Six Motorsports Championships…Lots of South Florida Storylines

David Reutimann records his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory at Charlotte (photo: Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images)

Six Motorsports Championships…Lots of South Florida Storylines

IndyCar and Grand-Am Sports Cars Storylines en route to the NextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championships at Homestead-Miami Speedway Oct. 9-10

► Miami’s Meira Released from Hospital After Brutal Indy 500 Crash; Eyes Return for Championship finale at Home Track of Homestead-Miami
► Miami’s Matos Heals in South Florida before Heading to Milwaukee
► Miami Resident Junqueira Qualifies for Indy 500, then Relinquishes Spot to Teammate ► Quite a Stunt: Could Movie-Man Barrett Run Two Championships—NASCAR and IndyCar—at Homestead-Miami?
► Boca Raton’s Hunter-Reay Has a True Partner in Racing
► With a Break in the Race to Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami, Grand-Am Drivers Race in Germany

Miami’s Meira Released from Hospital After Brutal Indy 500 Crash; Eyes Return for Championship finale at Home Track of Homestead-Miami

Vitor Meira was released from an Indianapolis hospital this week after breaking two vertebrae in his back during the waning moments of Sunday’s Indy 500 in a crash with fellow-Miami resident Rafa Matos. Fitted with a back brace, Meira originally was thought to be sidelined for the remainder of the IndyCar Series season but hopes to be ready for the championship finale during the NextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championships Oct. 9-10.

"I feel pretty good," Meira told reporters in Indianapolis, adding that doctors have opted to use a non-operative management regimen for Meira’s rehabilitation, which he hopes to undergo in Miami. “It's going to be very hard for me to do nothing for the next two weeks, but the doctors said after that, I can do a light workout but nothing that would load the spine. So I can work on my chest and arms and ride a stationary bike. I can't ride a regular bike because they don't want me to risk falling."

Meira, who also survived a horrific pit fire earlier in the race before returning to action, said doctors believe his recovery will be faster at home than in Indianapolis while living in a hotel. The Brazilian native said he hopes to return for the Firestone Indy 300 Oct. 10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his adopted home track. Team boss A.J. Foyt has elected to replace the injured Meira with hard-charging Paul Tracy for the foreseeable future.

Miami’s Matos Heals in South Florida before Heading to Milwaukee

IndyCar Series rookie—and Miami resident—Rafa Matos tangled with another South Floridian in the late stages of the 93rd running of the Indy 500. Matos and Vitor Meira interlocked wheels heading into Turn 1 at Indianapolis, which left Meira’s car sliding along the wall on its side (see above entry). Matos sustained a bruised right knee and a headache following the accident and had a rather unique perspective on how best to heal….

"Right now my plan is to get back to my normal routine of working out, eating well and going to the go-kart track as soon as possible,” said Matos, a frequent participant at Homestead-Miami Speedway’s karting facility. “I will see how my knee feels first. Once I feel it is 100 percent, I will resume everything like normal."

Miami Resident Junqueira Qualifies for Indy 500, then Relinquishes Spot to Teammate

First, Alex Tagliani was the bumped out of the Indy 500 field by Boca Raton’s Ryan Hunter-Reay. Then, Tagliani took the qualifying spot (33rd) of his Conquest Racing teammate Bruno Junqueira, a Miami resident. And when it was all said and done, “Tags” earned an 11th place finish and was named the 2009 Chase Rookie of the Year, which came with a $25,000 bonus.

As Conquest Racing’s primary driver, Tagliani is contractually obligated to run the entire season. His South Floridian teammate was disappointed but understands the nature of the business and agreed with the team’s decision.

"The only conversation I had with him was just to thank him—to be understanding—and that's all," Tagliani said of Junqueira, who doesn't have a full-time IndyCar ride this season.

Tagliani and Conquest Racing are in 19th place in the standings as the series heads to Milwaukee this weekend en route to the championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Tagliani plans to be in the field for the Firestone Indy 300, and he may have a teammate in Miami’s Junqueira.

Quite a Stunt: Could Movie-Man Barrett Run Two Championships—NASCAR and IndyCar—at Homestead-Miami?

A week after failing to make the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500, Stanton Barrett returned to his NASCAR racing roots at Charlotte. A full-time IndyCar Series driver and co-owner of Team 3G Racing, Barrett left Indianapolis disappointed but undaunted, flew to Charlotte and hopped into a Nationwide Series car, driving to a 25th place finish in a Chevrolet for Rick Ware Racing.

After breezing through the Rookie Orientation program at Indy, the 2009 campaign marks Barrett’s rookie season in the IndyCar Series after running 17 years in NASCAR.

“We didn’t really make too many gains from when we unloaded after we got through rookie orientation,” Barrett said of the failure to qualify for the Indy 500. “We worked on the car a lot and got a lot of straightaway speed out of it—just too much sliding or scuffing in the corners and lost a lot of speed there.”

Barrett is slated to compete in select 2009 NASCAR events to augment his already busy IndyCar Series schedule. Wonder if Homestead-Miami Speedway racing fans will see Barrett twice this fall? He intends to make the field for the Firestone Indy 300 during the NextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championships Oct. 9-10 and could be back in Miami six weeks later for the Ford 300 Nationwide Series race Nov. 21 of Ford Championship Weekend.

Boca Raton’s Hunter-Reay Has a True Partner in Racing

IndyCar Series driver and Boca Raton-native Ryan Hunter-Reay had a rough month of May at Indianapolis. In Sunday’s Indy 500, his Vision Racing Dallara lacked down force—making the car unstable in the corners—and then the 2008 Rookie of the Year crashed on pit lane to end his day early.

Hunter-Reay’s fiancée, however, may be able to offer some pointers en route to the Firestone Indy 300 Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway Oct. 10. Beccy Gordon’s older brother, Robby, is a familiar name in race circles as a former IndyCar driver-turned-current NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and team owner.

Beccy has grown up around the sport and competed in the pro/celebrity race at Long Beach during Grand Prix weekend in April. In 2006, she teamed with her sister and a friend to compete in the Baja 1000, becoming the first all-female team to compete in the grueling race in the desert.

Oh, and she’s got a bit of a driver’s moxie: “There's a difference between drivers and racers,” said Beccy. “Anyone can drive. It takes someone special to go out there and race.”

Hunter-Reay proved he qualified when he captured his first IndyCar Series victory at Watkins Glen last year. As the IndyCar Series heads to Milwaukee this weekend, he finds himself in ninth place in the championship standings that culminate with the IndyCar Championship in Miami Oct. 10th. Think that trophy from the Firestone Indy 300 would make for an appealing wedding gift to Beccy…?

 
With a Break in the Race to Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami, Grand-Am Drivers Race in Germany

Daytona Prototype regulars Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas took advantage of the off weekend in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series to win the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring at the famous German circuit. Bernhard and Dumas compete in the Grand-Am Series with Penske Racing in the Verizon Wireless Porsche.

"For me, it was a great weekend, especially because I received a special award as well," Dumas said from Daytona Beach, Fla. “In Germany, the Nurburgring 24 Hours have the same standing as the Le Mans 24 Hours in France.”

Dumas, Bernhard and Werner will return to the United States to compete in the June 6 Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen, one of America's most prestigious endurance races. Dumas and Bernhard are sixth in the Daytona Prototype championship, 15 points behind Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty of Bob Stallings Racing. Look for both teams to be in the thick of the championship skirmish all season with only one team able to be crowned champions during the NextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championships Oct. 9-10.
 
NASCAR Storylines en route to Ford Championship Weekend
at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20-22

► Miami’s Montoya Inches Closer to “Chase” Playoffs
► Brewing Like a South Florida Storm? Busch on Dale Jr.: “It’s Always the Crew Chief”
► Tampa-area native Reutimann Wins Rain-Shortened Coke 600, Sits Six Points Back of Chase Playoffs
► Busch and Edwards Heading for Nationwide Title Clash in Miami
► Miami-Based Miccosukee Tribe Hits NASCAR’s Victory Lane
► NASCAR Crew Prize to be Awarded at Homestead-Miami
► African-American Teen Races Nationwide This Weekend (Alongside Husband of Ft. Lauderdale Supermodel Niki Taylor)

Miami’s Montoya Inches Closer to “Chase” Playoffs

Miami-resident Juan Pablo Montoya has his sights set on making the 10-race Chase for the Cup, which culminates with NASCAR’s series-crowning Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20-22.

This past Monday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, Montoya drove to an 8th-place finish in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 (in a race won by Tampa-area native David Reutimann; more below), marking his fourth Top 10 finish of the 2009 season.

To qualify for NASCAR’s Chase playoff system, Sprint Cup drivers must rank among the Top 12 in points after the Sept. 12 race at Richmond—race No. 26 on the 36-race season calendar. Montoya enters this weekend’s action at Dover sitting in 14th place in the Sprint Cup standings, just 31 points behind current 12th place-sitter Mark Martin.

“Another Top 10 is good,” Montoya said post-race in Charlotte. “We normally don't run well here, so it just shows how much we continue to improve. We'll head to Dover and hope to get the Target car another great finish.”

Montoya missed out on the Chase the last two years after leaving the open-wheel world for NASCAR in 2007. Could this be the year that the Colombian native-turned-Miami resident makes the Chase and a bid for the Sprint Cup championship? It will all be decided with the season-ending Ford 400 on Montoya’s home track during Ford Championship Weekend Nov. 20-22.

Brewing Like a South Florida Storm? Busch on Dale Jr.: “It’s Always the Crew Chief”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has struggled since joining the Hendrick Motorsports juggernaut that includes Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin, and this week team owner Rick Hendrick elected to replace Tony Eury, Jr. as Earnhardt’s crew chief. In response, a former Hendrick driver has taken aim at Dale Jr., NASCAR’s most popular driver.

“It's never Junior; it’s always the crew chief,” said Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch, who was let go by Hendrick prior to the 2008 season to make room for Earnhardt. “And if Junior doesn't run well, then [interim crew chief Lance McGrew] is going to be ‘the problem’ again.”

“He's always had a chip on his shoulder for me,” Earnhardt told reporters when informed of Busch’s remarks. “So I expect any time he gets an opportunity to throw a jab in there, he’s going to do it. That's just his personality.”

On the track, a “tale of the tape” tells of a decidedly one-sided fight in favor of Busch. Since Hendrick elected for Earnhardt over Busch, the latter has won 11 Cup races to only one for Junior. Busch currently sits sixth in Cup points standings, while Earnhardt languishes in the 19th spot.

And this war of words may just be heating up. Tracks short of two miles—like Homestead-Miami’s 1.5-mile oval—often are the scene of retaliatory actions taken by drivers. Stay tuned as this battle of wits gains momentum and rolls into THE Championship Tracksm—perhaps like a South Florida hurricane—during the series-crowning Ford 400  on Nov. 22 in Miami.

Tampa-area native Reutimann Wins Rain-Shortened Coke 600, Sits Six Points Back of Chase Playoffs

Tampa-area native David Reutimann is a first-time Sprint Cup winner. The driver of the No. 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing scored his first Cup victory in Monday’s rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600—giving teammate and boss Michael Waltrip his first Cup win as a car owner—and now resides a mere six points back of a playoff spot in the Chase spot for the Sprint Cup, to be crowned during Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov 20-22.

With the caution flag waving and dark skies looming at Lap 222 of 400, Zephyrhills, Fla.-native Reutimann took the race lead when crew-chief Rodney Childers elected to have his driver stay out on the track instead of getting service with the rest of the field—gambling that Mother Nature would come into play.

During the ensuing rain delay, other drivers went back to their haulers and motor coaches to change into street clothes while Reutimann waited anxiously by his race car. After an excruciating two-hour wait, he celebrated his first win after receiving word from NASCAR officials that the race had been called.

“It felt like I was out on pit-road for a month” the Florida native said almost in disbelief in a post-race press conference. “I’m still waiting for [NASCAR President Mike] Helton to come down here and say: ‘Hold up here a second, guys. We’ve changed our minds; we’re going to do something different. We’re going to go back and try to finish this deal tomorrow.’”

Busch and Edwards Heading for Nationwide Title Clash in Miami
 
The championship pursuit in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series is becoming quite clear: Kyle Busch is always a threat for the win on Saturdays, and Carl Edwards is Mr. Consistency.

Ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the points standings that will determine the Nationwide title at Homestead-Miami during Ford Championship Weekend on Nov. 21, Busch has a series-leading three wins while Edwards has yet to visit Victory Lane this year. But “Cousin Carl”—the 2007 Nationwide Series champion who won both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup finales during Ford Championship Weekend 2008—has corralled seven Top 5 finishes.

Coming off a record-tying 10-win season in 2008, Busch knows from where his challenge will come. “I think we've got the right equipment and the right guys to make a run at [the title at Homestead-Miami],” he said in an early 2009 interview. “I think there are other guys that can challenge Carl and me, but both of us finished in the Top 2 a lot in the end last year, and we've both been up there to start the season."

“We’re knocking on the door.” Edwards said recently. “We’re doing what we’ve got to do, but we just can’t get to Victory Lane just yet, so I’m excited about how we’re running.”

Expect an exciting run to the finish in the standings when the Nationwide Series’ best race at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend on Nov. 21.

Miami-Based Miccosukee Tribe Hits NASCAR’s Victory Lane

When NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Mike Bliss drove into victory lane in Charlotte last weekend, he brought a large population of South Florida with him. The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida is the primary sponsor on Bliss’ Phoenix Racing car. A fixture on the No. 1 Chevrolet since 2004, the Miccosukees continue to build on their strong NASCAR sponsorship.

Up-start wheelman Brad Keselowski stunned the racing world in April with his first career Sprint Cup victory at Talladega—in a Miccosukee-sponsored Phoenix Racing car. Miccosukee Resorts also sponsors Kyle Busch’s No. 51 truck for in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, where Busch has captured four wins already in 2009.

Expect to see the Miami-based Miccosukees all over the track, as their cars run in all three of NASCAR’s top series during the tribe’s homecoming—and NASCAR’s series-crowning--weekend: Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20-22.
  

NASCAR Crew Prize to be Awarded at Homestead-Miami
 
Homestead-Miami Speedway will serve as the backdrop when Craftsman recognizes one crew member from each of NASCAR’s top series with the “Craftsman Wrenchman Award,” [which] “will celebrate and reward the everyday heroes of NASCAR who exemplify the attributes of the Craftsman brand both in the garage and at home….[including] trust, quality, knowledge and innovation when performing their duties with their race team,” said Matt McDonnell, manager of brand development Craftsman. “It's also the perfect opportunity to establish a personal connection for the fans with important crew members who typically don't get to step into the spotlight.”

The award will be open to all crew members in each of NASCAR’s top national touring series, the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series—all of which will crown champions during Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20-22. The awards for the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series will be determined by committee vote, and the Sprint Cup by a fan vote.

African-American Teen  Races Nationwide This Weekend (Alongside Husband of Ft. Lauderdale Supermodel Niki Taylor)

Eighteeen-year-old NASCAR rookie Marc Davis—who finished 10 spots ahead of a 37th-place start in the 2008 Nationwide finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway racing for Randy Moss Motorsports—is back on track this weekend, making his ’09 debut at Dover. The Maryland native will drive a Toyota Camry for Braun Racing, where he will team with Jason Leffler and Burney Lamar, husband to Ft. Lauderdale-native supermodel Niki Taylor.

Davis drove for Armando Fitz and Joe Gibbs Racing at Homestead-Miami in 2008, and he also won his first race for Gibbs—as a 15-year-old at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway with NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program (from which he graduated).

While currently committed to drive six events this year, Davis has hopes that he can find increased sponsorship and again run during Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I’m only 18 years old, but I’ve still been around,” said Davis. “I’ve [got] quite a good relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing still, so I feel like my track record is pretty good, and I have pretty good respect in the industry.”

Davis has six Nationwide Series starts under his belt, including the finale in Miami driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. This season, he has run two races under his own banner, Marc Davis Motorsports, and for this weekend’s Dover race he brings sponsorship from Howard University’s WHUR radio station and the Word Network.