Bloggin' is Racin'

Patrick curious about NASCAR

While she may have a new two-year contract with Andretti Autosport, Danica Patrick still hasn’t ruled NASCAR out of her future.

"I’ve made no mystery that I’m curious about NASCAR," Patrick said in a Tuesday teleconference. "If I have a chance to do it in both series and challenge myself, I would like to do that."

Patrick said she hasn’t put a deadline on when she’d like a NASCAR deal done. The first stock-car event she could run in is the ARCA/ReMAX Series race at Daytona International Speedway Feb. 6.

That would fit in Patrick’s schedule as she said Tuesday that if she competed in stock cars, it would mainly be before and after the IndyCar Series. The IndyCar Series begins March 14.

Patrick also said she’d be willing to work her way up in stock cars.

"I’d be very prepared to start small and grow," she said. "If it were to happen, I’d be open to all suggestions."

- Anthony Andro

Cash, Cars, Crashes and Can Goods at Cowtown

Bobby Malcus won the $1,000 Modified feature.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cowtown Speedway (Kennedale)
Nov. 28 (Saturday)

Race fans have alot to be thankful for. At Cowtown Speedway's "Gobbler 90", those who made a canned goods donation not only got $3 off an adult admission, but also helped feed those in need. The "Gobbler 90" featured three 30-lap $1,000 to win, $100 to start feature races in the Modified, Limited Modifieds and the 600 Non-Wing Mini Sprints. 

On the first lap of the Modified feature several cars were involved in a major wreck that destroyed Chase Glick's #02 Modified. Chase was not injured. See photos and video below.

Bobby Malcus was the winner in the Modified feature. Bobby defeated Jared Webb for the $1,000 feature win. There were 24 cars in the feature and nine cars finished. 

Trevor Lane was the winner in the Limited Modified feature. Trevor defeated Danny Ferguson for the $1,000 feature win.

Hunter Jones was the winner in the 600 Non-Wing Mini Sprints feature. Hunter defeated Caleb Martin for the $1,000 feature win.

Harvesting International Ministry Center in Mansfield was there to collect the canned goods donations. Help them Stomp Out Hunger. If you would like to make a donation or know more about the ministry, go to: www.himcenter.org

Chase Glick's Modified wreck. To view a video of the wreck, click on the video below. 

Trevor Lane won the $1,000 Limited Modified feature.

Hunter Jones won the $1,000 600 Non-Wing Mini Sprint feature. 

For more information and results, go to: www.cowtownspeedway.com

To view some photographs of the race cars, click on the slide-show below.

To view a video of the races, including Chase Glick's wreck, click on the video below.

Brady Bacon wins the Cowtown Sprint Shootout

Brady Bacon November Sprint Shootout feature winner.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cowtown Speedway (Kennedale)
Nov. 14 (Saturday)

Talk about bringing home the bacon, 2009 TnT Champion Brady Bacon won the $7,000 Sprint feature at the 3rd Annual City Vending November Shootout at Cowtown Speedway. Coming in second was ShopTheBOSS.com Travis Rilat and Tim Crawley was third. Tony Bruce Jr. and Wayne Johnson rounded out the top five. Veteran Texan Gary Wright took a hard flip in turn one. He didn't appear to be injured. See video below.

In the Modified feature, Jared Webb won $2,000 in a very exciting race between himself, Tim Clonch and Clyde Dunn Jr. To view a video of Saturday's Modified feature race, click on the Modified video below.

The races were delayed due to a junction box going out that left the track in the dark. The box was repaired and since the races started earlier than usual, Cowtown was able to complete the program.

For more results and information go to: www.cowtownspeedway.com

ShopTheBOSS.com Travis Rilat was second in the NSS.

Tim Crawley was third in the NSS.

Jared Webb was the Modified feature winner.

To view some photographs taken Saturday, click on the slide show below.  

To view a video of Saturday's Sprint races, including Gary Wright's wreck, click on the video below.

To view a video of Saturday's Modified feature race, click on the video below.

To view a video of Saturday's ASCS2 Non Wing feature race, click on the video below.

Cowtown event on Nov. 28 will feature holiday food drive

Just when you thought the local dirt-track scene had finished for the season, Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale has scheduled an event that will offer great racing action and an opportunity for fans to give back to the community through a holiday food drive.

The Gobbler 90 on Nov. 28 will feature Cowtown Modifieds, Cowtown Limited Modifieds and the non-winged “A class” 600s. Each class will run a 30-lap feature paying $1,000 to win and $100 to start.
 
Grandstand tickets for adults are $15. However, fans who bring a canned-food item will receive $3 off the adult price. Kids tickets are $2 and youth tickets are $5. The food drive will be facilitated by the Harvesting International Ministry Center of Mansfield. Please visit www.HIMcenter.org for more information about their charitable organization.

Event schedule: Pits open at 1 p.m.; grandstands open at 2 p.m.; hot laps begin at 3:30 p.m. and racing is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.

Visit www.CowtownSpeedway.com for complete event details.

-- Michele Vincze

42 Sprints compete for Cowtowns Saturday Show

Travis Rilat's ShopTheBOSS.com won the first Sprint qualifier.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cowtown Speedway (Kennedale)
Nov. 13 (Friday)

The 3rd Annual City Vending November Sprint Shootout completed the second of three days of racing last night. There were over 220 race cars in the pits. Forty-two of them were Sprints. The Sprints raced in four heat races to determine their positions in two qualifier races. 

The top three Sprints from each 25-lap qualifier will be locked into Saturday's Sprint feature that will pay $7,000 to the winner. There were 21 cars in the first qualifier. ShopTheBOSS.com Travis Rilat won the first qualifier. Tony Bruce was second and Eric Baldaccini was third. In the second qualifier, Wayne Johnson defeated 18 Sprints to take the checkered flag. Tim Crawley was second and Brady Bacon was third. 

For complete results and information go to: www.cowtownspeedway.com

Wayne Johnson won the second Sprint qualifier.

To view more photographs taken Friday of the race cars, click on the slide-show below.

To view a video of Friday's races, click on video below.

Sean Jones big winner at Cowtown Speedway

Sean Jones was the Topless 100 Modified winner.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cowtown Speedway (Kennedale)
Nov. 12 (Thursday)

Sean Jones took the checkered flag in both the Topless 100 Modifieds and the Limited Modifieds races last night at Cowtown Speedway's Fan Appreciation Night. Race fans were admitted to the grandstands for free to see three races, plus two qualifiers, that were rained out at the Cowtown Sprint National's Show. This was the first of three nights of racing at the 3rd Annual City Vending November Sprint Shootout. 

Justin Melton won the 600 Mini Sprint race and Danny Ferguson and Cody Simpson won the two Limited Modified qualifier races.

For more information on Friday and Saturday's racing program, go to: www.cowtownspeedway.com

Sean Jones was also the Limited Modified winner.

To view more photographs taken Thursday of the race cars, click on the slide-show below.

To view a video of Thursday's races, click on video below.

This week's national racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500
Site: Avondale, Ariz., Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1.0 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (1 p.m., ESPN2), qualifying (4:30 p.m., ESPN2); Saturday, practice (12:30 p.m., Speed; 2 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday, race (1:30 p.m., ABC)
Race distance: 312 miles/312 laps
2008 winner: Jimmie Johnson
Fast facts: Jimmie Johnson finished 38th at Texas after wrecking on the third lap, cutting his points lead to 73 over Hendrick teammate Mark Martin. Jeff Gordon is third in the points, 112 points behind Johnson. Kurt Busch (-171) is fourth, followed by Tony Stewart (-178). ... Martin won in April at Phoenix to snap a 97-race winless streak. He started from the pole and led 157 of 312 laps. ... In 12 Phoenix starts, Johnson has three victories, seven top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. ... Kyle Busch also is racing in the Nationwide and Trucks races, the second of three straight tripleheaders. He won the Nationwide and Trucks races in Texas and has 19 victories this year in the three series — four in Cup, eight in Nationwide and seven in Trucks. He also leads the Nationwide standings.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Nationwide
Able Body Labor 200
Site: Avondale, Ariz., Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1.0 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Speed); Saturday, qualifying (11 a.m., Speed), race (3 p.m., ESPN2)
Race distance: 200 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Carl Edwards
Fast facts: Points leader Kyle Busch will clinch the title if he finishes the race with at least a 195-point lead. ... Greg Biffle won the April race at Phoenix.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Camping World Trucks
Lucas Oil 150
Site: Avondale, Ariz., Phoenix International Raceway (oval, 1.0 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (3:30 p.m., Speed), race (6:30 p.m., Speed)
Race distance: 150 miles/150 laps
2008 winner: Kevin Harvick
Fast facts: Ron Hornaday Jr. has a 197-point lead over Matt Crafton with two events left and will clinch the title if he finishes the race with at least a 195-point lead. The 51-year-old Hornaday is winless since Aug. 1 in Nashville, the last of his series-record five straight victories. He has 45 career wins and three season titles, both series records. ... In the owners’ standings, Kevin Harvick Inc.’s Hornaday-driven No. 33 has a 75-point lead over Billy Ballew’s No. 51.
www.nascar.com

NHRA
Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals
Site: Pomona, Calif., Auto Club Raceway at Pomona
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (9:30 p.m., taped, ESPN2); Sunday, final eliminations (6 p.m., taped, ESPN2)
2008 winners: Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Larry Dixon (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Chris Rivas (Pro Stock Motorcycle)
Fast facts: Funny Car driver Robert Hight enters the season finale with a 105-point lead over teammate Ashley Force Hood. ... Tony Schumacher, seeking his sixth consecutive Top Fuel title and seventh overall, has a one-point lead over Larry Dixon. Cory McClenathan, Schumacher’s Don Schumacher Racing teammate, is third — 48 points behind the leader. Antron Brown is fourth, 80 points back. ... In Pro Stock, Mike Edwards has a 139-point lead over Greg Anderson. ... Hector Arana leads the Pro Stock Motorcycles standings, 54 points ahead of Ed Krawiec. ... Ron Capps (Funny Car), Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) won in February at Pomona in the season-opening event.
www.nhra.com

Free racing at Cowtown Speedway. No joke.

Local motorsports fans will be treated to some free racing Thursday as Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale opens its doors for "Fan Appreciation Night at the Topless 100".

When rainy weather canceled part of the action for the big Cowtown Sprint Nationals in early October, the track decided to finish the Topless 100 portion of the event this week as a prelude to the third annual $86,000 November Sprint Shootout on Friday and Saturday.

Thursday's slate includes two Limited Modified qualifiers, and all three championship features: The Topless 100 for Modifieds, the 40-lap Topless Limited Modified Championships and the 30-lap Winged 600s Championships.

Thursday's grandstand admission is free for all age groups, regardless if you were in the grandstands for the rained-out races on Oct. 11 or not.

Pit gates will open at 5 p.m. Thursday and grandstands will open at 6 p.m. Hot laps will be at 6:30 p.m. and races are scheduled for 7 p.m. Those who purchased reserved seats for Oct. 11 will still have access to the reserved section from Thursday's races.

For Friday and Saturday's $86,000 November Sprint Shootout, fans can save $10 through Thursday on weekend passes by visiting www.CowtownSpeedway.com and then clicking the 'tickets' link for more info. Two-day adult passes are $35.

As of Tuesday there were more than 180 drivers entered for the five race divisions from as far away as California and Iowa. Fans can once again expect more than 200 cars by race night on Friday.

And if that wasn't enough, the first 1,300 fans attending Friday's races at Cowtown will receive free grandstand tickets to the Dec. 4-5 Texas Winter Nationals at Houston Raceway Park. Visit www.HoustonRaceway.com for details on the Texas Winter Nationals.

Third annual $86,000 November Sprint Shootout
When: Friday and Saturday
Where: Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale
Friday's schedule: Pit gates open at 3 p.m.; grandstands open at 4 p.m.; hot laps begin at 5:30 p.m. for all five classes; races are scheduled for 6 p.m.
Saturday's schedule: Pit gates open at 1 p.m.; grandstands open at 1 p.m., hot laps begin at 3:30 p.m.; racing is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Tickets
Two-day adult reserved: $40 (no single-day reserved seats will be sold)
Two-day child (12-under) reserved: $20
Two-day adult general admission: $35
Single-day adult tickets: $20 on Friday, $25 on Saturday
Single-day youth (6-11): $5
Single-day child (3-5): $2
Pit passes for each night: $35
More info: www.cowtownspeedway.com

Grand Prairie Speedway Stampede

88xx Bobby Malcus was the $2,000 Modified winner.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Grand Prairie Speedway (Grand Prairie)
Nov. 7 (Saturday)

Grand Prairie Speedway held their 7th Annual Stampede last weekend. Dunn Motorsports was the big winner in the Modified class. 88xx Bobby Malcus won the A feature and the $2,000 prize. 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr. was second and "Downtown" Scottie Brown was third. 

In the Limited Modifieds Jacob Pirkle took the checkered flag. Mike McCoy was the winner in the Street Stock race. Tyler Webb won the Young Guns Shootout feature and Brad Dudley was crowned the 2009 Young Guns Champion.

For more information and results go to: www.gpspeedway.com

To view more photographs taken Saturday of the race cars, click on the slide-show below.

To view a video of Saturday's races, click on video below.

Montoya off the track

Juan Pablo Montoya is off the track after an accident on Lap 175. His crew is trying to get his car ready to return so he can keep as many points as possible. "It's not the car we wanted, but we were getting better and better as we were going," he said.

Montoya got loose out of a turn, and he clipped Carl Edwards. As Jeff Gordon tried to avoid them, he got loose and spun out, also.

Edwards said it's just racing. "I had gotten close to Juan before, and the next time, I gave him a little more room. But it's the nature of these cars," he said. "He got loose. From the replay I saw, it looked like he almost had it saved, but that's racing. It's too bad."

More on Jimmie Johnson

At 2:29 p.m., the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup took a complete 180 at the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Chase leader Jimmie Johnson wrecked on lap 4 and his car, for the most part, was simply totaled. But Johnson stayed in the driver seat, as his crew rebuilt the car in the garage and got it back on the track in 75 minutes, on lap 115. And, at the most inopportune time for Johnson, there were additional cautions for about an hour until Sam Hornish got loose.

Among other things, Johnson’s crew had to replace the rear axel, weld the entire front and back and hammer out all of the panels. The crew received some help, too, from a couple members of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s and Jeff Gordon’s pit crews.

Johnson entered the race with a 184-point lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings.

-- Drew Davison

Johnson's on-the-mend pics

Our technologically with-it reporter Drew Davison snapped some pictures of the Jimmie Johnson's car under repair a bit ago. He's back on the track after an hour and eight minutes of car repairs, but here's pictures of the crew at work:

Jimmie Johnson among cars in wreck

Sprint Cup leader Jimmie Johnson wrecked on lap 4 and had to come off the track... It appears that the three-time defending champion will try to stay in the race. More to come.

Pace car via air delivery

The pace car for today's Dickies 500 was delivered by Chinook helicopter. Our all-auto racing writer Anthony Andro caught video of the special delivery. Here it is:

ZZ Top show pic

Hey all,

This was sent from the Star-Telegram's Ross Hailey. Just sharing with all of you...

 

Who's your pick today?

We're about an hour and a half out from the start of the Dickies 500 (given national anthems, fly-overs, TV, etc.,). Weather should be great for everyone out there, given the nice cloud cover.

But let's get to the gist of this: the storylines to this one are fantastic. Jimmie Johnson's burgeoning dynasty, Jeff Gordon on the pole and of course Kyle Busch could be claiming the TMS weekend Triple Crown (can I use that term with racing?).

So, here's my question: who is your winner today?

-- Tracey Myers

Kyle Busch wins again

Yeah, he's setting up for a memorable weekend here at Texas Motor Speedway, isn't he?

Kyle Busch won his second title here in as many days when he won the O'Reilly Challenge just a few minutes ago. That's four consecutive Nationwide victories for him at TMS, and a chance to sweep all the titles if he can take the Dickies 500 tomorrow afternoon.

Ya liking his odds?

Another caution for a crash

Michael Annett (#15) and Steve Wallace (#66) were involved in a collision with 21 laps remaining in the race. Wallace's car looks like it started floating a bit and Annett nipped the back of Wallace's car.

25 laps to go...

Kyle Busch is still i the lead, by nearly a second over Matt Kenseth.

Great race for Mr. Busch today.

Another caution...

There's debris on the backstretch, with 33 laps remaining in this one.

Logano crashes

Joey Logano (#20) just crashed on lap 155... the whole back left end of his car was obliterated when his back left tire blew. Logano was evaluated and released soon after from the infield care center.

Caution flag was lifted on lap 159.

Medical update...

Justin Allgaier and Michael McDowell were evaluated and released from the infield care center.

And we have come out of the caution on lap 128.

Kyle Busch continues to look strong today.

Another wreck...

Mike McDowell (#96), Mike Wallace (#01) and Justin Allgaier (#12) were involved in a wreck just moments ago. First lap of caution was 121. Looks like Allgaier spun out of control and the other two couldn't avoid him.

Collision in Turn 1

Morgan Shepherd (#89) and Jeremy Clements (#0) were involved in a crash on Turn 1, and the caution flag is once again out on lap 107.

More penalties

They go to Michael McDowell (#96) and Bobby Hillin Jr. (#81) for pitting too soon.

Caution #2 went from laps 68-70.

And we're back... uh, wait

First caution period went from laps 62-64.

Aaah, typed too soon: Michael McDowell went into a spin, and we're on caution #2 on lap 68.

Penalty, caution

Bobby Hillin Jr.'s #81 car was given a drive-through penalty for exiting the pit lane too fast.

We're in a caution on lap 62 for debris in Turn 1.

Johnson takes final NSCS practice

A sign, perhaps?

Jimmie Johnson took the fastest lap at the final Sprint Cup practice today, recording a 186.670 mph effort. Carl Edwards was second at 186.265 and Denny Hamlin was third at 185.810.

-- Tracey Myers

"Mad Man" Taylor $10,000 winner at Shootout

Frankie "Mad Man" Taylor, left, was all smiles after his $10,000 win.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Texas Raceway (Kennedale)
Nov. 6 (Friday)

Frankie "Mad Man" Taylor, was the big winner at Texas Raceway's Pro Mod Shootout last night. In the first of two days of racing, Frankie defeated Steve Wiley's Corvette with a 3.906 seconds run for the $10,000 win. The total purse was $30,000. The Texas Raceway, LenMar Motorsports, Circle H, R H Well Services sponsored Pro Mod Shootout continues today with racing starting at 2 p.m. 

The 2009 Pro Mod points winners were announced last night with Mount Pleasant's Ken "Bad Bird" Thomas winning his second Pro Mod championship in a row. Gaylen Smith was second, Frankie Taylor, Gene Hector, and Steve Wiley rounded out the top five. 

For more information go to: www.texasraceway.com

Texas Raceway's Cindi McMillan presents a check for $10,000. 

There were a total of 15 Pro Mods Friday.

To view more photographs taken Friday of the race cars, click on the slide-show below.

To view a video of Friday's races, click on video below.

Takin' a ride

Hey folks, A few of us from the Star-Telecrew were fortunate enough to take a ride in the pace car this morning here at TMS. I'm posting a little video to go with this. Now I will throw in a few disclaimers: I held my flip video camera on the dashboard, so it's a little shaky. My apologies for that whole Blair Witch Project effect. I clipped the video down because of the shakiness, but our driver told a funny story, so enjoy. Thanks to the folks out here for letting us do this. The car was driven at more than 100 mph, but the video doesn't show the speed as much as I had hoped. But we were certainly getting close with that wall! -- Tracey Myers

Reutimann tops NSCS Practice 2

Hey folks,

Just getting my equilibrium back after taking a ride in the pace car. I'll put a video up here in a few minutes. But first things first:

David Reutimann had the fastest lap at this morning's Sprint Cup Series Practice 2, recording a 186.812 mph lap. Tony Stewart was second at 186.716 and Juan Pablo Montoya was third at 186.265.

-- Tracey Myers

Gordon grabs the pole

Jeff Gordon claimed the Dickies 500 pole at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 7-Eleven Qualifying this afternoon, recording a 191.117 mph lap. Kasey Kahne held the lead for a while with his 190.975 lap before Gordon usurped him. Kurt Busch was third at 190.941.

-- Tracey Myers

Bowyer tops NSCS practice 1

Clint Bowyer had the fastest lap at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Practice 1 on Friday afternoon, coming in at 189.381 mph. Greg Biffle was next at 188.706 and Jimmie Johnson was third at 188.633.

There was one caution during this practice, for debris on the track.

-- Tracey Myers

In honor of Fort Hood

In light of yesterday's tragedy at Fort Hood, the folks at Texas Motor Speedway felt they should do something to honor the fallen. So Jones Sign Co., the Charlotte, N.C.-based company that does all the infield logos for TMS, painted one more during the break on Friday afternoon. It's a dedication to the U.S. Army, with the message, "God bless our Fort Hood troops." Took some pictures with the Blackberry that I'll share with you all below.

Eddie Gossage, president at TMS, also came out to see the work and talk to the press. He said there will be a moment of silence before all three races this weekend, and flags are flying at half mast.

"As soon as we heard the news (Thursday night) we knew we had to do something," Gossage said. "It's the right thing to do, and we hope it means a lot to them."

Here's the work in its beginning stages...

Getting there...

And just about finished. Sorry, the Blackberry just doesn't have a wide lens.

-- Tracey Myers

Edwards leads Friday's practice

Carl Edwards had the top speed out of Friday's NASCAR Nationwide Series practice here at TMS, clocking in at 184.2 mph per lap.

Matt Kenseth was second (183.038) and David Ragan was third (182.605).

-- Tracey Myers

Race week schedule at TMS

Thursday

2 p.m. Gate 4 opens
12:30-1:45 p.m. Camping World Truck Series practice
2:15-3:30 p.m. Camping World Truck Series final practice
7 p.m. Camping World Truck Series qualifying

Beretta Celebrity Clay Shoot, Circle T Ranch, Texas 114 at Trophy Club, Westlake. Sponsored teams pair with celebrities and NASCAR personalities for the fifth annual event. Sponsorship opportunities start at $5,000. For more information, visit http://texas.speedwaycharities.org/events/

AutoTrader.com Sam Hornish Jr. Celebrity Bowling Tournament, 6 p.m., Main Event, Grapevine. Sponsored teams ($2,500 for lane sponsorship) paired with a celebrity guest. Bowling begins at 7:45 p.m. Fans can watch with a $20 pass, which includes $10 Main Event fun card and unlimited game play. For more information, visit http://texas.speedwaycharities.org/events/ Go to www.scctexas.org for information about the Public Viewing Area passes.

Friday
8:30 a.m. Gate 4 opens
9-10:15 a.m. Nationwide Series practice
10:40-11:55 a.m. Nationwide Series final practice
11 a.m. Gates (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11), luxury suites and Victory Lane Club open
Noon-1:30 p.m. Sprint Cup Series practice
3:40 p.m. Sprint Cup Series qualifying
5:35 p.m. Nationwide Series qualifying
8 p.m. WinStar World Casino 350k Camping World Truck Series race (147 laps, 220.5 miles) TV: Speed; Radio: KRLD/105.3 FM

Saturday
8 a.m. Gates (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11), luxury suites and Victory Lane Club open  8:45-9:30 a.m. Sprint Cup Series practice
10-11 a.m. Sprint Cup Series final practice
11:30 a.m. O’Reilly Challenge Nationwide Series race (200 laps, 300 miles) TV: ESPN2; Radio: KRLD/105.3 FM

Texas Motor Speedway Track Walk, 30 minutes after O’Reilly Challenge. NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie Joey Logano is scheduled to walk with fans. Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the track, free for children 16 and under. For more information, visit http://texas.speedwaycharities.org/events/

Live NASCAR Memorabilia Auction, immediately after O’Reilly Challenge, TMS Hospitality Village. Auction is open to the public. Visit http://texas.speedwaycharities.org/events/

Sunday
10 a.m. Gates, luxury suites and Victory Lane Club open
11:45 a.m. American Racing Custom Wheels Pre-Race Show
12:30 p.m. ZZ Top concert
2 p.m. Dickies 500 Sprint Cup Series race (334 laps, 501 miles) TV: WFAA/Ch. 8; Radio: KRLD/1080 AM

Appearances
Thursday

Greg Biffle, CifiFinancial, 2430 South Interstate 35-E, Denton, 3-3:30 p.m. (first 100 fans received wristbands starting Monday)
Erik Darnell, Academy, 6101 I-20, Fort Worth, 5–7 p.m.
David Ragan, Discount Tire, 2405 Grapevine Mills Cir., Grapevine, 4-6 p.m.
Elliott Sadler, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, 1175 S. Main St., Keller, 2:30 p.m.
Steven Wallace, Valero, 10880 N. Beach St., Fort Worth, 6-7 p.m.
Friday
NASCAR artist Sam Bass, Speedway World Gift Shop, TMS ticket office, 10-11 a.m. (signed posters available to first 200 fans who purchase $25 or more in merchandise/tickets at gift shop)
Jason Keller, Brookshire’s Trackside Store, Texas Motor Speedway, 3:30-4 p.m.
Kasey Kahne, Academy Sports, 5836 N. Tarrant Parkway, Fort Worth, 7-9 p.m.
Ryan Newman, Gillette Display at Texas Motor Speedway, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Matt Kenseth, Tom Thumb, 101 Trophy Lake Dr., Trophy Club, 6:30 p.m.
Sunday
Brian Vickers, Red Bull merchandising trailer, Texas Motor Speedway, 10:30 a.m.
Robby Gordon, RGM merchandise trailer, 10-10:30 a.m.
Paul Menard, RGM merchandise trailer, 10-10:30 a.m.

World's fastest jet truck at the Alliance Airshow

Photos by Cliff Bosler
ShockWave, above, making a pass at the Alliance Airshow.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Alliance Airport (Fort Worth)
Oct. 24 (Saturday)

The ShockWave triple Pratt & Whitney jet engines truck sent sound waves through the Alliance Airshow crowd. The jet truck raced down a runway against an airplane on Saturday and Sunday. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the world's fastest truck that is capable of reaching speeds of over 375 mph. With over 36,000 h.p., ShockWave can accelerate at almost 3 G's vertical, which is as fast as the Space Shuttle. If you would like more information on the jet truck, go to Les Shockley Jet Shows: shockwavejets.com

SOURCE: allianceairshow.com

This week's national racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Tums Fast Relief 500
Site: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (oval, 0.526 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (10:30 p.m., Speed), qualifying (2 p.m., ESPN2); Saturday, practice (9 a.m., 5:30 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday, race (noon, ABC)
Race distance: 263 miles/500 laps
2008 winner: Jimmie Johnson
Fast facts: Points leader Jimmie Johnson earned his second straight victory and third in five Chase events Saturday to open a 90-point lead with five races left. Mark Martin is second in the standings and Jeff Gordon (135 points behind Johnson) is third, all three driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Tony Stewart is fourth, 155 points behind, and his first-year Stewart-Haas Racing team uses Hendrick engines. ... Gordon leads active drivers with seven Martinsville victories. He swept the 2005 races for his last wins at the track.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Nationwide
Kroger On Track for the Cure 250
Site: Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park (oval, 0.75 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (3:30 p.m., ESPN2); Saturday, qualifying (9:45 a.m., ESPN2), race (2 p.m., ESPN2)
Race distance: 187.5 miles/250 laps
2008 winner: Carl Edwards
Fast facts: Kyle Busch has a 195-point lead over Carl Edwards with four races left. Casey Atwood will stand in for Busch — racing at Memphis for the first time since 2004 — during practice and qualifying because of conflicts with the Sprint Cup event at Martinsville. ... Sprint Cup driver Matt Kenseth is making his first Memphis start since the inaugural series race at the track in 1999. ... Landon Cassill, the 2008 Nationwide rookie of the year, will drive the No. 1 Miccosukee Resort Chevrolet in his first series appearance of the year. ... Kenny Wallace is making his 450th series start.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Camping World Trucks
Kroger 200
Site: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (oval, 0.526 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (noon, Speed); Saturday, race (11:30 a.m., Speed)
Race distance: 105.2 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Johnny Benson
Fast facts: Ron Hornaday Jr. has a 197-point lead over Matt Crafton with five races left. The 51-year-old Hornaday won five straight races this summer and has a series-high six victories. He has 45 career wins and three season titles, both records. ... Mike Skinner is making his 200th series start. The 1995 champion has three victories at Martinsville, matching Dennis Setzer for the lead. Skinner has three wins this year and is third in the standings, 255 points behind Hornaday. ... Johnny Benson lost his ride in June when Red Horse Racing failed to find sponsorship, then was injured a week later in a Supermodified event at his home track in Michigan.
www.nascar.com

2009 Dickies 500 events and driver appearances (updated Oct. 20)

Texas Motor Speedway Dickies 500 events and driver appearances (all times Central)

Here are some events to plan for as the Dickies 500 weekend (Nov. 5-8) at Texas Motor Speedway gets closer.

Speedway Children’s Charities events

Beretta Celebrity Clay Shoot, Nov. 5
Ross Perot Jr.’s Circle T Ranch, Texas 114 at Trophy Club, Westlake, Texas
Sponsored teams will pair with local and national celebrities and NASCAR personalities for the fifth annual event. Sponsorship opportunities (that include the clay shoot) start at $5,000. For more information, visit http://texas.speedwaycharities.org/events/beretta_celebrity_clay_shoot_presented_by_coors_/

AutoTrader.com Sam Hornish Jr. Celebrity Bowling Tournament, Nov. 5
Main Event, Grapevine, Texas
Event begins at 6 p.m. Sponsored teams ($2,500 for lane sponsorship) will be paired with a celebrity guest. Bowling begins at 7:45 p.m.
This year fans can watch the bowling action when they purchase a $20 Public Viewing Area pass. The pass also includes a $10 Main Event fun card and unlimited game play for that evening. Visit http://texas.speedwaycharities.org/events/sam_hornish_celebrity_jr_bowling_tournament/ or call 817-215-8564 for information about lane sponsorship packages. Visit www.scctexas.org for more info about the Public Viewing Area passes.

Texas Motor Speedway Track Walk, Nov. 7
Walk begins 30 minutes after the conclusion of the O’Reilly Challenge Nationwide Series race. NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie Joey Logano is scheduled to walk with fans. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the track. Children 16 and under can walk for free. On-site registration times are: 10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Visit http://texas.speedwaycharities.org/events/texas_motor_speedway_track_walk/ for more information.

Live NASCAR Memorabilia Auction, Nov. 7
Texas Motor Speedway Hospitality Village
Event begins immediately after the O’Reilly Challenge Nationwide Series race. Auction is open to the public.
Visit http://texas.speedwaycharities.org/events/live_nascar_memorabilia_auction_44118/ for more information.

Track events/contests/hospitality packages

Win a trip to the NASCAR Sprint Cup awards ceremony
Texas Motor Speedway will give one fan the chance to attend the Sprint Cup awards ceremony this year in Las Vegas. The ceremony, scheduled for Dec. 4 at Wynn Las Vegas, will be open to a limited group of fans this year. The TMS prize includes two tickets to the ceremony, airfare, transportation and hotel accommodations. Fans can register online from Nov. 2-11 at www.texasmotorspeedway.com or at select kiosks located on the souvenir midway during the Dickies 500 weekend.

Race car rides, Nov. 7, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.
Texas Motor Speedway along with Team Texas High Performance Driving School will be giving race car rides around TMS. Cost is $150 per person. Call 817-215-8593 for more details and to reserve your spot. A limited number of tickets are available. Must be at least 16 years old. Schedule and weather permitting.

Time Warner Cable Pit Stop Pavilion pass, Village of Champions
Pass includes access to an exclusive Q&A session with Jeff Gordon, a continental breakfast and buffet lunch in the Time Warner Cable pavilion, and a VIP pit pass with pre-race access to pit road for the Dickies 500 on Nov. 8. Combo packages include the pass and a Dickies 500 frontstretch ticket for $199. Fans that already have a race ticket can purchase the Time Warner pass for $149. To purchase the passes, call the TMS ticket office at 817-215-8500.

Raceweek transportation

Media partner bus packages
Texas Motor Speedway has partnered with local and regional media outlets to provide bus trips departing from Dallas/Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Tyler/Longview, Ennis, Weatherford, Hillsboro and Ardmore, Okla.
Each bus trip consists of round-trip motorcoach transportation to Texas Motor Speedway, VIP pit tour, complimentary food and beverage, and a frontstretch ticket for $159.
Media partners 98.7 KLUV(DFW), The Oklahoman & wimgo.com (Oklahoma City), 105.7 KYKX (Tyler/Longview), 106.9 KRVF (Ennis), 95.9 KFWR (Weatherford), 92.1 KTFW (Hillsboro) and 95.7 KKAJ, 92.7 KTRX, 107.1 KYNZ and 1240 KVSO (Ardmore, Okla.) will facilitate the bus trips from each location.
For more information about departures from each respective location, visit the media partners’ websites or contact the TMS ticket office at 817-215-8500.

Victory Lane Express
The Victory Lane Express bus service from Fort Worth to Texas Motor Speedway will provide race fans with economical roundtrip service for the Sprint Cup Dickies 500 on Nov. 8 and the Nationwide Series O’Reilly Challenge on Nov. 7.
The Victory Lane Express will offer fans roundtrip transportation from the Tarrant County Community College Northwest Campus to the speedway for $10 per person.  Drop off and pickup at the speedway will be in the facility’s bus lot located adjacent to Highway 114 that allows for expedited service.  Departures from the college will begin at 8 a.m. on race days and end at 10 a.m. Busses will begin returning 30 minutes after the race ends with the last bus running 90 minutes after the checkered flag.
For more information on the Victory Lane Express, call 817-215-8600 or visit www.the-t.com.

Driver/celebrity appearances

David Ragan, Nov. 5, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Ragan is scheduled to appear at the Discount Tire store at 2405 Grapevine Mills Circle in Grapevine.

NASCAR artist Sam Bass, Nov. 6, 10-11 a.m.
Bass will be signing limited-edition prints of the Dickies 500 program cover inside the Speedway World Gift Shop located at the TMS ticket office. The signed posters will be available to the first 200 fans that purchase $25 or more in merchandise/tickets at gift shop.

Kevin Ramey wins Winter Nationals at the Bowl

Fort Worth's own Kevin Ramey drove the #7m Sprint to victory Sunday.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Devils Bowl Speedway (Mesquite)
Oct. 18 (Sunday)

It was looking like the old Bowl was going to be good to Gary Wright again. After winning the A feature Saturday night, he was leading Sunday's A feature finale in the 36th Annual O'Reilly Winter Nationals at the Devil's Bowl Speedway. However, a few laps into the 30-lap race, Kevin Ramey, the ASCS Lone Star Regional Champion, passed him for the lead and never looked back for the Lucas Oil Sprint Car Series win sponsored by K&N Filters. Kevin and his crew took home an impressive $6,000 first place money for their effort. Gary Wright, #9x, had to settle for second. Shane Stewart, #57, the current Lucas Oil $60,000 points chase leader, was third. With his third place finish, he extended his points lead to 24 over the "Ragin Cagin" Jason Johnson. Johnny Herrera, #45x, was fourth and coming from back in the pack was Sammy Swindell, #10. For more information and results go to: devilsbowl.com

Gary Wright (above) was second and Shane Stewart (right) was third.

To view some photographs taken Saturday of the race cars, click on the slide-show below.

Sprint Wreck. (below) No serious injuries.

Mark Shirshekan and Brian Brown tangle in turn two.

To view a video of Saturday's races, click on video below.

This week's national/international racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Sprint Cup
NASCAR Banking 500
Site: Concord, N.C., Lowe’s Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Today, practice (2 p.m., Speed), qualifying (6 p.m., ESPN2); Friday, practice (4 p.m., Speed; 5:30 p.m., ESPN2); Saturday, race (6:30 p.m., ABC)
Race distance: 501 miles/334 laps
2008 winner: Jeff Burton
Fast facts: Points leader Jimmie Johnson has a 12-point edge over teammate Mark Martin with six races left. Juan Pablo Montoya is third, 58 points back. Tony Stewart (-84) is fourth, followed by Jeff Gordon (-105), Kurt Busch (-121), Greg Biffle (-188), Carl Edwards (-192), Denny Hamlin (-219), Ryan Newman (-223), Kasey Kahne (-306) and Brian Vickers (-351). ... Johnson has five victories at Lowe’s — four in a row in 2004-05 — in the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, matching Gordon for the active lead. ... In May at the track, Stewart won the All-Star race and David Reutimann took the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Nationwide
Dollar General 300
Site: Concord, N.C., Lowe’s Motor Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Thursday, practice (5 p.m., ESPN2); Friday, qualifying (2 p.m., ESPN2); race (7 p.m., ESPN2)
Race distance: 300 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Kyle Busch
Fast facts: Kyle Busch has a 155-point lead over Carl Edwards with five races left. Edwards cut 90 points off Busch’s lead last week with a third-place finish. Illness forced to Busch to give way to Denny Hamlin while leading early in the race, then a late wreck relegated the No. 18 Toyota to 31st. Busch has six victories this year, the last in July at Gateway. ... Mike Bliss won the May race at the track.
www.nascar.com

Formula One
Brazilian Grand Prix
Site: Sao Paulo, Brazil, Interlagos, Jose Carlos Pace (road course, 2.677 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (noon, Speed); Saturday, qualifying (noon, Speed); Sunday, race (10:30 a.m., Speed)
Race distance: 190.08 miles/71 laps
2008 winner: Felipe Massa
Fast facts: Felipe Massa is recovering from life-threatening injuries at the Hungarian GP in July, when he was knocked unconscious by a loose car part in qualifying and crashed into a safety barrier. He had surgery on the area around his left eye and later had a had a metal plate inserted. The Brazilian was cleared medically by FIA on Saturday and tested a car Monday at Ferrari’s private track, but isn’t expected to return to racing until next season. ... Toyota’s Timo Glock also will miss the race after cracking a vertebra during qualifying in Japan. Kamui Kobayashi is filling in for Glock.
www.formula1.com

Cowtown's Sprint Nationals Finals Rained Out

Veteran Sprint car driver Sammy Swindell and his #10 Sprint.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cowtown Speedway (Kennedale)
Oct. 11 (Sunday)

Everything was in place for some great feature races at Cowtown's Sprint Nationals Sunday. Over 200 race cars were in the pits. Seventy one of those were Sprints. The Sprint drivers were chomping at the bit for a chance to win the $8,000 first place money. There was also big money on the line for the Topless Modifieds, Limited Modifieds and 600 Mini Sprints. Unfortunately Cowtown had no control over Mother Nature. Despite track manager Bo Rawdon and his crews hard work, the rain continued Sunday evening and the feature races had to be cancelled. Cowtown is looking at possibly making up some of the races on November 12, 13 and 14 at Cowtown's Sprint Shootout. For more information go to: CowtownSpeedway.com

Travis Rilat's ShopTheBOSS.com #50 Sprint.

David Doyle, #55D, goes for a wild ride into turn 4.

To view some photographs of the race cars, click on the slide-show below. 

To view a video of the race cars, click on the slide-show below. 

Tony Bruce Jr. $2,000 winner at Cowtown

Tony Bruce Jr., from Liberal, Kansas, won the Sprint A feature.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cowtown Speedway (Kennedale)
Oct. 10 (Saturday)

It was a little on the chilly side Saturday, but with a pit area that over flowed with race cars that included 71 Sprints, Modifieds, Limited Modifieds and 600 Mini Sprints, it made for a great warmup for Sunday's races. Tony Bruce Jr., from Liberal, Kansas, passed Tim Crawley with a few laps to go for the $2,000 Sprint A feature win. Earlier in the program there were four B Mains and the top winners from each race qualified for tomorrow's Sprint A feature. The winners were Sammy Swindell, Scott Reneau, Danny Wood, DonnieRay Crawford, Eric Baldaccini, Andy Shouse, Jason Johnson, and Jim Moughan. For more results and information about Sunday's races go to: CowtownSpeedway.com

To view some photographs of the race cars, click on the slide-show below. 

To view a video of the races, click on the video below. 

Texan Chris Buescher signs with Roush Fenway Racing

Roush Fenway Racing has welcomed another Texas native into its racing family. Teenager Chris Buescher of Prosper has signed a driver development contract with the NASCAR team. Colin Braun, 21, of Ovalo also races for Roush in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he is seventh in the points in his sophomore season piloting the No. 6 Ford.
 
The 16-year-old Buescher has spent the 2009 season competing part-time in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, where he has three top-five and four top-10 finishes in six starts for Roulo Brothers Racing. When he won the pole at Salem Speedway earlier this year, he set an ARCA record for the youngest pole winner in the series' 57-year history. Buescher is the younger cousin of James Buescher of Plano, who is a rookie in the Camping World Truck Series and drives the No. 10 Ford for Texas-based Circle Bar Racing. 

“I’ve worked really hard and it’s taken a long time, but I’m very glad to be where I am,” Chris Buescher said in a release. “Roush is one of the top teams out there and to be associated with them is an honor. This year was a big step. I’ve learned a lot this year and am really looking forward to next year."

It should come as no surprise that Buescher has landed with RFR. Roush Sprint Cup driver David Ragan has been mentoring Buescher in Legends Cars at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., since 2008. Buescher's No. 17 Ford in the ARCA RE/MAX Series is sponsored by the David Ragan Fan Club. Local racing fans may remember Buescher from when he won the 2007 Legends Car Pro division championship at Texas Motor Speedway.
 
Buescher will continue to run a part-time ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule in 2010 with Roulo Brothers in association with Roush Fenway Racing.

-- Michele Vincze

Cowtown Speedway Sprint Nationals Practice

D.J. Estes working on his 600 Mini Sprint.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cowtown Speedway (Kennedale)
Oct. 8 (Thursday)

It was cloudy, but no rain at Thursday's practice at Cowtown Speedway. There were several cars from different classes that wanted to make some final adjustments before the big races. A few drivers wanted to put some laps on different cars. Rodney "Hurricane" Henderson had a different Sprint at Thursday's practice. Justin McCoy was also in a different Modified. Robert Vetter, the 2008 Limited Mod Champ from the Devil's Bowl Speedway, was in a brand new Limited Mod. With over 70 Sprints pre-registered for the 2nd Annual $85,000 Cowtown Speedway Sprint Nationals, presented by ShopTheBOSS.com and Lone Star Speedway, this is shaping up to be one of Cowtown's biggest events. With rain in the forecast for Friday, the event was moved to Saturday and Sunday. For the latest updates and information go to: cowtownspeedway.com

Fort Worth's own George White will be one of the local favorites.

Seth Bergman from Snohomish, WA making some repairs.

To view some photographs of the race cars, click on the slide-show below. 

To view a video of the practice, click on the video below. 

Dunn Motorsports impressive Mods at last years Topless Mod race.

Just in case you didn't have enough to be excited about Saturday and Sunday, you can view some photographs of cars from last year's Cowtown Sprint Nationals/Topless Mods. To view photographs, click on the slide-show below.

Cowtown Sprint Nationals moved to Saturday and Sunday

From Darin Short out at Cowtown Speedway in Kennedale:

Due to the large amount of traveling teams converging upon Cowtown Speedway for this weekend’s Cowtown Sprint Nationals, and with the uncertainty of possible heavy overnight precipitation on Thursday night, the Cowtown Sprint Nationals will now take place, in its entirety, on Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11.

If you purchased two-day passes: there are no changes to the two-day advance ticket sales or format. Two-day pass pre-sales will end online Friday night.

NEW SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday Oct. 8: Open practice, 5-9 p.m., all race divisions, pit passes $20. Concessions and fuel available.

Friday Oct. 9: No events scheduled.

Saturday Oct. 10: Pits open at 2 p.m., grandstands open at 3 p.m., hot laps begin at 5 p.m., and races begin at 5:30 p.m.

Sunday Oct. 11: Pits open at 11 a.m., grandstands open at 11:30 a.m., hot laps begin at 12:30 p.m., and races start at 1 p.m. Fan Fest has been removed from the weekend schedule. It will return in 2010.

DETAILS OF THIS CHANGE

1. All scheduled races and all scheduled purses are still in effect.
2. The THURSDAY night (Oct. 8) practice is STILL ON, as scheduled from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Be watching www.cowtownspeedway.com for any further updates. Main grandstands will be closed. However, with the forecast for overnight precipitation, all trailers will be asked to leave the pit area after Thursday night’s practice, so we can groom the pit area after the storm front moves through; which is forecast by Friday morning.
3. The weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday is nearly perfect, with highs around 70 and sunny conditions.
4. Friday night’s scheduled events will now take place, in their entirety, on Saturday. Here’s the revised Saturday schedule:

Pits open at 2 p.m. We may, or may not, allow trailers in the pits before this time, if the pit area is still being groomed. That will not be known until Saturday morning. Monitor the track website for the latest updates.

Grandstands will open at 3 p.m.

Hot laps are at 5 p.m., races are at 5:30 p.m. (Sprint Heats, B’s, 30-Lap $2000/win A. All other classes run heats and twin qualifying features.)

5. Saturday night’s original schedule is now Sunday. Here’s the revised Sunday schedule:

Pits open at 11 a.m. (We will clear the pits at 10:45 a.m.).

Grandstands open at 11:30 a.m.

Hot laps begin at 12:30 p.m., Sprint Heats are at 1 p.m., then B-features for all classes.

The track reserves the right to rework the track at any point in the day to insure quality racing. With the weather forecasted to be sunny, but only 70 degrees, it should make for very good racing conditions. The track will do everything in its power to make sure there are good racing conditions.

Tentatively, we plan to rework the track after the B features, which we estimate to be from 4-4:45 p.m.

For tickets, entry list, event flyer and much more, go to www.cowtownspeedway.com.

This week's national racing schedule

Courtesy of The Associated Press
All times Central (U.S.)

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Pepsi 500
Site: Fontana, Calif., Auto Club Speedway (oval, 2.0 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (1:30 p.m., Speed), qualifying (5:30 p.m., Speed); Saturday, practice (2 p.m., ESPN2); Sunday, race (1:30 p.m., ABC)
Race distance: 500 miles/250 laps
2008 winner: Jimmie Johnson
Fast facts: Mark Martin has an 18-point lead over Jimmie Johnson, and third-place Juan Pablo Montoya is 51 points back. Tony Stewart (67 points back) is fourth, followed by Kurt Busch (-91), Denny Hamlin (-99), Jeff Gordon (-103), Greg Biffle (-114), Ryan Newman (-164), Carl Edwards (-165), Kasey Kahne (-190) and Brian Vickers (-250). ... Matt Kenseth won the February race to match Gordon and Johnson for the track victory record with three. Kenseth failed to qualify for the Chase. ... Martin won at the track in 1998.
www.nascar.com

NASCAR Nationwide
Copart 300
Site: Fontana, Calif., Auto Club Speedway (oval, 2.0 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, practice (11 p.m., taped, ESPN2); Saturday, race (3 p.m., ESPN2)
Race distance: 300 miles/150 laps
2008 winner: Kyle Busch
Fast facts: Kyle Busch won the Nationwide and Trucks events on the same day in February at the track. He has a 245-point lead over Carl Edwards in the season standings with six races left. Busch has a series-high six wins, 10 second-place runs and 21 top-fives and has led a series-record 2,226 laps. ... Greg Biffle is making his final Nationwide start of the year. He won in 2006 at the track.
www.nascar.com

IndyCar Series
Firestone Indy 300
Site: Homestead, Fla., Homestead-Miami Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Friday, qualifying (3:30 p.m., Versus); Saturday, race (3 p.m., Versus)
Race distance: 300 miles/200 laps
2008 winner: Scott Dixon
Fast facts: Scott Dixon took the series lead when he won the Indy Japan 300 on Sept. 19. Dixon has a five-point advantage over Target Chip Ganassi teammate Dario Franchitti and eight-point edge over Ryan Briscoe in the three-way race for the season championship. The race winner will earn 50 points and the runner-up will get 40. The pole winner will get a point and the lap leader will get two. The eight-point margin from first to third is the second-closest in IndyCar Series history with one race remaining. The five-point gap from first to second is the fourth-closest. ... Raphael Matos leads Robert Doornbos by 25 points in the rookie of the year competition. ... Homestead-Miami Speedway was the site of the season-opening race the past six years. Chicagoland Speedway had the last three season finales.
www.indycar.com

NHRA
Virginia NHRA Nationals
Site: Richmond, Va., Virginia Motorsports Park
TV schedule: Saturday, qualifying (10 p.m., taped, ESPN2); Sunday, final eliminations (6 p.m., taped, ESPN2)
2008 winners: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), and Dave Connolly (Pro Stock)
Fast facts: Ashley Force Hood, trying to become the first female Funny Car champion, has a two-point lead over Robert Hight with three events left. Tony Pedregon is third, 25 points behind Force Hood. ... In Top Fuel, Tony Schumacher has a 54-point lead over Larry Dixon. ... Jason Line jumped from fifth to second — 78 points behind Mike Edwards — in the Pro Stock standings with his Memphis win.
www.nhra.com

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Grand Prix of Miami
Site: Homestead, Fla., Homestead-Miami Speedway (oval, 1.5 miles)
TV schedule: Saturday, race (noon, Speed)
Race duration: 250 miles or 2 hours, 30 minutes
2008 winners: Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas (overall, DP), Paul Edwards, Kelly Collins (GT)
www.grand-am.com

American Le Mans Series
Monterey Sports Car Championships
Site: Monterey, Calif., Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
TV schedule: Sunday, race (1:30 p.m., taped, Speed)
Race duration: 4 hours
2008 winners: Lucas Luhr, Marco Werner (overall, P1), Franck Montagny, Tony Kanaan (P2), Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta (GT1); Dominik Farnbacher, Dirk Mueller (GT2)
www.americanlemans.com

October is a big month for local racing

It might be fall in North Texas, but the local racing action is still hot. In the next month, five area dirt tracks will hold events with purses as large as $100,000. Here’s a look at the events:

Cowtown Speedway (Kennedale), Oct. 9-10
RESCHEDULED FOR OCT. 10-11. GO HERE FOR DETAILS
Second Annual Cowtown Sprint Nationals
Event details: The entry list for the $85,000 event features almost 70 sprint cars and drivers from 12 states. Joining the sprint cars will be the ninth annual Topless 100, the Topless Limited Modifieds and the Winged 600s Championships.
Tickets: Adult tickets, which can be purchased in advance at www.cowtownspeedway.com until Oct. 8, run between $40 (reserved) to $35 (general admission) for two-day passes and $20-$25 for single-day tickets. Child tickets are $2-$5.
Schedule
Oct. 8 (Thursday): Practice, 5-9 p.m., $20 pit passes
Oct. 9 (Friday): Pit gates open at 4:30 p.m.; grandstand opens at 6 p.m.; hot laps begin at 7 p.m. for all four classes; racing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 10 (Saturday): Fan Fest is scheduled for 3 p.m.-4:15 p.m.; pit gates open at 4:30 p.m.; grandstand opens at 5 p.m.; hot laps begin at 6:30 p.m.; racing is scheduled for 7 p.m.
More info: www.cowtownspeedway.com
Phone: 817-478-9952

Boyd Raceway, Oct. 10
2009 Grand Nationals
Event details: Classes include IMCA Modifieds ($2,000 to win), IMCA Stock Cars ($2,000 to win), IMCA Hobby Stocks ($1,000 to win), IMCA Sport Mods ($1,500 to win), Mini Stocks ($250 to win) and IMCA Late Models ($500 to win).
Tickets: $12 for adults, $6 for children 6-11, children under 5 are free. Pit passes are $25.
Schedule
Oct. 9 (Friday): Hot laps from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m. Pit passes are $10.
Oct. 10 (Saturday): Gates open at 4 p.m.; hot laps start at 6:15 p.m.; racing is scheduled for 7 p.m.
More info: www.boydraceway.net
Phone: 940-433-5587

Devils Bowl Speedway (Mesquite), Oct. 16-17
36th Annual O’Reilly Winter Nationals
Event details: The $100,000 weekend features ASCS Outlaw Sprints, USA Modifieds, Late Models, Limited Modifieds and Street Stocks.
Tickets: TBA (or call 972-222-2421)
Schedule: Gates open at 5 p.m. each night. Racing begins at 8 p.m. each night. 
More info: www.devilsbowl.com
Phone: 972-222-2421

Abilene Speedway, Oct. 16-18
Southern Challenge, Ryan Bard Memorial
Event details: The $75,000 weekend will feature IMCA Modifieds ($3,000 to win), IMCA Stock Cars ($2,000 to win), IMCA SportMods ($2,500 to win) and IMCA Hobby Stocks ($1,000 to win), and Young Guns Shootout (Saturday and Sunday only)
Tickets: TBA
Schedule
Oct. 11 (Sunday): Open test and tune practice, noon-4 p.m.
Oct. 15 (Thursday): Practice (6-10 p.m.) and party
Oct. 16 (Friday): Gates open at 3 p.m. Heats start at 7 p.m.
Oct. 17 (Saturday): Game open at 2 p.m. Heats start at 6 p.m.
Oct. 18 (Sunday): Gates open at 11 a.m. Racing begins at 2 p.m.
More info: www.abilenespeedway.com
Phone: 325-692-8800 or 325-537-4494

Heart O’ Texas Speedway (Elm Mott), Oct. 23-24
Fall Classic
Event details: The $35,000 weekend will feature IMCA Modifieds ($1,500 to win), I-Stocks ($1,000 to win), IMCA SportMods ($1,000 to win), IMCA Hobby Stocks ($1,000 to win), Street Stocks ($1,000 to win), Mini Stocks ($1,000 to win), Pure Stocks ($1,000 to win) and Cruisers ($500 to win). Junior Mini Stocks Young Guns Shootout and Texas Twisters on Saturday night only.
Tickets: $12 for adults each night; $3 for children 6-11; children under 5 are free; Pit passes are $25.
Schedule
Friday (Oct. 23): Gates open at 6 p.m. Races start at 8 p.m.
Saturday (Oct. 24): Gates open at 4 p.m. Races start at 6 p.m.
More info: www.heartotexspeedway.com
Phone: 254-829-2294

2009 Dickies 500 events and driver appearances (Nov. 5-8)

Some events to plan for as the Texas Motor Speedway Dickies 500 weekend (Nov. 5-8) gets closer.

Speedway Children's Charities events:

Beretta Celebrity Clay Shoot, Nov. 5, Ross Perot Jr.'s Circle T Ranch, Texas 114 at Trophy Club, Westlake, Texas
Sponsored teams will be paired with local and national celebrities and NASCAR personalities for the fifth annual event. Sponsorship opportunities (that include the clay shoot) start at $5,000. Go here for more information.

AutoTrader.com Sam Hornish Jr. Celebrity Bowling Tournament, Nov. 5, Main Event, Grapevine, Texas
Sponsored teams ($2,500 for lane sponsorship) will be paired with a celebrity guest. Event begins at 6 p.m. Bowling begins at 7:45 p.m.
This year a limited number of passes will be available for the Public Viewing Area. Public viewing passes are $20. This pass will allow the holder access to the designated public areas only. Everyone entering Main Event must have a ticket regardless of age. Go here for information about lane sponsorship packages. For further information or to reserve your lane, contact Speedway Children's Charities at 817-215-8564

Texas Motor Speedway Track Walk, Nov. 7
Walk begins 30 minutes after the conclusion of the O'Reilly Challenge Nationwide Series race. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the track. Children 16 and under can walk for free. On-site registration times are: 10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Go here for more information or register online.

Live NASCAR Memorabilia Auction, Nov. 7
Texas Motor Speedway Hospitality Village
Event begins immediately after the O'Reilly Challenge Nationwide Series race. Auction is open to the public.
Go here for more information.

Track events:

Race car rides, Nov. 7, 5 p.m.-10 p.m.
Texas Motor Speedway, along with Team Texas High Performance Driving Shool, will be giving race car rides around TMS. Cost is $150 per person.  Call 817-215-8593 for more details and to reserve your spot.  A limited number of tickets are available.   Must be at least 16 years old.  Schedule and weather permitting.

Driver appearances:

David Ragan, Nov. 5, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
Ragan is scheduled to appear at the Discount Tire store at 2405 Grapevine Mills Circle in Grapevine.

Kennedale Speedway Park 3rd Annual Showdown

Modifieds entering the track for heat races.

By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Kennedale Speedway Park (Kennedale)
Oct. 3 (Saturday)

There was a good field of IMCA race cars and Street Stocks last Friday at KSP for the 3rd Annual Showdown. Almost 50 Modifieds attempted to qualify for the $2,500 Saturday feature. Keith White started on the pole and was never passed for the win. Darryl Campbell was the top qualifier in the Crate Models. Jake Upchurch finished in front in the Street Stock feature. In the other classes, Tom Clonch won the IStock, Jeff Emerson in the Sport Mods and Jeremy Carter in the Hobby Stocks. Unofficial results.

Saturday was a different story. That afternoon the rain started and despite Richard Snider and the KSP crews best efforts, the races were cancelled. If you would like more information on Kennedale Speedway Park or if you are interesting in attending their banquet Jan. 8 go here: www.kennedalespeedwayprk.com

To view some photographs of the race cars, click on the slide-show below.

The Young Guns practice in the roll-over machine.

Tony Hernandez talks to the Young Guns.