Buescher has solid Camping World Truck Series run in California
February 23, 2009
As the stars of the big screen arrived in Tinseltown for the Academy Awards, the stars of the NASCAR Camping World Series rumbled into California for round 2 of the 2009 season.
The International MaxxForce Diesel Ford F-150 on track at Auto Club Speedway
After a dynamic performance during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway that earned Texan James Buescher the nod for the top spot in the ARCA ReMax Series and a stint at the front of the field in his first Camping World Truck Series start for Circle Bar Racing, Buescher headed cross country to Auto Club Speedway for the San Bernardino 200.
Not only was the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Candidate making only his 3rd series start it was the first time he had seen the Auto Club Speedway. Crew chief Jamie Jones and the team on Buescher’s International MaxxForce Diesel Ford F-150 prepared a stable truck they could adjust and make faster during practice.
Buescher’s first laps on the 2-mile oval were tentative as the rookie made his first laps on a new racetrack. As the first practice session wore on Buescher steadily climbed the speed charts. By the second session, Buescher was comfortable and turning top 20 lap times. Buescher hit his marks in qualifying and improved on his practice lap times to start outside of the eighth row.
With the drop of the green flag, spotter Jason Hedlesky helped Buescher work traffic and in his first start at Auto Club Speedway Buescher moved quickly towards the top 10. With 20 of 100 laps in the books, Buescher’s International MaxxForce Diesel F-150 was loose in, loose in the middle and loose off.
With a caution on lap 26, crew chief Jamie Jones called Buescher to pit road for a double pit stop for 4 fresh Goodyear Wranglers on the first stop and a full load of Sunoco fuel on the second. Always performing, the International MaxxForce Diesel over-the-wall-crew picked up three spots on pit road.
Back under green Buescher was sliding around in oil being dropped from the 25 truck of Terry Cook, but with oil on the track the caution flag waved yet again. Jones brought the International MaxxForce Diesel F-150 back to pit road to top of the fuel tank and make a track bar adjustment.
Back under green the Plano, Texas native started working his way into the top 10, lap 48-11th, lap 49-10th, lap 50-9th, lap 51-8th.
As the laps wore on so did Buescher’s Goodyears.
By lap 70 the International MaxxForce Diesel F-150 was sliding around on the track and sliding back in the field. Buescher was looking for a caution for fresh tires but the race stayed green until the finish. With the new pit rules requiring 2 stops to take gas and tires Jones could only bring the International MaxxForce Diesel F-150 one time. On lap 81 Buescher made his way down pit road for gas and another track bar adjustment. The final adjustment was enough for Buescher to hang on for 13th and the top finishing Ford.
James on his weekend; “I’m proud to lead the Ford contingent in only my second start at Circle Bar. The credit goes to Jamie (Jones) and all the guys on our International MaxxForce Diesel team, they do a great job, not only with our trucks but also helping me get around. We had a solid truck that kept getting better all weekend, I wish we had gotten an opportunity to put on some fresh tires in the second half of the race. I’m looking forward to Atlanta.”
The International MaxxForce Diesel Team will be in action when the NASCAR Camping World Series holds round 3 of the 2009 season in the American Commercial Lines 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 7th at 2:00 PM EST. Live coverage of the race provided by Speed, MRN and Sirius Radio. Pre-Race Show on Speed at 1:30 PM EST.
By Circle Bar Racing
Photo courtesy of Ronda Greer.
Pat Bunch Memorial set for this weekend at Paris Motor Speedway
February 22, 2009
Paris Motor Speedway opens the 2009 season with its second annual Pat Bunch Memorial special on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28.
IMCA Modifieds race for $1,000 to win and a minimum of $100 to start their Fast Shafts All-Star qualifying features both nights.
Southern SportMods also chase a top check of $1,000 while IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars vie for $500 to win at both shows.
All applicable IMCA points will be awarded for the two programs. Entry fees and tow money for the Modifieds and Southern SportMods is $50, and $25 for the Stock Cars.
Pit gates open at 4 p.m. with hot laps at 7 p.m. and racing to follow on Friday. Gates open at 2 p.m. Saturday, hot laps are at 4 p.m. and racing follows.
Grandstand admission is $15 for adults, $6 for kids 6-12 and five and under get in free. Pit passes are $30.
An open practice is from 5-10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26. Pit passes are $20 and there is no charge to get into the grand stand.
More information about the Pat Bunch Memorial is available by calling 903 517 7884 or 903 491-1508. The track website is www.parismotorspeedway.org.
White, Fox, Van Genderen, Montgomery top first night features at Abilene’s Ice Breaker
February 21, 2009
Keith White bounced back from a last-place showing in one IMCA feature with a first-place finish in another on Friday, opening night of the Ice Breaker special at Abilene Speedway.
Sidelined by a flat tire in the Southern SportMod main, White led the distance in winning the Modified feature, holding Robbie Edwards at bay late in the contest for the $500 victory.
Other winners during the first sanctioned program of the new season in Texas were Gary Fox in the SportMods, Iowa traveler Mike Van Genderen in the IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars and Allen Montgomery in the IMCA Sunoco Hobby Stocks.
White and Jeff Emerson drew front row starts for the Modified feature. White was in front by the second set of turns and Edwards slipped past Emerson on lap two.
Emerson, Monte Bolton, Chris Bragg and Danny Hogue jockeyed behind the front pair. Coming to midway point, Edwards was all over White for the lead with Emerson, Bolton and Bragg looking for their own opportunities.
Edwards got his nose outside White on a lap 12 restart, but White closed the door on the front stretch. Bolton tried Edwards for second on lap 14 but fell back in line. Bolton got alongside Edwards before the final caution came the next time around.
After several tries to get around White up top, Edwards gave it one more shot on lap 18, this time trying the low side. Once again, the White was up to the challenge, holding the front spot and going on to the win.
Fox started on the pole but fell back during the early stages of the SportMod 20-lapper. Coming on in the second half of the race, Fox got by Bobby Sikes Jr. for the lead and then inched away to take the checkers.
Sikes, Fox and Matt Mueller dueled early before Mueller lost ground and made contact with White on lap seven. That incident wound up sending the three-time national champion to the pits with a flat; Mueller came to a stop two laps later with a flat of his own and brought out the caution.
Fox made his move on lap 12 to get around Sikes, who tried to fight back on the low groove. The yellow waved on lap 15 when 2007 national king Jeff Turner pulled to a stop. Fox got away clean on the restart and inched away from Sikes over the final five laps.
Van Genderen added his name to the Stock Car record books after surviving a multi-car tussle, then battling past Turner for the lead in the final laps for the win.
The scrap came just before the halfway point and allowed Van Genderen to take over second.
Van Genderen got his bumper out front on lap 16, but Turner didn’t give up easily. With two laps to go, Van Genderen finally secured the position and eked away.
Montgomery got the lead from Todd Reitzler on lap six and eased away for the Hobby Stock win.
With Reitzler and Jeff Kinniard battling behind him, Montgomery opened up a lead and put lapped traffic in the middle. Kinniard got past Reitzler for second well behind Montgomery on the final circuit.
More than 160 drivers from seven states competed in the opening Ice Breaker program.
Pit gates open at 3 p.m. on Saturday for the second of three weekend shows at Abilene. Hot laps are at 5 p.m. and racing is at 7 p.m.
SportMods race for $750 to win in their first regional event of 2009. First place in the Modified main pays $500, Stocks chase a top prize of $300 and Hobbies run for $250 to win.
All four sanctioned divisions run again Sunday.
Feature Results
Modifieds – 1. Keith White, Academy; 2. Robbie Edwards, Eastland; 3. Monte Bolton, Lubbock; 4. Chris Bragg, Springtown; 5. Jeff Emerson, Sherman; 6. Tommy Fain, Abilene; 7. Steve Hayes, Eastland; 8. Danny Hogue, Abilene; 9. Bob Sikes, Eunice, N.M.; 10. Jason Schoenberger, Gorham, Kan.; 11. David Davis, Sweetwater; 12. Gabe Tucker, Carbon; 13. Dean Deming, Hobbs, N.M.; 14. Levi Ely, Abilene; 15. Chris Elliott, Eastland; 16. Brian Flowers, Hobbs, N.M.; 17. Chris Dawson, Post; 18. Darin Leonard, Corpus Christi; 19. Dillon Smith, China Grove; 20. Josh McGaha, Brownwood.
Southern SportMods — 1. Gary Fox, Haslet; 2. Bobby Sikes Jr., Eunice, N.M.; 3. Bradley Poor, Abilene; 4. Scotty Wallace, Lorenzo; 5. Chris Meyers, Eunice, N.M.; 6. Josh McGaha, Brownwood; 7. James Myers, Corpus Christi; 8. Danny Hogue, Abilene; 9. Dean Abbey, Comanche; 10. Justin Shaw, Sweetwater; 11. Steven Abbey, Comanche; 12. Randy Buttery, Duncanville; 13. Ted Thomas, Post; 14. Gabe Tucker, Carbon; 15. Doug Easterling, Rule; 16. Jeff Turner, Kaufman; 17. Todd Bartlett, Abilene; 18. Matt Mueller, Stamford; 19. Tommy Fain, Abilene; 20. Keith White, Academy.
Stock Cars – 1. Mike Van Genderen, Newton, Iowa; 2. Jeff Turner, Kaufman; 3. Billy Wade, San Angelo; 4. Terry Wojtek, Sterling City; 5. Dustin Locke, Eunice, N.M.; 6. Duain Pritchett, Combine; 7. Tony Ritterbush, Dunlap, Iowa; 8. Matt Guillaume, Tomball; 9. J.J. Heinz, Green Bay, Wis.; 10. Jason Batt, Killeen; 11. Matt Wampler, Snyder; 12. John Armstrong, Merkel; 13. Bill Brzezinski Sr., Roby; 14. Russell Jordan, Abilene; 15. Wayne Stremmell, Stamford; 16. Kirk Martin, Aledo; 17. Jeremy Gettler, Adair, Iowa; 18. Cody Rhodes, Tye; 19. Kevin Opheim, Mason City, Iowa; 20. Cory Davis, Eunice, N.M.; 21 Willie Free, Snyder; 22. Eric Jones, Killeen; 23. Doug Kennemer, Boyd; 24. Walter Freeman, Hobbs, N.M.
Hobby Stocks – 1. Allen Montgomery, Fort Worth; 2. Jeff Kinniard, Mansfield; 3. Todd Reitzler, Grinnell, Iowa; 4. Justin Fowler, Granbury; 5. Charles Cosper, Belton; 6. Nyle Godwin, Redfield, Iowa; 7. Sam Hodges, Eunice, N.M.; 8. David Bissonette, Stephenville; 9. Andy Roller, Bellmead; 10 Tobie Talk, Abilene; 11. Tommy Phillips, Abilene; 12. Billy Taylor, Gatesville; 13. Bud Ohlinger, Abilene; 14. Dustin Mims, Dublin; 15. Matt Drottz, Ankeny, Iowa; 16. Rodney Sparks, Abilene; 17. Colby Deming, Hobbs, N.M.; 18. Bryan Sewell, Seagoville; 19. Robert Barnett, Sweetwater; 20. Evan Davis, Mineral Wells.
By J M Hallas
Abilene Speedway’s “Ice Breaker” kicks off this weekend
February 19, 2009
An open practice session is on tap tonight, Thursday, Feb 19, 2009, and leads into the season-opening “Ice Breaker” special this weekend at Abilene Speedway.
Last year’s Ice Breaker winner Keith White
Pit gates open at 5 p.m., with IMCA Modifieds, Southern SportMods, Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks turning laps from 6-10 p.m. this evening. Feature events for all four sanctioned divisions are scheduled Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 20-22.
Modifieds race for $500 to win each night. The Saturday show is also the first regional event of the season for the Southern SportMods and pays $750 to win.
Top prize for Stock Cars all three nights and for the Southern SportMods on Friday and Sunday is $300. First in the Hobby Stock features is worth $250.
All applicable IMCA points, including home region points for Stock Car and Hobby Stock drivers, will be awarded each night.
Pit gates open at 4 p.m. for Friday’s show. Hot laps are at 5:30 p.m. and racing starts at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday, pits open at 3 p.m., hot laps are at 5 p.m. and racing is at 7 p.m.
Worship services at the track are at 10 a.m. Sunday. Pit gates open at 11 a.m., hot laps are at 11:30 a.m. and racing is at 1 p.m.
Pit passes are $25 each night Friday through Sunday. Grandstand admission is $12 for adults, $5 for kids 6-12 and five and under get in free.
Questions about the Ice Breaker, presented by Smiley’s and Showtime Signs & Designs, can be directed to promoter Rob Poor at 325 537-4494 or 325 692-8800.
Passes to get into the pit area for tonight’s practice are $12.
Thunderhill Raceway sponsor nominated for honor by Goodyear and Time Magazine
February 3, 2009
San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz and the City Council honor Chuck Nash, President of Chuck Nash Auto Group, for his nomination for the 2009 TIME Magazine Dealer of the Year. Nash was one of a select group of 49 dealers out of 19,500 nationwide selected for recognition by TIME and Goodyear, in cooperation with the National Automobile Dealers Association. L-R are Mayor Narvaiz, Elizabeth Nash, Chuck Nash, and City Council Member Fred Terry; back row: Council Members Kim Porterfield, Chris Jones, Gaylord Bose, John Thomaides and Pam Couch.
Photo and story by Melissa Millecam
By Melissa Millicam
PGM Racing Announces 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Rookie Campaign With Driver Stephan McCurley
January 29, 2009
PGM Racing team owner Donny Kelley has announced that 18 year-old Texas Late Model champion Stephan McCurley will drive his #03 PGM Racing Chevrolet in the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series.
The team will debut at the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA event at Daytona International Speedway on February 7, 2009. They plan to race the full season in an effort for Stephan to compete for the Rookie of the Year title. This will be the first ever ARCA race for this newly formed team and rookie driver. They will be under the guidance of veteran crew chief Travis Sharpe.
PGM team owner Donny Kelley is no stranger to the series, having competed last season as a driver with a top 20 finish in the final ARCA RE/MAX point standings.
Donny became an ARCA RE/MAX Series team owner with the strategy for PGM Racing that is based on giving young and talented race drivers an opportunity to prove themselves in the bigger leagues of the sport based on talent and not their pocketbook. His plan is to start building the team with Stephan, whom he has known and raced with on the Texas short tracks, and then eventually develop him into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He then plans to scout top racing talent and then bring another deserving driver through his program.
“We know the next ‘Great American Driver’ is out there and we aim to find them, build them, and make their goals and dreams a reality. Our mission at PGM Racing is to build a strong foundation with winning drivers, championship caliber equipment, good people and a winning attitude,” stated Kelley. “We are looking for marketing partners who also believe in this cause and want to share in this purpose. We already have some great supporters on board with us and we plan to build this into a successful program for all involved.”
For driver Stephan McCurley, this is a dream come true. “I am really excited to be driving for Donny, the PGM team and racing at Daytona,” said McCurley. “Donny is giving me a chance that I probably would not have been able to get on my own since I don’t have the finances to offer teams in these top divisions. It’s a goal for me to win races and championships soon in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and this gives me the start I need to prove myself. I will be focusing on getting the ARCA rookie of the year and doing my best to get the team good finishes all season. I appreciate the opportunity and I want help him build the team.”
Stephan comes to Daytona after testing for the PGM team back in December of ‘08, but it will be his first race on a super speedway.
McCurley has just come off a hot late model season in the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour where with only one car, and just his dad and himself as crew, he finished 2nd overall in the final series championship point standings, 2nd in the Carolina Clash standings and won the Blue Ridge Regional point standings all in the tour’s first season, as well as Stephan’s first touring series in a late model.
Stephan McCurley is fully focused on the job he has ahead of him at Daytona. Recently, when the new PGM ARCA car was painted a metallic charcoal grey, he was asked if he was worried he would blend into the track and get run over as a rookie– He replied; “The color of the car won’t matter because I plan on being up front.”
Donny Kelley is impressed by McCurley’s desire and focus. “Stephan has a ton of driving talent and knowledge about the race car,” Kelley said. “I have had my eye on him for years and both of us being from the Houston, Texas, area I believe we have the perfect combination for this team. As a fellow driver Stephan and I respected each other on the track, but we raced hard — and that’s what I want in my driver as a car owner. I am very optimistic that we will have success this season with the car, engines and crew we have assembled. We are going for a full 2009 ARCA run and we hope to bring in more marketing partners as the season progresses. We are excited about our debut at Daytona and we are going there fully prepared to run up front.”
PGM Racing is based out of Porter, TX and driver Stephan McCurley hails from nearby Humble, TX just outside of Houston.
PGM Racing’s marketing partners include; Porter Glass and Mirror, American Screen Graphics, Royal Purple Synthetic Oil, and Sonic Restaurants.
For more information please visit www.pgmracing.net and www.stephanmccurley.com.
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