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BROWNSBURG, Ind. – The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 will kick off the championship point season in a big way, with four events in four days throughout two states.
The traveling All Stars, complete with 15 full-time teams vying for the season-ending point fund, will battle for a winner’s share equalling $27,000 over the course of the four-day weekend, opening with the $10,000-to-win/$1,000-to-start, Thursday Night Thunder at Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Va., on Thursday.
Once action at Virginia Motor Speedway is complete, the All Star Circuit of Champions will turn their compasses north and cross the Mason-Dixon for a three-pack in the Keystone State beginning with the Tommy Hinnershitz Memorial Spring Classic at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday.
Despite a long history in Pennsylvania Posse country, the All Stars have yet to earn a victory during competition at The Grove. Full-time competitors will have 6,000 reasons to end the infamous streak on Friday night, as the Hinnershitz will award a $6,000 payday.
Competition will resume with the annual Keith Kauffman Classic at Port Royal Speedway on Saturday. The $6,000-to-win program, honoring ‘The Man From Mifflintown’ who owns more than 300 victories and 18 track championships over the course of his career, will be the first of three appearances by Tony Stewart’s All Stars in 2019 at Port Royal. The series will return in September for the two-day Tuscarora 50, which will award a $52,000 payday on Sept. 7.
The four-race weekend will come to a close with a visit to the historic Bedford Fairgrounds Speedway on Sunday. Although a short history with the traveling sprint series in terms of overall appearances, six total visits since the series first visited Bedford in 2001, Bedford Speedway has been nothing short of competitive, as six different winners have been crowned in the first six contests.
Tony Stewart, who his celebrating his fifth season as the commander-in-chief of the All Star Circuit of Champions, will not only make an appearance at Virginia Motor Speedway on Thursday evening, but the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion plans to join-in on the action, vying for the five-figure payday and another win to add to his ever-growing open wheel resume.
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CONCORD, N.C. — OK, I’ll admit it. It was difficult to accept the fanfare and hoopla that followed Kyle Busch’s 200th NASCAR national series victory.
Don’t all the whippersnappers know Richard Petty is “The King?” Most of his 200 victories came before every NASCAR race was televised, or before the sanctioning body had three national tours. They all came before Busch was born on May 2, 1985.
Petty won his 200th NASCAR Cup Series race on July 4, 1984, at Daytona Int’l Speedway with President Ronald Reagan in attendance. He never won again and retired at the end of the 1992 season.
Busch picked up victory No. 200 at California’s Auto Club Speedway on St. Patrick’s Day. It was his 53rd Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win.
The Las Vegas native grabbed victory No. 201 six days later at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, when he earned his third Gander Outdoors Truck Series triumph of the season.
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Petty was the first true superstar in NASCAR racing. He won a lot, but he did it with class. Even fans of other drivers were happy when Petty and his trademark cowboy hat and boots visited victory lane. He was easy to like, well, easy to love is probably more appropriate.
Old fogies like us like to say Petty won his races all in a single series, and he did most of it during a time when the series was running 60 to 70 races a season.
But when one looks closer at the statistics during that time period, it’s easy to see that many of the fields Petty outran weren’t all that strong. With the series covering so much ground and racing so frequently during the 1960s, very few competitors contested the full schedule. Even fewer had the type of equipment Petty Enterprises put on the track.
Petty won his 200 races in 1,184 starts. However, 241 of those races came after his 200th victory.
Busch, on the other hand, is brash, aggressive and annoying. And he wins a lot, so much so this reporter doesn’t watch Xfinity Series or Truck Series races in which he competes. There’s no point. That’s not Busch’s fault. He’s incredibly talented and his Joe Gibbs Racing cars are the best in the business. But the combination facing off against lesser funded teams and lesser talented drivers in the Xfinity and Truck Series is a mismatch. That’s just the way it is.
Busch, who is 33 years old, got an early start. He made his first NASCAR national series start in the trucks at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2001. His first victory came in the Xfinity Series on March 14, 2004.
Ironically, Busch’s first Cup Series victory came at Auto Club Speedway during his stint with Hendrick Motorsports in 2005.
Of Busch’s 200 victories, 179 have come behind the wheel of a Toyota-powered vehicle and 131 of those were attained with Joe Gibbs Racing. He’s also won races for Kyle Busch Motorsports, Billy Ballew Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports and Todd Braun.
Many of his Xfinity and Truck Series triumphs came prior to NASCAR placing limitations on the participation of Cup Series regulars in the two junior circuits. Those were implemented before the start of the 2016 season.
Interestingly, few, including Busch, were comparing the two. Petty was the best driver of his era, and there’s little disputing Busch is the best of his time — with more than a few good years still ahead of him.
As Busch celebrated by waving a flag adorned with the No. 200 in the infield at Auto Club Speedway, there was no disputing why it was a milestone victory for Busch — and for NASCAR. It was because Richard Petty set the standard.
That’s a term that doesn’t need a number.
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MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Myatt Snider, the 2018 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Rookie Of the Year, will race full-time in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series this season.
The 24-year-old Charlotte, N.C., native will drive in the ELITE 2 Division behind the wheel of the No. 48 Racing Engineering Ford Mustang, competing for the overall classification and the Rookie Trophy.
The son of popular NBC Sports pit reporter Marty Snider, the younger Snider earned four top fives and 12 top 10s in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and will cross the ocean to race in Europe for the first time. He will take part in seven Euro NASCAR events, held in seven different European countries on some of the most prestigious tracks in the Old Continent, starting with April 13-14 season opener at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.
“I think it will be a lot of fun to race in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. It will be my first ever chance to race in Europe and that’s not an opportunity you get very often. It is going to be an interesting change of pace and it is a fantastic opportunity to take on this challenge with a such a top-level team as Racing Engineering. I am really excited,” said the 24-year-old Snider “(NWES founders) Jerome & Anne Galpin and their team have put together a great series which goes to amazing tracks I have only seen as a very young Formula 1 fan, so excitement is the perfect word to describe what I’m feeling now.”
Snider will share the No. 48 Ford Mustang fielded by Racing Engineering with three-time NASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion Ander Vilarino in the team’s debut season in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
One of the most successful European teams in recent history, Racing Engineering was founded in 1999 by Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón and won 11 titles in eight years, including the Spanish Formula 3 and GT championships, the World Series title in 2002 and the GP2 drivers title in 2008 and 2013. Racing Engineering was GP2 vice-champion team twice in 2015 and 2016 and fielded cars for some of the most talented drivers in the world.
“It is really great to have Myatt with us this season. He is a big talent with an impressive track record. We are looking forward to working with him and getting his feedback and experience,” said de Orléans-Borbón. “It will be a completely new challenge for him, but we will do everything possible to have him in Victory Lane right from the first race meeting.”
Snider is not setting any specific goal, but the competitor in him says that bringing wins to the Racing Engineering team is what he’s coming to Europe for.
“I’m going to Valencia with an open mind. Despite having raced some road courses when I was a kid, I raced mostly on ovals after that and going back to road courses is definitely cool. I’m going in with an open mind but of course I want to perform because I’m a competitive guy and I want to win. I am with a great team like Racing Engineering and I will share the car with multiple champion, so I think winning is definitely a realistic expectation, I just have to get into the right mindset and see what these cars are capable of.”
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WEST ORANGE, N.J. – Lincoln Technical Institute, a national leader in specialized automotive training, will continue its relationship with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.
As part of the relationship, Lincoln Technical Institute will send Kyle Martin, a student from the Denver, Colo., campus, to the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach from April 12-14.
Martin will participate as a member of the Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team which competes in the NTT IndyCar Series. He is the first of five students to be chosen this season as Lincoln Tech and Arrow SPM continue the associate partnership and the student Mentorship Program first established in 2017.
Lincoln Tech’s President and CEO, Scott Shaw, says the organization is excited for the opportunity to give students from its auto and diesel training programs the chance again this year to be part of the pit crew for the No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda and driver James Hinchcliffe.
“We’ve seen how our students can benefit from this kind of firsthand experience with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports,” Shaw said. “One of last year’s mentorship participants, Benjamin Driskell, was offered a full-time position and started working for the team in January. We believe this speaks to the quality of training our students are receiving, and to the commitment Arrow SPM has shown to giving our students every opportunity to succeed.”
Martin, and other Lincoln Tech students chosen for this year’s Mentorship Program, will work as a team member during the race weekend, with full pit and garage access. Students and selected Lincoln Tech instructors will also have the opportunity to meet Hinchcliffe and team co-owner Sam Schmidt.
“Sam, James, and Cole Jagger [Arrow SPM front end mechanic and a Lincoln Tech graduate] are ideal role models for Lincoln Tech students looking to begin hands-on auto careers,” Shaw added.
“Every year the Lincoln Tech mentorship program moves from strength to strength and fills our pipeline with talented young mechanics who help us win at the race track,” said Jon Flack, president of Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. “We now have two Lincoln Tech graduates as full time employees at Arrow SPM and we’re excited to put the 2019 class through their paces starting with Kyle at Long Beach.”
For Martin, a resident of Aurora, Colo., this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for someone who grew up watching racing with his father on television.
“It was wild when I found out I’d been chosen,” Martin said. “My jaw dropped. I’m looking forward to meeting James Hinchcliffe and learning as much as I can from the team. Applying myself in school has definitely paid off.”
Kelly Moore, President of Lincoln Tech’s Denver campus, cites Martin’s stellar academic record as a reason he was nominated by his instructors, and ultimately selected for the first race.
“Kyle has found his niche and his passion,” Moore said. “He has a near-perfect GPA and attendance record, and rose quickly to the top of our applicant pool. We’re incredibly excited for him.”
As someone with a lifelong interest in cars and the technology that powers them, Martin can look forward to hands-on experience with the Arrow SPM team. It’s a natural extension of the skills he’s already building in his Lincoln Tech training program, a program that has helped him discover what he wants to do in his future career.
“Auto technology is something I really enjoy working with, and learning about, and this accomplishment makes me want to perform even better going forward. When I start my career, I want to be someone making a difference in this field that I love.”
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GAFFNEY, S.C. – Tyler Matthews has joined JD Motorsports with Gary Keller to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut this Friday at Richmond Raceway.
Matthews will drive the No. 15 Linetec Services Camaro in his Xfinity Series debut.
Matthews, who won the 2016 North Carolina NASCAR Whelen All American Series championship racing late model stock cars throughout the state, will be right at home at the three-quarter-mile short track in Richmond.
“Man, I can’t stress enough how much this opportunity means to me,” said Matthews. “Getting the chance to drive for one of the most respected team owners in the garage area in Johnny Davis is huge. I know that this will be a big step up in my career, coming from racing late model stocks and all, but I’m treating this as just another racecar. If we can stay out of trouble and keep the car within the Top 25, I think that would be a solid day for us. I know we can do it, and I’m just counting down the hours until I can get on track to practice.”
Linetec Services, an electric utility service company based out of Alexandria, La., will serve as primary sponsor for Matthews’ debut race.
Last season, Matthews made three NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series starts. This season, he plans on putting together a three-race deal with JD Motorsports, should Friday night’s race go well. Other planned races will include Iowa Speedway and one race at a 1.5 mile track that is yet to be determined.
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Thomas Joins CD Racing For Three Silver Crown Races
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Chris Dyson has hired open-wheel dirt racing star Kevin Thomas Jr. to drive his USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series entry at select events this year.
Thomas is slated to drive the No. 9 Thetford/ProtectAll Beast during three USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series events. Their first race together will be this weekend at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track.
Thomas is also slated to compete for CD Racing at Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove Speedway on June 14 and Ohio’s Eldora Speedway on Sept. 28.
“Sean (Michael, team crew chief) and I both know Kevin and we really appreciate his talent and determination,” Dyson said in announcing that the 27-year-old Thomas would drive for CD Racing. “Kevin’s team will have a car for him everywhere except those three races and he’s going for the USAC National Triple Crown this season. We want to make sure CD Racing has a chance to score Silver Crown team championship points even when I’m not available to drive the car, and we could not have found anyone better than KTJ to come and fill in for me. It is a win-win for all of us.”
In last year’s Silver Crown dirt races Thomas scored three second-place finishes. For the past three seasons the Alabama-born Indianapolis resident has been USAC’s winningest non-winged driver and the runner-up in the National Sprint Car point standings.
“His results say it all,” said Michael. “Kevin’s got a chance to win in just about any car he gets into. He qualified for the A-Main at the Chili Bowl when he ran for me two years ago in the Heffner car, and he’s gone really well when he’s driven sprint cars for me. I know Kevin will do a great job for us.”
“I’m really pleased that Chris and Sean have asked me to drive for them when Chris isn’t able to run the car himself,” Thomas said. “My friends at FOXCO have provided me with great cars that are capable of winning, so it was as disappointing for them as it was for me that they weren’t able to do the half-mile races this year. I’m so grateful that for those three races I’ll still be running in really top equipment. I have a terrific working relationship with Sean and have great respect for Chris, who’s done so much in the sport. I can’t wait to get to Terre Haute this weekend.”
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Bayern Munich's Colombia international, James Rodriguez, has become a Spanish citizen.
The 27-year-old winger joined Bayern on a two-year loan deal in the summer of 2017 from Real Madrid.
The news of his new dual-citizen status was reported by El Confidencial and Spanish news agency EFE.
James is tied to Real Madrid until June 2021, however, Bayern have a unilateral option to purchase his rights for a reported €42 million.
By taking citizenship of a European Union country, James becomes a more attractive option for clubs as he would join as an EU player and free up a non-EU squad place.
The Colombian-born James moved to Spain following the 2014 World Cup when Madrid paid €80m to acquire him from Monaco. Despite not being a regular starter at Madrid, James played 111 times in his three-year spell at the Bernabeu, scoring 36 goals and providing 41 assists. He won two Champions League medals, one La Liga title and two FIFA World Club Cups.
James was on the books of Argentinian side Banfield before moving to FC Porto in 2010. He signed for Monaco in May 2013. He has scored seven goals and set up seven more in 18 league appearances for the Bundesliga leaders.
MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted Paul Pogba will still be a Manchester United player next season and urged the midfielder to show his worth against Barcelona.
Pogba, who has again been linked with a move to Real Madrid on the eve of the Champions League quarterfinal first leg at Old Trafford, was sent off against Paris Saint-Germain in February and missed the dramatic comeback in Paris.
"Paul is looking forward to it, he's a Manchester United player, one of our big performers on the big stage," Solskjaer said.
"His game against PSG was not his greatest moment. He's only focused on playing and I cannot not see him playing for Man United next season.
"Paul at his best can run a game like this and you expect him to put his stamp on it."
The turnaround in Paris in the last round was built on an impressive display from Chris Smalling, who kept Kylian Mbappe quiet during the 3-1 win.
It will be Smalling's job to look after Lionel Messi when Barcelona, who have never won at Old Trafford in four attempts, visit on Wednesday night and the centre-back was in defiant mood at the prematch news conference.
"It's something to relish," Smalling said. "This season I've been lucky enough to face [Cristiano] Ronaldo and Mbappe. They're all challenges I relish and the players relish. I say 'bring it on.'"
Solskjaer says there is "hope" Nemanja Matic will be fit to play despite missing training at Carrington on Tuesday morning while Marcus Rashford's ankle injury will be assessed on Wednesday morning after he was unable to take part in the full session.
Ander Herrera is expected to miss out after picking up an injury in training on Sunday and Alexis Sanchez will be held back for the Premier League clash against West Ham on Saturday despite returning to training after a hamstring problem.
The injury problems in midfield could mean Scott McTominay gets a chance to line up against Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic and 18-year-old midfielder James Garner has also been drafted into the squad.
Solskjaer has warned his team to be aware of "tricks" employed by Barca while also hoping for "some luck" with Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi.
"We've learnt from that PSG game," Solskjaer said. "Players have talked about it -- how we got dragged into making fouls.
"You have got to be more patient in tackles, some of these players will have some tricks up their sleeves, some wise players.
"We weren't lucky with the ref against PSG where they should have had a man sent off so we hope for some luck there as well."
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