Monthly Archives: January 2017

Stock Car Racing’s ‘Nice Guy Champion,’ Emmy-Winning Broadcaster Benny Parsons Enters NASCAR Hall of Fame

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1973: Benny Parsons inside his L. G. DeWitt-owned Chevrolet at a NASCAR Cup race. Parsons finished in the top-ten in 21 of 28 races and won the Volunteer 500 at the Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway on his way to winning the NASCAR Cup championship.
Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images

A single word defined the late Benny Parsons: Beloved.

It mattered not whether you were fellow competitor, race fan or television viewer. Parsons was more than just a top premier series driver or broadcaster.

To race with him – or just to meet him – Parsons had the aura of being the best friend you wished you had.

Parsons became the NASCAR premier series champion in 1973. He won 21 times, a resume that included the 1975 Daytona 500.

“Benny didn’t win a lot of races – some thought he wasn’t ruthless enough – but few drivers won more friends and fans,” wrote Larry Woody in a 2014 Racin’ Today story.

“Ten minutes and you bonded with him,” said Rick Hendrick, whose Chevrolets Parsons drove in 1987.

Parsons, who died in 2007 at age 65, will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday (8 p.m. ET on NBCSN). His fellow inductees among the Class of 2017 include Hendrick, Richard Childress, Mark Martin and Raymond Parks. Continue reading →

Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk – Monday, January 16, 2017

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Guest include Lee Montgomery, public relations for John Force Racing

Supercross Announcer, Andy Bowyer – Yes, he is Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ driver, Clint Bowyer’s brother.

Join host Sharon Burton and co-host Sal Sigala every Monday night 8:30 to 10 pm ET as we bring fans the smartest racing talk around on Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk!

We’re talking all the latest news in racing including Monster Energy NASCAR Cup, XFINITY, Camping World Truck, K&N Pro, ARCA Racing Series and more.  So buckle up and stay tuned in to Fan4Racing Radio throughout the 2017 season.

Call 929-477-1790 OR tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.

Our 2017 season begins at 8:30 pm ET on Monday, January 16, 2017

Lee Montgomery, Michael Harker Join John Force Racing Public Relations Staff

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Lee Montgomery at 9 pm ET, Monday, January 16, 2017 Photo – JFR

Lee Montgomery is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, January 16, 2017 at 9 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.

John Force Racing has beefed up its media and public relations efforts with the hiring of Lee Montgomery and Michael Harker to its PR staff.

Montgomery and Harker, who will be based in the Brownsburg JFR shop, will lead the media outreach and public relations strategy for JFR and its four NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series teams: the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet for 16-time Funny Car champion John Force, the Auto Club of Southern California Funny Car for past champion Robert Hight, the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet for Courtney Force and the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster for Brittany Force. Continue reading →

Mark Martin’s Fitness Regimen Redefined the NASCAR Athlete and Prolonged a Winning Career

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Team owner Jack Roush (L) and Mark Martin, driver of the #6 Viagra Ford, celebrate winning the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Banquet 400 on October 9, 2005 at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

To the surprise of no one, Mark Martin continued to win races at the highest level well past an age when most competitors have hung up their helmets.

With five victories past the age of 50, Martin also came within one standings position of winning the 2009 premier series championship.

The phrase ‘age is just a number’ may be cliché – but it certainly applied to the diminutive Martin, whose fitness regimen of heavy weight lifting and healthy eating became legend and ultimately sent his fellow competitors flocking to gyms and nutritionists.

In short, Martin lived his life like a man half his age – and drove like it as well.

“I told the guys I don’t have any problem keeping up with a 25-year-old,” he told The Associated Press in April 2009 after becoming the third-oldest winner in NASCAR premier series history at Phoenix International Raceway. “I feel really good.”

Only one driver – Harry Gant – won more races after his 50th birthday. Martin polished off a 40-victory resume during a magical year driving for Hendrick Motorsports in 2009, adding to his 35 wins at Roush Fenway Raceway. That’s the most wins by a competitor without a series championship. Continue reading →

Daniel Suárez: Promoted Earlier than Expected – But Not Too Soon

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Photo – Getty Images

Don’t worry about Daniel Suárez.

And don’t buy into the assumption that, in promoting Suárez to fill the seat of departing Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing is making the same mistake it made in 2009 when the organization threw then-18-year-old Joey Logano into the deep end of the pool.

Laboring under the weight of replacing Tony Stewart in the No. 20 Toyota, Logano never blossomed at JGR. It took four years of seasoning and a move to Team Penske for Logano to realize his enormous potential in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car.

Suárez, on the other hand, is already 25, and possesses a ferocious work ethic matched only by his desire to learn – and learn quickly. Continue reading →