Q&A with Travis Pastrana

   Extreme sports star Travis Pastrana plans to make his debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in July at Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Ind., outside Indianapolis. In the meantime, he has been running a couple races in the K&N Pro Series, including this past weekend at Iowa Speedway.chances if you will. You listen to your co-driver and you just start cutting corners a little bit more. You can carry more momentum into your corners, you’re breaking later and you’re breaking harder. Here, in NASCAR, you know the course so it’s not about taking chances. If you take a chance you’re just simply overshooting the corner. You’re pushing up the

   Pastrana met with the media over the weekend for an update on his NASCAR career.

   What has your biggest transition been coming into NASCAR?

  “Definitely the biggest transition for me is with Rally it’s all about aggression. You can make up time by simply taking corner. It’s a lot more that comes down to it -- communication with your team. Let them know exactly what the car is doing and how they can help you get around the course faster because everyone is very close and it’s just a matter of figuring out that exact line and the line changes every lap so it’s been a lot of fun.”

   Would you like your Rally co-driver to be with you in NASCAR?

   “For sure. I tell you what, I did really well in Rally mostly because I had a great co-driver. That’s kind of what your spotter is like in this I guess.”

   How is NASCAR compared to the stunts you have done?

   “I was always a really competitive person so I don’t really get nervous as much about getting injured or crashing. My nerves come from trying to succeed and do the best you can in the

competition. For me, I’m just as nervous if not more nervous in this sport because there are a lot of eyes on this sport. Going to Rally, I had probably two years before anyone really started paying attention, which was kind of nice. Here, it’s not the Cup but there are a lot of eyes. A lot of sponsors and a lot of money involved trying to help me to reach up where my goal will eventually be. The learning process has been tough and we have a lot to learn.”

   How much of a learning curve is there when you get to a new track?

   “That’s been really difficult for me. With the motorcycle I can get on and I won’t even have to look at the course and in the second lap I’ve done all of the jumps and probably by the third or fourth lap I’m up to speed. Where that is what all of the guys here have been doing -- even the guys that haven’t driven this course particularly, they are familiar with their equipment. They are familiar with everything and they really come right up to speed. Where, me, every time we change tires or have cold rubber or whatever is going on -- or it rained a little -- I’m very, very cautious. I’m just definitely trying to get a lot more used to; I’ve always been able to read dirt very well. That’s just what I’ve grown up doing and training on.

   "Pavement is definitely something that is different, and trying to read where you’re going to have the traction and how to get the balance of the car right. So, yeah, we had an hour and a half of practice and I could’ve used another four hours probably. In fact, I probably could’ve used another four days. It is what it is and I do better under race conditions than practice conditions so qualifying has always been a very difficult part, and definitely it’s going to be difficult here today for sure.”

   What is the biggest thing you’ve learned in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series in your two starts?

   “The biggest thing that I’ve learned and something that was really funny is Jimmie Johnson said the biggest help that he had that anyone ever told him, and probably the biggest thing that made the most sense, is he said, ‘When you think you leave something in the corner, you didn’t.’ Which, basically means the harder you try to drive these cars -- if you feel like you’re

doing everything really smooth you’re like, ‘Oh, I have more. I can do more.’ And then you start pushing harder and your lap times -- it feels faster -- you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m sliding and I’m pushing and working the car and sweating.’ And then your times are slowing down and by the end -- it was interesting because at my first race at Irwindale I just drove. I was like, ‘I don’t want to get in a crash.’ At the end of the race we had a car that was untouched, a car that the tires were still good, a car that was ready to race and we were able to race the last couple of laps real hard and it was my best finish. After that I was -- racing from the beginning I’m like, ‘Alright, I’m working the car and taking the aero off of the front and the back bumpers and banging it up, and by the end we got nothing. So, I think you have to take an in-between approach.”

   What made you decide to get into NASCAR?

   “It’s the most competitive form of racing in the world and it’s definitely about competition for me. It’s going to be the biggest challenge for sure because it’s so much different than why I’ve been able to succeed in other things just based on aggression. NASCAR is not so much the aggression so much as it is the technique and communication. That, for me, is a huge challenge and something that I want to take on.”

  

Raikkonen adds another Charlotte race

   Apparently Kimi Raikkonen enjoyed his first race at Charlotte Motor Speedway so much he's coming back for a second.

   Fresh off a 15th-place finish in Friday night's NASCAR Trucks Series race at Charlotte, the former Formula One champion will also run in next Saturday's Nationwide race at the track, driving the No. 87 fielded by Nemco Motorsports, several sources familiar with the decision confirmed on Saturday.

 

   Raikkonen drove a Truck fielded by Kyle Busch Motorsports on Friday night. KBM will work with Raikkonen in the Nationwide race but the car will come from Nemco.

 

   Busch, himself, actually made his Nationwide debut with the same team in the same race eight years ago, while he was under contract with Hendrick Motorsports.

 

   Raikkonen has never tested a Nationwide car. He did two, one-day tests in the Truck prior to his debut.

 

   "(It) was a good learning experience and hopefully he learned enough (Friday) that will help him for next week and we’ll try to make the transition a lot easier for him as best we can,” Busch said Friday night following his Truck win.

Harvick gets a probation reminder

   During his media availability on Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick said he was still confused as to whether he was on probation in Saturday night’s all-star race.

   NASCAR quickly cleared it up.

   Before he was allowed on the track for practice Friday, Harvick was called to the NASCAR hauler where spokeswoman Kristi King said he received a reminder his probation covered the all-star race and what it entailed.

   Asked Friday how he would approach a situation in which he ended up racing Kyle Busch for the all-star win, Harvick said, “I’m still confused on whether I am on probation or not on probation. So, I can’t answer that, I don’t really know.

   “I’m just going to race and see what happens.”

   Busch and Harvick were both placed on probation through June 15 and fined $25,000 for actions on pit road following the Cup race at Darlington, S.C., two weeks ago.

   At the time there was some confusion by the drivers whether probation covered non-points race, but NASCAR has said repeatedly that it does.

Kyle Busch, Speedway Children's Charities honor Zahra Baker

   Zahra Baker will get another visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway thanks to Kyle Busch.
  
   Busch and his Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck team are teaming up with Speedway Children's Charities to pay remembrance to the 10-year-old disabled girl from Hickory, whose body was found dismembered last year.

   Zahra's name and picture will be placed above the passenger side window of Busch's No. 18 Toyota which will run in Friday night's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The speedway will also observe a moment of silence in her honor before the start of the race.

   "The story of Zahra Baker's tragic murder really hit home with KBM and the Kyle Busch Foundation," said Busch. "We wanted to do something special in her honor and felt that the truck race at Charlotte Motor Speedway was the perfect opportunity."

   One of the last times that Zahra was seen in public was at the Starkey Hearing Foundation "Get in Gear to Help Children Hear" event hosted by Speedway Children's Charities at CMS last May. She was one of 75 underprivileged children and adults throughout the Carolinas given the gift of hearing at the event.

   Speedway Children's Charities has invited several of the hearing–impaired children who attended last May's event to take part in Friday's pre-race activities. The children will stand next to Busch and his No. 18 Toyota during pre-race and following the moment of silence, release balloons in honor of Zahra.

   Speedway Children's Charities has also donated tickets for these children to watch the race from the grandstand along with residents of the Church of God Children's Home, a primary charity of the Kyle Busch Foundation located in Kannapolis, N.C.

   "Zahra will never be forgotten," Busch said. "She will always be in our hearts."

ESPN will try 'split screen' in NASCAR Chase races

NASCAR fans are going to see more racing than ever on their TVs this season.

ESPN on Tuesday announced its telecasts of the 10 Chase for the Sprint Cup races will use "NASCAR NonStop," a commercial format that will bring more racing action to viewers.

ESPN's commercial breaks will feature a split-screen format - showing the advertisement on the left side of the screen and racing on the right.

ESPN's scoring ticker also will continue to move across the top of the screen, allowing fans to follow the running order during the breaks.

"I've watched the format on the open-wheel races for years, I think we all have. I'm not sure if it will move the meter to bring more fans in, but I think for the dedicated fans watching you don't want to see the breaks, you want to the race continue," said five-time reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.

"I think it's a great perk and should be really helpful for our fan base during the Chase races."

NASCAR NonStop will take effect at or near the halfway point of the race, with the first half of the race presented in the traditional commercial-break format.

"Since we returned to NASCAR racing in 2007, one of the most common questions from our fans has been 'Why don't you do the commercials side-by-side?'" said John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president of content.

"We're very pleased to be able to do it now with NASCAR NonStop and showcase the advertiser while still showcasing the race."

During Sunday's Cup series telecast from Dover, Del., Fox used a split-screen format for the first time, for its final commercial break. The move was praised by fans.

Skipper said ESPN worked with NASCAR to create the new format and that the change had been planned for months.

"ESPN's NonStop format will ensure our fans maximize their viewing experience during the most intense and thrilling time of the season - the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup," said Paul Brooks, president of NASCAR Media Group.

The final 17 races of the Cup will be televised on ESPN networks, with 14 on ESPN and three Saturday night races - including the October Chase race at Charlotte Motor Speedway - on ABC.

Roush plans to test Bayne before his return to NASCAR

   Roush Fenway Racing plans to test driver Trevor Bayne this week in preparation for what it hopes is his return to the race track at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

   Bayne, 20, entered the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., two weeks ago to undergo tests for symptoms originally thought to have been related to an insect bite for which he was hospitalized briefly last month.

   He was released last week still receiving treatment for blurred vision - the result, doctors said, of an “inflammatory condition.” He has missed the last three Nationwide Series races.

   "I can't say definitely (Bayne will return at Charlotte) because I don't have the right pay grade and education for that but he is making progress and his symptoms are by and large gone," said team owner Jack Roush.

   "His blurred vision is by and large gone but we are going to take him to Gresham (Motorsports Park) in Georgia to give him some laps to see if he is comfortable and then report back to the doctors and NASCAR to see what they think."

   Roush officials said earlier this week they hoped Bayne would be able to compete in next Saturday's Sprint All Star Race at Charlotte as well as the Nationwide race in Iowa.

   Bayne qualified for the all-star race by winning the season-opening Daytona 500, driving the No. 21 Ford for the Wood Brothers.

Furniture Row Racing: NASCAR's version of the Denver Broncos

   Regan Smith received a lot of attention from the media and fans for his surprise win in last Saturday's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. His Furniture Row Racing team, which is headquartered in Denver, Colo., didn't go unnoticed, either.

   On Thursday, team owner Barney Visser received a congratulatory phone call from Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. The following message was posted on the governor's Twitter account on Thursday: "Gov. Hickenlooper today called Furniture Row team owner Barney Visser to congratulate the team on the big win last week. Well done! #nascar"

   Smith was asked Friday at Dover about the recognition he and his team has received in Colorado.

   "We’ve worked very hard within Colorado to say hey, we’re Denver’s and Colorado’s race team and to have the governor call is neat. That means a lot to us. Denver has really kind of taken us under their arm and it’s been really neat to see what the media out there has done," he said. "They certainly give us attention like they would give the Broncos or the Avalanche and I wouldn’t have guessed that’s how that would go for when I first went to work for Furniture Row Racing.

   "It's been neat to see. We talked with them all throughout the off-season and the start of this year and I was out there three weeks ago. And they said well, we’ve been qualifying good, when’s the first win going to come? And we kept saying we’ve got fast race cars, we just need to focus on finishing them off and getting top 10’s. So to get to take the trophy back and show it off there is meaningful and to have the governor call is really cool.”