Lineup for 2012 Budweiser Shootout

    NASCAR announced Wednesday the list of eligible competitors for the 2012 Shootout. The 34th annual season-opening event launches Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 18 with a start time set for 8:10 p.m. FOX.

   Criteria are based upon the following qualifications, with eligibility based on a driver having been active in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series during the 2011 season:

· The highest ranked 25 competitors in 2011 NSCS driver points

· Previous winners at Daytona, including the Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola, and Shootout events

   Starting positions will again be determined by a blind-draw at the annual Shootout Draw Party on Friday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. on the SPEED stage in the Midway, outside Turn 4.

Drivers eligible for the 2012 Shootout include:

2011 Top 25 Driver Points

Tony Stewart

Carl Edwards

Kevin Harvick

Matt Kenseth

Brad Keselowski

Jimmie Johnson

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Jeff Gordon

Denny Hamlin

Ryan Newman

Kurt Busch

Kyle Busch

Clint Bowyer

Kasey Kahne

AJ Allmendinger

Greg Biffle

Paul Menard

Martin Truex Jr.

Marcos Ambrose

Jeff Burton

Juan Pablo Montoya

Mark Martin

David Ragan

Joey Logano

Brian Vickers

Others (criteria in parentheses)

Bill Elliott (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400, Shootout)

Geoff Bodine (Daytona 500, Shootout)

Derrike Cope (Daytona 500)

Michael Waltrip (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400)

Jamie McMurray (Daytona 500, Coke Zero 400)

Trevor Bayne (Daytona 500)

Terry Labonte (Shootout)

Ken Schrader (Shootout)

NASCAR champ crew chief joins Hamlin's team

   This year's championship-winning crew chief in the Sprint Cup Series will try to win one next season with the 2010 season runner-up.

 

   Joe Gibbs Racing will name Darian Grubb - who won this season's championship with driver Tony Stewart - as the new crew chief for Denny Hamlin on Friday afternoon, sources confirmed to The Observer and ThatsRacin.com.

 

   Grubb, who was told early during the Chase for the Cup that he would not return as Stewart's crew chief next season, had been mulling several offers before deciding to join Joe Gibbs Racing. JGR released Hamlin's crew chief, Mike Ford, earlier this week.

 

   In three seasons together at Stewart-Haas Racing, Grubb and Stewart won 11 races, including five in this season's Chase.

 

   Hamlin finished second in the 2010 Chase, falling 39 points short of Jimmie Johnson, who won his NASCAR-record fifth consecutive title.

Gaughan lands rides at RCR

   Veteran NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan will compete in 10 races on the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule, driving Richard Childress Racing's No. 33 Chevrolet, and in eight races on the 2012 Camping World Truck Series schedule, driving RCR's No. 2 Chevrolet, the organization announced on Thursday.

   Gaughan, 36, is the 2002 Truck Series rookie of the year and competed fulltime in the Nationwide Series in 2009 and 2010, earning one pole and 17 top-10 finishes in 71 career starts. He finished ninth in the 2009 series standings and 11th in 2010.

   "The last few years, I have been racing for teams that try to buy their engineering or equipment from organizations as great as RCR, but doing that is never the same as racing for RCR," said Gaughan. "I have always steered away from switching to a part-time schedule in the past but I had to look at where I would have the best opportunity to win races again and the opportunity to race for Richard Childress is one I couldn't pass up."

   Gaughan's Nationwide and Truck Series races will be sponsored by South Point Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, with the exception of two Nationwide events which will be sponsored by Menards.

   The Las Vegas native's 18-race schedule will kick-off with the Truck Series event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and includes visits in both series to his home track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gaughan's Nationwide Series events include races at Iowa Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Dover (Del.) International Speedway and Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway among others.

   His Truck Series line-up includes events at Texas Motor Speedway, where he is a four-time winner, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and others, as well as the 2012 season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway.

   "Brendan is a proven race winner and champion so we're excited to have him driving for RCR," said team owner Richard Childress. "He will be a great addition to RCR's overall driver lineup as we re-launch our NASCAR Nationwide Series program and continue the strength of our Camping World Truck Series program in 2012."

   RCR said the complete crew chief and remaining driver lineup for the No. 33 Nationwide team and the No. 2 Truck team will be announced at a later date.

Fred Lorenzen honored by home state

   Elmhurst, Ill., native and 1965 Daytona 500 winner, Fred Lorenzen was honored by the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday at Chicagoland Speedway for his accomplishments as a NASCAR driver between 1958-1972.

   “Fred Lorenzen was an icon of NASCAR and the racing world,” Illinois State Representative, Dennis Reboletti said. “He is an Illinois sports legend and we recognize him for his lifetime of accomplishments."

   “Fred Lorenzen is a true NASCAR and Illinois sports legend, and we’re thrilled to be a part of today’s presentation honoring his accomplishments,” said Scott Paddock, Chicagoland Speedway president. “Fred was one of the first pioneers of NASCAR and his contributions have helped to make it the great sport that is today.”

   

   Also in attendance at the press conference, were two of Lorenzen’s old friends from his days at Holman-Moody Racing – Charlie ‘Slick’ Owens and Waddell Wilson.

   Owens had this to say about Lorenzen’s impact in the world of racing and NASCAR, “Freddie knew every piece of the race car. He worked on it, cleaned it and he never bragged about anything. He just went out and did what he had to do, and that was race.”

   Wilson added, “Freddie taught me great ethics about racing. He was one of the highlights of my life. I look back at all the great things we’ve done, and even before I worked for him, I idolized him. He was my hero; he still is.”

   Earning the nicknames “Fearless Freddie” and “Golden Boy,” Lorenzen recorded 26 wins in his NASCAR career and is still the only NASCAR driver to win 20 races in their first 100 starts. He also became the first driver to earn more than $100,000 in winnings in a single season, claiming $113,570 driving for the legendary Holman-Moody team in 1963.

Kurt Busch responds to release from Penske Racing

    Kurt Busch issued the following statement today regarding the news that the 24-time NASCAR Sprint Cup winner and 2004 Cup champion had reached a mutual agreement with Penske Racing to leave the team:

   “I am grateful to Penske Racing for six very productive years. Together we won a lot of races – 16 in all. I’m proud that we won on a variety of tracks and this past season reached Victory Lane four times. Another highlight was pushing my teammate to a Daytona 500 win. I also appreciate the lasting friendships I’ve made while working with our great sponsors through the years, including Miller Lite, Shell and Dodge.

   “Coming to a mutual agreement to go our separate ways is a positive step for me. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I took time to reflect on what is most important to me and realized I need to find a way to put the fun back into racing. It’s time for a fresh start. Leaving a great organization and a lucrative contract is not easy, but it allows me to take a deep breath and work on things that can make me a better driver and a better person.

   “I recognize the passion and emotion that have helped me succeed on the track need to be better channeled off the track. The past few months I began working with a sports psychologist to help me better deal with my emotions, especially following moments of frustration during competition.

   “I never want to take for granted that it’s a privilege to earn a living as a NASCAR driver. As I begin this new chapter in my career, I’m excited about the future and committed to making the changes necessary for me to enjoy racing again, to compete for championships and to better represent NASCAR, my sponsors, my team and my fans.

   “I want to personally thank Roger Penske for the opportunity he gave me and for his friendship, which will continue long into the future.”

Sprint extends Cup Series sponsorship

   Sprint CEO Dan Hesse announced Friday night his company has agreed to a contract extension to continue to sponsor NASCAR's Cup series through "at least" the 2016 season.

   Hesser made the announcement official during his speech at the Sprint Cup Series awards banquet Friday night at the Wynn Las Vegas.

   The current 10-year deal with NASCAR expires at the end of the 2013 season but talks on an extension have been ongoing throughout the year.

   The Kansas City-based wireless phone company, then known as Nextel, signed a 10-year, $750 million agreement in 2004 to rename NASCAR’s top series. Those rights include naming the season series and championship, as well as the annual all-star race.
 
   As part of the sponsorship, Sprint has spent millions more creating a fan experience display that goes to all of the races. In addition, a number of NASCAR-themed features are standard for Sprint’s wireless subscribers.

   The deal began in 2004 with Nextel, which was eventually acquired by Sprint. The series was re-branded the Sprint Cup Series in 2008.

President Obama calls to congratulate Tony Stewart

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

___________________________________________________

November 30, 2011

Readout of the President’s Call with 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart

   Earlier today, the President called Tony Stewart to congratulate him and the entire Stewart-Haas Racing team on winning the 2011 Sprint Cup Series Championship and on the incredible season they had. The President said he was impressed that Mr. Stewart was able to come from the back of the pack to edge out Carl Edwards for the win.

   The President said that the First Lady and Dr. Biden enjoyed being at Homestead for the Ford 400 and how grateful they were to have NASCAR honor military families. The President commended Mr. Stewart and the other drivers for being such positive role models and great ambassadors for NASCAR, and said that he looks forward to congratulating Mr. Stewart in person at the White House next year.