Harraka joins TriStar Motorsports (#nascar)

Paula Harraka has joined the driver stable of NASCAR Nationwide Series team TriStar Motorsports and will make his debut with the team on May 31 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. He'll be driving the No. 44 Toyota.

"Dover is about as close to home as it gets for me, so there's no better place to make my debut with TriStar Motorsports," Harraka said. "We have dedicated a lot of time to put this all together, and we want to make the most of it. I'm excited to be working with Mark, Greg and the entire team and can't wait to hit the race track."

Harraka participated in NASCAR Drive for Diversity program and has four previous Nationwide Series starts. The most recent of those starts came last season at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. He also has 11 starts to his credit in the Camping World Truck Series and a single start at the Sprint Cup level.*

Harraka competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West for two full seasons, winning three times -- twice in 2009 and again in 2010. He finished in the top-five of the series championship standings both those years. 

Harraka's #44 Buckle Up paint scheme.

Harraka's Twitter Id @paulieharraka

source

*

Harraka’s only Sprint Cup Start came in 2013 at Sonoma, California in the #52 Hasa Pool Product Ford.  Unfortunately the debut prove a tad embarrassing. Harraka didn’t even wait to make the “rookie” mistake on the race track; he plowed into the rear of a competitor’s stopped car – while both cars were still on pit road, waiting to roll out onto the track for the two parade laps prior to the start of the race!  Harraka finished 39th in the race - 21 laps off the lead lap.

A New Height Awaits Racer Harraka

De-boarding a plane in Houston and racing to catch a tram to board another jet might wear out some travelers and leave others grumpy — but not Paulie Harraka.

The Duke University graduate had a tank full of high-octane adrenaline Monday afternoon as he discussed what could and should be one of the biggest weekends of his young racing life.

For starters, Harraka and team owner Bill McAnally of Roseville are doing their version of getting the band back together. Harraka will race a McAnally car in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Carneros 200 on Saturday at Sonoma Raceway. For seconds, Harraka hopes to take the green flag in his first NASCAR Sprint Cup start Sunday in the Toyota/Save Mart 350.

“It’s a huge step forward,” Harraka said. “It really is a cool mix.”

Harraka won 11 Late Model races and the 2008 championship driving for BMR at All American Speedway in Roseville in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. He took three checkered flags for BMR in two years of Pro Series West action. Harraka placed second in Sonoma in 2010 and “led some laps” in 2011 before an issue took the car out of contention.

“We have different objectives on each side, and I believe it will go well,” Harraka said energetically, adding that for Pro Series West, “We have one goal and one goal only, and that’s to win the damn race. All the times I ran at Sonoma for Bill, I always loved that racetrack.”

Harraka will drive the No. 20 Crackle Toyota Camry, which he described as “a bad-ass looking black car with flames,” in the Pro Series West race, and his pit crew will include several former team members from his days with BMR.

His Sprint Cup car will be the No. 52 HASA Pool Products Ford Fusion. Go Green Racing owner Archie St. Hilaire called Harraka with an offer to run the Roush Fenway Racing ride at Sonoma.

“I said, ‘Hell yeah,’ ” Harraka said. “That would be a fun thing to do. We were able to get it together, and here we are.”

Harraka spent the first half of the 2012 season in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series and the second half in the Nationwide Series.

His one Nationwide start this season began with a good run and ended with a fuel line coming loose — “I went into turn 1 at 185 (mph) and smelled smoke, and by the time I got to the exit of turn 2, there was fire,” said Harraka, who will turn to five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and 22-time race winner Denny Hamlin for advice leading up to his Cup debut.

“I have a tremendous amount to learn. That’s a big challenge,” Harraka said. “Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson are good friends of mine. I’m going to lean on them a lot.”

Source

K&N Pro Series West Graduate Paulie Harraka Captures Duke Diploma

While most of his classmates will look for work following their graduation from Duke University, Paulie Harraka will continue his full-time job in NASCAR, one that he started even before his enrollment. 

Harraka – who pilots the No. 5 Wauters Motorsports Ford in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series - will graduate with a degree in Markets and Managements on Sunday, May 13 at Wallace Wade Stadium. 

"Graduating from Duke is an amazing milestone in my life. It's taken a lot of hard work, but I'd do it all again if I had the chance," said Harraka. 

The New Jersey native will return to the track on Friday, May18 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the N.C. Education Lottery 200. He sits 20th in the series championship standings.

Congratulations Paul - what an awesome Mother's Day Gift!

Rookie Paulie Harraka Supports “Send A Soldier To The Rock”

Camping World Truck Series Rookie contender, Paul Harraka and his team announced that they will carry the colors of Rockingham’s “Send A Soldier To The Rock” initiative on their Richie Wauters’ No. 5 Ford.

Read more - Click here

Paulie HarrakaTemporary Tattoo For A Sporting Edge

Paulie Harraka, driver of the #5 Wauters Motorsports Ford,
at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 24, 2012 in
Daytona Beach, Florida. (Jared C. Tilton/AFP)

Hydration is incredibly important. In sport dehydration can affect your performance and decision making abilities but by the time you get thirsty you're already dehydrated. This Saturday, NASCAR racer Paulie Harraka* will be using a device based on John Rogers work at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign to monitor his hydration levels as he races.

Rogers' device is an extension of his work presented in his Science paper last year, and consists of a 'temporary tattoo' of flexible electronics in direct contact with the skin. He gave the update on his work to delegates at the American Chemical Society annual meeting in San Diego, US.

The device on Harraka will be used to monitor hydration, temperature and physical strain during the race. However, Rogers says that his epidermal electronics can be used for much more, such as measuring skin hydration for the cosmetics industry or even, a bit further down the line, controlling an external device like a prosthetic limb by tracking muscle movements.

Rogers' electronic tattoos could one day
be used to control prosthetic limbs

*Paulie Harraka is the driver of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series #5 Wauters Motorsports Ford. He is a K&N Pro Series West Alumni.

Click Here to read the complete article.

**NASCAR hasn't approved a working model of the new MC10 skin for a race.

Paulie Harraka Teams with Venturini Motorsports for Daytona

Duke University honor student and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Paulie Harraka will join Venturini Motorsports for a single-race effort in the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season opener at Daytona International Speedway on February 18.

"I'm excited to be competing in the ARCA race at Daytona with Venturini Motorsports," Harraka said. "Daytona International Speedway is certainly the hallowed grounds of motorsports, and I've looked at the high banks there in awe for years. To have the opportunity to compete for the first time on those high banks, and to be doing it with this team, is extremely exciting for me."

Harraka, a former NASCAR Drive for Diversity driver, will be a part of Venturini's five-team effort at Daytona, piloting the No. 55 Venturini Motorsports Toyota.

In addition to competing in the ARCA opener at Daytona, Harraka has teamed with veteran NASCAR crew chief Richie Wauters and will compete for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year title with newly formed Wauters Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

As a senior at Duke University, Harraka is not your typical college student. The 22-year-old from Wayne, N.J. is an overachiever in every sense of the term.

During his collegiate career, Harraka has won countless NASCAR races while juggling a full load of academic studies; focusing on engineering, sports psychology, leadership, and business. He's also interned at Joe Gibbs Racing in their research and development division, as well as interning in corporate marketing at NASCAR's New York office.

Harraka is a past champion in NASCAR's Whelen All-American Series, and has posted two different NASCAR Rookie of the Year titles: NASCAR Whelen All American Series and NASCAR Camping World Series West (now K&N Pro Series West). Most recently, Harraka posted three victories in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

Beyond his racing and academic focus, Harraka is a celebrity ambassador for Childhelp, a national nonprofit that works with abused, neglected, and at-risk children. There's no wonder Harraka has been featured on everything from ESPN and Sports Illustrated to Fox News and The New York Times.

Practice for the season-opening race starts on Thursday, February 16, while Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is Friday, February 17, at 2 p.m. The race, scheduled to be televised live by SPEED, is Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

From Team Release

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

NASCAR Day Ready To Bowl In Iowa

K&N Pro Series Drivers and Iowa Speedway To Team With The NASCAR Foundation For Special Fan Event On May 21

The Bass Pro Shops in Altoona, Iowa,

has its own bowling alley. (basspro.com)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR and Iowa Speedway, in conjunction with The NASCAR Foundation, will hold a special NASCAR Day Bowling Challenge on Friday, May 21. The event, which will pit fans, media and the top drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, will take place at the newly opened Bass Pro Shops in Altoona, Iowa.

“We are looking forward to a little friendly rivalry with the stars from NASCAR’s K&N Pro Series, members of the Iowa media and, of course, the wonderful Iowa Speedway race fans,” said Craig Armstrong, Vice President of Promotions and Communications for the Newton oval track. “Bass Pro Shops in Altoona offered to host us in their great new bowling facility, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate NASCAR Day than having fun with the friends of NASCAR.”

The NASCAR Day Bowling Challenge will run from 7-9 p.m. and is a perfect opportunity for fans to meet the drivers up close prior to the running of the Goodyear Dealers of Iowa 200 at Iowa Speedway in Newton on Sunday, May 23. The fourth annual combination race between the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West – the top step in NASCAR’s developmental ladder to its national series – has quickly become a signature event on the series’ racing calendar.

NASCAR Day is celebrating its seventh year. Annually celebrated on the third Friday in May, NASCAR Day is a charitable celebration of the NASCAR spirit that enables fans and partners to join together to make a difference in the lives of children. NASCAR Day encourages fans to make a $5 donation for a collectible lapel pin which in turn will support programs that help children live happier, healthier lives.

Pins are currently available at Bass Pro Shops locations throughout the United States.

“We are so excited to have Bass Pro Shops on board as a retail partner for our NASCAR Day program this year,” said Sandy Marshall, executive director of The NASCAR Foundation. “The NASCAR Day Bowling Challenge will be a great way for area fans to come out and celebrate NASCAR Day on May 21.”

The NASCAR Day Bowling Challenge is free and open to the public.

Both series points leaders, Cole Whitt in the East and Greg Pursley in the West, will be on hand to take part in the bowling face-off, which will take place following the driver meet-and-greet and will feature six teams each comprised of two drivers, a media member, and a race fan. Fans will have a chance to win one of five spots online at www.iowaspeedway.com. The final fan will be selected from those in attendance at the event Friday evening.

Whitt, a former USAC open-wheel standout, will be joined on the East teams by fellow 18-year-old Ty Dillon, the grandson of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car owner Richard Childress; Matt Kobyluck, 2008 series champion and two-time NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown winner; Zach Germain, son of NASCAR national series car owner Steve Germain; and Joey Gase, the 17-year-old Cedar Rapids standout who will be making his series debut in his home state with Spraker Racing.

Pursley, a former NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion, will be joined on the West teams by Paulie Harraka, the 2009 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Sunoco Rookie of the Year; Moses Smith, the 2008 and 2009 series Most Popular Driver Award winner; Jonathon Gomez, a Late Model standout in Idaho before moving up to the West last season; Blake Koch, runner-up to Harraka for series Rookie of the Year in 2009; and Johnathan Hale, the 19-year-old California driver in his third year in the series.

The Goodyear Dealers of Iowa 200 is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. CT. The race has been won the past three years by Joey Logano (2007), Brian Ickler (2008) and Kyle Busch (2009). Ticket information for the race is available at www.iowaspeedway.com.

Official Release May 17, 2010 - 11:23am

K&N Pro Series West Entry List - Roseville, CA

Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge presented
by A-All Mini Storage at All American Speedway

Entry List

	#	Driver
1	0	Paul Pedroncelli Jr.
2	3	Wes Banks
3	5	Justin Funkhouser
4	6	Luis Martinez Jr.
5	7	Greg Rayl
6	7	Kyle Kelley
7	9	Gary Lewis
8	9	Josh Combs
9	12	Paulie Harraka
10	13	Todd Souza
11	14	Travis Milburn
12	15	Jack Sellers
13	16	Moses Smith
14	17	David Mayhew
15	20	Eric Holmes
16	21	Blake Koch
17	22	Jonathon Gomez
18	26	Greg Pursley
19	38	Troy Ermish
20	50	Auggie Vidovich
21	51	Johnathan Hale
22	60	Taylor Barton
23	88	Michael Self

Interview with Jerry Boone

As I was running through the lobby of the hotel this past June, grabbing a cup of coffee for my husband Paul, I ran into Jerry Boone. I was there in support of my son Moses and the Hasa Pool Products Race team.

Jerry explained that he was there promoting the ninth race in the NASCAR Camping World Series West Championship; the race in Portland.

“I would love to interview you for my blog!” I gushed. Mr. Boone graciously agreed.


NASCAR Race Mom: First off, please give me a brief bio of yourself.

Jerry Boone:

I'm a retired newspaper reporter/photographer/editor and columnist. I also covered motorsports for The Oregonian newspaper for almost seven years and was a contributing writer for Stock Car Racing magazine, Circle Track, Classic Motorsports and ESPN.com.

I began working on the Portland NASCAR race in early February, because I know the man who is backing the event and I wanted to help make it successful. Most of my time has been spent with face-to-face promotions, bringing either an MJ2 West car or a GASS car to car shows, shopping malls, cruises etc. to tell folks about the race.

NASCAR Race Mom: What are the five things a NASCAR Camping World Series Race Fan might not know about the Portland International Raceway?

Jerry Boone:

1) When people see the address is "Victory Boulevard" they assume the street name has to do with auto racing. Actually the name of the street goes back to when the site of PIR was the community of Vanport, a large city that housed workers for the shipyards in Portland and Vancouver. The yards built WWII Liberty Ships and most of the streets had names the reflected the war effort. The city was destroyed in a flood in the 1950s, when an earthen levee broke.

2) Unlike most road courses, the track is almost flat, with less than 5 feet of elevation change over the entire two-mile course.

3) The track is owned by the City of Portland and it a designated city park. It gets no taxpayer money and operates on the revenue it receives from rental and use fees.

4) Many race engineers feel the track is very demanding for both engine builders and suspension tuners. Because it has two long straights, it is much like a big oval, but the tight corners at the chicane also resemble the type of corners you might see on a course laid out on city streets. Brake wear will be a huge factor, as will be the abuse on the engine and gearbox.

5) The last time the series raced at PIR was in 1986; when Hershel McGriff won the race and went on to win the season championship.

6) The fastest part of the track will be at the end of the long back straight -- which is really a very long curve -- just before the cars have to brake for a quick series of left-right corners.

NASCAR Race Mom: How would you answer this question, “What I love about the NASCAR Camping World Series West is?”

Jerry Boone:

The variety of tracks, the history behind the cars -- because almost all of them are former Cup or Nationwide cars -- and how approachable the drivers are when it comes to answering questions. I tell new fans that they can see the nearly the exact same type of technology, tech and talent as they'll see at a major NASCAR race, except they'll be able to see it up close and ask questions.

NASCAR Race Mom: This question is for my buddy Paul Harraka Sr. (father of Rookie of the Year contender Paulie Harraka) - Where is your favorite place to eat near the track?

Jerry Boone:

My friends and I always met at Shari's across the track or the NightHawk a mile or so south for breakfast. The track food is better than average; or dinner, check out some of the spots at Jantzen Beach or go into downtown Portland for restaurants along the waterfront with great food and spectacular views.

NASCAR Race Mom: Is there anything else you want to inform my readers about?

Jerry Boone:

The Portland area is really pumped up about the series coming back to the area and racing on the road course. Since the track is city-owned, most fans have a feeling of "ownership" in the facility so look on the series as coming to our "home." As part of the group putting on the race, we expect there are some things we will screw up and have to fix on the spot. We are open to suggestions on how to do things better...as we hope to get a second shot next year.

You can go to their website for more information by clicking here.

Plenty Of Action at the Toyota/Bi-Mart 150

Photo by Jason Christley

Bill McAnally driver Eric Holmes not only took pole at the Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg Oregon, Eric led every lap and won his third race of the 2009 season. However, there was plenty of action amongst the other seventeen Camping World Series West Drivers who took the green flag.

The race which lasted just under an hour brought out six (6) caution flags for a total of twenty-nine (29) laps. The first caution came out early on lap three. It is believed that an oil line failure from the back of the #15 car of Jack Sellers spread oil all the way down the back straightaway and into turn three.

Rookie of the Year contender, Paulie Harraka became the victim of that oil spill. He spun and slammed into the wall forcefully. Crew Chief Duane Knorr and the #12 crew assessed and repaired the damage to the right rear of the race car to get Paulie back on the track; however, he was six laps down.

Harraka’s teammate, Moses Smith (#16 Hasa Pool Products / White Flyer Toyota Camry) almost became the second victim of that oil spill as he slid through it. Moses just managed to avoid spinning and rejoined the pack.

Jim Warn’s spin, coming out of Turn 2 brought out caution two (lap 38). Caution three (lap 44) was caused by a spin in Turn 3 by Travis Bennett as Mike David and Brett Thompson battled for the fourth-place spot. Moses was running closely behind Thompson. Bennett's car was taken off the track on a hook.

On lap 92, race leader Eric Holmes got into the back of Phil Dugan as they exited Turn 4; Dugan went around and brought out the yellow for the fourth caution. Caution five (lap 112) was for debris on the backstretch. The last caution (lap 118) involved Johnathan Hale, Phil Dugan and Paulie Harraka in a three-car spin in Turn 1.

The race action remained passionate until the very end. On lap 121, during the final restart, Jason Bowles who had been biding time in third place to maintain the favored inside position for the restarts, passed David Mayhew to take and keep second place.

Moses Smith, who was running in fourth for most of the race, had to contend with starting on the outside each restart. Moses was successful in the restarts; however, in lap 144 of the 150 lapper, Smith was being pressured by Mike David. On lap 146, David moved inside of Smith and took the spot.

The Coca-Cola Move of the Race Award went to Jamie Dick (88 Viva Auto Group/Johnnie Walker PerfCtr Ford). Mr. Dick qualified in fifteenth position and finished tenth.

We were pitted next to the #21 hauler of Blake Koch, and I was privileged to converse with Jim. He was very nice. Despite a spin on lap one, Blake, in his GodSpeaks.com Chevrolet, managed a seventh place finish, earning him the Sunoco Rookie of the Race Award. Hopefully, one day I will be able to taste the some of the team’s Golden Gate Meats that Paul Harraka Sr. always boosts about!

NASCAR Race Mom was also able to spend time with the mother of Paul Pedroncelli, Jr. Paul, known as PJ has five previous starts in the NASCAR Camping World Series West. They are currently sponsored by Lee Body Shop and Stinger Auto Graphics. However, they are a family-based team looking for further sponsorship to advance in the series. For now, Pedroncelli Motorsports will be running a limited schedule in 2009. PJ will be racing at Infineon Raceway on June 20th. Paul qualified thirteenth and finished twelfth at Douglas Speedway.

The NASCAR Camping World Series West will race next at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on June 20 as part of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at the road course.

Race Results:

(1) #20 Eric Holmes; ( 2) #6 Jason Bowles; (3) #17 David Mayhew; (4) #2 Mike David; (5) #16 Moses Smith; (6) #61 Brett Thompson; (7) #21 Blake Koch; (8) #26 Greg Pursley; (9) #10 Jim Warn; (10) #88 Jamie Dick; (11) #34 Phil Dugan; (12) #0 Paul Pedroncelli, Jr; (13) #12 Paulie Harraka; (14) #5 Johnathan Hale; (15) #44 Travis Bennett; (16) #15 Jack Sellers; (17) #07 Greg Rayl