BODINE TO DRIVE TRUCK RACE FOR RED HORSE RACING

Two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Todd Bodine has landed a ride for the Daytona truck race.  Bodine will join Red Horse Racing and pilot the #11 Camping World/Good Sam Toyota.  As of right now, the deal is for Daytona only, but plans could change if sponsorship becomes available.  Bodine will be a teammate to Timothy Peters who will return to wheel the #17 Toyota.

Bodine and Germain Racing joined forces to win the 2006 and 2010 truck championships.  Germain let Bodine go after the team announced late in 2011 that they would not be returning to truck competition in 2012.  Germain Racing plans to focus their attention on their Cup program with Casey Mears and the Geico Ford.

I think this a great opportunity for Todd.  I hope that he has a good run in the race so that he can run the full season.  I believe that if Red Horse Racing wants to be around in the years to come, they will have to field a second team on a permanent basis.  I realize that they put two trucks on the track last year, but Miguel Paludo results weren’t that great.  Putting a champion driver like Todd Bodine behind the wheel will not only help with obtaining better results on the track, but it may also help attract the sponsorship needed to compete every week.  What do you think of this story?

HORNISH WILL DRIVE #12 DODGE IN FULL NATIONWIDE SLATE

Sam Hornish Jr. will continue to drive the Penske Racing #12 Dodge in Nationwide competition in 2012.  During the preseason media tour, the team announced that Hornish will drive the #12 with sponsorship from Alliance Truck Parts and The Wurth Group.  Alliance Truck Parts was the sponsor of Hornish’s part-time effort in the Nationwide Series in 2011.  Hornish took the company to victory lane in November at Phoenix International Speedway.  Alliance will increase their support of the #12 team from six to 26 races during the season.  The Wurth Group, a new partner of the Penske Racing family, will back the team in the other 7 events on the schedule.  Hornish will be paired with teammates Brad Keselowski and Parker Kligerman, who will each split the season in the team’s other car, the #22 Dodge.

I feel like this a great opportunity for Sam to get his NASCAR career back on track.  After a few lackluster years in the Sprint Cup Series, its nice to see that Roger Penske is committed to seeing Sam succeed as a NASCAR driver, I think winning the race last year only proves that Sam has the desire and determination to be at the top of the NASCAR ranks.  I think that Sam will only continue to improve as he gets more laps under his belt and he could possibly be considered as one of the dark horse candidates to take home the 2012 Nationwide Series title.  What Do you think of this story?

TBR, STEWART-HAAS TEAM TO FIELD #10 CAR

Tommy Baldwin Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing have teamed up to field the #10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet that Danica Patrick will drive in 2012.  Under the terms of the partnership, the points from TBR’s #36 car, which finished 33^rd in 2011 points, will be transferred to the #10 car, guaranteeing that Patrick will compete in the Daytona 500.  Dave Blaney, who drives the #36 car, will now have to qualify for the first five races of the season.  Patrick will compete in ten races for Tommy Baldwin Racing.  David Reutimann will drive the #10 car during the race weekends in which Patrick doesn’t compete in the Cup race.  In return for the points, Stewart Haas has agreed to give Tommy Baldwin Racing technical and pit crew support. 

I wasn’t happy to find out that this deal had taken place when it was first announced, but I do understand that it will only help both teams.  I feel bad for Dave Blaney because he worked hard to get his car locked into the races for this season and then to have it all taken away must be so disheartening.  Both teams will benefit because having the Stewart-Haas assistance will only help TBR’s cars and crews get faster.  By not having to field a third team, Stewart-Haas can remain focused on trying to bring home another title with either Tony Stewart or Ryan Newman.  What do you think about this story?

FARMERS INSURANCE TO BACK #5 TEAM IN 2012

Officials from Hendrick Motorsports and Farmers Insurance jointly announced that the insurance giant will sponsor the team’s #5 Chevrolet beginning next season. The contract calls for Farmers Insurance to back the team in 22 races a season for the next three years. The paint scheme for the car will be unveiled at a later date.


"It's extremely positive when a company of this caliber sees the value of NASCAR and immediately wants to do more. Farmers will have an excellent spokesperson in Kasey, and we're committed to putting him in a position to win races and championships. Our organization is proud to extend this partnership, and we look forward to a very bright future with everyone at Farmers,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports.

”I've had a chance to meet the Farmers people, and they're doing some exciting new things from a marketing standpoint. I'm looking forward to being a part of their team and helping grow the Farmers brand. To have this kind of support, and to have it come together so early, is such a boost for all of us," said driver Kasey Kahne.

I believe that hiring Kasey was a smart move for Hendrick Motorsports. It gives the team a young driver who still has a lot of years left to be competitive and a future title contender down the road. This was also a very good move for Kasey because it gives him some stability with a powerhouse team. With Hendrick, I believe that Kahne can finally put the last few years behind him and enjoy driving and winning again. What is your opinion of this story?

DILLON TO RUN FALL CUP RACE AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY

Austin Dillon's Kansas Sprint Cup Car 
Photo Credit: Richard Childress Racing

Austin Dillon, full-time driver of the #3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, will attempt to make his Sprint Cup debut later this season at Kansas Speedway. Dillon will drive the #98 Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration Chevrolet in a joint venture between Mike Curb Racing and Richard Childress Racing. The entire #3 Truck team will help prepare and pit the car for the Kansas event. Officials from Richard Childress Racing are quick to point out that Dillon will not be jumping to Cup in 2012. The team plans to run Austin in a full-time Nationwide program next season. More details on the Nationwide program will come at a later date.

I believe that it is going to be great to see what Austin can in a Cup car. He has shown that he is a serious contender for the Truck title this season and adding at least one Cup race will only get him more experience on the race track. Austin Dillon will be a driver that will be a force to be reckoned with when he makes the move to the Sprint Cup series in the years ahead. What are your thoughts on Austin’s pending debut?

GERMAIN, CASSILL TEAM UP FOR 2011 SEASON

Germain Racing has announced that they have signed Landon Cassill to drive for the team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Cassill, who has both Cup and Nationwide experience, will be embarking on his first full-time Cup season at the wheel of the #60 Toyota. Sponsorship for the team will come from ALL SPORT Body Quencher and Big Red. Cassill will join Casey Mears as the second driver of Germain Racing’s Cup team.

I think that Landon Cassill really deserves this opportunity. He has had the chance to race with Phoenix Racing in the Cup series before, but never on a full-time basis. Cassill has shown that he is can be a quick study and a great driver if a team gives him competitive equipment. It’s going to take a little bit of time to get used to his new ride, but I think he will be racking up respectable finishes real soon.

NASCAR ANNOUNCES NEW POINT SYSTEM

During the annual Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour, it was announced by NASCAR’s Brian France that the sanctioning body will adopt a new point system in 2011. The system will be used in all three national series. Beginning this season, a winning driver will receive 43 points. Each subsequent position will drop by one point. For example if a driver finishes second in the Cup or Nationwide series, they will receive 42 points and so on, right down to one point for last place. There will also be a 3 point bonus for winning the race and 1 point each for leading a lap and leading the most laps. When calculated, this makes it possible to receive up to 48 points during a weekend. The Camping World truck Series has a smaller field of 36 trucks, so the last place finisher will receive 8 points.

There will continue to be 12 drivers eligible for the Sprint Cup title with one small wrinkle. After race 26, the top 10 drivers will qualify for the chase. The final two positions will be given to the drivers that won the most races in the 26 races but only if they have managed to fall out of the top 10 and are still inside the top 20. If the drivers are already locked into the chase, then the drivers that are 11th and 12th in the standings will take up the final two positions.

Seeding of the drivers will remain the same; however, each race win will only be worth 3 points instead of 10 points like in past years. Drivers that are eligible for the last two spots will not have their wins count in the seeding process. I can’t wait to see this new point system implemented. I think that it will make it a lot easier for NASCAR’s fans to understand how drivers earn points. What do you think of the new point system?