Six Motorsports Championships…Lots of South Florida Storylines

NASCAR Storylines en route to Ford Championship Weekend
at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20-22

 

 

► Stewart Eyeing Homestead-Miami Flagpole?

► What Would This Guy Do to South Beach?

► Miami’s Montoya Honing In on a Win at His “Home Track”?

► Could Danica Double Up on Miami Championship Weekends?

► Hornish: Miami Thrice on IndyCar, Goose Egg with NASCAR

► Reigning Miami Truck Winner Bodine Takes the Fifth at Texas

► NASCAR Championship Standings Update: Smoke Is on Fire

 

 

 Stewart Eyeing Homestead-Miami Flagpole?

 

Tony Stewart’s once improbable dream is looking more and more like reality every week. NASCAR’s newest owner/driver notched his latest milestone in Pocono by winning his first race as an owner at the tricky triangle. At Pocono, Stewart strategized to outlast Carl Edwards on fuel mileage and put the No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet in Victory Lane on Sunday—in the process becoming the first owner/driver to win in more than a decade. “It's special for the organization.” Stewart said post-race at Pocono. “There will be a banner hanging in the shop that marks this day in time, you know, in history for the organization.”

 

On the topic of hanging banners, Homestead-Miami Speedway flies the reigning Sprint Cup Champion’s name and car number on a flagpole at the track’s start/finish line; today, Jimmie Johnson’s No 48 is swaying in the summer wind. But might history be on the verge of repeating itself…?

 

In his 2005 Championship season, Stewart won his first race of the season in June (e.g., last weekend) on a road course (as Pocono is likened to) in Sonoma and went on to have one of NASCAR’s hottest summers en route to hoisting the Sprint Cup Championship Trophy at Homestead-Miami Speedway, for the second time in his career.

 

With “Smoke’s” unexpected success so far this season and his tendency to get hot under the summer sun, Stewart could be blazing a trail right to a historic Sprint Cup Championship as an owner during Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Nov. 20-22.

 

 

 What Would This Guy Do to South Beach?

 

Kyle Busch is NASCAR’s rock star, and he’s not afraid to flaunt it. After winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, Busch did his best Pete Townshend impression and smashed the trademark Gibson® Guitar Trophy all over victory lane. After leading 173 of 225 laps and performing a fiery burnout, Busch wanted to spread among his Joe Gibbs Racing crew pieces from the special Sam Bass-painted guitar. "I always said, 'Man, if I win here, I'd smash that thing.'” Busch revealed in Victory Lane. “I had to stick to my word. It's karma or something, I guess. I won here, so I tried to smash it up."

 

Think a driver nicknamed “Rowdy” could find a way to celebrate Miami-style? With his weekly dominance in the Nationwide Series—he’s logged an incredible total of 1244 laps led in 2009, the most of any competitor on the tour—there is no doubt he could be in Victory Lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Ford 300 on Nov 21st.

 

Miami’s Montoya Honing In on a Win at His “Home Track”?

In his 2008 rookie season in NASCAR, Coral Gable’s own Juan Pablo Montoya won the road-course race in Sonoma but has yet to win on a NASCAR oval. But in 2009, the former Formula One winner has consistently run up front in recording five Top 10 finishes, already besting his 2008 season total.

 

And now he has a new goal in mind: “As long as we keep running the way it is…I think we have a good chance of winning,” Montoya said recently. “I'm pretty optimistic that we have the chance of making the Chase. It's not going to be easy, but the potential is pretty encouraging.”

 

Montoya sits in 15th place heading into Michigan this weekend, just 61 points out of the Sprint Cup “Chase” playoff format, which culminates at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 22 during Ford Championship Weekend.

 

 

Could Danica Double Up on Miami Championship Weekends?

Speculation of Danica Patrick moving to NASCAR is not news, but this rumor is fresh: Could IndyCar’s most popular driver team up with NASCAR’s fan favorite next year? Recent speculation suggested the IndyCar queen could land at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports, as many suggest that she start in NASCAR’s second-tier Nationwide Series before attempting the jump to the Sprint Cup Series. Patrick and Dale Jr. already share a sponsorship partner in GoDaddy.com, and if JR Motorsports were then to make the jump to running in the Sprint Cup Series, both Patrick and current JR property Brad Keselowski could have full-time Sprint rides.

 

 ‘The most important thing for me as a driver is to drive for a team that believes in me and is competitive to win.” Patrick told reporters last weekend in Texas. “And then everything else just seems to take care of itself when I'm in that position. We'll just have to wait and see." While her future plans are up in the air, Patrick keeps her focus on contending for an IndyCar title when IRL’s fastest come to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Oct. 10 Firestone Indy 300. But might she also have some personal interest in catching the action at HMS during Ford Championship Weekend, Nov. 20-22?

 

 

Hornish: Miami Thrice on IndyCar, Goose Egg with NASCAR

 

Sam Hornish’s foray into the Sprint Cup Series usually is described as disappointing. In 2008, his first full year in NASCAR, the former Indy 500 winner had just two Top 15 runs and finished 35th or worse an astounding 10 times. He didn’t even qualify for the 2008 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he has won three times in the IndyCar Series.

 

But recently Hornish has turned his luck around, winning the All-Star Sprint Showdown to earn a spot in the $1 million exhibition race and recorded three straight Top 10 finishes. “I'd like to try to win a race before the season's over with,” Hornish recently told reporters. “I'm looking forward to getting to the point where we can win and feel like we can go and run in the Top 5 every weekend.” Is it finally time for those three Indy wins in Miami to translate to stock car success? Fans at NASCAR’s series-crowning Ford 400 will be the first to know.

 

 

Reigning Miami Truck Winner Bodine Takes the Fifth at Texas

Todd Bodine, winner of the 2008 Ford 200 at Homestead- Miami Speedway, made history in Texas by winning his record fifth Camping World Truck Series race at the 1.5-mile speedway—the Series’ first driver to win five times at a single track. "It's incredible to win five races at one track," Bodine said. "It's hard to win anywhere."

 

The Truck Series’ best will battle at Homestead-Miami Speedway under the Nov. 21 Friday night lights of Ford Championship Weekend—all kids 12 and under will be admitted for FREE—when Bodine will be looking to score his third career victory at THE Championship TrackSM.

 

NASCAR Championship Standings Update: Smoke Is on Fire

 

With the road to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Nov. 20-22 heating up, it’s time to check in with the Championship leaders in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series—all of whom race at Michigan this weekend.

 

With 12 races remaining before the cut off for the Sprint Cup “Chase” playoff format, Tony Stewart leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings, followed closely by Hendrick Motorsports duo Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Stewart-teammate Ryan Newman sits in fourth place and 2004 Cup-champion Kurt Busch rounds out the Top 5.

 

The remainder of the Top 12: Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth (all Ford drivers), Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, Tampa-area native David Reutimann and Denny Hamlin. Mark Martin, who at age 50 is seeking his first Cup title, sits a single point back of the final Chase spot, while Kasey Kahne and Miami’s Juan Pablo Montoya are just 59 and 61 points, respectively, out of the Top 12, as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan this weekend.

 

On the Nationwide Series front, Kyle Busch is in the top spot for the fifth straight week, with Carl Edwards right on his heels, followed by Jason Leffler, young gun Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. The Nationwide Series this weekend heads to the bluegrass state to take on the 1.5 tri-oval at Kentucky Speedway.

 

Matt Crafton is the new points leader in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, having leapfrogged Ron Hornaday to take a 30 point lead in the season long standings. They are followed by Mike Skinner of Randy Moss Motorsports, reigning Miami Ford 200 winner Todd Bodine and Brian Scott in fifth.

 

All three of NASCAR preeminent series will crown champions this fall at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend, Nov. 20-22.

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

 

► Briscoe on Miami’s Own: “I just didn't have enough for Helio”

► Shaqtastic: Miami’s Matos Meets Ex-Heat Star

► Key Biscayne’s Kanaan Providing Leadership at Andretti Green

► West Palm Beach’s Cosmo, Cheever Partner on Chassis

► “It will go right down to…Homestead-Miami Speedway”

 

 

 Briscoe on Miami’s Own: “I just didn't have enough for Helio”

 

Coral Gable’s Helio Castroneves collected his second win of 2009 and his third career “W” at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend, crossing the finish line just ahead of Team Penske-teammate Ryan Briscoe.

 

"It was an incredible day for Team Penske," Castroneves said from Victory Lane. "All the credit goes to Ryan Briscoe and his team. They push us and we push them, and together we're pushing towards the top. Having first and second at Texas is not easy, so that's a compliment for everyone."

With another solid run for the Australian, Briscoe took over the points lead by three over Scott Dixon in the race for the IndyCar Series Championship that will be decided at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the Oct. 10 Firestone Indy 300.

"We did the best we could, I just didn't have enough for Helio in the final stages," Briscoe said, "That's what it's all about, the championship. When you're so close to winning it feels a bit bitter. But it's good to be points leader right now. We just need to keep moving forward as we've been doing."

 

The IndyCar Series Championship has been decided during the final race of the year in each of the last three seasons. "It's tight, and I think it will be that way for the rest of the season," Briscoe said of the Top 4 drivers being separated by all of 13 points.

Shaqtastic: Miami’s Matos Meets Ex-Heat Star

IndyCar rookie and Miami resident Raphael Matos and his Luczo Dragon Racing contingent last week at Texas played host to former Miami Heat player Shaquille O’Neal, who has partnered with the team to raise money and awareness of a unique charity drive that team co-owners Steve Luczo and Jay Penske front. In its two-plus years of IndyCar Series competition, the drive has delivered more than $1 million to charitable organizations worldwide, much of it on supporting servicemen and servicewomen tied to the team’s primary sponsors, the United States Air Force and Marine Corps.

“This is just an outgrowth of something I’ve been doing for a long time, and it’s just an honor and privilege to be involved with Luczo Dragon Racing,” O’Neal said during an interview on pit road at Texas. “They do a lot for charity, and that’s why I’m here—along with having a good time,”

Matos is the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year but still has some work to do to contend for the Championship that will be crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway after the Oct. 10 Firestone Indy 300: With IndyCar off this weekend, “Rafa” resides 13th in the season points standings, 92 markers behind leader Ryan Briscoe. Think Shaq on his pit crew could help?

 

Key Biscayne’s Kanaan Providing Leadership at Andretti Green

Preparations are being made for teams in contention to make their championship push at Homestead-Miami Speedway following the Oct. 10 Firestone Indy 300. Key Biscayne resident Tony Kanaan and his Andretti Green Racing teammates this week tested at Watkins Glen International; Miami residents Helio Castroneves and Raphael Matos (leading Rookie of the Year candidate) will stage testing sessions at Richmond International Raceway; Vision Racing elected to test at Chicagoland; and Target Chip Ganassi Racing chose to practice at Iowa Speedway.

After last weekend’s race at Texas, South Beach resident Marco Andretti expressed frustration with teammate Danica Patrick after the two battled side-by-side late in the race Andretti finished a season-best fourth and Patrick was sixth, and afterward Andretti suggested the team needed a "sit-down'' meeting.

"The toughest people out there [challenging] me are my teammates, and I don't get that. I think three out of four of us get what the camaraderie of Andretti Green Racing is,” Andretti said post-race in reference to himself and teammates Hideki Mutoh and Kanaan, who reportedly took a leading role in the post-race chat.

 

"We did talk,'' Kanaan said. “People try to make a bigger deal than what it is. We're a team; we have our moments. We have good moments, and we have bad moments.”

 

As the IndyCar Series heads into a bye-week, Danica Patrick is the highest-ranked Andretti Green Racing driver in the championship points standings, sitting in fifth place, 32 points behind the leader. Kanaan ranks seventh, followed by Andretti in the eighth spot. With two team championships in the last five years (Kanaan in 2004, Dario Franchitti in 2007), Andretti Green Racing still is considered a threat to win it all at Homestead-Miami Speedway Oct. 10.

 

 

West Palm Beach’s Cosmo, Cheever Partner on Chassis

 

American motorsports legend Eddie Cheever could have a busy weekend during the NextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championships Oct. 9-10. After retiring from competitive racing, he has turned his sights on chassis development, as Cheever Racing designs and develops the Coyote chassis used by teams in the Daytona prototype class, including that of West Palm Beach resident Guy Cosmo.

Cheever also recently learned that his nephew will be competing in the IndyCar Series: Firestone Indy Lights veteran Richard Antinucci will join Team 3G Racing for the Camping World Grand Prix at Watkins Glen on July 5, taking the spot of IndyCar Series rookie Stanton Barrett, who was injured in a crash at Milwaukee. Antinucci was runner-up for the 2008 Indy Lights championship to Miami resident Raphael Matos.

Team 3G Racing has not detailed the severity of Barrett’s injury or the number of races in which Antinucci will compete in 2009. The first-year team is down in the series standings, but a strong outing during the Firestone Indy 300 could help build momentum for a dazzling run in 2010.

 

“It will go right down to…Homestead-Miami Speedway”

 

Reigning Grand-Am Sports Car Series Daytona prototype champions Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas put on a dominating performance at Watkins Glen this past weekend to emerge victorious, in the process putting their team squarely back in the thick of the championship chase that will be settled at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the NextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championships Oct. 9-10.  

 

The Ganassi team that won six races in 2008 en route to the prototype championship arrived in upstate New York fourth in points.

 

“I do feel bad for the No. 99 guys [Gainsco/Bob Stallings Racing duo Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty], that they got taken out like that and to see that they had their point lead evaporate is hard,” Pruett said after the race, referring to a collision that ended Gainsco’s day. “But that’s what Grand-Am is all about. There are a few cars that will be in the mix for the points championship, and it will go right down to the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.”