Re: The Jayski Copypasta Thread

[Alta]

In all seriousness i'm not sure if Ragan would be more than just keeping the seat warm till Kyle returns, We saw his run with a top team and Roush and it was less than stellar.

Bobby Labonte while it would be fun for us to relieve the late 90's again is also in the same boat of just a driver to keep the seat warm, Labonte hasn't been competitive for over 10 years with the exception of a "Where did he come from" run every blue moon.

[BWard]

Copy pasted from Jayski: DAVID RAGAN COMFIRMED TO THE 18.

UPDATE: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) announces that David Ragan will fill in for Kyle Busch behind the wheel of the #18 M&Ms Crispy Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series beginning with this weekend's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch was released this morning from Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, FL and transferred to a hospital near his home in Charlotte, North Carolina for further treatment. Busch sustained a compound fracture of the right lower leg in an accident during Saturday's NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Additionally, Busch suffered a mid-foot fracture of his left foot in the accident. No specific timetable has been announced for Busch's return to the race track. It is expected that Ragan will pilot the #18 M&Ms Crispy Toyota for at least the next several weeks. Ragan's current race team Front Row Motorsports and sponsor CSX accommodated the move by Ragan and Ragan is expected to return to the team later this season. Additional updates on Busch's condition will be provided as necessary. In addition, JGR announces that Erik Jones will pilot the #54 Monster Energy Toyota in the NASCAR XFINITY Series this weekend in Atlanta. An announcement on who will drive the Monster Energy Camry following Atlanta will be made at a later date.
"We appreciate being able to work with Front Row Motorsports and CSX for David's (Ragan) availability," said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. "We are fortunate to be able to have someone of David's caliber behind the wheel while Kyle recovers. Erik is a big part of our future at JGR and we will be increasing his schedule in the XFINITY Series beginning this weekend in Atlanta and seeking the earliest opportunity to provide him Cup experience. We appreciate all the support we have received from the NASCAR community including our fans and we look forward to getting Kyle back in the car as soon as possible."
"Everyone at Mars is thankful that Kyle is doing well and we continue to wish him a speedy recovery," said William Clements, vice president of sponsorship and sports marketing for Mars Incorporated. "While we can't wait until Kyle returns behind the wheel of the #18 M&Ms Crispy Toyota, we are excited to work with David and we're pleased JGR was able to work it out for him to step in during Kyle's absence."(Joe Gibbs Racing)(2-24-2015)

Oh boy, I'm going to get roasted.

[Alta]

The next big question is the 41 situation.

[BWard]

The next big question is the 41 situation.

I presume Regan Smith's still in the 41 car for Atlanta, but for afterwards I'm not so sure. I don't think SHR will shut down the team but Regan needs to focus on his Xfinity Campaign, so they need to hire someone else capable of pulling off decent results.

[Backmarker]

Regardless of what you think of the Kurt suspension... Here's a great summary of why the court decided the way they did.

http://beyondtheflag.com/2015/02/25/court-ruled-kurt-busch/

[Memoriesallbutdone]

#44 car stolen outside hotel UPDATE withdraws: A trailer carrying a NASCAR racing team's car was stolen overnight in Morrow, GA, according to the driver of the vehicle hauling the trailer [NJ plates]. The driver says the unmarked white Xtreme Racing trailer had the #44 car inside and was stolen from a hotel sometime overnight. Local authorities have been notified.kfvs12.com.
AND A spokeswoman for Team Xtreme (#44 car) confirms Atlanta car and trailer were stolen from outside the team hotel.(Jeff Gluck/USA Today twitter)
MORE Travis Kvapil's car for this weekend's Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway has apparently been stolen. A spokeswoman for Team Xtreme confirmed a Missouri TV station's report that the #44 car and its hauler disappeared from outside the team's hotel [Drury Inn & Suites] in Morrow, Ga. overnight. KFVS reported the trailer was white and unmarked and said the hauler driver reported it missing. Team Xtreme, owned by John Cohen, qualified for the Daytona 500 last week and finished 32nd with driver Reed Sorenson. But Kvapil is in the car this week with Sorenson driving for another [#29 RAB Racing] team. NASCAR teams tested at Atlanta on Thursday, meaning all the other cars are already secured inside the track (USA Today)
UPDATE: Sgt. Larry Oglesby of the Morrow (Ga.) Police Department told ESPN.com that they are treating the car's disappearance as a stolen vehicle after a report was filed at 5:50am/et at the Drury Inn. Team owner John Cohen, who was not at the track, told ESPN.com by phone that the team will have to withdraw from the race and was still trying to gather information as to what had happened. The first practice for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 is scheduled for 1:00pm/et Friday, and teams typically must present a car for inspection an hour or two prior to the start of Sprint Cup practice.(ESPN.com)(2-27-2015)

[vbooy57]

Regardless of what you think of the Kurt suspension... Here's a great summary of why the court decided the way they did.

http://beyondtheflag.com/2015/02/25/court-ruled-kurt-busch/

Good article, clears up most of the ambiguities that had me a bit confused about the situation.

[Memoriesallbutdone]

Really? And I thought the Duck Commander 500 was bad.

Nickelodeon announces Entitlement Sponsorship of SpongeBob SquarePants 400:

Nickelodeon announced that it is the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, May 9 at Kansas Speedway dubbed the SpongeBob SquarePants 400. The SpongeBob SquarePants 400, which will be broadcasted on 7:30pm/et on FOX Sports 1, will feature a weekend of Bikini Bottom-themed activities and fun for the entire family.
"The SpongeBob SquarePants 400 gives Nickelodeon the opportunity to expand its relationship with NASCAR, while working with a best-in-class track to give fans a unique, engaging and high-quality race experience that the whole family can enjoy," said Pam Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer and President of Consumer Products, Nickelodeon Group. "Nickelodeon has embarked on some great initiatives with NASCAR over the last 10 years, sponsoring and participating in marquee racing events that have resonated with motorsports fans across the country."
"I'm excited to partner with Nickelodeon for the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 on May 9," said Patrick Warren, Kansas Speedway President. "This is a great opportunity for us to engage SpongeBob fans of all ages to racing with a great partner."
Also at the speedway, attendees will be able to enjoy some pre-Mother's Day fun in the Nickelodeon Kids Zone, which will be located in the Kansas Speedway Fan Zone. The area will feature appearances from the SpongeBob SquarePants costumed characters, a SpongeBob SquarePants photo station and more.
Nickelodeon has a long-standing relationship with NASCAR, teaming up with the motorsports giant on several programming and racing events. On the track, the network has sponsored the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC in 2004; participated in the Bank of America 500 week in 2012; and brought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2014. NASCAR has also contributed talent and content to Nickelodeon programming such as the Kids' Choice Awards (Danica Patrick, 2012 and 2013), Kids' Choice Sports Awards (Danica Patrick, 2014), Team Umizoomi (Jeff Gordon, 2012), Hammer Down (2014) and an upcoming Bubble Guppies episode (Jimmie Johnson, premiering in 2015).
Since its launch in July 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has emerged as a pop culture phenomenon. The series has been the most-watched animated program with kids 2 - 11 for more than 13 consecutive years, and over the past several years, it has averaged more than 100,000,000 total viewers every quarter across all Nickelodeon networks. As the most widely distributed property in Viacom history, SpongeBob is seen in over 185 countries and translated in more than 50 languages. The character-driven cartoon chronicles the nautical and sometimes nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, an incurably optimist and earnest sea sponge, and his undersea friends.(VMG/Nickelodeon/Kansas Speedway)(3-2-2015)

[RetrogradeRenegade]

At least Spongebob Squarepants is a good show.

[BWard]

Don't forget that a SpongeBob movie has been a race name, the 2004 Busch Series fall Charlotte race was called the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300, that race also marked Mike Bliss' first win.

[conrail1990]

Good luck Nascar for getting your asking price...

NASCAR looking for $1 billion over 10 years from new title sponsor of top series? NASCAR is asking $1 billion over 10 years for its soon-to-be-open Sprint Cup Series title sponsorship, according to sources. The sanctioning body has hit the market for Sprint's replacement with a price tag of $45 million to $50 million annually in rights fees and the same in activation over a decade, according to sources. Sprint confirmed in December that it would end its 13-year sponsorship of NASCAR's top series after the 2016 season. NASCAR declined to comment for this story. The asking price represents a 33% increase from the original deal, which was signed in 2004 with Nextel for a reported $750 million over 10 years before Sprint and Nextel merged. Amid struggling TV ratings and attendance for NASCAR at the time, Sprint negotiated that down to approximately $50 million annually when it signed a three-year extension in 2011, according to sources. The Sprint deal is the largest sports sponsorship in North America.(Sports Business Journal)(3-3-2015)

[PYLrulz]

Good luck Nascar for getting your asking price...

NASCAR looking for $1 billion over 10 years from new title sponsor of top series? NASCAR is asking $1 billion over 10 years for its soon-to-be-open Sprint Cup Series title sponsorship, according to sources. The sanctioning body has hit the market for Sprint's replacement with a price tag of $45 million to $50 million annually in rights fees and the same in activation over a decade, according to sources. Sprint confirmed in December that it would end its 13-year sponsorship of NASCAR's top series after the 2016 season. NASCAR declined to comment for this story. The asking price represents a 33% increase from the original deal, which was signed in 2004 with Nextel for a reported $750 million over 10 years before Sprint and Nextel merged. Amid struggling TV ratings and attendance for NASCAR at the time, Sprint negotiated that down to approximately $50 million annually when it signed a three-year extension in 2011, according to sources. The Sprint deal is the largest sports sponsorship in North America.(Sports Business Journal)(3-3-2015)

I've stated this elsewhere.  To use a comparison to soccer leagues, who are usually sponsored by companies much like the Cup Series is by Sprint...

The Premier League is sponsored by Barclays. Barclays pays the Football Assocation 40 million Pounds a year (or $60 Million).
La Liga is sponsored by BBVA, who pays La Liga 23.5 Million Euros a year ($26 Million)

Now granted, some of those deals are probably a few years old, so when it comes time to re-up in those leagues, they will get a little more coin, but Brian France is telling us that, at $100 Million each year for 10 years, sponsoring NASCAR's top series, which is really only followed by Americans, is worth WAY MORE than sponsoring one of the two biggest, most popular soccer leagues in the WORLD?!?

[Lucstar88]

According to VISION RACING's FB : Tanner Berryhill will drive the 66 in Cup, for his debut at Phoenix!

*: Vision Racing wants to give a BIG shout out to the young man that carried our team for so many years! Put us in the show and took care of our equipment! Good luck Tanner Berryhill on your first of many NASCAR Sprint Cup starts in Phoenix with Premium Motorsports!*

[Backmarker]

Mike Wallace says the 66 isn't showing up to Phoenix...

[Alta]

So Wauters Motorsports is attempting to return the Truck Series with German Quiroga, There sponsor though is quite interesting...Kickstarter. No idea if they need a Kickstarter to get into the field or if it's just a sponsor



Picture of the truck.

[SpeedDemon37]

Sprint Cup purses down as NASCAR shifts money to XFINITY, Trucks: Sprint Cup Series teams appear to be racing for just a little bit less money in 2015 as NASCAR has quietly increased the purses for its two national developmental series while Sprint Cup purses have dropped by a tick this year. NASCAR Chairman Brian France said last year that NASCAR would consider giving Xfinity (formerly Nationwide) Series and Camping World Truck Series teams a bigger portion of the new television deal that went into effect this year. That is what NASCAR has done, although it won't say by how much. It never announced the change, but it did confirm to ESPN.com that that was the case when asked about the change in the purses after the first four races.
In comparing the purses for the first four tracks to what the purses for those tracks' races were last year, the only Sprint Cup race to have an increase in purse was the Daytona 500. It certainly wasn't much of an increase at $24,408, virtually nothing (up 0.1 percent) when considering the purse was $19.8 million. The rest have gone down, none by more than $98,000 -- the purses for the three races since Daytona have been between $5 million and $6.5 million -- for an overall season drop of 0.2 percent for the first four races. Xfinity races, though, are up 9.1 percent with increases of $60,000 to $155,000 per race; Xfinity purses this year generally are $1.1 million-$1.5 million (the opener was $2.66 million). The truck race at Daytona was up 16.4 percent to $806,373, and that was for a 32-truck field instead of a 36-truck field. There was no Atlanta truck race last year with which to compare the earlier purse.(ESPN.com)(3-21-2015)

Considering how many of the Xfinity/Truck teams have been struggling to find funding recently, I would hope that this would help those series some.
I would consider this to be a good idea.

[Syzygy]

Found out today from there that there are 4 drivers that have officially declared for Rookie of the Year. Those drivers are:

#55 - Brett Moffitt
#26 - Jeb Burton
#33 - Alex Kennedy
#66 - Tanner Berryhill

Also, Rookie points and results so far:

Car#-Driver, Races Attempted/Races Run; Attempt Pt + Race Rookie Pts + Bonus Pts + Final Bonus = Total Rookie Pts
Jayski.com calculations using the last know rules (see above):
#26-Jeb Burton, 6/5; 6 + 48 + 0 + 0 = 54
#55-Brett Moffitt, 2/2; 2 + 20 + 0 + 0 = 22
#33-Alex Kennedy, 2/2; 2 + 17 + 0 + 0 = 19
#66-Tanner Berryhill, 1/0; 1 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 1
(thru 3-29-2015)
below from the Official Results when released, usually on Monday
#26-Jeb Burton, 44
#55-Brett Moffitt, 11
#33-Alex Kennedy, 10
#66-Tanner Berryhill, 1

HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE BY RACE
Race, Highest-Finishing Rookie (finish), points awarded
1) Daytona 500, none
2) Atlanta, #26-Burton (35th), 11
3) Las Vegas, #26-Burton (40th), 11
4) Phoenix, #26-Burton (34th), 11
5) Auto Club, #55-Moffitt (22nd), 11
6) Martinsville, #55-Moffitt (28th), 11
Best Finishing Rookies, Times:
Jeb Burton, 3
Brett Moffitt, 2
Races with no rookie, 1

2015 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Race-by-Race Results

Martinsville Rookie of the Year Race Results & Points:
#55-Moffitt, finished 28th, 11 rookie points
#26-Burton, 29th, 10
#33-Kennedy, 33rd, 9
(3-29-2015)

Auto Club Rookie of the Year Race Results & Points:
#55-Moffitt, finished 22nd, 11 rookie points
#26-Burton, 39th, 10
(3-22-2015)

Phoenix Rookie of the Year Race Results & Points:
#26-Burton, finished 34th, 11 rookie points
#33-Kennedy, 38th, 10
#66-Berryhill, DNQ, 1
(3-15-2015)

Las Vegas Rookie of the Year Race Results & Points:
#26-Burton, finished 40th, 11 rookie points
(3-8-2015)

Atlanta Sunoco Rookie of the Year Race Results & Points:
#26-Burton, finished 35th, 11 rookie points
(3-1-2015)

Daytona Sunoco Rookie of the Year Race Results & Points:
#26-Burton, did not qualify (DNQ), 1 attempt point
(2-22-2015)

[Lucstar88]

http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/News/Articles/2015/04/Richard-Childress-Racing-Penalty-Fine-and-Points-Reduced.aspx?s_soc=social_20150416_43951936&adbid=10153300289124208&adbpl=fb&adbpr=47438839207

^31 team had appeal heard...

[Spannerhead29 (Nelson)]

Ross Kenseth (son of Matt) to make NASCAR Premier Series debut in Xfinity at Chicagoland in June for JGR

[Alta]

http://www.inerciaracing.com/ So this is a thing

[Mother of Invention]

And the award for left field driver choice of the week goes to Carl Long for Hiring Mark Thompson.

MBM #13 is pleased to announce Mark Thompson of Cartersville Ga. Will be "piloting" the #13 Dodge at Talladega Superspeedway on May 2nd. Thompson is a highly accomplished pilot and operates Phoenix Air, a company that holds US Defense Department contracts to provide tactical electronic warefare training services to Air Force, Air National Guard, &US Navy. Phoenix Air also offers executive jet service as well as having "the" medical jet WHO (world health organization) contracts to transport Ebola and other patients all over the world for treatment.
Thompson has been racing for years and is a current competitor in ARCA. He started on the pole in Daytona this February and will be driving the same Kenny Schrader Team car at Talladega this May in a Double duty weekend.
Phoenix Air will take primary sponsor locations. Grafoid, Braille Battery, and Workwear usa will all be in an associate location.
I am looking forward to Marks first Xfinity race. He knows more about what air does than most all of us other race drivers combined. The mental side of driving these cars at superspeedways with Marks ability and Penske power should make us very competitive.

[f1fan12]

http://www.inerciaracing.com/ So this is a thing

George Lopez owning the team, along with Sergio Perez's brother as a driver. This team has all the makings of being either an ok team, or a hilarious one!

[flyingturns89]

ARCA driver Levi Youster, who ran 30 ARCA races in a span of four seasons, was seriously injured in a hit and run incident earlier this month. Youster was reportedly hit by an impaired driver on April 17th in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Youster, who has not run an ARCA race since 2012, was then dragged for four blocks. Youster's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The driver of the car has not yet been charged, but will be after a grand jury decides the charges, according to the Chattanooga Times.

[Lucstar88]

Ragan in the #55 rest of the year, starting at Kansas: Michael Waltrip Racing announced that David Ragan will drive the #55 Aaron's Dream Machine for the remainder of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, beginning May 9 at Kansas Speedway. Brian Vickers had planned to race the Toyota fulltime in 2015, but heart surgery in December forced the Thomasville, N.C., native to miss the first two races of the season. Vickers returned at Las Vegas on March 7, but was sidelined two weeks later by recurring blood clots in his lungs. No timetable has been set for his return.
"Life has thrown a lot at MWR the first part of this racing season, but our team has stood tall and worked through it," said Michael Waltrip. "Our original plans for the #55 team have been challenged since December and we felt it was important for our employees and our sponsors to solidify the remainder of the 2015 season. The opportunity to bring David Ragan into the team is incredible for a number of reasons. He will bring experience, consistency and a lot of confidence based on how he has been running with our Toyota teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing. He also puts the #55 team and Aaron's right back into the Chase for the Sprint Cup contention, which is a very positive turn of events for that team. There is absolutely no question about Brian Vickers' ability, but there remains a question of his availability. We are going to remain very close with Brian while he works on his plan to return. We have told him that MWR is here when he has a clear picture about what the future holds, but we don't need to add any timeline pressures. He is working with a lot of medical advisors and once he has established his plan, we will sit down and discuss next steps. I'm really proud of the incredible job Brett Moffitt has done for us in the 55. He has been a big part of this organization for the last couple of years and he will continue in that role. With the limited number of starts Brett has in this industry, he has proven that he has the talent to be a full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and we are still committed to helping him get that opportunity."(MWR)
Front Row Statement: "We are grateful to David Ragan for his contributions to the growth of Front Row Motorsports and his commitment to our partners over the past three years. He led us on our first trip to Victory Lane, and that's a moment we'll never forget. We wish him the best with his new team. As previously announced, Chris Buescher will be the driver of the #34 at Talladega this weekend. We are working on finalizing the driver line-up for races to follow and will announce those plans soon."(Front Row Motorsports), Michael Waltrip will drive the #55 at Talladega. For earlier news on Brian Vickers and the #55 team, see the #55 team news page.(4-28-2015)

[NASCARLOVER427]

http://www.inerciaracing.com/ So this is a thing

I think this is great, I think NASCAR needs some more international involvement to really get going in other markets, this year there are no well known international drivers in the Cup level. The past had Montoya and Ambrose, but they've moved on.

[Mother of Invention]

Surprising news of the week

GoDaddy Shifting Out Of NASCAR, Danica needs a sponsor: GoDaddy Inc., the world's largest technology provider dedicated to small businesses, is leaving NASCAR at the end of the 2015 season, as the company looks to diversify its marketing investment across more channels and regions. The move marks another milestone in GoDaddy's marketing evolution, in which the company is balancing brand awareness with a more personalized data-driven marketing approach while expanding its global footprint. While GoDaddy is not renewing its primary sponsorship of the #10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) and driver Danica Patrick, the company is negotiating to keep Patrick as a GoDaddy spokeswoman under a personal services agreement.
"We love Danica and all she does to empower and inspire people, especially women, which is why we are working to keep her in the GoDaddy family," said GoDaddy Chief Marketing Officer Phil Bienert. "We have the utmost respect for Stewart-Haas Racing, and they've been phenomenal partners. In fact, NASCAR has been a tremendous domestic platform to help us achieve an 81 percent aided brand awareness domestically, but at this stage, we need a range of marketing assets that reach a more globally-diverse set of customers. The fact Danica is having a record-setting season makes it tough to leave this motorsports sponsorship, without a doubt."
"GoDaddy has been an incredible partner for a very long time, almost nine years, and as I've said before, our brands have really grown up together," Patrick said. "It's pretty cool, from a marketing perspective, that we helped GoDaddy build such strong brand awareness here in the U.S. I'm excited to work with GoDaddy on a personal level moving forward, but will miss having their bright green color on my racecar next year."
"Danica is a superstar. She's making history in a male-dominated sport and that takes massive commitment, tenacity and passion," said GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving. "The way Danica approaches racing is remarkably similar to how our small business customers approach their work ... they're both chasing dreams in spite of huge obstacles. She's an inspiration to go getters everywhere. She's also helped inspire women around the world to dream big and keep working to make their dreams real. I would be thrilled if Danica stayed on as GoDaddy's spokeswoman and I want to personally thank Stewart-Haas Racing and NASCAR for their help in building the GoDaddy brand domestically."
In recent years, Patrick has worked to promote GoDaddy's online services for small business owners and helped with campaigns to fight breast cancer and attract more young women to study science, technology, engineering and math, also known as "STEM." "GoDaddy has been a great partner for us and for the sport overall," said Tony Stewart, SHR co-owner and teammate to Patrick. "There's a lot of season left on the calendar and it would be great to go out with a win ... that would really put the exclamation point on what has been a hugely successful relationship.

[Memoriesallbutdone]

Surprising news of the week

GoDaddy Shifting Out Of NASCAR, Danica needs a sponsor: GoDaddy Inc., the world's largest technology provider dedicated to small businesses, is leaving NASCAR at the end of the 2015 season, as the company looks to diversify its marketing investment across more channels and regions. The move marks another milestone in GoDaddy's marketing evolution, in which the company is balancing brand awareness with a more personalized data-driven marketing approach while expanding its global footprint. While GoDaddy is not renewing its primary sponsorship of the #10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) and driver Danica Patrick, the company is negotiating to keep Patrick as a GoDaddy spokeswoman under a personal services agreement.
"We love Danica and all she does to empower and inspire people, especially women, which is why we are working to keep her in the GoDaddy family," said GoDaddy Chief Marketing Officer Phil Bienert. "We have the utmost respect for Stewart-Haas Racing, and they've been phenomenal partners. In fact, NASCAR has been a tremendous domestic platform to help us achieve an 81 percent aided brand awareness domestically, but at this stage, we need a range of marketing assets that reach a more globally-diverse set of customers. The fact Danica is having a record-setting season makes it tough to leave this motorsports sponsorship, without a doubt."
"GoDaddy has been an incredible partner for a very long time, almost nine years, and as I've said before, our brands have really grown up together," Patrick said. "It's pretty cool, from a marketing perspective, that we helped GoDaddy build such strong brand awareness here in the U.S. I'm excited to work with GoDaddy on a personal level moving forward, but will miss having their bright green color on my racecar next year."
"Danica is a superstar. She's making history in a male-dominated sport and that takes massive commitment, tenacity and passion," said GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving. "The way Danica approaches racing is remarkably similar to how our small business customers approach their work ... they're both chasing dreams in spite of huge obstacles. She's an inspiration to go getters everywhere. She's also helped inspire women around the world to dream big and keep working to make their dreams real. I would be thrilled if Danica stayed on as GoDaddy's spokeswoman and I want to personally thank Stewart-Haas Racing and NASCAR for their help in building the GoDaddy brand domestically."
In recent years, Patrick has worked to promote GoDaddy's online services for small business owners and helped with campaigns to fight breast cancer and attract more young women to study science, technology, engineering and math, also known as "STEM." "GoDaddy has been a great partner for us and for the sport overall," said Tony Stewart, SHR co-owner and teammate to Patrick. "There's a lot of season left on the calendar and it would be great to go out with a win ... that would really put the exclamation point on what has been a hugely successful relationship.

I just read this and on one hand I'm surprised, but then I thought, oh goodie, maybe someone else will get to drive a Sprint Cup ride whose deserving of it or at least we won't have to deal with a hideous green eyesore most of the year if at all next year.

[Alpineopossum]

They cut Hinch and JR Motorsports loose a year or two ago, so its not entirely surprising, but I didn't imagine they would drop Danica. I would imagine she's not entirely guaranteed to stay at Stewart Haas Racing. They will probably be able to find a new sponsor and have the money to run a car without one (Kurt Busch's car is basically funded by the team owner) but I don't think they could come up with the kind of money Danica would want.

[Lucstar88]

Guess who's back? Back again?


Kyle Busch returns to racing, will run the All-Star Race: Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch has received medical clearance to return to on-track activity beginning with Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the #18 M&Ms Red Nose Toyota. Busch was injured during an accident in the season-opening NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Daytona International Speedway on February 21 causing him to miss the first 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races of the season.(Joe Gibbs Racing). Busch tweeted a video ending with "I'm Back".(5-12-2015)

[Mother of Invention]

So I heard from a semi-reliable source that a single car NXS team maybe shutting down after Michigan.


Surprisingly it's not a the team you think it is.

[Spannerhead29 (Nelson)]

So I heard from a semi-reliable source that a single car NXS team maybe shutting down after Michigan.


Surprisingly it's not a the team you think it is.

Penske Racing race one car so it's obviously them.

[Mother of Invention]

It was Viva Motorsports

Also, Carl Long posted this on his FB Page -

Next week at Chicago we will have a driver from ARCA trying his first Xfinity race.. will give you name Monday. trying to focus on Josh this week as he is now our full time engineer and will likely be Derek's crew chief at Daytona

So, I actually have no clue who this is, and an acquaintance of mine who works for Carl's team has been tight lipped about this.

If I had to guess, I'd say Buster Graham. But there could be a chance it's someone obscure like Tom Berte or *shudder* Bo Lemastus

[Backmarker]

The circlejerk has reached critical mass.

[Lucstar88]

Microsoft Windows 10 to Sponsor Earnhardt Jr.: A global leader in technology and innovation, Microsoft has ramped up its involvement in NASCAR with new multi-year official agreements with both the sanctioning body and 11-time Sprint Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports. The collaborations designate Microsoft as an Official Technology Partner of NASCAR and a major technology partner of Hendrick Motorsports.
Hendrick Motorsports will adopt the Windows 10 platform and Microsoft Azure to deliver technology solutions to help improve performance on and off the track. In addition, Microsoft will support the upcoming launch of Windows 10 with primary sponsorship of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #88 Chevrolet SS at Sonoma Raceway on June 28 and Pocono Raceway on Aug. 2. Windows 10 will be the Official Operating System of Hendrick Motorsports.
"NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports are perpetual innovators in motorsports," said Steve Guggenheimer, Corporate Vice President, Developer Experience and Evangelism at Microsoft. "This sport demands constant innovation, to have its boundaries pushed, so that the sport delivers the exciting experiences expected by fans. The Windows mobile inspection application we launched last year is a great example of how innovative solutions can push boundaries and make the racing experience even better. We're looking forward to the next solutions that we can deploy with both NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports to push each of our organizations forward."
Microsoft will utilize two-time Daytona 500 champion Earnhardt as a spokesperson to promote Windows 10, which will be available July 29 as a free upgrade for qualified Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices.* In addition, its new multi-year partnership with Hendrick Motorsports will incorporate technology solutions and training across the team, including competition, business and IT functions.
"I'm a big technology user and really enjoy Microsoft products," said Earnhardt, who is NASCAR's 12-time most popular driver. "Kicking off the Hendrick Motorsports relationship with Windows 10 is a unique opportunity, and there's no doubt our ongoing technical partnership will help us raise the bar in many areas. It's great to see Microsoft is having such a positive experience with NASCAR and wants to do more across the sport. We're excited to be a part of that."(HMS), see image of the scheme on the #88 Team Schemes page.(6-22-2015)

[Lucstar88]

Oh Boy... As if Trucks Q wasn't funny enough.

Changes made to qualifying: NASCAR announced on Wednesday revisions to its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole qualifying procedures at all intermediate tracks. Effective immediately, qualifying on tracks 1.5 miles or longer will consist of two rounds with trucks taking one timed lap in each round. The new format will first take place at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday, July 9. "This revision puts renewed emphasis back on the pure speed of the trucks and team strategy during qualifying," said NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Managing Director Elton Sawyer. "The trucks have unique aerodynamics at the intermediate tracks, and after discussions with drivers and teams and reviewing past qualifying sessions, we've found a more competitive and efficient format with the single-truck runs." Intermediate track qualifying for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will mirror superspeedway qualifying and consists of the following:
Two rounds of qualifying, with the top-12 fastest eligible trucks advancing to the final round;
Trucks taking one timed lap in each round of qualifying;
Each truck will be released in a predetermined timed interval as determined by NASCAR, with the sanctioning body reserving the right to have more than one vehicle engaging in qualifying runs at the same time;
Qualifying order for the first round will be determined based on slowest to fastest single lap speeds posted in the first practice session; final round qualifying order is determined by slowest to fastest speeds from the first round;
A 10-minute break will occur between the first qualifying round and the final round;
Upon completion of the first qualifying round, the field will be set with positions 13 and beyond determined from first round qualifying speed;
The 12 fastest vehicles from the first round will have their speeds reset for the final round with starting positions 1-12 determined by the fastest laps in the final round.

[Alpineopossum]

Oh Boy... As if Trucks Q wasn't funny enough.

Changes made to qualifying: NASCAR announced on Wednesday revisions to its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole qualifying procedures at all intermediate tracks. Effective immediately, qualifying on tracks 1.5 miles or longer will consist of two rounds with trucks taking one timed lap in each round. The new format will first take place at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday, July 9. "This revision puts renewed emphasis back on the pure speed of the trucks and team strategy during qualifying," said NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Managing Director Elton Sawyer. "The trucks have unique aerodynamics at the intermediate tracks, and after discussions with drivers and teams and reviewing past qualifying sessions, we've found a more competitive and efficient format with the single-truck runs." Intermediate track qualifying for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will mirror superspeedway qualifying and consists of the following:
Two rounds of qualifying, with the top-12 fastest eligible trucks advancing to the final round;
Trucks taking one timed lap in each round of qualifying;
Each truck will be released in a predetermined timed interval as determined by NASCAR, with the sanctioning body reserving the right to have more than one vehicle engaging in qualifying runs at the same time;
Qualifying order for the first round will be determined based on slowest to fastest single lap speeds posted in the first practice session; final round qualifying order is determined by slowest to fastest speeds from the first round;
A 10-minute break will occur between the first qualifying round and the final round;
Upon completion of the first qualifying round, the field will be set with positions 13 and beyond determined from first round qualifying speed;
The 12 fastest vehicles from the first round will have their speeds reset for the final round with starting positions 1-12 determined by the fastest laps in the final round.

The Camping World Truck Series' pole award is sponsored by Keystone Light? Wow they've stooped to new lows.

[flyingturns89]

Oh Boy... As if Trucks Q wasn't funny enough.

Changes made to qualifying: NASCAR announced on Wednesday revisions to its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Keystone Light Pole qualifying procedures at all intermediate tracks. Effective immediately, qualifying on tracks 1.5 miles or longer will consist of two rounds with trucks taking one timed lap in each round. The new format will first take place at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday, July 9. "This revision puts renewed emphasis back on the pure speed of the trucks and team strategy during qualifying," said NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Managing Director Elton Sawyer. "The trucks have unique aerodynamics at the intermediate tracks, and after discussions with drivers and teams and reviewing past qualifying sessions, we've found a more competitive and efficient format with the single-truck runs." Intermediate track qualifying for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will mirror superspeedway qualifying and consists of the following:
Two rounds of qualifying, with the top-12 fastest eligible trucks advancing to the final round;
Trucks taking one timed lap in each round of qualifying;
Each truck will be released in a predetermined timed interval as determined by NASCAR, with the sanctioning body reserving the right to have more than one vehicle engaging in qualifying runs at the same time;
Qualifying order for the first round will be determined based on slowest to fastest single lap speeds posted in the first practice session; final round qualifying order is determined by slowest to fastest speeds from the first round;
A 10-minute break will occur between the first qualifying round and the final round;
Upon completion of the first qualifying round, the field will be set with positions 13 and beyond determined from first round qualifying speed;
The 12 fastest vehicles from the first round will have their speeds reset for the final round with starting positions 1-12 determined by the fastest laps in the final round.

The Camping World Truck Series' pole award is sponsored by Keystone Light? Wow they've stooped to new lows.

Keystone Light has been the Truck Series pole award sponsor since 2008.

As for the new qualifying format, it seems like they're just trying to get better ratings for Truck qualifying. The problem is that, in most cases, it isn't because qualifying is boring, but rather because Fox sticks qualifying on Fox Sports 2. I think that the ratings for the last two Xfinity proves that point. The Xfinity race at Michigan, which was on FS1, saw 1.4 million viewers, while the Chicagoland race, which was on FS2, had just 377,000.

[RealRacer4]

BREAKING NEWS: Buddy Baker will be leaving SiriusXM due to a cancerous tumor in his lung.

http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/07/07/buddy-baker-announces-he-has-huge-tumor-in-lung-leaving-siriusxm/

[Mother of Invention]

So I just heard an out of left field driver will be racing the #34 at New Hampshire.

Spoiler:

[Lucstar88]

Justin Boston got booted from KBM after 9 races. Bell is in the truck this week.

The marriage between Kyle Busch Motorsports and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie Justin Boston is over after nine races. Boston, a native of Baltimore, Maryland won't drive the team's #54 Toyota in Thursday night's UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway and the former ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Rookie of the Year has no plans to seek a ride for the 10th race of the season either. "I don't think it's a matter of why to leave or not," said Boston of the recent decision made. "It really comes down to what is best for my career as well as what is best for my sponsors. I would love nothing more than to keep driving for KBM, but it's no secret our performance had been lacking compared to the other KBM teams. It just didn't work out." Approaching the halfway point of his rookie season, Boston who sits 12th in the championship standings wasn't happy with his performance on the track and swayed for some internal changes on his #54 ROK Mobile Toyota team, but when those requests were not met, they mutually agreed to part ways. "Changes needed to be made, and weren't," Boston added. "I really do wish all the best for everyone I worked with at KBM. It just boiled down to what was best for me and what was best to keep my sponsors happy."(Catchfence.com)(7-8-2015)

[SpeedDemon37]

Justin Boston got booted from KBM after 9 races. Bell is in the truck this week.

The marriage between Kyle Busch Motorsports and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie Justin Boston is over after nine races. Boston, a native of Baltimore, Maryland won't drive the team's #54 Toyota in Thursday night's UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway and the former ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Rookie of the Year has no plans to seek a ride for the 10th race of the season either. "I don't think it's a matter of why to leave or not," said Boston of the recent decision made. "It really comes down to what is best for my career as well as what is best for my sponsors. I would love nothing more than to keep driving for KBM, but it's no secret our performance had been lacking compared to the other KBM teams. It just didn't work out." Approaching the halfway point of his rookie season, Boston who sits 12th in the championship standings wasn't happy with his performance on the track and swayed for some internal changes on his #54 ROK Mobile Toyota team, but when those requests were not met, they mutually agreed to part ways. "Changes needed to be made, and weren't," Boston added. "I really do wish all the best for everyone I worked with at KBM. It just boiled down to what was best for me and what was best to keep my sponsors happy."(Catchfence.com)(7-8-2015)

That's really a shame, I was hoping that Boston would do great in a KBM truck, but I'm not sure if 9 races was quite enough to see if he had the potential to win races. It did make it look a little worse, though, with Erik Jones contending to win virtually every race.

[Lucstar88]

Brian France according to twitter, during a MRN interview, wanted more Drafting and pack racing at Kentucky, on Saturday.

I'm not joking either.


‏@nateryan
Interesting Brian France interview with @DGodfatherMoody on @SiriusXMNASCAR. Chief takeaway? #nascar liked Kentucky but wants more drafting.

[crl]

Here's his full remark (Brian France Is a Goddamn Idiot Volume 1,000,000,000):

https://twitter.com/GeoffreyMiller/status/620724071605493760

[Lucstar88]

MWR confirms Rob Kauffman has bought an interest in Chip Ganassi Racing.

So the future of MWR now looks bad.

[Lucstar88]

Gray Gaulding is going to run the KBM #54 for Mosport, Loudon and Martinsville.

[Lucstar88]

JRM has found a new driver to replace Chase.

ELLIOTT SADLER O_O

http://t.co/0YWMubA7aB

[bsoyuz]

JRM has found a new driver to replace Chase.

ELLIOTT SADLER O_O

http://t.co/0YWMubA7aB

That's it I'm done, I can't do this no more

[Alta]

What a boring choice, especially since Sadler hasn't done jack this year in Xfinity.

[BooyakaDragon]

What a boring choice, especially since Sadler hasn't done jack this year in Xfinity.

5th in points isn't too bad and he's finished top 5 in points every season since 2011.

It's not a bad choice. Is Elliot Sadler Satan here or something?

[Alta]

What a boring choice, especially since Sadler hasn't done jack this year in Xfinity.

5th in points isn't too bad and he's finished top 5 in points every season since 2011.

It's not a bad choice. Is Elliot Sadler Satan here or something?

Sadler's been so anonymous this year that even knowing that's an established fact, i believe that is somehow incorrect.

It really sucks that JRM is giving a guy that's been at 3 different teams in the past 3 years another shot rather than take a chance at someone who could use some exposure in a top ride. I honestly don't like the guy and this isn't helping matters.

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