Tag Archives: Richard Petty

Five Tips to Meet your Favorite Driver During Race Weekend

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We all hear the stories about lengths NASCAR fans will go, to get their favorite drivers’ autographs. When you’re trying to catch a driver at the right moment it can seem nearly impossible. It’s a mad house during race weekend while thousands of other fans are at the race track. Among the chaos, there are specific techniques used to get a once in a lifetime opportunity with your favorite driver.

After my experiences in the infield over the past few years, here are five tips I have learned on how you can meet your favorite driver. Continue reading →

Inman Created the Role of the NASCAR Crew Chief, Set to Enter International Motorsports Hall of Fame

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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, 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 →

Event Format Announced for Inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race At Eldora Speedway

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On July 24, the trucks will make their dirt debut at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Photo - Jeff Wackerlin

On July 24, the trucks will make their dirt début at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Photo – Jeff Wackerlin

Historic Event To Offer Unique Qualifying, Race Procedures

NASCAR announced today the qualifying and race procedures for the inaugural “Mudsummer Classic” – the highly anticipated NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway on Wednesday, July 24. Unlike asphalt tracks, dirt tracks have historically used a format much different from typical races and that will be the case for this event, the first NASCAR national series race held on dirt in more than 40 years.

The race will feature a traditional two-lap qualifying session, five qualifying races, one last-chance race and a champion’s provisional to determine the 30-truck starting field. The top-20 in owners’ points entering the race event will have a guaranteed starting position.

Here are additional details for each round of qualifying:

Qualifying

Two-lap qualifying determines starting position for the qualifying races

Qualifying Races

  • Five qualifying races

o    Eight laps each; only green flag laps count

o    Five trucks transfer from each qualifying race

  • Lineup for the qualifying races will be based on qualifying speeds with four locked-in trucks (trucks in the top 20)
  • The top-five trucks in qualifying will start on the pole for their respective qualifying race
  • Highest finishing non-locked-in truck will transfer to race from each qualifying race
  • At the completion of the qualifying races, 25 trucks will have earned spots into the feature.

Last Chance Race

  • 15 laps; only green flag laps count
  • The top-four finishers will transfer to the feature and start in positions 26-29
  • The lineup will be based on the finish from the qualifying races

Starting position No. 30 will go to the most recent past series’ champion who has not already qualified. If the 30th starting position is not filled by an eligible champion, it will be assigned to the next highest finishing truck in the Last Chance Race.

“NASCAR and Eldora Speedway have collectively worked together to come up with a format that embraces the history of dirt track racing while also ensuring that full-time competitors have an opportunity to be a part of this special event,” said Chad Little, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series director. “This will also add an exciting element for the fans and we look forward to putting on a great show at this unique venue.”

The race length and format are also new for the series. The race will be 150 laps divided into three segments. The segments will be 60, 50 and 40 laps.

There will be pit stops between each segment, with teams having the opportunity to change tires and work on their trucks.

More details on the event schedule will be released later this spring.

The “Mudsummer Classic” will be the first NASCAR national touring series event held on dirt since NASCAR’s premiere series competed on September 30, 1970 in Raleigh, N.C. Richard Petty won the Home State 200 at the one-mile State Fairgrounds Speedway.

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Darlington Raceway Sprints Into History With New Book

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Photo - Courtesy of Darlington Raceway

Photo – Courtesy of Darlington Raceway

Darlington Raceway has been part of the landscape of South Carolina and of NASCAR for over six decades and a new nostalgic book celebrates the history of the track through extraordinary vintage images.

From races run on dirt and clay to the paved speedways of today, the historic events, colorful characters, and memorable moments of “The Lady in Black” are revealed in more than 200 vintage images.

Author Cathy Elliott sees Darlington Raceway as “more than just a race track that comes alive once a year,” and describes why many locals consider the speedway part of the family. “Darlington is an integral member of her community, part of its very identity. Everyone in town has at least one story about the track,” Elliott said. Continue reading →

The Daytona Spark

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Drivers begin the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on Feb 16, 2013 Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Drivers begin the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on Feb 16, 2013
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Every year, when February rolls around, one thought crosses your mind. Daytona.

Your reaction? Ecstatic.

Daytona in February means that the NASCAR season is about to get rolling and that NASCAR will be entering the hallowed grounds of the Daytona International Speedway. That feeling you feel when you hear the roar of the engines on the high banks of Daytona either on your television or in person is what many will describe as the Daytona spark. Continue reading →