NEXT RACE INFO


• Built Ford Tough 225 - Kentucky Speedway, Saturday, July 18, 2009, 7:00pm Eastern
  
  SPEED/TV: Prerace - 6:30pm; Race - 7:00pm
  
  including...
  
  
• News & Notes: NASCAR's weekly Camping World Truck Series News & Notes are posted on the Kentucky Race Page.(6-29-2009)
  
  
• Kentucky Race Page
  
• Weekend Schedule
  
• News & Notes - June 29, 2009
  
  

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  LAST RACE INFO
  
  
• MemphisTravel.com 200 - Memphis Motorsports Park, Saturday, June 27, 2009
  
  including...
  
  
• Memphis Race Page
  
• Hornaday wins at Memphis
  
• Driver Point Standings
  
• Owner Point Standings
  
• Post-Race Fast Facts/Race Awards/Lucky Dog Awards
  
• Starting Lineup
  
• Practice Speeds
  
• Goodyear Tire Notes
  
• Official Entry List
  
• Weekend Schedule
  
• News & Notes - Memphis Motorsports Park
  
  
  

• Hornaday off racing during off-week: Race fans will receive a treat tonight [July 3rd] when Hornaday competes in the 37th Annual Keith Fleck Miller 100 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway. "What else am I going to be doing?" Hornaday said. "I enjoy racing." The three-time Truck Series champ and veteran NASCAR driver has been driving in occasional ASA Midwest Tour events the last few years. He enjoys visiting the smaller tracks, fans and drivers. "That's what it's all about - the fans," said Hornaday, who's 51. "I come out to put on a good show, see the fans and have a lot of fun.(The Gazette- Cedar Rapids) [More information is posted on the Jayski Appearance Page](7-3-2009)
  
  
• Milwaukee owes NASCAR for race: UPDATE 2 Track closed for business: The race promoter for the Milwaukee Mile owes NASCAR money stemming from the races last weekend, and the Indy Racing League won't say whether it has been paid yet for its event in May. "The sanctions fees are part of an overall deal," Napier said Friday. "We have been working closely with NASCAR in resolving these issues." Ramsey Poston, a NASCAR spokesman, said in a statement that, "despite having a terrific day of NASCAR racing last Saturday there remain outstanding issues which concern NASCAR. As a matter of policy I won't get into the specifics of our business dealings. However, I can say we are working closely with the track management to resolve outstanding issues." The competitors were paid, according to a Charlotte Observer story.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(6-27-2009)
  UPDATE: The Milwaukee Mile's financial mess has NASCAR's attention. In documents obtained by the Journal Sentinel, NASCAR states that Wisconsin Motorsports, the race promoter at the Mile, owes it $1,878,228 for the two races NASCAR sanctioned earlier this month. The documents include an agreement that Napier signed in which he states that he is unable to pay in full the fees due NASCAR for sanctioning the races. As part of the agreement Napier signed, all of the revenue generated by the two races was sent directly to NASCAR. The documents include a letter written by a NASCAR lawyer to all Milwaukee Mile vendors, concessionaires, program sellers, and food and beverage sellers telling them the money they owe to Wisconsin Motorsports was instead coming to NASCAR. Napier signed the agreement on June 18, just a day before the truck race was scheduled to take place. On June 19, however, heavy rains postponed the truck race a day. Both the truck race and the Nationwide Series race were contested on June 20.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(6-30-2009)
  UPDATE 2: UPDATE 2: The Milwaukee Mile office is closed, and all 12 staff members have been laid off at least temporarily. Whether the oldest auto racing facility in the country lives to see its 107th birthday is in grave doubt even among its biggest boosters. "It depends totally if I'm able to get some investors," promoter Claude Napier said Thursday in a telephone interview from Texas. Napier, president and chief executive officer of Wisconsin Motorsports, admitted to the Journal Sentinel for the first time that he had no other financial backers when he entered into a deal in February with State Fair Park, where the track is located. "I've got a hunch it's over," said Dominic Giuffre, a former promoter with his brother Frank. "It's too late." The Giuffres, promoters at the Mile from 1983-'91, have expressed interest in returning to that role. It is "very uncommon" for NASCAR to stage a race without being paid in advance by the promoter, said Ramsey Poston, a NASCAR spokesman. The races were already scheduled and television contracts in place when Napier took over. Given its dealings this year, NASCAR is not expected to grant credit to the track - no matter who operates it - to return for 2010.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)(7-2-2009)
  
  
• White enters World Series of Poker: Jason White, Driver of the #23 Gunbroker.com Dodge, will cash in his position as a driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and enter the World Series of Poker. White will be the first-ever NASCAR Driver to participate in the 13-day event that begins on July 3rd at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. White will be in search of the first place prize at the end of the event which includes high payouts and the coveted World Series of Poker bracelet. Last year's champion Peter Eastgate beat out 6,844 entries taking home over 9-million dollars.(Jason White PR)(7-2-2009)
  
  
• Skinner among participants in England's Goodwood Festival of Speed: Mike Skinner along with Rusty Wallace, Landon Cassill & Tayler Earnhardt, is scheduled to participate in this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex England on July 3-5, 2009. Held since 1993, the Festival celebrates historic cars from all forms of racing. The three-day event, hosted by the Earl of March at his family's estate, features a 1.16-mile hill-climbing competition for all classes and types of race cars and motorcycles, plus a 2.5-kilometer course for historic rally cars. Mike Skinner will drive a former NASCAR Sprint Cup chassis fielded by Team Red Bull, for whom he's driven on a part-time basis while competing full time for another NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title.(NASCAR PR) [More information on the Festival is posted on the Jayski Appearance Page.](7-1-2009)
  
  
• Germain Racing sponsor Ventrilo adds two more races in 2009: Ventrilo, a product of Flagship Industries and the premier group voice communications program used in internet-based tournaments and multiplayer games, announced today that it has expanded its primary sponsorship of the #30 Ventrilo Tundra to include O'Reilly Raceway Park as well as the previously scheduled Bristol Motor Speedway and Gateway International Raceway NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races. In addition, Ventrilo will be the primary sponsor this weekend at Daytona International Speedway for Germain Racing's #15 Ventrilo Toyota Camry driven by Iowa-native Michael Annett.(Germain Racing PR)(6-30-2009)
  
  
• The future of series in doubt? UPDATE 2: NASCAR VP says series strong; looking at cost-cutting options: Promoter Bruton Smith and NASCAR president Mike Helton are reported to be meeting Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway over the uncertain future of NASCAR's Truck series, with increasing speculation that the tour - 25 races this season, on 16 Sprint Cup tour tracks and seven other tracks - will be severely cut next season. Indeed even the survival of the Truck series, which was created in 1995 by the late Bill France Jr. as a budget-priced 'proving ground' for new car owners, new sponsors and new drivers, has been questioned. General Motors, Ford and Dodge have all withdrawn financial support of the Truck tour and the Nationwide tour, leaving only Toyota officially involved. Toyota officials have reportedly decided to drop their financial support too, though Toyota racing boss Lee White insists no decision has been made. One suggestion to help save the Truck series has been for the four NASCAR car makers to work together to design an inexpensive 'spec' Truck engine, to cut costs. Another suggestion has been a 'common' engine for all three NASCAR touring series.(mikemulhern.net)(6-27-2009)
  UPDATE: During an interview on SPEEDtv's NCTWS setup program, NASCAR VP Steve O'Donnell said the state of the series is "really strong." O'Donnell stated that NASCAR officials met with team owners earlier this year to help out the racing with some rule changes, they have been working with the teams, and that the series puts on the "best racing". When asked about double-file restarts, O'Donnell said that the series has two weeks off following Memphis, and that NASCAR will continue to look at it. [Also heard that O'Donnell addressed the state of the series during the Drivers Meeting in Memphis, assuring teams that NASCAR is full speed ahead for 2010. He also said that NASCAR is excited by new owners and drivers and the new tracks coming on line next year.](6-27-2009)
  UPDATE 2: Despite reports from independent blogger Mike Mulhern, NASCAR Vice President of Communications Jim Hunter says emphatically that there is no validity to a story circulating that the Camping World Truck Series will shut down. "There's no truth to it whatsoever," Hunter said. "It's total B.S. The demise of the truck series is the figment of one person's imagination. (Mulhern) has a history of fabricating false stories and this is another example of it. We're very aware that (the Camping World Truck Series) is affected the hardest during this economic recession. We're currently looking at options. We've never given up on a series and we're not going to start now." NASCAR is looking at options to reduce costs such as decreasing the schedule, increasing the number of single-day dates and bringing back the half-time pit stops that could eliminate the traveling crews to five or six members. One possible solution that is off the table is the use of crate engines. NASCAR VP of Competition Robin Pemberton said they are not a viable option because "they're not durable to last much beyond one race" which would raise costs, not lower them. Pemberton feels the sanctioning body has made "good gains with new rules and regulations" and the series "still makes sense."(FoxSports.com)(6-30-2009)
  
  
• Hornaday steady; Braun, Starr make significant gains in points race: What many call the toughest stretch of racing on the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule has ended. In Wimbledon terms, Ron Hornaday Jr. (#33 Longhorn Chevrolet) held serve. Hornaday, the leader by 84 points entering five consecutive weekends of racing in late May, remains in the #1 position. He leads Matt Crafton (#88 Menards Chevrolet) by 76 points. The points leader, however, isn't the only one to watch when racing resumes July 18 at Kentucky Speedway. The Dover-to-Memphis swing significantly shook up top-10 rankings. Three competitors - Colin Braun (#6 Con-way Freight Ford), Tayler Malsam (#81 One-Eighty Toyota) and David Starr (#24 Zachry/Harris Trucking Toyota) - moved into the elite grouping. Braun, on the strength of his victory at Michigan International Speedway, made the biggest gain from 19th to 10th. After finishing 22nd at Dover, the 20-year-old Roush Fenway driver reeled off four straight top-10 finishes. Starr, a 12-year veteran of the series, is enjoying his best season since 2006. Driving for Virginian James Harris, the Houston native scored top-10 finishes in four of his five most recent starts, including thirds at Memphis and Dover. He was 13th after the Lowe's race and stands fifth in current standings, just 231 points behind leader Hornaday.(NASCAR PR) [Read more of NASCAR's News & Notes for this week on the Kentucky Race Page.](6-29-2009)
  
  
• KHI's Carelli to be inducted into West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame UPDATE Spears & George also being inducted: On July 3, 2009, Rick Carelli will be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in Irwindale Speedway in California. As a driver Rick Carelli earned the 1991 NASCAR Southwest Touring Champion and 1993 NASCAR Camping World Series West Champion titles as well as raced in numerous series. These days he's still at the track, just in a different role as General Manager for Kevin Harvick Incorporated and as spotter for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Ron Hornaday, Jr.(NASCAR PR)(6-17-2009)
  UPDATE: Three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series figures will be inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame in July 3 ceremonies at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.). Wayne Spears, whose Spears Motorsports team competed in 315 series races between 1995 and 2007 winning four times, is joined by Kevin Harvick Inc., general manager Rick Carelli and Billy Ballew Motorsports crew chief Doug George. Carelli and George are NASCAR Camping World Series West and Southwest Tour champions.(NASCAR PR)(6-29-2009)
  
  
• Monday Rundown - Racing Resources says...
  *With temperatures near 100 degrees, Ron Hornaday Jr. won the MemphisTravel.com 200 at Memphis Motorsports Park . Hornaday scored his 42nd series victory in his 236th start. He scored his third win at Memphis in his seventh start there, most of all drivers.
  *Hornaday posted his series-leading third win of 2009. His previous win came the week before at Milwaukee. The last time he scored back-to-back victories was at Gateway and New Hampshire in 2008. It was Hornaday's series-leading 19th short-track win.
  *Hornaday led 175 of the 201 laps, the most of all drivers. It is the 20th time Hornaday has led more than 80 percent of the laps in a race, winning all but four of them. He led 180 laps last week at Milwaukee and a total of 355 in the past two races. His 175 laps led is the most ever led in a Truck race at Memphis. Hornaday has led at least one lap in 10 of the 11 races in 2009, including the past nine.
  *All 12 races at Memphis have been won from a top-10 starting position.
  *rian Scott (second) scored his fourth top-5 and sixth top-10 of 2009.
  *Aric Almirola (fourth) scored his best career finish.
  *The top 10 consisted of three Chevrolets, six Toyotas and one Ford.(ESPN.com)(6-29-2009)
  
  
• ORP next race for Bainey; embarking on personal appearance tour: Tim Bainey Jr. and the #00 Aaron's Lucky Dog NASCAR Truck Series Team will embark on a "First-of-its-Kind" Personal Appearance Tour in 2009. They will be hitting the road in style with the all new "Aaron's Dream Team Express presented by Karolina Koaches" for a 60+ Schedule of Personal Appearances by Tim Jr - a schedule that will see the driver of the Aaron's Lucky Dog Truck make stops nationwide in an effort to get out and meet as many NASCAR Racing Fans as he can along the way. Bainey's next appearance on track is scheduled to be the AAA Insurance 200 at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis on July 24, 2009. "We're running between 5-7 races this season, so that we can maintain our rookie status for next year. Our goal on the track is for me to get some seat time in these trucks, as well as our crew getting acquainted with the series," said Bainey.(Tim Bainey Jr. PR)(6-29-2009)
  
  
• New tire transfer rule: During the prerace show on SPEEDtv, Krista Voda announced that NASCAR has implemented a new tire transfer rule. In an effort to save money, NASCAR will allow teams to transfer one set of four tires from one track to another as long as they are the same combination i.e. Memphis and Milwaukee use the same combination. As a result, some teams were able to take advantage of this new initiative at Memphis.(6-27-2009)
  
  
• Camping World executive happy with Truck sponsorship: Camping World is happy with its first year of sponsorship of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the company's director of motorsports said Friday. "We definitely are [happy with it]," said Camping World's Kurt Hunt prior to the Camping World East Series race Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. "The vital signs are good there. The TV numbers, at a time when the numbers [of other series] aren't as strong as people would like them to be, are strong there. The truck count is strong and we're seeing first-time winners." On reports that his company wants to get out of the series sponsorship, Hunt said they "certainly are untrue." Camping World hasn't necessarily had the presence that former sponsor Craftsman had at the track and Camping World representatives have not been out front and center at many events. Hunt said there will be a major promotion soon that will be announced for the late summer and fall. "One of the things that probably helped fuel some rumors was the fact that we were getting away from sponsoring on-track with individual teams and drivers," said Hunt, whose team ended its sponsorship of Kevin Harvick Inc. when it assumed the truck series entitlement. "That's a tremendous duplication and an unnecessary duplication. We're not as out there. There were races where sometimes we had two or three cars in the same race. You go from being way exposed on an on-track sense to changing your program to being a series sponsor and … it's really just a change in philosophy for us."(SceneDaily.com)(6-27-2009)
  
  
• Images added: Added over 30 images from The Milwaukee Mile including; #33-Copart Chevy, #8-Malcolmson Construction Chevy, #5-Doc Bailey's Toyota, #30-Copart Toyota, #17-Strutmasters Toyota, #15-Zaxby's Toyota, #29-Greased Lightning Chevy, #14-Circle Bar/Int'l Truck Engine Ford and many more....check them out on the 2009 Paint Scheme Page.(6-24-2009)
  
  
• Toyota not pulling out of NNS or CWTS: Toyota has no plans to leave the Nationwide or Truck Series as has been reported and speculated. Lee White, who heads Toyota Racing Development, said the Japan-based manufacturer has eliminated its financial support in both series over the past couple of seasons. But technical, he added, support continues. "We're not going out of the series," White said. "We're not leaving. In fact, as we kind of moderated our involvement we gained truck count and car count in [both series]." White said it's unfair to say Toyota is following other manufacturers that have pulled financial support from the Nationwide and Truck series over the past few months.(ESPN Insider)(6-24-2009)
  
  
• Greenwood to perform at Kentucky Speedway: Classic country music artist Lee Greenwood will perform a July 18 concert at Kentucky Speedway during a doubleheader race day that will feature the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series "Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers" and the ARCA RE/MAX Series "Click or Ticket. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150." The well-known singer will take the track's Turn 1 concert stage in lieu of Chris Cagle, who was forced to cancel his event appearance to begin physician-ordered vocal rest.(Kentucky Speedway PR)(6-24-2009)
  
  
• Benson talks about injuries; search for ride: Johnny Benson, reigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion who was injured June 13 in a Super Modified race at Berlin Raceway, joined guest host Mike Joy Sunday night on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain on SPEEDtv. Benson discussed his injuries and recovery, as well as his search for a Truck Series ride.
  Q-Joy: What are the doctors saying as far as when you might be able to get back in a race car?
  A-Benson: "We've had arguments on this … I'd say it's going to be about three weeks and some say a lot more. I'll have to cross that bridge when it happens. Right now I don't have a ride so it doesn't really matter when I can get back in or not. If I talk to the right people and maybe get some great opportunities, which I think will come along here in the very near future, hopefully I'll be ready for it when it happens."
  Q-Joy: Is there a chance we'll see you in a Truck this year should funding and a sponsor come along or a team need to make a change?
  A-Benson: "Hopefully, in the very near future we'll be able to do something. I've got a couple of things working. Just like anything else, like in the 1 (truck), it's so sponsor-driven, it's very easy to be pulled out of your ride if someone brings you money. So, it's just one parts of the sport right now. But I think being the past champion, it won't be where I'm sidelined too long. Just looking forward to the future. I'm pretty optimistic about what it can bring us and I'm actually very excited about some of the things we've talked about. In the long run, this is going to be a better thing."
  [Complete interview transcript can be found on SPEEDtv.com.](6-22-2009)
  
  
• Next race for Ryan Sieg; Kentucky: During the race broadcast on SPEEDtv, it was reported that Shane Sieg's next race in the #39-Sieg Racing Chevy will be at Kentucky. The team plans to run under seven races in order for Sieg to be able to be a candidate for Rookie of the Year in 2010. Sieg had one previous start at Martinsville with GunBroker Racing.(6-20-2009)
  
  
• Copart adds Challenge of Champions to sponsorship program: Copart, Inc. a leading online vehicle remarketer, is proud to announce that the company has added a sweepstakes called the "Copart Challenge of Champions" to the exciting sponsorship lineup in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Copart sponsors two Truck Series champions - the #33 Copart truck driven by Ron Hornaday Jr., the 2007 champion, and the #30 Copart Tundra driven by Todd Bodine, the 2006 champion. The two champions will race Copart-sponsored trucks four times each over the course of six truck series events in the Copart Challenge of Champions. The winner will be the Copart driver who accumulated the most points while driving a Copart truck during the specified six races and will receive a trophy at the final race. But it isn't just the drivers who win in this contest. Race fans can vote online for the Copart driver they believe will win the Copart Challenge of Champions at www.copart.com. Just by voting, fans will be entered to win great racing prizes. Voting begins today, June 19, and will end Sept. 27. Copart is sponsoring Bodine for two additional races as part of the Copart Challenge of Champions. The two additional races take place today, June 19, at the Copart 200 in Milwaukee; and at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday, Oct. 31, when the Copart Challenge of Champions concludes. These additional sponsorships mean that Bodine and Hornaday will both be racing in Copart sponsored trucks on these dates.(Germain Racing PR) [For more contest details visit the Jayski Contest Page](6-19-2009)
  
  

PAST NEWS on the ARCHIVE pages

• June 2009 Past News
• Braun to Nationwide Series in 2010
• Benson injured at Berlin Raceway
• Doc Bailey's to sponsor Skinner for two
• Cook makes 300th start at Milwaukee
• Ford Driving Skills for Life partners with Braun
• Peters & Strutmasters.com join Red Horse Racing
• RHR suspends operations of #1 team
• GM cutting support in Nationwide & Truck Series
• AAA Insurance to sponsor ORP race
• Fan efforts ensure Hall of Fame Bricks for Benson
• NASCAR to implement double-file restarts soon UPDATE Change on pit road too?
  
  
• May 2009 Past News
  
• Apr 2009 Past News
  
• Mar 2009 Past News
  
• Feb 2009 Past News
  
• Jan 2009 Past News
  
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