TALLADEGA, Ala. – As a silent tribute to Lt. Cmdr. Kevin “Kojak” Davis, Shane Huffman has removed his name from above the door of the No. 88 Navy Chevrolet and replaced it with a special Blue Angels decal for Saturday’s NASCAR Busch race at Talladega Superspeedway.

 

Lt. Cmdr. Davis, 32, of Pittsfield , Mass. , died Saturday when his No. 6 F/A-18 Hornet crashed during an air show in Beaufort , S.C.  

 

“The thoughts and prayers of everyone at JR Motorsports are with Kojak’s friends and family,” Huffman said. “I had the opportunity to meet him when I flew with the Blue Angels back in February, and Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. met him the year before, so his death hit us hard.

 

“I wanted to do something to honor our fallen friend, and this just seemed like the right thing to do.”

 

Saturday’s race at Talladega will be televised on ABC and broadcast on MRN Radio affiliates at 2:30 p.m EST. The race can also be viewed worldwide on AFN | XTRA. Go to www.myafn.net for local listings. SCR

 

 

 

 

Scott Lagasse and Erik Darnell ran three of the final six laps side-by-side before Lagasse pulled ahead and went on to take his first win Friday in the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand at the Kansas Speedway. Lagasse crossed the line in front of Darnell by about 10 car lengths. Darnell finished second followed by Blake Feese in third. Mario Gosselin and Josh Wise rounded out the top five. SCR

Matthew Blaylock

 

 

Kansas Lottery $150 Grand Results

  

   

 

 

 

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) rookie driver Brad Coleman won the pole for Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 Busch Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway. Coleman ran a speed of 184.299 mph in his Chevrolet to edge out the Toyota driven by Dave Blaney. Blaney who ran a speed of 184.062 mph will start second followed by Jason Leffler in third. Rounding out the top five were Casey Mears and Ward Burton. SCR

Matthew Blaylock

 

 

 

 

Tony Stewart was fined $10,000 and placed on probation until December 31, 2007 for his actions last weekend at the Phoenix Int. Raceway (PIR). Stewart who finished second at PIR refused to do media interviews after the race. NASCAR requires the top five finishers in any race to be available to the media after the event. SCR

Matthew Blaylock

 

 

 

 

Mike Helton, NASCAR president held a meeting with two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart early Friday morning at the Talladega Superspeedway. According to a Charlotte Observer report Stewart was to meet with Helton at 6 a.m. central time Friday morning and his team was not allowed to unload and begin preparations on its car Friday morning until Stewart had completed his meeting with NASCAR officials.

 

Stewart compared NASCAR to professional wrestling this week his Sirius radio show. Saying the sanctioning body had "not run a fair race all season."

 

I addition Stewart refused media interviews last week at Phoenix after finishing second. Something that is required for the top five finishers. SCR

Matthew Blaylock

 

 

 

 

An incident in the pit area on Saturday night during the World of Outlaws event at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., resulted in penalties for one driver. Terry McCarl was fined and penalized 75 driver points in the World of Outlaws championship standings for conduct detrimental to the sport of sprint car racing. McCarl is eligible to appeal his penalty. SCR

 

 

 

 

MARION, Illinois - Coming off a career-best weekend at Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana, last Sunday ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie-of-the-Year leader Phillip McGilton heads to Kansas Speedway, the site of his first ever top-10 finish in the ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) with momentum and a new sponsor.

 

Montgomery Equipment Company, Inc. and Midwest Equipment Inc., have partnered up to become the primary sponsor of McGilton and the No. 47 Ford Fusion for the remaining 19 ARCA events of the season. McGilton’s ARS entry will be referred to as the No. 47 Montgomery Equipment Ford Fusion.

 

“This is a really exciting opportunity for myself, Montgomery Equipment, and Brewco Motorsports.  With the help of Montgomery Equipment, we will be able to do more testing to make a serious run for the championship.  Now we feel like we don’t have to hold anything back,” exclaimed McGilton.

 

“I’d like to thank Phillip for giving us a chance to market our company through him and Brewco.  This is a different approach for us, and we are excited to become a part of his team this season, and hope to help continue our support throughout his racing career,” explained the owner of Montgomery Equipment.

 

The new announcement comes on the heels of the Marion , Illinois native’s career best finish at Salem Speedway last Sunday where he finished seventh. Heading into Kansas he is currently sitting third in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings behind eight-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel and leader Justin Allgaier. 

 

The Kansas Lottery $150 Grand (100 laps/150 miles) is the fifth of 23 events on the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The event serves as a one day show. Practice begins Friday, April 27 with a two hour and twenty minute (8:30am-10:50am Local Time) session planned. ARCA pole qualifying is slated for early in the afternoon at 12:45pm Local Time. The event will take the green flag shortly after 4:00pm Local Time with live coverage on SPEED. SCR

 

 

 

 

SPARTA KY - The ARCA RE/MAX Series, in its 55th consecutive season, will soon steer straight toward Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky for the Buckle-Up Kentucky 150 Saturday night, May 12th.

 

Joining the ARCA RE/MAX Series will be the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series, which will compete in a 100-lap feature race on the adjoining Kentucky Speedway quarter-mile just prior to the RE/MAX Series Buckle-Up Kentucky 150 on the 1.5-mile track.

 

Pre-entries for the Buckle-Up Kentucky 150 include four-time Kentucky winner and eight-time ARCA RE/MAX Series national champion Frank Kimmel as well as a host of Driver Development teams.

 

Driver Development teams include a Jack Roush Racing Ford with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Erik Darnell in the driver’s seat, a Bill Davis Racing Toyota with open-wheel veteran Bobby Santos III driving, a Cunningham Motorsports Dodge Development Dodge with Scott Lagasse driving and a Ray Evernham Motorsports Dodge with Erin Crocker driving.

 

Crocker’s ARCA RE/MAX Series success at Kentucky is well documented having finished second there in 2005. Crocker’s also a two-time SIM Factory Pole Award winner at Kentucky in ’05 and ’06. Crocker is tied with Shawna Robinson (2nd at Daytona in ’99) as the highest finishing females in ARCA RE/MAX Series history; although only Crocker, with her additional second place finish at Kansas in ’06, has two runner-up finishes in RE/MAX Series competition.

 

Also entered is five-time Daytona ARCA 200 winner Bobby Gerhart, current point leader Justin Allgaier, Brewco Motorsports’ Phillip McGilton, Westby Wisconsin’s Dexter Bean, Hueytown, Alabama’s Justin South and Stuart, Florida’s Bryan Silas. More than 40 top-notch teams are expected to enter.

 

The ARCA RE/MAX Series former winners list at Kentucky is impressive to say the least. It includes Kimmel, Tim Steele, Ryan Newman, Chad Blount, Kyle Busch, Ryan Hemphill, Steve Wallace and Brad Coleman.

 

LIVE Concert on the Concourse

Lyric Street Records country music artist Josh Gracin will help Kentucky Speedway open its eighth season by performing an exclusive May 12 concert prior to the start of the ARCA RE/MAX Series "Buckle Up Kentucky 150."

 

The native of Westland, Mich., and former United States Marine moved into the national spotlight while taking a fourth-place finish during the second season of FOX Television's popular "American Idol" competition.

 

Practice for the Buckle-Up Kentucky 150 will be Saturday, May 12th from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm followed by SIM Factory Pole Award Qualifying at 4:00 pm. The start of the ARCA Lincoln Welders 100 is slated for 6:00 pm with the Buckle-Up Kentucky 150 to follow at 8:00 pm. SCR

 

 

 

 

CONCORD, NC – Roush Fenway Racing announced Thursday that Simply Wow, a division of Source Direct Holdings, will sponsor it’s  No. 99 Ford Fusion in the ARCA RE/MAX Series at Kansas Speedway on April 27 and at Kentucky Speedway on May 12.  Roush Fenway Racing driver Erik Darnell will be behind the wheel for both events.

 

“It’s great that Simply Wow has signed up for a few more races with us,” said Darnell.  “They’ve supported me the in late models and a few races last year in the truck series, so I’m happy we can continue our relationship.  Those guys have great products, and I love that I’ll get to represent them for a few more races this year.”

 

Darnell competed in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2005.  In five career starts, Darnell’s best finish is a fourth place at The Milwaukee Mile.  He will attempt to make his first ARCA start at the 1.5 mile Kansas Speedway in Friday night’s Kansas Lottery $150 Grand.

 

“We’re excited to get involved with Erik Darnell again,” said Deren Smith, CEO of Source Direct Holdings.  “We teamed up for a few races last year, and the exposure we got was great.  We really wanted to continue our relationship in some capacity, and when this opportunity presented itself we jumped at it.  We’re proud to have Erik Darnell and the Roush Fenway Racing team carrying the Simply Wow name once again.” SCR

 

 

 

 

CONCORD, NC – Since its inception in 2004, the Georgia Asphalt Series has prided itself in providing fair competition for the elite Pro Late Model racers throughout the Southeast.  To accomplish this, GAS officials have developed a strict rulebook that is enforced and policed at every stop on the series’ tour.  When one part begins to give any competitor an unfair advantage, GAS officials are there to do the proper research and, if necessary, make sure that advantage is equaled out to the rest of the competition.

 

Fairness to all competitors is the reason the Georgia Asphalt Series has disallowed the McGunegill Ford sealed motors, part numbers ASA 425LM and GAS 425LM, effective immediately.  Drivers will not be allowed to compete with these two model-numbered engines beginning with this Saturday’s event at Senoia Speedway (GA) throughout the remainder of the 2007 season.

 

This ban does not affect the McGunegill GM sealed motors, nor the Ford Blue Oval or GM Crate motors.

 

“Over the last three or four months, we’ve been researching these sealed motors, and we’ve been doing a lot more research on them in the last week or so,” said GAS Director Micky Cain.  “We have found inconsistencies in what is supposed to be a sealed engine.  The inconsistencies range in variations in cam shaft timing and cam shaft durations to questions about the cylinder heads.  None of the motors that we have completely disassembled, all done voluntarily by the competitors, were found to be the same.  The GM crate motor and the Ford Blue Oval crate motor are basically identical pieces, like they should be.  The motors in question are a night-and-day difference from the way they’re supposed to be.  They’re basically a built engine. 

 

“You hear it every Sunday in NASCAR to every short track series; competitors and fans want the series to be consistent in their rulings and the competition to be fair and equal.  We had this same problem two years ago with an engine builder and we ran into the same problem.  Basically, we disallowed his product in the series, and we’re doing the same thing with these engines to stay consistent in our approach.”

 

The sole reason for this move by GAS officials was not to slow down a certain competitor or boost the performance of others.  Instead, it was all done to level the playing field so that everyone has a fair shot to visit GAS victory lane, regardless of engine package.