Bowyer out to do more than just protect lead at Atlanta
Before getting a job offer over the phone from Richard Childress as he worked at his job in a body shop in his hometown of Emporia, Kan., Clint Bowyer was a champion at one of the Midwest’s top dirt short-tracks.
Bowyer will be back racing under the lights this weekend, and he’s hoping that the dirt from his past will resurface and help him nail down a berth in the 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which is now just two weeks away.
This Sunday’s Cup race is the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. And while AMS is neither short nor dirt, Bowyer, who is holding down the 12th and final berth in the Chase, says it sure drives like his old home track of Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City.
“That’s exactly what you’re doing. You’re dirt-tracking at 200 miles per hour around a big racetrack,” Bowyer said of racing on the 24-degree banks of the 1.5-mile Atlanta quad-oval. “You have to get up on the wheel to make things happen, but hold onto the car and don’t let it get out from underneath you. Most of the time, you’re really loose as the back end of the car is trying to come out from underneath you. It happens about every corner on every lap. It doesn’t matter what line you’re in, either. You could be on the white line or all the way up at the wall. Either way, you’re loose all the way around the track.”
Constantly loose at 200 mph? It sounds like Sunday night on Labor Day weekend might be a good time to play it safe. Protect the 100-point lead he has over 13th-place Jamie McMurray and 101-point lead he has over 14th-place Mark Martin.
While it might be a good idea for some, it’s not for Bowyer.
Bowyer said he is not going out to protect his lead at Atlanta. He’s going out to increase it.
“I’m pretty confident we can go to Atlanta and have us a good run and then on to my favorite track in Richmond and be able to back that up,” Bowyer said. “I want to be able to put a little bit more pad in it in Atlanta and go into Richmond and not have to worry about it and go after a win.
“That (the regular-season finale at Richmond) is one of my best opportunities to win a race. I’d like to be in a situation where I don’t have to look over my shoulder and be conservative when it comes down to time to gamble.”
Bowyer has not yet won a race this season. That means that the way it stands right now, he would be tied for last when the 10-race playoff starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 19.
Not a great situation, he said. But not a dire one, either.
“Here recently, we’ve had to look over our shoulder, and played a little bit (of a cautious) approach to everything,” Bowyer said. “But I’m fairly confident that when we get in this Chase, and we’re the 12th seed, you don’t have anywhere to go but up.
“It’s a fun situation to be in because you don’t have any pressure. Nobody counts on you to do anything. The year we got in it (2007), we won our first race and ended up third in the points because you’re able to make all the gambles you can, take all the chances possible and go for it, you know? That’s a fun way to race.”
Now, if only there were a real dirt race on the Chase schedule.
Fast facts
What: Emory Healthcare 500
Where: At Atlanta Motor Speedway
When: Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 128
Track layout: 1.54-mile oval
Race distance: 325 laps/500.5 miles
Estimated pit window: 50-55 laps
Qualifying: Saturday, 4:40 p.m. ET
2009 winner: Kasey Kahne
2009 polesitter: Martin Truex Jr.
Points leaders: 1. Kevin Harvick, 3,521; 2. Jeff Gordon, 3,242; 3. Kyle Busch, 3,170; 4. Carl Edwards, 3,113; 5. Denny Hamlin, 3,108; 6. Tony Stewart, 3,107; 7. Jeff Burton, 3,101; 8. Matt Kenseth, 3,095; 9. Jimmie Johnson, 3,077; 10. Kurt Busch, 3,073; 11. Greg Biffle, 3,055; 12. Clint Bowyer, 2,920; 13. Jamie McMurray, 2,820; 14. Mark Martin, 2,819; 15. Ryan Newman, 2,802; 16. Kasey Kahne, 2,784.
Kyle Busch one win from Nationwide record
Sam Ard didn’t do it. Neither did Jack Ingram. Or Dale Earnhardt Jr. Or Martin Truex Jr. Or even Kevin Harvick.
No, no driver in the 28-year history of the NASCAR Nationwide Series has won 11 races in a single season. But Kyle Busch could accomplish that feat in this Saturday’s Great Clips 300 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Ard won 10 races in 1983, the second year of the series, and Busch matched that total in 2008. But no one else has won that many—until this year.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Busch said. “To me, it’s cool to have the opportunity. We’ve got eight, nine, 10 more races left or whatever it is to get the opportunity to do it. Hopefully luck can fall our way and we can get No. 11. No. 11 is going to be pretty special because for one, it’s never been done before.”
But Busch has some other reasons to make breaking the record special. One is a member of the Joe Gibbs Racing team who has never celebrated in victory lane.
Sure, car chief Leo Thorsen has won races, lots of them. But the veteran mechanic prefers to avoid the picture-taking ceremonies after races. But after this season, Thorsen is coming off the road to spend more time with his family.
Busch, though, made Thorsen promise that he would go to victory lane should Busch break the Nationwide single-season record for victories.
“For some reason (he) just doesn’t like coming to victory lane,” Busch said. “But I told him on win No. 11, ‘When I break the record for most wins and you’re a part of it, you’re coming to victory lane and getting your picture taken and hanging it up on the wall for your kids to see he was a part of it.’”
Another JGR crew member, engine tuner Kevin Grubb, was on Ard’s team in 1983, as well as Busch’s team in 2008.
“He was with Sam back when Sam won 10 so it’s pretty cool to have him here now,” Busch said. “Three seasons he’s been able to do it.”
Busch’s next win also would bring him closer to Mark Martin’s all-time series record of 48 victories. And remarkably, Busch’s 40 wins have come in 193 stars, with 29 victories over the last three seasons, a total of 85 starts.
“I really like these cars,” Busch said. “This car, I really like. It’s fun, man. I’ve really grown accustomed to these things and learned how to drive them. You can really drive the Nationwide cars hard because they don’t have a whole lot of horsepower so you can really try to make up a lot by being able to get more out of the car driver-wise versus a Cup car you’d have to slow it down and finesse it a little bit more.”
There seems to be no slowing Busch down, at least not in the Nationwide Series.
Fast facts
What: Great Clips 300
Where: At Atlanta Motor Speedway
When: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2, 6:30 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN/Sirius Satellite Ch. 128
Track layout: 1.54-mile oval
Race distance: 195 laps/300.3 miles
Qualifying: Saturday, 2:40 p.m. ET
2009 winner: Kevin Harvick
2009 polesitter: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Points leaders: 1. Brad Keselowski, 3,995; 2. Carl Edwards, 3,630; 3. Kyle Busch, 3,396; 4. Justin Allgaier, 3,261; 5. Paul Menard, 3,171; 6. Kevin Harvick, 2,908; 7. Steve Wallace, 2,857; 8. Trevor Bayne, 2,855; 9. Joey Logano, 2,722; 10. Jason Leffler, 2,720.
Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Emory Healthcare 500 (Redux)
So last week, I screwed up.
I figured, “Hey, with college about to start and all, maybe I should write my Atlanta fantasy post right now, save it for a week, and then just take ten minutes to post it when people actually need it.” Seemed like a good idea at the time, right?
Well, it was, until I forgot what week of the year it was (blame it on me being awake at four in the morning) and posted it anyway. Oops. If you’re looking for this week’s fantasy picks, click here; otherwise, this column is going to be a general fantasy overview for the rest of the year.
We’re now two-thirds of the way through this Sprint Cup season, with only two regular-season races and the Chase for the Sprint Cup to go. The remaining schedule is dominated by four cookie-cutters (Atlanta, Kansas, Charlotte, Texas), but contains just about every type of track on the schedule besides a road course.
Of course, this is about the time where Jimmie Johnson kicks into gear. His charges to the championship have been well documented, as no driver has ever benefitted more from the Chase. Currently ninth in points and about a three-race deficit behind Kevin Harvick, Johnson’s top four tracks as judged by average finish – Phoenix, Martinsville, Fontana, and Loudon – all appear on the remaining schedule. Of the remaining tracks at which Sprint Cup will run this year, Johnson only has mediocre records at Richmond (which isn’t in the Chase anyway) and Talladega (which is a crapshoot anyway).
As for Harvick, his team has been the class of the field all year, but most of his best tracks are behind him on the schedule. Homestead is statistically his best track, but five of his six worst active tracks – Dover, Fontana, Martinsville, Atlanta, and Charlotte – come up in the following twelve weeks of racing.
But this year, things have been looking up for Happy on those tracks, and he may not have a reason to worry. Fontana yielded a second place finish, he ran a strong ninth at Atlanta, led 57 laps from the pole at Martinsville, placed seventh at Dover, and came home a respectable 11th at Charlotte. While those types of races alone won’t knock the defending champion off his pedestal, they will more than suffice for a driver at some of his worst tracks.
In effect, this brings us down to the question of present versus past. Which key factor – history or momentum – should be influencing your fantasy picks from here on out? Should you be focusing on only one over the other, and if so, which?
Here’s the thing: we all know that the 48 team has shown signs of, well, humanity this year. Add to that the intense pressure stemming from the fact that nobody has won five consecutive championships at NASCAR’s highest level, and you may be able to say that the goose is cooked on the drive for five.
Meanwhile, Harvick’s team has done everything right for the majority of the year, won a respectable one in eight races, and has even performed at the tracks on which he’s struggled in the past. (See above.)
In the end, it all depends on which fantasy game you’re playing, and who’s available to you on any given week. (Duh. A little more elaboration, please?)
For single driver, pick-‘em-once-and-they’re-done games like One and Done at OnPitRow.com, your best bet is undoubtedly to go for history. A driver like Harvick is probably not the best choice for a track at which he struggles, unless you’re picking last-minute and he qualifies really well. Johnson becomes your golden ticket to victory lane, so use him wisely. As for the rest, try and limit your picks to Chase drivers – they’re the only ones who really matter in the final ten events.
For games that give you a fleet of drivers every week, make sure to always pick one of the top five active drivers at any given track. (This is one of my Fantasy Pick’Em rules of thumb.) But in these games, you have a greater ability to go for momentum drivers. Sure, it can crash and burn on you if they perform as history suggested they would, but getting a little lucky with an interesting, out of left field pick could be the difference between first and second in your fantasy racing league.
“A Champion Is As A Champion Does”
Sunday gave no indication that this race on a road course was going to be anything more than another road course race. As a rule, they are an opportunity to take a nap. But Montreal was different. The NASCAR Nationwide Series raced it as hard as they race any short track and the cars looked it at the end.
This was the last road course race for these cars, as next year the Nationwide Car of Tomorrow will compete in all the events. One would imagine by the way they raced that the crew chiefs told them to bring back the steering wheels because the cars were obsolete. Not even the winner had a clean car.
The racing was not the only surprise the fans were in for. The winner would not be a NASCAR regular. Instead he would be a “ringer”. A favorite ringer, but a ringer none the less.
Boris Said proved why he is the go to man and teacher for road course racing. He was just aggressive enough to get the job done. Smooth and fast with the brakes. His performance, with the exception of a few wrinkles in his fenders and rear bumper cover was flawless.
But his victory was not a given thing. As a matter of fact, the dominate car on the day belonged to Marcos Ambrose who was again snake bitten at Montreal. Losing an alternator and then blowing the engine on his Little Debbie ride. He was followed to the garage very shortly by Carl Edwards. Robby Gordon’s gas mileage play didn’t work out leaving him sitting in a run off watching the last 3 laps of the race. They weren’t the only ones with problems though. Broken trailing arms, multi car wrecks and spins, failed brakes and blown engines. Would all take their toll on the Series Regulars.
This left Said and Max Papis, a ringer turned regular from Italy that has been embraced and accepted as one of our own, to settle the race. What was about to unfold was a thing of beauty. It made it clear to this writer why there are fans of road course racing. These two guys were absolutely wide open and poetry in motion. They encompassed all the short track action and all the road course finesse that is more than likely the reason that NASCAR insists on keeping these normal snooze fests on the schedule. This was a race that was decided in the last 5 feet. Boris Said won the drag race to the checkered flag, literally by a bumper.
When it was all over, race fans got a taste of what it truly means to be a champion. Boris Said complimented Max Papis. He gave him credit. He admitted he wasn’t sure he could hold him off. The drag race down the final stretch wasn’t a sure thing in his book. But “Max raced me clean. He raced me hard. But he raced me clean.”
Max Papis thanked his owners for the opportunity and told the world how proud he had been to drive their car. How proud he was that he could do so well for his sponsor and how happy he was for Boris Said.
How refreshing. No name calling. No finger pointing. No disrespect to owners, sponsors, fans or other drivers. There was just excitement over the victory, and the thrill of the race and coming so close to victory. Maybe there is more to be learned on these road courses after all.
This was not an overnight success for either driver. Boris Said made his first NASCAR start in 1997 in the then Craftsmen Truck Series. He has been utilized as a ringer since then and can now boast impressive figures in all three series including, 23 top tens and now a second win. The two time winner of the 24 hours of Daytona had struggled and searched for that second win since 1998. Followed by his devoted fans (The Said Heads), Boris never gave up and turned in more top 10 finishes on road courses than any other competitor in any series.
Best known as the teacher to the pro’s, Said has taught some of NASCAR’s elite how to handle a road course. Joking recently that he may have taught them too well, his students include, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart to name a few.
Two years ago at Watkins Glen, Max Papis made his Sprint Cup debut as a ringer for DEI. He was near tears in his post race interview after being taken out in a wreck that blocked the track on a blind corner. He wanted to do well so badly he told reporters that day. He wanted to show that he was a capable racer. What he did was more than that. He showed the world what kind of champion he is. He cares about winning and losing. He cares about doing well for his sponsors and his fans. He cares about his job performance.
There is never a race that Max Papis drives in that afterwards he does not thank his fans on Twitter and give them a little of what he feels about how the race went. How refreshing is that. A driver that actually thanks his fans for standing with him and behind him, and tells them “we go on to the next one.”
Max Papis sets the example, as did Boris Said that we would like to see our children follow. He does so because he has children that he sets the example for. Does he have a temper, he is human and he is a native of Como, Italy, so of course he does. But he has learned through his experiences in Formula 1 and Indy Racing League (IRL) to control those emotions and pursue the goal, Victory.
Max says, “My dream is to compete and win in NASCAR and to be the first European to be there among so many great American racing icons.” He came very close on Sunday. But his chances are not over. Max will be taking over the number 9 Germain Racing Truck full time in 2011.
Max, sei un campione. siamo orgogliosi di averti. grazie per farci meglio i fan. I pray you will forgive my poor Italian but understand that it is with the greatest respect that I attempted to tell you that you are a champion and we are proud to have you. Thank you for making us better fans with your example.
____________________________________________________________________________
Congratulations to Kyle Busch on his Camping World Truck Victory and to Boris Said on his well deserved Nationwide Series Victory. Also Congratulations to Patrick Sheltra on his Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) win at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday as well.
That said to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give. You are our heroes. Most importantly though thanks to all the families who share their loved ones with us each and every week so that we can cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.
____________________________________________________________________________
You can learn more about Max Papis and his career at www.MaxPapis.com. You can find Max’s Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/maxpapis .
You can find Boris Said on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1534514283&ref=ts .
Kevin Conway, RGM agree to deal to finish out 2010 season
Charlotte, N.C. (August 31, 2010) – Kevin Conway, the leading 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year driver, and ExtenZe Racing officially announce today that they will be teaming with Robby Gordon Motorsports (RGM) for the balance of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season beginning this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
For Sunday’s running of the Emory Healthcare 500, fans will find Conway behind the wheel of the No. 7 ExtenZe Racing Toyota. Conway heads into the Atlanta race weekend leading Terry Cook in the Sprint Cup Series Raybestos Rookie Standings by 154 points (192-38) and looks to better his 31st-place finish at Atlanta earlier this year.
Prior to making this announcement, Conway had one start for RGM at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this month and 21 starts this year for Front Row Motorsports (FRM), capturing 21 straight Raybestos Rookie of the Race awards and giving FRM its best finish since its inception in 2005 with a 14th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway on July 3rd. He also became the first Raybestos Rookie to lead a lap at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 25th since Jamie McMurray did so in 2003.
“I am thrilled to finally be able to announce our signing with Robby Gordon Motorsports,” says Conway. “The Bristol race a couple weekends ago came together very late and gave everyone just a quick peek at what was possibly to come. Now that everything is in place I can’t wait to take to the track this weekend in Atlanta in the No. 7 ExtenZe Racing Toyota.
“I am very thankful for this opportunity Robby has given me and ExtenZe. I’m looking forward to helping keep the No. 7 in the top-35, gaining more seat time and finishing races while reaching my ultimate goal of claiming the 2010 Raybestos Rookie of the Year title with RGM,” added Conway.
“Moving our racing program with Kevin over to Robby Gordon Motorsports was a no brainer really,” said Robert Wilhovsky, Director of Motorsports Marketing for ExtenZe. “Robby has a great organization with very good equipment and a car locked into the top-35 owner’s points that will allow us to get Kevin more seat time and help him continue to grow as a driver.
“We look forward to the remainder of the year with RGM and are glad we get to have him and his organization join Kevin’s quest to be crowned the 2010 Raybestos Rookie of the Year driver,” added Wilhovsky.
“We are excited to have ExtenZe Racing and Kevin Conway join Robby Gordon Motorsports. This is an excellent opportunity for everyone involved, and I am excited to have Kevin behind the wheel of the No. 7,” added Robby Gordon. “I hope that we will be able help Kevin bring home the Rookie of the Year Award while expanding our team and his on-track experience.”
DARNELL TO PILOT NO. 16 3M FORD IN THREE NATIONWIDE RACES
CONCORD, N.C. (Aug. 31, 2010) – Roush Fenway Racing announced today
that Erik Darnell will pilot the No. 16 3M Ford in three NASCAR
Nationwide Series races during the 2010 season starting at Richmond
International Raceway next weekend. Darnell is also scheduled to
participate in the Nationwide events at Dover International Speedway and
Texas Motor Speedway.
Darnell, 27, began his Roush Fenway Racing career in the Camping World
Truck Series in 2006. In 76 career Truck Series starts, Darnell notched
two wins, 16 top-fives and 32 top-10 finishes along with three pole
awards. The Beach Park, Ill. native moved up to the Nationwide Series
in 2008 for one race and then competed in 16 races in 2009. In 17
Nationwide Series starts, Darnell has two top-five and five top-10
finishes and one pole award. Additionally, Darnell competed in seven
Sprint Cup Series races at the end of the 2009 season.
This season, Darnell was called upon to practice and qualify the No. 60
Ford for teammate Carl Edwards on five occasions. In four of those
races Edwards did not finish outside of the top-two; going to victory
lane once (Road America).
“I am excited at the opportunity I have been given to participate in
these three races with 3M,” Darnell said. “I get to work with a
veteran team and crew chief and I’m excited to get to run the new Ford
Mustang at Richmond. 3M has been a great partner to Roush Fenway and
I’m just so thankful to them for coming on board for these three
races.”
A primary sponsor in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series for
Roush Fenway Racing, 3M is bringing three of its brands on board the No.
16 for Darnell’s three races: “Scotch-Brite” cleaning products
will be featured at Richmond, “Post-It” products at Dover and
“Ace” brand bandages at Texas.
“We are really excited about having Erik and the No. 16 Ford represent
some of our major brands at these exciting tracks,” said Joe Harlan,
Executive Vice President of the 3M Consumer and Office Business. “It
makes a strong pairing with the 3M brand sponsored car driven by Greg
Biffle in the Sprint Cup race the same weekend.”
About Roush Fenway Racing
Roush Fenway Racing is NASCAR’s largest team operating eight
motorsports teams. Four in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with drivers
Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan; and five in the
Nationwide Series with Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Colin Braun, Paul
Menard and Brian Ickler. For more information on any of the Roush
Fenway Racing teams, log onto www.RoushFenway.com. Become a fan of
Roush Fenway Racing on Facebook by going to
http://www.facebook.com/roushfenway. And for sponsorship inquiries
please contact Robin Johnson at 704.720.4645.
About 3M
A recognized leader in research and development, 3M produces thousands
of innovative products for dozens of diverse markets. 3M’s core
strength is applying its more than 40 distinct technology platforms -
often in combination – to a wide array of customer needs. With $23
billion in sales, 3M employs 75,000 people worldwide and has operations
in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3m.com or
follow @3MNews on Twitter.
NASCAR restructuring communications department
NASCAR announced major changes in its business structure Monday that will establish an upgraded communications department with new leadership.
The significant shift in approach is the result of a four-month study led by consultancy Taylor, much discussed within NASCAR circles, which showed a void in the sanctioning body’s marketing communications effort.
CEO Brian France, who commissioned the study in March and worked closely with CMO Steve Phelps and Taylor managing partner Brett Jewkes on the restructuring, called the changes transformational.
“It’s going to change the way we do business,” France said.
Global firm Korn/Ferry International has been retained to search for a chief communications officer that would be part of NASCAR’s senior leadership and report to Phelps. Overall, the sanctioning body could add as many as 20 new positions to a media relations staff that already employs about 25 people.
The restructuring is centered on the creation of an integrated marketing communications department, which will oversee all the media relations and communications functions for NASCAR’s racing series.
Members of the communications team will be embedded in other departments, such as consumer, brand and corporate marketing, in an effort to broaden and help NASCAR’s communications efforts evolve both inside the sanctioning body and with the sport’s teams, tracks and sponsors.
Ramsey Poston, NASCAR’s managing director of corporate communications, will leave the organization at year’s end and will not pursue a role in the new integrated marketing communications structure, NASCAR said.
Jim Hunter, a longtime NASCAR executive and the vice president of corporate communications, will move into a new role as vice president of special projects.
No other personnel changes were announced.
The new chief communications officer will run the division and a No. 2 position, either a vice president or managing director, will assume the role of chief of staff.
“Things are changing so fast on the media landscape, especially in digital media,” France said. “Our (media relations) model was designed to be more of a service bureau rather than something that could attack all of these things that are evolving. Now we’ve got the right road map to address an ever-changing area and we’re putting a significant amount of resources against it.”
The move comes at a time when the sport has been the subject of a number of national news stories focusing on declines in attendance, sponsorship and TV ratings. Privately, team executives have wished in recent years that NASCAR would take a more proactive stance in its messaging around some of these areas.
Under the new structure, the communications department will be separated into seven divisions: competition, stakeholder relations, digital and social media, brand/consumer marketing, corporate marketing/licensing, NASCAR Media Group/entertainment, and public affairs/crisis communication. Multiple hires will be made in each of those divisions.
NASCAR placed particular emphasis on stakeholder relations, digital and social media and brand/consumer marketing.
The chief communications officer most likely will come from outside of motorsports and could come from outside the sports industry, Phelps said, and will be someone with broad consumer marketing communications experience on global brands.
“This is not going to be an SID from somewhere,” Phelps said. “This will be a leader in the communications business in strategic thinking, creativity, someone who’s a proven and trusted brand thinker.”
NASCAR hopes that its new structure, through its stakeholder relations division, will work more closely with teams, tracks, sponsors and media to present a more unified approach to communications across the industry.
“Communications are how we deliver our sport to the fans and serve our media partners, so these moves are right on target,” said Marshall Carlson, president of Hendrick Motorsports. “I’m really impressed with Brian’s vision in this area and a commitment to make significant investments when it’s difficult to make investments.”
Phelps said the new integrated marketing communications structure is similar to those employed at ESPN and Yahoo. Sports leagues have also looked deeper into changes in their communications groups and sought nontraditional representatives as they place more emphasis on their messaging. The NFL recently hired Paul Hicks from Ogilvy PR. Ari Fleischer, with a background in politics, was retained by the BCS.
Meanwhile, MLB public relations executive Rich Levin is leaving the league after 25 years, and the NCAA is searching for a vice president of communications.
The Taylor study, which was executed with three other agencies—Catalyst, Motiv8 Digital and MitchellCanyon Communications—surveyed close to 300 people from media, teams, tracks, the sanctioning body, sponsors and marketing agencies from March through June. The results showed that NASCAR’s public relations efforts at the track and around the competition operate at a high level.
But the study also delved into how NASCAR reacted when challenged by a difficult economy and sagging TV ratings. It asked about NASCAR’s messaging and its ability to present unique stories to various media groups. NASCAR did not specify what specific media outlets it hoped to reach more effectively with the new structure, but Phelps mentioned business and entertainment as genres that can be better served.
“We’re going to be building a different approach with a different leader,” France said. “This will also be a big part of pulling the industry together in a much more cohesive way.
“Our sport by its nature is a fragmented group of owners, drivers, agents. While there’s a certain benefit to having such a group of entrepreneurial thinkers, the truth is we can do better. We can pull all of these people together.”
Michael Smith is a staff writer for SportsBusiness Journal.
When contemplating Nationwide solutions, NASCAR should look to Montreal
MONTREAL—Vive Montreal!
There’s no other city like it in NASCAR racing, and there’s no other race quite like the NAPA Auto Parts 200, which invariably reveals more twists and turns than the 14-corner road course that has hosted the Nationwide Series for four years.
“I’m going to find a nice steak, and I’m going to drink like hell and maybe French kiss a French girl,” promised race winner Boris Said. “I think my wife will let me—once—because it’s Montreal.”
Where else could you hear that sort of comment in a postrace news conference?
“This is one of the greatest places to go see a race—the town, the nightlife, the restaurants, the beautiful women,” Said added. “And then you’ve got this great racetrack 10 minutes from nice hotels.”
Make no mistake, the Nationwide race in Montreal is an event with a capital “E.” Sunday’s race drew more than 70,000 fans, easily 15,000 more than watched Dale Earnhardt Jr. win the Nationwide race at Daytona in July.
Based on crowd estimates, only four Nationwide races this year have surpassed Montreal in attendance: Danica Patrick’s debut race at Daytona in February, the April race at Talladega, and both races at Bristol.
It’s worth noting that all four were companion events to major Sprint Cup races at tracks that dwarf the seating capacity of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is located on a small island in the middle of the St. Lawrence River, to which most fans travel by subway.
The bottom line is that, as NASCAR wrestles with the intricate question of how to maintain a separate identity for the series and still put fans in the grandstands, the sanctioning body can look north of the border to the archetypical stand-alone event.
The Nationwide question is NASCAR’s most difficult, as the number of possible scenarios that have been floated to teams and track owners will attest. Should the participation of full-time Cup drivers in the Nationwide Series be limited to a certain number of races? Should Cup drivers be ineligible for the series championship?
Track owners chafe at both notions, because the presence of Cup drivers builds attendance. The championship issue applies to two drivers, Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski—the only two who are likely to do full-time double duty in 2011.
Races such as Montreal, however, could provide a de facto answer. If NASCAR can identify a sufficient number of markets that will support stand-alone Nationwide events and schedule races there, the logistics of competing in both series simultaneously become unmanageable.
Those markets are out there. Iowa Speedway (capacity 56,000) sold out its Nationwide race in late July. Kentucky Speedway drew 61,000 for its stand-alone event in June. An estimated 50,000 fans attended the inaugural race at Road America in Wisconsin, a conservative estimate by most accounts.
The problem won’t be solved effectively, though, until NASCAR addresses the competition side of the equation and provides Nationwide-only teams the means to run on equal footing against the derivatives of Sprint Cup powerhouses.
Said and No. 09 Ford owner Robby Benton struck a blow for the little guys at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but those successes are all too rare. At the same time, Kyle Busch held on to third place in the Nationwide standings—without showing up.
If there’s a way to limit the impact of Cup operations on companion Nationwide programs, NASCAR needs to find it, particularly as the Nationwide Series introduces its new car full time next year and Cup data becomes more relevant to Nationwide performance.
If that doesn’t happen, about all we’ll be able to do is look at each other wistfully and say, “We’ll always have Montreal.”
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES NEWS AND NOTES – Aug. 30, 2010
Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights headlines:
1. With three to go, Title race is anyone’s to win
2. Vote for Tire-ific Move of the Race
1. With three to go, Title race is anyone’s to win: After winning for the fifth time this season at Infineon Raceway, Will Power told nearly everyone with a digital recorder and video camera that he wasn’t ready to claim the IZOD IndyCar Series championship for his own.
“There’s a lot of racing to go,” he said. “Really, whatever the buffer is, you can lose a lot of that in just one race.”
The Verizon Team Penske proved to be somewhat clairvoyant. Power’s 59-point lead shrunk to 23 after Dario Franchitti, won the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on Aug. 28, the second of three consecutive weekends of racing.
Power looked to mitigate any significant points reduction by leading the remnants of the 29-car field as late as Lap 172 of 200, with Franchitti joining Power on pit lane under yellow for the final time running eighth. Franchitti exited with the outright lead – enough ethanol in the tank and confidence in the Firestone Firehawks on the 1.5-mile oval to go the distance (62 total laps). Power’s No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car didn’t take on enough fuel in the 7.3-second scramble, and at the blistering pace of the dash to the finish he wound up five laps short of challenging Franchitti for the victory.
Power ducked onto pit lane for a splash and drove home in 16th place. He’s not one to say “I told you so.” “These things happen,” Power said instead. “This obviously makes things tougher for the championship, but we’re still in front and we proved how competitive we can be on the ovals. I was looking good there until that last stop. As long as I was leading, they couldn’t get past me.
“We’ll move on and we will work harder next week at Kentucky.”
It’s a new two-man race, which widened the smile Franchitti wore in his post-race news conference, though he also was cautionary. It’s the third-closest title chase with three events left in the past five years.
“We see how quickly these things can change, especially on these one and a half mile tracks,” Franchitti said. “We’re just going to keep going. It would have been easy to give up halfway through the race there when we were running 10th or whatever. I’ve been on the receiving end of getting beaten from them sometimes when (Team Penske) managed to pull things out of seemingly nowhere, so it was nice to be on the end of actually winning the (race).”
In six races at Kentucky Speedway, Franchitti has started from the front row his past two races at the 1.5-mile oval. He has an average finish of eighth (high of sixth in ’09 and ’04). Power was strong last year, advancing 11 positions to finish ninth in his part-time role with Penske Racing. He finished 26th in ’08 in his first full IZOD IndyCar Series season. Power was among a group of drivers who tested at the track earlier this month.
Power hasn’t visited the egg-shaped Twin Ring Motegi – site of the Sept. 19 race – while Franchitti has finished second and third the past two years (average finish of ninth through five races). Franchitti secured his second series title with a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2009 and has competed on that 1.5-mile oval six times. Power’s lone race on the track that will play host to the season finale Oct. 2 was in 2008 with KV Racing Technology (season opener in which he started 19th and finished 25th).
“It’s far from over on both sides. It’s going to be interesting these last three,” Franchitti said.
Championship chases in five years with three races left:
2010
Leader: Will Power (528). Second: Dario Franchitti (-23). Third: Scott Dixon (-85)
2009
Leader: Ryan Briscoe (497). Second: Dario Franchitti (-4). Third: Scott Dixon (20)
Final margin and champion: 11 points. Dario Franchitti
2008
Leader: Scott Dixon (558). Second: Helio Castroneves (-78). Third: Dan Wheldon (-138)
Final margin and champion: 17 points. Scott Dixon
2007
Leader: Dario Franchitti (518). Second: Scott Dixon (-8). Third: Tony Kanaan (-52)
Final margin and champion: 13 points. Dario Franchitti
2006
Leader: Helio Castroneves (376). Second: Sam Hornish Jr. (-8). Third: Dan Wheldon (-17)
Final margin and champion: Tie between the three. Hornish won by virtue of most victories
2. Vote for Tire-ific Move of the Race: Fans select the Firestone Tire-ific Move of the Race winner by voting on indycar.com after every race. This $10,000 prize is awarded to the driver best utilizing his or her Firestone tires to make a bold, dramatic move during the event.
Nominees for the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 are: Marco Andretti for taking the high line most of the race to finish third; Dario Franchitti for skipping a tire change on the final pit stop, leading to his win and Justin Wilson for climbing from the 23rd starting position to finish seventh.
***
The 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season continues Sept. 4 with the Kentucky Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 8 p.m. (ET) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 212. The race also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Drive Smart. Buckle Up Kentucky 100 on Sept. 4 at Kentucky Speedway.
Said edges Papis in photo finish at Montreal
MONTREAL—At long last, road-course ace Boris Said is a winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Said won Sunday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve when—with the two strongest cars out of contention—the always unpredictable event ended with Said beating Max Papis in a drag race to the finish line.
After leader Robby Gordon ran out of gas on a green-white-checkered-flag finish that sent the race three laps past its scheduled distance of 74 laps, Said lost the lead to Papis at the entrance to the final two corners. But Papis’ momentum sent him wide in Turn 14, and Said drew alongside at the top of the final straightaway.
Papis lost a fraction of a second when he hit the rev limiter in second gear but still had enough to race side by side with Said all the way to the finish line.
Said’s .012-second margin of victory was the closest ever on a road course in the Nationwide Series, the fifth closest overall in series history and the closest since 1998 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The victory was more than just a first for Said, 47. It was the first Nationwide win for car owner Robby Benton and the first for the new pairing of Said and crew chief Scott Zipadelli.
“I don’t think we had the fastest car today,” Said admitted, “but we definitely had the smartest race strategy with Scott Zipadelli as the crew chief—the first time I ever worked with him. We had great communication, he called a great race, and it was really about managing the racetrack, managing your brakes.
“I’m shocked … overwhelmed. I thought I was going to cry, but I didn’t. My wife would have made fun of me. But I was pretty happy.”
Local hero Jacques Villeneuve finished third, followed by Brad Keselowski, who extended his series lead to 365 points over hard-luck 20th-place finisher Carl Edwards. Paul Menard ran fifth, with Joey Logano, J.R. Fitzpatrick, Parker Kligerman, Justin Allgaier and Trevor Bayne completing the top 10.
The race that gave polesitter Marcos Ambrose another heartbreak (he retired with an electrical problem after leading 25 laps) turned on a bad break—literally—for defending winner Edwards, who led a race-high 29 laps before breaking the track bar on his No. 60 Ford as caution flew with eight laps left in regulation.
Edwards held a lead of almost three seconds over Gordon when Michael Annett slid into the Turn 4 wall to cause the fifth caution of the race, ending a green-flag run of 42 laps.
Two more late cautions forced overtime and prolonged the race enough to empty Gordon’s fuel tank. Gordon led the field to the green flag for a restart on Lap 76 but coasted to a stop before completing the circuit. He finished 14th.
But it was the drag race to the finish between Said and Papis that had the more than 70,000 fans on their feet.
“I was ahead, I was behind, I was ahead,” said Papis, who was driving Kevin Harvick’s No. 33 Chevrolet. “At the end of the day, this was an amazing race. I had a blast. It came down to a green-white-checker, and the thing I’m the most proud of … this is maybe the first time I’ve had the chance to really sit in a car that legitimately can win, and it came down to the last corner.
“For me, I’m really proud. I know it’s a second-place finish, but it’s equal to one of my best wins.”
Kyle Busch extends winning streak at Chicagoland
JOLIET, Ill.—What can slow down Kyle Busch? Perhaps only the checkered flag.
Busch won his second consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and his fourth national series race in a row by dominating the EnjoyIllinois.com 225 on Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway.
Busch swept all three NASCAR national series races at Bristol Motor Speedway last weekend and continued his winning ways at Chicagoland. He led three times for 121 laps for his fourth truck series win in nine starts in 2010.
Busch now has 17 wins across the Sprint Cup (three wins), Nationwide (10) and truck series this year.
The only drama for Busch came on pit road under two separate caution flags. On Lap 81, Busch’s gasman had trouble with the second gas can, and Busch lost four spots for the restart. But he charged to the lead on Lap 98 after another caution slowed the race.
On Lap 126, Busch changed four tires on his No. 18 Toyota, with several other drivers taking two. Busch restarted sixth but passed three cars on the first green-flag lap and got the lead on Lap 131.
Busch also survived a late-race thrust from Todd Bodine, who made an inside move on Busch with six laps to go but slipped and lost ground. Busch then held off Bodine on a green-white-checkered finish after Timothy Peters blew an engine. The race went four laps beyond the scheduled 150 on the 1.5-mile track.
Bodine ended up second, with Ron Hornaday Jr. third, Johnny Sauter fourth and rookie Justin Lofton fifth. Aric Almirola, Matt Crafton, Rick Crawford, Austin Dillon and David Starr completed the top 10.
The victory was Toyota’s 75th in the truck series since 2004, when it entered NASCAR competition.
NASCAR Racing Series Goes Up For Sale, Buyer Beware Rules Are Included
Don’t look any further from the title, because from the impression of NASCAR’s current situation, these few words are only a figment of what most fans could only dream would happen.
Wishful thinking could be another way of putting into perspective where the sport is headed today, if indeed there is trouble on the horizon with all the speculating that’s been crowding the various NASCAR social sites.
The latest word on the street is that NASCAR is headed down a road of destruction, and it won’t be long before the sport quickly disappears into its own self-made black hole.
Of course, none of this news is coming from the big man himself; instead, most of it gets started around these highly sophisticated tailgate parties, where the fans congregate to see who can conjure up the best destructive scenarios.
For those fans who really feel the need to challenge themselves, try visiting one of the hundreds of NASCAR social sites which can be found on the Internet.
There you will find every rule or regulation that NASCAR has ever implemented, along with the current state of the sport broken down to the root while being argued with the basis being, “Because I said so, and I have been a fan for x amount of years.”
Now given the fact throughout the years, NASCAR just like any other sport is and always will be debated amongst its fans, try naming one person, or a group of people who could do a better job at managing one of motorsports’ biggest organizations?
The reason being is because once again, the integrity of those who are running the sport has come under intense enemy fire from the fans, with most of the ammo targeting a false sense that the sport is in dire need of another rebuilding process.
One area which is being falsely attacked is the decline in viewership, along with the current rule changes that many feel are not helping to boost the ratings.
Viewership along with the fan base within the sport believe it or not, is up from where it was before NASCAR went full-time to national television in 2001.
NASCAR is still the third most popular professional sport in the United States, behind the National Football League and Major League Baseball.
What other sport comes close to averaging 70 to 80 thousand fans per event, and that’s without the other three or four million who are watching at home?
Just this past weekend, ESPN reported a 6 percent increase from last year’s night race at Bristol, which attracted 5,322,537 viewers, and this increase was from the Sprint Cup race alone.
An average of 5,841,952 viewers tuned in on Saturday, which is still above the 4.5 million average who were watching back in the 90’s when attendance jumped from 3.3 million to 6.5 million between that 10-year time span (1990-99).
It’s no big secret the sport has seen a steady decrease in the last few seasons, but not all is lost in the game of love and war when looking at the numbers from a broader perspective.
When NASCAR went to national television in 2001, the attendance at each track grew, which forced a lot of the smaller tracks to add more seating to accommodate the rapid growth of the sport.
As an example, Bristol alone added an additional 90,000 seats between 1996 and 2002 which brought their total up to 160,000 from the 71,000 they were at before the increase.
Dover also added an additional 20,000 seats between the same time period, along with Richmond, which joined in with 10,000 of their own.
So as the sport continued to grow and become more popular, so did the fans that flocked to the various race tracks to get their fill of the fastest growing sport in the Nation.
The sudden growth left even the biggest critics scratching their heads in amazement, as America fell in love with the color, the speed, and the fast-paced excitement that at one time could only be viewed from one of the cable networks who covered the series.
NASCAR reached its peak amid the 2004-06 seasons, even though the fans began to complain about some of the rule changes, with the biggest one being the institution of the Chase format.
Between the 2007 and 2009 seasons, it became obvious the numbers began to taper off, and all you had to do was look at the empty stands which at one time were hard to come by.
Many of the fans began expressing their displeasure with the way the sport was being run, with much of the speculation focused on the Chase format along with the introduction of Car of Tomorrow in 2008.
No longer was NASCAR outpacing all other professional sports, and it was because the majority of the younger fans between the ages of 18-34, began looking elsewhere to get their adrenaline fix.
In the meantime, the core of older fans continued to stick next to a sport that most grew up with, and NASCAR began to once again take action in hopes of keeping them from wandering off.
“Our core fan is older, said NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston.
Poston also added, “That’s a fact. Our strategy and focus the last couple of years has been to target our core fan base. If we’re making strides with that fan base, it shows that our strategy is working.”
NASCAR took it a step further by getting a fans perspective as far as what changes needed to be made to keep the sport exciting, and to bring the fans back when they created a 12,000 member online fan council.
The fan council was responsible for a series of rule changes which included the double-file restarts, multiple attempts at overtime finishes, and a return to the traditional spoiler.
NASCAR also added the Citizen Journalists Media Corps in 2009, which consists of 28 additional websites which are dedicated to providing information about NASCAR to a growing readership.
Ever since the invention of the Internet, more fans have become dependent on the various websites that provide up to the minute news and information about the sport.
The newspaper is quickly becoming obsolete around the world of sports, and NASCAR felt that a lot of the independent websites are becoming more professional with their content.
NASCAR has been taking the necessary steps to keep the fans involved in the sport, even though the economy has taken its toll on the sport as a whole.
Just like any other craze or trend, NASCAR reached its peak, and now it’s beginning to level off after going through a normal drop-off period.
When you look at the viewership numbers from 10 to 15 years ago, NASCAR is still above their average, even though the teams and the tracks look as if they to are scaling-down.
Don’t think for a second that most of the fans who no longer attend a race are not sitting at home watching on television.
The organization now has nine regional touring series, and three national series including the Nationwide Series, Camping World Truck Series, and its premier series, the Sprint Cup races.
NASCAR is not going to slowly disappear into the abyss known as another mismanaged business venture as many think it might.
Instead, the sport will be here longer than either you or I, and when you sit back and think about the competition it faces every single day as a family-owned organization.
It does really well at holding its own against the big multi-billion dollar sports organizations, which have many athletes under their belt.
Failure has never been part of the France family vocabulary, so why should they start now?
Fantasy Pick’Em: 2010 Emory Healthcare 500
The Atlanta Motor Speedway will play host to the Sprint Cup Series this weekend, putting on the series’ Labor Day weekend event for the second time. The Emory Healthcare 500 will be the track’s lone event in 2011, similar to the one race a year the series now runs at Darlington.
The penultimate event in the Race to the Chase, drivers like Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin are going to be going all in to try and take a playoff spot away from vulnerable drivers like Clint Bowyer. Their cunning will likely have a great affect on the finishing order, and should affect your fantasy picks as well.
So who’s going to be worth a look at Atlanta?
I’m going to make this interesting and say that Carl Edwards breaks his winless streak this weekend. (How many times have I picked Carl this year with no luck?) He’s won one in four at Atlanta, and in a way, team owner Jack Roush’s tragic plane accident has been the best thing to happen to that team – they’ve been stepping up their game in a way unlike they’ve been running all season. We all know he’s overdue.
As for a sleeper pick, look out for A.J. Allmendinger. He’s been unassumingly consistent at Atlanta, never finishing outside the top 20 at the track in five starts. His best finish, a sixth place, came this spring. Allmendinger’s average finish of 14.6 is sixth best of all active drivers.
Three more, for those who need them:
Jimmie Johnson’s average finish at Atlanta, a 10.2, tops all other drivers. He’s won one in six at the Georgia track, with nine top five finishes in 18 starts. He’s led laps in six of the past eight Atlanta events, including both 2007 races, a year where he swept the two Cup events at the track.
Jeff Gordon has four wins and 23 top-10s in 36 career Atlanta starts, equivalent to a top-five season (at least) in NASCAR’s top level these days. It’s been nearly seven years since his last Atlanta win, but consistency – no finishes outside the top 20 in his past 10 Atlanta events – suggests he knows what it takes to deliver a strong finish this weekend.
Finally, Jamie McMurray has never been a strong Atlanta driver – 16 starts with only four top-10s and no finish better than sixth – but the momentum coming off a great Bristol finish may have him making a surprise run at the Chase. Remember Jeremy Mayfield’s surprise ascent in 2004? Jamie Mac might be able to duplicate the feat if he can pull it together the next two weeks.
Smith, Furniture Row Racing Agree to Contract Extension
DENVER, Colo. (Aug. 26, 2010) — Furniture Row Racing announced today that Regan Smith has signed a contract extension through the 2012 season to drive the team’s No. 78 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Smith, the 2008 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, is currently in his second season driving for the Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing team. Last year he competed on a part-time basis, entering 20 races. The 26-year-old native of central New York is running a full schedule this season and will do the same in 2011 and 2012.
“Regan is a young, talented driver with an outstanding future,” said Joe Garone, Furniture Row Racing general manager. “He has done a great job as our athlete and also as a spokesperson for our organization. The contract extension does indeed express a serious commitment by both the race team and driver.”
Garone added, “We have a team of proven employees, state-of-the-art equipment and dedicated partners. We are producing increasingly positive performances and strongly feel that we’re on the right path to become a contending team.”
Smith, who has competed in 83 career Cup races since his debut in March 2007 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, also feels the energy and spirit of Furniture Row Racing’s commitment.
“I am both happy and humbled about the contract extension,” said Smith. “Furniture Row Racing is a team on the move. I feel we’ve made some big gains this season and we are all encouraged about the future. I really admire the behind-the-scenes work ethic and commitment of each and every member of this team. They want to win as bad as I do and I am proud to be their driver.”
Along with his 83 career Sprint Cup starts, Smith has also competed in 102 Nationwide Series races and 23 Camping World Truck Series races. His first NASCAR start was in the truck series — Sept. 21, 2002 — at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Va.
Michael McDowell Joins Whitney Motorsports for Remainder of 2010
Harrisburg, N.C. (August 25, 2010) – Michael McDowell will take over driving duties for Whitney Motorsports for the remainder of the 2010 Sprint Cup Series season starting with the upcoming Emery Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. McDowell replaces J.J. Yeley who departed the team following the recent race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
McDowell has 45 career Sprint Cup Series starts, including 17 thus far with Prism Motorsports in 2010. He has also earned six top-ten finishes in 62 career Nationwide Series starts and was the runner-up in the ARCA Racing Series championship with four wins in 23 starts in 2007. McDowell also showed off his qualifying prowess, earning a series high nine poles and leading 822 laps en route to the series rookie of the year award. McDowell has an extensive road racing background, including two wins in the Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype division and two starts in the defunct Champ Car World Series.
“I’m happy to join up with Dusty and Whitney Motorsports again,” McDowell said. “We worked together in the Nationwide Series last season and got along really well, so when he called and asked if I would be interested in driving his Cup car I jumped at it. He has a good group of guys and I can’t wait to get to the track and work with Tony Furr. It’s always good to be able to work with someone who has as much experience and has had the success Tony has.”
“We’re excited to have Michael in the car for Atlanta,” said team owner Dusty Whitney. “He has a great resume for someone his age. He drove for us some in the Nationwide Series last year and we know he’ll get everything out of the car there is to get. He’s an awesome qualifier and I think we’ll have a lot of success making races with him in the car. We’d like to thank J.J. Yeley for the contribution he made to the growth of our race team and we wish him well for the future.”
Whitney Motorsports will also partner with Earnhardt-Childress Racing engines for several select races to close out the season. In an effort for this small mostly self funded team to finish the year strong, the team will run a combination of Chevrolet Impalas and Dodge Charges in select races. The scheduled races for the Chevrolet-ECR powered cars and the current fleet of Dodge Charger’s is still being finalized.
