RWR returns full time with the #1 for the 2013 Camping World Truck Series. “I am excited to be back in the truck series. With the new lower age limit of 17 for many events it is opening doors to work with a new crop of up and coming drivers.” RWR will be racing through out the season with drivers from Cup, Nationwide as well as young phenoms and rookies. RWR is excited to have Accell Construction Branding on board the #1 truck as well as both Nationwide cars at Daytona. Accell Construction is one of the premier crude oil storage facility manufacturers in the industry. To have them as a partner is an honor. RWR’s last truck race at Daytona was 2011 which earned a 7th place finish and last Nationwide race was 2012, which earned a 9th place in February and 7th place in July.

RWR PR

In the high powered world of NASCAR racing one thing is certain, unpredictability; for 2013 SS Green Light Racing will be reunited with veteran racer David Starr as he returns to the seat of the No. 81 Toyota for the Bobby Dotter and Ken Smith-owned Camping World Truck Series team.

Marking his sixteenth season behind the wheel of NASCAR’s tough Truck series, the Texas native will join veteran crew chief Bryan Berry though the 2013 NCWTS season. NCCER’s Build Your Future campaign (BYF) and Chasco Constructors will adorn Starr’s Toyota at the season-opening Nextera Energy Resources 250 at the famed Daytona International Speedway under the lights at 190 M.P.H. on Friday night February 22nd. Steely Lumber Company Inc., Striping Technology LP and Niece Equipment LP will be associate sponsors on the BYF/Chasco Constructors No. 81 at Daytona.

Starr who is one of only four drivers with 300 career NCWTS starts is ready for the season to start. “I’m really excited to be back with SS Green Light Racing,” he said. “It’s my sixteenth year in the Camping World Truck Series and back in 2011 we had a good year (with SS Green Light Racing) and some great runs with lots of top-tens and I’m looking to build on that and pick-up where we left off. It’s going to be tougher than ever with the competition this season but with the experience that Bryan Berry and I have I think we are going to be very competitive and have a great year.”

The No. 81 team will utilize proven Toyota power from Mark Smith’s Pro Motor Racing Engines (PME).

Bobby Dotter, co-owner of SS Green Light Racing, is excited to have Starr back behind the wheel, “David and Bryan will be one of the most experienced driver/crew chief tandems in all of NASCAR racing. Their combined experience of over 500 NASCAR races will give the No. 81 a great baseline when we arrive at the track each week. We had eleven top-ten runs with David when he was here for the last few races of 2010 and the 2011 season. I believe we can be competitive and have many strong runs this season.”

The Nextera Energy Resources 250 is the 293rd consecutive NCWTS start for the SS Green Light Racing team and the 307th career start for Starr in the Truck Series. David has 4 victories, 47 top-five and 106 top-ten finishes over the previous fifteen Truck Series seasons.

The Nextera Energy Resources 250 will prelude the NASCAR Sprint Cup Daytona 500 and Nationwide Drive4COPD 300 at the Daytona International Speedway. Chris Cockrum will pilot the SSGLR Advanced Communications Group No. 07 with associate sponsorship from ACCU-TECH on Friday night.

Practice for the Nextera Energy Resources 250 will be Thursday, February 21st from 12:10 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. Friday February 22nd there will be two laps of qualifying at 1:40 p.m. The green flag will fly in the Nextera Energy Resources 250 at 7:30 p.m. All times Eastern. The race will be shown live on SPEED TV and will also be broadcast live via on the Motor Racing Network and on SIRIUSXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

SS Green Light Racing PR

As the excitement builds in the days leading up to the ‘Great American Race’ at Daytona International Speedway, Chevrolet is anxiously awaiting the beginning of a new era for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It’s the start of a new tradition. It’s a new season with new livery. It’s a time when NASCAR leaves behind the old and embraces the new. It announces the birth of the innovative and stylish ‘Generation Six’ race cars on-track, and in competition.

When the action at Daytona Speedweeks begins with the pre-season Sprint Unlimited exhibition race on Saturday, February 16, and then the 55^th running of the prestigious Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 24, 2013, it will be the first time for race fans around the world to see the all-new Chevrolet SS in competition.  It’s sharp. It’s distinctive. It’s recognizable. It’s familiar. It shouts ‘Chevrolet’ from nose to tail.  Even better, it’s powered by a fuel-injected V-8.  It has rear-wheel drive. And, it features high-performance driving dynamics. To top it off, it sports an uncanny resemblance to its brand new Chevrolet SS brethren, soon to be available in dealerships around the country.

From the enhancement use of a Bio Fuel Blend in 2011, to the implementation of Electronic Fuel Injection in 2012, to the introduction of highly distinguished Brand Identity in 2013, NASCAR has incorporated the steps necessary to enable the Gen 6 race car to emerge with rivalries intensified more than ever.  And now, it’s all about bringing the ‘stock’ back to stock car racing.

“We’ve been working with our engineers and Chevy teams on the development process of this new car for quite some time, and it has finally become a reality,” said Pat Suhy, Chevrolet Racing NASCAR Group Manager. “We’ve made substantial design changes that we think are a pretty good expression of the Chevrolet SS production car. Our primary goal was to make the new Chevy SS have as many characteristics of its street version as possible.

“It’s fast, it has the aerodynamic qualities we need on the race track; and it also has room for our Team Chevy engineers and crew chiefs to make changes. Unlike last year’s Gen 5 Impala, this model gives them flexibility.  We hope the fans will applaud our Chevy SS race car as much as we do, and as much as our Team Chevy drivers do.”

Team Chevy has ample talent and on-track driver expertise to extend the winning success of Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Hot on the heels of a strong 2012 season, where the Bowtie Brigade collected its 700^th Sprint Cup victory and swept all three NASCAR National Touring Series Manufacturers’ Cup championships for the fourth time, Chevrolet is ready to race.

The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season-opener at the Daytona 500 features an impressive list of Team Chevy contenders to vie for the coveted honors.

2013 TEAM CHEVY LINE-UP (17 Drivers):

HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS (HMS)

No. 5 Kasey Kahne, Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS / Kenny Francis, Crew Chief

No. 24 Jeff Gordon, Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS / Alan Gustafson, Crew Chief

No. 48 Jimmie Johnson, Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Chad Knaus, Crew Chief

No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr., National Guard Chevrolet SS / Steve Letarte, Crew Chief

RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING (RCR)

No. 27 Paul Menard, Menards Chevrolet SS / Slugger Labbe, Crew Chief

No. 29 Kevin Harvick, Budweiser Chevrolet SS / Gil Martin, Crew Chief

No. 31 Jeff Burton, Caterpillar Chevrolet SS / Luke Lambert, Crew Chief

No. 33 Austin Dillon, Honey Nut Cheerios Chevrolet SS/ Scott Naset, Crew Chief

STEWART-HAAS RACING (SHR)

No. 10 Danica Patrick, GoDaddy.com Chevrolet SS / Tony Gibson, Crew Chief

No. 14 Tony Stewart, Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS / Steve Addington, Crew Chief

No. 39 Ryan Newman, Quicken Loans Chevrolet SS / Matt Borland, Crew Chief

EARNHARDT GANASSI RACING (EGR)

No. 1 Jamie McMurray, McDonald’s Chevrolet SS / Kevin Manion, Crew Chief

No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya, Target Chevrolet SS / Chris Heroy, Crew Chief

FURNITURE ROW RACING (FRR)

No. 78 Kurt Busch, Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet SS / Todd Berrier, Crew Chief

TOMMY BALDWIN RACING (TBR)

No. 7 Dave Blaney, Florida Lottery Chevrolet SS / Tommy Baldwin Jr., Crew Chief

No. 36 J.J. Yeley, Golden Corral Chevrolet SS / TBD, Crew Chief

JAMES FINCH PHOENIX RACING (PXR)

No. 51 Regan Smith, Guy Roofing Chevrolet SS / Nick Harrison, Crew Chief

Team Chevy Racing PR

Race fans looking for a stress-free, convenient and affordable way to get to Auto Club Speedway’s Auto Club 400 NASCAR  Sprint Cup Series race need not look any further!  Auto Club Speedway (ACS) has again partnered with Metrolink to provide direct train service to the Auto Club 400 on Sunday, March 24 at Auto Club Speedway.

Metrolink train tickets to the Auto Club 400 are only $19 for one (1) round trip train ticket. 

Metrolink will operate three trains originating from Oxnard, Lancaster and Oceanside with limited stops in between for faster service. Train routes and stops include:

Route 1:  Oxnard to ACS

Oxnard

Moorpark

Chatsworth

Van Nuys

Covina

Montclair

Rancho Cucamonga

Auto Club Speedway

Route 2:  Lancaster to ACS

Lancaster

Santa Clarita

Sylmar/San Fernando

Downtown Burbank

L.A. Union Station

Auto Club Speedway

Route 3:  Oceanside to ACS

Oceanside

San Clemente

Irvine

Orange

Riverside-La Sierra

San Bernardino

Auto Club Speedway

Metrolink’s Speedway trains stop at a specially constructed station just off the back straight-away at the race track.  From there, passengers will board a free tram that takes them to the entrance gates.  Trains depart Auto Club Speedway one hour after the end of the race, or checkered flag. 

The Auto Club Speedway Metrolink Train Service is a joint demonstration project made possible in part by Clean Transportation Funding from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC).  The MSRC’s mission is to fund projects that reduce air pollution to meet the region’s clean air goals. Over its 22-year history, the MSRC has assisted organizations throughout the Southland in removing as much as 8,000 tons of harmful pollutants from the air through innovative programs designed to reduce air pollution from mobile sources.  

“The MSRC is excited to partner with these organizations and will provide up to $57,000 in Clean Transportation Funding for the special Metrolink train service to the Auto Club 400. Having fans take public transportation to the races takes cars off the road cutting congestion and air pollution, which helps advance the MSRC’s mission to reduce harmful emissions from mobile sources,” said L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who serves on the Metrolink Board of Directors and MSRC as an appointee from  the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Metrolink riders can bring food and non-alcoholic beverages on board the train.  Items are not permitted to be stored at the Speedway train station; however fans may utilize lightweight backpacks and soft side bags/coolers, no larger than 6x6x12 inches, that may contain race weekend essentials.  For a complete list of approved carry-in items, please visit www.autoclubspeedway.com.

ACS PR

Since 2001, FOX Sports has won 15 Emmy Awards for its NASCAR coverage, 10 specifically for technical achievement, but once Speedweeks 2013 coverage is over, it may have to make room for more statuettes in the trophy case.

As Speedweeks coverage begins this weekend, FOX Sports and SPEED are excited to announce plans to showcase exciting, never-before-seen looks of racing at Daytona International Speedway and the Great American Race, courtesy of newly deployed technologies. Coverage this year includes a collection of new cameras and graphics that are expected to add a dynamic new dimension to the viewing experience, including in-car Gyro- Cams, the FOX Super Zoom 4K camera, virtual 3D graphics and the return of a suspended cable camera over the length of pit road.

Gyro-Cam: Gyro-Cam is a gyro stabilized, in-car camera mounted in the center of the cockpit that rotates as cars enter DIS's extreme 31-degree banked turns, keeping its view level with the horizon at all times. The resulting look demonstrates to viewers just how dramatic Daytona’s turn angles are at race speed.

FOX Super Zoom 4K: Introduced last year during FOX Sports' coverage of MLB and the NFL, the 4K “Super Zoom” camera produces pictures with five times the resolution of normal HD cameras and captures the action at 300 frames per second. The resulting detail is remarkable and can zoom into an area of interest during the race with incredible detail.

VIZ-RT Encoded Camera: The VIZ-RT encoded camera graphically places three dimensional virtual objects on screen. These graphics include delineating the “restart box,” where cars can accelerate toward the start/finish line during a restart and highlighting the entire track in yellow to emphasize that a race is under caution.

CAMCAT: Supported by two gigantic cranes outside the track, CAMCAT is an advanced, two-point flying camera system developed in Austria that skies over the tri-oval along pit road. Previously used to cover F1 and certain Olympic events, the camera is suspended at a maximum 140 feet in the air and dips to 45 feet above the track at its midpoint. The cameras can speed up to 85 miles per hour along a 2,900 foot long cable to offer never before- seen shots of Daytona. FOX first employed a four point cabled camera system over pit road from 2005 to 2007. All the cables were suspended within the track, and the camera traveled at 15 to 20 miles per hour 30 feet above ground.

Fox Sports PR

The season’s first practice session saw the season’s first multicar accident, with five cars involved in an accident that took place only nine minutes into the season’s first practice. The result sends Roush Fenway’s Carl Edwards and the No. 99 Fastenal team to a backup car for tomorrow night’s Sprint Unlimited all-star race.

“I didn’t see anything,” said Edwards. “I should have been listening to my spotter Jason Hedlesky because he said, ‘watch ‘em, watch ‘em’ about two seconds before this happened. I just didn’t step on the brakes early enough. I don’t know exactly and Matt (Kenseth) probably had no clue that Kurt (Busch) was underneath him.

“That one little beat and I hit Mark (Martin) and I thought I was clear and you will see Kurt in front of me and he was sideways into the wall,” added Edwards. “It is pretty frustrating. The silver lining for us is that last year we came down here and we sat on the pole for the 500 and everything was cool and smooth and our year went terrible. Hopefully this is all our bad luck.”

RFR’s Greg Biffle was third fastest in both sessions with a fast lap of 109.109 mph.

“I’m pretty happy with the car,” said Biffle. “The guys on the 3M team have done a great job. It drove good in practice, the thing now will be to see what it’s like when 25 other cars our out there and trying to go for position.”

Biffle ran a total of 37 laps in the two sessions; 22 in the first practice and 15 in the second.

The Sprint Unlimited is slated for tomorrow night at 8:10 p.m. EST and will be televised live on FOX.  After a fan vote, the 75-lap race will feature a format that consists of three segments – 30-25-20 laps.

Nineteen cars will compete in the Unlimited. General Daytona 500 practice for all teams will begin tomorrow.

RFR PR

John Wes Townley earned his first career Menards Pole Award in the ARCA Racing Series, leading a front row sweep for Venturini Motorsports with a qualifying lap of 49.638 seconds (181.313 mph) at Daytona International Speedway.

Townley (No. 15 Zaxby’s Toyota) edged teammate Milka Duno (No. 35 CanTV/Milka Way Toyota), who completed a lap at 180.505 mph for the second position.

“I’m so excited,” Townley said. “It’s great for Venturini Motorsports, and certainly great for Zaxby’s. Tomorrow’s going to be the day that really counts, but it means a lot to be able to come here and get the pole. We just need to come out tomorrow and back it up. The car is working very well in the draft too, so I think it’ll hold up very well in the race.”

Townley’s position up front will give him an excellent chance to improve on his best career finishes, both of which came at the 2.5-mile superspeedway with the Venturini team. He finished fourth in 2009 before a third-place finish the next year.

Duno, who has made 26 ARCA starts but will make her first with Venturini, will start tomorrow's race on the front row in 2nd.

“This is wonderful,” she said. “I now have the tools and the right people around me. This is my first race with Venturini Motorsports, and we’re going to do a super job in the race tomorrow.”

Venturini Motorsports, which last year celebrated its 30th year of competition, has won 26 races across four decades but has never won at Daytona.

Darrell Wallace Jr. (No. 55 Toyota Manufacturing Toyota) gave Venturini three of the top four cars by qualifying fourth, and Justin Boston (No. 25 ZLOOP™ Computer & Electronics Recycling Toyota) qualified 13th. Both drivers will be making ARCA debuts with Venturini.

A final practice at 10 a.m. Saturday will precede the 80-lap Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real - ARCA's 50th race at Daytona - which will air live on SPEED at 4:30 p.m.

Venturini Motorsports PR

Frank Kimmel qualified his No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota Camry 19^th-- right about where he expected to Friday in Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell at Daytona International Speedway.

But it's in Saturday's ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season-opener, the Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAV TV American Real, that Kimmel, the nine-time ARCA champion, expects to shine despite a qualifying lap in 50.755 seconds, an average speed of 177.322 mph.

"This car is a really, really nice piece that my team at ThorSport has put together, and we're expecting it to race really well Saturday," Kimmel said. "That's how we run, and it's about as fast as we've run since we got it off the trailer. That's about how we expected to run by ourselves, but we think this car will work well in the draft and we'll find that out in Happy Hour, [Saturday]."

Final practice is scheduled on Saturday from 10 - 10:45 a.m. ET and the 50^th annual Lucas Oil 200 is scheduled to go green at 4:30 p.m.

Kimmel, who has an ARCA-second-best 76 career wins, has never won at Daytona. But his career record in 21 starts is impressive, with seven top-five finishes and 13 top-10s, including second-place runs in 2004-2005.

"I get asked all the time what it takes to win at Daytona, but it's been pretty darned hard for me -- it's the best race track in the world and we just haven't managed to get the job done, yet," Kimmel said with a chuckle, after qualifying.

John Wes Townley, a regular competitor in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, won the pole with a lap in 181.313 mph in a Venturini Motorsports Toyota. He'll start alongside Venezuelan ARCA Series regular Milka Duno.

Thorsport PR

John Wes Townley gave Venturini Motorsports what they were looking for, at least for now. Townley, in the No. 15 Zaxby's Toyota, won the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell for Saturday's 50^th running of the Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real at Daytona Int'l Speedway. It was Townley's career-first pole award in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. 

Townley circled the 2.5-mile superspeedway in 49.638 seconds, for an average speed of 181.313 mph.

"I'm so excited," Townley said. "It's great for Venturini Motorsports, and certainly great for Zaxby's. Tomorrow's going to be the day that really counts, but it means a lot to be able to come here and get the pole. We just need to come out tomorrow and back it up.   

"The car is working very well in the draft too, so I think it'll hold up very well in the race."   

Milka Duno, in the No. 35 Cantv-Milka Way Toyota, qualified a career-best second at 180.505 mph, sweeping the front row for Venturini Motorsports.   

"This is wonderful," said Duno. "I now have the tools and the right people around me. This is my first race with Venturini Motorsports, and we're going to do a super job together in the race tomorrow."

With Townley on the pole and Duno alongside, the stage is set for what could be a couple of firsts at Daytona. For one, Venturini Motorsports, despite winning 26 ARCA races in four different decades, has never won at Daytona. Secondly, no female driver in ARCA history (61 years) has ever won an ARCA race anywhere.   

Eight-time Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart qualified third in his own No. 5 MAVTV American Real Chevrolet, with Joe Gibbs Racing Development driver Darrell Wallace, also in a Venturini Motorsports entry, trailing in fourth. Frenchman Julian Jousse qualified fifth in the David Leiner Racing-Barbarac.fr Toyota.   

ARCAracing.com will continue to feature live timing and scoring of all the on-track activity Saturday, including final practice and the race to follow.  

The 50th Anniversary Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real at Daytona is live on SPEED Saturday at 4:30.   

STARTING LINEUP

ARCA PR

CARL EDWARDS, No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion – TELL US WHAT YOU SAW. “I didn’t see anything. I should have been listening to my spotter Jason Hedleski because he said, ‘watch ‘em, watch ‘em’ about two seconds before this happened. I have the best spotter in the business in Jason and I just didn’t step on the brakes early enough. I don’t know exactly and Matt (Kenseth) probably had no clue that Regan (Smith) was underneath him. That one little beat and I hit Mark (Martin) and I thought I was clear and you will see Smith in front of me and he was sideways into the wall. It is pretty frustrating. The silver lining for us is that last year we came down here and we sat on the pole for the 500 and everything was cool and smooth and our year went terrible. Hopefully this is all our bad luck.”

WILL YOU HAVE TO GO TO A BACKUP AND THE OTHER ISSUE IS IT HAS BEEN HARD FOR THESE GUYS TO GET RACE CARS BUILT. “It is very hard for these guys to get race cars built. I feel like we have the best fab guys in the business. They work hard and put out a lot of cars that are really nice. They have already been down here and said that they can fix it and make this car like it was. Jimmy said not to worry about it and that we have the backup car, so we are going to bring that over and send this one back to Charlotte and they will get it ready to be a backup. I feel bad for my guys. They put so much work into these cars for me to wreck them in practice.”

Ford Racing PR