Tag Archives: Indianapolis 500

Hornish Jr. Edges Hemric to Claim First Mid-Ohio Victory

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Sam Hornish Jr. dominated Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Mid-Ohio Challenge, but his victory was anything but certain until the waning laps of a caution-filled race.

Hornish, driving Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford Mustang, earlier had eclipsed his own qualifying record at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and edged series rookie Daniel Hemric by 1.335 seconds when the event ultimately went green for the final time with five circuits remaining in the 75-lap distance. Continue reading →

A Chance Meeting Between Two Champions

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Race fans worldwide watched Austin Dillon win Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway roughly eight hours after Japanese driver Takuma Sato took the checkered flag in the Indianapolis 500.

So what were the chances of the two races winners meeting each other by happenstance during the days that followed the races? Continue reading →

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Preview

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams are revving up for their longest race of the season in the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28th at 6 pm ET. Television coverage is on FOX at 5:30 pm ET with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Fourth Stage Implemented for Coca-Cola 600

Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will feature a fourth stage. Each stage will last 100 laps. Stage 1 will end on lap 100, Stage 2 on lap 200, Stage 3 on lap 300 and Stage 4 on lap 400. Continue reading →

Tyler Roahrig is Ready for ARCA Debut at Toldeo Speedway with Mason Mitchell Motorsports

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Tyler Roahrig is our Fan4Racing Radio guest at 9 pm ET, Thursday, May 18, 2017 Photo – ARS

Tyler Roahrig is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR Weekend Preview, Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 9 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @MoparMJ8 with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.

Last week, Tyler Roahrig tested with Mason Mitchell Motorsports at Toledo Speedway in preparation for his ARCA Racing Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 78 in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care on Sunday, May 21st. Although Roahrig is new to ARCA Racing and MMM, the Plymouth, Indiana native has a lot of experience at the fast half-mile track in Toledo, OH.

Roahrig, won the Glass City 200 in 2016, the biggest Outlaw Late Model event of the year at Toledo.

“Happy to be back,” said Roahrig during a break in testing at Toledo last week. “We’ve been pretty successful here in the outlaw car. Decided to take the next step into the ARCA Series.”

Testing with his team owner, Mason Mitchell, gave Roahrig a chance to learn about racing an ARCA Late-Model in preparation for his debut on Sunday. His Outlaw Late Model is considerably lighter and there is an adjustment to racing between the two series.

“Talked to Mason a little bit about it,” said Roahrig. “He gave me some tips. We’re just going to kinda creep up on it…take it easy at first and by the end of the day hopefully we’ll be running pretty fast.”

With high expectations for his debut at Toledo, Roahrig is confident in his MMM team.

“Looking for a top-five,” says Roahrig.  “But honestly, the Mason Mitchell Motorsports team has been really fast at the short tracks…or all the tracks honestly, so I wouldn’t rule anything out at this point. I really want to win. I’m not saying I’m expecting to but I really want to.”

The idea of Roahrig and Mitchell racing together came about through mutual relationships in racing.

“I was in North Carolina buying some parts for my race car. I was with Bob Blount…he knows Kevin Reed, the crew chief here (at MMM). We just stopped into see him and that’s what put this whole plan into motion. A lot of people have come together to make this happen.”

ARCA Racing isn’t the only event on Roahrig’s schedule this month. As it turns out, he’s a sprint car racer too. Roahrig is competing in the Little 500 at Anderson Speedway, the night before the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500.

“Well, you know I’ve been racing sprint cars the last couple years…really enjoy racing them” says Roahrig. “Drive for a team called Speed Chasers Incorporated. Actually…after this test, I’m going to make the three hour drive to Anderson to test the sprint car. Gunna be going from the ARCA car to a sprint car in the same day…looking forward to it.”

Taking a page from the Indy 500, the Little 500 is starting 33 cars at three abreast.

The 2014 ARCA Racing Series champion, Mason Mitchell will miss being behind the wheel of the No. 78 this weekend, as he enjoys he role now as team owner and mentor.

“I wish I was racing, but no, we’re just out here helping Tyler get used to this thing a lot better,” said Mitchell during testing last week at Toledo. “Looking forward to helping these guys out…getting back in victory lane next weekend.”

“This place is so cool…it’s one of my favorite tracks. It’s really technical with hitting your marks, especially in three and four. Me and Tyler have been talking about that a lot…he’s got a ton of laps around here, and so far so good.”

The Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care marks the third among 11 races that make up the Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge.

The Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care is Sunday, May 21st at 2 pm ET with television coverage on FOX Sports 1. Timing and Scoring is on ARCARacing.com

Bristol Brings Back Positive Vibes for Montoya

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Photo – IndyCar Media

Juan Pablo Montoya got a warm welcome on his return to Bristol Motor Speedway, even if it was just to announce his sponsor for the upcoming Indianapolis 500.

Montoya will compete for Team Penske in the May spectacle with Fitzgerald Glider Kits as his sponsor, the same company that holds the entitlement for Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Bristol.

But when asked about his first trio around BMS in a stock car, Montoya waxed nostalgic.

“I love this place,” Montoya told the NASCAR Wire Service. “Because for me, the biggest problem I had with a stock car was it had no grip.  Here, with the banking, it made up a lot of grip. I always ran really well here. This was a fun place for me.”

Asked whether the relationship with Penske and Fitzgerald Glider Kits might lead to a return to NASCAR racing in a one-off situation, Montoya shrugged and smiled.

“I don’t know,” he said. “They tell me go here, I go there. I mean they say, ‘Jump,’ I say ‘How high?’”

In general, however, Montoya thinks cross-pollination between racing series is a good thing. In the Indy 500 he’ll compete against Fernando Alonso, a rival in Formula One from 2001 through 2006.

“I think it would be nice for motorsports to do a little more of that, because it’s just going to create a little more interest overall,” said Montoya, who doesn’t have a full-time IndyCar ride this season. “It is something that it would be nice to see all motorsports to be able to see top drivers jump from one to the other just for one race.

“I was lucky enough to be in all the top series in the world, and being able to win in all of them and everything. I’ve been very blessed in that point of view.”

Montoya, however, wasn’t immune from some good-natured ribbing that also recalled his NASCAR days. Fitzgerald Glider Kits founder Tom Fitzgerald Sr. introduced Montoya as “Mr. Jet Dryer,” a reference to the driver’s fiery collision with track-drying equipment under caution during the 2012 Daytona 500.

“I wasn’t going to do that,” quipped Fitzgerald, “but I couldn’t resist.”