NASCAR Action Returns to Streets of Toronto in 2016

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

The 30th anniversary edition of Toronto's popular motorsport street race will feature a few familiar touches attendees of previous events had been used to. As expected, the 2016 Honda Indy Toronto will return to its traditional mid-July date after a one-year move to June in order to accommodate the 2015 Pan-Am Games. The July 15th to 17th 2016 race weekend within the area of the Canadian National Exhibition grounds will also feature a support series that had been absent since 2011. After five years away from the streets of Toronto, Canada's top NASCAR series will once again compete as part of the summer festivities alongside the Verizon IndyCar Series.

To be known as the NASCAR Pinty's Series starting in 2016, the former NASCAR Canadian Tire Series stock cars will be a popular addition to next year's Honda Indy Toronto race schedule. The stock car racing division and the principals behind the Honda Indy Toronto will return to the event as part of a three-year appearance agreement.

The stock cars first appeared as a companion to the popular Canadian street race in 1999 when the series existed as the CASCAR Super Series. Running until 2005 under the CASCAR banner, the stock car competition was reinstated in 2010. Both CASCAR Super Series and NASCAR Canadian Tire Series events had been largely been dominated by drivers with considerable road course racing skill. Multiple winners of stock car races on the 2.824-kilometer street circuit include Kevin Dowler, Jeff Lapcevich, former Players LTD/GM Challenge Series driver Robin Buck and most recently Andrew Ranger. Ranger won both NASCAR Canadian Tire Series turns at the Honda Indy Toronto in 2010 and 2011.

Photo Credit: Matthew Manor/Getty Images for NASCAR

The announcement of stock cars returning to the Honda Indy Toronto accompanied the official word on Canada's NASCAR series' new title sponsor. Pinty's Delicious Foods Inc. will formally become the series' corporate backer starting on January 1st of next year. The full 2016 NASCAR Pinty's Series schedule will be published at a later date.

Sprint Hangs Up on Sponsoring NASCAR's Top Series Beyond 2016

Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images

At the start of the 2017 NASCAR season, the green flag for the Daytona 500 will drop inaugurating a new path for their biggest stakes tour. First and foremost, NASCAR's top series will no longer be known as the Sprint Cup Series. In a brief statement issued by NASCAR on Tuesday afternoon, it was announced cellular phone service provider Sprint would not renew their title sponsor role in the premier stock car racing series.

Citing the need to concentrate on their core business, Sprint has decided not to renew their title sponsorship commitment to NASCAR. Steve Gaffney, Sprint's vice president of marketing commented, “We are proud of our association with NASCAR’s top series but have made the decision not to extend our sponsorship beyond the next two years,”. Gaffney also stated, “We genuinely appreciate the fans, teams, drivers, tracks and media who have been so supportive and welcoming to us during these many race seasons,” adding how Sprint looks forward to fulfilling the final years of their current deal.

The series had been known as NASCAR Sprint Cup since 2008 but the original contract began in 2004 through the company Nextel. Called the Nextel Cup Series for a single season, Sprint and Nextel merged in 2005. The original ten-year naming right deal for the NASCAR series was extended at the end of the term to three additional seasons. The Nextel-Sprint arrangement replaced a long-running sponsorship deal with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company resulting in the existence of the Winston Cup Series for 33 seasons. Besides the series title sponsorship, Sprint has also been providing their brand name to the invitational event at Daytona International Speedway and the all-star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The Sprint Cup Series isn't going to be the first major touring division of NASCAR to undergo a rebranding. Starting next year, Comcast's Xfinity brand will be the new title sponsor in the NASCAR division previously known as the Nationwide Series.

Braver Camry Face Expresses Stern Toyota NASCAR Sprint Cup Car for 2015

Photo Credit: Michael L. Levitt, LAT Photo USA for Toyota Racing

With the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season almost over, the Toyota teams in the series have been enduring a less than spectacular outing.  A season that looked promising during the first part of Daytona Speedweeks, the 2014 Sprint Cup effort for Toyota has been one of the least fruitful since the conclusion of the manufacturer's winless debut season in 2007. After 31 races, the collection effort of the Toyota organizations has amounted to only two wins in point-paying races. Both coming with Joe Gibbs Racing owned vehicles, the Toyota Camry found victory at Auto Club Speedway driven by Kyle Busch and at May's Talladega race when Denny Hamlin wheeled the #11 machine. While qualifying has been kinder to the 2014 Toyota Camry with seven starts at the front this season, the cars have not seen victory lane in the 21 races since Talladega.

Looking ahead to greater fortunes in next season's NASCAR Sprint Cup series, the Japanese-derived auto company has created an all-new body style intent on seeing it claim more winner trophies than 2014. Based on the production car version of the new Toyota Camry (just recently released for sale to the public), the new stock car receives a more pronounced front end. Reflecting the bolder stance of the production car, the 2015 race car also features reshaping of the quarter panels and rear portion for greater personality.  Responding to the design expertise invested in the 2015 Toyota Camry NASCAR stock car, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) president and general manager David Wilson said, “It was a challenging process balancing performance and design, but working closely with Calty Design, NASCAR and our race team partners, we were able to develop a race car that looks similar to its production counterpart -- and provide a performance upgrade on the race track.”

The 2015 Toyota Camry NASCAR Sprint Cup car will debut next season at Daytona Speedweeks receiving its first ultimate field test in the Daytona 500. With the change for 2015, Toyota becomes the first manufacturer to update a NASCAR Sprint Cup vehicle based on the so-called "Gen 6" architecture balancing brand parity with unique identity. The car will also conform to a refreshed 2015 Sprint Cup series rule package designed to lessen aerodynamic downforce and drag along with reducing engine momentum. This new Camry race car will also be the shape of Toyota's 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series (the soon-to-be new name of the Nationwide Series).

Dodge Down But Not Out in NASCAR: Preview of 2013 Charger Stock Car

Photo credit: Chrysler Group

Their 12th season of competition since a celebrated 2001 comeback, Chrysler's Dodge brand has undergone some intense opposition on and off the race track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. From the pressure of Chrysler's bankruptcy restructuring to the tough competition on the world's premier stock car racing circuit, the Dodge Charger have remained resilient.

Despite yet propelling a drive to winning a Sprint Cup series championship, Dodge has been part of some great NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moments including the 2002 Daytona 500 with Ward Burton and the 2008 Daytona 500 with Ryan Newman driving for Penske Racing. Supporting only one major team in the 2011 and 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, Penske Racing have been campaigning the Dodge Charger since 2003. Late this past week, Penske Racing (Dodge's main Sprint Cup supporter) announced their 2013 NASCAR racing plans will involve a return to the Ford product camp. More important than ever, Dodge's affirmation of their 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup plans will bring relieve to the Mopar fans.

Providing a silhouette of the 2013 model stock car under updated NASCAR specifications, the upcoming track version of the Dodge Charger is part of a new series-wide design initiative. Opening up rules pertaining to bodywork, NASCAR gave manufacturers like Dodge more freedom to incorporate brand identity similar to the production vehicles into the stock cars. During the NASCAR media tour, Ford revealed the 2013 Fusion race car demonstrating the lengths auto companies can impose their creative work. Already receiving encouragement from NASCAR observers, president and CEO of Street & Racing Technology (SRT) Ralph Gilles stated, "The fans were like. ‘Hallelujah, finally, the race cars look a lot like the cars I can buy and drive."

Designing the NASCAR Nationwide's so-called "Car of Tomorrow" following the new spec Sprint Cup car, the lessons learned from the missteps of the major series' car created an exciting group of vehicles. Inaugurated part-time in 2010 ahead of a full NASCAR Nationwide Series season in 2011, Ford and Dodge bodies were among the most lauded, distinctive vehicles. While Ford created the Mustang body, Dodge brought the Challenger to the NASCAR race track. Part of the Dodge Challenger's development for the Nationwide Series, SRT designer Mark Trostle leads the design of the 2013 Charger for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Trostle is very enthusiastic on the design freedoms recently provided by NASCAR saying his personal interest in the series has been restored. “Hey, there’s the Challenger!’ I knew right away what it was without having to memorize the car numbers. I feel like we’re helping change the feel of the sport and putting design and brand identity back into NASCAR." said Trostle.

The 2013 Dodge Charger will make its first public appearance at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11th ahead of the 2013 Sprint Cup season.

Naughty and Nice of 2010 Racing: NASCAR Nationwide Series

Photo Credit: Autostock

First, please accept my apologies for the belated arrival of the 2010 Naughty and Nice List Relating to the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Profiling this season for the 2010 Nationwide Series reveals a dominate year for Sprint Cup Series regulars will continue to pay repeated visits to this one-time ladder series. 

Nice: Earnhardt and #3 Chevrolet in Victory Lane at Daytona

Announced as a one-off effort for the race at Daytona International Speedway, Dale Earnhardt Jr paired with Richard Childress Racing to win at the July NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Having previously succeeded at Daytona in 2002, Earnhardt Jr has been working through a difficult 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season when he announced plans to drive a #3 Wrangler-sponsored Chevrolet during the Fourth of July weekend event. Leading the most laps as he held off efforts of Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, the consolidation of powers resulted in Dale Earnhardt Jr's Daytona win. Earnhardt Jr's 23rd Nationwide Series victory, the #3 Wrangler Chevrolet Impala was also the first winning car under the series' new COT rules.

Photo Credit: John Harrelson/ Getty Images

Naughty: Ambrose Suffers Another Montreal Heartbreak
Rising through the ranks to become a major star of the Australian V-8 Supercar series, Tazmania's Marcus Ambrose makes a lasting impression in NASCAR racing. While his oval racing creditably is building, Ambrose's true instincts show on the road courses of the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events. Winning three years running at Watkins Glen, victory the Canadian road course of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been painfully elusive despite his often race dominating efforts.
Despite earning pole for the second-straight time at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve NAPA Auto Parts 200, Ambrose's 25 laps out front early was all for not as electrical failure and later a suspension issue. Forcing him to park his #47 Toyota 27 laps ahead of the checkered flag, Marcos Ambrose finished 33rd for the 2010 NAPA Auto Parts 200. Thrilled to be racing an exciting race with Jacques Villeneuve and Carl Edwards, Ambrose replied on his website in post race “We're trying everything to get that victory here in Canada, but we can't seem to seal the deal”.


Nice: Brad Keselowski's 2010 Championship Run

After two seasons of focus on the NASCAR Nationwide Series season with JR Motorsports, Brad Keselowski has played the part of the best non-Sprint Cup series driver on the division. Winning the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship by 445 points, Keselowski drove his Penske Racing #22 Dodge to a clinch after the Texas Motor Speedway race.
With Kevin Harvick presiding as 2006 champions, Carl Edwards finding the series points victory in 2007, Clint Bowyer in 2008 and Kyle Busch earning the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, Keselowski became the 5 Sprint Cup regular in a row to complete this goal. For 2011, NASCAR has effectively put the end to drivers of the Sprint Cup series hunting championship honours in the Nationwide or Camping World truck series by requiring a driver to declare just one series in which they can claim points.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/ Getty Images for NASCAR

Naughty: The Continuing Transformation of NASCAR Nationwide to a Sprint Cup-Lite Series

For as long as the NASCAR Nationwide Series (known as the Busch Series prior up to 1983) existed, it has been a common theme that drivers of the longer Cup series races would occasionally join the fun of what has been a key tour for developing and showcasing new racing talent. While major races at Daytona as well as Charlotte were places where names like Dale Earnhardt and later Mark Martin would school often less experienced drivers, the presence of Cup series competitors making more notable appearances in the tour is apparent. For 2010, only 2 winners of 35 total NASCAR Nationwide Series races did not belong to a full-time Sprint Cup operation (Justin Allgaier at Bristol and Boris Said at Montreal).

Nice: Road Racing Madness

Some in NASCAR believe that stock cars have no place on road courses. Purests for the oval racing environment, the increased variables of turning left and right can confuse some of the best NASCAR drivers as well as crew chiefs. Supplying 3 road races for 2010, the NASCAR Nationwide Series trio of events provided some of the most refreshing excitement on the schedule. Added to the 2010 schedule in place of a canceled annual event at the Milwaukee Mile, Road America joined the series bringing NASCAR back to the 4-mile circuit for the first time since the 1950s. Captured by Carl Edwards, the first Road America race for the Nationwide Series served up the first helping of what would be physical and unpredictable road course racing. Despite the win of Edwards and the maturing of road racing skills of by all NASCAR drivers, so-called road race ringers took the final two races at Watkins Glen and Montreal. Marcos Ambrose took Watkins Glen in fine style while the winner of the Montreal NAPA Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was settled in a more aggressive fashion. A battle between Max Papis and Boris Said, a side-by-side finish result in favour of Said.

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/ Getty Images

Naughty: Lack of 2010 Title Contenders
Only 13 drivers in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series run the full 35-race schedule. While the NASCAR Nationwide Series has been the site of high driver turn-over, this past season's points is a show for the lack of contention. In the top-10 for the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series, 3 drivers (Sprint Cup regulars) drove fewer than 29 races.

Nice: Rave Reviews for Series' Car of Tomorrow (Today)

Unlike the launch of the NASCAR Sprint Cup (COT) Car of Tomorrow in 2007, the introduction of the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the summer Daytona race has debuted with raved reviews. While the new race car for the Sprint Cup series received criticism for being less competitive than the previous car, NASCAR clearly applied their lessons learned for the Sprint Cup COT to the Nationwide Series race machine specifications. As an added plus for the fans, the new Nationwide Series COT cars introduced the unique track presence of the Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang back to NASCAR competition.


Naughty and Nice: Joe Gibbs Stinks Up Nationwide Shows

Combining for 16 wins and 11 poles, the Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series team was an often unstoppable juggernaut at intermediate-sized tracks between 1 to 2 miles. Clearly lending their NASCAR Sprint Cup expertise as well as the lineup Kyle Busch and Joey Logano to races within the 2010 Nationwide Series schedule, two drivers might have had a chance at the tour championship if they had not chosen to sit down certain races. Still finishing 3rd in the NASCAR Nationwide points even while running just 29 of the 35 races, Kyle Busch's #18 Toyota won 13 times in 2010 following up 9 wins a year prior and 10 in 2008.

For anti-Joe Gibbs Racing fans, a silver lining for 2011 in light of the dominance of 2010 could be that the team did not win one of four races run with the new COT race machine. However, with drivers Busch and Logano behind the wheel of the team's Toyota Camry stock cars, it is unsafe to wager against another strong Joe Gibbs Racing showing in 2011.

Brad Keselowski Takes NASCAR Sprint Cup's Sylvania 300 Pole at New Hampshire



Photo Credit: Jason Smith/ Getty Images for NASCAR

2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Qualifying Results

Top 10:

1) 12 Brad Keselowski No. 12 Penske / AAA Dodge
2) 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios / Hamburger Helper Chevrolet (C)
3) 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot / Old Spice Chevrolet (C)
4) 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet
5) 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Energizer Chevrolet
6) 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia HDTV Ford
7) 00 David Reutimann TUMS Toyota
8) 98 Paul Menard Sylvania / Menards Ford
9) 18 Kyle Busch M&Ms Toyota (C)
10) 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford (C)

Other Notables
 
12) 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge (C)
13) 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet (C) 
14) 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford (C)
17) 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont / National Guard Facebook Chevrolet (C)
22) 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Small Business Toyota (C)
24) 39 Ryan Newman U.S. Army Chevrolet
25) 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's / Johns Manville Chevrolet (C)
27) 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet (C)
32) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
33) 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford (C)

Dirt Flies as Steve Arpin Wins DuQuoin

Photo Credit: ARCA

We have all been acquinted with the fact that NASCAR's top series specialize in racing on paved surfaces. In fact, the series which is now known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup division hasn't run on a dirt track since 1969 won by Richard Petty. The ARCA Racing Series is a unique stock car tour which annually holds events on both paved and dirt tracks. Running two dirt track races in total for 2010 in the state of Illinios, this offers a truly special opportunity for full-bodied stock cars to jockey on looser surfaces. With the first race transpired at the Illinois State Fairground two weeks ago in Springfield, the second of the dirt oval races was being held on Labour Day Monday at the DuQuoin State Fairground.

The green flag dropped for the Southern Illinois 100, 33 Starters led by the #10 Ford of AJ Fike flew across the start line entering into what would be a very tense outing for many competitors. Fike would stay out front for the first 16 circuits around the 1-mile DuQuoin dirt oval until he lost the lead to local driver Kelly Kovski. Losing the led, AJ Fike's day which started with a Menards Pole award ends due to the ill-effects of an engine failure to the #10 car.

Spending 14 laps out front in the #17 Chevrolet Kovski, who regularly serves as a Car Chief for another driver, retained the top spot until he pitted ahead of lap 31. By pitting, former long-time NASCAR Sprint Cup mainstay Ken Schrader took the lead of the 100 lap. Schrader's appearance at the front of the race would be relatively short-lived as ARCA overall points contender Tom Hessert overhauled the Federated Chevrolet on lap 37. Harking back to the tensity of the Southern Illinois 100, drivers would have to survive 11 cautions within the 100 lap event. This was significant for Hessert's effort in the #77 dodge as he wanted a long, green flag to separate him from the rest of the field. Through the multiple yellow flags, this was not going to happen for Tom Hessert.

As Hessert led, Venturini Motorsport driver and Canadian Steve Arpin found the strength in his #55 Mike's Hard Lemonade Chevy was on short runs. Meaning, once Arpin climbed to second, the #77 Dodge was in his sights. On lap 62, Fort Frances, Ontario native Steve Arpin pulled off the race-winning pass going in to lead the final 39 laps around the 1-mile dirt track. Having previously scored pole at the Illinois State Fairground ARCA race, Arpin's championship-winning background on dirt tracks made this event the obvious location for breaking a 5-month ARCA Racing Series winless streak.  

Photo Credit: ARCA

Tom Hessert gave Arpin an honest fight up to the checkered flag but finished 1/2 a second behind. Hessert's finish two positions ahead of Patrick Sheltra (point leader heading into the event) has resulted in a tie at the top of the ARCA Racing Series point standings. Steve Arpin's Venturini Motorsport teammate Mikey Kile finished 3rd which allowed the driver to elevate himself to 5th in the points.

Ken Schrader placed 5th in the Southern Illinois 100 at DuQuoin ahead of Will Kimmel, Craig Goess, Chad McCumbee, Kelly Kovski and Bryan Silas who made up the remainder of the race's top-10 finishers.

NASCAR says no the "Crabby Cars"

When NASCAR set out to create the plans for the new generation race car best known as the COT, it was the intended to limit the radical thoughts teams had long exercised in pursuing speed. After less than a half season of notes, NASCAR teams are now working outside of the boxy constraints of the new generation car.

After watching qualifying for the Spint All-Star race at Lowe's Motor Speedway, myself and I'm certain other TV viewers took note of the vehicles traveling down pit road. One after one, each race car had been side driving down the straights, giving the appearance deemed crab walking. When I first caught it, I thought it was the result of the track bar breaking. However, as qualifying progressed, it became evident that some crew chiefs and Sprint Cup team engineers allowed their skilled imaginations to get the better of them. While almost every car in All-Star qualifying exhibited this side drive including Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch, one of the more extreme examples to this setup appeared evident with Sam Hornish's #77 Mobil Dodge in the Showdown qualifying race.

Sprint cup teams will literally maintain the straight and narrow this weekend at the Coca-Cola 600. According to espn.com , NASCAR Sprint Cup teams have received a bulletin from NASCAR indicating new rules restricting car setups adding rightward toe to the rear end drive assembly which involved a drive plate and axle shaft. Though this side drive made the stock cars appear like wounded animals down the straightaways, the adjustment was sought to improve cornering speeds and increase downforce on the rear wing.