Kobalt Tools 400: Jeff Burton Race Preview

Jeff Burton

No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Impala

 

Event Preview Fact Sheet   

This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 385 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable this weekend. This is a brand new No. 31 Chevrolet Impala that will turn its first laps during opening practice on Friday. 

Career Las Vegas Stats … Sunday’s event marks Burton’s 15^th start at the Las Vegas-based facility and 622^nd -career Sprint Cup Series entry. He has amassed two wins, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes and has led 280 laps at the 1.5-mile oval. 

Getting Loopy on “The Strip” … Burton has garnered some impressive NASCAR Loop Data statistics at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His average running position of 11.7 is fifth among active drivers while his 93.5 driver rating is eighth-best. He has made thesecond-most green-flag passes with 465 and 253 of those passes came while running in the top 15 (sixth most). Burton has also spent 1,298 laps (68.7 percent) running in the top 15, ranking him sixth-best among his competitors. 

No Stranger to Victory Lane … Burton claimed back-to-back trophies at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 1999 and 2000 Sprint Cup Series event, leading 167 laps combined. He also has three victories in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition at LVMS in 2000, 2002 (from the pole position) and 2007.

Featured Cat Dealers … Wheeler Machinery Co. and Wyoming Machinery Co. will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

• Established in 1951, Wheeler Machinery Co. is proud to be the Caterpillar dealer of Utah. In addition to Cat products, Wheeler offers trailers, crushing and screening equipment, generators, air compressors, laser and GPS technology products and more. Equipment is available for rent or purchase and is supported by Wheeler’s superb parts and service capabilities. Wheeler is a partner to customers in the construction, landscaping, quarry & aggregate, oil & gas, and mining industries.

• Wyoming Machinery Company supports three of Wyoming’s major industries – mining, construction, and oil & gas – in addition to many others. Each of their three branches focuses on one or more of these major industries. The Casper facility serves the markets for mining, petroleum, on-highway trucks, construction and governmental business. The Gillette branch supports the mining, petroleum and heavy construction industries. At the Cheyenne branch, the focus is on-highway trucks and general construction. The newest location in Rock Springs is set to open quarter two of 2012. This branch will be similar to the Cheyenne branch with the addition of serving the oil & gas customers in southwest Wyoming.

Rewind to Last Week … After running in the top 15 for 254 of the first 291 laps in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway, Burton’s No. 31 Wheaties Chevrolet had engine problems and the team was forced to retire early, relegating them to a 33^rd-place finish.

Points Racing … Even with the disappointing result on Sunday at PIR, Burton sits 13th in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings, xx markers in arrears to point leader Denny Hamlin.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2008 and 2009, you had top-five runs and have had decent success at intermediate tracks in the past. What are your thoughts on going to an intermediate track like Las Vegas?
“Running on intermediate tracks was our weak point last year. We just weren’t good on them for whatever reason. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is typically a place I run well. I haven’t won on the new configuration in the Sprint Cup Series, but I’ve led a lot of laps and been in a position to win several times. It’s a place I fully expect to run well there.” 

How racy is Las Vegas Motor Speedway?
“It’s very racy. I thought they were screwing it up when they put banking in it and repaved it, but they made it better. They did a much better job than I anticipated and it is a much better race track.”

Do you ever look at odds in Las Vegas? What do you think about people who bet on races?

“Have at it! I don’t think the participants should be doing it, but if the fans want to bet on it then I think they should. It’s part of pulling for your favorite driver or pulling against another guy. It’s all about the experience of being in Las Vegas. I don’t think the people involved in this sport should be betting on it by any means, but for the fans, it’s a part of being in Las Vegas.”

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Shrub Hoping Ms. Brown is ‘Lady Luck’ at Las Vegas

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (March 6, 2012) – Each year, millions of people travel to Las Vegas in hopes of finding Lady Luck.

Las Vegas native Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Ms. Brown Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), hopes the latest addition to the M&M’s family of characters – Ms. Brown – will be his Lady Luck as she’ll accompany him in his quest for another hometown win during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The good news for Busch as he returns for Sunday’s 267-lap event around the 1.5-mile Las Vegas tri-oval is that he’s already tasted victory there as the 2009 Sprint Cup winner. Thus, he and the No. 18 M&M’s Ms. Brown team know first-hand the kind of luck, coupled with the abundance of hard work, that they’ll need to play in order to come up with a winning hand once again come Sunday.

And that 2009 victory was a monumental one for Busch and the No. 18 team, to say the least.

The 2002 honors graduate of Las Vegas’ Durango High School qualified on the pole but was forced to start at the rear of the field because the team needed to change engines during Friday practice. Nonetheless, Busch remained patient on race day as he and the M&M’s team were able to work their way to the front of the field by the 54^th lap. And Busch went on to lead three times for 51 laps en route to claiming what he called at the time the biggest win of his young career.

As special as that 2009 Sprint Cup win was, the talented 26-year-old was already no stranger to winning on the grounds of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. From 1999 to 2001, Busch earned more than 65 wins in Legends cars while racking up two track championships at the facility’s “Bullring,” which existed for several years before the 1.5-mile oval was built. Busch eventually moved up to Late Model Stock cars and his winning ways continued as he captured 10 victories in Late Model competition at the Bullring in 2001.
With the memories of that 2009 Sprint Cup win still relatively fresh on his mind, Busch has the added incentive of Ms. Brown taking center stage this weekend on his No. 18 racing machine just as she did two weekends ago at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Considering M&M’s “Chief Chocolate Officer” will move from the spotlight to her new position on Busch’s racecar alongside her fellow M&M’s characters after this weekend, he would love nothing more than to give Ms. Brown the ride of her young life, culminating in victory lane.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Ms. Brown Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:
Is there more pressure racing at your hometown track?
“Yeah, Vegas is always a little bit more pressure – more pressure on myself, just because it’s the hometown and you want to win there. Thankfully, I have won there and I’ve knocked that one off the list, but certainly you want to win there every year. It seems like either Carl (Edwards) or Jimmie (Johnson) are better than most, but I love Vegas – the atmosphere and everything going on around that place. It’s been sold out for a lot of years, I think ever since it started. They’ve added more grandstands, which is cool. It’s a big race.”

What was it like to bring home a Sprint Cup win in your hometown in 2009?
“It was cool. To go out there and to run a smooth race, and to have a shot at winning at the end of the race, that’s what it’s all about. I watched Vegas being built from the ground up, and I remember when it wasn’t anything but a gleam in the eye of Richie Clyne (founder of Las Vegas Motor Speedway) – all those guys who made that place happen. I’m hoping we can do it again this weekend with the M&M’s Ms. Brown scheme along for the ride with us.”

Where does that 2009 win rank among your career wins? 
“It was the biggest at the time, but the triple at Bristol ranks up there now, too, along with winning the Inaugural Sprint Cup race at Kentucky last year. It was awesome in 2009, though – just the feeling of a lifetime. I told everyone it would be just like another race, but it really meant a lot more than that when I got to victory lane. To have my mom there, and my brother come to victory lane, just made it that much more special. We didn’t have the best car in 2009, but I feel like I drove a smart race, anyway, and did what we needed to do. We worked on it all day and kept making it better.”

Having grown up in Las Vegas, do you still have a lot of friends in the area? Do you get a lot of ticket requests from friends and family? 
“I get a lot of ticket requests for California, Vegas and Phoenix – all the West Coast stops that we run. It’s kind of hard to fulfill all of them, but we try when we can. We get to go to M&M’s World on the (Las Vegas) Strip to sign some autographs on Thursday, so I’m looking forward to seeing some of the hometown fans there, as well.”

Are you able to enjoy trips to your hometown? 
“It’s fine going back there. There’s really not much family out there. It’s just family friends. There are a lot of friends you get to see and catch up with that you text back-and-forth or talk back-and-forth with during the year, but you never get to see them, so that’s always cool to go out there to the race. Besides that, there are the different appearances we do for M&M’s. You get to go to some of the restaurants that you liked there growing up, so that’s always cool. It’s just another weekend, but I particularly know my way around this city better than I do any other place.” 

What is your fondest racing memory of growing up in Las Vegas? 
“My fondest racing memory is probably my first Late Model race. I started about eighth or 10^th and ended up winning it. My first-ever start, I won. So that was definitely a great memory to have.” 

KYLE BUSCH’S LAS VEGAS SPRINT CUP SERIES PERFORMANCE PROFILE

Year	Date	Event	Start	Finish	Status/Laps	Laps Led	Earnings
2011	3/6	Kobalt Tools 400	5	38	Engine, 107/267	0	$128,491
2010	2/28	Shelby American	5	15	Running, 267/267	1	$144,581
2009	3/1	Shelby 427	1	1	Running, 285/285	51	$461,273
2008	3/2	UAW-Dodge 400	1	11	Running, 267/267	56	$131,575
2007	3/11	UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400	12	9	Running, 267/267	4	$116,250
2006	3/12	×UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400	4	3	Running, 270/270	1	$204,775
2005	3/13	UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400	10	2	Running, 267/267	0	$244,800
2004	3/7	UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400	18	41	Accident, 11/267	0	$63,555

× Race length extended due to green-white-checkered finish.

 

//// JGR PR

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The Ryan Newman Foundation Assisting with Relief Efforts for Displaced Animals from Recent Tornadoes

(Statesville, NC. – March 6, 2012) –  The Ryan Newman Foundation is reaching out to all animal lovers for help in getting much needed supplies to our four-legged friends in need.

The devastating tornadoes that ripped through Indiana and Kentucky last week have torn apart communities.  They left many animals displaced from their owners and left others in need of supplies and medical attention.

As a result, the Ryan Newman Foundation will be taking donations to help those areas hit the hardest.
In light of this recent tragedy, the Ryan Newman Foundation is dedicated to working closely with area representatives of the Humane Society of the United States in order to get exactly what is needed to local organizations.

“It’s hard to believe that we are back in this situation and reaching out to the public for donations again,” said Ryan Newman Foundation vice president Krissie Newman. “It brings me back to the sadness of last year when tornadoes hit a number of states and left behind so many animals looking for their owners and in great need of help.

“I can’t begin to imagine what the families who lost loved-ones and everything they own are going through. Among the tragedy, many pets have lost their owners or are lost themselves and looking for comfort.  We can use all the help we can get from NASCAR fans and pet lovers to raise money and collect donations for our mission.”

Your support will allow us to transport much needed care to pets affected from by this tragedy:
Items requested are:

• Dog Food- small bags, and moist cases needed most
• Cat Food- small bags, and moist cases needed most
• Crates of all sizes
• Water
• Dog beds & bowls
• Towels
• Treats
• Cat litter
• Bleach, paper towels & other cleaning supplies
• Office Supplies- copy paper and sharpie markers
• Latex gloves
• Gauze
• Hand soap & dish soap
• Kleenex
• Pet Shampoo, regular formula (NOT flea formula)
• Yellow professional mop buckets

Three designated drop off locations have been established in North Carolina.

Ryan Newman Motorsports
165 Jennings Road
Statesville, NC 28625
Phone: 704-876-4776
Hours for drop off: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Monday – Friday (Someone will be on site to assist with donations)
Donations accepted beginning Wednesday, March 7^th

Humane Society of Iredell County
110 Robinson Road
Mooresville, NC 28115
Phone: 704-663-3330
Hours for drop off: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Monday – Friday (Someone will be on site to assist with donations)
Donations accepted beginning Wednesday, March 7^th

Humane Society of Charlotte
2700 Toomey Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28023
Phone: 704-377-0534
Hours for drop off: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday – Sunday
Donations accepted beginning Wednesday, March 7^th
If you would like to make a monetary donation to the relief efforts, please visit www.ryannewmanfoundation.org.

//// Ryan Newman Foundation

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Kobalt Tools 400: Kevin Harvick Race Preview

Kevin Harvick

No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet Impala

Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … The No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team will utilize chassis No. 391 from the Richard Childress Racing stable for Sunday’s race. This is a brand new race car that will make its first laps on-track at LVMS this weekend.

Statistically Speaking … Harvick has made a total of 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at LVMS. In that span, he’s earned three top-five and four top-10 finishes. Harvick has completed 99.8 percent of the laps run in those 11 races (2,953 of 2,958) and he’s led 54 laps at the 1.5-mile track. Harvick has an average starting position of 23.9 and a 13.2 average finish at LVMS.

Solid Start … Harvick and the No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet team have gotten off to a solid start in 2012 after scoring back-to-back top-10 finishes in the first two races of the season with seventh- and second-place results at Daytona International Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway, respectively. The feat marks the second time in Harvick’s 12-year NSCS career that he’s started off the season with such a solid performance. In 2010, he also scored a seventh-place finish at Daytona and earned a second-place result at Auto Club Speedway the following weekend. That year he finished second at LVMS.

Loopy in Vegas …Harvick has earned impressive Loop Data statistics at LVMS, including: third in closers; fifth in green-flag passes (430);seventh in fastest drivers late in a run; eighth in speed in traffic; ninthin average running position (12.912); ninth in laps in the top 15 (1,177 laps); 10^th in average driver rating (92.2); 10^th in fastest drivers early in a run; 10^th in fastest laps run (40 laps).

Last Time Around … In last year’s race at LVMS, Harvick started from the 26^th position and was running inside the top five when the team was hit with a pit road speeding penalty just past the halfway point of the race and had to restart at the tail end of the field. Mired back in traffic, Harvick struggled with a tight-handling car and finished 17^th.

Phoenix Rewind … Last weekend, Harvick and the No. 29 team led the most laps at PIR and coasted to a second-place finish after running out of fuel in the final laps of the race. The finish moved him up to third in the NSCS driver point standings, just eight points behind leader Denny Hamlin.

Track Your Bud… Just weeks after Harvick and Budweiser brewmaster George Reisch led members of the media and other guests through Budweiser Beer School in Daytona Beach, Fla., the King of Beers has introduced “Track Your Bud,” a digital campaign that will allow consumers to trace the origins of the beer they hold in their hands to one of Budweiser’s 12 U.S. breweries. By using their Smartphone to scan the QR code on Budweiser packaging, downloading the free “Track Your Bud” app or visiting TrackYourBud.com, consumers can enter the Born On Date found on bottles and cans and be taken on a guided tour of the creation of their individual beer by the Budweiser brewmaster responsible for it. “Track Your Bud” content will provide beer drinkers with visibility into the source and selection of ingredients, Budweiser’s seven-step brewing process, when their beer began Beechwood aging and which brewmaster tasted it multiple times throughout its brew cycle to ensure their beer meets Budweiser’s high quality standard.

KEVIN HARVICK QUOTES:

You finished 17^th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last year. Is that a race that you use to benchmark your team’s intermediate program?
“Not really, because I think the year before we were absolutely on the mile-and-a-half race tracks but we ran great at Las Vegas. It has a different type of asphalt and it has a lot of banking and a lot of grip, so you can cover things up that you might not be able to cover up at a track like Kansas Speedway or some of those types of places. It’s interesting to see how it plays out through the year.”

It’s been a while since they re-paved the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Is it changing or is it getting better?
“It hasn’t seemed to change a lot. It seems like it’s still really fast and every time we go out there during this time of the year it’s always pretty cool so the cars seem to grip well. The way that they paved that particular race track, it started off rough and it’s still rough. I think everybody’s adapted and it adds character to the track. You can move around the race track and you have options. It’s a different race track than most everywhere else we go.”

What does it take to be successful at Las Vegas Motor Speedway?
“When they re-paved the race track, it became a really fast race track. (There are) several bumps in the track and you have to make sure you are pointed in the right direction to go over it straight. It’s a really fast race track and you just have to have a lot of grip in the car to keep the pedal on the floor.”

I think of race car drivers as calculated gamblers. You sit there and think whether you’re 100 percent sure you can make a pass or not. Do you look at yourself as a calculated gambler?
“I think you have to be to a certain extent. I also think there’s an ‘I may not make it this time’ type of move that you have to try to accomplish every once and a while to try and win a race, or put yourself in a position to win a race. I think on a week-to-week basis, it’s a good description of who we are.” 

Do you ever look at the book makers and the odds they give you guys for the race and wonder ‘what was that guy thinking putting me at 100 to 1?’
“I’m happy to say I don’t think we’ve ever been 100 to 1. If you mess with any of the online stuff on ESPN or anything like that, the guys that put those things together, they do a lot of research and a lot of studying and sometimes they hit it right and sometimes they don’t. More than not, I’d say they hit it closer than further away.”

What do you think of people betting on you in a race?

“Well, different strokes for different folks. People enjoy watching the races and people love going to Las Vegas and having a good time. It makes it fun.”

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Chinese solar company to sponsor Kasey Kahne

Per SceneDaily.com, Hendrick Motorsports is close to finalizing a nine-race primary sponsorship with Trina Solar, a Chinese solar panel manufacturer, for its No. 5 NASCAR Sprint Cup entry.

The deal will see Trina appear alongside Farmers Insurance on Kasey Kahne’s car at nine races this season.
Financial terms of the agreement weren’t available, but a deal of this size with a premier NASCAR team typically would be worth more than $5 million a year.

Trina Solar executives could not be reached before deadline. Hendrick Motorsports was unavailable for comment.

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Actor Gary Sinise to serve as Grand Marshal for the Goody’s Fast Relief 500

Martinsville, Va. – With only 27 days until the headache-inducing, short-track Goody’s® Fast Relief 500 race at Martinsville Speedway, Goody’s® announced today that award-winning actor Gary Sinise will serve as the grand marshal; while local hero and wounded veteran Marine Cpl. Josh “J.B.” Kerns will wave the green flag to start the 500-lap event on April 1.

Sinise, currently starring on CBS’ “CSI:NY,” launched the Gary Sinise Foundation in 2011, a non-profit organization that honors defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen and build communities. For more information, go to www.GarySiniseFoundation.org.

Recently, the Gary Sinise Foundation and The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation (named after a fallen firefighter on 9/11), announced a partnership to build Kerns a “smart home” in his hometown of Ararat, Va., as part of the Building For America’s Bravest Program. Throughout the Goody’s® Fast Relief 500 weekend, efforts will be underway to raise funds and awareness, including a concert with Sinise’s Lt. Dan Band at Martinsville High School on March 31. To make donations to Building For America’s Bravest Program, you can go to http://www.garysinisefoundation.org/help_us/donate or https://tunneltotowersfoundation.org/donate_now.aspx.

The Goody’s Fast Relief 500 will be Sinise’s first time reciting the most famous words in racing—“Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.”

“The Goody’s Fast Relief 500 weekend is going to be an unforgettable weekend, bringing together the best racing in the world with an amazing effort to help J.B.,” said Sinise. “I am so grateful to Goody’s®, Martinsville Speedway and the community for allowing us to be a part of this weekend.”

Kerns, a long-time fan of racing, will serve as the Goody’s® Fast Relief 500 honorary starter. He was injured in Afghanistan in April 2011 when an IED exploded, costing him both legs and his right arm. Since that explosion, Kerns has endured tremendous pain, having undergone extensive surgeries and strenuous daily physical and occupational therapy in Bethesda, Md.

“When I was growing up I remember sitting down with my family on the weekends and watching the NASCAR races,” said Kerns. “And now, it’s awesome to think that I am going to be the one waving the flag that’s going to start the race.”

“Goody’s® and BC® Powders are known for providing fast relief for tough pain,” said Joseph Juliano, brand director for Goody’s® and BC® Powders. “Being on the front line, in terms of helping those in need and serving our country in combat, Gary and J.B. demonstrate that painful moments can come unexpectedly. We hope the roles we’re giving them for our race become a source of relief and joy in some small way. We salute the commitment and service of both men and look forward to a fantastic Goody’s® Fast Relief 500.”
Tickets to the Goody’s® Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway are on sale. For more information, call 877.722.3849 or visit www.martinsvillespeedway.com. For more information about Goody’s® Headache Powder, visit www.goodyspowder.com.

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SHR tries to determine cause of fuel-injection malfunction

Tony Stewart, regarded as a master of fuel conservation, was attempting to save gas Sunday when a caution came out on lap 247 of 312. Running 13th and hoping to make it to the finish without another pit stop, Stewart went to one of his old gas-saving tricks — shutting off his engine. The problem: It wouldn't come back on.

"Turned it back on, and it never re-fired," Stewart said. "I honestly don't know why. It's not really my department."

Immediately after the race, Addington huddled with engine specialists at Hendrick Motorsports, which provides engines for Stewart-Haas Racing.

"We'll keep working with them to try to figure out what happened," Addington said. "We've got to dig into it and find out what happened, when it happened and what caused it." (via USAToday.com)

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Second person indicted in Jeremy Mayfield theft ring

A second person has been formally charged in a theft ring involving former NASCAR Driver Jeremy Mayfield.

The Hudson Police Department served an indictment on Rusty Alex Canipe of Catawba County on four counts of felony larceny, according to a news release from the Hudson Police Department.

The charges are a result of an investigation into the theft of several trailers and pieces of furniture that were stolen on February 26, 2011 from the former Anderson Truck Lines.

Canipe surrendered himself at the Caldwell County Magistrate's Office. His bond was set at $100,000. Mayfield was indicted on several counts of larceny on March first. (via WBTV)

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Ryan Newman Foundation Helps Reunite Soldier with Dog from Afghanistan

(Statesville, NC. – (March 5, 2012) - The Ryan Newman Foundation is helping fly a dog home to be with his  Soldier owner who lives 3,000 miles away.  The assistance was prompted by an email regarding a dog saved by US soldiers in Afghanistan and the request for help with his transport home. The Ryan Newman Foundation immediately agreed to assist other animal groups and get the lonely boy from New York to his owner in Washington State.

Trigger, a 70 pound stray saved by US soldiers in Afghanistan, began his new life as an all-American dog in February after arriving at JFK Airport. Trigger’s new leash on life came courtesy of Guardians of Rescue, the group which provided the funds to bring him from Kabul to their rescue based in Port Jefferson, Long Island in New York.

The story begins while two soldiers were on deployment and rescued two dogs, Savannah and Trigger, from the streets and brought them back to camp where they were provided food, water, shelter and love. Five months after finding the pups, when the troops were out on patrol, local Taliban militia slaughtered Savannah and hung her from a rope.  This was a warning to the Americans that they would be next.

Trigger was inconsolable and so were the men just days from the end of their deployment.  He survived but was in danger since the soldiers’ unit was being sent back to the U.S.  The soldiers were devastated to leave Trigger behind.  Every day he heard mortars go off, had to deal with windstorms and sandstorms and endure the drastic changes in climate.

Many back home stepped up and were able to get Trigger to a safe house in Kabul where he stayed for 30 days before he was flown to New York.  The group was determined to save Trigger and with the help of Nowzad, an organization focused on rescuing stray and abandoned animals from Afghanistan and Hammer Out Animal Cruelty, Trigger has made it to the states.

Upon arrival, Trigger needed to spend time in animal rehabilitation where he was house-trained, learned to walk with a leash and how to sit and stay.  He is said to be doing great adapting to life in the United States.  He’s a playful pup, super friendly, busy making friends, and getting used to a leash and sidewalks.

Trigger’s final homecoming is scheduled for March 9^th.  He will fly on a commercial jet, sitting in the cabin’s first class section waiting to see his dad again.

For more info on Trigger and his journey, visit for following links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz3OClhZLLw
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/02/17/l-i-animal-rescue-group-helps-reunite-soldier-with-dog-from-afghanistan/
http://blog.petsforpatriots.org/help-rescued-afghan-dog-reach-his-soldier/

///Ryan Newman Foundation

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Kobalt Tools 400: Mark Martin Race Preview

No. 55 AARON’S DREAM MACHINE

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY PREVIEW

CORNELIUS, N.C. — No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota driver Mark Martin won his 52nd NASCAR Sprint Cup pole at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday afternoon. One of the many people to congratulate Martin during the weekend was eight-time champion crew chief Dale Inman.

Inman, the most recent addition to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and the future hall of famer Martin both laughed recalling a similar moment 31 years ago after Martin won his first pole.

The then 22-year-old Martin, driving his own Pontiac, stunned the NASCAR world at Nashville Speedway by out-qualifying the likes of Darrell Waltrip, Richard Petty and Bobby Allison in just his third Cup race. As the 30-car field finished practice preparing to run the 420-lap race in the July heat on the .596-mile track, Inman approached the youngster who was sitting in his race car.

“He comes up to me, leans into the car, and says ‘you got a hole in that floorboard?’ ” Martin recalled. “ I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what he was talking about so I asked why. Then he said, ‘cause you gonna melt and run out of it.’ ”

“He looked at me and I don’t think he knew whether to laugh or be mad,” recalled Inman more than three decades later.

Martin said, “It was an old guy throwing cold water on a young hot shot.”

The race started and young hot shot led the first 38 laps before coming on the radio to say, “I think I have four flat tires.” By lap 100 he was down a lap.

“I have a picture of the first pit stop and you can see my face was cherry red,” Martin said. “Turns out Mr. Inman was spot on.”

Martin finished 11th in the race earning another pole at Richmond six races later and embarking on a career that includes 40 victories and pole awards over a 31-year span.

Inman, maybe the sport’s best practical joker, never misses an opportunity to remind Martin about that meeting whenever he wins a pole.

“We have laughed about it ever since because he was right,” Martin said. “I had never experienced anything like that.”

Notes
·        CAREER: Sunday’s Las Vegas race will be Martin’s 833rd career start. He finished 10th in the Daytona 500 and ninth at Phoenix. He is tied for sixth in the points.

·        AARON’S:  You know the number one reason more than 1.6 million people are leasing with Aaron’s right now? Because – you don’t need credit. All you need is Aaron’s… where you’ll find the top brand names in furniture, electronics, appliances and computers… all at a guaranteed low price.

·        LAS VEGAS CHASSIS: Primary – 720 New – Backup – 708 – Raced in Texas & Homestead as No. 00 in 2011

·        MARK MARTIN STATISTICS:
·        No. 55 CREW
Crew Chief – Rodney Childers
Car Chief – Steve Channing
Front Changer – Ryan Langley
Rear Changer – Shannon Myers
Front Carrier -    Chris Hall
Rear Carrier – Mark Kennerly
Jackman – Tony Cardamone
Gas man – Brian Dheel
Spotter – Jeremy Brickhouse
Engineer – Billy Scott
2nd Engineer – Scott McDougall
Tires – Kevin White
Eng.Tuner- Denny Chandler (TRD)
Shocks – Mike (Nook) McCarville
Truck Driver – Glenn Shano
2nd Truck Driver – John Murphy
Pit Coach – Greg Miller

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Elliott Sadler will not drive for Michael Waltrip Racing

Per SPEEDTV.com, On Saturday, Michael Waltrip Racing announced that Elliott Sadler would drive the No. 55 MWR NASCAR Sprint Cup car for five races this season. But Monday afternoon, Sadler told SPEED.com that the deal was off. Richard Childress told Sadler following Saturday's Nationwide race he didn't want Sadler in Waltrip’s Toyota.

“I was going to drive the 55 car for five races for MWR, but actually, after the race on Saturday, after Victory Lane, Richard and I went to his bus,” Sadler told SPEED.com. “And I think Richard, along with some of the executives that he has, have just decided that it’s probably not in our best interest to do that right now.”

SEE ALSO:
Elliott Sadler's ride with MWR is in jeopardy
Elliott Sadler to drive five races for MWR 

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NASCAR Sprint Cup entry list for Las Vegas

1 - Jamie McMurray
2 - Brad Keselowski
5 - Kasey Kahne
7 - Robby Gordon
9 - Marcos Ambrose
10 - David Reutimann
11 - Denny Hamlin
13 - Casey Mears
14 - Tony Stewart
15 - Clint Bowyer
16 - Greg Biffle
17 - Matt Kenseth
18 - Kyle Busch
20 - Joey Logano
21 - Trevor Bayne
22 - AJ Allmendinger
23 - Scott Riggs
24 - Jeff Gordon
26 - Josh Wise
27 - Paul Menard
29 - Kevin Harick
30 - David Stremme
31 - Jeff Burton
32 - Ken Schrader
33 - Brendan Gaughan
34 - David Ragan
36 - Dave Blaney
37 - Timmy Hill
38 - David Gilliland
39 - Ryan Newman
42 - Juan Pablo Montoya
43 - Aric Almirola
47 - Bobby Labonte
48 - Jimmie Johnson
49 - JJ Yeley
51 - Kurt Busch
55 - Mark Martin
56 - Martin Truex Jr.
78 - Regan Smith
83 - Landon Cassill
87 - Joe Nemechek
88 - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
93 - Travis Kvapil
98 - Michael McDowell
99 - Carl Edwards

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NASCAR Nationwide entry list for Las Vegas

1 - Mike Wallace
2 - Elliott Sadler
3 - Austin Dillon
4 - Danny Efland
6 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
7 - Danica Patrick
8 - Tim Andrews
09 - Kenny Wallace
10 - Jeff Green
11 - Brian Scott
12 - Sam Hornish Jr.
13 - Jennifer Jo Cobb
14 - Eric McClure
18 - Mark Martin
19 - Tayler Malsam
22 - Brad Keselowski
23 - Robert Richardson
24 - Benny Gordon
27 - TBA
28 - JJ Yeley
30 - James Buescher
31 - Justin Allgaier
33 - Brandon Gaughan
38 - Kasey Kahne
39 - Joey Gase
40 - Erik Darnell
41 - Blake Koch
42 - Josh Wise
43 - Michael Annett
44 - Mike Bliss
46 - Chase Miller
47 - Scott Speed
50 - TJ Bell
51 - Jeremy Clements
52 - Tim Schendel
54 - Kyle Busch
60 - Trevor Bayne
70 - Johanna Long
74 - Mike Harmon
81 - Jason Bowles
87 - Joe Nemechek
88 - Cole Whitt
89 - Morgan Shepherd 

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