Cody Hodgson: NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
South Boston Speedway Race Preview
THE STORY
Cody Hodgson of Escalon, Calif., seeks his second straight Top-10 finish to start his career when the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East stops at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Va., for the South Boston 150 on Saturday, April 16. Hodgson, who is running for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award in the series, tested at South Boston last week and is looking to carry the momentum of a 10th-place run in the season opener at Greenville Pickens Speedway two weeks ago into the second event on the 2011 schedule.
KANNAPOLIS, N.C., (April 12, 2011) – With the exception of Helio Castroneves, the IZOD IndyCar Series driver who won season five’s Dancing With The Stars competition, there’s not a racecar driver around who would consider themselves a good dancer, at least on the dance floor. But on the racetrack, that’s a much different story, especially for drivers in the elite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and especially at the two restrictor-plate tracks they visit – Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
The two venues represent a very different style of racing – one that even Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli could appreciate, as both ballroom dancing and dancing in a restrictor-plate draft require proper footwork, excellent communication and, above all, trust. (more…)
KURT BUSCH READY FOR ANOTHER SHOT AT POINTS PLATE RACE WIN
-No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil/AAA Dodge Driver Has Anticipated Talladega Since Successful Daytona Races-
TALLADEGA, Ala. — Shell-Pennzoil/AAA Dodge driver Kurt Busch has been counting down the days for this weekend’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway ever since Feb. 20. That was the day he was in the hunt to win the 53rd annual Daytona 500 until the final lap. In the final race of what was a super successful Speed Weeks 2011, the 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champ had to settle for a fifth-place finish and leave Daytona still in quest of his first points-paying restrictor-plate race win.
“We had won the Budweiser Shootout and won our Thursday qualifying race so we had so much confidence and momentum rolling into the Daytona 500,” said Busch, who will start his 42nd Sprint Cup plate race at Talladega on Sunday still looking for that elusive victory. “The 500 is our Super Bowl and all the hype was crazy around our Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Team. No team had ever claimed all three Cup race winner’s trophies in a single Speed Weeks. (more…)
Santos Record-Setting WMT Qualifying Effort at Thompson
Ceravolo Makes Triumphant Return; Cipriano Score Saturday Icebreaker Win
Thompson, CT (Saturday, April 9, 2011): The 2011 season officially got underway at Thompson International Speedway with day number one of the traditional Icebreaker. In qualifying for the Whelen Modified Tour, Bobby Santos III of Franklin, MA, posted a record-setting lap of 18.237 ET to win the Coors Light Pole with a new track record. In feature racing action, Todd Ceravolo of Gales Ferry, CT, returned to regular weekly racing at Thompson Speedway to score the victory in the Sunoco Modifieds. In Sunoco Lite action, Joey Cipriano of Waterbury, CT, scored a commanding win. (more…)
Andrew Gipson Set To Make NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Debut
17-Year-Old Led By Veteran Barney McRae
Bradenton, FL (April 9, 2011): Andrew Gipson is ready to make his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut next weekend at South Boston Speedway in Virginia. The 17-year-old is the fourth driver tapped by veteran driver and mentor Barney McRae to be developed in the series that has produced such racing greats as Joey Logano and Trevor Bayne. But Gipson, unlike many of the other series’ current contingent, has gotten to this level with only two years of racing experience. Therefore, the 2011 season will be focused on development.
“For Andrew, we’re concentrating on getting him to understand the cars – what he can and can’t do with them – and get him the experience he needs,” said McRae, who will serve as his crew chief. “This is all new territory for him, but he has the talent and the mental focus to be really successful at it. He’s patient and he learns quickly.” (more…)
