Smash Beer 200 Pre-Race Thread

[Ceej]

94 cars, including a fair number of Super Series teams, showed up to the Texas World Speedway to take part in Karl's P1 qualifying for the season-opening Smash Beer 200.

Leslie Riggs lapped the track in 37.086 seconds to claim the Karl's P1 Award, with rookie Riley Durbin surprising his competition with the Focus Autosports team and charging to the outside of the front row with a time of 37.25 seconds. Under the revised bonus points rules, Riggs will collect 20 points for the pole, while 9 points will go to Durbin. The remaining qualifying bonus points will be awarded after the B-mains.

Qualifying race procedure:

-3rd through 42nd will start the two B-mains; B-main 1 determines the inside of the Smash Beer 200 starting lineup, and B-main 2 determines the outside
-43rd through 94th will start the two C-mains
-Top 16 finishers of each C-main will transfer to the B-mains
-Top 19 finishers of each B-main will transfer to the Smash Beer 200
-41st position in the Smash Beer 200 is reserved for the Rookie Shootout winner if s/he fails to transfer through the qualifying races

Smash Beer 200 - Lineup:

B-Main 1 - Lineup:

B-Main 2 - Lineup:

C-Main 1 - Lineup:

C-Main 2 - Lineup:

[SpeedDemon37]

Riley Durbin Earns Outside-Front-Row Starting Position for Smash Beer 200

In February of 2014, race fans across America and beyond witnessed the biggest race ever for the FARC Elite Series Fueled by Smash Beer, with over 150 cars showing up at the Texas World Speedway for the Smash Beer 500. This year's Smash Beer 200 may have fewer miles to race and fewer cars to attempt it, but it will surely be a spectacle to see, yet again.

Following pole qualifying for this year's event, the two halves of the front row will be made up of drivers of greatly-varying levels of FARC experience. Leslie Riggs gave M&J Racing their second pole position in a row at Texas World, but starting on the outside of Riggs will be former NRC racer Riley Durbin.

The name may sound familiar to some, as Durbin has made two previous starts in the FARC Elite Series for Ike Durbin, Inc. (the team owned by his older cousin), and he competed for Focus Autosports last year in the National Racing Championship. However, few expected the Indiana native to be so fast right out of the gate in his new FARC tenure. In addition the competing in the #38 Lenard in 6 races plus the Texas events in the Elite Series, Durbin will be racing for the championship in the new FARC Duckroll Super Series for the same team and in the same car, the lone difference being the car number, which will be #3 in the Super Series.

Focus Autosports, the team for which Durbin is competing, made their debut in the Elite Series in the 2012 Mini Indy 500 with a one-off entry, but have only competed on a part-time basis since last season. Despite the minimal experience, this is not the first time that FAS have shown speed on larger ovals. FARC Truck Series racer Vincenzo Fochesato scored two pole positions for the team in 2014, coming at the New York Autoring and the Talladega Superspeedway.

Riley Durbin and Focus Autosports will be competing in one more race before the Smash Beer 200, as the aforementioned #3 Lenard will be racing in the OpenCarryAssault.org 100, the series-opener for the FARC Duckroll Super Series.

[zaw24fan]

Webster Ready for New Season, Shows Qualifying Improvement

After a 1-win season that was filled with crashes, mechanical failures, and DNFs, Webster was glad to return to the track at the Texas World Speedway for qualifying for the season-opening Smash Beer 200.

Qualifying was a major portion of his driving skill that Webster has struggled with throughout his young career in FARC. Webster made it a priority to work on qualifying better for 2015.

"With the way the competition is now, you can't always make a charge to the front after starting in the back and expect to compete for wins. There's just too many things that can go wrong. Unfortunately, we were on the receiving end of many of those unfortunate events because we were always starting in the back. Qualifying has to be better for this #41 crew, and it starts with the driver," Webster said in a press conference over the offseason.

Webster backed that statement up by qualifying 4th in Smash Beer 200 qualifying, placing him on the outside of the front row for B-Main 1 of the Smash Beer 200 qualifiers.

"We need to get off to a much better start than we did last season. We have to cut down on these mechanical failures, we need to work on finishing races, qualifying for main events, and just staying out of trouble. If we can get that going like it should, we can compete for several wins this season," Webster concluded.

[Magus978]

TDR Littered All Over B-Mains, Delgado Confident of Getting All Entries In

Despite not getting a car in the top two in pole qualifying, Tom Delgado & Tom Delgado Racing are confident of getting all their teams into the show from their B-mains.

"We were all relatively fast, but I know there's more to be had from all of us. There are still some kinks that we're looking to work out in our cars, but I have a feeling we'll be okay to get everyone in for the 200" Delgado said after qualifying. "If anyone should be a little concerned about getting in, it's me. We completely swung and missed on our setup...but if we swung and missed and still came in 22nd, I can't imagine how strong we'll be if we actually hit it spot on" Delgado added, looking and sounding confident.

[Ceej]

Smash Beer 200 Qualifying Completed

The top 16 from each C-main would transfer to and start in the rear of the B-mains.
The top 19 finishers from each B-Main would transfer to the Smash Beer 200. The finishing order would determine the lineup for the 200, therefore the top 4 will receive qualifying points.

Highlights will be shown in the Smash Beer 200 pre-race.

Major Events

-Tommy Ashby and Bill Calhoun will not start the Super Series race after totaling their cars.
-Aaron Singer and Shane Williams were taken to a local hospital after being clobbered by Ashby and Calhoun, respectively.
-The BlackDiamond drivers, Rick Head and Brian Sendack, were not on their best behavior. Head turned the lapped car of John Johnston in front of Nick Azure as Azure challenged him for the lead, cutting off his momentum. Sendack and Taylor Brillon were summoned to Race Control after an incident where Brillon pinched Sendack into the wall after a restart, and Sendack turned Brillon into the infield on the following lap.
-Tammy Barnton had an embarrassing exit to the race upon turning herself into the wall while racing Kevin Monroe for the lead.
-Rookie Shootout winner Bradley Carlisle destroyed his car in his B-main, and may have to rely on stepping into a teammate's car for the 200.

C-Main 1

F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 16 31 M Duncan -R- 154.590 20 5 180 Running
2 6 10 D Leckliter -0.24 20 3 175 Running
3 14 314 M Madrigal -0.25 20 4 170 Running
4 4 94 I Lightener -0.31 20 0 160 Running
5 1 427 S Parsons -0.32 20 7* 165 Running
6 11 93 K Gaffigan -5.66 20 1 155 Running
7 17 09 J Rivers -R- -5.91 20 0 146 Running
8 5 90 A Tucker -6.00 20 0 142 Running
9 2 590 M Thompson -6.00 20 0 138 Running
10 8 777 L Barnton -6.06 20 0 134 Running
11 21 767 M Blackwell -6.10 20 0 130 Running
12 13 50 G Macena -6.18 20 0 127 Running
13 3 731 E Garza -R- -6.20 20 0 124 Running
14 22 031 B Calhoun -6.28 20 0 121 Running
15 23 30 E Goodman -R- -6.32 20 0 118 Running
16 18 82 R Stanoytchev -6.47 20 0 115 Running
17 9 60 N Van Gilder -7.31 20 0 112 Running
18 19 73 M Carlowe -1L 19 0 109 Running
19 12 19 A Riggs -1L 19 0 106 Running
20 25 55 C McGuffie -1L 19 0 103 Running
21 7 43 L Burr -1L 19 0 100 Running
22 26 68 D Dudding -11L 9 0 97 Brakes
23 10 15 A Young -19L 1 0 94 Camshaft
24 15 42 B Smith-Thompson -19L 1 0 91 Valve
25 20 1 A Singer -19L 1 0 88 Accident
26 24 04 T Ellison -R- -20L 0 0 85 Retired
27 27 047 T Ashby -20L 0 0 82 Accident

C-Main 2

F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 13 03 R Head 196.790 20 18* 185 Running
2 4 25 L Pellerin -R- -0.16 20 1 175 Running
3 3 46 N Azure -0.35 20 1 170 Running
4 12 98 K Walker -8.91 20 0 160 Running
5 1 47 T Ashby -9.14 20 0 155 Running
6 6 3 L Cyrus -9.24 20 0 150 Running
7 9 480 J Pacer -R- -9.33 20 0 146 Running
8 14 5 M Malone -19.23 20 0 142 Running
9 20 26 D Holifield -R- -19.40 20 0 138 Running
10 7 32 M St. Martin -R- -19.42 20 0 134 Running
11 15 28 T Rowe -R- -19.48 20 0 130 Running
12 19 84 Z Churchill -R- -19.58 20 0 127 Running
13 21 422 T Stater -19.62 20 0 124 Running
14 10 046 F Azzaretto -19.64 20 0 121 Running
15 11 02 T Tucker -19.84 20 0 118 Running
16 17 59 J Graham -19.99 20 0 115 Running
17 5 717 S Dalitz -20.66 20 0 112 Running
18 18 78 G Gray -R- -26.78 20 0 109 Running
19 23 69 J West -27.37 20 0 106 Running
20 22 06 C Beckett -28.02 20 0 103 Running
21 8 019 R Koch -1L 19 0 100 Running
22 2 97 K Cobb -R- -1L 19 0 97 Running
23 16 199 B Gaton -1L 19 0 94 Running
24 24 098 J Johnston -1L 19 0 91 Running
25 26 54 J Burr -1L 19 0 88 Running
26 25 76 R Prescott -5L 15 0 85 Running

B-Main 1

F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 3 16 R Tyler 121.103 25 10* 185 Running
2 7 12 R Bullet -0.05 25 2 175 Running
3 2 41 Z Webster -0.13 25 6 170 Running
4 20 37 T Delgado -0.24 25 0 160 Running
5 19 61 R Matthews -0.55 25 0 155 Running
6 23 314 M Madrigal -0.79 25 0 150 Running
7 22 10 D Leckliter -0.88 25 0 146 Running
8 25 427 S Parsons -1.03 25 0 142 Running
9 11 71 P Carroll -1.19 25 0 138 Running
10 8 08 B Sendack -4.34 25 5 139 Running
11 16 2 J Bates -4.60 25 0 130 Running
12 35 30 E Goodman -R- -4.73 25 0 127 Running
13 9 63 K Monroe -4.88 25 0 124 Running
14 12 11 R Leckliter -R- -5.39 25 0 121 Running
15 17 6 L Austin -5.45 25 0 118 Running
16 30 777 L Barnton -7.61 25 0 115 Running
17 27 09 J Rivers -R- -13.20 25 0 112 Running
18 4 9 T Brillon -18.47 25 1 114 Running
19 29 590 M Thompson -18.69 25 0 106 Running
20 10 20 K Brillon -23.25 25 0 103 Running
21 18 102 A Pearson -28.23 25 0 100 Running
22 5 13 N Miura -36.09 25 0 97 Running
23 28 90 A Tucker -1L 24 0 94 Running
24 6 87 T Barnton -11L 14 1 96 Accident
25 21 31 M Duncan -R- -15L 10 0 88 Tire
26 15 094 A Whitt -15L 10 0 85 Camshaft
27 1 44 S Williams -R- -16L 9 0 82 Accident
28 26 93 K Gaffigan -17L 8 0 79 Accident
29 24 94 I Lightener -17L 8 0 76 Accident
30 34 031 B Calhoun -17L 8 0 73 Accident
31 36 82 R Stanoytchev -17L 8 0 70 Accident
32 32 50 G Macena -17L 8 0 67 Accident
33 33 731 E Garza -R- -17L 8 0 64 Accident
34 13 27 C Lester -R- -22L 3 0 61 Retired
35 14 14 B Foote -23L 2 0 58 Piston
36 31 767 M Blackwell -24L 1 0 55 Retired

B-Main 2

F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 21 03 R Head 163.089 25 5 180 Running
2 5 62 C Fitzgerald -0.12 25 1 175 Running
3 8 7 B Stephans -0.20 25 0 165 Running
4 1 45 H Enola -0.22 25 5 165 Running
5 35 02 T Tucker -0.28 25 0 155 Running
6 22 25 L Pellerin -R- -0.34 25 0 150 Running
7 10 8 L Sweeney -0.37 25 4 151 Running
8 11 86 R Griffin -0.46 25 2 147 Running
9 2 17 C LaTerza -0.57 25 7* 148 Running
10 29 26 D Holifield -R- -0.82 25 0 134 Running
11 6 24 L Bell -1.40 25 1 135 Running
12 15 88 K Posadas -1.75 25 0 127 Running
13 25 47 T Ashby -1.85 25 0 124 Running
14 3 07 A Griffith -2.02 25 0 121 Running
15 4 22 M Yamada -12.02 25 0 118 Running
16 28 5 M Malone -12.04 25 0 115 Running
17 17 92 C de Pretto -12.10 25 0 112 Running
18 26 3 L Cyrus -12.26 25 0 109 Running
19 14 52 R Carter -R- -12.46 25 0 106 Running
20 9 35 D Inoue -13.93 25 0 103 Running
21 20 011 M Leckliter -28.85 25 0 100 Running
22 16 70 C Richler -28.95 25 0 97 Running
23 34 046 F Azzaretto -37.27 25 0 94 Running
24 13 39 S Daiho -3L 22 0 91 Running
25 12 4 K Hitsuno -5L 20 0 88 Puncture
26 24 98 K Walker -21L 4 0 85 Retired
27 7 012 M Pearson -21L 4 0 82 Retired
28 19 80 L Azarov -21L 4 0 79 Overheat
29 31 28 T Rowe -R- -21L 4 0 76 Piston
30 18 83 B Carlisle -R- -21L 4 0 73 Accident
31 27 480 J Pacer -R- -22L 3 0 70 Accident
32 33 422 T Stater -22L 3 0 67 Retired
33 23 46 N Azure -22L 3 0 64 Retired
34 30 32 M St. Martin -R- -22L 3 0 61 Accident
35 36 59 J Graham -22L 3 0 58 Accident

[Magus978]

3 Out Of 4 as Delgado, LaTerza, & Enola Get In, but not Barnton

Tom Delgado predicted that all four TDR entries would get in. Well, he was one off. Whilst himself, Harry S. Enola, and Cyrus LaTerza were able to drive their way in, Tammy Barnton had herself a desperate time trying to explain why she was the lone driver out. To his credit, Delgado was not angry at Barnton's failure to make the 200.

"Everyone has their bad days. This was just one of Tammy's. She can redeem herself in the next few races with good performances" Delgado said of Barnton's DNQ. "As for myself, Cyrus (LaTerza), and the Sarge, the work has just begun. We've got a chance to throw down the gauntlet to the rest of the field, an opportunity that we shouldn't pass up" Delgado added.

[Electric Wolf]

Spoiler:

(OOC: You will see what the parentheses were for when you listen to Ceej's Rookie Shootout intros. I'll leave it at that. Also, Tom, if you're too poor to afford another zero, how did you get brackets for your sig?)

[Magus978]

Spoiler:

(OOC: You will see what the parentheses were for when you listen to Ceej's Rookie Shootout intros. I'll leave it at that. Also, Tom, if you're too poor to afford another zero, how did you get brackets for your sig?)

Stole them.

[HelloMyNameisPancho]

Spoiler:

[navycook75]

Two out of three for Leckliter Racing

Brothers Daniel and Robert Leckliter will race in the Smash Beer 200, while Miranda will sit out. Daniel has said he will not sell his or Roberts ride and he will not give up his spot to let Miranda in, nor will Robert.

[Memoriesallbutdone]

Todd Rowe, makes it past C-main but crashes in B-main while Evan Goodman, will be in the Smash Beer 200

1 out of 2 in. Glass is half full or empty?

[Ceej]

Stanoytchev awarded Promoter's Option spot

Despite crashing out of the first B-main, RUS Autosport and their driver Radomir Stanoytchev learned that the #82 team had been awarded the 42nd starting position in the season-opening Smash Beer 200, the "Promoter's Option" spot reserved for the race organizers to award to any team that otherwise failed to qualify for the race.

Stanoytchev was caught up in an accident on the ninth lap of the race and sheared off the front end. However, once the team had been awarded the spot, they quickly got to work in finding a new front end, which they acquired from Team Burr's #68 Tremwell driven by Derek Dudding.

To quote Team Burr owner John Burr, "We were loading up Derek's car when some guys from the Russian team came up to me and offered a few hundred bucks for the whole front end. I'd be crazy to turn 'em down".

RUS Autosport has yet to comment on this development. This journalist was unaware of the existence of the promoter's option award, but I suppose that's what I get for not doing enough research.

[bsoyuz]

Macena reluctantly starting Smash Beer 200 in the place of Ross Carter.

After crashing on lap 8 of his B-Main and failing to qualify for the Smash Beer 200, Gabriel Macena had no plans to shift with any of his drivers that qualified, Luc Pellerin and Ross Carter. But a couple of hours after the conclusion of the qualifying process Macena apparently will start the race, altough that's not his complete choice.

From what rumors say, Macena is only starting the race due to the sponsors threat pledge, as Ross Carter is the only of the team's drivers to not have an primary sponsor. Macena will start the Smash Beer 200 with a backup car.

[Backmarker]

Singer Released from Hospital; Blasts Ashby
Aaron Singer will not race in the Smash Beer 200 after a hard crash with Tommy Ashby in his C-Main. Fortunately, however, the 21-year old was released from the hospital with no serious injuries after being held overnight for observation. Although the full extent of his condition was not disclosed, he is expected to be cleared to compete in the second race of the season at Columbia Speedway.

"Yeah, I'm alright. That was the biggest crash I've ever had in a race car, but Cromwell did a really good job of building these new cars to make them safe. I'd hate to know what mighta happened if I had one of those old cars, like the poor teams. What really pisses me off about that whole deal is that Ashby guy, he's way too old to be doing this shit. I don't know what he's trying to prove, because he didn't do much of anything last year, and he's just making it tougher out there for the guys with the talent."

Singer is currently winless in three years of FARC competition.

[crl]

MT Motorsports statement: Shane Williams has been released from a College Station hospital after an accident during the first B-main for the Smash Beer 200, in which he was struck in the left front wheel by Tommy Ashby. Fortunately, Shane has a bruised left knee. He will rest for a couple of weeks, and drive, as expected, in the third race of the season in Nashville.

[Racerfan275]

Mixed feelings for the Ashby camp
It's a bit of an awkward weekend for the Ashby's, with son Trey Ashby qualifying into the main race but his father Tommy Ashby and Kyle Cobb, driving the 97 owned by Tommy Ashby, missing out on the race. When asked about the crash, the elder Ashby had this to say, "I'm sorry to Shane and Aaron, I don't know what happened out there. I had no intention of trying to crash them, and I sincerely hope that they both recover fully..not saying that I don't think that Singer should just shut up and talk to me when he owns his own team." With that, Ashby stormed off without answering any other media questions.
The younger Ashby was a bit more willing to answer the media. "Am I glad I made it? Of course I am, especially given with what happened in the off-season. Kinda disappointed about what happened with Dad but..hopefully things work out well." Trey Ashby married Dash Cup driver Kellan Rogers during the off-season, the two of them had been together for the past year or so.

[SnakePlissken]

SPI Grids 3 Out Of 4 (Ain't Bad!)

Bullet Comes Out Firing

Reid Bullet continues to impress as the second year driver advanced to the Smash Beer 200 feature. Bullet was slotted in the B-Main 1 and went from 7th to 2nd and even led 2 laps.
  "The #12 Loan Ranger car was lively and agile today," stated Bullet.
Bullet picks up where he left off in 2014 when he won Sprint 1 at the FARC Lone Star Championships.
"I hope this bodes well for us in the feature."  

Tyler Looks In Mid-season Form

Rip Tyler has a reputation as a notoriously slow starter, but Tyler won B-Main 1 and looks to off to a fast start in 2015. Back in his familiar #16, Tyler started B-Main 1 on the inside of the second row and piloted his Leapin' Lizard Lycoia Interceptor to the winners circle-- leading 10 of 25 laps.
  "It felt good to be back in the #16 machine," Tyler stated. "It was my number and I'm glad to have it back. We still have a lot to do though. This is a nice start, but it won't mean anything if we don't capitalize on this tremendous beginning."

Bell Solidly In

Libby Bell began B-Main 2 in 6th but dropped back through the field 5 spots but still managed to finish in 11th place-- locking her solidly into the Smash Beer 200 field.
  "Not exactly the start we were hoping for, but hopefully we can use the information learned from the #12 and #16 cars to help make my #24 Libertea For Women Lycoia much better for the feature race."

Foote Tripped Up By Faulty Piston

Bigsby Foote began B-Main 1 14th on the grid and had intentions of competing for a win, but a piston failure quickly dashed the #14 team's hopes and Foote finished 35th.
  "Yeah, we lost power about 2 laps in-- we were down a cylinder or something-- but decided that it was better to take it to the garage than to be a nuisance to all the other drivers trying to make the feature. Hopefully we got our bad luck out of the way early and we won't see these mechanical gremlins again this season."

[BooyakaDragon]

1 For 1: A Good Start For Rivers

Jay Rivers showed a good amount of speed in the C-Main, doing well enough to transfer to the B-Main to where he was once again, successful in transferring. He was interviewed afterwards: "I'm very comfortable with out setup, and I'm thankful that our engines were good enough to get us a spot in the Smash Beer 200. Can't wait to make my first start, hopefully I can make my country proud!"

[SpeedDemon37]

Van Gilder DNQ's at Texas World

After displaying impressive speed in his first FARC Elite Series weekend last season at the Texas World Speedway, driver Nick Van Gilder was not able to repeat his performance for the 2015 Smash Beer 200 qualifiers. After starting in 9th in the first C-Main, his #60 Curtis Sawyers Racing entry avoided the crashes that took them out of last year's qualifiers, but were not fast enough to finish in the top 16 and transfer to the B-Main.

Crossing the line in 17th-place, Van Gilder will be the first car in his qualifier to miss the transfer zone for the second year in a row, as he missed the big race, itself, last year after being scored in 20th in his B-Main. It is currently unknown where he will be racing as the new racing season begins, as his next attempt at a FARC Elite Series race is rumored to be at San Antonio.


Churchill Loses Chance to Qualify Before B-Main Begins

Churchill, Inc. is one of the many new teams on the FARC Elite Series circuit in 2015. The small operation from Toledo, Ohio will be entering a #84 Inglesby with Zack Churchill behind the wheel in 9 races this season. These include the three Texas Triple Crown events, the first of which will be taking place this weekend; the Smash Beer 200.

Coming off of a 13th-place finish in the Apex Racing School Rookie Shootout, Zack Churchill had to face two tiers of qualifiers in order to make the race. Starting 19th in the second C-Main, he worked his way up into 12th by the finish, rewarding himself with a 32nd-place starting spot for the second B-Main. In order to transfer to the 200, the #84 would have to halve its starting position and finish in the top 16.

Churchill, however, would never get the chance to see the green flag.

His car, in fact, was never even able to leave the pits. A mechanical issue was discovered on pit road prior to warm-up laps, forcing his crew to bring the car back to the garage, and shortly thereafter, into the team hauler to return to Ohio.

Team-owner Scott Churchill commented before the hauler's departure; "It doesn't matter what went wrong with the car. The race was only 25 laps long and there was no way that we were going to get back out there before halfway. I don't know whether or not we would have made it; it would have been nice to at least try, but we built a car that could only take one 25-lap qualifier before it quit. Now our week is done."

The next scheduled race for Churchill, Inc. will be in the team's highest-anticipated event; the Spinner Rotors 100 at the half-mile Toledo Speedway.


Pacer Unhurt, but Car Destroyed in Giant B-Main Accident

22-year-old Joshua Pacer will have to wait a little longer to make his debut in the FARC Elite Series, following a frightening accident in the second B-Main qualifier for the Smash Beer 200 at the Texas World Speedway.

Pacer, who raced in the West division in the only season of the FARC DiEmAr Chassis Regional Cup, will be competing in a few FARC Elite Series races this year for Jonesport, the former Regional Cup team that is also new to the Elite Series this year. After transferring to the second B-Main from a 7th-place finish in his C-Main, Pacer would find himself caught up in a huge crash on lap 4, wiping out a total of 10 cars including his own.

During his interview upon being released from the infield care center, Pacer stated that he wants his rear tire carrier fired for "stealing my Delano while I was driving the car". He also claimed that he would have missed the accident had the Texas World Speedway been paved with dirt.

Pacer, and the #480 Saar Carolina, is set to make his debut in the first indoor race at the season; the Tulsa Expo Center in Oklahoma.

[Memoriesallbutdone]

Evan Goodman, makes Smash Beer 200, will have to start from the 13th row after once again a pretty poor qualifying effort

"I am not a good qualifier, I think we have seen that from the Mains, but we managed to work our way up there so it's going to be fun regardless."

[SnakePlissken]

Sergio Power Shares Safety Concerns After Super Series Race

SPI owner Sergio Power has been vocal against the chassis change long before the horrific accident that nearly claimed the lives of FARC Super Series drivers Casey Lester and Tristan Bayne.

"I'm all for curtailing expenses whenever and wherever possible with the exception of when it pertains to safety," Power commented. "I went on record last year against the chassis change as soon as I heard about the move FARC was planning to make. If those guys had been in last year's cars, I don't think their wreck would have even been talked about today. But they weren't and now they're both fighting for not only their careers-- but their very lives. Yes, those cars were more expensive to build and maintain but they were by far safer than these models. I'll take safer every time. They only have to look at the close call they just had with this latest catastrophic near miss. It's not too late to switch back. It's not too late for FARC to do the right thing. One day it might be though. "

[NASCARLOVER427]

Ceej posted the pre race video at the top of the thread. Disregard this post.

[SpeedDemon37]

Ike Durbin to Drive the #38 in the Smash Beer 200
15 February 2015

With the recent confirmation that Riley Durbin has not been cleared to start the Smash Beer 200, Focus Autosports has been forced to find a last-minute fill-in for the team's #38 Lenard, which Durbin had placed on the outside of the front row for the Elite Series event with a time of 37.25 seconds in pole qualifying earlier in the week.

According to official reports received by OEN, Riley's older cousin Ike Durbin will be driving Riley's car for the 200. The TM Master Cup Series racer has been at the Texas World Speedway this weekend to oversee the efforts of his own team, Ike Durbin, Inc., which successfully qualified the #86 Lenard of Ryan Griffin for the race. As the drop of the green flag approaches, Focus Autosports will quickly have to get Ike Durbin fitted and prepared to drive the car.

This will by Ike's first start in what is now the FARC Elite Series Fueled by Smash Beer since the Karl's Superstore of Riverside in 2013. It is expected that Riley will be able to return to racing for his next scheduled race when the Super Series pays a visit to the Memphis Motorsports Park next month.

[Sponsored content]