Backstretch Motorsports

Starting With Daytona 500, Total Of 28 NASCAR Sprint Cup Races Starting Earlier

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 7, 2009) – Continuing the sport’s “back to basics” approach, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and its television broadcast partners today announced earlier, uniform start times for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2010.
NASCAR worked closely with FOX, Turner, ESPN/ABC and the tracks on this project for the fans. The race start times for NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2010 in the Eastern and Central regions of the country will begin at 1 p.m. ET, West Coast events will begin at 3 p.m. ET, and night races will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET. (The one exception is NASCAR’s longest night race, the Coca-Cola 600, which will have the same 5:45 p.m. ET start time.) Following the invocation and national anthem, the green flag will drop at approximately 15-20 minutes past the hour after each listed race start time. [read more...]

24 Hours of Le Mans to Mark the End of GT1 Era for Corvette Racing

LE MANS, France – Corvette Racing has unfinished business at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The most successful team in American Le Mans Series history has won its class five times in the classic 24-hour French endurance race (2001-02, 2004-06), establishing Corvette as a global performance icon. Now after runner-up finishes in Le Mans in 2007 and 2008, Corvette Racing is focused on winning its sixth Le Mans title at the immense Circuit des 24 Heures on June 13-14.

This year’s edition of the world’s most prestigious sports car race has special significance for Corvette Racing. The team’s Corvette C6.Rs will make their final run in the GT1 category before Corvette Racing begins its transition to a global GT class in 2010 that is chiefly based on current GT2 regulations. [read more...]

INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, May 22, 2009) - Helio Castroneves paced the final practice before the Indianapolis 500 and Wade Cunningham became the first two-time winner of the Firestone Freedom 100 Firestone Indy Lights event Friday on the final day of on-track activity before Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

The 33 starters in the field for the “500″ combined for 1,224 incident-free laps on the 2.5-mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Castroneves, a two-time winner who will start from the pole, recorded the best lap at 40.1929 seconds, 223.920 mph. [read more...]

SIX WINNERS, FIVE ROOKIES MAKE “LITTLE 500″ FIELD

Anderson, IN…Former PayLess “Little 500″ race winners Eric Gordon, Dave Steele, Brian Tyler, Jeff Bloom, Chet Fillip and defending winner Shane Cottle will be joined in Saturday night’s 33-car starting field at the Anderson Speedway by five race rookies. The first-time participants are front-row starter Shane Hollingsworth, Chris Windom, Nick Green, JoJo Helberg and Ryan Hamilton. The green flag drops at the quarter-mile paved oval Saturday night at 8 pm. Qualifications ended Friday after the “top-15″ starters were locked in during Thursday time trials. Among drivers who confirmed starting spots Friday were former winners Jeff Bloom and Chet Fillip and rookie Hamilton. Eight-time race winner Gordon starts from the 13th position. Pole winner Tony Elliott is still seeking his first “Little 500″ victory after finishing second last year. Leading the field to the green flag will be Elliott, Steele and Hollingsworth. [read more...]

INDIANAPOLIS (May 9, 2009) — Helio Castroneves will start his ninth Indianapolis 500 from a familiar spot.

The Brazilian, who celebrates his 34th birthday on May 10, scored his third Indianapolis 500 pole position and Roger Penske’s record 15th pole position with a four-lap average speed of 224.864 mph (2 minutes, 40.0967 seconds cumulative time) on the 2.5-mile oval. It was the Brazilian’s 27th career IndyCar Series pole and his first of the season.

Teammate Ryan Briscoe made a late attempt to unseat Castroneves in the six-hour session, withdrawing his second-best qualifying time, but came up short (224.083). He’ll be in the middle of Row 1, with 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti (224.010) on the outside in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car. [read more...]

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - If practice is any indication, Penske Racing expects to be right in the middle of the battle Saturday for the pole position for the 93rd Indianapolis 500.

Roger Penske could be in line for his record 15th pole at the Indianapolis 500. On the final practice day before Pole Day, Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves recorded the fastest laps on the 2.5-mile oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. [read more...]

NASCAR announced that this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide races are being postponed until Sunday due to weather. The Sprint Cup race is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. with the Nationwide event set for 7 p.m.

[read more...]

NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule Has Realignment Involving Atlanta, Auto Club, Talladega Tracks
NASCAR Nationwide Series Includes Date At Iowa Speedway
NASCAR Truck Series Realigns Date To Chicago For Night Race

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 19, 2008) – NASCAR announced today its national series schedules for the 2009 season, which features realigned dates for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Truck Series.

[read more...]

DIXON CLOSING IN ON 2008 CHAMPIONSHIP
BIA LOOKS TO CASH IN ON SSM PAST KENTUCKY SUCCESS
Four races remain in championship battle

With four races remaining in 2008, Scott Dixon holds a 65-point lead over Helio Castroneves. Dan Wheldon is 115 points back, and Tony Kanaan trails by 118. Dixon has five wins this season, while Castroneves has six second-place finishes. Can Dixon extend his lead or will his competitors close the gap?

[read more...]

Intro Text Goes Here. [read more...]