Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Irwindale - Race Notes


The race … The King Taco 200 is the sixth event on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule in 2010.

The procedure … The starting field is 30 cars, including provisionals. The first 26 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials. The remaining four spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 200 laps (100 miles).

The track … Toyota Speedway at Irwindale is a half-mile paved oval with blended banking of six, nine and 12 degrees in the corners and banking of six degrees in the straights. This will be the 20th visit by the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, dating back to June of 1999.

The records … Qualifying: Butch Gilliland, June 19, 1999, 100.722 mph, 17.871 seconds; Race: Jason Bowles, Aug. 16, 2008, 76.255 mph, 1 hour 18 minutes 41 seconds.

Back in action … The entry list includes two drivers who made their regular season series debut in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East-West combination race at Iowa in May. Open-wheel racer Chad Boat (No. 30 Curb Records Chevrolet) of Phoenix, Ariz., finished 12th overall in that event — while Brennan Newberry (No. 39 Dale Jr. Sharpie Chevrolet) of Bakersfield, Calif., finished 22nd.

Returning to the series … The entry list also includes Robbie Brand (No. 37 Lagunitas Brewing Co./WorldCom Financial Ford) of Barstow, Calif. Brand, a former motorcycle racer, competed in six series races in 2005 and 2006.

Hall of Fame festivities … The West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame will hold its annual induction and dinner at the Azusa Greens Country Club on Friday, July 2, beginning with a no-host cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.

Going the distance … The 19 events have varied in distance. Seven were 250-lap races (two in 1999, two in 2000 and three in 2001); eight were 200 laps (one each in 2002 and 2003, two in 2006, one in 2007, two in 2008 and one in 2009); three were 150 laps (both in 2004 and one in 2005) and one was 300 laps (the season finale in 2000).

Special Hauler Parade

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West team haulers will parade from Arcadia to Irwindale on Friday evening, leading to Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

The parade is set to roll out at 6:15 p.m. and pass through Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Azusa and Irwindale en route to the track.

“A parade like this has become a real tradition at a number of major NASCAR races around the country, and we felt that we should celebrate one of our biggest NASCAR races of the year with our own hauler parade,” said track GM Bob DeFazio.

Photo by Denny Strimple

Entry List - Irwindale K&N Pro Series West

Entry Lists Updates 07/03/2010:

According to NASCAR.com's entry list: the #51 of Justin Funkhouser and the #99 of Timothy Hill have withdrawn. The #7 driven by Greg Rayl has been added.



CAR

DRIVER

CREW CHIEF

1

5

Johnathan Hale

Lyn Hale

2

6

Luis Martinez Jr. *

Bill Sedgwick

3

9

Josh Combs *


4

10

Brandon Davis

Rob Dixon

5

12

Paulie Harraka

Duane Knorr

6

13

Todd Souza *

Michael Munoz

7

14

Travis Milburn*


8

15

Jack Sellers

Charlie Silva

9

16

Moses Smith

Mario Isola

10

17

David Mayhew

Terry Henry

11

18

Billy Kann

Jim Korneman

12

20

Eric Holmes

Matt Goslant

13

21

Blake Koch

Steve Portenga

14

22

Jonathon Gomez

Jeff Couch

15

26

Greg Pursley

Jerry Pitts

16

30

Chad Boat

Joe Lax

17

37

Robbie Brand

Roger Gordon

18

38

Troy Ermish *

Brian Boell

19

39

Brennan Newberry

Mark Reynolds

20

50

Chris Johnson

Brian Schaefer

21

51

Justin Funkhouser *

Bob Funkhouser

22

59

Auggie Vidovich

Roger Bracken

23

60

Taylor Barton *

Aaron Brown

24

61

Brett Thompson

Charlie Wilson

25

88

Michael Self *

Mike Naake

26

89

Brian Wong

Dave McCarty

27

94

Dusty Davis

Sonny Wahl

28

97

Justin Johnson

Chuck Wahl

29

99

Timmy Hill





* Series Rookie


Photo by Terry Thomson

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Pit Stall 13 Not So Unlucky

Moses and the #16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camery
NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Driver, Moses Smith really enjoys racing at Infineon Raceway. However, since switching over to NASCAR from the Open Wheel circuit in 2006, the twist and turns of the Sonoma Road Course has proven to be plagued with bad luck and unfortunate incidences. In the three K&N Pro Series West events he raced at Infineon, Smith recorded two 28th and one 29th place finishes.

The team arrived at the track determined to change that trend. Conversely, Friday’s practice was inundated with problems. While the team warmed up the engine of the #16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry, it blew. This sent them into action. Although they missed the first practice; the race car was in pit stall 13 for the start of the second practice. Unfortunately, a malfunction in the machine’s “kill switch” delayed the start of practice two for them.

With only four laps of practice, Moses qualified a respectable twentieth in the field of thirty-seven. Due to the engine change however, the #16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry was drop to the back of the field for unapproved adjustments.

“This team had a lot of issues to overcome,” Crew Chief Mario Isola reported. “I know that we will do well tomorrow.”

On Saturday at 12:28 p.m., the race engines fired up. With sixty-four laps of racing, Moses knew he had no time to waste in the back of the field. By lap thirteen, Smith had passed twenty-one competitors and was running in sixteenth position. Moses then pitted for fuel on lap twenty.

Moses continued to smoothly and patiently make his way through the pack and up to the front. With just two thirds of the race completed, he had worked himself into the top-ten. By lap 54 Moses was in sixth position fighting for fifth.

Unfortunately, a few laps later, the team noticed that the car was billowing smoke. They feared that the Infineon curse had struck again with just three laps remaining. Moses broke the stunned silence by reporting that his power steering pump went out and the race car was almost impossible to maneuver. “Man up!” Mario instructed.

Moses did what he could to remain competitive, but a couple of cars managed to pass him in the turns of Infineon. Moses took the white flag in eighth position. As he entered the last turn before the start/finish line, the #16 Hasa Pool Product’s Toyota Camry ran out of gas. As another car passed him, Moses just manage to coast across the finish line in ninth place before coming to a complete stop.

“I am real proud of the team and the hustle they put into the weekend. The cards were stacked against us, but none of us gave up and it showed.” Moses expressed.

Moses’ finish moved the team up one position in the championship points to the fifth place. The next event on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West schedule is the King Taco 200 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.) on July 3.

“Two good races in a row really helps boost my confidence for our race at Irwindale in two weeks . . . . looking forward to it.” Moses stated.

photo by Getty Images


M&M’S® Most Colorful Fans

M&M’S® POPULAR NASCAR CONTEST CELEBRATES COLORFUL FANDEMONIUM ON AND OFF THE TRACK

M&M’S® Most Colorful Fans™ of NASCAR® Contest Rewards Winning Fan with $10,000 and Ultimate Fan Recognition: a Display in the NASCAR Hall of FameTM

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. – Mars Chocolate North America fired up the engines for its third annual M&M’S® Most Colorful Fans™ of NASCAR® Contest, which is designed to celebrate and reward the sport’s most colorful fans. Building on Mars’ status as the official chocolate of NASCAR, the contest follows the release of M&M’S® new NASCAR.COM social community, which launched in February at www.NASCAR.com/mostcolorfulfans.

From May 31, 2010 through September 6, 2010, fans can enter M&M’S® Most Colorful Fans™ of NASCAR® Contest and showcase their unmatched love for the sport, favorite teams and drivers, by submitting their most colorful racing-themed photos to www.NASCAR.com/mostcolorfulfans.

All entries receive fifteen percent off a one-time purchase at the NASCAR.COM Superstore, including free shipping. Fans will then cast their vote to help choose weekly winners, as well as three finalists who will vie for the title of The Most Colorful Fan™ of NASCAR.



“M&M’S® Most Colorful Fans™ of NASCAR® Contest is unique because it’s 100 percent ‘fan generated,’” said Suzanne Beaudoin, vice president, Sponsorships and Sports Marketing, Mars Chocolate North America. “Everything from the weekly winners to the lucky fan who gets to be featured in the new NASCAR Hall of Fame is decided by the boss of NASCAR – the fans!”

Each week of the contest, the votes submitted on NASCAR.COM will be tabulated and the photo with the highest average rating and the minimum number of votes will be selected as that week’s winner and receive a $500 gift card. Fans can also participate in the instant-win game with one hundred (100) fifty dollar ($50.00) gift card instant-win prizes available.

As the elite of NASCAR drivers head into The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ the 14 weekly winners will compete head-to-head during the “Final Round.” At the end of the Final Round, three “Finalists” with the most fan votes will vie for the grand prize: a trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum, $10,000, and a featured display in the NASCAR Hall of FameTM for one year.

The 2009 contest winner, Cynthia Peace of Havana, Ill., bested thousands of other colorful NASCAR fans who participated in the contest and became the first fan honored in the NASCAR Hall of FameTM earlier in May. (click here for Cindi Peace's Story)

“NASCAR.COM has the ability to create, manage, and host, NASCAR initiatives that provide fan-friendly experiences while also delivering on client objectives,” said Walker Jacobs, senior vice president Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Ad Sales. “We’re pleased to extend our great partnership with M&M’S® on this fan-favorite contest and it’s a golden example of how a multi-year program can thrive and evolve naturally.”

Right Turn Ryan and Left Turn LindsayFans can also follow alongside Left Turn Lindsay and Right Turn Ryan, with at track behind-the-scene photos and videos starring fans at M&M’S® Most Colorful Fans Facebook page, and via Twitter at @mmscolorfulfans.

“The fans are a crucial component to what makes NASCAR successful,” said Jim O’Connell, vice president of Corporate Marketing for NASCAR. “M&M’S® ‘Most Colorful Fans™ of NASCAR®’ is a one-of-a-kind promotion which celebrates the creativity of our fans, and rewards them in a fun and memorable way.”

For more information about M&M’S® Most Colorful Fans™ of NASCAR® Contest, visit www.NASCAR.com/mostcolorfulfans.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Smith On The Right Road

Looking to translate past success at Infineon to West Series

 Moses Smith is focused behind the wheel.  Getty Images

Moses Smith’s track record at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma is pretty impressive. He was all but a lock to finish in the top five when he raced there in the Star Mazda Series. He raced in the Toyota Atlantic Series and Indy Lights on the 1.99-mile road course in Northern California with a relative amount of success.

Stock cars are a different story.

Smith will be making his fourth career NASCAR K&N Pro Series West start at Infineon Raceway in the Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200 on Saturday. When asked about his most memorable moment at Infineon Raceway, Smith said, “Any time I won there.”

“A win’s always good. It means typically you’re in a car that’s fun to drive,” said Smith, driver of the No. 16 Toyota for Bill McAnally Racing. “We used to run with the Indy cars or American Le Mans Series. It’s fun to show off in front of the big guys.”

Smith spent nine years of his career racing open-wheel cars before making the switch to stock cars. He won the Star Mazda West Coast championship in 2002 and was the Star Mazda West Coast rookie of the year in 2001.

He started driving for Bill McAnally Racing in 2006 and has made three starts in the West Series at Infineon Raceway.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Scott Speed and Nationwide Series driver Michael McDowell took the open-wheel route to stock cars. Smith raced against and beat both in the Star Mazda and Formula Mazda series. He said he would like the chance to race against them again in NASCAR at Infineon Raceway.

But winning a stock car race at Infineon Raceway has been challenging for Smith. He was 29th in last year’s West Series race in Sonoma after he was collected in a three-car crash on lap 55. His best finish at Infineon Raceway in the West Series has been 28th place. He’s had good cars for Sonoma, even led the race in his rookie season in 2006, but the same can’t be said for his luck.

Smith said he is coming off his best race of the season. He was fourth at Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Ore., two weeks ago. It was his first top-five finish of the season and his best finish since coming in eighth place in the West Series season opener at All American Speedway in Roseville.

“It definitely was our best race of the year,” Smith said. “We’ve had some tough luck, getting caught up on other people’s wrecks.”

Smith made a last-lap pass on his Bill McAnally Racing teammate Paulie Harraka at Douglas County Speedway to finish fourth. It was a clean pass, but he was worried how Harraka was going to react to it.

“We were just off the trailer fast and ready to go,” Smith said. “Toward the end there – it’s always tough when you’re racing a teammate. I pushed him along. All in all, it was a good run. We finished fourth. It was nice to finish up there and get our team back on track.”

Moses Smith is in his fourth full season in the the No. 16 HASA Pools Toyota for Bill McAnally Racing. Getty Images
Smith said he is hoping some of the momentum he built in Oregon will carry over to the race in Sonoma. The West Series race accompanies the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Infineon Raceway. The West Series race attracts some road-course specialists as well as some Cup drivers who are looking for some extra seat time.

Last year’s West Series race at Sonoma included Sprint Cup Series drivers Joey Logano and David Gilliland. Road-course veterans Boris Said and Patrick Long were also in the race.

Smith said because the West Series race attracts such a talented and diverse group of drivers, it will be tough to win. Gilliland and Said are entered in this year’s race. Because of his success in open-wheel cars at the track, Smith said a top-five finish is possible.

“My strength is road courses,” Smith said. “There still a blast to drive. I’m hoping my experience on road courses will play in my favor.”

Smith will get his chances to show off his road-racing skills in the West Series. Infineon Raceway is one of three road courses on the West Series schedule. He likes his chances of winning either the race at Portland International Raceway or Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.

The car his team is bringing to Infineon Raceway is an older one. It is a car Jim Inglebright tried to qualify for a Cup race at Sonoma in 2001. Smith said there will be other West Series teams with newer cars and more current equipment. But he also said his equipment might be a little better than the newer cars.

“My goal for Sonoma is to finish in the top five,” Smith said. “The other road courses, we have a better shot at going for the win. I’d like to finish in the top three in points. That’s something we’re digging at.”

By Tim Haddock June 18, 2010 - 12:46pm
Follow Tim Haddock on Twitter @thaddock and
at www.haddockinthepaddock.com

Photos by Getty Images

Moses Smith Continues Run
With the Blimpie Team

Blimpie and Moses at Miller Motorsports Park


Blimpie Is Off to the Races!


Moses Smith, driver of the #16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry will continue to introduce Blimpie, America's Sub Shop, to the exhilarating venue of NASCAR. Smith and Blimpie have decided to continue their marketing partnership for the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season.


In 2009, Smith finished 7th out of 72 entrants in the West Series, with 5 top 5 finishes and 9 top 10. At the end of year awards banquet Smith took home the Featherlite Most Improved Driver award and also received the NASCAR West Most Popular Driver award for the second year in a row.


Blimpie has been in business for forty-six years, selling the subs that America has grown to love and crave. "I have been a fan of Blimpie Sandwiches for some time now. There are a couple of great locations close to the MSR race shop and my house. The crew and I eat at Blimpie all the time and I am excited that I have the opportunity to introduce my favorite sandwich shop to NASCAR first hand", Smith stated. Moses Smith Racing and Blimpie are looking forward to a prosperous 2010 season in the K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR's top developmental series.



Our Deli Subs Made Us Famous T-Shirt Giveaway


You can win your own Blimpie "Our Deli Subs Made Us Famous" Black T-Shirt. Additionally, there will be fifteen consolation prizes of a Customer Appreciation Card worth $1.00 off any purchase of $5.00 or more.

Winning is easy. Below are the rules:

Giveaway Guidelines:

  1. Giveaway ends Wednesday, June 30, 2010. There will be four grand prize winners. The grand prize consists of a Black Blimpie T-Shirt and a Customer Appreciation Cards worth $1.00 off any purchase of $5.00 or more.

    There will be fifteen runner-up prizes consisting of a Customer Appreciation Cards worth $1.00 off any purchase of $5.00 or more.

  2. Main Entry – You must complete this entry in order for the extra entries to count. Go to www.blimpie.com ; then leave a comment on this post regarding a fact you learned about Blimpie - America Sub Shop (one time only).

    If your post is judged to be original and/or interesting - you could be awarded extra entries.

  3. Extra One-Time Entries

    • Follow Blimpie on twitter – @BlimpieSubShop and leave a comment on this post with your twitter name. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment with your twitter name. (one time only)

    • Follow Blimpie on Facebook and leave a comment on this post with your Facebook name. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment with your blog name. (one time only)

    • Follow Moses on twitter – @MosesSmith16 and leave a comment on this post with your twitter name. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment with your twitter name. (one time only)

    • Follow Moses on Facebook and leave a comment on this post with your Facebook name. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment with your blog name. (one time only)

    • Follow the NASCAR Race Mom blog and leave a comment on this post with your blog name. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment with your blog name. (one time only)

  4. You can earn three extra entries per day:

    • Visit the Blimpie Facebook Page and leave a comment on their wall. Copy and Paste your Facebook comment in a comment on this post.

    • Visit Moses' Facebook Page and leave a comment on his wall. Copy and Paste your Facebook comment in a comment on this post.

    •Tweet using the words “ Win a free T-Shirt from Blimpie - America Sub Shop; Easy to enter http://tinyurl.com/2wsqfls @BlimpieSubShop @mosessmith16 #nascar #contest ” , then come back to this post and comment leaving the link to your tweet (once per day)



*** Important - Each entry must be left in a separate comment.

***Off topic – generic comments (such as “hope I win”) will be disqualified from the competition.

Additionally,
  1. Make sure there is a way for NRM to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger, you may leave it in your comment. NRM hates to have to disqualify a potential winner because there is not a way to contact that winner – I will need your email address to contact you, should you be the winner.
  2. The winner will be chosen by Random.org.
  3. The winner will be announced on this post and be notified by email; if the winner does not respond WITHIN 7 DAYS, another winner will be chosen.
  4. NASCAR Race Mom not responsible for missing or incorrect contact information.

Best of Luck to all contest participants.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

At the Track - Thunder Valley Casino Resort "200"

Tweeting The Thunder Valley Casino Resort "200" Race at Infineon Raceway

As in the past, the ‘At the Track’ segment will be blogging all the pre-race activities of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race.

******* NASCAR Race Mom will also be tweeting Moses’ Race, green flag to checkered!

You can follow the action on twitter by following @MosesRace.

You can also read the updates on the live blog above.

If you want to participate in the action:

  1. Leave a tweet using the #MosesRace hashtag. Your tweet will automatically be posted to the live blog also. Tweets will appear in the live blog almost immediately.

    Tweet any questions you have to @MosesRace.. (Please do not leave a dm - it is usually too dark at the track to switch back and forth.)

  2. You can also leave a post in the comment box located at the bottom of the live blog. (However tweeting is much faster)

Important – when NASCAR Race Mom signs off the blog - please feel free to leave any comments and questions while we are gone - NRM will see them as soon as we log back in. If you are a first time user, your input might not appear on this blog until we return and approve them. However, rest assured that they will be saved and answered.

NASCAR Race Mom will be checking for activity on this Blog frequently!

If you are not familiar with Twitter, click here for a cheat sheet.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

M&M’s Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR

My Friend Is Featured In The NASCAR Hall Of Fame


You can imagine my pleasure when I learned that my friend, Cindi Peace was selected as the 2009 M&M’s Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR. For the contest, she entered a photo of herself in front of a Petty racecar. Kyle Petty is one of her favorite NASCAR celebrities. To win, Ms. Peace first had to win a weekly round, to be sent to the finals. In the finals, her photo had to survive each additional round. In the end, Cindi’s photo was chosen by fan vote to be the M&M’s Most Colorful Fan of NASCAR.

Of course, you know that I voted for her and it was really neat being able to share her progress via her updates. Below is our interview regarding her “once in a lifetime” NASCAR Experience.

NASCAR Race Mom: Please tell us a bit about yourself?

Cindi Peace: I live in a rural farming community in central Illinois with my husband of 21 years, Bobby, and our 16-year-old daughter, Kelsey. I work for the local park district as a groundskeeper at our city's cemetery.

I've been a NASCAR fan for about 10 years and have been a Kyle Petty fan for at least 9 of those, until he retired. I now root for a lot of different drivers but if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Kevin Harvick.

NASCAR Race Mom: What was your first NASCAR Experience?

Cindi Peace: The first race we attended was a Busch (now Nationwide) series race at Gateway in 2004 and our first Cup race was the Daytona 500 in 2006.

NASCAR Race Mom: How did you earn your way into the NASCAR Hall Of Fame?

Cindi Peace: Amazingly, I won the M&M's NASCAR's Most Colorful Fan Contest. I submitted a photo, got friends & family to vote like mad for me and couldn't believe it when I kept making it through the weekly rounds to end up one of 3 finalists. Then it was up to the judges to decide the winner & for some crazy reason they chose me! There were so many creative and what I thought were more "colorful" photos submitted than mine so I was truly shocked to win.

NASCAR Race Mom: What was your favorite part of your NASCAR Hall Of Fame experience?

Cindi Peace: That's a hard question to answer....it was all such a blast! Meeting Junior Johnson was such an honor. Being included in the Hall of Fame is an honor as well, and one I don't feel I deserve. Touring Joe Gibbs Racing and getting to see all the behind-the-scenes parts of a race shop that most people never get to see was incredible. Also amazed at being able to tour NASCAR's Research & Development shop. Lots of fun seeing how they inspect the cars as well as test the safety equipment. We met so many wonderful people and they all treated us like royalty so I'd have to say the people were my very favorite part even though the entire experience was amazing. Thanks for letting me share my experience!


Tuesday, June 15, 2010

At Home on the Road-Courses

“I’m really looking forward to racing at Infineon,” said veteran NASCAR K&N Pro Series driver Moses Smith. He will be piloting the No. 16 Hasa Pool Products/White Flyer Toyota Camry thru the turns of Infineon Raceway for Bill McAnally Racing. The Thunder Valley Casino “200” will kick off the NASCAR Sprint Cup Weekend beginning on June 19th.

“I feel most at home on the road courses,” continued Smith who is a former champion in the Star Mazda Series and counts Infineon Raceway as one of his favorite tracks.

“We’re looking to keep building momentum and move up in points.” Smith is currently sixth in the chase and only 44 points out of the top three.

His day ended early last year when he was collected coming to the green flag restart on the final turn of the 10-turn road course of Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California at lap 55. This will be the fourth visit to Infineon for Smith in the West Series.

The Thunder Valley Casino Resort “200” can be seen on Thursday, June 24th on SPEED Channel at 3 pm PST.




For information please log on to www.infineonraceway.com.

For more information on Bill McAnally Racing and the No. 16 Hasa Toyota team, please visit our website at www.billmcanallyracing.com.


For more information on Moses Smith, please visit www.mosessmith.com. You can visit our sponsors’ websites at www.hasapool.com, www.whiteflyer.com, www.blimpie.com and www.tcitransportation.com. Become a fan of Moses Smith on Facebook and you can now follow him on Twitter.

by Kaye Reshaw

Infineon Entry List

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West
Infineon 6/19/10 Entry List


CAR
DRIVER CREW CHIEF
1
0
Paul Pedroncelli Jr. Paul Pedroncelli
2
1
Jim Inglebright Rodney Haygood
3
2
Daryl Harr Jeff Wernham
4
3
Wes Banks Scott Griffith
5
4
Dennis Dyer Bob Farmer
6
5
Johnathan Hale Lyn Hale
7
6
Luis Martinez Jr.* Bill Sedgwick
8
7
Greg Rayl * David Fanning
9
8
Brad Lloyd Dave Lloyd
10
9
Josh Combs *
11
10
Brandon Davis
12
11
Auggie Vidovich
13
12
Paulie Harraka Duane Knorr
14
13
Todd Souza * Michael Munoz
15
14
Travis Milburn * Mike Holleran
16
15
Jack Sellers Charlie Silva
17
16
Moses Smith Mario Isola
18
17
David Mayhew Terry Henry
19
19
Tony Toste Allen Montes
20
20
Eric Holmes Matt Goslant
21
21
Blake Koch Steve Portenga
22
22
Jonathon Gomez Steve Graham
23
26
Greg Pursley Jerry Pitts
24
31
Jason Bowles Ty Joiner
25
33
Brian Jackson Ed O'Hayre
26
35
Andrew Ranger
27
38
Troy Ermish * Brian Boell
28
45
David Gilliland
29
57
Boris Said
30
60
Rick Boysal Aaron Brown
31
65
Stan Silva Jr. Shaun Capener
32
74
Scott Ivie
33
81
Garland Self Chris Drysdale
34
82
John Davis Craig Inman
35
84
Mattias Ekstrom Randy Cox
36
86
Tom Dyer
37
88
Michael Self* Mike Naake
38
89
Brian Wong Dave McCarty

*Series Rookies

Monday, June 14, 2010

Sacramento's NASCAR Day


On Saturday, June 12, the 6th annual NASCAR Day in Sacramento returned to the State Capitol. In just five years, this has developed into one of the biggest celebrations leading up to the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at Infineon Raceway, June 18-20 (Father’s Day weekend). The day was highlighted by a drive of NASCAR stock cars around the streets of Sacramento under a full police escort, winding its way to the State Capitol, site of the festival.


Moses Smith, the 2008/2009 NASCAR Most Popular Driver for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West represented his series by displaying the #16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry at the event. Moses was also on hand to chat with the fans and sign autographs.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will be racing their Thunder Valley Casino Resort "200" the day before the Sprint Cup race. Qualifying will be held at 1:50 p.m. on Friday, with the race starting at 12:30 on Sunday.


Saturday, June 12, 2010

It is a really fast car!
Needs a good driver!

Young San Diego County fan, Johnathan shows off his Lego Racecar. Johnathan named Moses as his driver. “It is a really fast car! Needs a good driver!"

Moses Smith #16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry was raised in San Diego County and is a graduate of Escondido High School.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West will visit the Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, California on July 3rd for what has become a big Fourth of July holiday attraction for Southern California race fans.

In addition to a fantastic race, attendees will be treated to a spectacular fireworks show! There will be an “On-track Autograph Session” at 5:45 p.m.; the first race is scheduled to take the green flag at 7:00 p.m. For tickets, click here.

Johnathan pretending to drive like Moses.

Photos by Momma Chandra

Friday, June 11, 2010

NASCAR’s 2009 Most Popular Drivers

Part 3 - NASCAR Whelen Southern
Modified Tour - Andy Seuss

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour (WSMT) is a stock car racing series owned by NASCAR and operated in the Southeastern United States as part of its Modified Division.

The Whelen Southern Modified Tour uses nearly identical rules as its northeastern-based counterpart the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

The races from Charlotte, Atlanta, Bowman-Gray and Bristol will be televised on Versus this year. Andy Seuss was voted the NASCAR Most Popular Driver for the series in 2009.



Interview with Andy Seuss:

NASCAR Race Mom: Thank you for taking the time to let us know a bit more about yourself. My first question is 'What does winning the NASCAR Most Popular Driver award mean to you?'

Andy Seuss: Winning the most popular driver was actually quite a shock. I didn’t even have my jacket on at the banquet when they called my name. I really didn’t expect it because I’m from the north and figured the rest of the drivers are down there all week and see more people that way. But I do try to make the most out of every opportunity when I do get to meet fans. It was quite an honor for two reasons.

First is the fact that not too long ago, I was an eight year old kid, dying to meet the drivers at my local track. A few years ago when we were having a pit party at the local track where I grew up, Star Speedway; I had a moment when I literally got chills because a little kid told me I was his favorite driver. All I could think about was I was on that side of the fence just a few years prior. For that reason I wanted to give everyone I met the time and respect I really wanted when I was meeting drivers. So I do try to take as much time as I can with each fan I meet.

The second reason it means so much to me is because everyone got one vote. So I didn’t make it on enough people's top three list. I had the most fans that voted me their Favorite. I know this year will be tougher to win it again, with the popularity of some of my competitors through the show “Madhouse,” but I still give everyone I can the respect and time I would have wanted when I was, and still am, meeting my heroes.

NASCAR Race Mom: How has your 2010 season been going?

Andy Seuss : This season has been going really well, already highlighted with a win at Caraway. We probably would have won at South Boston if we hadn’t gotten spun out of the lead. We did come back to finish 3rd though and that puts us second in points.

*****

As of June 11, 2010, Andy Seuss is second in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour Championship points. The last race he was referring to was held on April 3rd, at the South Boston 150 at the South Boston Speedway. Seuss recovered from an early-race accident that took him out of the lead to finish third.

The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour will be visiting the Caraway Speedway on July 2nd.

Seuss' Career Highlights:
  • Finished second in points in 2009 with four wins and 10 top-five finishes in 14 races.
  • Ran entire NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour schedule for the first time in 2008.
  • Collected first career NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour win at Music City in 2007.
WINS: 6 - Music City (4/1/07); Ace (4/11/08); South Boston (4/4/09); Lanier National (4/18/09); Myrtle Beach (9/5/09); Caraway (9/19/09)

POLES: 2 - Ace (4/11/08); Caraway (7/3/09)

You can connect with Andy Seuss on Facebook by clicking here.

Moses Smith Races in Roseburg

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Another Top–Five Finish


"Come on, Come on,” was what Moses Smith heard from his spotter/crew chief Mario Isola throughout the 150-laps race at Douglas County Speedway. With that encouragement Smith piloted the No. 16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry to a fourth place finish in the TOYOTA/NAPA AUTO PARTS Bonus Challenge "150" in Roseburg, Oregon.

The No. 16 Hasa Toyota from Bill McAnally Racing was looking great on the track posting a fourth and a sixth position on the timing charts during the first and second practices. Smith would put the entry from Hasa inside of the third row to start the race.


“The Hasa car was good all day,” said Smith. “Hopefully this will be a start for us to gain the momentum we need to move to the front in the chase for the championship. A good finish is what the team and I needed.”


With a little over 65 laps to go, Smith found himself in the mud in turn two after another competitor turned Smith around. (Oregon had record rain the week before the race event.) Smith lost a few positions but recovered quickly and within 15 laps was back up to sixth.


“Mario (Isola) usually talks to me during the race when he’s wearing his crew chief hat. This race he was also my spotter. His pep talks really helped me keep focused. ‘Come on, come on’ he said and I would respond the same. ‘Sixty-Five laps to go… that’s one position every ten laps’”, laughed Smith.


“This track is difficult to pass on. As my tires got more and more laps on them, the car just kept getting better and better. When it came to the last few laps, it was time to go after it. Our car was faster than the car in front of us so we charged hard for the checkered flag.”


Before the race, Smith signed autographs for the fans and the over 300 Hasa VIPs in Hasa Hospitality.


The TOYOTA/NAPA AUTO PARTS Bonus Challenge "150"can be seen on Thursday June 17th on SPEED Channel 3 pm PST. It was the second event of the five race Bonus Challenge Series in which teams competing in the five events are eligible in sharing in more than $100,000 in bonus money being offered by Toyota and NAPA.


Smith is currently sixth in the chase and only 44 points out of the top three. The next race will be the Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. on June 19th. For information please log on to www.infineonraceway.com.


For more information on Bill McAnally Racing and the No. 16 Hasa Toyota team, please visit our website at www.billmcanallyracing.com.


For more information on Moses Smith, please visit www.mosessmith.com. You can visit our sponsors’ websites at www.hasapool.com, www.whiteflyer.com, www.blimpie.com and www.tcitransportation.com. Become a fan of Moses Smith on Facebook and you can now follow him on Twitter.

by Kaye Reshaw

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

NASCAR K&N Pro Series Year-End Banquets to be held In Charlotte

Crown Ballroom at NASCAR Hall of Fame
To Host 2010 Weekly & Touring Banquets


The newly opened NASCAR Hall of Fame will be the site of the 2010
NASCAR Developmental Series postseason awards banquets. ( Getty Images)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced today it will celebrate the top short-track drivers from throughout North America with end of the season awards banquets Dec. 10-11.

NASCAR will return to Charlotte with a special week of activities culminating with the 2010 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet on Friday, Dec. 10 and the NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards Gala on Saturday, Dec. 11. The banquets will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center's Crown Ballroom in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Fans throughout the U.S. and Canada, and around the globe, will again be able to watch the festivities from both nights via a live webcast on nascarhometracks.com.

“With the recent opening of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, this is a tremendous opportunity to honor the top drivers throughout NASCAR’s developmental series in a most appropriate setting: the showcase of our sport’s history,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR managing director of racing operations.

“The week-long schedule of special activities for our champions, track promoters and industry members will put the spotlight on the important series and tracks that make up NASCAR’s foundation. They will get a chance to tour the Hall of Fame complex and get a first-hand insight into the sport's evolution. We are especially pleased to be able to bring the events from both nights to fans everywhere – who have followed their favorite drivers all season at their favorite tracks – through the NASCAR Home Tracks website.”

In addition to the new NASCAR Hall of Fame complex, the region is the home of the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C., as well as a majority of today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams.

The NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Awards Banquet will feature the top drivers from NASCAR-sanctioned short tracks across the United States and Canada. Invited attendees will include the 2010 NASCAR national champion, U.S. state and Canadian provincial champions, track champions, the national/state/provincial rookies of the year, top NASCAR Finalist Recognition Program honorees, the 2010 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award winner and many others.

The NASCAR Night of Champions Touring Awards Gala will feature the series champions and top drivers from NASCAR’s regional touring series including invitees from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1. Today, drivers from many of these key regional touring series are thrilling fans in each of NASCAR’s three national series.

The Westin Charlotte will be the host hotel for both awards banquets.

Official NASCAR.com Release
June 8, 2010 - 12:00pm

Monday, June 7, 2010

Moses Battles For a Fourth


Although the threat of rain loomed dangerously on race day; the mood in the number 16 hauler was sunny. Although the team had suffered from a troubled start to the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series season, they were optimistic that their streak of bad luck had concluded.

After two productive practice sessions, Moses qualified the #16 Hasa Pool Products on the preferred inside lane on the third row. Unfortunately, at the drop of the green flag, the inside line was held up and Moses was force to drop down to sixth place on the first lap.

"We wanted to qualify better, but knew we had a stronger race car than a qualifier. At least we were able to start on the inside." Moses stated.

The #16 Hasa Pool Product Toyota Camry demonstrated its strength and Moses remained in sixth position even though he had to restart several times from the outside lane.

Then on lap 96 of the 150-lap race, the car ahead of Moses spun. While Moses was able to avoid contact with the spinning race car, the car behind him ran into the # 16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry; forcing Smith to spin into the infield.

The rainstorms that pummeled Southern Oregon mid-week had turned the infield into a bog. “I almost hit the inside guard rail. After avoiding that, I really had to dig to get back out on the track before the leader put me a lap down.” Moses recalled.

On the restart NASCAR put Moses to the end of the field, even though he was not the cause of the yellow, but was merely avoiding another competitor's mess. Fortunately it only took Moses a few laps to move through the field.

With two thirds of the race completed, Moses focused on returning to the front in a hurry. Four caution flags assisted Moses’ advance forward. He restarted the race on lap 135 from the fifth position.

With fifteen laps to go Moses concentrated on passing his teammate in the 12 car. The battle for fourth place continued until the white flag lap, when Smith managed to slipped by his teammate, for fourth, Moses’ first top-five of the 2010 season.

“It was a great finish for the #16 Team, and a well needed one. We really needed to break our ‘not so good’ streak… The team really kicked butt this weekend. We are all looking forward to getting to the road course at Infineon in a couple of weeks.” Moses reported.

The Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge 150 will air on SPEED on Thursday, June 17 at 6 p.m. ET.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West returns to action on Saturday, June 19 in the Thunder Valley Casino Resort 200 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

NASCAR K&N PRO SERIES WEST-TOYOTA/NAPA Auto Parts BONUS CHALLENGE
Quick Facts
Douglas County Speedway
Roseburg, OR

Lap length: 0.375 miles
Time of Race: 59 minutes 48 seconds
Caution Flags: 6 for 45 laps

Unofficial Standings: 1. D. Mayhew, 685; 2. E. Holmes, 643; 3. G. Pursley, 582; 4. J. Gomez, 563; 5. J. Combs, 545; 6. M. Smith, 538; 7. B. Koch, 537; 8. P. Harraka, 530; 9. T. Souza, 519; 10. L. Martinez,Jr., 511.

photo by Steve Dykes
Getty for NASCAR

Saturday, June 5, 2010

At The Track - Douglas County Speedway

Practice Lap - Douglas County Speedway

Moses Smith #16

NASCAR K&N Pro Series - Practice 1

NASCAR K&N Pro Series - Practice 1

1. David Mayhew 15.552
2. Eric Holmes 15.626
3. Paulie Harraka 15.630
4. Moses Smith 16.635
5. Greg Pursley 15.684
6. Jonathon Gomez 15.693
7. Michael Self 15.797
8. Jonathan Hale 15.835
9. Blake Koch 15.857
10. Josh Combs 15.950
11. Troy Ermish 16.026
12. Luis Martinez, Jr. 16.054
13. Todd Souza 16.155
14. Travis Milburn 16.202
15. Justin Funkhouser 16.268
16. West Banks 16.301
17. Greg Rayl 16.442
18. Rodd Kneeland 16.470
19. Jack Sellers 16.615

Mario's Got My Back

Heh Blake


Heh Kathy

From The Pits - Douglas County Speedway

Tweeting The Douglas County Speedway
Race In Roseburg, Oregon

As in the past, the ‘At the Track’ segment will be blogging all the pre-race activities of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Race.

******* NASCAR Race Mom will also be tweeting Moses’ Race, green flag to checkered!

You can follow the action on twitter by following @MosesRace.

You can also read the updates on the live blog above.

If you want to participate in the action:

  1. Leave a tweet using the #MosesRace hashtag. Your tweet will automatically be posted to the live blog also. Tweets will appear in the live blog almost immediately.

    Tweet any questions you have to @MosesRace.. (Please do not leave a dm - it is usually too dark at the track to switch back and forth.)

  2. You can also leave a post in the comment box located at the bottom of the live blog. (However tweeting is much faster)

Important – when NASCAR Race Mom signs off the blog - please feel free to leave any comments and questions while we are gone - NRM will see them as soon as we log back in. If you are a first time user, your input might not appear on this blog until we return and approve them. However, rest assured that they will be saved and answered.

NASCAR Race Mom will be checking for activity on this Blog frequently!

If you are not familiar with Twitter, click here for a cheat sheet.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

NKNPS West Roseburg 6/5/10 Entry List


CAR DRIVER CREW CHIEF
1
3
Wes Banks Scott Griffith
2
6
Luis Martinez, Jr. * Bill Sedgwick
3
7
Greg Rayl * David Fanning
4
9
Josh Combs * Bob Johns
5
12
Paulie Harraka Duane Knorr
6
13
Todd Souza * Michael Munoz
7
14
Travis Milburn * Mike Roos
8
15
Jack Sellers Charlie Silva
9
16
Moses Smith Mario Isola
10
17
David Mayhew Terry Henry
11
20
Eric Holmes Matt Goslant
12
21
Blake Koch Steve Portenga
13
22
Jonathon Gomez Steve Graham
14
26
Greg Pursley Jerry Pitts
15
38
Troy Ermish * Brian Boell
16
60
Taylor Barton * Aaron Brown
17
88
Michael Self * Mike Naake
18
90
Toni Marie McCray TBA
19
98
Rodd Kneeland TBA


*Denotes Series Rookie

NASCAR’s 2009 Most Popular Drivers

Part 2 - NASCAR Corona Series - Jorge Arteaga

The NASCAR Corona Series (formerly NASCAR Mexico Corona Series) is the most important stock car racing series in Mexico. In 2007, NASCAR became the sanctioning body of the series. Jorge Arteaga was voted the NASCAR Most Popular Driver for the series in 2009.

Interview with Jorge Arteaga:

NASCAR Race Mom: Thank you for taking the time to let us know a bit more about yourself and your series. What does winning the NASCAR Most Popular Driver award mean to you?

Jorge Arteaga: Winning the NASCAR Corona Series most popular driver last year means a lot to me. It was only my second season racing in NASCAR and to be honest it came as a complete surprise. I was never the fastest runner or the strongest child in school but I followed my passion of racing and became a driver in Mexico's biggest racing series. To win this award, voted for by the public made me think that I made the right choice in my career and they support what I am doing.

I love racing, the adrenaline, the passion and the engineering, but I also feel like part of my responsibility of being able to race and be an icon to people is to lead by example. This is why I have set up the Equipo Nutricion (Nutrition Team) to help those in Mexico who need it. Mexico has various problems with nutrition, all affecting the body and mind in different ways. Not only do I donate 12 tonnes of food after each race to those who need it but I give them a talk about the importance of eating a balanced diet (believe it or not it's cheaper to buy prepared junk food here than to make a healthy meal) and show them simple ways of cooking healthy meals. We also have a problem with obesity, especially in children, so I am also visiting schools to teach children in an informal and exciting way about eating healthily.

Returning back to answer the question, the reason I’m so proud to be the most popular driver in Mexico is because I feel like my campaign to help improve Mexico little-by-little is being recognized, the next step is to get more fans to join me in my actions so we can really make a difference in Mexico.

NASCAR Race Mom: How has your 2010 season been going?

Jorge Arteaga : My 2010 season so far has been a rollercoaster, statistically it's been my best start to a season but I have been struck with a lot of bad luck. I started with a top ten finish, but that was after a refueling miscalculation that meant I ran out of fuel and had to make another refueling stop with just two laps to go. The car felt stronger than before . . . I was really confident for the season, but the second race was a disaster.

I was shunted from behind before I even got to the first corner and my car was badly damaged. After hard work from my team, 30 laps later I re-entered the race and stayed focused to earn some points for the race.

Race three was problematic because I had fuel cell problems which led to poor performance exiting corners and overheating but I managed to hold on for my second top ten of the season. Unfortunately for the fourth race we fixed the fuel cell problem but it lead to another problem with my car overheating and I had to retire 2/3 into the race.

I always take time to get going in the season and I’m sure I must have used up all my bad luck for this season already, so I’m confident that with my team behind me I’ll be back battling for the podium in no time.


As of May 22, 2010, Jorge Arteaga is eighteenth in the NASCAR Corona Series Championship points. His last race, “The Pennzoil 200 at Autódromo de Chiapas” was the first night race in the series history. The event drew 25,000 fans, including Juan Sabienes Guerrero, the Governor of the state of Chiapas. More than 50 portable lights were brought in to light pit road and the track.

The NASCAR Corona Series will be visiting Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on June 6, 2010 for race five of the fourteen race schedule. NASCAR Race Mom will be rooting for the NASCAR Corona Series Most Popular Driver, Jorge Arteaga!

NASCAR Race Mom wishes that she could attend - it promises to be an exciting NASCAR event.

You can connect with Jorge Arteaga on Facebook by clicking here.