East Carolina Motor Speedway joins NASCAR

  

   East Carolina Motor Speedway and NASCAR announced Saturday night that the Robersonville, N.C., track will join the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for 2014.

   The .375-mile high-banked paved tri-oval will feature NASCAR Late Model Stock cars as its premier division, and will be the only Friday night NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track in North Carolina.

    The track is located in eastern North Carolina, about 90 miles east of Raleigh, N.C., or 20 miles north of Greenville, N.C. It is owned by Wayne Perry and operated by his son, track president Chris Perry.

 

   “East Carolina Motor Speedway is a perfect fit for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series,” said Bob Duvall, NASCAR senior director, business development. “Wayne and Chris Perry are committed to providing a home for great Friday night racing and family entertainment.”

 

   Established in 1982, the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series is NASCAR’s national championship program for weekly short track auto racing. More than 50 paved and dirt tracks throughout the United States and Canada participate.

Donovan McNabb goes 'all in' on drivers-aren't-athletes comments

   Former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb went one-on-one with Mike Hill on Fox Sports during a segment of "Keep it Real with Mike Hill" and repeated and defended his assertion that NASCAR drivers aren't athletes, although he tried to claim his comments weren't directed specifically to Jimmie Johnson.

   The discussion of the Johnson comments begins at the 3:10 mark of the video.

NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer is in the hunt ... for mountain lions

   NASCAR driver, Clint Bowyer, joins Tom McMillan on an exciting Arizona hunt for mountain lion – North America’s biggest cat. After a long hunting season, Tom pursues a life-long dream of hunting lions with his buddy Clint Bowyer. How will these Kansas guys fair? Tune in and find out the details on this week’s "Meet the McMillans," airing on Sportsman Channel on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.

    McMillan and Bowyer share a passion for adventure as they navigate through the rugged Arizona terrain, but their confidence is shaken as they close in on some deadly prey. “Mountain lions can be pretty unpredictable,” admitted McMillan, host of Meet the McMillans. “There’s always a possibility of something going wrong if we don’t get the right shot.”

Guess who in NASCAR bumped up ESPN SportsCenter's ratings?

 

   The first athlete ever to guest host ESPN’s flagship news and information program "SportsCenter" also brought some added viewers to the show.

   Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson was guest host on the 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and the special edition of the program earned a 0.7 U.S. household rating - 17 percent higher than the 0.6 average rating for the Tuesday program so far this fall.

 

   Viewership was up 22 percent with an average of 931,021 tuned in during the one-hour program. The average so far this fall for the 6 p.m. program on Tuesdays has been 760,448.

 

   Johnson joined regular anchors John Anderson and Lindsay Czarniak and performed all of the duties of a SportsCenter host, including presenting news and highlights and conducting interviews. During the show, Johnson interviewed Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops and Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and asked questions of ESPN NFL analyst Tedy Bruschi. He also narrated a NASCAR-themed “Not Top 10” list.

 

   Johnson was only the third celebrity to guest host in the program’s 34-year history, joining actors Billy Crystal and Ken Jeong. 

 

 

Sports car testing halted at Daytona because of airborne wrecks

   Statement from International Motor Sports Association:

   DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 20, 2013) – Officials from the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and Continental Tire have jointly decided to suspend on-track testing of TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Prototype (P)  and Prototype Challenge (PC) race cars after issues were discovered during testing at Daytona International Speedway on Tuesday.

   MSA and Continental Tire are analyzing the situation and working toward a solution. On-track testing will continue at Daytona on Wednesday for the GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes. On-track testing of the DeltaWing DWC13 prototype – which utilizes a unique tire and technical package – will also continue as scheduled.

   Coverage of the incidents can be found here.

U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger congratulates Jimmie Johnson

   WASHINGTON – On Sunday, Ninth District resident Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship, his sixth championship in just eight years.

   “Jimmie Johnson is a remarkable race car driver, but I’m even more impressed with his work off the track,” commented Congressman Robert Pittenger (NC-09). “Since 2006, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation has contributed more than $5 million to charity, with a special focus on improving K-12 education in North Carolina, Oklahoma, and California.

   “Jimmie Johnson is a champion both on and off the track, and while his racing exploits will one day be memorialized in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, his quiet, off-the-track efforts to improve education will be his most significant, lasting legacy.”

   Congressman Pittenger will soon give a speech on the House floor to honor Jimmie Johnson’s community involvement, and also plans to extend an invitation to Jimmie Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe’s team to attend a special Congressional reception in honor of their championship season.

It's official: Jamie McMurray has a new crew chief

   Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (EGR) announced Monday that Keith Rodden has been named crew chief for Jamie McMurray and the No. 1 Chevrolet SS. Rodden will assume the role effective immediately to prepare for the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. 

   The Observer first reported the crew chief change on Nov. 5.

   "We are very happy to get a crew chief that is the caliber of Keith,” said EGR owner Chip Ganassi. “He brings a lot of great experience with him to our organization. We are building the foundation for what we believe will be long-term success in our NASCAR operation and Keith fits into those plans perfectly. I look forward to having him in the organization and leading the No. 1 team.”

   Rodden joins EGR from Hendrick Motorsports where he was most recently in the role of lead engineer for the No. 5 Chevy and driver Kasey Kahne. In his two seasons as the lead engineer on the No. 5, the team won four races and made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in both seasons.

   “I am excited and appreciative for this opportunity and can’t wait to be just a small piece of an excellent team that Earnhardt Ganassi Racing is building,” said Rodden. “Chip has quality people and is also building great race cars. This team has shown that they can win races and compete at the highest level of this sport and I look forward to working with Jamie and everyone on the team as we work to prepare for the 2014 season.”