Team Penske Hires Robby Benton as NASCAR Team Manager

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Industry Veteran Will Serve as Addition to Expanding Team Penske Operation 

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (January 8, 2018) – Motorsports industry veteran Robby Benton will join Team Penske in 2018, serving as NASCAR Team Manager, the organization announced today.  Benton, who has spent time as a driver and owner in a number of different series from NASCAR to IMSA, will report to Competition Director Travis Geisler.  Continue reading

Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R Test Report

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Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona

Date: Jan. 5-7, 2018

Event: Roar Before the 24 Test Days  (Round 0 of ten)

Series: Prototype division of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (3.56-mile, 12-turn road course)

Fastest Overall: Felipe Nasr of the No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R (1:35.806 at 133.764 mph)

Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R Best Lap: 4th by Renger van der Zande (1:36.481 at 132.828 mph)

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R trio of full-time co-drivers Jordan Taylor and Renger van der Zande and third driver Ryan Hunter-Reay closed the annual Roar Before the Rolex 24 Test Days by clocking the fastest lap among the 50-car field Sunday afternoon for the second time this weekend. They will open defense of the team’s 2017 Rolex 24 At Daytona victory and 2017 driver and team championships when competitors return to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway for the traditional season-opening endurance marathon Jan. 25 to 28.

Taylor, who with older brother Ricky Taylor co-drove to last year’s Rolex 24 victory alongside veteran Italian Max “The Ax” Angelelli and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, was fastest overall in today’s last of seven test sessions for the weekend, as well as during Saturday’s first of three test sessions. The Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R clocked top-three times in each of the seven test sessions with each of its three drivers accounting for the team’s fastest lap in at least one session.

Van der Zande, the Dutch driver who came to the team for the 2018 season after Ricky Taylor left to join the new, two-car Team Penske Prototype-class team, clocked the Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R’s fastest lap of the weekend during a new 15-minute qualifying-style session that was added this season to the Roar test days weekend schedule. It was used to determine each team’s pit stall and garage locations during Rolex 24 race weekend three weekends hence. Van der Zande’s lap of 1 minute, 36.481 seconds at 132.828 mph around the 3.56-mile speedway road course was fourth-best overall for the session and for the weekend.

The No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R logged 178 total laps during the three-day test, covering 633 trouble-free miles.

Rolex 24 race weekend begins with practice and qualifying Thursday, Jan. 25, with the twice-around-the-clock event set to begin at 2:40 pm EST Saturday, Jan. 27, with live television coverage beginning on the FOX broadcast network at 2 pm
JORDAN TAYLOR, driver, No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R:

“I think it was a productive weekend. Obviously, last year we won the event but we came in without doing much setup work. So, I think what we learned all throughout 2017 we’re kind of putting on the car now to see what works and what doesn’t work. I think we’re going to leave here knowing a lot more about what we want to bring back for the race weekend but I think, looking at the whole, big picture, we have a comfortable car. All three drivers are comfortable and the team’s the same as it was last year, so I think we have all the pieces in the right place to repeat.”

RENGER VAN DER ZANDE, driver, No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R:

“We had a few days of testing and it was interesting for me to get a feel for the car and the proper feel for the setup changes that we applied a few times. We got some driver change practice in, worked with the team and all that, blending in, I would say. I did qualifying and got P4. For me, that was a bit of the limit, so we need to find what the actual time is, what the other teams found, and that’s what we’re going to work on before the race.”

RYAN HUNTER REAY, Driver, No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R:

“It was a productive test. We came out with a new driver lineup for the team and we’ve all jelled really well, working on the car the entire time and checking off some boxes that we really wanted to get done before the Rolex 24 weekend. I think we’re all pretty happy with where we stand. Now, it’s all about consistency and execution. This team’s done a remarkable job. You can’t say enough about the professionalism and hard work they put in. We’ll go out there and hopefully have a flawless race weekend.”

WAYNE TAYLOR, Owner, No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R:

“Well, it looks like it’s going to be the most competitive year, ever – big names, lots of chassis, lots of engines, Penske, Zak Brown’s team from Europe, Joest, and now four Cadillacs. I think there’s still some balance of performance stuff I’m sure they’re still working on. But I think the cars are all pretty good right now. They should leave it alone and go to the race. We got a lot done this weekend and were at or near the top in every session. But, as everyone knows, you don’t win this race by getting fastest lap in qualifying for a garage spot. Our focus is on winning the race overall.”

Chip Ganassi Racing Names Doug Duchardt Chief Operating Officer

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Max Jones Promoted to Managing Director of the Team’s NASCAR Operation 

CONCORD, NC (Jan. 3, 2018) – Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) announced today that long-time racing executive Doug Duchardt has been named Chief Operating Officer of the corporation. Duchardt begins the role effective immediately in preparation for the upcoming 2018 seasons while Max Jones is promoted to Managing Director of the team’s NASCAR Operation joining Mike Hull, Managing Director of the team’s INDYCAR and IMSA Operations. Continue reading

Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk Review of Michigan, Mid Ohio and Evergreen – Monday, August 14, 2017

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Our Winner’s Circle guest is NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver, Chris Eggleston, with Bill McAnally Racing after winning at Evergreen Speedway.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, Noah Gragson with Kyle Busch Motorsports talks about his 2017 season.

NASCAR XFINITY Series driver, Matt Bell, with King Autosport as we talk about racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and his IMSA 2017 season with Stevenson Motorsports.

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

We’re reviewing the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series at Michigan International Speedway along with the XFINITY Series at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course and the K&N Pro Series West at Evergreen Speedway. We’ll also have updates from the ARCA Racing Series and the K&N Pro Series East

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

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

Our 2017 season continues at 8:30 pm ET on Monday, August 14, 2017.

As always…Thanks for listening!

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series News and Notes – March 24, 2017

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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams continue their break this weekend before running the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, April 1st at 3 pm ET. Pre-race television coverage begins at 2:30 pm ET on FOX along with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Drivers will race 131.5 miles over 250 laps – Stage 1 ends on lap 70 with Stage 2 ending on lap 140 and the race finish on lap 250.  Continue reading