Kyle Petty on Allmendinger situation

   NASCAR veteran and Speed TV analyst Kyle Petty was asked about the newest revelations surrounding A.J. Allmendinger's indefinite suspension from NASCAR for failing a random drug test.

   Allmendinger on Tuesday told several media outlets he took a pill from a friend of a friend that turned out to be Adderall, for which he did not have a prescription.

   Q: Allmendinger has said Adderall was the substance found in his drug test. Are you surprised a driver would risk a top ride by taking a substance from a friend without knowing what it is or what ingredients it contained?

   Petty: “If you had asked me this question two months ago, I’d have said ‘Yes, I can understand how anyone could make that mistake.’ How many times have any of us been to dinner with someone and said, ‘I’ve got a headache,’ and they say, ‘I’ve got something for that,’ and they reach into their purse and hand you a pill and you assume it’s a Tylenol or Advil and take it without asking questions. So, two months ago, the answer to that question would have been ‘yes.’ Now after talking to Mike Helton and Robin Pemberton and all the NASCAR executives and understanding their policy and the extent to which Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and those top guys go before they take any supplement period, almost before they even eat dinner, just to check in and make sure what they ingest is okay, then I probably don’t understand how A.J. would take something without knowing what it is first. I’m baffled anyone would put themselves in that position nowadays.”

    Q: If the substance for which he tested positive indeed was Adderall, how, if at all, does that affect his chances of making a comeback in NASCAR in a middle-to-top-tier ride?

   Petty: “That’s going to be the career question for AJ. It’s more than the million-dollar question – it’s the career question. Owner-wise and sponsor-wise, who will say it was an honest mistake and he deserves another shot, or who will say he should have known better and they can’t risk their company on that type of recklessness? That is the big question and I do think AJ’s explanation of what happened will have an effect. He has put himself in a position to be suspended. Since NASCAR implemented the substance abuse policy, no driver has really, truly made it back. People have gone through the program, but a driver hasn’t really made it back. However, a driver of his caliber hasn’t been put in that situation yet, and I think he probably has as good a chance as anyone and probably a better chance than most to make it back. But I think it’s out of his hands. All he can do is go through the process and hope somebody out there gives him a shot at some point in time. But with each passing year, he gets older and the opportunities and amount of really good cars available lessen. The odds definitely are against him.
     “After everything that has happened over the last couple of months to AJ and the sport, I hope drivers in the future would look at this and learn from it and understand not only do they put themselves in a bad place, they also put their teams, sponsors and the sport in a bad situation – in a place this sport never thought it would be. We are not a stick-and-ball sport that usually has these issues. I hope they’d learn from this. On a more cautionary note, I hope that every PR rep in the country who has anything to do with a major athlete looks at how this situation was handled by AJ’s camp and does exactly the opposite the next time this happens.”

     Q: Do you think statements made by AJ’s camp throughout this process have made it more difficult for him to rebound and return to the driver’s seat in NASCAR down the road?
   Petty: “This is only the perspective of one guy who sits at a desk on SPEED on the weekends and runs his mouth, but from what I’ve been told and from what I know of this situation, the bridges may be mended in the garage area, but media-wise, it could be a while before those bridges are mended. A lot of things were told to the media to the degree the media almost felt used. You cannot put the media in that position. They may not be your friend as a driver, but they’re not your enemy, either. When you start treating them that way and with that disregard, then you end up in situations such as this one.”

Pocono Raceway starts memorial fund for lightning strike victims

    Pocono Raceway has established the Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund to benefit the victims of the lighting strike tragedy which occurred following the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 5.

   Donations will be accepted at any PNC Branch or by mailing checks/money orders, addressed to “Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund” to the following address:

   Pocono Raceway
   Attn: Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund
   1234 Long Pond Road
   Long Pond, PA 18334

Statement by Pocono Raceway president on lightning strikes

   Statement made Monday by Pocono Raceway president and CEO Brandon Igdalsky:

   As reported yesterday, a long time member of our Pocono Raceway family, a spectator has passed away following a lightning strike. According to Monroe County Coroner Robert Allen the name of the deceased is 41 year old Moosic, Pennsylvania resident Brian Zimmerman. Additionally, nine other individuals were transferred to local hospitals as a result of two separate lightning strikes.

    On behalf of the entire staff here at Pocono Raceway, we are deeply saddened by yesterday’s tragic events. As mentioned, our fans are like family to us and we express our deepest condolences to the individuals and families involved, especially Mr. Zimmerman’s.

    NASCAR regarding safety of fans, teams and other attendees throughout the course of our race weekends. Additionally, we are in constant communication with local and national agencies regarding weather conditions and emergency services.

    At approximately 5:01 p.m. Eastern Time, the first lightning strike occurred on property inside our Grandstand Parking area, located near Gate 5A. A Pocono Raceway Grandstand Fire unit was stationed in the vicinity and witnessed the actual strike. The response was immediate as the unit reported the incident to our control tower and advised spectators were injured. CPR was started immediately to Mr. Zimmerman by a friend on the scene.

   Within a matter of 3 minutes, medical personnel and additional emergency services reported on the scene and took control of treatment to individuals. EMT responders were approached by additional individuals who reported symptoms related to the lightning strike. Those affected were taken to the Raceway Medical Centers, where they were examined and transported to local area hospitals for treatment and further evaluation. A total of nine individuals were treated as a result of the initial lightning strike.

    At approximately 6:35 p.m. Eastern Time, the control tower was notified of a second possible lightning strike in the vicinity near Gate 3. The individual was immediately transported to Pocono Raceway’s Infield Medical Center where they were initially treated for minor injuries before being transported to Pocono Medical Center in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania for further evaluation.

    As stated last night at 7:40 p.m. Eastern Time, Mr. Zimmerman was confirmed as deceased. Additional information regarding the other nine individuals involved was not yet available.

   At this point in time, the one individual that was in critical condition has now been upgraded to stable. Some have been treated and released. Others involved are pending release as early as today and all are in good spirits.

    The safety of all guests to Pocono Raceway is of the utmost importance to our entire staff. This tragic event is at the forefront of all of our thoughts and prayers. We will learn from the incident and continue to implement strategies to help ensure the safety of fans and all attendees at future events at Pocono Raceway.

   We are in the process of establishing a Memorial Fund for victims of this incident. More information will be released a soon as possible.

Pocono NASCAR race start delayed

   The start of Sunday's Pennsylvania 400 has been delayed by heavy rain.

   The Sprint Cup Series race was scheduled to go green at 1:12 p.m. Eastern at Pocono Raceway but the area is currently receiving heavy rain and strong thunderstorms.

 

   It takes around two hours to dry the track once it stops raining. Even it stopped shortly the race would likely not begin until around 3 p.m.

   However, weather radar shows additional systems arriving later this afternoon. The track has no lights so the race would likely need to start by 5 p.m. to be held today.
  
    Juan Pablo Montoya will start the race from the pole.

Recap of Ryan Blaney's debut with Penske Racing

   Ryan Blaney, the 18-year-old son of NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney, made his debut with Penske Racing in Saturday night's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway. He finished 10th, his second series top-10. He finished seventh earlier this season at Richmond, Va., driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing.

   Blaney was asked about how his race went.

   "It was and up and down night for this Discount Tire Dodge tonight. We just really couldn’t get going. After pit stops it took us a while to get going and get with everyone else. Once we did get going our car was fast towards the end of the runs," he said. "Our last run was great. We were running down guys and were really fast. A few tough breaks there at the end kept us from bringing home a top-seven or better.”

   Was it tough to gauge how fast your car was running mid-pack?

   "Yeah, track position is important here and it’s tough to get going. You couldn’t really drive around the outside of guys and you had to be really patient. Track position was tough," he said. "We had decent track position one time, took two tires and we just didn’t run well initially after the pit stop. That was our issue most of the race. We’ll go get them at Richmond.”

   Assessment from crew chief Jeremy Bullins:

   "It was a solid night for the Discount Tire Dodge. It’s just about learning what Ryan needs and likes inside the race car. Coming out of here with a top-10 is a solid night. We had to overcome some things on pit road. It’s so important to get out front and get track position here and when you lose a few spots on pit road it’s tough to get them back," he said. "Ryan battled and got us some of those spots back. Our car was really, really good on long runs. At the end of the run we had a car as fast as a top-five car. We just didn’t have what we needed on the short run.”

Charlotte Motor Speedway welcomes "Parade of Power"

   The "Parade of Power" returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Wednesday. The speedway will kick off the fall season of speed with race cars, pace cars, a top fuel dragster and a giant Monster Truck rolling down Bruton Smith Boulevard from Concord Mills at noon on Wednesday.

   NASCAR’s Joey Logano and NHRA drivers Erica Enders and Doug Herbert will be on hand for a fan forum and autograph session for the first 100 fans to pick up a wristband Wednesday morning.

   In addition, there will be live music, $1 hot dogs and the Powerade Play Zone with a bounce house, face painter and video game fan van for kids. There will also be free Monster Truck rides.

   The ticket office will also be giving away driver diecasts or speedway camp chairs as a special gift with purchase of race tickets on Wednesday.  For more info, go to CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com or call 800-455-FANS.

Shell statement on release of driver A.J. Allmendinger

   The following statement is attributable to Shell Oil Company:

   Shell and Pennzoil fully support NASCAR’s substance abuse policy and Penske Racing’s decision to release A.J. Allmendinger as driver of the No. 22 Dodge Charger following his indefinite suspension by NASCAR.

   We wish A.J. the best as he participates in NASCAR's Road to Recovery program.

   Shell and Pennzoil will continue to work closely with Penske Racing to determine plans for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.