Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon capture front row for the Daytona 500

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon capture front row for the Daytona 500
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon secured the starting spots on the coveted front row for 53rd running of “The Great American Race” Sunday afternoon during Daytona 500 Qualifying Presented by Kroger.

Earnhardt wheeled his No. 88 AMP Energy Chevrolet around the 2.5-mile tri-oval for a fast lap of 186.089 mph to capture his first pole at the “World Center of Racing” in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
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Grogan Motorsports Inc. announces it has formed an alliance with veteran team owner/driver Barney McRae and his Motion Racing team

Grogan Motorsports Inc. announces it has formed an alliance with veteran team owner/driver Barney McRae and his Motion Racing team (Milton, VT) to run the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for the 2011 season with rookie driver Andrew Gipson.

Originally hailing from Troy, Michigan, Andrew is a 16 year old junior at Manatee High School in Bradenton, Florida. In spite of not being introduced to racing until age 13, Gipson has proven to be a quick study, cutting his teeth at short tracks around the state of Florida with many wins and poles in the Pro Truck class, while coming away with 2009 Fastruck Pro-Touring Series rookie of the year honors and second in points at the 44th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing in 2010. While deciding on 2011 racing plans, fate pointed Gipson in the direction of respected NASCAR veteran Barney McRae.

Barney and his Motion Racing team have concentrated on developing young talent with positive results along the way, and Barney no doubt wants to replicate that success with the young Gipson. When asked about Andrew and the prospects for 2011, McRae stated…..

“It’s a real exciting deal to have a fresh young talent like Andrew coming in. After meeting the entire Grogan Motorsports team and doing some testing last season, I feel that we have a really great group of people. I got the chance to work with Andrew, and I’m confident he has what it takes to excel as a driver. He is a smart young man, he wants to learn, and he has a desire to succeed.”

At this time, an exact schedule is yet to be determined, but testing will start as soon as the snow melts, with the team shooting for April to have Andrew make his K&N Pro Series debut . More races will be added as the season progresses, with the possibility of running a larger schedule pending sponsorship. At this time, Grogan Motorsports Inc. with Motion Racing, are seeking marketing partners for the 2011 K&N Pro Series East Season on both a primary and associate sponsor level.

Race Recap: Kurt Busch Wins Shootout at New-Look Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Budweiser Shootout winner Kurt Busch got it right—Daytona is a whole new game.

With a push from 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, Busch won Saturday night’s season-opening exhibition race when Denny Hamlin drew a black flag for passing below the yellow out-of-bounds line as the cars approached the finish.

Hamlin, who was inches ahead at the stripe, was demoted to 12th for the infraction and scored as the last car on the lead lap.
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