On May 1, 2013, the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel heard and considered the appeal of the No. 2 and No. 22 Penske RacingNASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams.
The penalties concern Sections 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing; 12-4J: Any determination by NASCAR Officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to the NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event; and 20-12: All suspension systems and components must be approved by NASCAR. Prior to being used in competition, all suspension systems and components must be submitted in a completed form/assembly to the office of the NASCAR competition administrator for consideration of approval and approved by NASCAR. Each such part may thereafter be used until NASCAR determines that such part is no longer eligible. All suspension fasteners and mounting hardware must be made of solid magnetic steel. All front end and rear end suspension mounts with mounting hardware assembled must have single round mounting holes that are the correct size for the fastener being used. All front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond component normal rotation or suspension travel. Continue reading →
Brad Keselowski, driver of the #22 SKF / Discount Tire Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2013 Photo – Patrick Smith/Getty Images
All night long it was Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch battling up-front. The drivers exchanged the lead multiple times over the course of the race. When it was all said and done, Keselowski emerged victorious. All three drivers held the lead at some point with less than 35 laps to go, but the last pass for the lead Keselowski made with ten laps to go led him to victory. It wasnât a dominant performance by Keselowski, but it was good enough to get him to victory lane. Continue reading →
Kyle Busch leads the last restart of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Capital City 400 Presented by Virginia Is For Lovers at Richmond International Raceway April 28, 2012 Photo – Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
‘Rough,’ ‘tight,’ and ‘close’ are three words that could describe  Richmond International Raceway. Fans love this track because of the ‘close’ corridor racing it features. Along with ‘tight’ racing comes carnage and races at Richmond tend to see their fair share of ‘tough’ beating and banging competition.
A driver who just about owns the keys to victory lane at Richmond is Kyle Busch. Busch won the last four Spring races at the track and will be going for five on Saturday night. Busch will do just about anything to win and that is one reason to believe this weekendâs race is a must-watch event.
The Toyota Owners 400 will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2013 and the green-flag will wave at 7:44 PM EST. The winner decision comes after a grueling 400 laps and 300 miles. Saturday nightâs weather is forecast as mainly clear with some clouds, a low of 49 F and only a 20% chance of rain. A TV broadcast of the race is on FOX and a radio version of the race is on MRN.
Kyle Busch has absolutely dominated this track in the past and will likely be out front again on Saturday. Even when Busch has a not-so-good season, he still manages to win the Spring Richmond race. With Buschâs teammate, Denny Hamlin, still sidelined due to injury, Busch is the overwhelming favorite for this race. Last year, Busch broke out of his slump and took the victory. This season, he is still on a hot start and could easily dominate this race and end up in victory lane for a fifth straight time on Saturday.
Over the past few weeks, NASCAR has issued several penalties and fines and heading into this weekend, a few teams are waiting out an appeal on their penalties. Last weekâs race winner, Matt Kenseth, was the victim of NASCARâs harshest penalty. He received a dock of 50 driver points and a suspension of his crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, after his engine failed post-race inspection last weekend. Joe Gibbs Racing is appealing the fines and suspensions so Ratcliff will still be at the track until the appeal is heard. Joe Gibbs Racing now joins Penske Racing in the waiting area for their appeal process to take place.
While Kenseth is basically stripped of his win last weekend, Jimmie Johnson continues to stay on top of the point standings. Johnsonâs teammate, Kasey Kahne, is now in second place and Brad Keselowski trails both in third. Richmond hasnât always been nice to Johnson and he could end up losing the points lead after Saturday nightâs race. Anything can happen on a short-track and that could mean a major points shake-up after the race.
The racing at Richmond never disappoints and this weekendâs race gives fans reason to expect another good one. Obviously, many are expecting Kyle Busch at his best this weekend, but other Toyota drivers including Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth could easily be competing with Busch for the win. Toyota drivers always seem to do the best at Richmond and it will only be fitting for a Toyota driver to win in a race they sponsor. Action will be the word used most on Saturday night and our anticipation keeps growing for that action. This weekendâs race will be a good one and could feature some fantastic racing which weâve been accustomed to seeing so far this season. 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.
