Chase

Phoenix International Raceway has teamed up with the legendary Richard Petty on a joint venture to create the first-ever high performance kart track within a NASCAR facility. This experiential innovation will put race fans behind the wheel and into the action at the brand new Richard Petty Raceway – located on PIR’s Midway – beginning this November for the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 weekend.

The 1/16th-mile Richard Petty Raceway will be located just inside Gate 4 at PIR, providing fans the chance to test their racing mettle for just $20 a session. The permanent one-of-a-kind venue will allow first-hand entertainment for fans 16 and older. Several artist renderings are attached to this press release in a 4-page PDF.

“Throughout his career Richard Petty has done so much for the fans. We’re very excited to be able to partner with him on what promises to be a truly unique offering for PIR’s patrons,” said PIR president Bryan R. Sperber. “Providing race fans the opportunity to turn laps at the brand new Richard Petty Raceway will add to PIR’s engaging appeal and we’re very excited to unveil Richard Petty Raceway in November.”

A grand opening for Richard Petty Raceway is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, November 13. Petty – NASCAR’s all-time wins leader and Raceway namesake – is scheduled to appear, along with Reed Sorenson, the current driver of the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the Grand Opening of Richard Petty Raceway at PIR,” said Petty. “The fans deserve to have fun and be entertained during their entire experience at the race track. I hope Richard Petty Raceway can be part of that.”

Richard Petty Raceway will open on Thursday, November 12 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The facility will stay open throughout the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 weekend at PIR, with racing from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, November 13, and action beginning at 8 a.m. and lasting until 30 minutes before the checkered flags of the Able Body Labor 200 and Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, respectively, on Saturday and Sunday.

The raceway’s structure will include a pit and garage area, as well as grandstand seating where each driver’s “fans” can gather and show support – just as they would for the Chase for the Sprint Cup competitors on PIR’s one-mile oval. Each race at Richard Petty Raceway can include five competitors.

At 20 feet wide and featuring a flagman’s tower, tire barriers, and a layout quite similar to that of the main Phoenix International Raceway oval, Richard Petty Raceway is designed to give NASCAR fans yet another exciting racing surface – with the added thrill of participation in 9hp high-performance karts, provided by Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE). Competitors will put on firesuits and helmets and receive detailed instruction from RPDE professionals prior to racing.

Fans will have the chance to win a spot to compete in a race at the grand opening against the Sprint Cup Series professionals by entering the Richard Petty Raceway Grand Opening Sweepstakes. More information is available online at www.phoenixraceway.com/rpraceway.

Tickets for the November NASCAR event weekend at Phoenix International Raceway can be purchased online at www.phoenixraceway.com, or over the phone at 1-866-408-RACE (7223). Follow Phoenix International Raceway 365 days a year on the Web at www.phoenixraceway.com and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway. Be a part of it all at PIR!

In line with NASCAR’s release this week of the 2010 season schedule, Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan R. Sperber announced that the track will maintain its position as host for the first evening race on the Sprint Cup Series schedule, as well as the Semi-Final Race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ at PIR will take place Saturday, April 10, after the event at Martinsville Speedway and maintaining a position after the Sprint Cup Series’ scheduled week off for Easter. As it has since 2005, the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ will run at night under PIR’s bright lights, with 43 of NASCAR’s finest creating one of the most intense atmospheres in all of motorsports.

The SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ weekend will also feature the NASCAR Nationwide Series Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 under the lights on Friday, April 9.

NASCAR returns to Phoenix for its traditional fall weekend in November, featuring the Semi-Final race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil on Sunday, November 14.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series – appearing on November 12 and 13, respectively – will also travel to the West Valley in November as the pursuits of championship glory come to a close.

Fans looking for a head start in planning their 2010 season at PIR can now purchase a PIR Season Ticket package, which includes admission to all races in both exciting weekends of NASCAR action. Information can be found online at www.phoenixraceway.com/seasontickets.

Also currently on sale are single tickets to both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ and the NASCAR Nationwide Series Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 in April.

Tickets for NASCAR action at Phoenix International Raceway can be purchased online at www.phoenixraceway.com 24 hours a day, or over the phone at 1-866-408-RACE (7223). The PIR Ticket Office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 125 S. Avondale Blvd., just south of I-10 at Exit 131 in Avondale.

Follow Phoenix International Raceway 365 days a year on the Web at www.phoenixraceway.com and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway, and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway. Be a part of it all at PIR!

Following is the complete 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule:

Saturday, February 6     Daytona International Speedway*
Sunday, February 14      Daytona International Speedway
Sunday, February 21      Auto Club Speedway of Southern California
Sunday, February 28      Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 7             Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 21           Bristol Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 28           Martinsville Speedway
Saturday, April 10         Phoenix International Raceway
Sunday, April 18            Texas Motor Speedway
Sunday, April 25            Talladega Superspeedway
Saturday, May 1            Richmond International Raceway
Saturday, May 8            Darlington Raceway
Sunday, May 16            Dover International Speedway
Saturday, May 22         Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway*
Sunday, May 30           Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sunday, June 6             Pocono Raceway
Sunday, June 13          Michigan International Speedway
Sunday, June 20          Infineon Raceway
Sunday, June 27          New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Saturday, July 3          Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, July 10        Chicagoland Speedway
Sunday, July 25           Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Sunday, August 1         Pocono Raceway
Sunday, August 8         Watkins Glen International
Sunday, August 15        Michigan International Speedway
Saturday, August 21      Bristol Motor Speedway
Sunday, September 5      Atlanta Motor Speedway
Saturday, September 11   Richmond International Raceway
Sunday, September 19     New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sunday, September 26     Dover International Speedway
Sunday, October 3           Kansas Speedway
Sunday, October 10       Auto Club Speedway of Southern California
Saturday, October 16     Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sunday, October 24       Martinsville Speedway
Sunday, October 31       Talladega Superspeedway
Sunday, November 7       Texas Motor Speedway
Sunday, November 14      Phoenix International Raceway
Sunday, November 21      Homestead-Miami Speedway

* – denotes a non-points event

The Chase is on! And, I am thirlled!

Kyle Busch is out, as Brian Vickers bumped out the 4-time 09′ race winner with some amazing driving down the stretch. Jeff Gordon is positioned as a solid contender for his 5th crown. Therefore, the only thing that would have made the race at Richmond International Raceway any better would have been if Juan Pablo Montoya had crashed and missed the chase along with KyBusch.

Now, Twenty-six races into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, it comes down to 12 drivers with a chance to win the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Local native Denny Hamlin from Chesapeake finally won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at his home track after coming “oh, so close” so many times before. He also did it in convincing style, battling door-to-door with Jeff Gordon along the way. It was Hamlin’s second win of the season in his FedEx Toyota. He won earlier this year at Pocono.

Hamlin is one of the 12 Chase participants but his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch didn’t make it. Hamlin had locked in a spot before the race but Kyle needed to finish well ahead of Brian Vickers to make it. Kyle finished fifth but Vickers was seventh and wound up grabbing the 12th spot by eight points over Busch.

Kurt Busch finished second and made the Chase. Jeff Gordon was third and in The Chase.

Everybody’s favorite, Mark Martin, was fourth and secured a Chase spot and there wasn’t a happier man in Virginia on Saturday night when this race ended.

Kyle finished fifth and Clint Bowyer was sixth. Vickers was seventh and former Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish finished eighth. Kevin Harvick was ninth and Ryan Newman 10th, which earned him a slot in the Chase, along with his car owner Tony Stewart, who had a rough night and wound up 17th.

Jimmy Johnson finished 11th and he’s in the Chase, along with 12th-place finisher Kasey Kahne and 13th-place finisher Greg Biffle. Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya also made the Chase. It will be Montoya’s first Chase as well as the first for team owner Chip Ganassi.

Former series champion Matt Kenseth finished 25th and failed to qualify for the Chase for the first time.

The first race in the Chase begins Sunday, Sept. 20 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Go 24 Go!

With road course action taking off this weekend at Infineon Raceway, the timing may be right for the perfect storm for Juan Pablo Montoya. On the outside looking in at NASCAR’s top 12 contenders throughout the 2009 season, Montoya has gained to the point where he is only 43 points away from a berth in NASCAR’s elite top 12.

Now, with only 11 races remaining before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Montoya will be in his element when he gets behind the wheel of the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates No. 42 Target Chevrolet in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.

Montoya was one of the world’s premier road racers prior to joining the stock car ranks. He won seven Formula One races, the 1999 Champ Car title and 11 open-wheel races, including the 2000 Indianapolis 500, prior to making his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut for Chip Ganassi in the 2006 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award in 2007, along with winning at Infineon Raceway.

After final finishes of 20th and 25th in his first two NASCAR seasons, Montoya is getting the hang of driving the 3,400-pound machines. He’s coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes, placing eighth at Pocono and sixth in the LifeLock 400 at Michigan, moving to 14th in the series point standings.

Now, he’s looking at a solid run at Infineon to make his move with only 11 races remaining before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. That stretch also includes the road course at Watkins Glen, along with races at the four tracks where he’s had top-10 finishes this season.

Other news and notes:

A shakeup in the Top 12 sees Martin rise, and Reutimann stumble.

Mark Martin’s (No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet) last-lap victory at Michigan vaulted him up the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings. After starting last Sunday in 13th place – one point from the top 12 – Martin leapfrogged all the way up to eighth with 10 races remaining before the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

David Reutimann (No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota) was the loser in the mix, falling from 11th to 13th in the standings after finishing 19th. Now, he trails Jeff Burton (No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet) by three points in the battle for a share in racing’s elite dozen. Juan Pablo Montoya is now 14th, 43 points out of 12th, while Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) is also in striking distance, 91 points back.

Once again, four past champions continue to pace the standings.

Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet), Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet), Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet) and Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) continue to hold the top-four positions, respectively, separated by 128 points. Stewart is a two-time (2002 and ‘05) champ, Gordon is a four-time titlist (1995, ‘97-98, 2001), Johnson is a three-timer (2006-08) and Busch has one title (2004).

Phoenix International Raceway is offering a $25 reserved seat to fans for the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 Presented by Pennzoil on November 15 – an unprecedented value to watch the semifinal race in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup. In both 2007 and 2008, three-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson won the race in Phoenix, virtually clinching NASCAR’s highest honor in the Valley of the Sun.

Johnson currently sits fourth in the Sprint Cup standings behind teammate and four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, who won the Sprint Cup in 2002 and 2005, and 2004 Sprint Cup champ Kurt Busch. Those four will be joined in Phoenix by NASCAR’s brightest stars, including Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Carl Edwards.

Beyond the hard-charging Sprint Cup action of the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, fans can secure three full nights of NASCAR action for a mere $47 by purchasing the NASCAR Extreme Value Ticket Package. PIR is offering a $15 reserved seat to its Nationwide Series race on Saturday, November 14 – a series currently topped by Kyle Busch and Edwards – and a $7 reserved seat for the Lucas Oil 150 in the Camping World Truck Series on Friday, November 13. PIR kicks off the November race weekend with grassroots USAC racing as part of the famed Copper World Classic on Thursday, November 12.

Fans at Phoenix International Raceway can see championship-caliber races at the close of the 2009 season in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series for less than the price of many Sprint Cup Series tickets alone at other facilities. Throw in free daily on-site parking – not to mention a wide array of musical entertainment and interactive fun from PIR’s Midway – and fans in the Valley of the Sun have one of sports and entertainment’s best deals at their fingertips.

A full listing of prices for the November NASCAR event weekend is attached to this e-mail.

Tickets for the November NASCAR event weekend at Phoenix International Raceway are available now by calling 1-866-408-RACE (7223) or visiting www.phoenixraceway.com. Be a part of it all at PIR!

Was there any doubt?  I mean seriously, did anyone really think that Jimmie Johnson wasn’t going to win his third straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship?  I think there was more doubt of the Detroit Lions actually winning a game than Johnson blowing his 141-point lead.

And just as predicted, the Lions lost to move to 0-10 this year, and Jimmie won to move to 3-0 over the past three years!  That’s right, three championships in a row!  Johnson tied Cale Yarborough’s 30-year mark as the only driver to win three consecutive titles.  And, he already has his eyes set on number four next season.

Three-peats are an incredibly impressive, tough to achieve, amazing accomplishment no matter what the sport.  In the big four sports, they are just as hard to come by.

In the modern era of the NHL, only the Montreal Canadiens 1975-1979 and New York Islanders 1979-1983 have won three (or more) in a row.

Remove the dominant Boston Celtics who won eight in a row from 1959-1966 during the early years of the NBA, and only the Chicago Bulls 1991-1993 and 1996-1998, and Los Angeles Lakers 2000-2002 have strung together three consecutive titles.

In baseball, the New York Yankees (26 total World Series Championships) managed the feat several times - pulling it off from 1936-1939, 1949-1953, and again from 1998-2000.  The only other team to do it was the Oakland Athletics, who conquered the feat from 1972-1974

Technically, in the NFL, there are no three-peat Super Bowl Champions.  However, the Green Bay Packers won the 1966 NFL Championship and went on to win Super Bowl I and II the following years.

So, now do you think what the 48 team did was remarkable?  I sure hope so!  He is in great company.

Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports team have mastered the system, proving themselves unbeatable in their pursuit of Yarborough’s mark. They’ve won their titles with consistency, finishing outside the top 10 just twice in this year’s Chase (15th-place at Texas and Homestead), and by winning eight of the last 30 Chase races (14 overall in the five year Chase format).

Carl Edwards again came up just short.  Finishing second to Clint Bowyer by 21 points in the Nationwide Series division, he needed Johnson to have bad luck and/or falter to have any shot at a miracle for the Sprint Cup title.

Cousin Carl again drove the wheels off the #99 Office Depot.  He led a race-high 157 laps en route to his series-best ninth victory of the season, and 16th overall between the two top NASCAR series.  However, in order to win his first title, Johnson would have had to finish 36th or worse.  That didn’t happen.

Edwards showed outstanding class and grace at the end of the race.  Immediately after his trademark celebratory backflip, he walked over to Johnson’s passing car on the track to congratulate him with a handshake.  He and Rick Hendrick were also found after the race exchanging congratulations.  As word has it, Carl playfully informed Rick that things would end differently next year.

If there is a driver on the NASCAR circuit today that has the ability to dethrone Jimmie Johnson, that would be Carl Edwards.  He has the confidence, drive, and skill to mix it up with the best of em’.  And, as much as I know people hate hearing things framed this way, had it not been for two poor finishes in the Chase (29th at Talladega and 33rd at Lowe’s), we’d be crowning Edwards as the Champion.  His other finishes in the Chase were three victories, a second, three thirds and a forth.  To go along with his seven victories this season, he also notched 27 top-10’s and 19 top-5’s.  Outstanding!

That being said, Johnson and his 48 team are still the kings of the mountain till someone else knocks them off.  His season statistically didn’t quite match that of Edwards.  He grabbed seven checker flags, along with 22 top-10’s and 15 top-5’s.  However, Jimmie and Company have proven over the past three years that you need to be the best when it counts most – in the Chase.  Johnson had an average finish of 5.7 over this year’s final ten races.  Exceptional!

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson!

Just how good is Jimmie Johnson? Is he the best ever? Or is he just the best in the current Chase format? These are the comparisons that will be made (barring disaster) when  Johnson cruises home with his third straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship next week at Homestead.

It was just another day at the track for the 48 team. They led a race-high 217 laps out of 313, and no other teams were ever really able to mount a serious challenge to contend for the victory. Johnson now heads into next week’s season finale with a 141 point lead over Carl Edwards, and needs to only finish 36th or better to join the great Cale Yarborough as the only drivers in history to win three straight championships.

Edwards, who won the last two races and had closed the gap to 108 points coming into the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, finished fourth. Carl spent much of the early part of the race fighting with his set-up, but was able to get it together and move towards the front. Edwards, who is not mathematically eliminated, isn’t giving up hope. Listening to his post-race interview, he still believes he is alive, and plans to come out and give it 100%.

Even with a great run at Homestead next week, Edwards amazing year (and Chase) is most likely going to come up short. Carl has seven victories this season, and in the Chase came two of those, plus five top-5’s. A bad move at Talladega (29th) and unfortunate luck at Lowe’s (33rd) will have the 99 team wondering what could have been.

Even if your not a fan, you have to give it up to Jimmie. The man, as I have said in a previous post, is the King of the Chase. Yesterday’s win at Phoenix International Raceway was the 14th Chase win of his career and third this season. He has an amazing average finishing position of 4.67 over the past nine races.

Who can stop the 48 team? Who can even slow them down? One thing is almost for sure…it will have to be next season.

This weekend 43 drivers and almost 35,000 horsepower charge into the valley at Phoenix International Raceway for the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. There are just two races left in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, and a number of story lines are continuing to build.  Check out the rest of the “Two To Go” posts to get the skinny on what is shaping up to be an exciting finish!

Over the past 14 years Jeff Gordon has racked up some ridiculous numbers - 81 victories, 239 top-5’s, and 324 top-10’s, with an average finishing position of 13.4 in 513 races.  With the sun setting on the season, 34 races in the books, Gordon finds himself in an unusual position he hasn’t felt in a long time…winless!

The 24 team has had their ups and downs in 08′. During the early stretch of the season it seemed as though all the good luck experienced in 2007 came lashing back at them. Accidents at Daytona, Las Vegas and Texas found them on the outside of the Chase looking in. The middle stretch was a constant battle for consistency, finding great set-ups, testing, and figuring out how to recapture the magic that made them so successful the previous year. With fingers being pointed, Steve Latarte on the hot seat, and frustration mounting, the 24 managed to do enough to make the Chase.

Eight races into the Chase, it seems as though JG and company have begun to figure some stuff out. 3 top-5’s, 3 top-10’s, and a 2nd place finish last week at Texas have them moving in the right direction. But, is it enough to propel them to victory lane with just two races remaining.

Gordon has won at least two races every year since 1994, a statistic unmatched by any other competitor currently in the cup series. This weekend in Phoenix may be his last and best chance to grab the elusive checker flag. At PIR, Gordon has an average finish of 8.5, trailing only Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson in that category, and won his only race there in the spring of 07′. Homestead (the final showdown of the year) offers more of a challenge. With a respectable 10.6 average finish there since 1999, Homestead still remains as one of only two tracks Gordon has never found victory lane.

Go JG!!!!!

Jimmie Johnson is the undeniable King of the Chase, with 12 wins out of 48 total Chase races to date. The competition is mystified and, to some extent, frustrated with the dominance Johnson has displayed over the course of his past two, and most likely third straight championship.

While the rest of the field continues to spin their wheels, Johnson and crew look to put another nail in history. Only Cale Yarborough has tasted the sweet success of three straight NASCAR Championships, the last coming in 1978.  A strong run this weekend at PIR, and Carl Edwards in his rear-view mirror, will all but seal the deal and allow Jimmie to put the 48 on cruise control at Homestead a week from Sunday.

An interesting note on this weekend - In last years Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, Jimmie Johnson defeated Greg Biffle by 0.87 seconds to gain his 10th Sprint Cup Series win of 2007 and move closer to a second consecutive series championship. Guess who was on the pole? Carl Edwards by turning a lap of 27.114 seconds (132.774 mph).

Cousin Carl has shown some incredible moxie over the past two races. The win at Atlanta was all but expected, having notched three wins and seven top-10’s in nine career starts at the track. However, the road to victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend was a little more unexpected. This not due to his history at the track, notching two prior victories there, one in 2005 and earlier this year.

Despite dominating most of the race, leading 199 of the first 264 laps, Edwards lost the lead after taking four tires during his final pit stop. While the others in front of him chose to pit for fuel over the closing laps, Edwards gambled and stayed out, making every drop of fuel last in an eight-second victory over Jeff Gordon. He completed the final 69 laps without stopping for a refill!

Now, the #99 team finds themselves sitting 106 points behind Jimmie Johnson. What looked to be an insurmountable deficit to overcome with three races left, now is at least in the realm of possible, yet still not probable.