2012 NASCAR WISH LIST

1. Joey Logano to win another Cup race

2. Danica Patrick to succeed in the Nationwide series

3. Dale Jr. to get back into victory lane

4. Trevor Bayne to continue to do well in N'wide

5. Allmendinger to get his first Cup win with Penske

6. David Ragan to land a ride with RPM

7. Have another unexpected Daytona 500 win

8. JGR wins a championship

9. Austin Dillon to do well in the black #3 Nationwide car

10. Actually go to my first NASCAR race!

Kurt Busch signs with Phoenix Racing

Kurt Busch agreed on Wednesday to drive the No. 51 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing in 2012. Landon Cassill was the former driver of the 51 Chevy and the team finished below 30th in the owner's points. Owner James Finch has one win with the team and uses Hendrick cars and engines. All the team is looking for is wins. The team's last win came in 2009 with Brad Keselowski behind the wheel at Talladega. Kurt Busch may be the key for Phoenix Racing to get their name out and become a major contender in the sport.

We're still waiting to see what RPM will do with the No. 43 car. Maybe David Ragan? He seems to be the reasonable choice for the ride and still has a lot to offer in the sport. Getting his first win in 2011 was also a confidence builder. More updates to come when I find out about Ragan and/or the No. 43 team.

Allmendinger signs with Penske

UPDATE! (1/4/12 5:32 P.M)
 Aric Almirola will drive the 43 in the Cup series in 2012!


UPDATE! (12/21/11 5:30 P.M)

David Ragan is rumored to be the front runner for the No. 43 car at RPM!

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AJ Allmendinger seemed to be in a tight situation yesterday when Best Buy anounnced that they would be going to RFR next season. Overnight Allmendinger went from without a sponsor to a new ride. Allmendinger will replace Kurt Busch in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge in 2012. AJ will be paired with Todd Gordon who was crew chief for Brad Keselowski in the Nationwide series. Allmendinger has had a great 2011 season after coming out of a rough 2010. Now with some of the best equipment at Penske I think he will finally get his first victory. Allmendinger will be able to take the next step and possibly make the Chase in a year or two. Allmendinger previously raced in Champ Car with 5 wins and finished 3rd in the Champ Car World Series in 2005.

RPM wants to continue with a two-car team next season and are looking for candidates. David Ragan, David Reutimann and Brian Vickers are currently looking for rides in 2012. One of these drivers could easily fill the open spot in the No. 43 car at RPM.

"Our plan remains to run a two-car team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2012 and we are continuing down that path," CEO of RPM, Brian Moffitt said. "We believe there are several very talented drivers who are still available and would embrace the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the legendary No. 43 Ford Fusion. We continue to move forward and are optimistic about the future of this race team."

We will just have to wait and see who will be in the seat of Richard Petty's classic No. 43 car in 2012!
Congratulations to AJ Allmendinger and Penske on their new partnership!

Best Buy to Roush Fenway Racing

Every team, driver and owner are scrambling to tie the loose ends before the Daytona 500 in February comes. Feb 26th is creeping upon us and before you know it the fans will be arriving and the green flag will wave. Today, another sponsorship was sealed and done for 2012.

Best Buy announced that they will be a primary sponsor for Matt Kenseth (9 races) and Carl Edwards (2 races). Best Buy will be an associate sponsor for both cars in 2012.

Best Buy has been in NASCAR for 7 years and with A.J. Allmendinger most recently. Richard Petty Motorsports, 43 & 9, will continue to be a two-car team. They are very disappointed to hear that Best Buy will not continue with them, but wish them the best.

Richard Petty, 7 time NASCAR champion and owner of RPM said, "We have had a successful and rewarding relationship with Best Buy for the past few years and appreciate all they have done for us. Although it is very disappointing that Best Buy is changing directions at this late date, we wish all of our friends there the best in their future endeavors."
(Source: NASCAR.com)

I hope RPM will be able to find a sponsor for the 43 car before February and I am very excited for Roush Fenway Racing on their new sponsorship.

2012 Sprint Cup Schedule

	-	February 23	Duel 1
	-	February 23	Duel 2
	1	February 26	Daytona
	2	March 4	Phoenix
	3	March 11	Las Vegas
	4	March 18	Bristol
	5	March 25	Fontana
	6	April 1	Martinsville
	7	April 14	Texas
	8	April 22	Kansas
	9	April 28	Richmond
	10	May 6	Talladega
	11	May 12	Darlington
	-	May 19	Showdown
	-	May 19	All-Star
	12	May 27	Charlotte
	13	June 3	Dover
	14	June 10	Pocono
	15	June 17	Michigan
	16	June 24	Sonoma
	17	June 30	Kentucky
	18	July 7	Daytona
	19	July 15	Loudon
	20	July 29	Indianapolis
	21	August 5	Pocono
	22	August 12	Watkins Glen
	23	August 19	Michigan
	24	August 25	Bristol
	25	September 2	Atlanta
	26	September 8	Richmond
	27	September 16	Chicago
	28	September 23	Loudon
	29	September 30	Dover
	30	October 7	Talladega
	31	October 13	Charlotte
	32	October 21	Kansas
	33	October 28	Martinsville
	34	November 4	Texas
	35	November 11	Phoenix
	36	November 18	Homestead

Jason Ratcliff to be Joey Logano's crew chief in 2012!

JGR announced today, Dec. 16, that Jason Ratcliff will be moving from Nationwide to Cup in 2012. Jason Ratcliff will be crew chief for the 20 team with driver Joey Logano. Ratcliff is replacing Greg Zipadelli who has been with JGR for 13 years winning 2 championships with Tony Stewart.

Ratcliff said, "I'm excited about the opportunity to join our Cup operation and work with Joey and everyone on the 20 team."

Jason was the crew chief for Kyle Busch's Nationwide car in 2011 just missing the owner's championship. Ratcliff has won 30 races, with 68 top-five, and 85 top-10 finishes.

"There is a great history with this program and we have two of the best sponsors in the sport with The Home Depot and Dollar General. I've had the opportunity to work with Joey a few times now on the Nationwide side so there is a familiarity there, but I'm looking forward to getting started fulltime and working alongside Dave [Rogers] and Darian [Grubb]" Ratcliff said.

I think that this is a great pairing. I know that Joey is capable of a lot more than people think. Zippy and Logano may not have been a good driver-crew chief relationship. I think JGR was smart to change that before 2012 and I hope the 20 team has a more positive year in 2012.

Allmendinger Out, Kurt Busch In?

There has been much speculation this past week concerning AJ Allmendinger's Cup ride next year. Richard Petty Motorsports is showing interest in Kurt Busch who just left Penske Racing a few weeks ago. Click here to read my blog post on Busch leaving Penske.

Best Buy has not renewed sponsorship on the #43 car for 2012 yet. Last year Best Buy didn't renew sponsorship until January. Best Buy may not want AJ Allmendinger in the car and could sponsor Busch in the #43 instead. If Busch was to sign with another Cup team and need sponsorship Best Buy could sponsor him at whatever team he drives for. Matt Kenseth at Roush Fenway Racing is also looking for sponsors. Best Buy has another option of moving over to Roush. Sources are saying that Allmendinger could be a candidate fill the empty spot at Penske.

Allmendinger is coming out of his best Cup series season finishing 15th in the Sprint Cup points standings. He was on the verge of having his first win and maybe even becoming a Chase contender. Neither RPM or Best Buy had confirmed any official announcements.

Other signings this week:
Scott Speed signed with Leavine Racing for 15 cup races.

Daytona 500 Countdown - Sport widget

Daytona 500 Countdown - Sport widget

Darian Grubb Joins JGR!

Darian Grubb is the new crew chief for Denny Hamlin! Starting in 2012 Grubb will replace Mike Ford's place as crew chief for the #11 team. Congrats to JGR, Denny Hamlin and Darian Grubb!

Mike Ford Released from JGR

On Tuesday Mike Ford, crew chief for Denny Hamlin's #11 Fed-Ex Toyota, was fired from JGR. Ford said he was relieved that there was finally a resolution and that it's been dragging on for a while now. Ford has helped Hamlin make the Chase every season since 2006 and they have won 17 races together. Sources are indicating that Darian Grubb may take over Ford's job as Hamlin's crew chief. Grubb just won the Sprint Cup title with Tony Stewart. Grubb does have a standing job offer with Hendrick for a engineering position. Nothing is confirmed yet.
Hamlin and Ford had an interesting six years together. All their wins came in bunches with 12 wins in '09 and '10. 2011 was a disappointing year for the Fed-Ex team barely missing the Chase and taking a wild card spot.
Mike Ford previously worked with Bill Elliot, Dale Jarrett, Terry LaBonte, Jason Leffler and J.J. Yeley. He has won 21 races in the Sprint Cup series.

2011 Season is Gone...

Many fans are saying goodbye to another eventful NASCAR season, but I am saying goodbye to my first…It feels like I have loved NASCAR my whole life. I have been surrounded by it, don’t get me wrong, but have never loved it like I have in 2011. Only a few short months ago I was watching Jimmie Johnson hold up the Sprint Cup at the end of 2010 and telling my dad, “I want to watch NASCAR next year!” How could one person learn the technology of a stock car (engine parts and all!), learn the points system, memorize every driver, team and track, plus meet their favorite driver in just 3 months? Well, I accomplished just that. February 2011: I couldn’t wait until the Daytona 500! Not knowing anything about the sport, but still excited! Brad Paisley was playing a concert and we had a big party planned! From the time the green flag waved I was hooked and would never turn back…how could I have hated everything and anything that had to do with racing? I will never know! I guess that’s what NASCAR does to someone! Now I can’t picture my life without racing! I remember the rush of excitement as Trevor Bayne crossed that finish line first! The first race I had watched from green flag to checkered flag. It was bittersweet, Trevor had won but the race was over…Is the 2011 season really over? So fast? Now all I am thinking about is the 2012 season! Can it ever come soon enough? 2011 is only one of the many NASCAR seasons to come. Who knows? Maybe in 10 years I’ll be at Daytona myself, interviewing Tony Stewart or Denny Hamlin! We’ll just have to wait and see.

"Nobody remembers the guy who finished second but the guy who finished second." 

– Bobby Unser

Only at a NASCAR race...

Only at a NASCAR race, there are crazy fans with Earnhardt T-Shirts and small American flags. The vibration in your ears as the race cars whiz by the stands. The smell of gasoline and fried food as the summer sun hits your face. Loud cheers coming from left and right. You can almost feel the competition in the air. Everyone is at the edge of their seat as you watch the cars come down the front stretch on the final lap. Only at a NASCAR race…

Sponsors, Sponsors and More Sponsors!

Sponsor drama has been buzzing around NASCAR news with the 2011 season ending and teams thinking towards next season. Many drivers are out of rides and even one team, Red Bull Racing, will not be returning to NASCAR next year. Different sponsors announced that they will be leaving the sport and some sponsors are just joining. Some people don’t realize the impact our sponsors make each and every week.         
         Sponsors have a huge role in NASCAR. Sponsors will help pay for many different aspects of the sport, of course in exchange for the company’s name to be displayed on their racecar’s hood. This is what makes NASCAR go round. Without sponsors we wouldn’t be able to enjoy intense racing every week. Have you ever heard of the Coca-Cola 600? One race could push the company back $2 million just to have their name in the race title. It’s all one big ad. Some fans might go out and buy a six-pack of Mountain Dew because it was on Jr’s car at Talladega. How many Dupont #24 T-Shirts do you see around the track? Sponsors will pay tremendous amounts of money to have their logo on all the cars and all of the merchandise. Sponsors are just part of the way NASCAR runs.
         2012 is looking to be a year full of changes. Matt Kenseth’s sponsor Crown Royal announced that they will not be returning in 2012. UPS will move from David Ragan’s #6 car to the #99 car of Carl Edwards for one race at Kentucky. David Ragan is signed with Roush until 2014, but if the team cannot find sponsorship by 2012 Jack Roush may switch to a 3-car team. Nothing is confirmed yet. Edwards also gained Fastenal for 17 races. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to be sponsored by Diet Mountain Dew with Hendrick Motorsports. Stewart-Haas driver Ryan Newman had two new sponsors climb aboard for 2012, Quicken Loans and Outback Steakhouse. Jeff Burton along with a new crew chief grabbed 2 new sponsors as well, Wheaties (General Mills) and Cheerios (Clint Bowyer’s former sponsor who will be in the #15 5-Hour Energy car.) Dollar General moved over to JGR sponsoring Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, and Brian Scott’s Nationwide cars as well as 10-12 Sprint Cup races with Joey Logano’s #20 car. Danica Patrick will run part-time in Cup for Stewart-Haas in the GoDaddy.com car as well as Nationwide. Finally Kasey Kahne’s new Hendrick ride will sport Farmer’s Insurance, Quaker State Oil and Carquest. Replacing Mark Martin who will be part-time in the #55 Aaron’s car.
          Sponsors will continue to blossom in NASCAR for many years. New companies will come and old ones will retire. It’s all part of the sport and I can’t picture it any other way.

Kurt Busch leaves Penske

Kurt Busch, driver of the 22 Shell Dodge, has left Penske Racing and is without a ride for next season. It was a mutual agreement between driver and team.
Shell Pennzoil had enough of Busch’s endless foul behavior and confronted Roger Penske and Kurt Busch who finally agreed to part ways.

Busch said this during a press release: “Leaving a great organization and a lucrative contract is not easy, but it’s an important step for me and allows me to take a deep breath to work on things that can make me a better driver and a better person.”
His options for driving with a big race team are limited for next year.
He was already fired by Roush Fenway Racing 6 years ago. Rick Hendrick let his brother Kyle go a few years ago, fed up with his behavior, and replaced him with Earnhardt Jr. (who is a huge sponsor magnet). Richard Childress wouldn’t want to add another Busch brother to his team after the incident with Kyle Busch earlier this year. Joe Gibbs came inches from firing Kyle Busch after he wrecked Ron Hornaday at Texas. It looks like Kurt will be stuck with a medium level team for 2012 — and will not be in contention for championships anytime soon.
My question is who will replace him?
We know Brian Vickers, David Reutimann and David Ragan (with Roush until 2014 if sponsor is found) need a ride next year.
Maybe Penske will pick up one of those drivers for next year?
Tune into SPEED Center tonight at 6pm Dec. 5th for more Kurt Busch news.
Written by Sydney Stultz