it’s in my head, ‘I don’t lose to Simon.’”
“Graham is a very aggressive driver, he’s exciting to watch,” Pagenaud said. “Maybe a lot more exciting than Graham Rahal has been competing with Simon Pagenaud me. He’s for over 10 years.
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SPLASH ’N GO
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NOTES FROM TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Firestone 600 media credential deadline
The credential deadline for the Firestone 600 INDYCAR/NASCAR weekend is FRIDAY, MAY 27. Credentials can be requested through www. smicredentials.com. Those not yet registered for the website will first need to apply for access through the site. Once a registration confirmation e-mail is received, the credential request can then be submitted. Requests following the deadline will not be accepted.
Save the date(S)
Texas Motor Speedway will have a number of media opportunities with drivers over the next few weeks. The annual Texas Motor Speedway Speeding to Read championship assembly will take place at the track Tuesday, May 24, as drivers from both the Verizon IndyCar Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series help celebrate the accomplishments of more than 6,500 students from 11 different schools. Following the assembly that will be held in the frontstretch grandstands, the drivers will be available in the TMS Media Center at approximately 11:45 a.m. CT. Texas Motor Speedway’s annual event with the Indianapolis 500 winner is scheduled to take place Wednesday, June 1, at The Owner’s Box located in the Omni Hotel Dallas. This year’s event will be a lunch-time affair featuring the winner of the 100th running of the Indy 500. More details to follow as the event draws closer.
Texas Motor Speedway was finalist for dfw american marketing association’s 2015-16 marketer of the year Texas Motor Speedway was named a finalist in the prestigious Dallas/Fort Worth American Marketing Association’s 2015-16 Marketer of the Year Awards for its “Jeff Gordon’s Final Season” campaign surrounding its two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends last season. The speedway’s entry in the Event Marketing category was a multi-pronged campaign that began last March with “Jeff Gordon Day” at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas and culminated with 24 various tributes ranging from a week-long Live Mural Experience throughout the DFW area to 24 skydivers arriving with No. 24 flags during pre-race activities at November’s AAA Texas 500. The other finalists were the “Meat Fight” campaign by the Johnson and Sekin Agency, Clear Channel Outdoor’s “#LetsGetSocial” campaign and HMS’ “Small Investment, Big Results” campaign, which took the top honors during last week’s awards ceremony on the strength of creating a 3-D video game with Chicago-based NEXT/NOW for a healthcare cost containment trade show. “Given the number of talented agencies and individuals that are part of the AMA in a metro market of our size, it was an honor to have the judging panel select Texas Motor Speedway as one of the four finalists in our category and compete on that level,” Texas Motor Speedway Vice President of Media Relations Mike Zizzo said. “We had a lot of great elements surrounding both race weekends that reached various audiences and a special thanks goes out to Jeff and his team for being so accommodating in allowing us to execute the campaign.”
Fort worth star-telegram to sponsor june weekend qualifying day The Fort Worth Star-Telegram will be sponsoring qualifying for the Firestone 600 INDYCAR/NASCAR doubleheader week. Star-Telegram Qualifying Day will be held Friday, June 10, and feature both the Verizon IndyCar Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Star-Telegram Qualifying Day will lead off with Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying for the Firestone 600 from 3:15-4:15 p.m. CT, followed by the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series qualifying for the Rattlesnake 400 from 5-6 p.m. This place (Texas Motor Speedway) is great. It is always a fun place to come to. The promoters and fans are great. The drivers and teams enjoy their time here. Four-time Texas Motor Speedway winner Helio Castroneves.
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16-year-old sprint car driver HIGHLIGHTs TEXAS WORLD DIRT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP AT TMS this weekend The Texas World Dirt Track Championship returns to the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track this weekend with ASCS Sprint Cars being joined by Limited Modified and Factory Stock divisions. The ASCS Sprint Car division will have some interesting storylines heading into the weekend, ranging from a local teen racer to a defending champion chasing history. Most high school sophomores are worried about getting their driver’s license, but for 16-year-old Zane Lawrence learning how to drive isn’t an issue. Lawrence, of Lillian, Texas, doesn’t need to practice his driving skills in the family car either as the Alvarado High School sophomore already is in his second year of competition in the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) Gulf South Region. It will be Lawrence’s first visit to the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track and he is looking forward to competing in the high-profile event that draws racers from around the country. “It would be cool to win at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track,” Lawrence said. “That’s the race everybody wants to win. It’s one of the more prestigious dirt track races in the country. It would be even better to win because it’s in my backyard.” Seth Bergman is a Washington state native, but he is well aware of the importance of wearing a cowboy hat when in the Lone Star State. He has earned a pair of cowboy hats at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track after winning the last two ASCS races at the 0.4-mile dirt oval. Bergman became just the fourth driver in Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track history with two sprint-car wins when he earned consecutive victories in 2014 and ‘15. This year he will be pursuing multiple cowboy hats during the
Zane Lawrence, a 16-year-old sophomore at Alvarado High School, will be driving in the Texas World Dirt Track Championship at TMS on May 13-14. Texas World Dirt Track Championship weekend as the series will host championship features Friday and Saturday. “From the first time that I came there, I have liked the venue,” Bergman said. “I love the atmosphere of that race, especially the race track. The race track is the type that gets wide; it carries speed. If you are good and make good decisions, it seems to play in your favor. I think it’s just a combination of things. It really fits how I think on the race track and how I drive. I enjoy being there. All of that has tied together and played out to being pretty successful for me.” Bergman’s knack for winning at the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track has him affiliated with a star-studded group of sprint car drivers that have earned multiple victories. World of Outlaws drivers Danny Lasoski and Steve Kinser, along with ASCS’ Jason Johnson, join him as the only others with a pair of wins. The two-day show gets underway Friday with practice at 6 p.m. CT and Limited Modified, Factory Stock, and
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ASCS heats beginning at 7:05 p.m. The evening culminates with the 40-lap ASCS Sprint Car championship. The weekend show continues Saturday, beginning at 7:05 p.m. with Factory Stock and Limited Modified qualifiers and followed by features for all three series. The evening will be highlighted by three championship races - a 30-lap Factory Stock Championship, 40-lap Limited Modified Championship and 40-lap ASCS Sprint Car Championship. Grandstand tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under on Friday and $25 for adults and $10 for children on Saturday. Fans can save $5 on adult tickets purchased at any participating O’Reilly Auto Parts store. For tickets or more information on the Texas World Dirt Track Championship, call the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office at (817) 215-8500 or visit www. texasmotorspeedway.com. For a complete weekend schedule click here.
FINAL PIT STOP
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VIDEO SOUND BITES, SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT
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LIL’ HOSS TV
Verizon IndyCar Series points leader Simon Pagenaud discusses what his team is working on as they prepare for the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.
FROM THE TWITTERVERSE
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PUBLIC SCHEDULE
FIRESTONE 600 WEEKEND EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 8:00a 9a-5p
VIP & Outside Campgrounds open Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours
ThursDAY, JUNE 9
8:00a VICS Haulers Enter Texas Motor Speedway Credentials Office Hours 9a-5p 9a-7p VICS Garage Open 9:30a NCWTS Haulers Enter 10:00a South Tunnel Opens 11:00a Reserved Infield Camping Opens 11a-7p NCWTS Registration Open 11:30a-9p NCWTS Garage Open 2:30 pm Gate 4 Opens 2:30p-3:25p NCWTS Practice 4:30p-5:25p NCWTS Practice 6:30p-7:55p NCWTS Final Practice
FRIDAY, June10
7a-7p VICS Registration Open 7a-10p VICS Garage Open 9a-7:30p Texas Motor Speedway Credentials Office Hours 10:45a Gate 4 Opens 11a-12:15p VICS Practice 12p-7:30p NCWTS Registration Open 12:00p NSCS Garage Open 3:00p Gates 3 & 5 Open 3:00p Gates 2 & 6 Open for Luxury Suites and Victory Lane Club Only 3:15p-4:15p VICS Qualifying 3:30p-4:15p NCWTS Autograph Session 5p-6p NCWTS Qualifying 5:15p-6p VICS Autograph Session 6:45p-7:15p VICS Practice 8p NCWTS Rattlesnake 400 (167 Laps, 250.5 Miles) 12 am Burnout Alley Closes
SATURDAY, June 11
12p-7:30p Texas Motor Speedway Credential Office Hours 12p VICS Garage Open 3:30p Gates 3 & 5 Open 3:30p Gates 2 & 6 Open for Luxury Suites and Victory Lane Club Only 6:30p VICS Firestone 600 (248 Laps, 372 Miles) 30 min Portacool Post-Race Show featuring post race JB and the Moonshine Band
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ticket info www.texasmotorspeedway.com 817.215.8500 Facebook: Texas Motor Speedway Twitter: @txmotorspeedway Instagram: txmotorspeedway
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