Backstretch Motorsports

Koretsky Picks Richie Stevens to Drive Nitro Fish Pontiac GXP

After deliberating for more than a week, Kenny Koretsky decided Tuesday to put Richie Stevens in the seat of his Nitro Fish/Indicom Electric Pro Stock Pontiac GXP for this weekend’s Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk,
Ohio.

“It’s no secret I’ve been thinking about doing something like this since my crash at Topeka (May 31),” said the fan friendly Koretsky. “Well, now it’s official. Richie was in Joliet (Ill.) testing with Eddie (Guarnaccia, team crew chief) and getting comfortable in the car. If everything goes well – and it should – Richie will be racing at Norwalk.”

The race car suffered serious front-end damaged in the accident at Topeka, but builder Jerry Bickel replaced the front end in time for testing.

“Right now, I’m still exploring my options,” said Koretsky, who made his first NHRA Pro Stock start in 1987. “After Scott Kalitta’s tragic accident Saturday, I’m not sure what I want to do.”

Koretsky plans to be at Norwalk to watch Stevens and reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith, rider of the Nitro Fish Buell motorcycle.

J. Gordon Searches for Car Comfort During Kentucky Speedway Test

SPARTA, Ky. - Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon turned his first test laps at Kentucky Speedway Tuesday attempting to create the elusive balance between speed and comfort in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Gordon will enter Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway sixth in the Sprint Cup Series standings after picking up three spots with his third-place effort at Infineon Raceway June 22. The run marked his seventh top-five and eighth top-10 finish this season.

Crew Chief Steve Letarte described the Sonoma, Calif., experience in which the No. 24 started fifth and struggled at the outset as a microcosm of the team’s season through 16 of 36 races.

“It definitely wasn’t the car we wanted at the start of the race, but the guys dug down deep and made good adjustments. Jeff drove a really smart race and we ended up getting a good finish out of it.

“That seems to be a lot of our year this year. Hopefully, we can learn some stuff here and get our cars faster come the rest of the year,” Letarte said.

Despite having three of its four drivers among the top six in the current Sprint Cup Series standings - team newcomer Dale Earnhardt, Jr., ranks third while defending series champion Jimmie Johnson occupies fifth - the Hendrick Motorsports teams have stated they feel they are behind in the development of the current series car design.

Letarte was asked to estimate how close he thinks his team is to producing the results that had the No. 24 leading the series standings by 171 points after taking four wins, 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in the opening 16 races of 2007.

“I think our teammates have done a better job catching up. We’re still struggling getting the balance we really need. I think we’re a lot further off than 75 or 80 percent. I think we’re not even halfway there. I hold us in higher regard. I expect to have a higher potential. We may be 30 to 40 percent off our opponents, but I think we have way more than that to gain. Hopefully, we’ll get the advantage we had last year,” he said.

Although Gordon has reeled off four top-five finishes in the past six races, Letarte claims the No. 24 team has more work to do to fulfill its 2008 potential.

“I think I’m happy with everything except our cars. We have a great pit crew, strong guys. We just can’t seem to get the cars comfortable and fast at the same time. It’s hit or miss, one or the other. I think we need to be on track more, work more and see if we can get some comfort in the cars,” Letarte added.

Expect Gordon to exploit any newfound car comfort during the upcoming event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where he took two second-place finishes last season and has earned three wins, 12 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes through 26 career starts.

Even though his driver ranks firmly in the top 12 in the current standings with a 149-point cushion over current 12th-place championship contender Matt Kenseth with 10 races remaining before the start of this year’s Chase for the Sprint Cup , Letarte will not rest easy until his team safely qualifies for the season-ending 10-race shootout.

“I won’t feel comfortable until we leave Richmond (Sept. 6). We learned that in 2005 (when Gordon slipped from 10th to 12th in the series standings with a 21st-place showing at California Speedway Sept. 4 and did not qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup). Never feel comfortable, never give up.

“I’m happier than I’d be if we were 13th. I’m happier than we were last week when we gained some spots. When it comes down to it, we’ve got to have better cars. It doesn’t matter if we make the Chase or not. As competitive as we are on the track right now, it won’t make a difference in the final 10,” Letarte said.

Gillett Evernham Motorsports driver Elliott Sadler and Dale Earnhardt, Inc., wheelman Regan Smith also turned test laps yesterday afternoon.

Almirola Happy About Returning to Roots

LOUDON, N.H. (June 24, 2008) — After a challenging weekend on a curving road course, Aric Almirola will be going to a more familiar setting, driving the No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet at the one-mile oval at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Sunday’s Sprint Cup race — LENOX Industrial Tools 301 — is the type of track where the 24-year-old Almirola cut his teeth while racing as a teenager in Florida.

Almirola has also demonstrated in his brief professional career that the one milers or less have suited his racing style. He has competed at two half-mile tracks this year, finishing eighth at the Bristol Cup race in March, and claiming the third qualifying position the following week in Martinsville.

Last year while competing part-time in the Nationwide Series, he co-won the race at the Milwaukee Mile with Denny Hamlin and finished sixth at the .686-mile Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Sunday’s race will also be Almirola’s first Cup start at New Hampshire. His only experience at the Magic Mile is a trio of Craftsman Truck races with a best finish of eighth in 2005.

“After the Sonoma road course, the New Hampshire track is like going back to my roots,” said Almirola, who will make his fifth Cup start of the season and 11th of his career. “The flat short tracks suit my style and I can’t wait to only turn left for the entire race.”

Almirola wants to enjoy the New Hampshire weekend because his next Cup start will be back to turning left and right — at the Aug. 10th road race in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

“It’s like I have a one-weekend reprieve,” offered Almirola, whose first career Cup road race was in Sonoma last week. “Actually, I was starting to get the hang of road racing so there is a side of me looking forward to Watkins Glen.

“But before we get to the Glen, my focus is all on New Hampshire. I really feel good about this weekend and can’t wait to jump in the Army Chevy. I have a great team behind me and that bolsters my confidence even more.”

Almirola is sharing the No. 8 Dale Earnhardt Inc. ride with Mark Martin, who will return to action next week in Daytona.