Six Motorsports Championships...Lots of South Florida Storylines

Tony Stewart does a burnout after winning at Pocono. Smoke becomes the first owner/driver to win since Ricky Rudd in 1998 (Photo: John Harrelson, NASCAR Media)

Six Motorsports Championships…Lots of South Florida Storylines
NASCAR Storylines en route to Ford Championship Weekend
at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 20-22

► Homestead-Miami Trophy-Hoarding Johnson Back to Winning Ways
► Miami Twice: Drivers Double the Pleasure for Cup Championship Nov. 22
► With Six Championships in Miami, Could JJ Expand His Racing Portfolio?
► Reigning HMS Cup and Nationwide Winner Edwards Beats FAU Grad
► Truck Series’ Scott Tops Previous Career Best in Miami with Win at Dover
► Tampa’s Almirola, Clearwater’s Carmichael Return to Truck Action

Homestead-Miami Trophy-Hoarding Johnson Back to Winning Ways With his dominant win last weekend at Dover, it seems clear that three-time Sprint Cup ChampionJimmie Johnson will be a threat to win an unprecedented fourth Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway during NASCAR’s series-crowning Ford Championship Weekend Nov. 20-22.

At Dover, Johnson was mired in eighth place with 36 laps remaining after a slow pit stop and was forced
to mount a nearly impossible comeback. He blew past the field to take the lead on the second-to-last lap
of the race to beat current Cup points-leader Tony Stewart to the stripe.

“My hat's off to Tony Stewart. That was one heck of a race.” Johnson said post-race in Dover. “I had to drive so far over my head to get by him. I'm just very proud of what we did out there on the racetrack.”
The win marks Johnson’s 42nd career victory in NASCAR’s top series and has bumped him to third in the point standings as No. 48 team looks make history and capture their fourth-straight Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend, Nov. 20-22.

Miami Twice: Drivers Double the Pleasure for Cup Championship Nov. 22

“Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style” will be in affect for the Sprint Cup’s Championship finale at Homestead-Miami for the first time in 2009. As featured in the Sprint All-Star Race, the double-file restarts allow all lead-lap cars to restart side-by-side at the front of the field, with lapped down cars would be behind them. Under previous NASCAR rules, lead-lap cars restart side-by-side with lapped cars until 20 laps to go, when single-file restarts kick in.

“We’ve heard the fans loud and clear: Double-file restarts, “shootout style,” are…good for competition and good for the fans,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.

Added Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick: “I think it’s great that NASCAR is listening to the fans. These new restart procedures are going to make our sport even more exciting than it already is. This will not only benefit the lead lap cars, but also the cars that go a lap down, so you get the best of both worlds.” One driver taking a differing view: Coral Gables resident Juan Pablo Montoya: "I think if you're racing for points it's crazy,” the former F1 and Indy 500 winner said last month in Charlotte. “I think if you're racing for money it's OK because nobody cares… I think it would be kind of stupid, but I don't make the rules.”

Look for this adjustment to intensify NASCAR’s side-by-side drama as the battles for the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series Championships all come down to the wire at Homestead- Miami Speedway during Ford Championship Weekend, Nov. 20-22.

With Six Championships in Miami, Could JJ Expand His Portfolio?

Three-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson says he was on the path to IndyCar racing before switching to NASCAR, and that he would still like to give open-wheel racing a shot. The defending Sprint Cup champion, who was crowned at HMS – THE Championship Tracksm last fall, began racing in motocross at age 5 and won six off-road racing Championships before switching to stock cars. “I would love to [race the Indy 500],” Johnson told reporters last week at Dover.

“Growing up, the Indy 500 is what I had my eye on. The guys that went into asphalt racing from off-road racing, all went Indy car racing. The Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix was the premier race on the West Coast, and I would go and watch, hang on the fence, sneak into the hospitality tents and wish that I could someday drive in it.”

There was a time when NASCAR’s brightest stars also competed on IndyCar’s grandest stage, including legends Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison. And in recent years, Tony Stewart, John Andretti and Robby Gordon raced in both series, although each came from an original open-wheel background

“There is no way you are going to take a driver from NASCAR and bolt them into Indy cars, and they are going to go race with the top guys,” Johnson said “The same goes the other direction. But I do think, based on conversations with Juan [Pablo Montoya], with Sam [Hornish], and Tony [Stewart] and Dario [Franchitti], it’s easier going to drive a vehicle that has more grip….Hopefully, some day the moons will align, and I could pull it off.”

Either way, look for Johnson this fall at Homestead-Miami Speedway, home to both the IndyCar (Oct. 9- 10) and NASCAR (Nov. 20-22) Championships.

Reigning HMS Cup/Nationwide Winner Edwards Beats FAU Grad

Before taking the wheel last weekend at Dover, Ford Racing’s Carl Edwards was victorious off the track in a celebrity pool tournament at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. Roush-Fenway’s driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion beat out ESPN pit reporter—and Florida Atlantic University graduate—Shannon Spake, to win the Budweiser Celebrity Billiards Shootout. A 2009 favorite to win the Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead-Miami Nov. 22, Edwards claimed a $10,000 prize for Speedway Children’s Charities, which provides care for children in educational, financial, social and medical need. Upon sinking the winning shot, the victor of both the 2008 Ford 300 Nationwide Series race and Ford 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway celebrated by performing his trademark back-flip off the pool table. He’ll fight for the ultimate bragging rights Nov. 22 during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Truck Series’ Scott Tops Previous Career Best in Miami with win at Dover Last weekend at Dover, Camping World Truck Series driver Brian Scott won his first race, in just his 39th career start. Scott’s previous best finish was 2nd place in last fall’s Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, when the 21-year-old stayed out for the final 10 laps, opting not to take on fresh rubber and instead grab the race lead for a sprint to the finish.

With the win, Scott skyrocketed to fifth in the Camping World Truck Series standings—sitting 107 points back of leader Ron Hornaday—as the series makes its way towards the season finale at THE Championship TrackSM during Ford Championship Weekend, Nov. 20-22.

Tampa’s Almirola, Clearwater’s Carmichael Return to Truck Action

After being sidelined for nearly two months without a NASCAR ride, Tampa’s Aric Almirola will race again this weekend at Texas, hopping into the No. 15 Camping World Truck Series ride of Billy Ballew Motorsports. The Cuban-American driver was slated to run a full schedule for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing in NASCAR’s top series, the Sprint Cup, until a lack of sponsorship forced EGR to shut down operations for the No. 8 team in April. The Floridian will pair with teammate Kyle Busch, driving the No. 51 Billy Ballew truck and going for his third Truck Series win of 2009.

Also returning to NASCAR action this weekend will be Clearwater native and motocross superstar Ricky Carmichael. The extreme sports star returns to the No. 4 Monster Energy truck for Kevin Harvick Inc. He is excited to return to the trucks, where he scored his first career Top 10 finish at California in February. “It brings me back to where I was in motocross in the amateur days," Carmichael said. "I was a pretty good amateur and won a lot of races, but still had to work my way up to the top level. I'm probably a little more behind in this than I was being an amateur racer, but I feel confident in my abilities that I can make this happen." Look out for both of these Floridians when NASCAR returns to South Florida for Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Nov 20-22.IndyCar and Grand-Am Sports Cars Storylines en route to theNextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championshipsat Homestead-Miami Speedway Oct. 9-10

► Coral Gable’s Castroneves Eyes Two “Firsts” at Homestead-Miami
► Key Biscayne’s Kanaan Relieved to See May ’09 in Rear-View Mirror
► Miami’s Matos Records His Highest Finish in IndyCar Competition
► Boca’s Hunter-Reay Looking for Strong Results at Texas This Weekend
► Miami’s Milka Duno: Model, Author, IndyCar Driver
► Letterman’s Top 10 List? Try No. 1 for this Palmetto, Fla.-based race team
► Garcia Joins Spirit of Daytona Racing for Watkins Glen
► 2009 KONI Challenge Winner to Race at Watkins Glen

Coral Gable’s Castroneves Eyes Two “Firsts” at Homestead-Miami

Coral Gables-resident Helio Castroneves is ready for his next big challenge—using the momentum from his third Indianapolis 500 win as a launching pad to his first IndyCar Series Championship, to be crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway Oct. 10. Last year, he made a late-season charge and fought to the last lap but came up just 17 points behind 2008 champion Scott Dixon. Castroneves has finished in the Top 5 in the Championship standings seven times during his eight-year career, including three runner-up finishes and a second-place finish in each of the last two years. He enters this weekend’s race in Texas fifth in the standings, trailing fourth-place Danica Patrick by three points.

"Last year, Scott won a lot of races and got some separation, and then I was able to challenge him at the end,'' Castroneves told reporters last weekend in Milwaukee. “That seems to happen a lot—somebody gets hot and wins a bunch of races. But this year the cars are more even, the teams are all good and I think it's going to be close like this all the way to the [Championship in Miami].

At Homestead-Miami Speedway, Castroneves has twice achieved a career-best second-place finish (2004,
2006). As for that elusive Championship, he’s up for the challenge.

“…You've got to have a chance, like I did at Indianapolis, and then maybe the door will open,” he said. “That's what I'm looking for. Maybe this year will be the year for that door to be open. But, at the same time, you have to continue to have goals and today, at this particular time, talking here, that is the Championship.”

The Firestone Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway will decide the Championship as part of the NextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championships Oct. 9-10. Castroneves will be seeking two “firsts” on his “home track” this fall: a win at Homestead-Miami in the Firestone Indy 300 and his first IndyCar
Series Championship.

Key Biscayne’s Kanaan Relieved to See May ’09 in Rear-View Mirror

Key Biscayne’s Tony Kanaan had a rough month of May, as a crash in the Indy 500 caused by suspension failure sent “TK’s” car careening into the backstretch concrete wall. He bounced off the first hard hit and then, with no steering or brakes, slammed into the wall again at more than 180 mph. He was visibly limping around the paddock this past weekend at Milwaukee.

"Everything is bothering me," Kanaan said at Milwaukee. "The ribs on my back, and my ankle and my femur are pretty sore. They are sore on the right side and we lean on [that side] every lap, so it's pretty much everything is hurting."

A fire in the rear of the car on Lap 132 at Milwaukee led to an uncharacteristically poor 19th-place finish for the Andretti-Green Racing ace. After recording three Top 5 finishes in the first three races, Kanaan sits in seventh place as he looks to heal and regroup to be in contention for the IndyCar Series Championship in his backyard at Homestead-Miami Speedway Oct. 10.

Miami’s Matos Records His Highest Finish in IndyCar Competition

Impressive IndyCar Series rookie and Miami resident Raphael Matos recorded a career-best finish with a sixth-place run at Milwaukee last weekend. The week prior at Indianapolis, Matos was on pace for a strong finish during the Indy 500 before crashing with Vitor Meira.

“At Indianapolis, we had a really good run and we crashed at the end,” Matos told reporters at Milwaukee. “The Luczo Dragon crew did an amazing job all month long—Indy and here at Milwaukee. I
had a car that ran flawless all weekend long.”

Matos, the leading candidate for the IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year, will be in action for the IndyCar Championship during the NextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championships Oct.9-10.

Boca’s Hunter-Reay Looking for Strong Results at Texas This Weekend

Boca Raton native Ryan Hunter-Reay is looking to get back into season Championship contention this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. After suffering a crash during the Indy 500, Hunter-Reay was passed in the Championship standing by fellow-South Floridian Marco Andretti. In last year’s race at Texas, the two had a late-race incident.

“Texas is a long race—it’s pack racing, so we just need to qualify decently,” Hunter-Reay said. “We're not looking at qualifying on pole, that's not our agenda here. We just need to qualify decently so we can fight it out the full race.”

Hunter-Reay, a late-spring addition to Vision Racing, stormed to a second-place finish in the season opener at St. Pete before disappointing finishes at Kansas and Indy. He looks to rebound this weekend so he can fight for the Championship during the Firestone Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Oct. 10.

Miami’s Milka Duno: Model, Author, IndyCar Driver

Miami resident and IndyCar driver Milka Duno recently netted a win off the track. Her literary work “Go,Milka, Go!” was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. The ceremony, held in New York May 28, took place during BookExpo America, the largest publishing event in North America.

"Getting the award for this book was a wonderful surprise and a cherished honor," Duno said during an interview in New York. "We set out to hopefully tell a story that children would find both entertaining and inspiring. I feel that we accomplished the goal, and to have it confirmed with this award is truly fantastic. Bringing the book to fruition was a very creative journey, and I'm happy that my first effort has been so well-received.”

Duno—who was involved in every step of the process, from creation to production—splits time with Tomas Scheckter in the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara. The duo is looking to contend for race wins as the season culminates with the Championship Firestone Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Oct. 10. Letterman’s Top 10 List? Try No. 1 for this Palmetto, Fla.-based race team
Mario Romancini last weekend gave Palmetto-based Andersen Racing—a partner to Rahal-Letterman Racing—its second career Firestone Indy Lights victory. Pole sitter Mario Romancini led all 100 laps at the Milwaukee Mile. Romancini’s teammate is Jonathan Summerton, a Kissimmee native, who qualified third but fell victim to on-track contact and brought up the rear of the field. With his victory, Romancini sits third in the race for the Firestone Indy Lights Championship, to be crowned at Homestead-Miami Speedway during the
NextEra SpeedJam Championships Oct.9-10. Florida-born Summerton is fifth in the point standings.

West Palm’s Cosmo Joins Rolex 24 Winner This Weekend in Grand-Am

Spain’s Antonio Garcia, winner of this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, will partner with West Palm Beach resident Guy Cosmo to drive the No. 09 “Spirit of Daytona” Porsche Coyote Daytona Prototype in this weekend’s Grand-Am Sports Cars race at Watkins Glen.

“I am looking forward to racing in the Rolex Series again, especially on a track like Watkins Glen,” Garcia recently told reporters in Daytona. “The opportunity to experience a new chassis and motor
package is one that I am excited about as a driver, and I’m optimistic that we can make good progress through the weekend.”

A driver of Garcia’s experience coupled with a strong teammate like Cosmo should make the Spirit of Daytona Racing team a formidable group as the march to the Grand-Am Championship continues with just six races to go before Grand-Am’s Championship finale during the SpeedJam Championships Oct. 9-10 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Homestead-Miami KONI Challenge Winner to Race at Watkins Glen

Racers Edge Motorsports has added Peter Ludwig as a third driver for this weekend’s Six Hours of The Glen race at Watkins Glen International. Ludwig earned his second career Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge victory in March at Homestead-Miami Speedway, when he was paired with Billy Johnson.. With a strong showing, Ludwig could be in the lineup and going for an HMS sweep during the NextEra Energy Resources SpeedJam Championships Oct. 9-10.