Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 2015 Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
Ford Motor Company in general, and the Wood Brothers in particular, have had some glorious Sunday afternoons at Talladega Superspeedway through the years.
In the early years of the track that opened in 1969, the Wood Brothers won five races from the spring of 1971, when Donnie Allison drove the iconic No. 21 to victory at his home track, until the fall of 1979, when another Alabama driver, the late Neil Bonnett, scored the victory.
In between were three consecutive wins in the spring race by David Pearson, from 1972-1974. Continue reading →
Christopher Bell at 8:40 pm ET on Monday, April 25, 2016 Photo – VMS Twitter
After promoting his debut in the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 at Salem Speedway last Thursday night, Christopher Bell returns as our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, April 25, 2016 at 8:40 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.
As if racing at Salem Speedway in his first ARCA Racing Series event wasn’t exciting enough, 21-year-old, Christopher Bell with Venturini Motorsports battled his way to victory in the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 on Sunday afternoon. The win was not an easy task for the Bell, who also drives for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Bell battled through a slick track with oil dry in the top groove, a shove from fellow competitor Justin Haley and a loss of power to win his debut race at Salem Speedway. Continue reading →
Team owner Tony Stewart stands in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 8, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas Photo – Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Tony Stewart has been cleared by his doctors and NASCAR to return to racing, effective immediately. He will drive the No. 14 Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy Chevrolet SS fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing throughout this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
Stewart missed the first eight races of the season after sustaining a burst fracture of the L1 vertebra in a Jan. 31 all-terrain vehicle accident. The prescribed rehabilitation regimen instituted by his doctors following a March 9 evaluation proved successful, allowing the three-time series champion to return for his final Sprint Cup season. Continue reading →
Josh Williams at 8:45 pm ET on Monday, April 11, 2016. Photo – ARS
Josh Williams is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR & Race Talk on Monday, April 11, 2016 at 8:45 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @Sal_Sigala with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.
Driving away from the rest of the Music City 200 field, Josh Williams wheeled his No. 6 Musselman’s Applesauce car to his first ARCA Racing Series career victory on Saturday night at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.
A pit strategy gamble and four fresh tires – when the front-runners took two – were the winning combination for Williams. On a lap 84 caution, the front-runners took two tires counting on another caution before the end of the event – that caution never came. The four tires Williams and his team took on that stop was the competitive advantage he needed to take his car to the finish line on the long green flag run. On lap 158, Williams passed the leader, rookie Brady Boswell, taking the top spot for the remaining 43 laps.
“The Musselman’s Apple Sauce Chevy has always been good in long runs,” Williams said. “It was all about strategy…it just worked out in our favor this time.”
Williams started the race from 13th and applauded his crew chief Danny Johnson for making the winning four-tire call.
“I can’t thank Danny enough…he made a great call. This is just incredible…it was a great race car when we unloaded, and it just got better as the night went on,” added the 22-year-old Williams.
This was Williams first ARCA victory but second at the famous short track as he won the Bandolero national championship in 2005 over Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney . There to celebrate the milestone as they were in 2005 were Williams’ parents, Kevin and Theresa.
The trophy is one of the best in racing as Williams took home a Music City 200 and ARCA Racing Series branded six-string acoustic guitar. Williams victory moves him up the series point standings to fourth-place.
Finishing in second-place is AJ Fike, followed by Brian Finney, John Wes Townley – the points leader – with Bret Holmes rounding out the top-five. In sixth-place is Brandon Lynn – fifth in points – followed by Sheldon Creed, Christian Eckes, Chase Briscoe – second in points – with Bo LeMastus – third in points – rounding out the top-ten.
The ARCA Racing Series now heads to Salem Speedway next for the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 April 23-24, followed by the General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway Friday, April 29. Salem will air, tape-delayed, on American Sports Network and the race from Talladega is live on FOX Sports 1.
