December 20, 2012
NASCAR Fans mark your calendars to set your DVRs for Daytona Testing Jan 10 – 12 with SPEED and SPEED.com coverage all three days.
SPEED schedule for Daytona testing – all times Eastern and live:
Each day begins at 9am to 12pm on SPEED.com. Coverage continues at 1pm to 5pm on SPEED, with an encore of the 3-5pm sesson at 6pm to 8pm on SPEED. SPEED
Also, SPEED is announcing their coverage of Speedweeks 2013, and the beginning of the new racing season!
Start Times Finalized for Speedweeks 2013 Events
For the fourth straight year the 55th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb 24, NASCAR’s biggest, richest and most prestigious race is scheduled for a 1pm ET start.
The race will be broadcast live on FOX.
Start times for the other remaining events of Budweiser Speedweeks 2013 at Daytona International Speedway are as follows:
- The 51st anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series race, Jan 26-27, 3:30pm – SPEED
- The Lucas Oil 200 ARCA Racing Series, Saturday, Feb 16, 4:30pm – SPEED
- The Daytona Shootout non-points event, Saturday, Feb 16, 8pm – FOX
- Daytona 500 Qualifying Presented by Kroger, Sunday, Feb 17, 1pm – FOX
- Budweiser Duel at Daytona, Thursday, Feb 21, 2pm – SPEED
- NextEra Energy Resources 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, Friday, Feb 22, 7:30pm – SPEED
- DRIVE4COPD 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Saturday, Feb 23, 1pm
Penske Racing’s Brad Keselowski will begin his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title defense in the season-opening 55th annual Daytona 500, which will mark the debut of the new 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car. Dubbed “Gen 6,” the new-look sixth generation cars highlight greater brand identity for the manufacturers.
Matt Kenseth, who won the 2012 Daytona 500 with Roush Fenway Racing, will attempt to be the first driver since Sterling Marlin – 1994/1995 – to win “The Great American Race” for a second straight year with his new team Joe Gibbs Racing. SPEED
More NASCAR Nuggets from the Net…
Showtime drops ‘Inside NASCAR’ after three seasons
The behind-the-scenes look at the nation’s largest motorsports series – Inside NASCAR – won’t return for a fourth season on the Showtime premium cable channel.
“Showtime said it wasn’t in their programming plans,” says Tally Hair, NASCAR managing director/productions. “Showtime was an outstanding partner. We’ll be actively shopping the show. We’re really proud of it and looking forward to taking it to a new audience.” USA Today
Finch closing on Cup lineup for 2013
Finch said, Thursday that Regan Smith will run the Daytona 500 in the No. 51 Chevrolet. But with Smith concentrating on his new gig with JR motorsports, there will be an opportunity for AJ Allmendinger as well.
“Regan will go to Daytona for us, but I want to help AJ run some races too,” Finch said. “We’re still working on the final schedule, but AJ will probably run Phoenix (International Raceway on March 3) for us.” FOXSports
Michigan Tech Alum Hits The NASCAR Circuit
Greg Ives, a 2003 mechanical engineering graduate from Michigan Technological University, was recently named crew chief for NASCAR driver Regan Smith. In NASCAR, the driver, owner and crew chief are the most important members of any race team.
It’s a quantum leap from lead race engineer, his previous job with Jimmie Johnson’s team, Ives says. Before that, he was setup engineer for race driver Jeff Gordon, all with Hendrick Motorsports, a premier NASCAR racing team. Detroit CBSLocal
317-acre recreational retreat proposed at DEI
Teresa Earnhardt is hoping to transform 317 acres of wooded land at Dale Earnhardt Inc into a private recreational retreat offering horse-riding trails, archery, rodeos, paintball and fishing ponds to companies, weddings and educational groups.
A public hearing for a special use zoning permit will be held by the Iredell County Board of Adjustment on Dec 20 at 7pm at the Iredell County Government Center in Statesville.
According to documents filed with the county, Earnhardt wants to turn 317 acres behind her sprawling Dale Earnhardt Inc race shops on NC 3 into a facility that caters to “environmental and farm educational outings, wildlife observation and tend camping.” Mooresville Tribune