On the heels of a successful launch last August, Bristol Motor Speedway officials today announced an expansion and new location for the come-as-you-are RV rental program for BMS race guests.

The program features fully-stocked, full-hookup RV rentals for the NASCAR race weekends in Bristol. Initiated last summer to give guests more lodging options for the IRWIN Tools Night Race in August, BMS Executive Vice President and General Manager Jerry Caldwell said the overwhelming response convinced him not only of a need to continue the program, but expand it as well.

“We continue to hear from BMS guests about lodging costs and gas prices,” Caldwell said. “We reached out last year and secured eight units that slept eight people and had everything folks needed except occupants. The units rented almost as quickly as we announced the program. That told us there not only was a need to do it again, but we are expanding.”

Two additional campers increases to 10 the total units available for fans who love the camping experience, but currently are not in the position to incur the fuel costs of pulling their RV to Bristol. The location has changed as well.

“Last year we rented some spots across the street, within walking distance of everything,” Caldwell said. “This time around, we decided to take it up a notch and all 10 RV spots are on property at our Bristol Dragway campground.”

Equipped with full water, power and sewer hookups, these units rent for $1,500 for the week – five nights. For a full crew of race fans, that’s just around $188 a person for the entire week or about $37 a day.

Those wanting to book the full-hookup RVs may call (423) 989-6944.

For those fans wanting to bring their own recreational vehicles good spots and many options remain in all three campgrounds managed by BMS for as low as $125 for the week. For more information, fans may go to http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/events_tickets/camping/ or, again, call (423) 989-6944.

BMS PR

If you are looking for the best race-day experience possible for the Virginia 500 and a chance to seeDale Earnhardt Jr., up close and personal, Martinsville Speedway has got your ticket.

Race fans that purchase the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Appearance Package will get to watch the Virginia 500 from one of Martinsville Speedway’s high-rise suites on Sunday April 7, and sit in on an emceed question and answer session with the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet SS.

And while the Earnhardt appearance is a big part of the package, there is so much more.

The suite package, which is $388, includes:

• · Sunday suite admission
• · South Lot Parking Pass (one parking pass for each two tickets purchased)
• · Pre-race pit pass for the morning of Sunday, April 7 (must be 18 or older)
• · Food and Pepsi products
• · 10-minute Dale Earnhardt Jr. appearance with emceed question and answer session. Appearance to be on track surface with time to be announced.

The package may be purchased by calling 276.956.7200 or 276.956.7225.

Martinsville Speedway PR

Kyle Larson continued his siege on NASCAR by winning the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model portion of the inaugural UNOH Battle At The Beach on Monday evening at Daytona International Speedway.

The reigning NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion out of Elk Grove, Calif., swapped the lead with C.E. Falk three times over the final 10 laps after starting the race from the second position. On the final lap coming out of Turn 4 of the .4-mile oval Larson made contact with Falk, the race leader, and powered to the victory.

“It's the first race I've ever one in that manner, but this was a pretty big race,” Larson said. “I wanted to win it. It's the last lap. You have to slow down so much in the center of the corner, I got run on him and got into the back of him. I got underneath him and then got him around. I feel bad for him, but like I said, I wanted to win.”

Ben Rhodes, who led a race-high 87 laps, finished second while Falk regrouped to finish third. Anthony Anders and Deac McCaskill finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Falk was disappointed with the turn of events after leading 61 laps.

“I just tried to protect the bottom as best I could,” Falk said of the last lap. “He got me once and I thought I was going to be OK, but I was wheel-spinning the whole time. Finally, he just finished us off. I've got some great notes for next year to go and try and win this thing.”

Matt Bowling, 2012 Whelen All-American Series national champion Lee Pulliam, Dalton Zehr, Brandon Rogers and Garrett Campbell completed the top 10.

Earlier in the day, Rhodes and Larson won the two qualifying heat races that set the lineup. By virtue of a coin toss, Rhodes got lane choice and picked inside. Larson is competing in all three series – Whelen All-American Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour – over the two-day event.

Additionally, the K&N Pro Series and Whelen Modified Tour held practice sessions. Greg Pursley led the way for the K&N Pro Series while Larson paced the field for the Whelen Modifieds. Both those series will be back on the track for a pair of practice sessions on Tuesday before their respective qualifying heat races. The Whelen Modified Tour feature race is set for 7:15 p.m. ET followed by the K&N Pro Series main event at approximately 8:30 p.m.

NASCAR PR

Venturini Motorsports (VMS) arrived in Daytona Beach last week with hopes of dominating Saturday’s Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real, the 2013 season opener for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

What could have turned out to be a tumultuous day ended on an incredibly high note, with the team experiencing triumph at Daytona International Speedway for the first time.

John Wes Townley, driving the No. 15 Zaxby's Toyota for VMS, took the lead from eight-time Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart on Lap 73 of 80 and held that position to the finish, delivering a Daytona win for the first time to one of ARCA's longest-tenured and most successful teams.

In gleaming Florida sunshine, four VMS teams unloaded and prepared for the weekend’s first practice Thursday. It was no shock when Townley, Milka Duno, Justin Boston, and Darrell Wallace Jr. turned the fastest laps of the practice and closed out the session running atop the leader board.

Qualifying on Friday afternoon further proved the power and strength of the Venturini Motorsports organization. Townley, at 181.313 mph, edged teammate Milka Duno (No. 35 CanTV/Milka Way Toyota) and her 180.505-mph lap for the Menards Pole Award, giving VMS a front row sweep.

Making his ARCA and Daytona debut, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. qualified fourth in the No. 55 Toyota. Venturini’s fourth entry, Justin Boston, kicked off his first season with Venturini in the No. 25 ZLOOP™ Computer & Electronics Recycling Toyota, qualifying 13th.

The green flag fell over Daytona International Speedway and the 2013 season was under way. Duno’s No. 35 Toyota thundered past Townley and by the close of the first lap led the race. She maintained the lead early. Wallace, in the chaos of a close-proximity pack, got shuffled back a few positions on the start, while teammate Boston plowed forward, up to eighth.

On Lap 11, the first caution of the race fell as the No. 94 blew an engine. This tightened up the field and brought the leaders down pit road. Fuel-only stops followed and after a jumble coming out of the pits, Townley restarted fifth, Duno ninth, Boston 12th, and Wallace 17th. The race went green again on Lap 18.

Only one lap later, the high hopes of Venturini domination were somewhat weakened. Wallace found his No. 25 teammate of Justin Boston. With the No. 3 of Drew Charlson closing in, Wallace got into the back of the No. 25. Unfortunately, Wallace shot up into the outside retaining wall and Boston, along with six other drivers, were sent careening into the grass. Both drivers walked away unscathed from the incident, but their cars received damage. Wallace would finish 61 laps down, in 35th position. Boston and the No. 25 were able to return to the track with 30 laps to go, and salvage a 31st-place finish.

Still in contention, Duno and Townley took the green at the restart on Lap 27, and Duno started having a transmission issue. She headed toward pit road as Townley moved closer to the lead. As she navigated her way to the No. 35 pit, a competitor’s tire blew, bringing out the race’s second caution. Duno went behind the wall.

The leader of the first 11 laps, Duno’s car was suddenly stuck in third gear, a transmission issue that needed immediate attention. Without losing many laps, crew chief Kevin Caldwell and the team got the car fixed and back on track. Duno was able to race her way back, finishing a mere four laps down in 28th.

The strength of the team had been carried all week by the bright yellow Zaxby’s Toyota of Townley, first practice leader and pole winner. The No. 15 car was still running second, as the 80-lap race wound to a close. With seven laps to go, Townley passed the Gerhart's No. 5 car, an annual contender on Daytona's high banks. Townley weaved his No. 15 in and out of lapped traffic over the final laps to take the checkered at Daytona, holding off Kyle Larson, Ricky Ehrgott, and Frank Kimmel.

Townley, having started from the pole, was heading to Victory Lane with his first ARCA win. Additionally, Venturini Motorsports visited Daytona International Speedway’s famed Victory Lane for the first time in the team’s 31-year history. Despite being one of the strongest teams in the ARCA Racing Series, VMS had never before won at Daytona International Speedway.

Townley, climbing from his car, was greeted by the boisterous roar of his team and a traditional big victory kiss from team owner Bill Venturini. When asked how the win felt, Townley said, “I’m ecstatic. There are no words.”

With a grin that stretched from ear to ear, he continued, “We had luck on our side, we stayed out of trouble, and it paid off.”

Townley will continue to drive a limited ARCA schedule with Venturini and will also drive for the team when VMS makes its NASCAR Nationwide Series debut later this season, on March 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Venturini Motorsports PR

The Daytona 500 wasn’t always the first race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

In NASCAR’s formative years, the schedule often started at places like Concord and Champion Speedway in North Carolina, and sometimes made a quick west coast stop at Riverside International Raceway for a road course race before landing in NASCAR’s backyard.

That was the case in 1963 when the season actually kicked off in November of 1962 with three races before taking a two month break and returning in January at Riverside. That’s where the year kicked off in earnest and saw Dan Gurney outlast A.J. Foyt in his 1963 Ford to take the

checkered flag in a 500-mile marathon.

A four-week hiatus ensued as teams prepared for the fifth running of the Daytona 500 and Marvin Panch focused on becoming the first driver to win the sport’s crown jewel event twice in a career. He won the 500 in 1961 over Joe Weatherly, and was considered among the

favorites behind the wheel of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford.

Just a few days before the 500, however, Panch was involved in a freak sports car accident on the Daytona road course. The car, which Panch described as a Birdcage Maserati, flipped and burst into flames on the track’s east banking.

“We were down in the pits and Johnny Bruner (NASCAR official) and some of the Firestone people jumped in a station wagon. I got in there with them and went over to help,”recalled Glen Wood. “The whole bunch of us got the car turned back over. Marvin was upside-down in it. It had those clam doors on it, so they opened from the top, but there was so much pressure on it that Marvin couldn’t get the door open.

“He was picking on it and he said he just about decided this was his last hope,” continued Wood.“Fire was all about him and at about that time he felt it wiggle and we got the car turned back over. Tiny Lund and Steve Petrasek of Firestone dragged him out and rolled him around on the ground and got the fire put out.

“Naturally, he was burned so bad that he couldn’t drive our car, so we pondered different drivers,” said Wood. “We knew Tiny was a pretty fair race driver. He always had been tough to deal with and with him being one of the main guys that helped Marvin out of the car, it was a no-brainer to put him in there.”

Lund started the race 12th, which is where Panch qualified the car, but it didn’t take long for the Wood Brothers to develop a pit strategy that not only would help Lund stay up front throughout the day, but ultimately win the race.

“When they started the race it was raining and the track was wet,” said Wood. “They ran about 10 laps under the caution after the green flag was dropped and then had a caution on lap 36, so we all came in and just gassed up and went back out.”

That allowed the team to figure out its mileage and they realized Lund could easily go 100 miles before stopping again, so that’s what he did. After stopping for the second time, the Woods once again recalculated and decided they could push it two more laps. They directed Lund to stay out for 42 laps the next two runs, which put them in an ideal situation.

“After that 36-lap caution, we wanted him to draft and save fuel,” said Leonard Wood. “When it came down to the end of the race, we didn’t have but 40 laps to go and we knew he could make it because we had been running 42. When Fred Lorenzen and Ned Jarrett had not made their laps up from that first caution, we knew they were gonna have to stop, so we were just waiting

for it to happen.”

Glen Wood said that even though he felt confident they were going to make it, there were some anxious moments.

“They got to talking it up on the loudspeaker and asking, ‘Can they make it? Can they make it?’ That got us to wondering to ourselves whether we could make it or not, but we felt sure that if we got it full, Tiny could make it. Sure enough, he pulled it off,”Glen Wood said.

After driving into victory lane for the first time in his Grand National career, Lund was greeted by pit reporter Chris Economaki, who asked him what he was going to do with the $25,000 prize money he had just won.

The 280-pound, 6’6”native from Iowa enthusiastically said, “Pay our bills!”

Slightly overshadowed in Lund’s storybook win was the fact Ford swept the top five positions with Lorenzen, Jarrett, Nelson Stacy and Gurney finishing second through fifth, respectively.

“That’s a Cinderella story for sure,” reiterated Leonard Wood. “We ran the whole race on the same set of tires. The reason we did that is we already had our pit stops worked out, but there’s always that chance of cross-threading a lug or something like that. At that time, your lugs weren’t quite as good as we eventually got them to be, so you didn’t want to take a chance. Plus, we wanted to make sure we kept him up in the draft, so we’d always have a quick pit stop.”

For his actions in helping rescue Panch, Lund was awarded the prestigious Carnegie Medal for heroism. He eventually went on to win five Grand National races in his career before being killed in an accident during the Talladega 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Aug. 17, 1975.

Ford Racing PR

G-OIL®, America’s first and only bio-based fully synthetic motor oil to receive American Petroleum Institute certification, made history again at Daytona International Speedway as the G-OIL flag was officially raised above the iconic 2.5 mile tri-oval superspeedway for the first time yesterday morning, February 17.

The G-OIL flag took its place as the new “Official Motor Oil” of Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500, just one year after G-OIL made history as the first bio-based full synthetic motor oil to be used in NASCAR competition at Daytona. Only the American flag flies higher.

Later Sunday, veteran driver Mike Bliss qualified the #19 G-OIL Toyota Camry for Humphrey Smith Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series for Thursday’s Budweiser Duel races (2PM on SPEED) that will ultimately determine starting positions for the Daytona 500 this upcoming Sunday, February 24, 1PM on FOX Sports.

Joining Bliss in carrying the G-OIL colors into competition at DIS this week is John Smith, driver of the #25 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Series, who will be qualifying this Tuesday afternoon for the UNOH Battle at the Beach later that evening.

“Our debut at Daytona International Speedway in 2012 helped introduce G-OIL and our environmental approach to lot of fans and retailers,” said Jeffrey Loch, President and CMO of Celebration, Florida-based Green Earth Technologies. “We are honored to have G-OIL return in 2013 as the Official Motor Oil of Daytona International Speedway.”

G-OIL delivers uncompromising performance and the benefits of being an American-grown, American-made, and environmentally-friendly motor oil.

“We look forward to expanding our relationship with DIS in the months ahead to include fan features, trams, special promotions and the use of our G-OIL family of products in a wide range of DIS vehicles and equipment,” said Loch.

G-Oil PR

Jane Caputo spent years living with painful teeth. But not anymore, thanks to Dr. Jennifer Taylor and her team at the Aspen Dental practice in Hyannis, Mass.

Jane’s winning smile will be showcased on the back panel of Ryan Newman’s No. 39 Quicken Loans Chevrolet during the Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway this Sunday, Feb. 24, in the first race of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Jane was selected to have her photo featured on the car based on a review she wrote at AspenDentalReviews.com. She wrote the following about her Aspen Dental experience:

“I lived for years with rotting teeth. I have no enamel on my teeth and no amount of brushing and flossing was helping at all. I suffered for years with broken teeth, exposed nerves, and constant pain.

“One day I finally snapped and couldn't take the pain anymore. I rushed into Aspen in tears where I was greeted by the kindest staff. They took me back immediately, took x-rays and Dr. Taylor was with me in minutes making plans... I cried because I knew I was going to lose a tooth and the entire staff comforted me and did everything they could to set me up immediately to get this work done.

“I have been there probably 7-8 times now and every time I walk in I feel safe, comfortable and excited. Not only are they professional and proficient, but they have a genuine care for each individual patient. I could not be happier for what they've done to fix the disaster I had in my mouth. I feel so much better and healthier, all thanks to them. Thank you Dr. Taylor and everyone else who has done so much for me. Thank you. Thank you.”

Aspen Dental began featuring patients’ photos on Newman’s Chevrolet during the 2012 Sprint Cup season, and will continue the tradition throughout the 2013 season.

Aspen Dental will be the primary sponsor of Newman’s No. 39 Chevrolet for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 18, and during the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on Sunday, Aug. 11. For all other respective races within the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Aspen Dental is an associate sponsor with placement on the lower-rear quarter panel of the No. 39 Chevrolet and on the upper chest of Newman’s uniform.

Aspen Dental PR

Iconic denim brand Wrangler, invites NASCAR fans to take a step back in time and reminisce about the “good old days” of racing with the new Wrangler Heritage video series. Wrangler has been an established partner of both NASCAR and the Earnhardt family for over 30 years, and to celebrate this long-standing relationship, Wrangler has brought together three famous names within the industry: NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, popular NASCAR talk show host Chocolate Myers and of course, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Beginning February 18, 2013, Wrangler will kick off a video series featuring the trio of colleagues and friends sharing laughs, memories and tales behind the history of Dale Earnhardt, the No.3 Wrangler Jean Machine and Richard Childress Racing. To capture and showcase this candid exchange, Wrangler will release two videos per week, and has aptly titled the series “Heritage.”

“NASCAR and the Earnhardt family are a significant part of the Wrangler brand’s heritage. This series will give long-time fans a chance to reflect on some incredible years and new fans a chance to hear about a time that forever changed the sport of racing,” said Craig Errington, vice president of Wrangler marketing. “The chance to have three legends on the level of Richard, Chocolate and Dale Jr. in one room is very rare, and we’re excited to share all the stories they swapped. We know fans have strong memories of those days and we hope that they enjoy this very candid, behind-the-scenes look into that period of racing’s history.”

The 12-video series can be seen by visiting www.wrangler.com/heritage and will also be accessible via the Wrangler Facebook page. Some of the topics covered in the series include: how the Wrangler Childress racing team came about, humorous anecdotes from around the race track, their best memories of Dale, memories of the first time they met each other, thoughts on the sport then versus now and much more.

Wrangler Jeans PR

Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced today that GunBroker.com - which will celebrate its 10^th season as a NASCAR team sponsor in 2013 - will adorn Joey Coulter's No. 18 Tundra in the season-opening NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Feb. 22.

GunBroker.com, the world's largest online auction of firearms, parts and accessories, will also serve as the primary sponsor on KBM's flagship Tundra for four additional races in 2013 - Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Aug. 21, Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway Sep. 28, Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway Nov. 9 and in the Truck Series finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway Nov. 15. 

"GunBroker.com has been a team sponsor in the Truck Series for several years, so it's rewarding to know that this year they want to be associated with our No. 18 Tundra at Kyle Busch Motorsports," Coulter said. "They will be our primary sponsor at some of my better race tracks, so our goal is to get them to victory lane this season. They also are the sponsor of the final race of the year at Homestead, so hopefully they will be helping us celebrate a championship."

Coulter earned his first Truck Series win at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway last August and captured three pole awards during the 2012 season. The talented youngster posted eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes en route to a third-place finish in the final driver's point standings in his sophomore Truck Series campaign. Coulter's 749 driver's points accumulated over the final 20 races last season were more than any other Truck Series driver during that span.

Since debuting in the Truck Series in 2010, the No. 18 Tundra has compiled 17 wins, 38 top-five and 54 top-10 finishes across 72 starts. In 2010, KBM became the first team since the Truck Series originated in 1995 to win the owner's championship in its inaugural season. 

KBM PR