Will the replacement of a key member of his team be a challenge for Clint Bowyer, as the driver of the No. 15 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota enters the Chase?

Bowyer doesn’t think so, and on Wednesday at the House of Blues, he talked about the addition of Brett Griffin, who will take the place of MWR general manager Ty Norris on the spotter’s stand, starting this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

Griffin’s voice won’t be unfamiliar to Bowyer. When he and Jeff Burton raced as teammates at Richard Childress Racing--where Burton and Bowyer paired up in restrictor-plate events--Griffin spotted for the tandem.

Griffin, who serves as NASCAR Nationwide Series spotter and business manager for Elliott Sadler, lost his job as Burton’s spotter after Sadler announced plans to leave RCR at the end of the season despite leading the NASCAR Nationwide standings.

Burton’s loss is Bowyer’s gain, and Griffin comes to the No. 15 team with Burton’s strong endorsement.

“It’s going to be fun,” Bowyer told the NASCAR Wire Service. “I like Brett. We’ve been friends off the race track for a long time. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him. I talked to Jeff Burton a lot about him, and he was like, ‘Hire him--hire him in the morning. Hire him right now.’ I’ve just got a lot of confidence in him. I don’t think it’ll be a transition at all because we know each other so well, and he does such a good job where he is.

“I’ve listened to him a lot, and most of the things I ask for, he does. I wanted to make sure Ty was OK with it, because, first and foremost, Ty helped me get where I’m at in so many different levels. I didn’t want to take anything from him. If he wanted to be a part of that, I wasn’t about to make a change until next year. But the opportunity came up, and Ty kind of wants to focus on his job and make sure all three cars are running well. I think it’ll just be a good thing.”

Griffin announced the job change on Twitter, and Bowyer responded by feigning surprise.

“I was just screwing with Brett,” Bowyer said. “He announced it, and I was like, ‘What?!’ It was kind of funny, but that’s the kind of relationship we have. That’s why I don’t think there’ll be any transition period. It’ll be business as usual.

“And I’ve worked with him before at Talladega. In the tandem races, when Burton and I ran together, he was the spotter I used. I’ve worked with him, so I know what I’ll have—it’ll be fun.”

While the new all-heat race qualifying procedure for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 raised the excitement level for the event, it also raised a few questions for Late Model Stock teams.

NASCAR and Martinsville Speedway officials on Thursday issued procedures for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 that should answer most of those questions.

One of the biggest areas of concern for teams was tires. Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell said he believes a fair and affordable rule is in place.

Teams will be limited to four new sets of tires for the weekend. Two sets will be for practice. One set is for qualifying practice and for the qualifying races and last chance race if need. The fourth set will be used for the feature race. No tire changes will be allowed at the halfway break of the 150-lap feature race.

“We know there was concern that some of the teams with bigger budgets would be able to buy an unlimited amount of tires to help them gain an advantage,” said Campbell. “This rule eliminates that possibility.”

All new tires used for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 must be purchased at the track and will be scanned and recorded. All new tires used for practice will be scanned on pit road before being allowed on the track. Any competitor attempting to practice with new tires not purchased at the event will be penalized and will be subject to disqualification.

In the past the field for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 had been set by a combination of time trials and heat races. This year the field will be filled by four 25-lap heat races and a 50-lap last-chance race. Eight cars will advance to the 150-lap feature from each of the 25-lap heat races with 10 coming from the last-chance race.

It was announced Thursday that the starting grids for the four heat races would be determined by times in the final practice session, which begins at 4 p.m. Saturday, October 20. A qualifying inspection will be performed before the final practice and the cars will be impounded after that practice session.

The infield will open at noon on Friday, Oct. 19 for tire selection and mounting of tires. Registration and parking of haulers will begin at 3 p.m. on Oct. 19.

The garage will open at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, with mandatory crew chief and/or team representative meeting at 6:30 a.m. Inspection will also begin at 6:30 a.m.

Practice begins at 1 p.m. on Oct. 20 with qualifying practice set for 4 p.m.

The first heat race on Sunday, Oct. 21 will be at noon, with the 50-lap last-chance race following the fourth heat race. The 150-lap feature should begin around 3:30 p.m.

Martinsville Speedway PR

A busy weekend is on tap this weekend in ASA Racing.  Many of the ASA Member Tracks will crown their track champions this weekend.  The ASA Midwest Tour will be competing at Iowa Speedway on Friday night and the ASA NSRA Series will close out their 2012 season with a big two-day event.
 
Here is the weekend schedule.  Please visit your favorite ASA Member Track or Series website for the latest information. Schedule is subject to change.
           
ASA MIDWEST TOUR
Iowa Speedway (Newton, IA)
Friday, September 13, 2012
Divisions: ASA Midwest Tour Super Late Models.
Time: Qualifying 4:30pm. 3M 150 @ 8:00pm.
Admission: Reserved $20.
 
www.asamidwesttour.com
 
ASA NORTHWEST SPRINTCAR RACING ASSN. SPRINT CAR SERIES
Douglas County Speedway (Roseburg, OR)
Friday, September 14, 2012 & Saturday, September 15, 2012
Divisions: Friday - ASA NSRA Winged Sprint Cars,  Modifieds, Street Stocks, and Mini Stocks. Saturday – ASA NSRA Winged Sprint Cars, Street Stocks, OTRO.
Time: Gates Open 4pm, Racing 6:30pm each night.
 
www.nsraracing.com                       
           
ACE SPEEDWAY (Altamahaw, NC)
Twitter: @AceSpeedway
Friday, September 14, 2012 & Saturday, September 15, 2012
Divisions: Friday – Late Models, Limited Late Models, Modifieds, Mini Stocks, Extremes. Saturday – Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stocks, USAC Midgets, Stadium Stocks.
Time: Friday - Grandstands Open 5:30pm, Qualifying 7:20pm. Racing 8:00pm. Saturday – Grandstands Open 12:30pm, Qualifying 3:15pm, Racing 5:00pm.
Admission: Adults $12; Seniors (65 & Older), Students w/ID $8; Kids 6-12 $2, Kids 5 & Under FREE.
 
www.acespeedway.com       
 
BIG COUNTRY SPEEDWAY
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Divisions: Late Models, Super Stocks, Mod 4’s, Warriors, Mini Cups.
Time: Racing 6:00pm.
 
www.warconline.com           
 
DESOTO SUPER SPEEDWAY (Bradenton, FL)
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Divisions: Pro Trucks, Outlaw Modifieds, Mod-Minis, Flyin 4’s, Bombers, Magic 4’s, GoKarts.
Time: Racing starts at 7pm Sharp!
Admission: Adults $15, Kids 12 & Under FREE.
 
www.desotosuperspeedway.com   
           
DILLON MOTOR SPEEDWAY (Dillon, SC)
Twitter: @DillonSpeedway
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Divisions: Late Models, Chargers, Street Stocks, 4 Cylinders, MiniCup Stocks, and UCARs.
Time: Racing at 7:30pm.
Admission: Grandstand Admission FREE
 
www.dillonmotorspeedway.com   

For the 2013 season all car manufacturers racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will roll out new designs for competition.  The new car designs, which more closely resemble the cars sold in dealerships across the country, will be at Talladega Superspeedway for a test session on Wednesday, October 3^rd.  That test will be open to the public so fans can catch a glimpse of the new cars before they are premiered next season.  

“The beautifully redesigned racecars for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season are a sight to behold and we’re excited to give our fans a sneak peek at them on the high banks of Talladega,” said track Chairman Grant Lynch. 

Garages open for the teams at 9 a.m. on Wednesday with cars scheduled to hit the track at 11 a.m. Race fans camping in the infield should note that this test will impact access to the crossover gate. 

Seating for the test session will be on the backstretch, in section Y of the Allison Grandstands.  Fans can park in Lot 6E and enter the grandstands through gate P-22.  Concession stands will not be open, but standard gate rules apply and fans can bring in food and beverages in approved coolers.  Gates will be open 11 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The test is scheduled to end at 4:30 p.m. with the garages closing for the teams at 5:30 p.m.

Talladega Superspeedway PR

The National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) announced the finalists for the NASCAR Most Popular Driver Award today. With more than a half-million votes cast, the top 10 drivers that earned the most votes will now be reset to zero with voting continuing over the next 10 weeks, coinciding with the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup.

The 10 finalists are, in alphabetical order: Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart.

Fans now have 10 race weeks to cast their vote once a day at www.mostpopulardriver.com to determine the winner from the final 10 drivers. Voting will conclude Nov. 18 at 11:59 PM ET and the winner will be announced at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon in November.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. collected his ninth consecutive Most Popular Driver award at the end of the 2011 campaign, joining Bill Elliott as the only drivers to win the award eight years straight. Elliott holds the record for most consecutive Most Popular Driver wins with 10, and he also holds the record for total wins with 16.

He removed himself from voting after earning the honor the 16th time.

"The voice of the fan continues to be heard through the Most Popular Driver award," said Rea White, NMPA president. "These drivers are each great representatives of the sport and of its fan base."

For more information, and to vote on the NASCAR NMPA Most Popular Driver Award, fans should log on to www.MostPopularDriver.com.

Breaking Limits/NMPA PR

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie Ross Chastain returns to the Iowa Speedway for American Ethanol 200 presented by Hy-Vee on Saturday evening. The NCWTS last raced at the track just east of Des Moines, Iowa back in June and Ross and the SS Green Light Racing team finished sixteenth; he and the entire team are looking for a better run in the Watermelon.org / Magnuson Hotels Toyota when the trucks hit the pavement in Iowa on Saturday night.

“We really weren’t very good last time were at Iowa, we got a lucky dog that got us back on the lead lap,” Ross said. “Bryan (Berry) and the guys changed a bunch of things on the truck when we got back from the last trip and we have not run that truck since. We are looking for a much better run this Saturday night.”

The Florida teen will make his twentieth career start in the NCWTS and his fifteenth of the 2012 campaign. Chastain has an impressive record over his first five starts on short tracks with three top-tens and a career best finish of third last month at Bristol. Ross’ average finish on short tracks is eleventh and he hopes to improve that average this weekend.

“You don’t know, but I feel we’ll be better than June because we really were not very good,” he continued. “The set-up we are going to bring is a lot different. I’d say its 180 degrees different. I hope we’ll be a lot better and get up into the top-ten.”

Several state watermelon associations will be represented on Chastain’s Toyota this week at the progressively banked .875-mile Iowa Speedway in addition to Magnuson Hotels.

SS Green Light Racing PR

“I think Ross has done a nice job this season, he doesn’t overdrive the truck and takes good care of his equipment,” said team owner Bobby Dotter. “We’re working with very limited resources and we’ve been able to get some good finishes. We have had some back luck, but I’m really proud of what Ross and this team accomplished so far this year.”

The American Ethanol 200 presented by Hy-Vee is the 285th consecutive NCWTS start for the SS Green Light Racing team and the twentieth career start for Chastain in the Truck Series. Ross is sixteenth in the NCWTS point standings and has three top-ten finishes in 2012 including a career best third at Bristol on August 22nd.

There are 38 trucks on the entry list for the American Ethanol 200 presented by Hy-Vee; which will headline an exciting weekend including the ASA Midwest Tour late model series at the Iowa Speedway.

Jason White on Iowa:  “Iowa is a very unique track and one that can be challenging for both the driver and the crew.  The handling of your truck needs to be just right at Iowa or you will struggle a little bit all night in the race.  In our first race at the track earlier this year, we battled that handling a little bit as we just couldn’t get that right balance we needed on our truck.  That resulted in us having to battle all night and really fight for everything we could get.”

“We are bringing back the same truck this week as that first race and I think as a team we have begun to hit on a few things with our trucks.  I believe we will have a much better truck this time around and a better result at the end of the weekend.”

Jason at Iowa Speedway:This will mark Jason’s fifth career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at the Newton, Iowa track.  His best finish was 14th which came earlier this season at the track.  Jason’s average starting spot is 17.8 at Iowa Speedway while his average finish is 21.5. 

Race Rewind:  Jason White and his GB Racing team had high hopes coming into their sponsor’s home track in Atlanta. However, White and his No. 23 GunBroker.com Ford were caught up in someone else’s accident and relegated to a very disappointing 29th place finish in the running of the Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After starting from the 11th position, Jason would use the early laps of the event to work on a preferred line for his No. 23 GunBroker.com Ford around the 1.5-mile track.   On lap 38, Jason would end up being in the wrong place as he was caught up in an accident. Two trucks in front of him got together and wrecked in turn four, resulting in extensive damage to the GunBroker.com Ford. While the GB Racing team worked hard to repair the damage, it relegated Jason to a 29th place finish.

The finish kept Jason in the 10th position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers’ standings – only 20 points out of the ninth spot. 

“Bullet” Takes Aim at Iowa: The GunBroker.com team will be bringing the truck they nicknamed “Bullet” to Iowa Speedway this week.  In honor of the team’s sponsor, GunBroker.com, the GB Racing team uses gun and shooting themed names for most of their trucks – thus the name “Bullet”.   This will be the seventh time this season that “Bullet” has seen the track with the last outing coming a few weeks ago in Bristol.  “Bullet” has a best finish this season of sixth at Charlotte Motor Speedway back in May.

Jason White PR

Jimmie Johnson is good at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Like, really good. So it’s a little odd that the driver with the best driver rating, who has finished in the top-10 in eight of the 10 races he has run at Chicagoland, has never visited victory lane there. He has come close – a lot. He finished second or third in four of those races at the 1.5-mile oval. Compounding the frustration is the fact that the track is considered crew chief Chad Knaus’ home track.

Knaus grew up in Rockford, Ill., just northwest of Chicago. His dad John was a racer and Knaus followed his father around the local Midwest tracks as a young boy. By the time he was 14, the younger Knaus foreshadowed his future success in NASCAR when became crew chief for his father. That year, the elder Knaus captured the 1986 Rockford Speedway championship in Late Models with his son calling the shots from the pits.

Winning in the Chicago area obviously isn’t an issue for the crew chief of the No. 48 Kobalt Tools Chevy, and neither is it for his five-time champion driver. Johnson’s first and only victory in the Nationwide Series came at the track in 2001 while running for Herzog Motorsports. Knaus and Johnson will do what they can to change their luck in the sport’s premiere series where they have only finished two races outside the top-10 (July 2007 and 2010).

Johnson also would like to cross Chicagoland off the list of tracks on which he has never won, which includes Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Kentucky Speedway in Sparta.

Sunday’s first race of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship looms large as the quest for the No. 48 team’s record sixth title begins. The team will be chasing that elusive win at Chicagoland, a place where Knaus & Company would like nothing more than to own just a small piece of property adjacent to the track – the little area known as victory lane.

TSC PR

On August 17, 2012, Justin Griffin was riding his bicycle, a 15^thbirthday present from his mom, down a road in his hometown of Grove City, Penn.

The same bicycle his mom, Susan Griffin-Ray, gave to him three days earlier for that same birthday. At 6’3” and 160 lbs, Justin Griffin was easy to spot on foot. However, someone driving a pick-up truck didn’t see him on the same road the morning of August 17.

The All-Star baseball pitcher, MVP quarterback, church youth-group member and mentor was struck by the motorist and passed away from injuries in the emergency room of Grove City Medical Center that morning.

Justin Griffin was not wearing a helmet.

Now, Justin’s family is utilizing their loss to gain bicycle safety awareness for everyone and Mike Wallace and the No. 01 G&K Services Chevrolet team of JD Motorsports w/Gary Keller is helping. They will carry a decal on their car at Chicagoland Speedway to help Griffin-Ray promote bicycle safety awareness. Justin’s father, Matthew Griffin and his wife Lisa, are also pleased with the recognition being given this weekend.

“Justin lived his life to the fullest every day,” Griffin-Ray said. “He was energetic, approachable, well-mannered and very giving. I have spent a lot of time since his death wondering why he was taken from us. I’ve also spent a lot of time wondering what could have been done differently, and what can now be done, to help avoid this happening to other bicycle riders with the same devastating outcome.

“In speaking with many teenagers, I found they don’t wear helmets because ‘it doesn’t look cool’ and there are no laws saying they have to wear one. I then ask them how cool they think they’d be lying in a casket with their parents, family and loved ones crying over them being gone?”

Griffin-Ray’s research has found there are NO Federal laws requiring the use of helmets by bicycle riders. There are only 22 states that require helmets for bicycle riders; some of those state the helmets have to be worn only until the age of 18. Her homestate of Pennsylvania requires helmets to be worn for riders ages 12 and under. In regards to the local regions, only 201 across the USA require helmets while riding bicycles.

“The helmet laws are not the only issue at hand,” Griffin-Ray said.  “Kids ride their bikes through town without paying attention, pedaling thru stop signs, weaving on and off sidewalks, not looking when turning onto another road and seemingly completely unaware of their surroundings.  I believe they feel that since they are on a bike, the car coming or the truck backing up will see them and they just continue riding on. 

“Perhaps we need to spend some time educating these kids that riding a bicycle is similar to driving a car. You need to constantly be aware of your surroundings, traffic, pedestrians, stop signs, intersections and red/green lights.”

Tony Priscaro, VP of Sales for JD Motorsports, hails from the Grove City area and spearheaded the initiative to help the Griffin-Ray family in their cause to raise awareness. Both she and her husband, Brian Ray, will be in attendance for Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland.

“Having a team like JD Motorsports and driver Mike Wallace involved with raising awareness like this is beyond words,” Griffin-Ray said. “I was shocked when Tony called and said they wanted to help. Justin was a huge NASCAR fan and he would love the fact Mike’s car is carrying his decal to help take bicycle safety awareness to a national level.

“Bicycle safety is something the whole country needs to be aware of for bicycle riders. Take it from a mother who lost her only son less than a month ago, we need help in creating more awareness for bicycle safety for riders of all ages.”

JD Motorsports PR

MB Motorsports and the #65 LG SEEDS Ford is set to return to Iowa Speedway with Justin Jennings for the American Ethanol 200 presented by Hy-Vee. Jennings made his Nascar Camping World Truck Series debut at the .875 mile track last July.

“We’re really excited to be going back to Iowa with Justin,” says team owner Mike Mittler.  “We learned a lot in July’s race.  Given how much we changed the truck from when we unloaded to what we had at the end of the race, I feel we’re way ahead of the game compared to where we were when Justin first hit the track last time.  If we can build on that, everything will be just fine.”

Jenings is just as optimistic as Mittler.  “If we can improve our performance this time as much as we did the first time here, we’ll be good.  This being only my second Truck Series start, I’m obviously still learning, but I do feel really good about going back with all the folks from LG SEEDS.”

In the seasons’ first race at Iowa Speedway, Jennings and the MB Motorsports crew started 31st and brought the LG SEEDS Ford home in 23rd place.  They look to improve on that performance in the American Ethanol 200 presented by Hy-Vee.

LG SEEDS: LG SEEDS is a brand of AgReliant Genetics, LLC, the fourth largest corn seed company in the USA. LG SEEDS offers corn, soybean and alfalfa seed to farmers throughout the Corn Belt. LG SEEDS’ headquarters is located in Elmwood, IL.

LG SEEDS is committed to working with the farmers we serve and is dedicated to delivering the results they demand.  We believe in a simple formula: Our Seed.  Your Soil. Total Success – offering unique genetics while working hard to understand each farmer’s unique needs and helping to achieve the highest yields possible.

MIKE MITTLER’S THOUGHTS ON THE AMERICAN ETHANOL 200 PRESENTED BY HY-VEE:
“MB Motorsports had a great trip to Iowa Speedway back in July.  I think Justin and all our guys have a pretty good idea of where we can improve our performance this time out.  We will have a lot of folks from LG SEEDS with us, so we’ll do everything we can to give them a good run to promote the LG SEEDS brand.”

JUSTIN JENNING’S THOUGHTS ON THE AMERICAN ETHANOL 200 PRESENTED BY HY-VEE:
“I’m really excited to be taking the LG SEEDS Ford back to Iowa with Mike and the MB Motorsports crew. If we can improve on what we did last time, we should be able to make all the great people at LG SEEDS proud.”

MB Motorsports PR