Fans hit by broken glass Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Photo courtesy of Kevin Fox

   Officials at Charlotte Motor Speedway confirmed on Monday that six fans were seen by medical personnel during Saturday night's Bank of America 500 NASCAR race when a pane of glass in an unoccupied suite in Turn 1 broke late in the race.

   "A pane of glass broke inward ... and a few pieces of the broken glass fell forward," said speedway spokesman Scott Cooper. "Six fans were evaluated or treated and released on property and returned to the race."

   Kevin Fox, of Fort Mill, S.C., was sitting in the Grand National Tower South, Section EE, when he heard a lot noise from above sometime after the 200-lap mark of the 334-lap event.

   "I thought someone had fell or dropped a cooler or something and then I started feeling things fall on me and it turned out to be glass," he said.

   Fox said the area was "covered" in broken glass and he and his mom and several other fans suffered minor cuts. He also was struck on the head by what he assumes was a larger piece of glass, but isn't certain.

   "It was very strange. In the heat of the moment it was hard to figure out what was going on," he said.

   Fox said he left his name and number with the track's guest services staff but had not been contacted by the speedway as of Monday afternoon.

   In May, 10 fans were injured during the Coca-Cola 600 when a nylon rope supporting a Fox Sports overhead television camera fell into the grandstands on onto the track surface, delaying the race.

   In the aftermath, NASCAR banned broadcast networks from using the cable-held aerial cameras. That ban remains in place.

  

Kevin Harvick to run Nationwide races in 2014 with JR Motorsports

 

   Press release:

   Kevin Harvick, a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and winner of 76 races in NASCAR's top three touring divisions, has signed with JR Motorsports and will compete in a minimum of 12 Nationwide Series races in 2014.  

   Hunt Brothers Pizza, the nation’s largest brand of made-to-order pizza in the convenience store industry, will be the primary sponsor on Harvick’s Chevrolet for four races.

   While Harvick’s Nationwide Series schedule for 2014 is still being finalized, the races in which Hunt Brothers Pizza will serve as primary sponsor have been set. The Hunt Brothers Pizza scheme will be featured at Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and both races at Texas Motor Speedway.

   Harvick will drive JR Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet – a full-season car traditionally shared by multiple drivers on select-race schedules. The driver line-up for that car beyond Harvick is still being determined.

   “This is pretty cool to have Kevin a part of our team,” said owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.  “I’ve known him for a long time.  He’s an incredible racer. He will be a huge asset to JR Motorsports, our sponsors and our fans.  I’m grateful that he wants to drive our cars, and I’m grateful that Hunt Brothers Pizza is committed to Kevin and our race program.  We’re happy to have them.”

Jared Irvan hoping to follow in dad's NASCAR footsteps

   Jared Irvan, the 15-year-old son of former NASCAR standout Ernie Irvan, will make his fulltime debut in racing next season driving in the Pro All-Star Series South, a late-model series.

   Jared is currently a sophomore at cfa Academy in Concord and has driven go-karts, Midgets and Legends cars. 

   "It’s an honor to be able to follow in my dad’s footsteps," Jared said. "He is not only my dad, but also my coach, and he brings so much knowledges from his years in racing against the best in the sport."  

   Irvan, named in 1998 as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers, retired in 1999 after several accidents that him with prolonged effects from head injury. He won the 1991 Daytona 500 and 14 other races in what is now the Sprint Cup Series. His last victory came at Michigan in 1997.  

   "I'm thrilled to be able to be back at the track and supporting my son Jared," Ernie said, "We all know that competing in racing is not easy, not matter who you are."
    

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/10/11/4381858/raceday-your-guide-to-saturdays.html#storylink=cpy
 

NASCAR, team don't condone actions by Travis Kvapil; he returns to car

   A day after being released from the Iredell County Jail, NASCAR driver Travis Kvapil was back in his race car.

   Kvapil, 37, was arrested on Tuesday night on and charged with one count each of assault on a female and false imprisonment stemming from an altercation with his wife at their Mooresville home.

   While he was allowed to participate in practice and qualifying on Thursday at Charlotte Motor Speedway with his BK Racing team, NASCAR issued a statement saying it did not condone Kvapil’s actions.

   “We are disappointed to learn of this incident. We have been in close communication with the race team and are in the process of gathering as much information as possible,” the statement read.

   “NASCAR takes this matter very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation as it moves forward.”

   Kvapil’s next scheduled court date is Nov. 19.

   “BK Racing understands the severity of the situation and we don’t condone the actions that Travis has been accused of,” team co-owner Ron Devine said in a statement. “We feel it’s important to let the system take its course.

   “For that reason, we have elected to support Travis and his family and keep Travis in the car for this weekend’s race.”

Will this be NASCAR's 'most popular' 500th career start?

 

Could this be the most popular 500th career start in NASCAR history?

 

Well, it does involve Dale Earnhardt Jr.

 

Only 33 drivers have started 500 races in their NASCAR Sprint Cup Series careers, but this Saturday in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Earnhardt will add his name to that list.

 

Earnhardt made his debut in the series in May 1999 at Charlotte.The Kannapolis native started eighth and finished 16th. 

 

Now, 499 starts later, Earnhardt has 19 wins, 111 top fives, 199 top 10s and 13 poles. If Earnhardt, who celebrated his 39th birthday on Thursday, wins this weekend, he would become the third driver to win in their 500th start (Richard Petty in 1970; Matt Kenseth three weeks ago at New Hampshire).
 

   After a shaky start to the Chase where he finished 35th at Chicagoland, Earnhardt’s come on strong lately with finishes of sixth, second and eighth in the last three races. 

Crew member indefinitely suspended by NASCAR; loses job

   John Smeltzer, an employee of Hendrick Motorsports who worked most recently as the engine tuner for JR Motorsports' No. 7 team, was indefinitely suspended on Tuesday from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body’s Substance Abuse Policy.

    The violation occurred on Oct. 4.

    Hendrick Motorsports released the following statement:

    "Our organization respects and fully supports NASCAR’s policies with regard to banned substances. The individual in question is no longer employed by the company."

Tony Stewart undergoes third surgery on injured leg

 

 

    Team press release:
 

   KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (Oct. 7, 2013) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart underwent a third surgery on his right leg early on Monday, Oct. 7 to examine and close a wound on his shin stemming from the broken tibia and fibula he sustained in a sprint car crash Aug. 5 at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

 

   Stewart will remain hospitalized for observation.

 

   The surgery served as a proactive measure and team officials do not expect it to impact Stewart’s return to the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet in 2014. 

 

   Stewart’s first surgery on Aug. 6 in Iowa served as a preliminary procedure to stabilize and clean the Grade 2 injury. The second surgery on Aug. 8, by a specialist in North Carolina, involved inserting a metal rod inside the tibia, pressing it to its anatomic position.