Fan2Fan NASCAR Talk begins with our guest Derek Thorn, K&N Pro Series West driver and 2012 SRL SPEARS Southwest Tour champion.
Also, joining us is the President of Richmond International Raceway,Dennis Bickmeier, to talk about their upcoming NASCAR weekend. Read more about Dennis Bickmeier in his interview posted at Fan4Racing
On our round table panel this week is media guest,Kristen Schneider, from UpTopthePitBox.com
Sal’s guest is an NHRA public relations representative, Lee Montgomery.
Introductions – Inspiring stories
Q&As with Derek Thorn – Dennis Bickmeier – Lee Montgomery call 347-996-5176
Editors Note: This is the fourth of a four-part series on the 2013 induction class of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, which will be celebrated during a ceremony on Thursday, May 2, in Talladega, AL. The inductees include Rick Hendrick, Dale Inman, Rusty Wallace and Don Schumacher. For ticket information on how fans can attend the event, call 256-761-4725. The 2013 IMHOF Induction ceremony kicks off Aaron’s Dream Weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
Dale Inman, 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, speaks to the media during the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Day at NASCAR Hall of Fame on June 14, 2011 Photo – Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Dale Inman was a soft-spoken, hard working, natural-born creative leader who basically wrote the book on how to be a crew chief in NASCAR. Prior to his arrival in the sport in 1958, there wasn’t a blue print on how to get the most out of a race car, now how to organize – or get the most out of – a team.
“It was definitely a learning curve because it was all new to us,” said Inman, who will join his cousin Richard Petty and Uncle Lee Petty as a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on Thursday, May 2, at the Speed Dome just outside of Talladega Superspeedway. “There wasn’t any glamour to it, that is for sure, so you just did what you had to do. If you had to work all night and drive the truck with the race car to a track the next day, you did it. I can tell you it wasn’t always easy, but we learned something new each day.” Continue reading →
New Group-Based Format To Bolster Excitement For Sonoma, Watkins Glen
NASCAR announced today that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will implement the group-based road course qualifying procedure used in NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Touring Series competition during its road-course events at Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International. Under the new procedure, cars will qualify in groups instead of the traditional single-car qualifying runs held on oval race tracks. Continue reading →
Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, celebrates with a burnout after winning the series championship for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Homestead – November 18, 2012 Photo – Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
Dodge is organizing for a return back to NASCAR, perhaps sooner than expected
Promising news is emerging that may have NASCAR and Dodge fans excited. Funding for the Dodge program in NASCAR has been approved says, Ralph Gilles.
Ray Alexander first reported that Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of the SRT Brand and Senior Vice President of Design at Chrysler Group LLC, said that NASCAR funding is approved by Chrysler but lack of personnel played a large role in Dodge’s exit from the sport. Personnel needed for Dodge’s NASCAR program includes engine builders, as well as a winning and championship contending team. But Gilles added, Chrysler is already talking to potential teams to bring back Dodge in the sport..
Possible teams that could be part of a Dodge return to NASCAR are uncertain. Chrysler tried to find potential teams to stay in the sport last season after Penske Racing announced that they would be switching to Ford. Chrysler was unable to find a suitable team that met their criteria and decided to back out of NASCAR at the end of the 2012 season.
A possible suitor is, Richard Petty Motorsports, as they have been running slightly better in 2013, including three straight top-ten performances between the No. 9 and No. 43 the past three weeks. Only Dodge knows exactly the criteria they are looking for in a potential team.
Ralph Gilles did not mention when Chrysler plans to have a Dodge back in the Sprint Cup field. Gilles also did not mention any additions to personnel for the NASCAR program at this time. But the recent news is a move in the right direction for Dodge’s return and any sign is better than no sign.
More potential news of a return for Dodge may come as the summer months draw closer and teams finalize deals for 2014. It is also possible for Dodge to plan a return that will come after 2014, only time will tell the rest of this story.
Hey Race Fans are you ready for our next one-hour episode of Fan4Racing’s Fan2Fan NASCAR Talk on Monday, April 22nd?
