2016 AAA TEXAS WEEKEND NOTEBOOK

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T E X A S M O T O R S P E E D WAY

aaa texas 500 WEEkend notebook

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November 7, 2016

Title HUNTING

After fourth win at Texas, Edwards looking to take series title PAGE 2

weekend races

Suarez moves into XFINITY Chase lead, Larson wins O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, Sauter wins Striping Technology 350 PAGE 4

splash 'n go

Quest for fans from all seven continents complete, Quaid finds a dog, numbers and quotes PAGE 6

Chuck Yeah!

Norris helps introduce Chase drivers, continues to help children through his foundation PAGE 8

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SPEEDREADS

BACK IN THE HUNT

TEXAS WIN GIVES EDWARDS CHANCE AT REDEMPTION

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SPEEDREADS Carl Edwards knew exactly what he needed to do in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and he and his team went out and did.

Two weeks ago in the first race in the Chase’s Round of 8 segment at Martinsville, Edwards cut a tire that resulted in him hitting the wall and finishing 36th. That put him in a deep points hole, and his most realistic chance of advancing to the championship round was a win at Texas or this weekend at Phoenix.

Edward’s reduced the drama as well as the stress on himself and his Joe Gibbs Racing team by winning the AAA Texas 500 to gain a berth in the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 20.

It was Edwards’ fourth career Sprint Cup win at Texas, but first since his season sweep in 2008 when it was with Roush Fenway Racing.

“It's so much fun,” Edwards said after his big victory. “Just the idea of getting to race for a championship, getting that opportunity.”

So now he gets to run for a title, something that did not happen last year when rain, ironically, ended his hopes when the Phoenix race was cut short by a deluge.

"This rain was a lot more welcome than that rain (at Phoenix last year),” Edwards said after the AAA Texas 500 was officially called after 293 of the scheduled 334 laps were completed.

"That was very frustrating. But that's the way this sport goes. It's close every race.”

The thought of running for a championship again gave Edwards a reason to smile.

“I mean, it's cool,” said Edwards, who is still eyeing his first Cup crown. “If we're able to win that, stand here 14

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days from now with that championship trophy, we're going to have earned it.

That's as good as it gets.”

With a spot locked in for the Championship 4 at Homestead in a few weeks, Edwards will be able to look back five years to when he battled with Tony Stewart for the title.

After 10 races in the 2011 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Edwards and Stewart wound up tied with 2,403 points each as the conclusion of the season finale at Homestead. But because Stewart had won five races that season – all in the Chase – and Edwards only one, Stewart was crowned the series champion on the tiebreaker (most wins).

Edwards left the track that night frustrated as he came so close to winning a title, but unable to seal the deal.

So just like he had redemption for winning a race that was shortened by rain after having one knock him out of the Chase last year, he now has the opportunity to return to Homestead with a chance to win a title.

After the race, he downplayed comparisons to that 2011 race, which was run in a different format than the one NASCAR has had in place since 2014.

“I felt like ever since that checkered flag fell, I just wanted that opportunity again,” Edwards said. “Now we get it. It took a couple years. But I'm ready.”

Edwards’ title run is now reignited after what a few days ago looked out of reach.

“It's not just going there like we did in 2011 to race against one guy in championship form,” Edwards said. “We're going to go there and race against three guys, one of which is a six-time champion (Johnson), top of his game. I know whoever else in there is going to be tough as nails.”

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SPEEDREADS

WEEKEND RECAP

XFINITY AND CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES WINNERS

SUAREZ regains Xfinity series lead

Daniel Suarez (above, orange car) of Joe Gibbs Racing overcame adversity in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway to finish fifth and regain the XFINITY Series Chase points lead.

With two of the three races completed in the Round of 8 and no one earning an automatic berth by virtue of a victory, Suarez is in an excellent position to advance to the Championship 4 on Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway based off points alone.

A win by any of the eight Chase drivers in Saturday’s Round of 8 finale would take one of the four spots in the championship finale, but Suarez is 10 or more points ahead of the third through eighth-place Chase drivers. JR Motorsports driver Elliott Sadler also is in solid position after his sixth-place finish at Texas leaves him a point behind Suarez and nine ahead of third-place Erik Jones.

“I think we are in a good spot,” Suarez said. “I feel like there is no comfortable place in this format, but we are in a good spot. After doing what we have been able to do in the last month, month and a half, we do that and we will be fine and then everything will work out.”

Although Sadler restarted fourth with 30 laps remaining in the 200-lap race, Suarez came from seventh and moved to sixth on Lap 172. He passed Sadler for fifth with just over 20 laps remaining in the race for his 17th top-five finish of the season.

With one race to determine the Championship 4, Suarez has a 17-point advantage over Justin Allgaier, who is fifth in the NXS standings. Although he doesn’t feel completely secure at the top, he trusts his crew to carry him through the end of the season.

“I think it was a good day,” Suarez said. “We have had better days and we have had worse days. Today was one of those days, I felt like we learned a lot here at Texas, which is usually a good track for us.

“I think my entire team has a lot of confidence right now,” he added. “We are not in a comfortable position, I don’t think that word exists in the Chase. We will do everything we can – we are in a good spot and will keep doing what we have been doing for a month and a half or so and are going to be just fine and hopefully we can go to Homestead after Phoenix.”

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SPEEDREADS

LARSON GRABS FIRST WIN AT TEXAS IN XFINITY SERIES O'REILLY AUTO PARTS CHALLENGE

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sauter wins for a third time at tms Johnny Sauter continued his late-season charge toward a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship with his second win in as many weeks coming in Friday’s Striping Technology 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Kyle Larson used a late-race pass on a restart to overhaul Brad Keselowski and win Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway.

Larson recorded his first victory at Texas Motor Speedway that had a redeeming quality after two recent near-misses at the 1.5-mile speedway. He led more laps in his previous two XFINITY Series appearances at Texas Motor Speedway than he did Saturday en route to the win.

During last year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, he led 50 laps only to cut a tire and finish 33rd. In April’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, he led 38 laps on his way to an 11th-place finish.

He needed to lead just once for the final 30 laps to earn the victory Saturday, which also was a first at Texas Motor Speedway in the XFINITY Series for Chip Ganassi Racing.

“We should have won this race last year, but cut a tire late,” Larson said. “Today (Saturday) was a fun race. I was just tight running the bottom on short runs. Once I got to clean air, I was loose. Hit the wall one time with five to go and flattened my right side a little bit…but was able to hold him off. It probably changed the aero a little bit and got me tighter. He did get close to me with two to go, just not close enough.

“Brad was definitely better than I was…but long runs I felt we were pretty even, maybe a tick better. Elliott Sadler gave me a heck of a push on that restart, so I owe him one.”

In the process, Sauter, who won the previous weekend at Martinsville Speedway Johnny Sauter won his to earn an automatic third career race at Texas berth in the champiwith a win in the Striping onship race Nov. 18 Technology 350. at Homestead-Miami Speedway, prevented another Chase driver from securing their spot in the Championship 4.

The five other drivers remaining in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ inaugural Chase – William Byron, Christopher Bell, two-time series champion Matt Crafton, Timothy Peters and Ben Kennedy – are separated by 17 points heading into the Round of 6 finale Friday night at Phoenix International Raceway that will determine the other three drivers that join Sauter.

For them, there is only one focus heading into Phoenix.

“Hopefully we can go there and lock ourselves up with a win,” said Byron, who was sixth at Texas. “That’s the easiest way to get to the next round. We have to keep executing. You have to finish in the top five or six. We know that. We have a good truck for Phoenix. We have been really good on the mile tracks.”

“I’m not worried about the Chase, I’m worried about winning races,” said Crafton, the Striping Technology 350 runner-up. “We really look forward to going to Phoenix and hopefully we can go there and capitalize and win one there and carry this momentum to Homestead.”

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SPEEDREADS

SPLASH ’N GO

NOTES FROM TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

TMS has fans from all seven continents Texas Motor Speedway can change its tag line to “The Great International Speedway!” following Sunday’s AAA Texas 500.

Texas Motor Speedway, known for its national and international appeal, had attracted race fans from six of the seven continents the last five years heading into this weekend’s race. Antarctica, the frigid, desolate content, was missing from the list.

TMS President Eddie Gossage completed the seven continent sweep on Sunday by welcoming three “temporary” residents of Antarctica who attended the AAA Texas 500. Jeff Frye, of nearby Flower Mound, Texas; Dr. Kimberly Tyree, of Clemmons, N.C., and Glen Schoen, of Hermansville, Mich. helped complete the cycle of fans from every continent.

“We want everybody to come here," Gossage said. "It really is gratifying to us to find out that people come from all around the globe to races here.”

Grand marshal quaid to the rescue Award-winning actor and Houston native Dennis Quaid was tabbed to be the Grand Marshal for the AAA Texas 500 before rain delayed the start and he was unable to stay due to a prior commitment.

Quaid was able to help prior to the start of the race as he brought a dog to the Texas Motor Speedway Media Center. It wasn't his dog as he found it at the hotel where he was staying across the street from TMS. NASCAR tried to help find its owner following his press conference by posting a video of Quaid and the dog.

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The margin (in seconds) separating polesitter Austin Dillon and second-place qualifier Joey Logano during Salute to Veterans Qualifying Days Powered by Texas Lottery for the AAA Texas 500.

For me being an outdoorsman, love shooting and it’s probably the most special pole award that I could get as a driver. It felt like a win. That was cool. They do a really good job here at Texas of making you feel good when you accomplish something. That’s great.

- AAA Texas 500 pole winner Austin Dillon.

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FINAL PIT STOP

SPEEDREADS

VIDEO SOUND BITES, SOCIAL MEDIA SNAPSHOT

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LIL’ HOSS TV

Carl Edwards discusses his win in Victory Lane following the AAA Texas 500. Click on photo to watch video.

social gathering

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SPEEDREADS

CHUCK YEAH!

NORRIS INTRODUCES ROUND OF 8 DRIVERS I have to say that it was God’s plan because without the celebrity and my martial arts background I could never have started my KICKSTART KIDS program.”

Norris launched KICKSTART KIDS in 1992 in one Houston school with 150 participants. Today, the program encompasses 56 schools with almost 9,000 kids involved.

Pop culture icon Chuck Norris stepped into the role of NASCAR fan Sunday when he introduced the Round of 8 drivers competing in the Sprint Cup Series’ Chase at Texas Motor Speedway. ”I’ve been a NASCAR race fan for many, many years. I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of the drivers and become friends with them,” Norris said during a media session prior to the AAA Texas 500.

“Doing my Walker, Texas Ranger series in Dallas, I had the opportunity to come out here quite often to watch the races.”

Norris’ TV series enjoyed an eight-and-a-half year run and included plot lines filmed at TMS. Norris, who has starred in 23 motion pictures over the last three decades, also is a six-time middleweight karate champion - skills he regularly put on display in the acting world.

“For a little Okie kid who grew up in poverty, barely got out of high school…I really believe God had a plan for me,” Norris said. “For me to grow up non-athletic and then to become a six-time undefeated world karate champion - I was extremely shy growing up - and to get into the film world, I’ve often wondered how was I able to accomplish that?

“My goal is to saturate this program in every middle school and high school in Texas (and eventually additional states). I want to focus on Texas right now,” Norris said. “We teach them martial arts in the public schools - primarily in the middle schools because that’s when the kids start to drift in one direction or the other - with the purpose of raising these kids’ self-esteem and instilling the discipline and respect so many kids are lacking today.

“We have graduated 85,000 over the last 23 years, with most of these kids going on to become successful in their own right.”

In an effort to fund the foundation, Norris was sporting a black t-shirt bearing his image and the message AMERICA and CHUCK YEAH! The shirt is available at represent.com/chuckyeah.

“It’s a fund-raiser because our program runs about $6 million a year,” Norris said. “That’s really my mission in life. Being a martial arts teacher for 15 years, I’ve worked with thousands of young people. But these are youngsters whose parents could afford to bring them to my school and pay the tuition. I thought about the millions of youngsters in America whose parents can’t afford it. It’s been a never-ending job raising the money to keep the program going.”

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